#076
“Ugh!”
Ivan groaned and momentarily stopped as Eunseok grabbed the white bone protruding from his left forearm. Eunseok pulled the bone with all his might as if trying to extract it, while simultaneously striking Ivan’s ear, a critical human weak point, with one hand. At the same time, he kicked hard between Ivan’s legs.
“Gah-!”
The impact to his groin and inner ear temporarily weakened Ivan’s grip on Eunseok’s neck. Eunseok twisted his body to free his neck, then pounced on Ivan with his full weight.
Thanks to his tattered clothes, it was easy to make skin contact with Ivan’s forearms. Eunseok grabbed both of Ivan’s forearms and began forcefully injecting guiding energy at maximum intensity.
Hup-!
Ivan’s pupils dilated as the intense guiding energy rushed in like a tsunami. Eunseok took advantage of Ivan’s momentary shock to bite down on his Adam’s apple with all his strength.
Crunch-!
Eunseok’s teeth pierced the tough skin and crushed the Adam’s apple.
An ordinary human, even with the strongest possible bite force, wouldn’t be able to tear out someone’s throat. Reason and emotion instinctively prevent it. But Eunseok was different. This man was clearly an enemy. If there was a chance to kill him, he had to do it no matter the cost.
Crunch-!
There was a horrific sound of the larynx being torn out. Ivan reflexively grabbed and twisted both of Eunseok’s arms.
Crack-!
Eunseok’s shoulder blades dislocated and arm bones shattered in Ivan’s grip. Tremendous pain struck his entire body. But Eunseok continued crushing the larynx between his teeth, twisting his head to the side to completely rip it out.
“Ivan-!”
Yuri shouted Ivan’s name and rushed over. But Choi Hanseo blocked his path like lightning. The two began clashing furiously again.
Splash-!
Hot, red blood gushed like a fountain from the torn carotid artery along with the larynx. Eunseok kept his eyes fixed on Ivan’s neck even as he was drenched in blood. This was an S-rank Hunter after all. It was impossible to predict how his regenerative abilities might manifest.
Urgh-.
Ivan tried to cover his torn throat with trembling hands. An ordinary person would have lost consciousness by now with a severed artery. But an S-rank Hunter was different.
Without hesitation, Eunseok bit into the ragged neck again where flesh and larynx had already been torn away. And then…
Crunch-.
He tore out another chunk of artery and flesh before Ivan’s body could regenerate.
Ptoo-!
Eunseok spat out the flesh and blood in his mouth, then fell back on his rear. His shattered arms trembled and convulsed. The blood and flesh he hadn’t fully spit out slid down his throat, turning his stomach.
Urgh-! Ugh!
Eunseok leaned forward and vomited up Ivan’s flesh and blood.
Splash-!
Ivan’s body slumped to the side and fell into the seawater. Red blood slowly spread across the dark water. Eunseok didn’t stop there. He moved his legs to straddle Ivan’s body submerged in the shallow water. Then he pressed down hard on Ivan’s chest with his knee.
As expected, Ivan wasn’t dead yet. His body twitched slightly.
Even an S-rank Hunter can’t survive this.
Eunseok focused all his body weight on his knee, pinning Ivan underwater. Due to the excessive adrenaline, he could barely feel pain anymore. Rather, his heart was pounding, pumping blood throughout his body.
How long did he hold down the struggling Ivan? The twitching movements below the red-tinged water finally stopped completely. Even then, Eunseok pressed down a bit longer before collapsing on top of Ivan’s body. When he weakly raised his eyes, the fight between Yuri and Choi Hanseo was also coming to an end.
Bang-! Boom-! Boom-!
The silhouettes of the two colliding repeatedly came to an abrupt halt.
“…You monster.”
Yuri muttered, coughing up blood. Choi Hanseo’s arm had pierced right through the center of Yuri’s abdomen.
Choi Hanseo pulled his arm out with an expressionless face. Yuri slumped to the ground. Choi Hanseo raised his hand as if to finish him off. Just as he was about to bring his hand down on Yuri’s head…
Bang-!
A faint gunshot rang out from far across the sea. The moment Eunseok heard it, he recognized it as the sound of a long-range sniper shot.
“Choi Hanseo!”
Eunseok called out to Choi Hanseo, who was likely the target of the shot.
His insides clenched with dread.
With trembling eyes, he saw Choi Hanseo reaching his hand towards the sea. He glanced at Eunseok. Then he opened his clenched fist.
A crushed sniper bullet fell from Choi Hanseo’s hand.
Ha-!
Eunseok finally let out the breath he’d been holding.
At that moment, Yuri, who had been slumped motionless in front of Choi Hanseo, suddenly launched himself towards the sea. His body flew over ten meters before disappearing beneath the surface with a splash.
“The boat! He’s trying to rendezvous with the boat!”
Eunseok shouted, looking at the boat lights in the distance. The sniper shot had likely come from that boat as well.
But unlike the urgency Eunseok felt, Choi Hanseo walked slowly and leisurely towards him. He showed no intention of pursuing Yuri.
Eunseok, who had never let an enemy who entered his territory leave unscathed, felt his temper rising. Letting a cornered enemy escape like this was unacceptable.
“Mr. Choi Hanseo!”
