Chapter 37: Devoured by a Kiss

“…”

“That seems to raise stats too, doesn’t it?”

‘Ha, people really don’t change.’

Even in a situation like this, he’s still obsessed with the kiss skill.

Seong Joo-an shot Baek Eun-hoo a look of disbelief, and Baek Eun-hoo’s right eyebrow twitched.

“What’s with that expression? You said it yourself. That you’re an intelligence-type. You’re going to raise your Intelligence stat and come up with an idea to solve this, what’s so wrong about that?”

“…Ah! So that’s what you meant. But the kiss skill has a cooldown-”

“You’ve been asleep this whole time, so you’ve lost track. The skill cooldown’s already up.”

He had slept that deeply?

If that was the case, there was no problem with using the kiss skill on Baek Eun-hoo now.

But then why did a chill run down his spine?

When Seong Joo-an lifted his head, Baek Eun-hoo was already looking straight at him.

He wanted to avoid his gaze, but it felt as though those blue eyes had cast a spell on him, making it difficult to turn away.

In an instant, his chin was seized.

The grip was so strong it felt like his jaw might shatter.

And then Baek Eun-hoo was right in front of him.

“Even if it’s a skill, a kiss is still a kiss.”

He whispered lowly, almost sinisterly, before immediately biting down on his lips.

Unlike Joo Ji-chan, who always got pounced on first, this carried a heavy, forceful weight.

Seong Joo-an’s head was pushed back involuntarily, and his back struck the headboard.

The sensation that ran through his body felt like an electric shock, and the surprise made his mouth fall open.

Through that gap, a hot tongue invaded, sweeping through his mouth.

Since that playful kiss he once shared with a female friend, he had never felt anything this intense.

‘This isn’t a kiss… it feels like he’s devouring him.’

Under Baek Eun-hoo’s overwhelming pressure, Seong Joo-an had no choice but to yield and open his mouth.

The rushed, rough movements made it feel like his lips had split, and a faintly salty taste of blood spread in his mouth.

Before he could even register it, their tongues tangled, and their saliva mixed.

As his breathing grew ragged, Baek Eun-hoo swallowed even that away.

Seong Joo-an pressed a hand against his wildly pounding heart while desperately trying to push him away with the other.

The skill must have already activated enough, yet Baek Eun-hoo showed no sign of stopping.

Unlike before, his tongue had softened, licking over the torn edge of his lips.

Chu,chp.

Embarrassing sounds echoed in succession.

Just when it seemed like they had parted, their lips met again.

When his breath grew too short, Baek Eun-hoo would pull back slightly, only to close the distance again.

This continued for quite a while.

A thin, silvery strand of saliva stretched between their parted lips.

When Seong Joo-an opened his eyes, those deeply sunken blue eyes were fixed on him.

“…”

“…”

A heavy silence settled over the room.

The lingering sensation coursing through his body was still overwhelming.

After a moment, Baek Eun-hoo leaned back and spoke in a low voice.

“So this is what it feels like.”

“…Did you come up with any good ideas?”

“It definitely felt like my head was spinning.”

After leaving him completely immobilized like that, the sight of Baek Eun-hoo chuckling was infuriating.

Seong Joo-an touched his cheek, trying to cool his flushed skin.

‘Why does it feel like he’s been tricked?’

As he narrowed his eyes, Baek Eun-hoo stopped laughing and said,

“To tell you the truth-”

****

To sum up Baek Eun-hoo’s explanation, he had simply been curious about what the kiss skill felt like and had twisted his words to try it.

In reality, he had already prepared a solution in advance.

It was frustrating to realize he had been played, but since it was something he would have had to do eventually anyway, he figured it could count as practice.

In any case, they had decided to use the money from selling the magic stones to establish a relief foundation together with several politicians who were favorable toward Baek Eun-hoo’s Hanbaek Guild.

That part was fine.

The problem was that the assemblyman leading the effort wanted to take photos with Seong Joo-an for the sake of his image.

He suddenly found himself facing unexpected media exposure.

“There’s no time to sit around. You look mostly recovered, so let’s grab a quick bite and move.”

Baek Eun-hoo, seemingly unable to contain his overflowing energy, busied himself making calls, leaving behind Seong Joo-an, who was still caught in the lingering aftereffects of the kiss.

It was fortunate that they would be helping people, but somehow things seemed to be unfolding in a completely unexpected direction.

****

After finishing his calls, Baek Eun-hoo headed to the dining hall with him.

Guild members had already gathered there and were eating.

All eyes turned toward the two of them at once.

Whispers spread from all directions.

“I-Is that the guild leader?”

“Who’s that next to him?”

“You know, the S-rank buffer who awakened recently.”

“The one the leader contracted with…?”

“Just a contract would’ve been fine, but because of him, he’s been dragged around everywhere…”

If they were going to whisper, couldn’t they at least do it quietly?

