As the fog clouding his mind cleared, Seo Eui-woo returned to his true nature—the incarnation of unwavering obsession. A ruler who would only be satisfied once he seized and monopolized every part of Kwon Jae-jin.
“You mentioned it before, Jae-jin. Couple rings, matching outfits, love letters—do you remember?”
<Dates, couple rings, matching outfits, love letters… Out of the words I just listed, do you know even one of them, Seo Eui-woo?>
Jae-jin had only explained it once, yet Seo Eui-woo, with his remarkable memory, had remembered his wishes down to the last detail, as if he had recorded them into his brain.
“Explain them to me, one by one. What’s a couple ring?”
“Ah, well… A couple ring is…”
Jae-jin instinctively held his breath at Seo Eui-woo’s sudden shift in demeanor. An inexplicable sense of crisis crept in. He had the distinct feeling that from this moment on, Seo Eui-woo would charge at him with an intensity on an entirely different level. That he would start demanding more—something far beyond their repeated physical unions.
“Yes, Jae-jin. A couple ring is?”
“…”
“What is it?”
“Well…”
For some reason, the words wouldn’t come out.
It was then that Jae-jin realized just how much this had shaken him.
He had told Seo Eui-woo that they should try dating properly, but deep down, he had never been certain that it was truly possible.
If he was being honest, he had been half-convinced, half-doubtful.
He thought they would just mimic the concept of dating on the surface, like a passing game. That, as always, he would eventually have to compromise, let things go, and give in where necessary. After all, hadn’t Seo Eui-woo nearly lost control in the study just moments ago, his cock already hard, ready to pounce on him like a goddamn beast?
Not that he doubted Seo Eui-woo’s sincerity. He knew full well that Seo Eui-woo wanted him to the point of madness. That much had never been in question. The issue was that their upbringings and backgrounds were so vastly different that there were bound to be discrepancies in how they expressed their feelings.
And so, Jae-jin had believed that no matter what, there would always be an insurmountable gap between them. That even if they stayed together until death, they would never truly be on the same wavelength.
Even if they became lovers, even if Jae-jin had declared that they should try dating properly, he had still doubted that the nature of their relationship would ever truly change.
But if Seo Eui-woo was like this—if he could recognize and understand the difference so effortlessly—then how could Jae-jin not start to hope, just a little?
Maybe, just maybe, a real relationship with Seo Eui-woo…
A real relationship—one not built on compromise or submission, but one where they truly shared the same feelings. Maybe, just maybe… they could actually try that.
“A couple ring means a ring.”
Jae-jin quietly looked up at Seo Eui-woo. The warm glow of the indirect lighting reflected off his delicate jawline and nose, casting a soft radiance over his features. His lowered eyelashes fanned out elegantly, each strand distinct, and the long shadows they cast only added to his allure.
“A pair of rings worn by lovers on the ring finger of their left hands. Usually, they choose identical or similar designs. There’s a special meaning behind them.”
“Special, in what way?”
“They’re symbolic. For a long time, wearing a ring on that finger has been a tradition signifying that two people are either in a relationship or married. So, whenever you look at the ring—”
“Every time I see it, it’ll be proof that you’re my lover, right?”
Seo Eui-woo’s eyes gleamed like those of a nocturnal predator as he abruptly grabbed Jae-jin’s left hand. In the dim exhibition room, his gaze burned even more intensely. He ran his fingers over Jae-jin’s ring finger, obsessively tracing each knuckle and joint.
“Ah, I get it. It’s like an identifier for Awakeners, but just for the two of us. A mark that proves our identity—one we can never take off, not even for a moment. Right?”
“…Yes, something like that.”
Seo Eui-woo murmured fiercely, his voice almost accusatory.
“Haha, what the hell. Jae-jin, you promised not to keep secrets from me. How could you not tell me about something like this? You should’ve told me right away. Don’t you think?”
“I didn’t keep it from you. I was waiting for the right time. And I am telling you now.”
Even after hearing Jae-jin’s explanation, Seo Eui-woo was relentless.
“Don’t make excuses. I had no idea your left ring finger was that important. If you hadn’t told me, I would’ve never known. Never!”
“Seo Eui-woo…”
“I’ve looked at your fingers every day, and I still didn’t realize. I’ve sucked on them, licked them, kissed them—I’ve done everything to them, and yet I didn’t know! If I had known how important this finger was, I— I would’ve treated it even more specially. Cherished it more. You’re so cruel, Jae-jin. You’re really too much…”
Seo Eui-woo was practically vibrating with excitement.
It was almost at the same level as when he had said, “Kwon Jae-jin’s body can stretch open this wide…?” while pushing inside him, pressing deep into his colon.
