TTOA Chapter 11
by VolareKwon Jae-jin accessed the online food section of a department store that offered delivery and skillfully selected premium ingredients. Because Seo Eui-woo didn’t cook, Kwon Jae-jin was in charge of grocery shopping and meal preparation even in his first life.
Caviar. Truffles. Double-plus grade Korean beef ribs. Abalone. Snow crab. Lobster.
Not only that, but he also entered the luxury gift section and bought a bluefin tuna belly set, a Yeonggwang dried corvina set, and a 13-year-old wild ginseng root set certified by a ginseng artisan.
Just as he finished the payment and was grinning to himself, Seo Eui-woo, who had woken up at some point, was watching him.
“Did you buy something?”
He raised his hazy gray eyes and glanced at the tablet screen. Jae-jin turned off the screen.
“Just some things. You’ll know when they’re delivered.”
Seo Eui-woo obediently nodded. This bastard wouldn’t care if Kwon Jae-jin bought land or a house. As long as he provided Guiding, that was all that mattered.
“Seo Eui-woo, you said you were going to sleep, but you’re already awake?”
“Ah, that’s…”
Seo Eui-woo, who had been languidly sprawled out, stretched his neck and kissed Jae-jin’s temple. He kissed him a couple of times, making a sound, and then licked his lower lip as if savoring the aftertaste.
“…”
“What is it again?”
“Just… I’m too happy.”
“Pardon?”
“About falling asleep. The fact that I can sleep so soundly… It’s too sudden, so I’m getting a little scared.”
“…”
“Do people feel this way every time they fall asleep? I’m anxious because it feels like if I close my eyes, I might not wake up again. It feels strange that the bed feels so comfortable too.”
Seo Eui-woo murmured languidly.
Although he was speaking in a relaxed manner, Kwon Jae-jin didn’t miss the fleeting moment when a sharp tension flickered and disappeared in his pupils.
“Since I was young… We lived in a group at the Center training facility, right? So we had to lie down in a designated place for a designated amount of time, but I really…”
It must have felt like torture.
Unable to escape the cramped, cage-like three-tiered bunk bed that was far too small for Seo Eui-woo’s growing body, unable to turn on the light or toss and turn and disturb the sleep of other colleagues, he must have been helplessly trapped alone in the dark.
“Um, no. It’s nothing. Never mind.”
Seo Eui-woo cut off his words, shaking his head nonchalantly. Kwon Jae-jin raised his upper body and stared intently into Seo Eui-woo’s eyes from close range.
‘Come to think of it, that’s right. Why did I miss something so simple?’
S-rank Esper Seo Eui-woo was in a state of severe imbalance due to chronic Guiding deficiency.
And the most representative symptom of that was insomnia.
‘The premise itself was wrong. It wasn’t just a matter of providing Guiding.’
The more fundamental culprit was hidden in his imbalance.
‘How can someone think normally if they can’t sleep? Of course, anyone would go crazy…’
Seo Eui-woo acts like a madman because he doesn’t get enough sleep.
Even if he just got enough sleep, Seo Eui-woo would be much more reasonable than he is now.
In fact, looking back on Kwon Jae-jin’s first life, it seemed like Seo Eui-woo became a bit more human from the point when he started getting proper sleep. It also seemed like he became more obsessed with Kwon Jae-jin at that time…
‘I have to make sure he sleeps properly.’
There are three major imbalances that immediately come to mind.
And the first of those is insomnia. The rest can be solved in order.
‘I’ll put him to sleep and bring him back to his senses.’
Kwon Jae-jin, who had gained enlightenment, stared directly at Seo Eui-woo with his jet-black eyes. They were unwavering, firm, and calm eyes.
A faint tension flowed down his spine. He felt a pleasant exhilaration.
‘See, look at this. Our kid isn’t a bad kid. He just has some extreme tendencies.’
Just then, a large paper bag flew towards Seo Eui-woo.
Seo Eui-woo rustled as he took out the contents one by one. As the objects were revealed, Kwon Jae-jin’s expression gradually changed.
Handcuffs,
Chains,
A gag,
A catheter,
A urine bag…
Unbelievable.
Kwon Jae-jin let out a hollow laugh. Did he prepare these while he was unconscious? It was so absurd that he wasn’t even angry. He just felt a headache at the thought that he couldn’t escape the handcuff debate even in his second life.
