A long silence fell. Seonyeong's mouth, which had been listening to the story from the opposite side, hung open mindlessly.
— ...
Honestly, it was so shocking that he didn't know how to react.
It was an excessively horrifying story. They took orphaned children, sold them for money, subjected them to inhumane research, and in the end simply ate them... Surely this didn't happen two hundred years ago?
Seonyeong's expression turned to stone.
— That's awful.
He had heard that Jihwan's sister was killed by Lee Jae-wook, but he couldn't even imagine her death was like this. He thought the vampire named Lee Jae-wook had simply failed to control his blood impulse because his life was hanging by a thread.
But Lee Jae-wook's actions had absolutely nothing to do with his own survival. His "kingdom" was organized, villainous, and used people as expendable material. His sister literally died a dog's death.
Seonyeong, after a moment of silence, cautiously asked:
— The escape… Did Seo Raon help you?
— Uh-huh. Hyeon Do-yeon arranged it so we were presumed dead. It was a stroke of luck for me. If Hyung hadn't helped back then, I would have definitely died there.
Jihwan chuckled, as if mocking himself.
— ...It turns out there are things that sheer willpower alone can't overcome.
His gaze, turned toward the past, became deep and extinguished.
— Only after escaping did we find out we'd been imprisoned for a whole year. Yi Hoon had aphasia combined with exhaustion; his body was in terrible condition... It took years for him to be able to speak again. Chairman Lee Kang-eun helped us a lot.
— ...And how are you?
— I was fine. On the contrary, I became even stronger. Thanks to that, I was able to go kill Son Hyun-min just a few days later.
Jihwan snorted, saying this in a joking tone, but his hands were clenched so tightly that his knuckles were white and the veins stood out. Even though it was long ago, there was a raw, undisguised fury in his eyes.
— That son of a bitch... It turns out he handed over many children from the orphanage, not just us. We thought they were all adopted. Haha. Funny. We should have dug deeper. We thought they weren't contacting us because they wanted to sever all ties with us.
Bitterness tinged Jihwan's voice for a moment. But he immediately composed himself and, looking at Seonyeong, continued:
— ...Anyway, that's all. I killed the other researchers inside, but no evidence was left. So any other testimony I could give you is useless.
A brief silence fell. Seonyeong felt a slightly complex emotion.
Kang Jihwan seemed to sincerely believe this was some kind of useful vulnerability he could offer him. Every gesture of his body screamed, "I'm truly sincere, please believe me."
But... What kind of vulnerability is this?
Asking someone to report something like this to the police? No one would do that. It's Son Hyun-min who should be the one reported!
Didn't Kang Jihwan simply kill someone who deserved to die? If that guy were still alive, Seonyeong himself would immediately finish him off. Especially knowing how dedicatedly and diligently Kim Ran-hee, as an orphanage director and in the same profession, had devoted herself to her work for decades, Seonyeong felt even greater disgust for this Son Hyun-min.
Seonyeong cautiously asked:
— And the other children... who were kidnapped... Did you find out what happened to them?
Then Jihwan's face darkened.
— I checked. They say they were all killed immediately after our escape. It seems the other side, fearing the secret would be revealed... accelerated the 'processing' of the children.
As Jihwan spoke, he shivered with horror for a moment. He said in a quiet, muffled voice:
— ...Lee Jae-wook is the purpose of my life.
— Purpose...
Hearing those words, Seonyeong vaguely understood at that instant how desperately Jihwan had clung to life, to survive, or rather—to avoid committing suicide.
Because it was exactly like himself in the past.
If he only loosened his grip a little, death—that convenient option—was already beckoning him. An unknown world opened before him, where he could forget everything and disappear.
But despite this, Seonyeong wanted to live his life as a human. He wanted to die with dignity, not burn to ashes in the sun, leaving not a soul behind. So he pretended to be human with all his might. That's how he lived, and eventually reached his current state, ending up here.
Perhaps Kang Jihwan had also faced this temptation countless times.
Suddenly, Seonyeong felt sorry for Jihwan, hunched and huddled on the small bed.
Was it pity? Or compassion? Regret? Or a false self-projection?
Whatever it was, it didn't matter. He felt sorry for this creature, torn to shreds.
— It must have been very hard for you until now.
Hearing these words, Jihwan, who had slightly lowered his head, looked up in surprise. He was flustered, unsure what to do, then lowered his head again and replied in a barely audible voice:
— Thank you.
— ...
Of course, just because he heard about the past doesn't mean he understands and forgives all the actions that Kang Jihwan committed against him.
But Seonyeong definitely understood, at least, why Jihwan became so distrustful of people and cruel.