As Seong Joo-an’s face flushed in embarrassment, Baek Eun-hoo stepped forward to settle the situation.

“Don’t mind us. Just keep eating. I brought him along because I wanted the S-rank buffer to take a look around.”

Seong Joo-an gave an awkward smile and bowed his head slightly before looking around.

The spacious dining hall, the spotless tables, and the luxurious spread of dishes left him gaping.

Wasn’t this supposed to be a quick bite?

Just how rich was Baek Eun-hoo?

“What are you doing? Sit. We need to finish everything within my turn tonight.”

Right, that was true.

Tomorrow, he had to be with Mo Jun-young, so they only had today.

Seong Joo-an sat across from Baek Eun-hoo and looked at the table.

Bulgogi, galbi, grilled mackerel, braised cutlassfish…

There were several main dishes alone.

Without realizing it, he swallowed and picked up his chopsticks.

Baek Eun-hoo smirked and piled various dishes onto his plate before handing it to him.

“I can take care of myself.”

“Eat well while you can. If we’re finishing everything today, you won’t even have time to breathe.”

Seong Joo-an eagerly started eating.

The food was all delicious, as if prepared by a skilled chef.

It was a bit ironic that he was eating better food in this game world than in his original one, but well, as long as it tasted good.

As he continued chewing and swallowing, a creeping sense of unease began to rise.

“I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“The politicians. Don’t they care more about money than image?”

As if he had hit the mark, Baek Eun-hoo grinned.

“You’re right. They go crazy for money.”

“Then how can we be sure they won’t touch ours? What if they siphon some off behind our backs?”

“Don’t worry. I’ve already bribed them enough.”

“…”

Seong Joo-an was left speechless.

It really did take one schemer to understand another.

He had even prepared bribes in advance.

“Seong Joo-an, do you know what’s scarier than a bribe?”

‘Is there anything scarier than money?’

“A weakness. They’re not favorable to the Hanbaek Guild for no reason. When I established the guild, I first gathered their weaknesses. So betraying me would mean exposing their own.”

That was certainly reassuring.

Who would have thought Baek Eun-hoo’s trait as a betrayer could be this dependable?

Everything truly had two sides.

“Well, in that case, there’s nothing to worry about.”

After finishing the meal, Seong Joo-an followed him.

He had expected them to leave the guild immediately, but instead, Baek Eun-hoo led him to a massive dressing room that resembled a department store.

There, Seong Joo-an repeatedly tried on and took off several suits.

It was fun at first, but doing the same thing over and over gradually wore him out.

“How long do I have to keep doing this? It’s not like he’s auditioning for a movie role, can’t he just wear something decent?”

But even that didn’t seem to satisfy Baek Eun-hoo, who sat with his legs crossed and arms folded, shaking his head.

He had already tried on several jackets.

Of course, Baek Eun-hoo could pull off anything thanks to his physique, but that wasn’t the case for Seong Joo-an.

He wanted to say it, but seeing the exhausted faces of the low-rank awakened ones attending him, his complaints died down.

Baek Eun-hoo stood up and walked over to the rack himself.

Too tired to follow, Seong Joo-an leaned against the wall and waited.

After a while, Baek Eun-hoo returned holding a gray-toned suit.

“Try this.”

He should have just picked one from the start.

Sighing, Seong Joo-an took the suit.

As he tried to head into the fitting room, Baek Eun-hoo suddenly grabbed his wrist.

“We’re busy. Just change here. You don’t even seem to know how to dress properly.”

He added that it didn’t matter since they were both men.

It made sense, but for some reason, undressing in front of him felt embarrassing.

At least the shirt…

Before he could finish the thought, Baek Eun-hoo began unbuttoning his jacket.

“Hurry.”

With no choice, Seong Joo-an slipped his arms out.

After removing the jacket, Baek Eun-hoo stepped closer.

Instinctively, Seong Joo-an took a step back, and Baek Eun-hoo clicked his tongue.

‘What’s with his temper?’

Long fingers began undoing the buttons of his shirt one by one.

The cool sensation running down his spine made Seong Joo-an quickly grab his wrist.

“I-I’ll take it off myself.”

Baek Eun-hoo grinned.

“Why? Feeling something even now?”

“No! Who said that? He’s not a kid, he can take off his own clothes.”

“Then it shouldn’t matter if I do it.”

Baek Eun-hoo chuckled as he continued undoing the buttons one by one.

Despite saying they were in a hurry, his hands moved slowly.

To break the awkward tension, Seong Joo-an forced himself to speak.

“After getting dressed, are they heading to the auction house? To sell the magic stones?”

“If they go there, they won’t finish today. I sent my secretary instead. They’re probably almost all sold by now.”

As expected of someone who had everything, even trivial matters were delegated to others.

While his thoughts wandered, his shirt slipped off, revealing his upper body.

“…You, your color-”