Chapter 102: A Throne Beside Him

“Even just saying that is appreciated, honestly.”

The smile on Go Ha-jin’s face was closer to a hollow laugh. It was true that he had revealed his genuine feelings, and it was also true that Chae Woo-seok’s answer had been unexpected. But he was not naïve enough to take those words at face value.

How could saying something so lightly possibly carry the same weight as actually making that choice? Ha-jin was simply content that, at least for this moment, Woo-seok had given him the answer he wanted to hear.

“Who knows? If Go Ha-jin managed to do it, why couldn’t I? A lie about being pregnant probably wouldn’t work this time, though.”

Ha-jin had made that choice too, hadn’t he? Faced with the threat of divorce, he had played the drastic card of claiming he was pregnant and managed to avert the crisis.

Of course, Woo-seok’s own problem was somewhat more complicated than that, but there was no reason he couldn’t do what Ha-jin had done.

Only now, looking back, did he realize just how much courage Ha-jin had shown back then. He had taken on an enormous risk all by himself in order to keep their marriage intact. So this time, it was Woo-seok’s turn to take on that role.

“…Is there any way?”

Ha-jin finally realized that Woo-seok hadn’t said it for nothing. True, he could be maddeningly irritating, but he wasn’t the sort of man who lied. Nor was he the type to say whatever sounded nice just to win someone’s favor.

“The hard drive we brought out of the basement. We’ll have to figure out something with that.”

“Oh, that… Will it work?”

Woo-seok hadn’t told Ha-jin, but he had already checked the files on the hard drive he had taken from the burning basement. It contained countless videos, every single one filled with gruesome footage of murders, which was why he hadn’t shown them to Ha-jin.

“Maybe if we put everything down as your achievement, the fathers won’t be able to move against us so easily for the time being.”

At least from Woo-seok’s perspective, the videos seemed likely to be a considerable help to the investigation. They couldn’t identify the culprit outright, but if experts analyzed the footage, surely they could find a few clues.

In a situation where they hadn’t found a single lead until now, simply handing such evidence over to the police could make the two of them into heroes.

“An article would attract too much attention… But if we just spread the rumor around, they won’t be able to bring up divorce because of everyone watching them.”

“Definitely… That would at least give us some breathing room.”

Chae Il-joo and Lee Ah-seong would never let an opportunity that benefited them slip away. There was no way they would turn down the chance to wear the mantle of the SHS group that discovered decisive evidence for catching the notorious serial killer.

Ha-jin let out a long breath that had been lodged in his chest. He felt relieved. They had at least found a way to temporarily shut out the problem that was worrying him as much as the Omega serial killer, perhaps even more.

And yet every day still felt precarious. Before one incident could even be resolved, another problem erupted, and once they somehow managed to patch that one up, something else came crashing down.

“This really isn’t an easy position to be in.”

“What?”

Woo-seok didn’t immediately understand Ha-jin’s sudden remark. Ha-jin leaned his head against the backrest and stared up at the ceiling, looking almost as though exhaustion had finally knocked him flat.

“Being the person beside Chae Woo-seok.”

For some reason, the thought suddenly occurred to him. If someone else, a flawless Omega, perhaps, had married Woo-seok instead of Ha-jin, would all of this have happened?

No. Even if the problems had taken slightly different forms, they undoubtedly would have gone through endless conflicts. From the outside, it looked like such a coveted position, but in reality, wasn’t it more like a throne forged from the blazing fires of hell?

A throne where one had to sit and leave it to fate whether one’s body would burn away first or the fires of hell would finally cool.

“Not a great seat, huh?”

Woo-seok couldn’t argue with that. He agreed that it was a shitty position, even by his own standards. And yet, for some reason, it left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Or perhaps it was emptiness.

Maybe even hurt.

Even Go Ha-jin, of all people, couldn’t help it.

That audacious man had been worn down to the point of looking ready to collapse.

“…He doesn’t even know who his parents are. Naturally, he didn’t have a home either. His oldest memory is of shivering in the cold on a street in the middle of winter.”

Ha-jin had always kept his past tightly hidden. Yet for some reason, he was now talking about his life without even being asked. It certainly wasn’t a pleasant story, but Woo-seok quietly listened.