While he was struggling with all his might to survive, even if he hadn't gone insane, he was emotionally broken.
Even Yi Hoon, who was with him in the "European Bulwark," succumbs to Seonyeong's hypnosis, but Jihwan does not. To preserve his sanity, he drove the blade not into his own flesh, but into his mind.
***
Soon, Jihwan, hesitating while watching Seonyeong's reaction, spoke again:
— When you disappeared in Macao, I was very angry at first.
— ...
— Then I thought you did it to thwart my killing of Lee Jae-wook. Even if I admitted that I liked you, the thought that you became an obstacle on the path to the main goal of my life provoked unbearable fury in me. At the same time, Hyung Do-yeon told me, "He won't help you, just let it go." But I couldn't let go. So I... thought I was doing it because I wanted to take revenge on you. After all, when I thought about you, my whole body felt like it was burning in fire.
Their gazes met. Jihwan's voice was very calm.
— But only now, seeing you unharmed, did I understand. I don't want to take revenge on you.
— Then what?
— Simply… I want you to be next to me.
Sometimes silence speaks more than words. Jihwan unclenched his interlocked fingers and gently took Seonyeong's hand. The palm was damp with sweat. Jihwan slightly squeezed Seonyeong's cold hand and said:
— Can't I?
Seonyeong's eyes trembled. It was such a weak grip that he could have broken free just by sneezing. But Seonyeong, as if spellbound, stared at Jihwan's hand lying atop his, as if in a daze.
— Will you… not give me one more chance?
Jihwan, seeing that Seonyeong said nothing, began to look a little worried. He rattled off, hoping that at least one thing he said would appeal to Seonyeong.
— Now things like Lee Jae-wook aren't important. In the future, I won't bother you with such matters. So just come back home to us. If you want to become human—I'll help, if you don't—I'll stay out of it.
Then Seonyeong, deep in thought and listening silently, opened his eyes wide.
— Things like Lee Jae-wook aren't important?
— I can sneak in and kill him myself. After all, that was our original plan.
In that moment, strangely enough, Seonyeong's heart trembled. It was not joy that Jihwan wouldn't bother him, but rather…
«What will become of him after he kills Lee Jae-wook?»
«The driving force that kept Kang Jihwan alive all this time was probably revenge.»
«If this guy, having finished everything without regret, one day just dies…»
«Will I be happy?»
A small whirlwind rose in Seonyeong's heart. It was a storm of many feelings that were difficult to describe in words.
After some time, when Seonyeong continued to be silent, Jihwan, having plucked up the courage, pulled the hand he was holding slightly closer. Seonyeong just widened his eyes a little but didn't pull his hand away, merely looking at Jihwan. Seeing this, Jihwan's Adam's apple visibly trembled.
***
Soon, Seonyeong felt Jihwan getting closer as he pulled him in. Hot palms cupped his cheeks. Then their noses touched, and even the moment Jihwan closed his eyes, Seonyeong remained with his open.
Icy, snow-like lips met lips hot as lava.
The searing pulse of a living being flowed across his lips to Seonyeong's lips.
A moment later, Seonyeong's long eyelashes, trembling like a curtain, slowly descended.
The instant he closed his eyes and felt the touch of another person, Seonyeong felt a stinging electric current shoot through his body.
With a faint sound, their lips parted, and Seonyeong's long eyelashes trembled. In that moment, in only about three seconds, too many thoughts raced through his head.
In front of him, Jihwan looked at Seonyeong with a look of longing. He looked both like a man ready to confess his love at any second, and like a guilty puppy watching its owner with a frightened look.
Jihwan took his hands away from Seonyeong's cheeks. He quietly asked:
— ...Didn't you like it?
«Didn't I like it? Did I just find it unpleasant?» Seonyeong was flustered.
Seeing such an expression on his face, Jihwan's face darkened.
— If you didn't like it... I'll leave here.
Hearing this, Seonyeong's eyebrows slightly drew together. He didn't want Jihwan to leave. But... he even didn't want to ask him to stay.
It was such a contradictory feeling that it was difficult even to explain. Perhaps that's why? Seonyeong couldn't utter a single word. This was the first time this had happened to him. His tongue, which had just been moving, felt like it had turned to stone, and no words would come out. But the moment Seonyeong tried to move his lips to say something, Jihwan, all tensed up, suddenly started and said:
— You don't have to answer.
— ...
— But if you don't like it…
Kang Jihwan lowered his head, pondering what to say so as not to be rejected. In the end, the next moment Jihwan pulled Seonyeong slightly closer and whispered:
— Then just hit me.
