“What… What are you doing?”
Yu-geon’s eyes widened like saucers at my sudden action. He clumsily crossed his arms over his chest to cover himself, but it did little to hide his broad shoulders and the taut muscles honed by training and gate missions. Instead, the pronounced veins in his forearms and the sharp definition of his abs drew my attention.
“It’s inconvenient to feed with it in the way.”
“Then just tear off the top.”
“Why are you acting so shy? Don’t you strip down easily in front of other Guides?”
I spoke with a hint of incredulity. It wasn’t like stripping in front of people was something new for him.
I used to think the Guides’ whispers about Yu-geon’s physique in the waiting room were exaggerated, but seeing it up close, I could understand their reactions.
His shoulders seamlessly connected to well-defined biceps, and the hint of chest muscles was especially striking. His entire build was balanced and undeniably impressive.
“Who said that? I didn’t do that.”
“Kim Chaeryeong, or something.”
At my response, Yu-geon furrowed his brows slightly, looking genuinely confused, as if he’d never heard that name before.
“Oh, by the way, there’s something I need to tell you.”
“What is it?”
The mention of that name stirred unpleasant memories.
“Are you aware of what a Guiding Shower is?”
“You mean when a Guide tries to claim an Esper? That, right?”
His explanation was vague, but he seemed to have a rough idea. So, he knew and just let it happen?
“You’re not supposed to do it unless you’re paired. You know that, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Then why didn’t you stop it?”
“What are you talking about? I haven’t done anything like that, and I don’t even know who Kim Chaeryeong is!”
“She tried it on you, apparently.”
“What?”
Yu-geon’s eyes widened further, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. For a moment, I wondered if he had knowingly allowed it, but it became clear he hadn’t even realized he’d been subjected to it.
“When your body suddenly feels hot, and your hair stands on end, those are symptoms of a Guiding Shower. Did you experience anything like that?”
He seemed to ponder my words carefully, as if recalling something.
“…I did.”
“See, that was—”
“It happens most of the time when I’m with you. That’s a Guiding Shower? Did you do it?”
“…”
I was momentarily at a loss for words. I’d never intentionally subjected Yu-geon to a Guiding Shower. That technique was a deliberate attempt by a Guide to assert possessiveness, flooding an Esper with dominant wavelengths to claim them.
It was meant to warn other Guides to stay away. Why would I ever do such a thing to Yu-geon?
Still, heightened sensitivity could occur naturally through physical contact during Guiding. But for it to happen “most of the time”? What kind of body did he have?
“Not me… I don’t do that to you. Has anyone else tried it?”
“Well… now that I think about it, there was something similar, but compared to how it feels with you, it was just a mild tickle.”
“Anyway… it was probably that. Be careful next time.”
“Got it.”
I considered explaining it more thoroughly to him but decided against it. To do so would require admitting that he had an unusually strong reaction to me, and saying that out loud would be far too embarrassing.
It felt like receiving a fervent confession from someone who wasn’t even aware of it. Suddenly, I regretted taking off his shirt. My face began to heat up. There was no way to undo it now, so I carefully resumed touching him.
“Let’s take it slow. Slow. That’s all we need.”
I mumbled to myself like a mantra, and a question mark seemed to hover over Yu-geon’s face. With a bit more tension than before, I lowered my mouth back to his neck.
In the brief moment we’d stopped, the earlier wound had already healed. As I sank my teeth in again, fresh marks appeared. His body heat felt closer now, likely because his shirt was off.
Even as I tried to maintain some distance, my chest brushed against his faintly. Despite the fabric between us, the contact felt too conspicuous. Flustered, I shifted my hips back on his lap, only for him to let out a soft chuckle.
“Why are you moving away all of a sudden?”
“Oh, uh… it’s hot.”
“It is. Let’s lower the temperature.”
With the remote, he set the room to 18 degrees. Then, as if hiding my face, I buried it back in the crook of his neck. His muscles shifted vividly under my lips with every movement.
“Just drink more already. It tickles, and it’s making me feel weird.”
His hand cautiously slipped under my tank top, the motion along my spine sending a strange thrill through me.
“I’m drinking just fine.”
“It’s frustratingly slow.”
“Well, I’m the one being patient here.”
“Then stop holding back and take as much as you want.”
As if it were his fault I had to restrain myself, I took a harsher pull this time. The sweetness was so overwhelming it stung the tip of my tongue, filling my mouth with its richness.
Savoring the taste, I finally swallowed. I could feel my body absorbing Yu-geon’s blood, invigorating my senses. Emboldened by the rush, I drew in more. He gently stroked my hair, as if encouraging me.
“If you’re going to be greedy, so will I.”
With that, his hand slid down and firmly gripped my thigh.
“Hey…”
“What? Am I crossing a line?”
“No… you’re doing fine.”
