Chapter 33: Pre-Rampage

At least Tae-woo’s murderous glare was directed at Si-hyeok, which was a small mercy.

If So-won had met eyes like that head-on, he wasn’t confident he wouldn’t truly be terrified of him.

On the other hand, even while receiving that killing intent full-on, Si-hyeok seemed unfazed, smiling as leisurely as ever.

“Don’t get so angry.

I just received some guiding.”

Si-hyeok spoke as if it were no big deal, but Tae-woo’s expression didn’t soften.

When his words were ignored, Si-hyeok scratched his head awkwardly, then noticed So-won frozen in fear and curved his lips upward.

His eyes rounded into an amused crescent.

“But still, Kang Tae-woo, what were you thinking, throwing something that dangerous?

What if your precious guide got hurt?

Guide Lee So-won isn’t like us—he would’ve been seriously injured even if it had just grazed him.”

As he spoke, Si-hyeok pointed at the steel rebar lying about after smashing the pavement.

Looking at the devastated sidewalk, So-won swallowed once again.

“See?

He’s completely terrified.”

It was true—he’d been so shocked that no voice would come out, so he couldn’t deny it.

Speaking smoothly, Si-hyeok draped an arm over So-won’s shoulders.

Already tense, So-won flinched at the sudden contact, his body trembling.

“Do not touch Lee So-won.”

At the same time, Tae-woo—who had been staring at Si-hyeok with lips tightly sealed—finally reacted.

His face grew even more ferocious.

Noticing the strength gathering in Tae-woo’s clenched fist, Si-hyeok stopped provoking him and stepped back.

A razor-sharp standoff.

The air was so lethal it wouldn’t have been surprising if a fight broke out at any second.

Si-hyeok glanced once at the trembling So-won, then surveyed the increasingly chaotic surroundings.

The area in shambles.

People staring in fear.

The hostile atmosphere.

“Hmm… this got a bit out of hand.”

Si-hyeok made an awkward face.

It was about time people would start gathering after reports came in to deal with the situation.

He’d already greeted So-won and received a fair amount of guiding, so from his perspective, there was no reason to stay and get tangled up in something bothersome.

Besides, the cause of this whole mess was that guy over there shooting murderous glares—so leaving responsibility to Kang Tae-woo alone was more than enough.

Having reached that conclusion, Si-hyeok lightly lifted himself into the air.

“Then, Guide Lee So-won, I’ll leave the rest to you.”

He gave a brief wave and really did leave—dumping all responsibility behind.

Against the clear sky, his blond hair glittered in the sunlight as he drifted away unhurriedly, like a scene straight out of a movie.

So-won wished that as Si-hyeok disappeared between the densely packed tall buildings, the movie would end there—but as if to drag him back to reality, the unsettled atmosphere didn’t fade.

He was afraid to look back at Tae-woo.

Afraid that the cold gaze once aimed at Si-hyeok might now be directed at him.

And afraid that the moment their eyes met, he’d freeze again, just like before, swallowed by fear.

So-won couldn’t bring himself to face Tae-woo.

Creeeak.

Forcing his stiff neck to turn, So-won finally saw Tae-woo standing rigidly in front of the Association.

Thankfully, Tae-woo wasn’t looking at him—but just seeing those tightly clenched fists made So-won’s body freeze solid.

“Tae-woo…?”

Seeing Tae-woo not move at all, So-won cautiously called his name.

But Tae-woo stood still with his face buried in one hand, head bowed deeply.

Even after hearing his voice, there was no response, and thinking something was wrong, So-won slowly approached him.

“T-Tae-woo!”

Tae-woo’s body swayed—then suddenly collapsed.

Forgetting his fear, So-won rushed to him in a panic.

His legs, drained of strength, refused to cooperate, and he nearly stumbled several times—but somehow managed to keep his balance and get back up.

Barely reaching Tae-woo’s side, So-won dropped to his knees and checked his condition.

His breathing was ragged.

Each breath made Tae-woo’s broad back rise and fall heavily.

So-won immediately placed his hand on Tae-woo’s body to check his wavelength.

It felt rough as usual, and he couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary.

Still, looking at Tae-woo with his head lowered, an inexplicable anxiety refused to leave him.

“Tae-woo, are you okay?

Does something hurt?”

“…..”

Tae-woo heard So-won’s urgent footsteps approaching him, but he couldn’t do anything.

Si-hyeok was gone, yet the boiling emotions hadn’t subsided.

His body wouldn’t listen to him.

His tightly clenched fists were packed with so much strength they looked ready to smash something at any moment.

