Chapter 56: Teeth Marks

“There’s nothing worth watching….”

Sitting in front of the TV, So-won muttered in boredom as he half-heartedly flipped through the channels.

It felt strange.

He’d decided to watch something other than the news for once, but everything was just movies or programs he’d already seen before.

So-won tilted his head, then quickly realized—

Ah.

Right.

This is eight years ago.

With no other choice, he put on a movie so mind-numbingly boring it hurt and let out a huge yawn.

It was one of those tedious documentaries he’d scoffed at earlier, thinking, Who would ever watch this?

Maybe that was why.

Less than a minute after setting the remote down, his eyelids began to droop.

They fluttered, struggled, and finally lost the battle.

His head started bobbing as he fought sleep—and seeing that, Tae-woo, who’d come downstairs briefly, stopped in his tracks.

“…..”

Tae-woo’s gaze shifted to the window, where the sunset was beginning to glow.

Autumn had arrived outside.

But So-won’s pajamas—still stuck in summer—left pale skin exposed beneath short sleeves.

So-won shivered, curling in on himself as if cold.

Even among ordinary people, So-won was especially sensitive to the cold.

If the air-conditioning dipped even slightly, his lips would turn blue.

The first floor was paved in marble, and now that summer had passed, it would feel chilly to him.

If he sleeps here, he might catch a cold.

With that thought, Tae-woo walked over to So-won, who had fallen asleep in an awkward position.

Careful not to wake him, Tae-woo slipped his hands beneath So-won’s body.

Through the thin fabric of his pajamas, So-won felt colder than usual.

Good thing I came down, he thought—and just as he was about to lift him, So-won’s sleepy eyes fluttered open and met his.

“…..”

After a brief pause, Tae-woo spoke.

“You seemed to be asleep, so I was going to move you to the bedroom.”

As he said that, he tried to lower So-won again—but So-won was faster, looping his arms around Tae-woo’s neck.

“Please… carry me.”

Still clinging to his neck, So-won quietly closed his eyes again.

On any other day, he would’ve woken up in surprise or gone upstairs on his own—but tonight, he was just too tired.

So he surrendered himself to Tae-woo’s arms.

Tae-woo hesitated for a moment, then lifted him easily—as if picking up a toy.

Well… Tae-woo can demolish buildings with his bare hands, So-won thought drowsily.

Compared to that, I’m basically a feather.

Half-asleep, he rested his cheek against Tae-woo’s shoulder, indulging in pointless thoughts.

Feeling the gentle sway, he cracked his eyes open slightly—and saw Tae-woo’s neck, now revealed without the black ring he always wore.

It had been hidden for so long that he hadn’t noticed, but the veins along his neck were quite pronounced.

Still, they didn’t look unsettling anymore.

All So-won felt was amazement at how thick Tae-woo’s neck was—several times thicker than his own.

Pretending to hug him more tightly, So-won pressed his forehead lightly against Tae-woo’s neck.

The skin there felt softer than elsewhere—an unfamiliar sensation.

Half-asleep, a sudden urge crossed his mind.

I kind of want to bite it.

That So-won actually opened his mouth and bit Tae-woo was probably because it was such a pleasant, languid afternoon—and sleepiness was pouring over him.

Crunch.

A sound completely unsuited to the act of biting through skin said to be harder than steel rang out.

So-won froze.

At the same time, Tae-woo—who’d been walking toward the bedroom with So-won in his arms—came to an abrupt stop.

Huh…?

Startled by the sound, So-won hurriedly checked Tae-woo’s neck.

A clear, round bite mark was left where he’d bitten him.

W-What…?

Why is it like this?

Normally, Tae-woo’s skin was so tough that “tough” didn’t even begin to cover it.

That was why So-won hadn’t thought twice before biting down hard—

Then, suddenly, Tae-woo’s earlier words came back to him.

The bomb around his neck had been made of materials that suppressed an Esper’s abilities.

Even brief contact with it could seriously affect lower-rank Espers for days.

It had only been one day since the ring was removed.

Tae-woo was an S-rank Esper with incredible recovery, so So-won had assumed he’d be fine.

But if the skin around his neck—where the bomb had constantly touched—had weakened after all that time…

That must have hurt.

