Chapter 2: Beloved Monster

‘Such a naive thrill that was.’

Staring at In-tae, Jung Ban-ri lifted a hand from the desk as if to grant his wish. But as the hand reached out, In-tae beat him to the punch.

“Just kidding. As if a guy who hates skin contact would do that.”

The pale hand froze mid-air.

“What, you thought I wouldn’t know?” In-tae taunted, a smug feeling rising within him.

Just as Jung Ban-ri knew his grades without asking, there were things In-tae knew about Ban-ri without being told—things that made the stoic man ‘uncomfortable.’ Things like poor hygiene, noise, exposure… and physical contact.

“…Who told you?”

His question only made In-tae feel more triumphant. This might be a part of Jung Ban-ri that only he knew in this entire world. A privilege, perhaps, for someone who had shared his bed.

“This hyung knows everything.”

“No. I’m asking who whispered it in your ear.”

“Huh?”

“I wasn’t planning on it.”

“Ah, yeah, yeah. And I wasn’t planning on receiving,” In-tae retorted.

“That won’t be enough, I think.”

Dully, Jung Ban-ri reached out and grabbed the riding crop that lay on the desk. He gripped its handle with one hand and pulled at the tip with the other, bending it into a semicircle. The stiff whip yielded with a soft curve.

This, too, was a scene from the past. It was exactly what Ban-ri had done one day back when he would hold In-tae by the neck and murmur study material into his ear.

It seemed he was responding to In-tae’s playful memory with one of his own. Or rather, from his perspective, it wouldn’t be a ‘memory’ but simply an ‘old event.’

Not a special, happy recollection, but a mere incident that had occurred in the past.

“Hey, wait…”

In an instant, a sharp whoosh cut through the air. A cool breeze brushed the back of his neck. The crop had stopped just above his skin.

Though he knew Ban-ri would never actually hit him, In-tae flinched instinctively. How had he calculated the distance so perfectly, stopping just short?

“Just kidding. As if a guy who hates pain would take it.”

Jung Ban-ri even raised the corners of his lips slightly. When a man who didn’t know the first thing about fun tried to play a joke—no, when he ‘mimicked’ a joke—he knew how to craft the expression to make it frighteningly real.

“Hey, Jung Ban-ri. I told you not to act with me. I can see right through you.”

Jung Ban-ri blinked for a moment before his smile vanished completely. Every time he saw that look…

‘He’s like a monster.’

Then, the riding crop fell onto his body with a soft tap. The smooth leather grazed the nape of his neck, and his body shuddered on its own.

“Can you focus now? It’ll be easier to start with the organs you’re familiar with.”

The pointed tip of the whip slid down his neck and jabbed the area around his heart. It then moved lower, prodding the location of each organ one by one.

Liver, stomach, spleen, gallbladder… Just as Ban-ri had said, his every nerve was drawn to those spots. It felt as if he would never be able to forget this moment, this sensation.

But that didn’t mean he could focus entirely on memorization. The monster knew how to effectively gather his attention, but he couldn’t fathom the side effects that came with it.

Affection, love, desire—things like that. In-tae tried to calm his rapidly beating heart and concentrate on the tutoring session. But in the next moment…

“You’re not concentrating.”

A jolt of stimulation between his legs made In-tae’s body twitch. The whip, now a pointer, was pressing firmly against his swollen groin.

“Ugh. Hey!”

This monster knew nothing of his own feelings, but he could detect revealed desires with terrifying accuracy.

“I guess I’ll have to help you take care of that first.”

The monster whispered, his voice horribly seductive.

***

Through his blurring vision, Jung Ban-ri split into two and then merged back into one, over and over. A placid face looked down on him.

If anyone claimed that looking up at a person always made them look ugly, they clearly hadn’t seen this man.

His eyelashes, visible to the roots, looked even longer, and the facial lines that should have been softened were instead defined by a high nose and a sharp jaw, creating a striking three-dimensional effect.

And since it was a sight one could only see this close, it felt all the more precious.

How much longer would he be able to see this?

For starters, he didn’t think he would last much longer today… In-tae clung to his fading consciousness and parted his lips.

“Jung Ban-ri.”

At the sound of his name, Ban-ri’s eyes flickered, but he didn’t stop moving. While In-tae was beyond exhausted and on the verge of passing out, the man above him was perfectly fine, without a single hair out of place.

It was ironic that a man with such a low s*x drive possessed such immense stamina.

In-tae was certain he would be the first to lose consciousness again today. And when he opened his eyes, Ban-ri would be gone, as if he were some kind of Cinderella.

Of course, he did look like a princess… but in reality, he was an emotionless psychopath.

“What.”

“…I’m going to the MT tomorrow.”

“…MT?”

“Yeah.”

His slender chin tilted slightly. It was a habit of his when he didn’t quite understand something.

It was only natural he’d react that way. So far, In-tae had skipped the freshman orientation and the semester-kickoff MT for his class. Jung Ban-ri had done the same.

It wasn’t solely because they prioritized studying. It was because In-tae knew just how unpleasant that kind of overnight trip would be for Ban-ri.