Since his emotions had dulled, this was the first time he’d been swept up in such intense rage.

It was nauseating, revolting.

No matter how hard he tried to calm himself while looking at the frightened So-won, his body only grew hotter, the pressure building as if he were about to explode.

His head spun.

He could feel the wavelength So-won had calmed before preparing to run wild again, as if determined not to miss its chance.

Even as his hands trembled with fear, he wanted to tell So-won—who had come to his side anyway—that he was fine.

But he couldn’t.

“Lee So-won, please step away from me.”

Thinking it was fortunate he still had some reason left, Tae-woo managed to force the words out.

Startled, So-won pulled his hands away from Tae-woo.

The clenched tone sounded almost angry.

Remembering Tae-woo’s hardened face, So-won fidgeted helplessly, unable to do anything—until Tae-woo warned him again.

“Evacuate to a safe place.”

“What?

All of a sudden, what are you—”

Then So-won lifted his head and met Tae-woo’s eyes—and couldn’t continue.

“T-Tae-woo, your face…”

Dark red veins were spreading across Tae-woo’s face.

The area around his eyes darkened, blood vessels bulging visibly beneath his skin.

Seeing this, So-won recoiled in shock.

Riding the wind, a surge of wavelength rushed at him.

“Ghk…”

His breath caught.

It felt like heavy air was crushing his entire body.

He’d been fine when So-won checked him just moments ago—so why?

Checking again, So-won felt wildly surging wavelengths all at once.

He’d never seen anything this unstable before and hadn’t noticed in time.

“It’s a mild pre-rampage state.

It’s dangerous if you stay nearby.”

“Th-then we need to start guiding right away—!”

“Not now.

Move with the others to a safe location.”

“But you said it’s a rampage!”

“It’s only approaching that point.

It should settle down in a few days, so please step back for now.”

He was the one on the verge of rampaging, yet his attitude was far too calm.

So-won couldn’t find the words to respond.

But watching the veins darken and spread, it was obvious that despite his composure, the situation was serious.

So-won looked around.

Association staff were rushing out, evacuating people.

The crowd that had gathered because of Si-hyeok was already gone.

Still, he could feel distant eyes watching from afar.

There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.

“Ugh…”

Tae-woo frowned as a sudden headache hit him, letting out a heavy groan.

So-won looked back and forth between Tae-woo and the people around them, growing more anxious by the second.

In the middle of a bright day, in a wide-open space, Tae-woo’s appearance was slowly changing.

Because Tae-woo wanted to hide it from others, his monstrous side had never been revealed to anyone beyond a few Association staff.

What people knew of him were only the relatively normal moments they’d glimpsed when crossing paths with him.

But at this rate, they would find out.

They would see Tae-woo suffering.

They would see him writhing in pain.

And then Tae-woo would be despised even more—called a monster.

“Lee So-won, evacuate immediately—”

Suddenly, So-won threw his arms around Tae-woo.

He knew full well how dangerous it was to do this to someone who might rampage at any moment.

He braced himself for the possibility of breaking a bone or two.

“Just a little.

Just for a moment.”

Clinging to him, So-won murmured as if pleading.

Tae-woo tried to stop him, but if he touched So-won in a state where he couldn’t control his abilities, So-won would definitely be seriously hurt.

All he could do was clench his fists at his sides.

Feeling the guiding take effect, So-won checked Tae-woo’s condition again.

The rampage symptoms should have stopped or at least eased—but they were still progressing.

Was this not enough?

So-won bit his lip.

There was only one form of guiding he could still try in this state.

So-won squeezed his eyes shut.

“…..!”

He pressed his lips firmly against Tae-woo’s tightly closed mouth, then pulled away.

Tae-woo’s eyes flew open, his body stiff as if startled—but his condition didn’t seem to improve.

Was it too short?

So-won leaned in again and kissed him once more.

Unlike the first time—so quick he’d felt nothing—this time, he felt a lot.

The not-quite-soft, slightly rough texture of Tae-woo’s lips.

The faint tremor beneath them.

The wavelength tapping at his lips, as if asking him to open his mouth.

Without thinking, he parted his lips and lightly sucked on Tae-woo’s.

Tae-woo’s body jolted violently.

A strange sensation washed over So-won—but it wasn’t unpleasant.

So he opened his lips once more.

He’d only meant to rub their lips together lightly like before, but without realizing it, his tongue slipped out just enough to brush against Tae-woo’s lips.

Ah…

Realizing his mistake, So-won flushed with embarrassment and tried to pull away.

“Mmph!”

But Tae-woo crashed their half-parted lips together and kissed him back fervently.