‘……Ha.’
The sky outside the window was beginning to brighten.
Piercing through the faint morning mist, the radiant hues of the sunrise flickered softly in the corner of the bedroom.
‘Haha.’
Suddenly, all the agonizing deliberation felt meaningless.
If Kwon Jae-jin decided to go, Seo Eui-woo would follow him—no matter if it was into a pit of fire. He had known that from the very beginning. So why had he wasted time hesitating?
[Understood.]
Kwon Jae-jin pressed his fingers firmly against the tablet, carefully typing out each letter. The moment the words formed into a complete sentence on the screen, he felt overwhelmed, as if the weight of their meaning was almost too much to bear.
Deep within his chest, his heart pounded violently, uncontrollably.
He tried holding his breath for a moment, hoping to steady himself, but it was no use. Jae-jin, slightly disheveled and breathless, reviewed the message he had just composed.
[Leaving immediately would be difficult. Let’s go in the spring. Until then, we’ll prepare thoroughly.]
There was so much to get ready. They needed a plan. A meticulous preliminary investigation. Knowledge of farming techniques and livestock management. They had to carefully select supplies that wouldn’t draw attention and pack accordingly…
After re-reading the message three or four times, Kwon Jae-jin added one last line.
[And Seo Eui-woo, apply for extended leave. No more missions from now on.]
Eui-woo’s languid voice, his subdued gaze, his devastated expression—those memories surfaced in Jae-jin’s mind like a haunting echo.
If he kept looking at Jae-jin with such raw longing, how could he refuse him?
Jae-jin never wanted to force Eui-woo into a life-or-death situation. Besides, the leave was already sanctioned by the government. It was meant to be used, and there shouldn’t be any issues. Even if there were, it didn’t matter anymore. They were leaving soon.
Jae-jin hit send.
With a slight sense of nervous anticipation, he waited for a reply.
It took mere seconds. Eui-woo’s response came in rapid bursts—excited, almost frenzied.
As Jae-jin read the messages, the tension in his gaze slowly softened.
Imagining the future—especially a future shared with Seo Eui-woo—felt like this. Even though he hadn’t slept a wink, it was as if he had woken up from the deepest, most refreshing slumber. For the first time, it felt like he was truly living a new life.
***
That very day, Seo Eui-woo hastily submitted his request for extended leave and went home. Had Kwon Jae-jin made a slightly different decision, awakened beings would have stacked up corpses in a bloody massacre, dying in droves.
Major Mateo, Lieutenant Colonel Jang Tae-san—they had no idea. They couldn’t possibly dream that the mutant they were so determined to hunt down and kill was, in fact, the very one who had saved their lives.
“Jae-jin!”
Seo Eui-woo appeared in a flash of white light, his face beaming as he called out to Kwon Jae-jin. He was so eager that the moment he stepped out of the coordinate teleportation chamber, he tossed his rifle to the floor without a second thought and yanked off his goggles, throwing them aside.
At that moment, Kwon Jae-jin was upstairs in his study, browsing his tablet for information on “vegetables easy to grow for beginners.”
Sensing the resonance of his core, Seo Eui-woo headed straight for the study. His tall frame carried an imposing presence as he strode in, but his expression was nothing short of radiant. His already striking features now carried an almost bewitching allure, as if he could mesmerize the entire world.
His perfectly sculpted eyes curved into beautiful arcs as he smiled, his flawless, sharp cheekbones tinged with his own vibrant color. It had been a while since Jae-jin had seen this version of Seo Eui-woo—the flushed, exuberant one. And his lips, parted in a wide, elated grin, were stunningly inviting. The deep dimples that formed at the corners of his mouth were so tempting that Jae-jin had the sudden urge to reach out and touch them.
Jae-jin turned off the tablet screen and asked, “Did you submit your leave request?”
“Yeah, all done.”
“No issues?”
“Lieutenant Colonel Jang wasn’t too happy about it, but whatever. I just ignored him and walked out.”
“Ignored him?”
“It’s over. Doesn’t matter anymore.”
Without warning, Seo Eui-woo wrapped his arms tightly around Jae-jin’s waist and pressed against him with such force that Jae-jin’s back slammed into the mahogany bookshelf with a loud thud.
“Ugh.”
Seo Eui-woo didn’t even give him a moment to recover before demanding, “Jae-jin, are we really dating now?”
“……Yes, we are.”
“And we’re leaving in the spring?”
“Yes. It’s too cold right now.”
“Hahaha! I love it.”
Kwon Jae-jin swallowed down the flood of words that threatened to spill as he watched Eui-woo laugh, overflowing with joy.
In the worst case, they might have to build their house from scratch. Seo Eui-woo’s abilities would make leveling the ground and cutting trees easy enough, but designing and constructing a proper home required knowledge and skill.
