TTOA Chapter 18

#18

“Were you hungry? Why are you eating so fast?”

Seo Eui-woo flicked the corner of Kwon Jae-jin’s bulging cheek with his fingertip. Kwon Jae-jin frowned, glared at him, and picked up a piece of rolled omelet with his chopsticks.

The golden-brown rolled omelet was delicious. The texture of the salty pollack roe popping inside the layers of soft egg was exquisite. Kwon Jae-jin picked up another piece of rolled omelet and ate it.

Seo Eui-woo pulled his chair closer to Kwon Jae-jin, sitting right next to him. He propped his chin on his hand and stared intently at Jae-jin’s profile from a distance that was uncomfortably close. The meaning in his gaze was blatant enough that there was no mistaking it.

‘……I’ll indulge him. Tch.’

Jae-jin sighed inwardly and extended his left hand. He was busy using his right hand to eat with a spoon, so his left hand was all he could offer. Seo Eui-woo’s eyes widened like a puppy who had received a bone treat as a surprise.

“Uh.”

“Isn’t this what you came looking for? I can spare a hand.”

Seo Eui-woo hesitated for a few seconds before slowly grasping Jae-jin’s outstretched hand. He held it tightly, pressing their palms together, and interlaced his fingers firmly between Jae-jin’s. As if that wasn’t enough, he buried his face in the back of his hand.

It was as if Kwon Jae-jin’s left hand was trapped in a box.

The bottom was blocked by Seo Eui-woo’s palm, the sides were blocked by interlaced fingers, and the top of the hand was blocked by his face.

“Jae-jin-ssi…… you eat well, really…….”

Seo Eui-woo kissed the back of Kwon Jae-jin’s hand before sticking out his tongue and licking it slowly.

“Was it not the cooking, but the meal itself that he liked……?”

Jae-jin rinsed his mouth with the stew broth and picked up some abalone butter grilled. It was chewy, savory, and simply amazing. The fishy smell was completely gone, thanks to the sake used to eliminate it. Kwon Jae-jin, unable to break his old habits, picked up a piece of abalone and held it out to Seo Eui-woo.

However, Seo Eui-woo only glanced up at him with his gray eyes. Licking Kwon Jae-jin’s hand seemed a thousand times more appealing than the plump abalone.

“Aren’t you going to eat?”

“I’m not eating.”

After confirming the clear eyes that showed no signs of appetite, Jae-jin put down his chopsticks.

Seo Eui-woo’s imbalances could be categorized into three major areas.

The first imbalance was insomnia.

The second imbalance was anorexia, or a lack of appetite.

As you can see, the current Seo Eui-woo doesn’t eat. He’s indifferent to any food he sees, skips meals frequently, and despite all that, he only drinks alcohol. He fills his stomach with simple and dry foods like combat rations while getting Healing Factor injections, but soon that lifestyle would be a distant memory.

People need to eat their fill and sleep in a warm place. If you feed them well and put them to bed comfortably, even an animal can become human. The kid can’t eat or sleep, so he’s becoming more twisted. If you feed and house him, he’ll tame easily.

These days, he seems to be getting some sleep thanks to Kwon Jae-jin being by his side every night, but I wonder when he’ll start eating.

“Seo Eui-woo-ssi doesn’t eat, doesn’t sleep…… how have you been living all this time?”

“By pretending to be okay.”

Seo Eui-woo muttered softly and pressed his lips deeply against the back of Kwon Jae-jin’s hand. He traced the protruding hand bones along the blue veins and kissed each knuckle as if savoring the taste.

“Fortunately, I was quick in that area. I’ve been pretending to be normal since my time at the Center. Pretending to eat, sleep, and do everything like everyone else…… If I hadn’t, I would’ve been disposed of long ago, you know?”

“Even though you were the first Esper to be rated S-rank?”

“Precisely because I was the first Esper to be rated S-rank. Even more so.”

Dangerous, isn’t it?

Seo Eui-woo mumbled, burying his lips in his skin.

He was an Esper with such extraordinary abilities that his risk of runaway was significantly high unless an S-rank Guide of the same caliber appeared.

An incredibly dangerous and powerful being.

“In my naive days, I even waited for a Guide who suited me to be born soon. But I gave up at some point. Rather than just waiting, I had to step up and prove myself.”

“……Prove?”

“That Seo Eui-woo can fight without proper Guiding, and that the deficiency can be adequately compensated with medication. That Seo Eui-woo is useful. If I hadn’t managed to fool everyone around me and even persuade the higher-ups, I would have really died.”

“Isn’t that a bit, wrong……?”

“What?”

Seo Eui-woo, who had been absorbed in Kwon Jae-jin’s left hand for some time, slowly raised his head.

His darkly sunken eyes gleamed, and his breath had become noticeably rough.

“It means there was no one to help Seo Eui-woo-ssi.”

