It felt like my throat was burning all the way down to my uvula. Like my whole body had been swallowed by flames. I squeezed my eyes shut with difficulty. With nothing to see, the pleasure intensified even more. I bit down on my lower lip as if chewing it to pieces, then moaned like I was vomiting it out. Even though I’d already climaxed once, the relentless thrusting kept pushing me back over the edge again and again.
“Ah, aah… hnnngh… fuck, seriously… ah…!”
“Use pretty words.”
“Pretty my ass, you bastard…!”
My body rocked helplessly back and forth. The sensation that I might climax again was ruining me. I felt Baek Tae-beom grabbing my thighs like he was about to crush them. My flesh bulged between his fingers. There wasn’t even time to care about the bruises already marking my calves. I just fought desperately to ride out the overstimulation. But all that effort meant nothing when I suddenly felt Baek Tae-beom’s hand grasping my already-spent cock, startling me into opening my eyes wide.
“Ngh…!”
“This is your problem, right? Hyung, you’re just too sensitive here.”
“Don’t talk bullshit…!”
But the moment Baek Tae-beom started rubbing his thumb across my sticky, leaking tip, my hips involuntarily lifted, legs spreading wide. My insides clenched tight. Baek Tae-beom let out a low moan and smirked, pulling up the corners of his mouth.
“You like it.”
I couldn’t even deny it, just spat curses through clenched teeth. Baek Tae-beom began thrusting again, rough and impatient. My body swayed helplessly with every move. My cock slapped repeatedly against my stomach, and all I could do was grab his forearm. He lowered himself further, grinding against me. My cock rubbed between us, leaking messily. I felt like I was going to come again. Unconsciously, I clenched around him, riding his motions, and this time, Baek Tae-beom let out a low curse. His broad chest heaved like it was about to burst open, and then his hips began to piston in with brutal force.
The overwhelming sensation deep inside made my entire body twitch like I was convulsing. The protruding veins scraped against my sensitive inner walls, sending jolts through me. My waist trembled sharply. I tried to shift, uncomfortable from the swelling pressure in my gut, but Baek Tae-beom grabbed my wrists and pinned me down, thrusting in to the deepest point.
“……!”
I couldn’t even make a sound as I came again, helpless. Whimpers slipped out of my throat. Even though I’d already climaxed, Baek Tae-beom didn’t stop, his hips still moving, grinding against my trembling walls. Soon, I could feel his cum spilling inside me. A sob escaped from my throat. My body, which had been rigid, slowly melted down.
All that was left inside me were Baek Tae-beom’s traces. But that still wasn’t enough for him—he leaned down over the nape of my neck, pressing soft kisses and sucking at my skin. Each time he did, I involuntarily clenched around him, squeezing tight. There wasn’t even room for his semen to leak out.
“Take it out, now…”
“I’m not done yet.”
“I feel like I’m dying, so take it out, you damned bastard…”
Baek Tae-beom narrowed his eyes and smirked. That was the last thing I saw before everything faded, and when I opened my eyes again, the room was bright. Sunlight streamed through the window. My back ached like it was broken, and dull soreness throbbed through my hips as I reached for the empty space beside me. No warmth remained. There wasn’t any sticky mess left on me either, and I figured Baek Tae-beom must’ve cleaned me up afterward.
I pressed my pounding forehead and clutched the blanket tighter. When I closed my eyes, all I could see were Baek Tae-beom’s eyes glowing yellow like a beast. Not even the sound of cicadas remained. It was fall now. I squirmed beneath the covers and reached for the back of my neck. I couldn’t feel any raised scars, but I was sure there had to be red marks left. I fumbled by the bedside. My half-read book and phone were there. It was already afternoon.
I managed to sit up and looked toward the full-length mirror in the corner. Bright, bare skin covered in dark red blotches clearly revealed the aftermath of last night. I practically fell out of bed and headed to the closet, pulling on a shirt while doing my best to avoid the mirror. I didn’t forget to mutter, Damn Baek Tae-beom.
Even just putting on a shirt, my nipples scraped against the fabric and I instinctively hunched my shoulders. I muttered again, Damn Baek Tae-beom. The guy had manhandled me so much I was seriously worried my nipples might fall off. I’d brought it up to him several times already, but Baek Tae-beom never listened—not even a little.
Instead, he’d just act all smug like:
“But Hyung, you like it when I touch your chest.”
Saying crap like that with a straight face.
Now he didn’t even pretend to act innocent anymore. Like some sly little fox, wagging his tail every which way—and the worst part was, I found even that adorable, like I was completely love-blind. They say love has an expiration date of about a year, but in my case, that clearly wasn’t true. I felt like nothing would change even after ten years.