‘Ha… No way. Why is it like this again?’
Ridiculous.
Kwon Jae-jin hadn’t refused Guiding, and he hadn’t caused all sorts of havoc to escape Seo Eui-woo’s house.
He hadn’t fired a gun to break the windows, and he hadn’t jumped out in a surprise attack to stab Seo Eui-woo with a knife. He hadn’t strangled him while he was sleeping… But… why.
‘Could it be that my future is already set and can’t be changed?’
Kwon Jae-jin frowned and looked down at the floor.
It felt like the floor supporting his feet was collapsing and he was being pushed into a pitch-black darkness.
‘If the future really doesn’t change… Am I going to die again in four years? In vain?’
That can’t happen.
Kwon Jae-jin abruptly raised his head. Then, he glared fiercely at Seo Eui-woo, panting.
“Seo Eui-woo, what… are you doing right now?”
Seo Eui-woo, holding the silver handcuffs, stared blankly at Jae-jin with clear eyes. The air around him rippled and swayed.
“What do you mean? As you can see… You still don’t like being tied up? Does it make you feel bad?”
“If I liked that, I wouldn’t be normal. I don’t like it.”
“Then why did you do that? I was going to give you Guiding, but suddenly you bit your tongue… So it’s too, I’m scared, you know.”
“What’s scary about Seo Eui-woo? I should be the one who’s scared.”
“What if Jae-jin dies? I failed this time, but next time… or even the time after that, if you succeed and your breath is cut off… In that case, rather.”
Seo Eui-woo, who had been quietly murmuring to himself, looked at Jae-jin with a chilling gaze. Just as Kwon Jae-jin was struggling with how to tame Seo Eui-woo, Seo Eui-woo also seemed to be deeply troubled about how to treat Kwon Jae-jin.
“That’s because Seo Eui-woo did something wrong first.”
Jae-jin let out a faint sigh and muttered quickly.
“You didn’t keep the conditions I set. I said I didn’t like it when it hurt, but you shoved it into my throat until I threw up, and you tried to stick it in my ass again without even loosening it up.”
“I just needed Guiding. I never agreed to that ridiculous second condition in the first place.”
“I just bit my tongue in a fit of anger, I didn’t really intend to die. I knew you’d fix it with the Healing Factor anyway. I just thought that’s what I had to do for Seo Eui-woo to listen to me.”
Jae-jin moved his tongue, which was still numb, to articulate the sentences as clearly as possible. Whether Seo Eui-woo believed Kwon Jae-jin’s explanation or not, he had to point out the mistake.
“Look, Seo Eui-woo is the first S-rank Esper, right? You have the highest level of ability among Espers.”
“So?”
“So, Seo Eui-woo probably hasn’t had any difficulties dealing with people since being judged as an Esper immediately after birth.”
It must have been difficult for him because he couldn’t find a Guide who could reach his level, but that was just the difficulty caused by a lack of Guiding. Relationship problems are different.
“No one can be your match, and no one can go against you. Everyone has good feelings for you, admires you, and even fears you. That’s why Seo Eui-woo is still a brat even at the age of twenty.”
“A brat… what?”
“I’ll make it clear now.”
Seo Eui-woo blinked his confused eyes. Kwon Jae-jin looked at his smooth gray eyes with pity and compassion and gave him a lesson.
“If you need my help, make an effort to look good to me.”
“…”
“Whether you act cute, show some aegyo, or buy me over by granting my wishes!”
Those measly handcuffs? Gag?
They’re nothing, really.
If Kwon Jae-jin had been preoccupied with such things, he wouldn’t have developed a romantic relationship with Seo Eui-woo in his first life. Later, Seo Eui-woo also realized his mistakes and regretted them, and because he showed a sincere repentance, it was okay. Just like in his first life, he can generously overlook it in his second life.
“Until now, the Guides have probably obediently spread their legs whenever Seo Eui-woo wanted. They wouldn’t have batted an eye even if their holes were torn. But what about me? As you can see, I’m a half-assed late-blooming Guide from a commoner background, so I can’t do that.”
“…”
“I don’t like it when it hurts, I don’t like getting hurt, I don’t like being treated roughly like a tool, and I don’t like Seo Eui-woo doing whatever he wants, ignoring my intentions.”
“So, what Jae-jin is saying… is that you don’t like Guiding. Is there any need to beat around the bush like this? It’s an obvious fact.”