Jung Jae-heon rarely went out, and the one time he did, he happened to save someone—just once. That was why he remembered the child. Of course, he didn’t remember the kid’s face, only that it had been a girl—or so he thought. In truth, the child had been a boy.
Eventually, Jung Jae-heon seemed to have learned a few things about the new Guide, Won Hwa-jun. Still, he remained firmly in denial. He hadn’t said a word, but the vibe said it all.
Naturally, Seon Juho was ecstatic. He was overjoyed to finally have Lee Tae-rim all to himself. But Tae-rim felt a bit uneasy. A creeping concern had started to nag at him—What if Jung Jae-heon ends up doing something like Kwon Hae-beom did?
Considering Jung Jae-heon’s personality, it seemed unlikely. But you could never be sure with people.
As days went by, the long-awaited Friday finally arrived. Seon Juho, walking home from work with Tae-rim, was practically glowing with excitement. He was even humming to himself—clearly looking forward to his birthday present. Tae-rim had done a lot of mental preparation in the meantime. After all, it only had to happen three times. Only three.
In the end, he chose a necklace as a gift. He hadn’t had time to get something custom-made, so he bought one that was already crafted—made from materials harvested from an A-rank monster. It was a chain necklace with a four-leaf clover pendant. On the surface, it looked like an ordinary platinum necklace.
Seon Juho had explicitly told him not to prepare any gifts. He’d asked Tae-rim to just spend more time with him instead—and to eat well and get some nourishing food in before the weekend. But Tae-rim couldn’t let the day go by without doing something. After all, gifts were a part of how we remember memories.
Juho even tried to ban him from cooking, saying he’d rather get an extra kiss if there was time to spare. Tae-rim had no comeback to that. Instead, he made a cake himself. Money really did come in handy—when he reached out to the famous cake shop Ye-rin had recommended, they sent over a cake kit that wasn’t even available for sale.
He made the cake earlier that afternoon and had it sent to the dorm in advance. So right now, Seon Juho had no idea that the cake in the fridge had been made by Tae-rim. For reference, it was Juho’s favorite—strawberry cake. The size? Of course, it was extra large. He’d packed it with an absurd amount of strawberries.
“Waaah~ Strawberry cake!”
Truthfully, Tae-rim had wanted to put candles on it on Monday, but strawberry cream cakes just couldn’t sit in the fridge that long. Strawberries needed to be eaten fresh for them to be tasty. And once Juho found the cake in the fridge and begged to eat it right away, Tae-rim had no choice but to give in.
As soon as they finished dinner, the cake was brought to the table. Tae-rim stuck number-shaped candles—a 2 and a 1—into the center of the cake. Lighting them up, he began to sing with a shy expression on his face.
“Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday dear Juho~ Happy birthday to you~”
Tae-rim clapped—clap clap clap—and Juho blew out the candles with a whoosh.
“Thanks, hyung.”
Tae-rim cut a slice of cake and tossed it onto a plate before handing the rest to Juho. With a thrilled expression, Juho dug in.
“This is seriously good! Ye-rin Noona recommended it, didn’t she?”
“Yeah.”
Despite having just eaten a full meal, he had room for dessert too—Espers really did have black hole stomachs. Tae-rim watched Juho scarfing down the cake with satisfaction. Just as Juho popped the last bite into his mouth, Tae-rim spoke up.
“Actually, I made that cake.”
“Huh?!”
“It was a kit, though.”
“Whaaat… Hyuuung! How could you tell me that now?! I didn’t even savor it—I just wolfed it down!”
“I told you now because I knew you’d do that. You should just enjoy it while you’re eating.”
“Hiiing.”
“Besides, since it was a kit, the taste probably wasn’t that different from a store-bought one anyway.”
“Still!”
“I’ll make you another one next year.”
“Really?”
“Yup.”
He’d said he’d rather get another kiss than have Tae-rim spend time making something… and now here he was. Tae-rim smiled. Seriously. Too damn cute.
“And here—your present.”
Tae-rim took out a small box from his pocket and handed it over. Despite having said he didn’t need a gift, the look on Juho’s face made it clear—if Tae-rim hadn’t given him anything, it would’ve been a disaster. Juho accepted the box with a sheepish expression, like he was trying to resist how happy he actually felt.
“T-thanks, hyung.”
When he opened the box, his cheeks flushed pink.
“Want me to put it on you?”
“Yeah!”
Tae-rim got up and stepped toward Juho, then gently fastened the necklace around his neck. As he clasped it from behind, Juho’s nape turned completely red. Tae-rim couldn’t resist—he leaned forward and gave the back of his neck a quick peck. Juho turned around, startled, his eyes wide in surprise.
