TTOA Chapter 112
by Volare“If he tries to harm my family, that means even that belief has been broken. In that case… he deserves to die.”
“Yeah, right. If that happens, I’ll kill Lieutenant Colonel Choi. Definitely.”
Seo Eui-woo, his face buried in Kwon Jae-jin’s neck, pressed his lips to the pulsing spot. He panted slightly against it.
“I won’t let him off easy. I’ll cut off his limbs, use the Healing Factor to reattach them, then cut them off again, repeatedly, and kill him in the most painful way possible.”
…That’s probably not what the Healing Factor is for.
But Kwon Jae-jin didn’t particularly feel like stopping Seo Eui-woo. In the first place, inhumane, efficiency-focused Guiding is exactly like that. If Lieutenant Colonel Choi keeps getting hurt and healed, he might feel something different.
“I understand. I won’t stop you then, Seo Eui-woo. Do as you please.”
“Yeah. Trust me.”
“Well, let me just say, I’ve never doubted you in this area, Seo Eui-woo. If anything, you’re overly trustworthy…”
Kwon Jae-jin chuckled and leaned into Seo Eui-woo’s embrace. The hot water pouring down from above flowed endlessly over his cheeks and chin. The reason his eyes were moist must be because of the water.
Jae-jin let out a long, languid sigh.
He burrowed further into Seo Eui-woo’s arms and murmured calmly.
“Still… I don’t think the result is bad. For us.”
They hadn’t managed to manipulate the generals’ brains as planned to seize control of the military leadership in one fell swoop.
But as a result, the pursuing search party had been disbanded, Seo Eui-woo had been pardoned, and Kwon Jae-jin would become a formal Esper through special provisions.
“At least we don’t have to hide anymore. I’ll be Seo Eui-woo’s official Guide. Ah, now we can go to that canyon together without worry.”
“The canyon…”
“Yes. I said I’d be upset if I couldn’t go on a date there. Thankfully, there’s no reason to be upset now. That’s good.”
“…”
“I don’t know how well Lieutenant Colonel Choi will keep his word, but he saw Seo Eui-woo’s ability clearly, so he won’t do anything rash. So, I, well, I think it might be okay to experience the life of a formal Esper on this occasion.”
Kwon Jae-jin counted off the advantages of the current situation one by one.
The more he did, the more frighteningly Seo Eui-woo’s eyes sank.
In the dark, unlit bathroom, strands of hair soaked with water hung down, obscuring his long eyes, but a clear light pierced through the pitch-black darkness. It felt like a hole was being drilled wherever his gaze landed.
Seo Eui-woo was furious to the core.
A cold rage shook him.
“…But Jae-jin isn’t free.”
Even though hot water was pouring down, the coldness didn’t dissipate. With each word Seo Eui-woo uttered, a chilly breath seemed to scatter from his lips.
“He can’t even relax and feel at ease.”
“That’s…”
“He went to overthrow the military, but instead, he ended up being incorporated into it.”
The arms embracing Kwon Jae-jin tightened excessively. Seo Eui-woo wasn’t controlling his strength properly, perhaps because he was excited. Kwon Jae-jin’s suppressed torso ached, and his ribs screamed, but he didn’t show it and only hugged Seo Eui-woo’s back.
“…Yes, that’s true.”
He slowly stroked the shoulder blades protruding from the broad back with his fingertips. The wet skin was smooth.
“I’ll probably have to be called in every time I’m summoned now, and follow orders strictly according to rank. That’ll be annoying.”
“Jae-jin.”
“Ah, that’s right. Seo Eui-woo is a Captain, so he’s much higher than me. Do I have to salute every time I see you from now on?”
“Ha, stop it. I told you not to keep pretending to be okay.”
“…I understand. But I mean it when I say it’s not bad.”
Kwon Jae-jin raised the corners of his lips. He lifted his head and deliberately showed his smiling face to Seo Eui-woo, speaking calmly.
His quiet voice echoed in the spacious bathroom.
“Actually, I was curious too. Like Seo Eui-woo.”
“Like me? About what?”
“The 6th Residential District. I said I was curious, didn’t I?”