Hearing this, Seonyeong allowed himself to be drawn by Jihwan's hand, as if he had no strength left. His head was chaotic. The feeling was too sharp to call it pity, but too bitter to call it love. But whatever this feeling was, it was difficult to abruptly cut things off with Kang Jihwan right now.
Soon, a dull thud sounded, and Seonyeong was lying on the bed. In the tiny hotel, you could get from the chair to the bed in one step. Jihwan in a bathrobe naturally settled on top of Seonyeong. His powerful, column-like arms rested on either side of his head. The body, surpassing human, animalistic, enveloped the whole of Seonyeong. He looked up in the shadow, bewildered.
But Kang Jihwan was trembling.
He had never seen such a sight before. Voluntarily or not, Kang Jihwan had always been distinguished by unshakable confidence, even shamelessness, in his relationship with Seonyeong. But the person before his eyes now was not the man he knew.
Normally, he would probably have joked, "Oh, you shameless guy! Didn't you say you didn't want to before?" But the thick atmosphere that enveloped the two of them didn't allow for even such jokes. Looking back, he realized that every time he entered into a physical relationship with Jihwan, there was some hidden motive, accident, or conflict of interest at play.
But something was different in this moment. In their relationship, where instinct had always been the driving force, he felt that something genuinely sincere was about to be born. Then his chest burned, and he felt something constricting. For a moment, Seonyeong found it hard to breathe. He felt the burning in his throat about to reach his stomach. As if possessed, he stretched out both hands and grabbed Jihwan's cheeks.
At this moment, an incomprehensible spark flashed between them.
Seonyeong pulled Jihwan's head down toward himself. Jihwan bent his arms at the elbows and lowered himself, following obediently.
And when their lips met again, the lock that had bound the lurking beast a moment ago loosened.
This was not like the kiss from a minute ago. The two on the bed greedily licked and sucked each other's moist lips. Seonyeong felt the fire in his stomach, ready to explode, slightly subside. No water, no blood could quench this thirst. The lower parts of their bodies intertwined.
Sucking on tongues and scratching the rough palate against the delicate mucous membranes, they pulled each other by the waist. Jihwan, as if the bathrobe was hindering him, immediately freed a hand and threw it onto the floor. The next moment, Seonyeong's hand softly stroked the lower back of Jihwan, who had instantly become naked.
Soon, Jihwan showered Seonyeong with countless kisses, removing his clothes. When he lifted the black shirt Seonyeong was wearing, two swollen, pale pink nipples on his white body were exposed. Seeing this, Jihwan felt an indescribable relief rush into his heart. Seonyeong was also aroused by him.
Although he hadn't come here with such thoughts, if Seonyeong wasn't rejecting him, Jihwan had no reason to stop. «It seems I was right to beg him for a chance.» He didn't know when Kang Seonyeong forgave him, but if Seonyeong gave him the opportunity, he could repeat this again and again—ten, a hundred times.
Since he developed the desire to kill Lee Jae-wook, this was the first time Kang Jihwan felt such desperate and strong emotion for another person. When he was with Kang Seonyeong, every moment struck him with a powerful wave, as if he was discovering an unknown world.
Meanwhile, Seonyeong couldn't regain his composure from the flood of kisses. If he had been standing, his legs would have definitely buckled. With one large and rough hand, Jihwan softly supported Seonyeong under his shoulder blades, and with the other, he cupped the back of his neck. Seonyeong's jeans had already been removed along with his sweater.
One of Jihwan's knees was placed between Seonyeong's legs, as if locking him in his embrace without the possibility of movement. Seonyeong felt stuffy, but strangely, the feeling of being tightly hugged wasn't so bad.
«Does he really...»
A multitude of unfamiliar feelings swept through Seonyeong's whole body like a tidal wave.
In the next moment, moist flesh slid along his earlobe and bit the skin under Seonyeong's earlobe. Seonyeong reflexively drew in his shoulders. Jihwan immediately checked his reaction.
— You don't like it?
Seonyeong lightly squeezed Jihwan's lips with his thumb and forefinger. His handsome face resembled a duck's with pursed lips.
— ...Be quiet now.
Jihwan made a slightly offended face. But soon, as if ignoring it, he moved Seonyeong's hand away and began to eagerly devour his body again, as if wanting to eat him whole. As if from Jihwan's transferred temperature, Seonyeong's body also became slightly warmer. When Jihwan moved his hand lower, his fingertips already felt the tight hole between the squeezed legs. Feeling some tightness, he hastily squeezed lotion from the bedside table and smeared it on his hand. It was a bad hotel, so it was hard to expect much, but it was better than nothing.