“What are you so surprised about?”
“Huh? Uh… that…”
“Can I make one too?”
“Hmm? Make what?”
“A kiss mark.”
At Tae-rim’s words, Seon Juho’s face flushed a deep red. He’d been especially prone to blushing today, and Tae-rim found it utterly endearing. A smile tugged at his lips—it was just too cute.
“I want to mark you as mine. Is that okay?”
“Y-yeah, of course!”
At Juho’s eager reply, Tae-rim lowered his head and pressed his lips to the pheromone gland on Juho’s nape. The scent of Juho’s pheromones hit him immediately, rich and heady. Tae-rim latched on, lips smacking softly as he suckled at the spot, breathing in deeply as though savoring the pheromones themselves. He felt Juho’s body tense under his touch.
Juho had done far more intense things to him before, but when it came to receiving affection, he still reacted like this—always flustered, always blushing. Even though Tae-rim had gone down on him countless times, Juho still came quickly the moment he saw Tae-rim take him in his mouth. It wasn’t quite as fast as the first time, but still—pretty quick.
“Hyung… Can we watch the drama again tonight?”
“Hmm?”
Juho suddenly stood and lifted Tae-rim up into his arms. Tae-rim caught the smoldering look in Juho’s eyes and couldn’t help but smile.
“Okay.”
“Hyung…”
Being lifted brought them eye to eye. Tae-rim wrapped his arms around Juho’s neck and met his lips halfway. Maybe it was because they’d just eaten cake, but there was still a faint taste of strawberry. That sweetness was quickly overtaken, though, by the deeper, more intoxicating flavor of Juho’s pheromones. They were even sweeter than strawberries.
As the kiss grew deeper, Tae-rim found himself laid down on the bed. Juho didn’t stop kissing him, didn’t even slow down. It was like he couldn’t get enough—his mouth kept moving, lips brushing and pressing and parting over Tae-rim’s again and again. No matter how many times they kissed like this, it always left them breathless. It always felt like too little.
Juho’s hands slid under Tae-rim’s T-shirt, roaming up to his chest. He gently rolled Tae-rim’s nipples between his thumb and index finger, giving them a light squeeze. The sensitive buds, already so familiar with Juho’s touch, perked up eagerly.
Tae-rim’s shirt had ridden up, and Juho eventually pulled it off entirely—then peeled off his own. Tae-rim swallowed hard as Juho’s sculpted muscles were revealed. The way Juho looked down at him then—eyes dark and hungry—sent a shiver down Tae-rim’s spine.
Around Juho’s neck hung a necklace Tae-rim had gifted him. Seeing it against his bare skin made Tae-rim irrationally happy. He was the only one who got to see Juho like this. The raw, primal beauty of him was something Tae-rim wanted to keep to himself forever.
Haaah…
With a deep breath, Juho leaned down and brought his lips to Tae-rim’s chest. He licked around the firm, pink nipple as if savoring it—then bit down gently. A sweet taste flooded his mouth.
Even though he tasted this every day, it still felt new each time. Juho sucked harder, drawing in more of Tae-rim’s pheromones through the small nipple nestled between his lips.
“Hng…”
The texture on his tongue was sweet and soft. Juho flattened his tongue against it, pressing firmly as if trying to burst a piece of fruit. Tae-rim’s quiet moan only deepened the pheromone scent in the air. Juho couldn’t stop—he nipped and sucked at the flesh that seemed to throb with a seductive aroma, as if daring him to devour it.
He could hear Tae-rim’s heartbeat racing beneath his skin, beating just as wildly as his own.
Juho left more and more red marks in his wake, biting and sucking as if rediscovering the taste with each pass. It was always delicious, no matter how many times he had it. It never got old.
Since it was the weekend, he could afford to indulge a bit more. Juho buried his face in Tae-rim’s chest, sucking deeply, slurping noisily. Nothing actually came out, of course, but that just made the anticipation even sweeter. He imagined something thick and sweet flowing from that spot and savored the fantasy like a treat.
“Juho… that hurts… ngh…”
At Tae-rim’s strained voice, Juho finally lifted his mouth from the chest he’d been worshipping. The nipple he’d sucked on was now puffy, slick, and flushed, looking impossibly tempting. Without thinking, he licked it again. Still sweet.
But Tae-rim had said it hurt, so he needed to ease off. Juho gently cupped the swollen buds in his hands, rolling them tenderly between his fingers. Tae-rim whimpered softly under the touch.
Yeah, maybe it was best to give them a break—for now.