“Because it’s where Seo Eui-woo lived. The Center. I want to find out how you lived there. I’ve heard about it, but seeing it with my own eyes will be different. When I think about it, I don’t think there will be another chance like this.”
“What chance…!”
“And if I’m affiliated with the Center, I’ll get a salary. If I’m S-rank, it’ll be quite a high amount, right? I’m looking forward to that too.”
“If it’s money, I can give you as much as you want. No, Jae-jin, you can have it all! I told you you can use it as much as you want!”
Seo Eui-woo growled.
Kwon Jae-jin knew that he didn’t know how to spend money, and he wasn’t particularly greedy or extravagant. In fact, until recently, the two of them had even planned to throw away everything they had and run away penniless. There was no point in pretending to be happy about a high salary now.
“Then, aren’t you even a little happy, Seo Eui-woo? That I’m becoming a formal Esper and can now officially and openly be a Guide matched with you.”
“I’m happy.”
Seo Eui-woo answered resolutely, inhaling roughly as he stared at Kwon Jae-jin. Even in the dark surroundings, his features were clearly visible.
“To be honest, I am happy. If I were like I used to be, I’d be so excited right now that I’d be gasping for breath.”
At one time, Seo Eui-woo resented and regretted why Kwon Jae-jin had to be born as a Mutant.
“I don’t care about anything as long as I can be with Jae-jin. But, even so… No. Jae-jin taught me everything.”
This isn’t the best option.
To put it in terms of a game, this is the normal ending. Not the true ending.
“I can’t be satisfied with this anymore.”
Seo Eui-woo, unable to bear it any longer, burst out with frustration. His pale and youthful face twisted miserably.
“We’re going to live properly.”
“…”
“Properly. Freely. Like that. I won’t give up until we achieve it perfectly.”
Seo Eui-woo closed his eyes and pressed his lips to Kwon Jae-jin’s cheek. Touching the damp skin brought a different kind of excitement and attraction than touching dry skin.
Every time he made contact like this, without any Guiding effect, Seo Eui-woo could confirm his own heart, not his instincts as an Esper. No matter how many times he repeated it, the result was the same.
Although it was unlikely to happen, even if Kwon Jae-jin lost his Guiding ability now and returned to being an ordinary person, it wouldn’t matter at all.
Even then, there wouldn’t be the slightest change in his deep and blindly devoted feelings. He truly felt that way.
“I admit it. I was reckless this time. I should have checked that Lieutenant Colonel Choi wasn’t there first. Everything got twisted because of that one thing. I’ll be thorough next time. After the Creature Wave… passes.”
Seo Eui-woo kissed Jae-jin’s cheek, then his eyes, and then raised his head to kiss his forehead and hair.
“Manipulating the generals’ brains, Jae-jin, you agree with that, right? Actually, I’ve already done it to one person.”
“Yes, yes…?”
He’d already done it?
“Don’t tell me, in that short amount of time…”
Kwon Jae-jin’s eyes widened. Seo Eui-woo licked his lips at his surprised face. His tongue savored the wet mucous membrane.
“Brigadier General Oh, the first one I touched.”
Brigadier General Oh Seong-hwa, the Operations Commander of the Army.
He was the general that Seo Eui-woo had used his Mental-type ability on. After that, Lieutenant General Choi Yul’s hologram had turned on, and he thought he’d stopped midway and scattered the ability, but in fact, he had already finished the thought manipulation… It was amazing.
“Let’s keep an eye on things through Brigadier General Oh. How well Lieutenant Colonel Choi is keeping the agreement. Whether he’s trying to do anything strange to Jae-jin. If we see any suspicious circumstances, we’ll turn everything over right away, regardless of the Creature Wave or anything else. It can’t be helped.”
Seo Eui-woo, his eyes gleaming fiercely, gave a chilly smile and greedily sucked on Jae-jin’s lower lip. Kwon Jae-jin hesitated for a moment about what to say, then simply chose to respond to the kiss.
Fatigue was piled up in his limbs and organs, and his head was spinning as if he were catching a cold. He needed to close his eyes for even a little while after he finished washing.