Too drained to even eat, I flopped back into bed and pulled out the book I hadn’t finished. The neatly placed yellow bookmark was something Baek Tae-beom had bought for me. On the clean white page, ink was carefully scrawled. Staring at it, I curled up and dropped my head.
The world doesn’t end like closing the final chapter of a novel. Just because you’ve protected it once doesn’t mean it’s over. Those who remain still have a lot left to do.
Once the rites were completed for the dead, it was time for those responsible to face the consequences. Even now, the internet buzzed with calls for the President’s impeachment, claiming he was involved in the incident. Multiple new amendments regarding Hunter-related laws had been proposed—many of which targeted the current generation. People talked about wiping out the remnants of the old system to build a better world.
Thankfully, the children who had been used to produce Mana Stones had survived. They were returned to their guardians or placed in better facilities. Voices rose in criticism, saying this could’ve been prevented if people had just paid a little more attention to the kids. Society grew more sensitive to these issues, and there was a rising atmosphere of openly calling out what was wrong. Now, it wasn’t rare to see famous Hunters standing in public, holding placards about children’s rights and the direction the world should be heading.
What happened to the Constellations who called themselves gods? Did the one who spoke of annihilation truly disappear? I no longer had a body that could know such things. I’d become just another ordinary person. And maybe, just maybe, that left me feeling a little hollow. Maybe I was even heartbroken.
I was just blank. Maybe I was paying the price for having poured out everything—there was nothing I particularly wanted to do, and I didn’t feel like doing anything at all. I didn’t bother with television or the internet. Even though there was a line of people saying they wanted to see me, I didn’t want to meet a single one of them. The symptoms worsened over time, and after Baek Tae-beom finally convinced me to go to a psychiatrist, I was diagnosed with burnout.
Burnout, after saving the world. Then again, it made sense. I’d pushed myself too hard in too short a time. Like I’d been rushing through game quests, performing tasks in a state where even my emotions were suppressed—it was no wonder I was exhausted. But just because my head understood that didn’t mean my body was functioning properly.
They say the mind and body don’t always move in sync. This was exactly that.
I figured I’d just read until Baek Tae-beom came home today. I turned another crinkling page. Right at that moment, the protagonist was looking up at the sky, delivering a monologue.
[The world was empty. Living had brought no comfort. I couldn’t find a reason to go on. How long would I keep wandering in search of that reason? Perhaps meeting the end of life like this might be to my benefit. Maybe death is our friend. No need for anything special—death is equal to all…]
Ding dong.
I froze for a moment.
Who could it be at this hour?
It wasn’t Baek Tae-beom—he’d gone to work.
Ever since that day, everyone had been busy, and no one had come to visit. It was the first time someone had come to the house. I couldn’t help the strange feeling of anticipation rising in me. I opened the door and headed down the stairs, calling out loudly, “Who is it?” just as I was about to open the front door.
“Excuse me, could I have a moment of your time~?”
My hand, which had reached for the doorknob, froze. The anticipation evaporated into something cold. A hollow laugh escaped me. Do they not know Baek Tae-beom lives here?
“What do you want?”
“Would you open the door, please?”
“Why should I?”
“Please, just listen to what I have to say.”
“And what exactly are you trying to say?”
“Did you know that in the beginning, there was a single Constellation?”
What kind of nonsense is this?
“Would you like to hear the story of the true Constellation who created us all—the one and only God?”
Unbelievable. There are always people trying to sell God no matter where you go, but now that no one wants to hear about Constellations anymore, they’ve started selling them too? I was so dumbfounded I couldn’t even speak.
“Did you know that with enough faith, you too can become a Constellation?”
The absurdity made my head spin. The person outside pounded on the door and shouted, demanding to be heard.
“We are all children born from a single Constellation!”
“Cut the crap and get lost!”
“Brother! Please, listen to what I have to say!”
“Who the hell is your brother?!”
“Brother! I beg you, open this door and also the lock on your heart—urk!”
A sudden scream made my eyes fly open as I stared toward the front door. A loud crash followed, something or someone collapsing, then a frantic voice yelling, “I’m sorry!”
I’d been leaning close to the door, trying to catch what was happening outside, when a sharp knock made my entire body tense.
“Choi Ga-hyeon-ssi.”
“…….”
“Are you there?”
“Lee Myung-won-ssi?”
I flung the door open.
Standing there was Lee Myung-won, wearing an awkward smile on his face.