“Even if there was someone, it wouldn’t have mattered. The only one who can truly help an Esper is a matching Guide.”

“…….”

“I didn’t have that Guide in the past, and now I have Jae-jin-ssi. That’s enough for me.”

“…….”

“So…… these days, I can only think about Guiding. I get anxious and restless when I can’t see Jae-jin-ssi. Every minute, every second, I want to know what he’s doing, where he is, I want to see him, touch him, lick him, stick it in him…….”

Seo Eui-woo whispered in a somewhat passionate tone.

Before they knew it, the dishes on the table were trembling slightly.

The neatly arranged setting was a bit disarrayed, and one of the side dish plates placed in the corner was precariously hanging off the edge of the table. As it was about to slide down, Jae-jin calmly reached out and grabbed the plate.

“I want to suck on…… Jae-jin-ssi’s tongue…… so my mouth keeps watering. I’m constantly erect, so it’s always a struggle to calm down…… I want to spread Jae-jin-ssi’s thighs right now and shove my thing deep inside. What should I do, really…….”

Kwon Jae-jin placed the side dish plate in a safe spot and calmly resumed his meal at the table that was shaking like an earthquake.

He cut the fluffy, well-cooked new potato in half and ate it, then neatly scooped up the remaining rice in his rice bowl and put it in his mouth.

“No, I just want to keep Jae-jin-ssi inside me all day, 24 hours a day. Would that not be okay? I kind of regret not cuffing you that day, even if it was forced……. On the other hand, I also think I endured it well……. Ah, I don’t know. I’ve become a bit strange.”

He just left it alone, and the dishes were clattering and creating a mess.

Water overflowed from the water glass, and the side dishes were scattered. It was no longer a situation where he could eat properly.

Jae-jin put down his spoon and fork and pressed his hand to his forehead. His left hand was still held by Seo Eui-woo, so he couldn’t move it.

“Seo Eui-woo-ssi. Please. Calm down.”

Guiding, Guiding, always talking about Guiding!

Kwon Jae-jin shouted with a shudder. Seo Eui-woo smiled brightly, unfazed, even as he received the brunt of Jae-jin’s sharp gaze.

“Really? Now?”

“Not now. I need to finish my meal first, so wait about an hour.”

“An hour……”

“What’s with that expression? What, can’t you wait?”

“An hour is too long. Does it really take that long to eat……?”

“It’s not just eating that’s the end of it. Cleaning up the table, doing the dishes, and brushing my teeth will take about that long.”

“Then if I clean up the table, do the dishes, and even brush Jae-jin-ssi’s teeth, it wouldn’t take an hour, right? Right?”

“What…… No, huh?”

Jae-jin retorted in an incredulous tone.

“I can let other things slide, but why would Seo Eui-woo-ssi brush my teeth?”

Of course, Seo Eui-woo was being headstrong.

Before they knew it, a toothbrush that had flown in from the bathroom was neatly in Seo Eui-woo’s grasp. The toothpaste that followed also had its cap twisted open automatically, and the contents were squeezed out onto the bristles of the toothbrush, just the right amount. There was a subtle scent of mint.

“I’ll do it.”

“…….”

“Huh? Jae-jin-ssi. I will. I’ll do it for you.”

“Ha…….”

If I refuse, will he flip the table again? No, he might suddenly pounce on me, saying he can’t wait any longer. Rather than being taken advantage of by a guy who’s lost control…….

Kwon Jae-jin swallowed a sigh and nodded slightly.

A subtle resignation lingered in his dark eyes.

“……Well, comparing having a dick shoved in my mouth while eating and having my teeth brushed while eating, the latter is better, I guess.”

Should I call this progress?

It’s gotten better, it’s better than last time…… Can I think that way?

Anyway, I’ve eaten enough braised short ribs. Eating too much might make my stomach uncomfortable, so it might be better to finish my meal around here.

“Seo Eui-woo-ssi is really a son of a bitch. Please at least know that.”

“Okay, I know. I’ll be a son of a bitch, sure.”

“It’s not ‘I’ll be a son of a bitch,’ you ARE a son of a bitch.”

“But you like it, don’t you?”

“What?”

To the question that quickly popped out, Seo Eui-woo replied with a gentle smile in his eyes. His neat cheeks were flushed like a peach again today.

“Now that you like me, you’re going to give me Guiding, right? You said it wouldn’t work if it was forced.”

“…….”

“Right on the mark, isn’t it?”

“……Don’t get the wrong idea. You have a long way to go before I like Seo Eui-woo-ssi.”

Seo Eui-woo’s part was still on the left side today.

Jae-jin shook off the hand holding his and reached out to flip Seo Eui-woo’s hair in the opposite direction. He changed the part to the right and repeatedly brushed, pressing down on the roots of his hair so it wouldn’t go back.