“Back then, whenever he saw some huge, wealthy-looking house, he used to think vaguely, ‘How happy must the people who live in a house like that be?’ ‘They probably never stop laughing, right?’”

Perhaps he found his own fantasy ridiculous, because Ha-jin let out a small, almost derisive laugh. Still staring at the ceiling, he merely tilted his head sideways until his eyes met Woo-seok’s.

Woo-seok had expected his expression to be dark after talking about such a bleak past.

But it was different.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Just… he realized that people everywhere live pretty much the same way. That every place is a trash can, so in a way, it’s comforting. Even rich people are nothing special.”

It would be a lie to say he wasn’t tired. He hadn’t known he would have to struggle this fiercely just to survive.

But to Ha-jin, everything was much the same.

He had no certainty that somewhere other than Woo-seok’s side would be better. He might have to live an even shittier life somewhere else. Although death had come frighteningly close, compared to his life as a whole, his present circumstances weren’t actually the worst.

At least now, he could eat until he was full without worrying about money and sleep somewhere warm.

“And it’s a relief that Chae Woo-seok is here.”

And now, there was someone with whom he could carry that burden.

A life where he didn’t have to endure everything entirely alone was already a pretty good one.

“Look at you, saying something nice for once.”

“So give him a generous bonus for all his hard work. Enough to buy a house in the middle of Gangnam…”

“Oh? You want to go for another drive? Guess you still can’t forget that mountain.”

‘Oh, for f*ck’s sake…’

He’d tried to use the serious atmosphere to make a little money, but this f*cking ghost wouldn’t take the bait.

Was he possessed by the spirit of money or something? Why was he so damn determined not to hand over even a single penny?

“I-I’m not scared anymore, okay? You’re not the Omega serial killer, so what…”

“Looks like you forgot that I’m stronger than that bastard.”

“…”

The image immediately came to mind.

That huge man literally flying through the air after taking a single punch from Woo-seok.

“Come to think of it, didn’t the director’s salary for the art center come in? Bring it over. He’ll use it toward living expenses.”

And that very fist landed squarely on the table.

The veins stood out along the back of his hand, suggesting he was putting quite a bit of force into it.

Who would have thought that one day he’d be extorted by a chaebol?

“…Just kill him… you f*cking bastard…”

Ah.

Without meaning to, the truth had slipped straight out of his mouth.

At this point, he wouldn’t even mind if Woo-seok just killed him.

****

“Ugh… k-kill…”

He understood the value of a single word now.

All Ha-jin wanted at this moment was to die.

“Didn’t he say you should use nicer words, sweetheart?”

Woo-seok’s e*ection slowly withdrew, its glans dragging against the slick inner walls of Ha-jin’s thoroughly wet entrance, before plunging back into place in one hard th*ust with a wet, squelching sound.

“Can’t! No more! Ah, aah-!”

This was ridiculous.

Woo-seok had already cl*maxed several times.

And yet somehow, his e*ection hadn’t softened at all. If anything, it seemed to grow harder and more rigid by the second.

“You said you should say it how?”

“St-stop calling him that…!”

“Even if they’re comfortable enough as husband and wife, calling him a f*cking bastard is a little much, isn’t it, sweetheart?”

It had all started because of the truth that had slipped from Ha-jin’s mouth.

“Kill me, you f*cking bastard.”

The moment he had carelessly spat those words out, Woo-seok had said in an exceptionally gentle voice:

“Come to think of it, we never finished deciding how we’re going to address each other, did we?”

Even when Woo-seok had pounced on him and started kissing and biting at him, Ha-jin hadn’t understood what he meant.

He had simply assumed that, with the tension between them finally easing, they were naturally going to have s*x as they usually did.

But before long, he understood exactly what Woo-seok meant by deciding how to address each other.

While th*usting into him, Woo-seok had suggested that they change the way they addressed each other, using terms like sweetheart and honey.

It was supposedly a suggestion, but whenever Ha-jin refused to say the words, the s*x simply didn’t end.

“Ah… wait…! Don’t move, just- ah, ngh…!”

