Chapter 72
The words that had spilled out were enough to stimulate Seoyul’s tear ducts that had just barely calmed down.
Tears pooled in his reddened eyes, blurring his vision. Seoyul continued to pour out his heart as the gathered tears fell drop by drop.
“I like you. I like you, Esper-nim. I really, really like you so much… mmph!”
Dowoon blocked Seoyul’s lips as he was pouring out his sweet confession and invaded without hesitation.
He swallowed the sweet lips, swallowed the sweet words, swallowed everything that was Seoyul.
It felt as if the sweet words were being absorbed inside along with the sweet saliva. Seoyul’s emotions, his heart, melted Dowoon endlessly.
“Mmm… Esper-nim… I really like… mmph.”
Even during the brief moment they separated, Seoyul continued to pour out his confession. Dowoon trembled with an irresistible feeling of elation.
The fact that Seoyul… the fact that Seoyul liked him was so intoxicating that he couldn’t stop.
‘Haa. Damn.’
Dowoon embraced Seoyul’s trembling waist and, with one hand holding his small head in place, ravaged the inside of his mouth. Even though Guiding wasn’t taking place, he felt his body and heart being filled with Seoyul, giving him a sense of healing.
Wanting to be closer, to feel even a little deeper, he mixed their saliva, entwined their tongues, and breathed his hot breath and heart into him.
“Mmm… Esper-nim…”
Amid Dowoon’s breath and overwhelming emotions, Seoyul floundered helplessly. The more their lips met and tongues entwined, the more he felt his entire body heating up.
His body responded to his growing feelings, trembling and not knowing what to do. His heart felt like it would burst, and everything Dowoon gave him felt so good that his head might break.
Nevertheless, whenever their lips separated even slightly, Seoyul confessed to him.
That he liked him. That he really liked him.
At those times, Dowoon would pull Seoyul in even more forcefully and devour his lips as if he would eat him up.
The feeling of breaths intermingling and hearts connecting began to fill Seoyul with overwhelming emotion.
‘I like this person. I like him so much. How can I convey it all?’
He didn’t know. He wanted to convey his feelings to Dowoon just as they were, but everything felt insufficient.
“I like you. No, I love you, Seoyul.”
Dowoon poured out his words during a brief moment they separated.
That word engraved itself deeply inside him, and his vision blurred again.
Seoyul realized.
‘Ah… I’ve been living all this time to hear those words, to say those words.’
Seoyul opened his mouth as transparent tears fell from his eyes.
“Me too. Me too, Esper-nim.”
As he said this with a gentle smile, he looked more lovable than anyone. Dowoon fell into that sight, thinking that if angels existed, they would look like this.
To think that someone like this liked him.
Dowoon felt his heart would overflow again, so he kissed his own angel once more and whispered.
“I love you, Seoyul.”
* * *
After the long incident ended, the world burst into flames. An enormous aftershock began to hit the Center.
The fact that Seoyul had been kidnapped wasn’t publicly announced, but the fact that he was an S-class Hidden Guide was widely publicized, resulting in a flood of news articles.
<South Korea’s First S-Class Guide is a Hidden Guide!>
<Hidden Guide Guides an S-Class Esper to Take Down a Malicious Organization!>
<The World’s Attention on the Appearance of the Third Hidden Guide!>
Articles with headlines like these poured out, beginning to spotlight Seoyul. Due to the characteristics of S-class ability users, all detailed information was blocked, so the internet was filled with speculative articles and comments about what kind of person he was.
South Korea’s first S-class Guide.
One of only three Hidden Guides in the world.
An impressive record of guiding an S-class Esper to defeat a malicious organization as soon as he appeared.
Everyone was curious about the Guide who had emerged with such glorious titles. As a result, the Center where the two belonged was nearly paralyzed with work.
“You two, don’t come anywhere near the Center for the time being. Don’t come and cause trouble, just stay at home without moving until things calm down. Got it?”
Munjin’s nagging poured through the phone. Dowoon retorted while picking his ear, saying he was planning to do that anyway.
“I know that already. I wouldn’t have gone there if Seoyul wasn’t sick.”
“Haa… Next time we’ll send someone to you, so please think before you act, okay? You don’t want to add news articles about the Hidden Guide having health issues, right?”
“…”
Dowoon kept his mouth shut. He felt guilty.
After safely returning home, Seoyul had fallen severely ill as if all the tension had finally been released. How shocked Dowoon had been when he found Seoyul burning like fire. That’s why he had rushed to the Center without thinking, only to be nagged like this.
