Chapter 41: The Aftermath of a Nightmare

Chapter 41

After the commotion in the isolation room subsided, I simply drifted off to sleep. It was a full day later that I finally opened my eyes.

As soon as my hazy consciousness returned, an intense pain surged through my entire body, as if I had been thoroughly beaten. A groan of agony escaped me reflexively, a testament to the severe muscle aches.

Lifting my heavy eyelids, weighed down by fatigue, I saw Yoon Geon-woo, deeply asleep. I was utterly surprised to find myself face-to-face with him at such close proximity; I had never imagined I would see him sleeping like this.

‘What… what is this?’

We were close enough for our breaths to mingle. Yoon Geon-woo, breathing evenly, still bore the heavy marks of exhaustion on his face. His dark circles and sunken cheeks gave him a somewhat sickly, or rather, a distinctly forlorn appearance.

Unlike his usual rigid expression, seeing his guard down and his face relaxed, I was struck anew by how handsome he was. They say even a mischievous seven-year-old looks like an angel when asleep. I’d never raised a child, but seeing Yoon Geon-woo like this, I could almost understand the sentiment.

‘He’s… sleeping so soundly.’

For some reason, it felt as though we were sharing a single, narrow hospital bed. He had claimed he couldn’t share a room with anyone else, yet his expression seemed remarkably peaceful. It must have meant that Yoon Geon-woo, too, was utterly exhausted.

Speaking of which, I recalled Yoon Geon-woo saying something to me… Though I’d heard it in a sleepy haze, I remembered him mentioning that he’d been having strange dreams lately.

“In my dreams… you die. Over and over again.”

Unless I was hallucinating from sheer exhaustion, I was certain he had said those words. He was dreaming of me dying repeatedly. Could it be connected to the inexplicable regression phenomenon I was experiencing?

Well, this was merely a conjecture, of course. It seemed better to discuss the events of that day with him once he woke up, rather than pondering it alone.

‘I should probably get up soon.’

I stopped scrutinizing Yoon Geon-woo and shifted my body slightly. My hand, which I had been lying on, was starting to tingle.

I knew this was a recovery area, but how long had I been here? As I slowly tried to sit up, I suddenly realized that I was still holding Yoon Geon-woo’s hand.

‘Ah, so this is why we were… together.’

It seemed we hadn’t let go since falling asleep during the guiding session. Perhaps due to the intense aftermath of the strenuous guiding, I must have been completely knocked out, not waking even during the transfer from the isolation room to the recovery center. Since our hands were still clasped, I took the opportunity to check Yoon Geon-woo’s contamination level.

[Contamination Level: 47%]

Yoon Geon-woo’s contamination level was 47%? It was a completely unexpected number. While I hadn’t guided him many times, it had never dropped below 50% before. Seeing such a comparatively stable percentage for the first time filled me with an odd sense of novelty.

‘Could this be the effect of sleep guiding?’

It seemed that prolonged physical contact with him had naturally facilitated the guiding process. Perhaps because his contamination level had stabilized, his sleeping face also appeared serene.

Should I ask Yoon Geon-woo again to be roommates when he wakes up? It seemed beneficial for both of us, but I wondered how I could sway such a stubborn person.

‘I’ll think about that later… For now, I need to…’

Since Yoon Geon-woo’s contamination level was now within the normal range, my task seemed to be complete. The immediate priority was to contact Han Seon-ho. I had been pulled here by the Ajusshi while checking messages from Han Seon-ho and Kang Yun, so I hadn’t been able to reply.

‘Surely… they don’t think I’ve gone missing too?’

Recalling that moment, I also remembered checking a message that said reporter Joo Yeo-rye had disappeared. I, too, had become unreachable immediately after being discharged. Knowing Han Seon-ho’s usual demeanor, he must be incredibly worried.

Moreover, I had stood up the SAA official I was supposed to go to school with, which put me in a difficult situation in many ways.

‘Damn it, I hope the SAA isn’t looking at me strangely.’

In my haste, all I could think about was getting up and making contact. I tried to gently disentangle our clasped hands, careful not to wake the deeply sleeping Yoon Geon-woo. Our fingers were still interlaced.

Just as I thought I had freed my hand halfway, Yoon Geon-woo, who had been completely still, suddenly snapped his eyes open.

“Sorry, did I wake you?”

I had tried to be careful, but it seemed I had indeed disturbed his sleep. Flustered, I spoke to Yoon Geon-woo, but he merely stared at me with a hazy gaze.

