TTOA Chapter 70

This situation was truly absurd.

Seo Eui-woo himself is in a Gate, fighting creatures in a life-or-death battle, yet he’s worrying about Kwon Jae-jin, who is leisurely brushing his teeth in a new residence secured with a double layer of security systems and backup systems.

Isn’t this putting the cart before the horse?

Seo Eui-woo is in genuine mortal danger.

Frankly speaking, he could die at any moment.

Even if he were to fully concentrate on the battle, he could lose an arm, a leg, or sustain injuries all over his body. If he gets distracted by texting, a horrific accident could occur in an instant.

Should Kwon Jae-jin be considered strange for worrying about Seo Eui-woo? Or is Seo Eui-woo strange for worrying about Kwon Jae-jin?

The situation is so twisted that I can’t figure it out.

[Jae-jin, it’s really dangerous. The higher-ups have formed a search party.]

[.]

[Led by that bastard Ma Tae-o, they’re going to find you, Jae-jin. They’ve gathered Espers with Tracking Type abilities.]

[.]

[How can I not worry about you when I hear news like this? Reply immediately, don’t be late, or I swear I’ll turn everything upside down and go home right away.]

[…]

So, a search party…

Tracking Type abilities. I don’t know much about it, but hearing that makes it sound like a situation Seo Eui-woo would worry about. Even so, I still think it’s wrong for Seo Eui-woo to be sending texts so frantically and incessantly during an urgent battle.

If he’s typing text with his eyes through the Goggles, when is he looking at the creatures and assessing the danger?

Could it be that Seo Eui-woo isn’t even properly looking at the creatures and is just shooting them down based on instinct? Is that even possible? It’s still incredibly dangerous.

[I miss you, Jae-jin. I’m so worried. I’ve never been this anxious before.]

[.]

[Sweat. Wow… I’m sweating buckets…]

[.]

[When I first met you, Jae-jin. Remember when I was obsessed with Guiding? Even then, when I left for work, I felt like I was going to die from missing you… But now, it’s a thousand times worse. It feels like my life is being drained. Ma Tae-o, that bastard, even though you stopped me, I should have killed him that day.]

Kwon Jae-jin repeatedly swallowed sighs and entered the dressing room. As always, several firearms were lined up in neat rows on the wall shelves.

Jae-jin examined each of the lined-up guns, feeling overwhelmed by the torrent of messages pouring in from Seo Eui-woo, and sent a reply.

[Seo Eui-woo, please calm down. I’m perfectly fine.]

[I miss you. I’m feeling it so much right now…]

Kwon Jae-jin picked up a few guns, held them, listened to them, loaded them with bullets, and disengaged the safeties, repeatedly practicing until he was completely familiar with how to handle them. At the same time, he dutifully replied to Seo Eui-woo.

[I told you, you can see me as much as you want after work. I won’t stop you then.]

[Of course, as soon as I get back, I’m going to hug you and stick to you.]

[.]

[I’m not going anywhere. I won’t let go.]

[.]

[Don’t say you don’t like it. Because I have no intention of letting you go anyway.]

[I won’t say I don’t like it.]

[Really?]

[.]

Suddenly, a thought occurred to Jae-jin, and he stared down at the tablet screen.

He slowly moved his hand to type a sentence and paused to look at what he had written.

[If you come back safe and sound, you can do whatever you want, Seo Eui-woo.]

He hesitated slightly before pressing the send button.

However, he couldn’t just leave Seo Eui-woo like this. If he left him alone, Seo Eui-woo would be unable to overcome his separation anxiety and would become so impatient that he would get seriously hurt or something bad would happen. Unable to shake off his uneasy worries, Jae-jin finally pressed the send button.

This time, a reply came after a short delay.

[Anything?]

Jae-jin reaffirmed the prerequisite.

[I said, “If you come back safe and sound.” Don’t get hurt, Seo Eui-woo. Safe and sound.]

[You mean I can do anything I want? Anything I want to do?]

[No using the Healing Factor to cheat. I’m going to check if your combat suit is torn or if there are any bloodstains. Not a single strand of your hair can be cut.]

[You better not change your mind this time, Jae-jin. No saying it’s okay and then saying it’s not okay later. You better keep your word.]

[What on earth are you planning to do…]

[What do you think?]

For some reason, the back of his neck felt cold. It felt like the hairs on his head were standing on end.

He had a bad feeling, but it was already done, so there was nothing he could do. Kwon Jae-jin steeled himself for what was to come.