Really hurt.

So-won anxiously gauged Tae-woo’s reaction.

Tae-woo was staring at him with slightly widened eyes.

Or maybe… he looked uncomfortable.

Still, being bitten on the neck out of nowhere probably warranted a reaction like that.

“I-I’m sorry—did it hurt?

I didn’t even realize I was doing it…!”

Any trace of drowsiness was long gone.

So-won frantically apologized, glancing back and forth between the vivid bite mark and Tae-woo’s face.

Tae-woo’s expression was strange.

A faint crack had appeared in his usually impassive face—and no matter how much So-won apologized, it didn’t fade.

Tae-woo stood frozen, like a stone statue.

Trapped in his arms with no way to escape, So-won squirmed helplessly, desperately trying to read his mood.

“I’m sorry—I didn’t mean to—ah!”

As So-won kept backing away mid-apology, he nearly slipped off the arm he’d been perched on.

Tae-woo—who’d been touching the bitten spot—quickly wrapped an arm around So-won’s waist, preventing him from falling.

But the moment their eyes met in midair—

It was unbearably awkward.

“…..”

“…..”

Uncomfortable silence filled the air.

Finally, So-won broke it with another apology.

“I’m sorry….”

“…It’s fine.”

Tae-woo started walking again.

Even after hearing that it was fine, So-won kept sneaking glances at him like an anxious puppy.

Tae-woo’s rigid profile somehow looked angry—and So-won desperately hoped he was imagining it.

Soon, Tae-woo stopped in front of a door.

It wasn’t So-won’s room.

It was the room directly across from it—Tae-woo’s.

“T-Tae-woo… my room is over there…”

So-won spoke in a voice barely louder than an ant’s.

But Tae-woo didn’t respond.

As if this had been his destination all along, he opened the door.

Over Tae-woo’s shoulder, So-won watched his own room drift farther away, blinking rapidly in confusion.

He usually entered Tae-woo’s room after dark, so the bright interior felt unfamiliar.

As So-won darted his eyes around, trying to make sense of the situation, Tae-woo set him down on the bed.

The soft mattress swallowed his lower body, lowering his field of view.

Tae-woo placed one knee on the bed and leaned forward.

Startled by how close his face suddenly was, So-won awkwardly scooted backward, stammering,

“D-Did it… hurt a lot…?”

Desperately avoiding Tae-woo’s gaze, So-won could barely endure the tension.

All he could think was that he wanted to escape to his room—now.

Maybe that distraction was why his supporting hand slipped.

His body tilted helplessly backward and fell onto the bed.

Thump.

The back of his head sank into the mattress, hair scattering over the white sheets.

“Lee So-won.”

“Y-Yes?!”

Something thick—like a pillar—planted itself beside his head.

Just as So-won tried to scramble upright, he froze.

Tae-woo was right in front of him.

He didn’t even need to turn his head to know—that was Tae-woo’s arm.

Fear washed over So-won.

He didn’t understand why Tae-woo was doing this.

If he was angry, why not just scold him?

Why block his escape and corner him like this?

Tae-woo’s scent washed over him.

All So-won could do was stare up at him, hands clasped tightly over his chest, trembling.

Silently, Tae-woo lifted one hand and took hold of So-won’s.

Then he brought the tightly curled back of So-won’s hand to his lips.

H-He’s going to bite me.

So-won squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself for pain.

But instead of teeth—

Warmth.

Startled, So-won slowly opened his eyes.

What he saw was Tae-woo, pressing his face against So-won’s much smaller hand, breathing in deeply.

“May I… ask for guiding?”

His voice was low, heavy—like he was forcibly suppressing something deep inside.

Each word brushed against So-won’s hand with scorching breath and rough lips.

No way…

So-won’s gaze slid downward—then snapped back up.

His eyes shook violently, having witnessed something he couldn’t believe.

Forcing his gaze forward, he met Tae-woo’s deep, dark eyes staring straight at him.

Before someone as massive as Tae-woo, So-won felt like a chick the size of a bean.

His heart pounded wildly.

So-won swallowed hard.

And then—

He nodded, just a little.

Given everything, it wasn’t such a strange thing to do.