Woo-seok’s e*ection dragged slowly back and forth along his inner walls while one hand toyed with his n*pple, sending another wave of pleasure crashing over him.

It had already happened several times, but the real problem was something else.

“H-his hand…!”

He should have been reaching his cl*max.

But Woo-seok firmly pressed the base of Ha-jin’s c*ck with his fingers, preventing him from e*aculating.

The pleasure that should have burst out remained trapped inside his body, swirling around like a storm, leaving him burning with unbearable frustration.

And despite that, his body had grown increasingly sensitive, as though he had already cl*maxed. Now, even Woo-seok’s breath brushing against his skin was enough to make him feel as though he might c*me.

“So how was he supposed to say it, honey?”

This bastard really didn’t know when to give up.

Even after being rejected this much, he still stubbornly coaxed him, determined to hear the words he wanted.

If Woo-seok had simply forced him to say it, Ha-jin thought he might have reluctantly given in once.

But instead, Woo-seok was being unnecessarily gentle, speaking in such a soft voice that it kept sounding sincere.

Maybe that was why Ha-jin found it so difficult to address him casually, the way Woo-seok did.

The words kept catching in his throat.

Sweetheart.

Honey.

How was he supposed to say something like that?

“That…”

But even that embarrassment and awkwardness were gradually fading.

Maybe because he had been denied release for so long that he had become blinded by a*ousal, he began rationalizing it.

‘It’s just one word. What’s so difficult about it?’

“I want to c*me… s-sweet… heart…”

Ah.

Maybe this really wasn’t something he should have said.

The moment the words left his mouth, his entire body felt as though it were going to burn from embarrassment.

He had never once said that word aloud in his life, so even the sound of his own voice reaching his ears felt strangely unfamiliar, almost as though it belonged to someone else.

“Should’ve said that from the beginning, huh? Good boy, Ha-jin-hyung.”

Fortunately, he didn’t have time to dwell on the embarrassment.

As though rewarding him, Woo-seok th*ust his hips faster and began gently stroking the c*ck he had been holding back with his hand.

The wet friction from Ha-jin’s slick entrance grew faster and louder, and his a*ousal only intensified.

“Ah, haa-!”

Perhaps because all that pleasure had been building for far too long, cl*max came again in a matter of moments.

This time, there was nothing stopping it.

His s*men burst out in an explosive release, while slick fluid streamed from behind him as well, tightening around Woo-seok’s e*ection.

“Haah… ngh. Look at our Ha-jin-hyung, getting so naughty. Coming from both ends at once.”

Woo-seok couldn’t hold back either.

He had already cl*maxed several times, but the intensified stimulation left him helpless, spilling inside Ha-jin once more.

Even after coming so many times, his arousal still refused to subside.

And hearing Ha-jin call him sweetheart affected him far more than it should have.

It was such a trivial thing, yet somehow it drove him crazy.

“…Go Ha-jin.”

“…Mm…”

“Ha-jin-hyung?”

“…Ngh…”

But something seemed strange about Ha-jin as he reached his cl*max.

Lying on his side in Woo-seok’s arms, his body seemed to gradually go limp.

Woo-seok had experienced something like this before.

He hurriedly pulled out and laid Ha-jin flat on his back.

He remembered how Ha-jin had passed out the first time they had s*x.

Fortunately, his face looked different this time.

His eyelids were drooping as though he was struggling to keep them open.

He was simply relaxed and sleepy.

“Haah…”

If nothing else, that was a relief.

But how could someone fall asleep so peacefully immediately after cl*maxing?

It seemed the cleanup was going to be Woo-seok’s responsibility.

For now, he helped Ha-jin get comfortable, letting him rest his head on his arm and pulling him into an embrace while gently patting his back in a steady rhythm.

“…f*cking… bastard…”

Even to the very end, Ha-jin couldn’t fix that foul mouth of his.

But Woo-seok didn’t particularly dislike even those curses.

If anything, he was relieved that Ha-jin was still the same.

Pat, pat.

For tonight, at least, let him have a good dream.

Pat, pat.

Tomorrow, may nothing but better things happen than today.

Better things than yesterday.

Pat, pat.

And tomorrow, too, may he be able to smile by Woo-seok’s side.

That was what he wished for.

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