With his lotion-covered fingers, he stroked between Seonyeong's buttocks, and then pushed one finger inside. A quiet moan immediately escaped Seonyeong. Jihwan's breath became hot.
— Hold on a little.
— It's... fine.
However, by the third finger, it became noticeable that Seonyeong was struggling a bit. Jihwan, adding one finger at a time, continued to monitor his reaction. From time to time, he pressed his hot lips to his neck and jawline, making him flinch.
Showering him with countless kisses, Jihwan slightly bent the deeply inserted finger and began to press on the inner wall, pressing again and again. After two or three short presses with small intervals, the inner opening began to clench harder and harder, pulsating. Then at some point, instead of expelling the finger, a strong, elastic clench was felt, as if chewing it.
— Hhh...
A moan immediately burst from Seonyeong's mouth. His face was red as blood. The longest of the three fingers, the middle one, continued to poke a certain spot, making an indecent sound. When only the sound of hot inner walls and lotion rubbing echoed, Seonyeong wanted to escape somewhere. His breathing gradually accelerated. When the exhaled air became hotter than body temperature, Jihwan took his aroused member with his other hand and began to move it up and down. At once, Seonyeong's toes tensed, and his knees lifted.
— Ah-ah...!
When his insides and the tip of his member were stimulated simultaneously, his breath caught for a moment. Seonyeong seemed to find it difficult to breathe through his nose, and he slightly parted his mouth. Jihwan did not take his eyes off Seonyeong, as if not wanting to miss a single one of his movements. Every action of Kang Seonyeong, his gaze, his breath—all of it shook Jihwan's entire body and mind. Seonyeong tried to look away, turning his head in the other direction, but ultimately couldn't ignore that burning gaze. Everything was different from the last time they had rushed at each other blindly, overcome by passion. In the end, Seonyeong, with a red face, spoke first:
— Just… hurry up...
— Uh-huh.
No sooner had he said this than Jihwan's fingers slipped out of his hole with a squelching sound. A feeling of emptiness arose. But before he could feel this emptiness, Jihwan's hard member already entered Seonyeong.
— M-hnn...!
— Kh...!
Long, thick flesh with a rounded tip breached the narrow opening, penetrating Seonyeong's body.
As the crushing sensation, filling his insides, increased, Seonyeong involuntarily opened his mouth wider and began to breathe heavily. Simultaneously, Jihwan also heavily winced from the sensation of the strong clench.
— Haa, wait... Just relax for a moment.
With his right hand, Jihwan pressed under Seonyeong's knee, forcing his legs wide apart, and with the other hand, he began to slowly stroke his lower abdomen where his member had entered. From the action, as if soothing and rocking a child, Seonyeong's face blushed even more. Although this was far from his first time having sex with Kang Jihwan, everything now seemed indecently embarrassing.
Jihwan only pushed his member inside and didn't move. However, Seonyeong suddenly found it even harder to get used to Jihwan's behavior.
— Hey, it's better to just...
But before Seonyeong finished the sentence, Jihwan slightly moved his hips back, and then sharply lunged forward.
— Hkhyk?!
Seonyeong's slightly relaxed eyes widened, and before a moan could escape, his insides again resonated with a dull thud. Apparently, when he was stroking his lower abdomen, it was not a comforting movement, but rather an attempt to determine how deep his member had entered. Jihwan quickly found Seonyeong's sensitive spot inside him. In everything related to the body, he was usually skillful.
The moment the bewildered Seonyeong was momentarily numb, Jihwan strongly hit the spot he had just found, and a cry-like moan burst out.
— I-y-yhh!
Having found the right spot with such ease, Jihwan's hip movements knew no mercy. He invaded inside him with such force, as if wanting to drive his entire body into Seonyeong.
Moist flesh rubbed against each other, making indecent sounds. The sound of the lotion between their legs was too obscene. Jihwan bent down and began to kiss his thin, suppressed-moaning lips, as if wanting to devour them. Simultaneously, he lightly tickled his tensed nipples with his fingers, and Seonyeong's upper body twitched.
— M-hkhyk, ah, ah-ah!
A burst of pleasure, so delightful that his mind emptied, instantly engulfed him. Seonyeong instinctively, like someone drowning, raised his hands and clung to Jihwan's shoulders.
Jihwan, feeling the cool fingers digging into his shoulder blades, smiled slightly. The mere fact that Kang Seonyeong was holding onto him brought him immense satisfaction. Jihwan even helped him wrap his arms around his neck. Soon, the bed desperately creaked.
— M-m, ah! Hiik! Ah! M-myk! Slo-slower!
