Chapter 8: Marking Territory

“The small room is full of clothes and junk. There’s no space to lie down. We’ll have to use the master bedroom together.”

“I can’t sleep with anyone.”

“No more ‘-yo’ endings.”

“I said I can’t sleep with anyone. And just because I’ll be living here for a few days, you call me a roommate?”

“If it’s just a few days, why can’t we share a room? Do you have germophobia?”

“Then I’ll lay out a blanket in the living room.”

“Why? Are you bothered by the fact that I suggested we sleep together?”

He pointed his chopsticks at Jeong Eun-gyu and laughed. That laugh seemed to be a habit—a smirk with only one corner of his mouth curled up.

“It would be a lie to say I’m not bothered.”

“Ah, you’re really acting coy. Have you never dated for real? Really? Even if you haven’t dated, have you never relieved yourself with someone else?”

“No.”

“So you’ve only masturbated all the way to thirty-three? Impressive.”

Eun-gyu bit his lip at the teasing tone. He couldn’t get angry because it was true. Whenever his sexual urges arose, a quick wank would make them subside. For Jeong Eun-gyu, sexual desire was nothing special.

“I’m really good at it. If you sleep with me once, you’ll be begging for more.”

“That won’t happen. Eat your share too; I’m not hungry. So, should I put my luggage in the small room?”

“Put it in the master bedroom.”

“Ahn Dae-young, I told you.”

“There are two beds. What’s with all the fuss? You’re not a wary cat.”

At this, Jeong Eun-gyu momentarily lost his words and felt awkward. Ahn Dae-young, apparently pleased with having teased Eun-gyu thoroughly, set down his chopsticks.

“You’re fun to mess with, Professor.”

He approached and whispered, whether to himself or for Eun-gyu to hear, then opened the door. A pungent scent wafted out, surprisingly sweet. Sweet yet fragrant… Jeong Eun-gyu unconsciously sniffed the smell, then flinched and stepped back when he met Ahn Dae-young’s gaze looking down at him.

“What? Are you really a cat? Or a dog, sniffing like that?”

“…I’m not sleeping with you.”

“Uh-huh. Sure, sure.”

“Don’t take it as a joke.”

“Then I’ll take it as you wanting to sleep more, so let’s stop here. Use the left bed.”

They were utterly incompatible. Jeong Eun-gyu plopped down on the bed with sheets and blankets that looked brand new. He was about to lie down but then remembered and opened his suitcase.

Ahn Dae-young, who had finished cleaning the table, sat on his own bed and watched Eun-gyu’s back as he took out neatly folded clothes. Not a single wrinkle carelessly set… his organization matched his personality.

“If you have clothes you wear often or pajamas, lend me some.”

“Why?”

“So I can go to your place. I need to find out what caused that mess.”

He had heard from his mother that sometimes exorcists borrow the homeowner’s clothes to catch house spirits. The part of him that had momentarily suspected Ahn Dae-young crumbled. Even though he didn’t like the man, at least he could distinguish fact from suspicion. That was a relief.

“…Am I going too?”

“No. Just me. Do you want to go?”

“Not now… No. It’s horrifying.”

“I like your honesty.”

Hesitating, Jeong Eun-gyu brought two sets of clothes and a metal tin. Ahn Dae-young alternated his gaze between the clothes laid out neatly on the bed and Eun-gyu, who was biting his lower lip.

“These are what I often wear as pajamas.”

“Do you need the bathroom?”

“What?”

“If not, sit down. I won’t eat you.”

So Eun-gyu sat down, barely perching on the edge, keeping an ambiguous distance. Ahn Dae-young wanted to pull him close, but he let it be, afraid that if he did, Eun-gyu might foam at the mouth and faint. He took the metal tin Eun-gyu had brought.

“What’s this?”

“Father Peter gave it to me. It looks like a Go stone, but inside is holy water…”

Ahn Dae-young picked up the lustrous black Go stone, twirling it appraisingly like a connoisseur. Then he crushed it in his palm. His moistened hand showed no reaction. Eun-gyu swallowed dryly.

In fact, Jeong Eun-gyu had suspected that Ahn Dae-young might also be a ghost. There was no harm in suspecting given the circumstances. So he had deliberately given him the Go stone containing holy water… but it had turned into nothing more than a water balloon. The ghosts at his house couldn’t withstand even one of those stones.

“Childish tricks. Giving you something like this.”

“Still, the snake that attacked me died—no, disappeared when hit with that.”

“Did Peter give this to you?”

“Yes.”

“Have you used it on other ghosts?”

“No… They didn’t attack directly.”

“So you stayed in that house for over ten days believing in this crap… You must be quite indifferent, Professor.”

“…Yes, a bit.”

Eun-gyu thought that breaking through that indifference must have been nearly fatal for this stoic man.

“You could have at least taken sleeping pills.”

“I tried, but my body was heavy and my mind was awake, so it was even harder.”

“And now you look like you’re about to fall asleep.”