‘It doesn’t matter. What could Seo Eui-woo possibly want to do? Maybe lick my eyes a little harder, or poke my holes a little harder…’

Kwon Jae-jin can handle that much now. It’s not like he’s only spent a day or two with Seo Eui-woo, and if he grits his teeth and bears it, it’s not something he can’t do. Of course, it will be tough… but if he just closes his eyes, grits his teeth, and endures it, that’s it.

Kwon Jae-jin has already been through worse hellscapes, so there’s no reason to be intimidated. Besides, there’s no guarantee that Seo Eui-woo will come back without a scratch.

If he’s even slightly injured when he returns home because he’s distracted, then no way.

Whether he’s distracted because he’s anxious about leaving Kwon Jae-jin alone, or because he’s excited about doing something to Kwon Jae-jin, it doesn’t matter.

[I’ll go back safely. You stay safe too, Jae-jin.]

[.]

*

Afternoon. Seo Eui-woo returned home covered in blood.

His stiff, jet-black combat suit was soaked in crimson blood, and his handsome face was covered in blood. Even the ends of his fine, wavy hair were covered in blood droplets.

“Jae-jin! Are you safe? Did anything happen?”

“Seo… Seo Eui-woo.”

“Are you really okay? Haa, I was worried… I was worried the whole time.”

“No, the, blood…”

Kwon Jae-jin, who had been running on the treadmill in the home gym, widened his eyes in surprise and stared at Seo Eui-woo. I told him to come back safe and sound without getting hurt, but what is this miserable state?

Seo Eui-woo whispered nonchalantly to Jae-jin, whose face had turned pale.

“Ah, this isn’t my blood.”

“What…?”

“It splattered on me from someone next to me. I need to wash it off.”

Seo Eui-woo turned off the treadmill and grabbed Jae-jin’s arm, pulling him down. It was a movement filled with a desperate eagerness, as if he had been waiting for this moment all day.

“Come here.”

“Wait a minute, is Seo Eui-woo okay?”

“Me? What do you think?”

Seo Eui-woo dragged Jae-jin across the hallway with long strides. His gait didn’t seem to allow for any delay. Kwon Jae-jin was dragged along like a dog, unable to say anything.

His destination was the bathroom.

Seo Eui-woo, who had entered the dry bathroom where Kwon Jae-jin had been brushing his teeth earlier, hugged Jae-jin tightly in his arms, Jae-jin, who was slightly sweaty from running.

“Haha, check it out. I came back without a single strand of hair cut, just like you said, Jae-jin.”

“No, for that to be true, there’s way too much blood.”

“I told you, it’s not my blood. The other team members might be a little hurt, but they’re not dead… They’re used to being injured anyway. That much is okay.”

“What…? What on earth did Seo Eui-woo do?”

“What did I do? I tried hard. I tried to come back to you safely, Jae-jin.”

“……”

“Hoo… That was tough.”

Seo Eui-woo let out a languid sigh and took off the Goggles he was wearing. Now his gray eyes were clearly visible. His eyes were clearly fatigued. Seo Eui-woo looked genuinely exhausted.

“What am I going to do if I have to do this every time I go to work…? I’m worried about you, Jae-jin, I’m scared… Should I just take a long vacation? Huh, should I?”

Seo Eui-woo mumbled incoherently like a madman and entered the shower booth with Kwon Jae-jin still in his arms. Then, without even taking off his clothes, he turned on the shower.

He seemed to be in a hurry, as if he wanted to wash up as quickly as possible.

“Ugh, Seo Eui-woo, let’s calm down first, okay? If you’re so hasty, Seo Eui-woo, it makes me nervous too.”

As the cold water poured out, Jae-jin turned the faucet to the hot water side. Under the now warmer water, Seo Eui-woo quickly washed away the blood.

“I can’t. There’s no time. I have to wash quickly.”

Red blood endlessly spread over his large, angular, muscular body.

The water-soaked combat suit regained its original color, and it was confirmed that it was in perfect condition, without any signs of tearing or ripping. It seemed that Seo Eui-woo had really returned safely, without getting hurt at all.

“What’s going to happen if you wash slowly? Why are you in such a hurry again?”

“Because there are so many things I want to do.”

“Huh?”

“I’ve been thinking about it all day. The things I want to do to you, Jae-jin, there are countless things.”

“……”

“If I were to do all of them, I don’t think even several nights would be enough… So even the time it takes to wash up is a waste.”

“Haa…”

“Just wait. From now on, we’re going to be very busy.”

Seo Eui-woo smiled gently, his eyes curving into crescents. The gray eyes embedded in his docile eyes shone with an ominous light that had never been there before.

The deep, dark wildness that had been quietly waiting within him seemed to be roaring violently.