Though startled, I put on a confident front. From the moment I’d walked in wearing short shorts, I’d been prepared for this much.
But as his hot, strong grip closed around my flesh, a pang of fear crept in. I didn’t want him to notice.
When his hand ventured further up my inner thigh, my breath hitched. His bold, exploratory touch blazed a trail across my skin. The other hand, still under my shirt, slid up to my shoulder blade, fingers slipping between my bra straps.
Then, pulling me close, he crushed my soft chest against his firm body. The thundering of his heart, the sweet scent of his skin, and the slow, deliberate movements of his hands overwhelmed my senses.
As I drank his blood, I repeatedly lost strength, pulling away only to latch back on again. I could feel the resonance within me constantly rippling outward.
“I can’t… breathe.”
Yu-geon’s grip around my back grew tighter, squeezing me so firmly it was hard to breathe. At my words, his arms loosened slightly, but the close proximity remained unyielding.
The once-soft, rolling resonance I had felt earlier suddenly shifted. It now resembled the sleek, suffocating sensation of a snake coiling around me. Perhaps it was just the deliberate, tantalizing slowness of his hand trailing down my thigh that made me feel this way.
A faint shiver coursed through my body at the touch, and my breathing grew increasingly erratic. With my lips still pressed against Yu-geon’s neck, he must have felt every bit of my uneven breaths.
He exhaled heavily, almost like a sigh, and withdrew his hand, retreating to rest lightly on my waist. His touch was gentle, as if to soothe me.
“Sa-weol.”
“Yeah?”
For a moment, it felt like I could finally catch my breath, but then he suddenly spoke. His voice caught me off guard, my lips still pressed to his neck as I answered. Even from this close, his pulse raced uncontrollably, like a car with a broken brake.
“Can you kiss me?”
I froze, as rigid as a wax figure. Feeling my sudden stillness, Yu-geon gently pulled away to meet my eyes. His face was more cautious than I’d ever seen as he continued.
“I mean… I can’t hold it anymore. I think a kiss might be better. I promise I won’t touch you at all. You can just bite my lips if you want.”
“Your lips… don’t bleed much, though.”
I tried to reject him, offering a weak excuse. His eyes, however, burned with an intensity so palpable it was almost suffocating.
The lack of violent movements had masked it, but now I realized his body had grown even more tense and rigid.
My mind was too foggy to fully grasp the situation, but suddenly, I became acutely aware of everything. My posture felt uncomfortable, and even the act of swallowing seemed conspicuous.
I shifted my weight backward to adjust my balance, but the movement only ended up pressing against him more.
A sharp crease appeared between his brows, and he seemed to clench his teeth to suppress a groan. His gaze, filled with frustration and reproach, bore into me.
Embarrassed, I averted my eyes, but Yu-geon abruptly lifted me into the air.
“W-what are you doing?”
In an instant, my position flipped. He laid me down on the bed, trapping me between his legs.
“Cut me some slack, please… just a little…”
His voice, low and strained, brushed against my ear as his face hovered near my neck. The warmth of his breath sent a shiver down my spine, and I instinctively shrank away.
Noticing this, Yu-geon leaned closer, his lips brushing deliberately against my ear.
“Ah…”
“Sensitive, aren’t you?”
“No, wait…”
“You like this, don’t you?”
His sweet, provocative whispers made my head spin. He nibbled lightly on the edge of my ear before sucking on it with an audible sound.
The stimulation was overwhelming, leaving my brain sluggish and my body taut with tension. As his actions grew even more deliberate and intimate, I felt like I might melt away.
“Ah… Yu… geon…”
I tried to tell him to stop, but my words broke apart into incoherent fragments. Each time I let out a soft sound, his movements became more deliberate and lingering.
“Sa-weol… let me hear more of your voice.”
His husky, excited tone seemed to stick to my eardrums, refusing to fade. My thoughts turned to mush, and my resolve crumbled entirely.
My hands, which had been pushing against his shoulders, clung to him desperately as if my life depended on it. His thumb brushed against my ribs, the touch so languid it sent chills skittering across my skin and a rush of heat flooding to my head.
“Stop… please, just stop.”
My voice came out as a pleading whimper. Yu-geon, who had been softly licking upward, paused at my words.
When he pulled away, the warmth of his body left me feeling strangely empty. My neck and back were damp with sweat—I hadn’t even realized how much I’d perspired. My vision blurred no matter how hard I tried to focus.
After a few slow blinks, his face finally came into clear view.
“You…”
Yu-geon looked down at me with an almost curious expression.
“Why are you so… tempting?”
It was as if he were seeing me for the first time or gazing at an unfamiliar, exotic creature.
I couldn’t muster the energy to respond. All I could do was pant shallowly, overwhelmed and drained. His predatory gaze, primal and raw, felt like molten lava burning through me. Even without touch, the intensity of his eyes alone made my body sear with heat.