During the school trips in middle and high school, Ban-ri had been the center of attention. Bothered all day by hormonal teenagers in an unsanitary environment, he often spent the night wide awake.

After they had started sleeping together—that is, after In-tae learned of Ban-ri’s mysophobia—it became painfully clear just how grating those trips were for him.

A university MT, which was bound to be crawling with drunken idiots, would be even worse.

“Why?”

“I feel like I haven’t gotten very close with my classmates.”

“Classmates…?”

“Yeah.”

They wouldn’t be his classmates for much longer, but they would remain Jung Ban-ri’s. People he would study with for six years and work alongside in the same field for a lifetime.

In other words… people who would remain in Jung Ban-ri’s life.

‘I need to get to know them properly at least once.’

That way, he could stay connected to Ban-ri too.

He couldn’t be his academic connection, his colleague, or his lover. In truth, he couldn’t even be emotionally involved with the man… but he didn’t want to grow distant, no matter what.

“Ah, I’m not asking you to come with me. You know that, right?”

“……”

“I’ll just go and come back quickly. So don’t be lonely while I’m gone…”

Feeling strange, he started spouting nonsense. As if Jung Ban-ri could ever feel an emotion like loneliness.

“Well, maybe not you, but your junior might miss me a bit. He at least has desires, so if his playmate who he has fun with every night suddenly disappears… hngh!”

An unbearable pressure swelled inside his abdomen, making him writhe. Dammit, he took back the ‘junior’ comment, he took it all back. Something like that didn’t deserve to be called a junior.

“So, even if you miss this hyung, just bear with it. If it’s no fun, I’ll just slip out and come play with you—Ugh!”

The stimulation that shot up from his lower body rocketed to the top of his head, and his vision went black. As his consciousness slowly faded, In-tae unleashed a torrent of curses.

This merciless bastard, this emotionless psycho, and this monster…

My beloved monster.

1. The Monster and the MT

“Wait, hold on! You can’t leave yet!”

In-tae waved his arms frantically at the slowly moving bus.

‘As expected of the nation’s top students, they’re punctual to a fault. I was secretly hoping they’d wait about five minutes.’

His rear throbbed as he quickened his pace. That damn monster. If he knew I was going to an MT the next day, he should have gone easy on me.

He must have gone harder than usual, because his whole body ached, and he ended up oversleeping.

‘No, wait. Maybe he was just getting two days’ worth in advance? He only ever thinks of himself.’

Though every muscle in his body felt like it was screaming for mercy, he couldn’t miss the bus. It would be a waste of his efforts, having left without even cleaning the semen-soaked sheets.

‘If I run at full speed, I think I can catch up…’

In-tae glanced down at his left ankle and then broke into a sprint. Thankfully, the bus came to a stop.

“Sorry for being late!”

As he bent over, panting for breath, greetings flew at him from all directions.

“Whoa! Just in the nick of time.”

“Yoon In-tae, you’re incredibly fast!”

“In-tae! You would’ve missed it if I hadn’t spotted you out the window. Sign the attendance sheet first.”

At the class representative’s words, someone held out a pen.

“Thanks.”

In-tae’s hand paused as he reached for the pen. It was far too familiar. A long, pale hand, with immaculately clean fingernails.

While he stood there, dazed, that very hand wrote a name on the list.

[Yoon In-tae.]

The neat script indented the paper.

“What the, Yoon In-tae? I thought you were skipping this one too.”

“Is there something special about this MT? We’ve got all the rare faces showing up, from Jung Ban-ri to Yoon In-tae.”

“Haha… I’ll be sure to make up for my absence from now on!”

In-tae found an empty seat and sat down. It wasn’t far from Jung Ban-ri. The moment he sat, a sharp pain shot through his backside, and he grumbled inwardly.

‘That son of a b*tch. If he was coming to the MT too, he could have woken me up… No, at the very least, couldn’t he have told me he was coming?’

Although he was surprised to see Jung Ban-ri, it wasn’t entirely unexpected upon reflection. Since their school days, the man had diligently participated in school events.

A true model student excels not only in academics but also in social life. In fact, their absence from previous MTs after entering university was mostly due to In-tae’s own intentions.

He had coaxed the man, who was sure to suffer at the MT, to stay behind and tutor him instead.

“Ban-ri, you must be tired. Want to get some sleep? I’ll wake you when we arrive.”

“I’m fine. You’re the one who must be tired from getting here so early to work.”

“Uh… a little? But thanks to you, it was a huge help. Everyone else said they wouldn’t help with breakfast prep, but you showed up without a word. I was really touched.”

The bus seats were narrow, and Jung Ban-ri’s shoulders were broad. Na Ye-eun, who had leaned in to speak in a low voice, had her body pressed against his arm.

‘He must hate being touched like that…’

“Whoa, what’s this lovey-dovey atmosphere? What are you two up to?”

Someone came bounding down the aisle. It was Jo Gi-tae. The oldest among their peers, his nickname was the Guardian of Drinking Parties, because as long as he was present, no one was allowed to leave.

He enjoyed leading his ‘close younger brothers’ around and acting as their leader.