There were a lot of uncertainties, but… for now, he wanted to be happy, just like Seo Eui-woo.
They could figure out the rest later.
And maybe, if they dug deep enough, they’d find a way to forge new identities. Maybe even a way to siphon off some funds.
“Ha… Eui-woo.”
Jae-jin placed his hand on the side of Seo Eui-woo’s face and called his name. He couldn’t understand how even Eui-woo’s ears were so perfectly shaped. As he traced the curve of his ear with his fingers, he asked softly,
“You… Do you really like me that much?”
The answer came, sweet as honey.
“Yes. I do.”
“You don’t even really know what dating is, and yet you want to be with me that badly?”
“Yes… Please.”
“……You won’t regret it later? Are you really sure I’m all you need?”
“Can’t you tell just by looking?”
“Regardless of whether I can or not—say it.”
Eui-woo tilted his head, rubbing his hair against Jae-jin’s palm, his face melting into a tender smile. He looked almost boyish.
“You know… I really like it when you speak informally to me.”
“What?”
“And I’d like it even more if you called me Eui-woo-ya.”
“…….”
“There’s no one else who calls me that. Only you, Jae-jin.”
Seo Eui-woo’s gray eyes, which Jae-jin had seen so many times before, looked different today. They shimmered like glass marbles—neither cold nor filled with malice, not even glistening with calculation. They were just… beautiful.
“It feels like you’re my everything, Jae-jin. It has to be that way.”
“…….”
“All I do is think about you, worry about you, everything I am is wrapped around you… Isn’t it obvious?”
And then, finally, Eui-woo let out a few quiet chuckles. He was so happy he couldn’t hold back his laughter.
“Ah, I can’t tell you how relieved I am that you like me. That you agreed to date me… If you hadn’t, I don’t even know what I would have done.”
“What do you mean, what you would have done…?”
“I don’t know. Probably just killed everyone. Or maybe dragged you off, whether you wanted to go or not… Either way, it’s a good thing none of that had to happen. Thank you.”
“Ha…”
“I really mean it. Thank you for not driving me completely insane—just a little insane instead. I really like you, Jae-jin.”
Jae-jin had no idea what kind of bizarre confession this was supposed to be.
He let out an exasperated laugh, shaking his head. Eui-woo was saying some truly reckless things, yet instead of making Jae-jin uneasy, it somehow just made him seem… cute.
And that was a problem.
“Yeah, sure, Seo Eui-woo… I like you too.”
“Call me Eui-woo-ya.”
“……Uh, Eui-woo. I like you too.”
“So, Jae-jin, do you feel the same way about me? Am I all you need, and am I everything to you?”
“Well…….”
To be having such an explicit and embarrassing conversation… It feels like something kids would say. Even elementary school kids these days probably wouldn’t confess their feelings so childishly.
“Why? Isn’t it true? Don’t you feel the same way I do?”
“It’s not that I don’t…….”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“In my eyes, Seo Eui-woo, you are cute.”
“I’m cute? That’s strange……. You’re the cute one, Jae-jin.”
“In many ways, you are the cute one, not me.”
As Jae-jin was speaking, Eui-woo couldn’t wait any longer and pressed his lips against Jae-jin’s. Kwon Jae-jin continued to speak with inaccurate pronunciation as his lips were pressed and released.
“Eui-woo, you’re young……. You don’t know how to hide your emotions……. You only make things difficult for adults…….”
“Haha, who’s the adult here? You’re my baby, Jae-jin.”
“Right, that’s exactly the problem…… mmm.”
Oh, that baby talk again. It’s so annoying. I feel like I’m being brainwashed. What if I fall under his spell like I did with the “I miss you” spell? I need to keep my wits about me.
Eui-woo started to lick Jae-jin’s lips fervently, leaving no room for words. Jae-jin responded to the kiss, gently tugging at Eui-woo’s ear. Eui-woo’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he moved his tongue, tickled by the sensation. He licked Jae-jin’s lower lip thoroughly before delving deeper, their tongues entwining and sucking on each other.
Eui-woo savored Jae-jin’s tongue as if it were a sweet candy. Every time he rubbed against the base of Jae-jin’s tongue, a nasal moan escaped, and Eui-woo persistently sought more of those sounds, not even pausing to breathe.
“Hnng…….”
“Mmm, uh…….”
Eui-woo kissed Jae-jin until his eyes glazed over. He could feel a heavy sensation in his lower body. His thick cock was clearly outlined in his pants. Despite his arousal, Eui-woo remained focused on the kiss.
Eui-woo murmured as he sucked on the lingering saliva.
“Jae-jin…… hurry up.”
