The possibility that their mother might’ve told her new children—the half-siblings—about the family she left behind. The possibility that those kids hadn’t forgotten and still remembered. The possibility that they might know what happened to his brother.
A trail of fragile “what-ifs” spiraling into a single thread—one that just might lead him to his brother—was enough to shake Cloud’s usually grounded logic.
If the message mentioned the half-siblings and not his brother, maybe… he’s already dead.
That scenario made more sense, honestly. But even as he denied hope over and over, Cloud still opened a new email window.
He was going to request an investigation into the half-siblings and their family, based on the data sent by the anonymous source.
***
Maybe it was because the question echoed something from a dream, but Tae Woon’s words lingered in Sibaek’s mind for a long time. If his little brother were still alive… would he have remembered him, like their mother or Sister Hyoju Agnes did?
Drifting in that vague thought, Kim Sibaek soon caught himself and gave a dry, bitter chuckle. What was he doing, getting sentimental over a brother who’d died so long ago?
Dinner was tteokbokki they’d ordered earlier. Lord Biendeoé, lured by the savory smell, peeked over curiously—but the sight of the spicy red sauce made her instantly back off and nibble on some frozen shine muscats instead.
The TV was blaring with news about the government’s newly announced offensive on the field just south of Gae-seong. It wasn’t unheard of for private guilds to occasionally hunt in North Korean territory upon request, but this full-scale, coordinated joint operation was the first of its kind since the Cataclysm.
[“Spring is returning to the Korean Peninsula. These days, it’s normal to see our Hunters setting foot in North Korea by crossing the old DMZ, not heading into China. Still, it’s good news nonetheless.”]
[“At the same time, doesn’t that just show how dangerous the monsters in the Gae-seong field are?”]
The panelists bounced their commentary back and forth, assembling the facts for the audience. Watching this neatly packaged info dump without having to dig through the internet, Sibaek clicked his tongue.
“Why the hell are there five S-rank monsters in Gae-seong? Even if you count northern Gyeonggi, it still seems way too cramped for that many.”
“There were only two at first. Then more started showing up, bit by bit.”
“How’d that happen?”
“Tracked their movements. Seems like they tried to expand their territory but ended up getting chased away by Gon in the Han River.”
So there were five S-rank monsters squished into a tight space, constantly butting heads—yet not one dared move south.
[Death and Beauty says the guy in the Han River is basically a thug.]
“No kidding…”
Sibaek imagined the bizarre fish—no, the Gon—who not only ruled over the Han River but even drove out every monster lurking in the ruins of Seoul. Tae Woon let out a small laugh.
“Still, thanks to Gon, Seoul’s S-rank monster-free. The city was already wrecked during the early days of the Cataclysm. If an S-rank had shown up then, tons more refugees would’ve died. …Though to escape the city, we had to take a ridiculous detour to avoid Gon.”
Listening to Tae Woon casually recount something so harrowing, Sibaek chewed on his tteokbokki. The sweetness of the sweet potato-filled rice cakes burst in his mouth. As he balanced the heat of the sauce with the sweetness, he suddenly froze.
Something brushed against his ankle.
It felt deliberate—like something was touching, searching.
The only one sitting across from him was Tae Woon. The kid was tall with long legs. Maybe he’d just misjudged his leg space. Sibaek shifted his foot to the side, but Tae Woon’s leg followed right after, tapping him again.
“……”
One hundred and twenty percent intentional.
Narrowing his eyes, Sibaek glanced up. Tae Woon pointed innocently at the TV with a bright smile.
“Whoa, hyung. Our guild’s on TV.”
[“The participating guilds are all top-tier. From Daejeon, we’ve got the 7777 Guild, the Tobazishu Hussars, and the Gaon Guild. Busan’s sending the Avenger Guild…”]
“They haven’t made the announcement official yet, but the guilds raiding Gae-seong are all set to join the Gon raid after. Gae-seong’s like a rehearsal run. The ten major guilds agreed to split the five monsters evenly.”
“…Right.”
Tae Woon’s voice was cheerful and casual, like nothing was happening—but under the table, his foot moved with a very clear goal. It brushed against Sibaek’s ankle, rubbed along his calf, then began nudging up his pant leg. All while a minor sat at the table with them.
Sibaek tried his best not to react. He didn’t want the kid noticing anything strange. He gave subtle coughs, shot Tae Woon some pointed looks, and even tried pushing his leg away. None of it worked.
Tae Woon just scooted his chair in closer and started softly teasing at his shin.
At this rate, he’d be up to his thigh in no time. Sibaek racked his brain for a solution.
The most direct method would be to smack Tae Woon’s leg. But that idea was out immediately.
What if I hurt him?
Tae Woon wouldn’t dodge. He’d take the hit without flinching. And if Sibaek misjudged the force and left a bruise on those pale, delicate legs, it’d be a nightmare. The kid bruised easily, and they always took forever to fade.
So he had to go with plan B.
Tae Woon might play soft and harmless around him, like someone who couldn’t throw a punch—but his reflexes were absurd. If it wasn’t a direct hit, he’d definitely react in time.
Trusting that, Sibaek suddenly lashed out under the table —not at Tae Woon’s leg, but at the chair he was sitting on.
“……!”
As expected, the moment the chair leg broke and it collapsed, Tae Woon swiftly stood up. Rather than falling with the chair, he reacted as if he had anticipated it, avoiding any injury.
“Why, Woon-ah?”
Tae Woon looked back and forth between the broken chair and under the table, seemingly confused about the situation. It took him a moment to realize what had happened.
Kim Sibaek felt proud of his solution. Unless Tae Woon planned to break all the chair legs, he would eat his meals properly from now on.
“Do you not want more tteokbokki?”
“…Yes, I do.”
“I’ll bring the stool I made from that one-day class since the chair is broken.”
“No, no. We don’t need the stool.”
Still looking dazed, Tae Woon shook his head and returned to the table, naturally sitting on Kim Sibaek’s lap as if it were his rightful place.
[Death and Beauty doesn’t know what happened, but it seems that man is a step ahead of my Apostle.]
Kim Sibaek, doing his best to ignore the divine words, fed the large, obediently seated “chick” on his lap some tteokbokki.
***
Crossing the psychological line drawn in his mind was difficult at first, but it became easier the second time. This was why Tae Woon could freely express his desires without tying Kim Sibaek’s wrists or covering his eyes.
“Huh, uh…”
Kim Sibaek panted, curling his fingertips. He struggled to suppress the urge to grab and pull the hair of Tae Woon, who was bowing his head between his legs.
Tae Woon, who had his cock deep in his mouth, opened his eyes slightly as if understanding the meaning behind the hand movements scratching his shoulder. Lifting his face briefly, Tae Woon kissed the tip of the saliva-soaked cock with a smacking sound and whispered. The vibration from his voice sent a gentle stimulation to the sensitive area, making his hips twitch.
“You can grab my head and thrust your hips as you like. I’ll swallow it all the way to my throat.”
“Phew, where do you learn to say such things, huh?”
Without waiting for an answer, Tae Woon sucked on his cock again. The sensation of the soft, tender flesh inside his mouth rubbing against the tip was hard to get used to.
Kim Sibaek had past connections and wasn’t entirely inexperienced. He had thought of himself as sexually indifferent, but he was surprised by his own actions as his relationship with Tae Woon deepened. Just a few months ago, if someone had told him he would be in a physical relationship with Tae Woon, he would have dismissed them as crazy.
Tae Woon rubbed his cock with his tongue while caressing his thighs.
