“Look here, Ah.”
Seo Ui-woo opened his mouth wide, showing off his clean insides. Kwon Jae-jin frowned annoyingly. He had to properly put Seo Ui-woo to sleep, had to alleviate his insomnia—but that bastard knows nothing and just pops pills and drinks.
With a drowsy tone, Jae-jin muttered something. Seo Ui-woo, unable to hear clearly, moved closer to listen.
“What? I can’t understand what you’re saying.”
“People need to sleep… properly.”
“Ha-ha, are you sleep talking? Or is it a sleep tantrum?”
“…Go to sleep…”
“Got it. I’ll put you to sleep, Jae-jin. I will.”
Seo Ui-woo set aside the tequila bottle on the nightstand and embraced Kwon Jae-jin’s waist. His hand rhythmically patted the back, was lethargic, and also very affectionate.
This isn’t right.
It was Kwon Jae-jin who was supposed to put Seo Ui-woo to sleep.
Not Seo Ui-woo putting Kwon Jae-jin to sleep…
Ah…
As Kwon Jae-jin ultimately dozed off, Seo Ui-woo chuckled looking at his face. He watched the defenseless, relaxed face with bated breath and then gently stroked his cheek with the back of his hand.
Every time their skin touched, the guiding-induced pleasure spread silently. Although his hand was still wet, the guiding wasn’t completely blocked, so it felt nice.
“Hoo.”
Seo Ui-woo let out a small groan and hugged Kwon Jae-jin tightly.
Their bodies closely overlapped, and he slowly closed his eyes. Whether it was because of the sleeping pills taken with the alcohol, the effect of proper guiding, or both, he felt like he could fall asleep just like this.
The fortress walls of long-endured insomnia seemed to crumble bit by bit.
Gradually his breathing calmed, and the tension relaxed in his taut senses. Even his sturdy body, like a sharply cut diamond statue, loosened up.
Entwined with Kwon Jae-jin, Seo Ui-woo was plunged into sleep, feeling a boiling euphoria. His whole mind was achingly buzzing. Still, he had to endure. Seo Ui-woo knew the weight of life resting on his shoulders.
At no time could he lose his sanity, or let a rampaging disaster unfold.
Concealing a mutant guide not formally awakened, or even depending excessively on that mutation, such acts were…
Not allowed…
Eventually, consciousness blurred, and all thoughts ceased as he fell asleep.
***
Weeks passed.
If Kwon Jae-jin’s life were a novel, by now comments like “Author! Please, for the love of God, let Jae-jin eat properly! Why do you keep starving him?” might have been posted.
Intent on meeting those expectations, Jae-jin scooped a mountainous portion of rice. The rib stew, freshly cooked and properly marinated throughout the day, fell off the bones at the slightest touch. The soy sauce marinade seeped into the meat, making it a tad salty, but that was fine when eaten with the sticky rice.
For side dishes, he made a simple omelet with pollack roe, butter-grilled abalone, and thinking a soup would be nice too, whipped up a quick stew with two spoonfuls of miso and a half spoonful of hot pepper paste. With freshly cut cabbage kimchi and green onion kimchi delivered, the table was set magnificently.
‘Even if it’s not the second-time-around Seo Ui-woo but the thirteenth-time-around, this meal would be completely finished.’
Kwon Jae-jin locked the dining room door with a determined expression, wishing for no disturbances this time. Having proper meals had become a rare occurrence.
‘I’ll eat well.’
Jae-jin picked up his spoon. He loaded a large scoop of rice and placed a generous piece of rib meat on top. He dabbed the sauce onto the rice with his spoon, making it slightly moist, then brought it to his mouth. The delicious smell of food stimulated his salivary glands. His hunger was insatiable.
“Jae-jin! There you are.”
Damn it, shit.
The dining room door swung open despite the lock, and Seo Ui-woo appeared. It’s nothing for Ui-woo to unlock with telekinesis anyway. The bright smiling face approaching seemed so naive and pure.
“…”
Kwon Jae-jin ignored Ui-woo, pretending not to see him as he shoved a spoonful of rice into his mouth. He was determined not to back down today.
Food over Seo Ui-woo.
Food over guiding.
Today, it’s about the food!
Like a greedy hamster, Kwon Jae-jin stuffed his cheeks full of short ribs and chewed. He wanted to get in another spoonful before Seo Ui-woo could interrupt; the chewing was a show of his strong determination.
✧˚·̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥·̩̩̥͙✧·̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥˚·̩̩̥͙✧ 𝑔𝓇𝒶𝓋𝒾𝓉𝓎𝓃𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁𝓈 ✧˚·̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥·̩̩̥͙✧·̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥˚·̩̩̥͙✧