Your eyes are that glazed. Ahn Dae-young made his own eyes look deliberately drowsy. Jeong Eun-gyu yawned widely, then covered his mouth.

“Leave the luggage for tomorrow and get some shut-eye. I won’t be coming in tonight.”

“…Okay.”

“Hm?”

“When I’m alone… if I see them again…”

His voice trailed off, but his shoulders, tensed and sharp, twitched with the day’s sensitivity. Ahn Dae-young stood in front of him. Eun-gyu’s evasive eyes met his.

“Stand up.”

Why? Why did he tell him to stand? The moment he complied, he was pulled into a full embrace. The same scent from before hit him again. A sweet, fragrant smell invading his nostrils…

Starting with an embrace, Ahn Dae-young pressed close without a gap, rubbing his face against Eun-gyu’s neck. Eun-gyu could feel every detail—the sharp nose, thick lips, and the contours of skin—sending chills down his spine.

“Haah…”

Ahn Dae-young was deliberately blowing his breath. His skin grew hot wherever it touched.

Just as his strength was about to drain away, a wet muscle licked behind his ear. Eun-gyu shoved Ahn Dae-young with all his might. But it was futile.

“What, what are you doing!”

Ahn Dae-young brazenly wiped his lips with the back of his hand. Covering his violated neck and ear, Jeong Eun-gyu shuddered, his body covered in goosebumps. His waist was still held.

“I marked you. If we had s*x, they wouldn’t even come near.”

“‘Mark’?”

“Literally: I put my scent on you. To prevent any dumbasses from recklessly attacking.”

From his words, it seemed this man was at the top of the food chain.

Marking between humans, not even quadrupedal animals. In Korean, it literally meant ‘territory marking.’ Were ghosts simple enough to fall for such a thing? Jeong Eun-gyu pondered.

“…So that’s why you suggested sleeping together.”

“Two birds with one stone. Seeing you and having fun.”

When had he grabbed his ass? Helplessly squirming under the large hand kneading his buttock, Eun-gyu gripped Ahn Dae-young’s shoulder tightly. Eun-gyu’s grip was strong enough to hurt, but Ahn Dae-young didn’t even flinch.

“Please take your hand off.”

“You’re so sensitive.”

“Take it off.”

With a final smack on his butt, Ahn Dae-young licked his lips and stepped back.

“I’m curious what you’ll say to me tomorrow morning.”

He took Eun-gyu’s pajamas and the metal tin and left. His back looked particularly broad.

When the sun set and the moon rose, the time of ghosts arrived. Darkness was a different world. Ghosts that had hidden during the day wandered around lost, and the gates of hell opened. In a word, it was chaos.

“The full moon is huge. Perfect for moon-gazing at Trayastrimsa.”

Cha Min-hyuk whistled.

“Where’s Seok-ho?”

“He went on a call—phone number 9 rang. Assemblyman Park Jeong-gyu’s request.”

There were a total of ten cell phones in the office. They were numbered from 1 to 10, used for ‘client management.’ Number 10 was reserved for VIPs that Ahn Dae-young handled personally, while the others were distributed between Cha Min-hyuk and Kim Seok-ho for their ‘calls.’

Clients ranged from politicians to celebrities and stock market tycoons. They didn’t go out for every request; they only chose the lucrative ones. The base fee was set according to their mood.

“You’ve got the scent on you well. I can smell the Professor’s body odor.”

“Are you a dog? Move.”

Ahn Dae-young pushed aside Cha Min-hyuk’s face as he sniffed close.

“Don’t tell me you’ve already…”

He made a pumping sound with his hands like wings. Ahn Dae-young completely ignored him.

“What’s your schedule tomorrow?”

“Nothing important, so I was going to check on the trees at the mountain entrance before sunset. But what’s that?”

He pointed at the metal tin Ahn Dae-young was holding.

“What does it look like?”

“A candy tin?”

“Close enough.”

“Then gimme one. My mouth feels dry.”

Ahn Dae-young handed over the whole tin. Cha Min-hyuk took out a Go stone and immediately popped it into his mouth, chewing as Ahn Dae-young passed by. Ahn Dae-young wore the pajamas Eun-gyu had lent him: a simple white T-shirt and loose elastic-waist pants. Even in the dead of winter, he didn’t seem cold, dragging his slippers as he walked.

“Ew, this isn’t candy—it’s holy water. Ugh, burned my mouth.”

Spitting it out, he asked, “Should I throw it away?” Ahn Dae-young shook his head.

“It belongs to someone, so keep it safe.”

“Prince. But this really doesn’t seem right. That bastard Peter must have an ulterior motive. He’s not the type to send something like this just because he asked for a favor.”

“Hey, you fucker. I’ve told you three million times not to call me ‘Prince’ on land.”

Suddenly cursed out, Cha Min-hyuk elongated his philtrum and corrected his address: “Yes, yes, Boss.”

📚 Also on NHV Novels

Enemies on a Single-Log Bridge

AcademyBattleBL

Read Now →
Not interested