“Wait, just a moment…”

The instant I was about to ask him to let go of my hand, now that he was awake, Yoon Geon-woo abruptly sat up and straddled me. Pinioned beneath his massive, muscular frame, I couldn’t move an inch.

‘He’s heavy.’

His thick arm pressed against my throat, making it hard to breathe. I repeatedly struck his bulging forearm, trying to signal him to loosen his grip, but instead, both my wrists were seized. Up close, Yoon Geon-woo’s eyes still held a hazy, sleep-drunk quality.

“Sogum. You again…”

His voice was barely audible, yet my name clearly escaped Yoon Geon-woo’s lips. Seeing his half-lidded eyes, his state didn’t seem normal.

The moment I sensed danger, he suddenly pressed his lips against mine.

“Mph!”

This contact was entirely different from the kisses I had given Yoon Geon-woo before. He bit down on my lips without warning, as if taking a nip, making me cry out in pain. Through my parted lips, his thick tongue unexpectedly plunged in, exploring the inside of my mouth. He licked the rough roof of my mouth, then ravenously sucked at the saliva pooling inside. As I endured this violent kiss, Yoon Geon-woo, seemingly unsatisfied with just our tongues, gripped the back of my head with his other hand, as if to devour my tongue whole.

“Ah, ugh… ugh.”

Both my hands were bound by him, and my head was sharply pulled back. I struggled to escape his grip, but the difference in our strength was overwhelming; it was utterly futile. Instinctively, I felt my life was in danger.

Even as I struggled for breath, enduring him, Yoon Geon-woo pressed his body closer and closer, as if something was still lacking.

“Yoon Geon-woo… move, please. Ah, it hurts… ugh.”

The taste of blood filled my mouth; he had bitten the inside of my cheeks, like a wild animal. Even though the kiss was involuntary, the guiding seemed to be progressing diligently. His contamination level rapidly broke through the 40% barrier.

‘Damn it, the guiding speed is too fast.’

My mind reeled, and I felt as though I might pass out. However, rejecting him now would surely lead to reverse guiding. In this desperate situation, I diligently allowed the guiding to proceed as he wished, but I was slowly reaching my limit. I used all my strength to push his face away, trying to detach him.

“Ugh… mm… haa…”

Thankfully, as if he had tasted enough of my mouth, Yoon Geon-woo’s lips finally pulled away. Just as I was about to feel relieved that it was over, he began gnawing at my neck. He was sleeping soundly, and his contamination level was fine. What switch had been flipped to cause such a commotion?

His firm body bumped against mine, even through our clothes. In particular, something substantial pressed against my lower abdomen, sending a chill down my spine.

‘What in the world is this bastard dreaming about?’

What kind of awful sleeping habit was this? I was taking back my offer to be roommates. If I had to do sleep guiding with this guy twice, I felt I wouldn’t live to a ripe old age. Feeling a sense of crisis in many ways, I began to struggle even more actively.

“Let go. It hurts!”

“If I let go… you’ll just die again.”

“I won’t die. Ugh… I’m going to die because of you at this rate. Let go!”

As I screamed, squeezing out all my remaining strength, Yoon Geon-woo finally seemed to realize something was amiss.

“You…”

“Ugh… my mouth hurts so much.”

“…Is it real?”

Yoon Geon-woo’s expression was visibly flustered. It seemed he had finally realized he wasn’t in his dream anymore… Truly, his sleeping habits were utterly dreadful.

“If you understand… then get off me.”

I yelled at Yoon Geon-woo, who was frozen with a look of shock. At that, Yoon Geon-woo, who was straddling me, startled and leaped off the bed.

*CRASH!*

He didn’t just jump off the bed; he tore the door off the recovery room and bolted out. He didn’t even seem to use any abilities, but his strength was so immense that part of the wall also crumbled.

‘Crazy… what was that?’

Facing the wrecked recovery room, an eerie chill ran down my spine. I resolved to be as careful as possible not to upset him. Just then, a loud noise echoed.

*BEEEEEEEEEEEP—*

*BEEEEEEEEEEEP—*

It seemed the general emergency alarm had sounded because Yoon Geon-woo had damaged the building and escaped. Sure enough, the murmurs of medical staff could be heard from outside.

“Why… is he really acting like that?”

Was a kiss enough to make him tear off a door and run? And who was the one whose lips were torn, anyway? It was truly absurd. Fortunately, he hadn’t gone far and was reportedly easily apprehended while wandering around the building alone. Afterward, news came that he was immediately placed in a private recovery room, on the condition that he wouldn’t cause any more trouble.

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