“I know. I understand you were shocked, but you know the current situation. Fortunately, there’s no health issue, so just focus on recovery by taking good care of him until things calm down.”
“That’s what I was going to do anyway.”
Dowoon grumbled as he leaned his body against the wall. Despite his words, when he had rushed there in a panic, Munjin had been the most surprised and caused a commotion.
Feeling awkward, he was just being more defiant.
“Right. Contact us if you need anything. Don’t cause trouble. And don’t bother Guide Seo…”
“Ah, really! I got it!! Hang up already!”
Dowoon shouted and hung up the phone as the nagging continued. Surely, troublesome matters would come flooding in once the call ended, so his father was deliberately dragging out the conversation.
“There’s no other reason to drag out a call like this. Hmph.”
Dowoon snorted, figuring he could see right through his father’s intentions, and turned around.
Naturally moving toward Seoyul’s room, he saw him sleeping soundly.
Fortunately, his fever had completely subsided. He was now sleeping after taking medicine.
“Don’t be sick… Seoyul…”
Dowoon murmured softly with his chin resting on the bed. He could see the soft face before him looking gaunt.
“You need to become chubby again soon.”
His heart ached as Seoyul looked like he had returned to how he was when they first met.
Dowoon brought his finger to Seoyul’s gaunt cheek and gently stroked it. The touch on his fingertips was a bit rough, but warm.
Feeling the warmth of someone alive, Dowoon was reassured once more.
When the fever had risen high, it really felt like the sky was falling. Having just found Seoyul again, he was so afraid of losing him.
“Now, I’ll really… protect you.”
Even knowing Seoyul couldn’t hear him, Dowoon whispered this while gently stroking his tightly closed eyes. There was no particular intention; his hand simply moved as it wished.
“Mmm…”
Perhaps tickled by the touch, Seoyul’s eyelids trembled slightly.
“Oh!”
Only then did Dowoon realize he had disturbed Seoyul’s sleep and moved away, startled.
‘Don’t bother Guide Seo…’
He remembered what Munjin had said just earlier. Even though he had just been told not to bother him… he felt ashamed of himself for having hung up the phone with such bold claims.
“Ahem. I should leave now and not disturb him anymore.”
Dowoon muttered softly as he stood up. But there was a hand that caught him.
“Huh?”
Looking down, he saw Seoyul looking up at him while holding onto the hem of his clothes. His eyes, lacking strength, narrowed languidly as he spoke.
“Esper-nim.”
“Huh, what??”
Dowoon was momentarily bewildered. Can a person’s voice be this sweet!
He felt his body and heart melting from just the sweet voice.
“Don’t go… stay… by my side.”
“Huh? Oh. Um…”
Dowoon sat down awkwardly. Seoyul seemed pleased with that and smiled broadly.
His cheeks, which had turned pink, caught the eye at once, suggesting that his fever might not have completely subsided.
‘Ah… damn…’
Dowoon lowered his head, his face turning redder than Seoyul’s. He knew he shouldn’t think this way in front of a sick person, but he had the urge to pounce on those lips and devour them.
‘I like you. I like you, Esper-nim.’
The image of Seoyul pouring tears and saying he liked him was vivid. To think that someone so pretty liked him.
‘That someone so lovable likes me…’
Dowoon unknowingly fixed his relaxing facial muscles and opened his mouth.
“Ahem. H-how are you feeling?”
…Although he stuttered foolishly, fortunately, Seoyul didn’t seem to mind.
“I’m fine. I think I’ll be all better by tomorrow.”
The lovely Seoyul also didn’t forget to clench his fist firmly as if to reassure Dowoon.
Dowoon chuckled at the sight but didn’t back down.
“Still, take all the prescribed medicine. You might get sick again.”
“I’m really fine.”
“Listen to me. When you’re sick, I feel even worse.”
Dowoon now knew well that Seoyul would yield if he said this.
“Ah… okay… I-I’ll do that.”
As expected, Seoyul, his face flushed, lowered his gaze as if embarrassed. His cheeks, dyed in a pretty color, looked so lovable that Dowoon wanted to bite them.
‘Ah… I’m really going crazy.’
Dowoon had to suppress his feelings that felt like they would explode. He had to prevent any unfortunate incidents from rushing forward here.
But whether he knew Dowoon’s feelings or not, Seoyul raised his eyes slightly and carefully opened his mouth.
“Um… Esper-nim.”
“Yeah…?”
Wondering what he was going to say while hesitating like that, Dowoon swallowed hard.
Then Seoyul, his cheeks turning pink, carefully continued his words.
“Um… could you… hold… my hand?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