Eunseok called out with a voice full of regret, but by then Choi Hanseo was already standing right in front of him.
Choi Hanseo’s eyes seemed especially dark today. It was like looking into a pitch-black oil well of unfathomable depth. His blood-stained face, devoid of any emotion, seemed inhuman. No, was the man standing before him even really human?
“Aren’t you going after him?”
“How could I leave Mr. Lee Eunseok alone?”
Choi Hanseo replied softly. Somehow, the fact that he spoke like a human brought a sense of relief.
“You’re making that unpleasant expression again.”
Eunseok blurted out, disliking Choi Hanseo’s expressionless face. Choi Hanseo tilted his head slightly to the side. He seemed unaware of what expression he was making.
Somehow, Eunseok felt an urge to caress Choi Hanseo’s face. He felt that if he touched it, humanity might return to that face. But with dislocated shoulders and crushed arms, there was no way he could raise his hands.
“…They’re getting away.”
Eunseok muttered, watching the boat lights quickly receding into the distance. It seemed Yuri had successfully rendezvoused with them. Seeing the fish they had nearly caught slip away made him feel unpleasant again. He must have frowned without realizing it. Choi Hanseo raised his hand, dripping with blood, and gently tapped Eunseok’s brow.
“What is it?”
“You’ll get wrinkles on that pretty face.”
Eunseok scrunched up his face in response.
Up close, Choi Hanseo’s condition was truly a mess. His usually immaculate suit was torn to shreds and soaked in blood. His face and entire body were so covered in blood that it was impossible to gauge the extent of his injuries. Having fought alone against two S-rank Hunters, it was fortunate he was even alive.
“…At least all your limbs are still attached.”
Eunseok said gruffly, trying to control the sudden surge of emotion he felt. Finally, something resembling an expression appeared on Choi Hanseo’s face. A faint smile around his eyes.
“May I kiss you?”
Choi Hanseo asked. Both of Eunseok’s arms were broken, and they were both covered in blood. Moreover, Eunseok was still sitting on what was probably a corpse.
“You’re asking that in this situation?”
Eunseok grumbled, glancing down at Ivan’s corpse he was sitting on. Choi Hanseo’s brow furrowed in response.
He reached out with both hands and carefully lifted Eunseok by the waist. Then he kicked Ivan’s corpse, rolling it onto the beach.
“Meeting with me while sitting on top of another man… Aren’t you being too loose?”
Eunseok was so dumbfounded by Choi Hanseo’s words that his throat tightened.
He’s joking, right? That must be a joke?
Eunseok thought to himself, but Choi Hanseo’s eyes showed genuine displeasure. Just as Eunseok was about to say something, he whipped his head around at the sound of retching behind him.
“Bora noona!”
Moon Bora had managed to raise her upper body from the inflatable boat she had been thrown into and was vomiting stomach acid mixed with blood. She must have a concussion from the blow to her head.
“Call the helicopter and Taeuk hyung back.”
Eunseok said, turning his body towards Moon Bora. But Choi Hanseo didn’t let go of his waist.
“Mr. Choi Hanseo!”
“I asked if I could kiss you.”
Choi Hanseo asked again. Eunseok was about to glare at Choi Hanseo but stopped. Red blood was trickling from Choi Hanseo’s nose.
“You…!”
Eunseok suddenly realized that Choi Hanseo’s hands on his waist were unnaturally hot.
Of course. He had just faced two S-rank Hunters. There was no way Choi Hanseo hadn’t pushed himself too far. The nosebleed was a sign of imminent overload.
“Show me your stats.”
Eunseok demanded, but Choi Hanseo didn’t remove his hands from Eunseok’s waist. Finally giving up on seeing Choi Hanseo’s watch, Eunseok slightly tilted his head up.
Reading this as permission, Choi Hanseo immediately lowered his head and pressed their lips together. The lips that touched were far too hot and tasted strongly of blood. When Eunseok slightly parted his lips, Choi Hanseo delved in deeply as if he had been waiting for this. The kiss was very rough and violent, as if the excitement from the recent battle still lingered.
Given his poor physical condition, Eunseok quickly became breathless from the rough kiss. Just as he was starting to feel overwhelmed by the one-sided onslaught, Choi Hanseo suddenly broke the kiss and looked to the side.
“Ah, I didn’t mean to interrupt. Please don’t misunderstand. I just came to help Miss Moon. Please, continue what you were doing.”
Lim Gyucheol, the fake employee, said with a smile. As if to prove his words, he approached the inflatable boat and helped Moon Bora to her feet.
“Miss Moon. Are you okay to move?”
Lim Gyucheol asked kindly.
“Yeah. Let’s go quickly. Hurry.”
Moon Bora urged Lim Gyucheol, glancing at Choi Hanseo and Eunseok. It was clear she had seen the entire kissing scene.
As the two staggered away, Eunseok followed them with his eyes. Suddenly, Choi Hanseo pressed their lips together again. When Eunseok blinked, unable to focus, Choi Hanseo bit his lip hard as if in reproach. Then he resumed his fierce kissing.
The sea breeze, heavy with the scent of blood, continually swept over the two. Eunseok felt an unprecedented sense of relief in Choi Hanseo’s hot breath and kisses. It felt as if he had returned to a place he was meant to be.