Seonyeong's splayed legs dangled helplessly in the air. His lower back sometimes lifted following Jihwan's movements, and sometimes crashed back onto the mattress. Jihwan relentlessly entered the opened passage between his legs, giving himself over entirely to the movement of his hips. Seeing the expression of helpless pleasure on Seonyeong's face gave him an unparalleled sense of fulfillment. After some time, Seonyeong, who was incessantly moaning beneath Jihwan, looked away and whispered:
— From the... back.
— ...Alright.
Jihwan momentarily showed discontent, but immediately agreed to Seonyeong's request.
However, Seonyeong soon realized that the position from the back was not the best choice either.
— Ah, m-m, myk, hkhyk, stop, ah!
There was not an inch of his body from his shoulders to his fingertips that was not touching. Jihwan deliberately pressed against him, pinning Seonyeong's entire body with his weight. The weight difference was about 30 kilograms, so he couldn't move. With every movement of Jihwan's hips from behind, fragmented moans escaped Seonyeong's mouth. The sheets on the side where he was lying face down were already soaked with saliva.
It felt as if the monster plunging in from behind was stretching the hole, almost tearing it. The view before his eyes blurred, then whitened, then cleared, then darkened again. Seonyeong clenched his fists; the sheet was taut.
— Kang Seonyeong...
— Ah, no, don't press! Hkhyk!
— Then, maybe face-to-face again?
The sound of heavy breathing and the friction of moist flesh clearly struck his ears. But that was not the main problem. The problem was that Jihwan ceaselessly entered exactly into Seonyeong's most sensitive places and continuously repeated his name right into his ear.
— Kang Seonyeong, Kang Seonyeong... Haa.
Jihwan moved fiercely and persistently, as if trying to compensate for all the time he hadn't seen Seonyeong.
Kang Jihwan's voice drove Seonyeong crazy. Although his stomach was clenching and aching, every time Jihwan called out, everything inside him burned as if about to explode, his legs squeezed together, and his back arched with impatience. Jihwan, as if noticing nothing, stroked Seonyeong's whole body with his large hand. And everywhere he touched became hot, as if scorched by fire.
— Ah, ah-ah...! M-myk! M-myyk!
Jihwan slightly turned Seonyeong's chin, which was buried in the pillow, to the side. A passionate kiss immediately followed, as if ready to devour his very soul. When Jihwan released him, Seonyeong's head fell forward again. Jihwan showered hot kisses on his neck and shoulders. Like a person beside himself because he couldn't eat him alive. Jihwan, fiercely moving his hips, whispered to Seonyeong:
— ...Say my name too.
— Hh, m-myk, m-myyk!
— Call me...
Despite the plaintive, begging voice, his thrusts became stronger and stronger. From excessive stimulation, Seonyeong's thigh trembled. Stars danced before his eyes. The next moment, his body was flipped onto his back again. He saw the ceiling, but couldn't distinguish anything except the fluorescent lamp. Or maybe it wasn't a lamp. A spot of light had already flashed and faded before his eyes several times.
Seonyeong, who had reached a peak for a moment, whose arms were wrapped around Jihwan's neck, shook and limply let go. Then Jihwan intertwined his fingers with Seonyeong's. Jihwan, biting his collarbone and jawline, whispered:
— Seonyeong-ah...
— ...!
— Say my name.
Seonyeong, even in a semi-conscious state, bit his lip and held on. Because Jihwan's words sounded exactly like the words, "Love me."
Although he had already come, Kang Jihwan's member was still hard, continuing to enter him. When Seonyeong turned his head away, Jihwan's lips followed him.
— M?
Now he unclenched his fingers, slid both hands between Seonyeong's back and the mattress, hugged him tightly, and lowered himself. Naturally, Seonyeong's splayed legs were trapped in his arms. His knees pressed against his chest. Jihwan continued to move his hips; squelching sounds arose. The mattress springed, and with every movement, his body shook involuntarily.
— Haa, ah! A-ah... M-myyk!
— Call...
A flash of light crossed his eyes. Further was the limit. Seonyeong, without realizing it himself, cried out as if surrendering:
— Shin... Kang Jihwan!
Strangely, the moment he called out his name, Seonyeong reached a climax again. The tensed member released a cloudy-white fluid with a squelching sound. In the awkward position, drops of white fluid splashed under his chin, and seeing this, Jihwan came inside him with a husky groan.
— Khkhyk...!
Hot fluid surged into Seonyeong. It seemed all the sensations in his body were concentrated below. He felt Kang Jihwan's member pulsating, ejaculating. It was too explicit and... wild in sensation.