“Ugh, no. We need to get rings right now. What kind? What material? What gemstone? Jae-jin, what do you like?”
Seo Eui-woo lifted Jae-jin’s ring finger to eye level, inspecting it closely. He had memorized every inch of Jae-jin’s body, so he was already familiar with the thickness, shape, and color of this particular finger. But now, after hearing about couple rings, it felt unfamiliar—new, as if he were seeing it for the first time.
He licked Jae-jin’s ring finger, gently nipping at it. The digit, just like the rest of Kwon Jae-jin, was upright and firm. His knuckles were pronounced, his skin healthy and full of life, and the hardened calluses—built from his hobby of rock climbing—were evenly distributed across his fingertips.
“…Something simple is fine. If we’re considering comfort, a plain design would be best. I don’t need any gemstones.”
“You don’t need them? It’s a ring. Of course, it needs a gemstone.”
“If we must include one… then just a single, small diamond. Something subtle.”
Jae-jin, still holding out his hand, answered quietly. He tried not to let it show, but with Seo Eui-woo getting this excited—practically bouncing with exhilaration—his emotions were beginning to feel strange.
Jae-jin had once wondered if, upon explaining couple rings, Seo Eui-woo would scoff and say, “Rings? Why would we get something so impractical? Forget the rings—let’s just fuck.” But as it turned out, Seo Eui-woo was acting like some spirit consumed by the regrets of never having dated properly in his past life.
“Got it. Simple design, a diamond… Good thing I found out before it was too late. Right now, I have more money than I know what to do with. No matter how much our couple rings cost, I can afford them.”
“…”
“Now, what about matching outfits? Love letters? What are those? Hurry up.”
“…Matching outfits are clothes. It’s when couples wear identical or similar designs. Not all the time, just occasionally, as a kind of event. A love letter is a letter exchanged between lovers, usually written for anniversaries and given alongside a gift.”
“Okay, I see. But anniversaries? What’s that?”
“It’s counting the days from when you start dating. 50 days, 100 days, 200 days, 300 days, a year… Couples celebrate when those numbers change.”
“Wh—what? You count the days? Wait, then what day is it today?”
Seo Eui-woo’s brain worked at lightning speed, back-calculating the days. At the same time, Kwon Jae-jin, who had already been keeping track of their D-day, answered in unison with him.
“Sixteen days.”
“Sixteen days.”
Their voices overlapped.
Jae-jin blinked, caught off guard. His face stiffened awkwardly.
What the hell…? He was stunned.
Was this really happening?
He was doing this with Seo Eui-woo…?
Like just any other ordinary couple out there…?
Unbelievable. It felt like a dream.
Maybe, in reality, he was still lying in bed alone, fast asleep. Maybe Seo Eui-woo skipping out on his shift, talking about killing everyone, running away—maybe all of that had been a dream. Maybe this surreal, mind-boggling romance was just a hallucination.
“It’s been sixteen days, huh? So when we hit twenty, do we celebrate? It’s a new unit, right? We write letters, exchange gifts—you and me, together?”
“No, no… We don’t celebrate such small milestones.”
“Why not? Why discriminate against twenty days? It’s a perfect, clean number.”
“Well…”
“I’m twenty years old. There are two of us. It’s a good number. Can’t we just celebrate it?”
“…”
“I want a letter from you, Jae-jin. Your handwriting—wait, what the fuck…?”
Seo Eui-woo’s face suddenly twisted into a deep scowl, and he swore under his breath. He looked utterly insane, his eyes shining with crazed intensity. Then, in the next moment, he blurted out in sheer horror:
“I—I don’t even know Kwon Jae-jin’s handwriting…?! This is not okay.”
Jae-jin was at a complete loss for words.
“I need to know what your handwriting looks like! Right?! Write me a letter. You have to write it. Yes? You will, right?!”
“A-Alright. We’ll celebrate it. Let’s do a twenty-day anniversary.”
“Yes, good. We’re doing it. No take-backs.”
Seo Eui-woo tightened his grip on Jae-jin’s left hand, which he had been fiddling with all this time, and suddenly yanked it toward him. Jae-jin’s body was pulled forward, naturally falling into Seo Eui-woo’s embrace as he wrapped his arms tightly around his waist.
Dressed in a sharp black shirt and suit, Seo Eui-woo’s embrace felt different than usual. He wasn’t just some overzealous lunatic clinging to him—he felt like a sculpted masterpiece, a priceless work of art carved from fire itself.
His entire body was burning hot, as if consumed by fever, and through the fabric of his suit, Jae-jin could feel the wild, erratic beat of his heart.
PEAK!!!!