Chapter 41: The Smell of Monster’s Blood

Until the lightly blowing wind died down, Tae-woo and So-won remained with nothing more than their lips pressed together.

Though they were tucked away in a corner, too many people were passing by for them to mingle tongues.

At the same moment the third assembly signal rang out, a voice followed, urging any Espers who had yet to gather to move quickly.

‘…I should really let Tae-woo go now.’

So-won thought that with his eyes squeezed shut.

But once the guiding had started, he found himself unwilling to end it so quickly.

“Mm…”

So-won’s lips parted slightly.

He pushed out the moist flesh of his tongue and cautiously licked over Tae-woo’s rough lips.

Soon, the mouth that had been firmly closed opened, responding to So-won’s kiss.

As the light kiss gradually grew wetter, Tae-woo’s hand wrapped around So-won’s waist.

Feeling the firm arm supporting his body, So-won unknowingly let go of his tension.

“Haah… ngh…”

As their tongues brushed, heat flared through their bodies.

Each time the softly intertwining flesh grazed a sensitive spot, ragged breaths spilled through the space between their lips.

Little by little, strength drained from So-won’s body, until at some point he was practically clinging to Tae-woo to stay upright.

[Esper Kang Tae-woo, are you nearby?]

After quite some time, a voice searching for Tae-woo echoed through a loudspeaker.

He had meant to finish the guiding quickly and send him off, but by the time he came to his senses, it seemed a fair amount of time had passed.

Tae-woo’s name was called once more.

Seeing that Tae-woo still didn’t pull away even after hearing the voice calling for him, So-won felt uneasy, thinking the guiding might not have been sufficient.

Still, now really was the time to let him go.

Smack.

Their lips parted with a soft sound.

As soon as he opened his eyes, So-won saw Tae-woo’s lips, slick with saliva.

“Y-you can go now.”

At the sight, heat rushed to his face.

So-won ducked his head and pushed at Tae-woo.

But only So-won’s upper body slid back—Tae-woo didn’t budge an inch.

With a puzzled look, So-won lowered his gaze.

Tae-woo’s arm was still firmly wrapped around his waist.

He tried taking a step back, but Tae-woo still didn’t move.

“Tae-woo…?”

Was it really not enough?

As So-won’s eyes darted around in flustered confusion, he met the gaze of an Association staff member who had been anxiously searching for Tae-woo.

The moment they noticed each other, both of them jolted in surprise.

A brief silence followed.

The staff member, breaking out in a waterfall of cold sweat in that instant, quickly averted their eyes and tactfully retreated—but So-won’s face only grew redder.

“Tae-woo, you said you were leaving…”

“…..”

No further announcements calling for Tae-woo were heard.

Somehow, So-won felt like he knew why, and he buried his burning face in his palms.

Only then did the arm around his waist slowly slip away.

“I’ll be back.”

So-won said nothing, merely nodding his head.

Walking toward the people who had already finished preparing to depart, Tae-woo thought that, for some reason, his legs felt unusually heavy today.

***

So-won waited with the other Guides in a temporary tent set up as a standby area, watching as the gate was cleared.

The Guides gathered here were people with high average matching rates, tasked with providing temporary guiding until a designated Guide could arrive if the Espers dispatched to the gate showed signs of rampage from excessive ability use.

They were, however, people far removed from Tae-woo.

Aside from So-won, there had never once been a Guide whose matching rate with him exceeded five percent.

“…..”

Inside the tent, some people whispered while glancing at So-won, but no one approached him first to strike up a conversation.

Even so, So-won preferred it this way.

He was shy by nature, and having others come up to him would only have made him uncomfortable.

The overt, curiosity-filled stares were unpleasant enough that he briefly considered waiting for Tae-woo in his car, but he quickly dismissed the idea.

The car was parked a little distance from the gate, and if Tae-woo came out, So-won wouldn’t notice right away—that was why.

Fortunately, once he sat quietly on a hard plastic chair and focused on his phone, the uncomfortable attention soon faded.

Perhaps because it was a temporary tent, it was markedly different from the center he had stayed at before.

The flimsy tent barely blocked the sunlight and wind, and inside there were only several plastic chairs, a temporary bed in case a patient appeared, and a few lukewarm bottles of water sitting on a table.

Heat rose from the scorching asphalt, making it hot, but as long as he stayed still, it was bearable.

The other Guides seemed to feel the same; gradually, conversation dwindled, and before long, everyone was quietly passing the time by fanning themselves.

“I should’ve brought a power bank.”

Sighing as he watched his phone battery steadily drain, So-won muttered to himself.

If this died too, he’d be so bored he wouldn’t be able to stand it…
If he’d known this would happen, he should’ve brought a book or something to pass the time.

Regretting it too late, So-won lowered the screen brightness to save battery.

The moment his battery hit five percent and the screen dimmed, the outside grew noisy.

Sensing the sudden commotion, So-won’s face brightened.

Only a few hours had passed since they’d departed for the gate—it seemed Tae-woo was already back.

He sprang to his feet and stepped out of the tent.

People were emerging from the gate one by one.

“Ah, there’s Tae-woo.”

Peering around, So-won spotted Tae-woo among the Espers.

Standing a head or two taller than everyone else, Tae-woo was easy to pick out.

Thanks to that, So-won could find him even from afar.

So-won hurried toward him.

Tae-woo had told him not to come near the gate, but now it was closed and no longer dangerous, so it should be fine to approach.

As proof, even Association staff who looked like ordinary civilians were moving closer to the gate, checking the condition of the Espers coming out.

“Tae-woo!”

They were close enough now that he could clearly see his face.

Perhaps sensing So-won’s presence, Tae-woo turned his head toward him.

The moment their eyes met, So-won’s face went deathly pale.

Tae-woo stood there in his combat suit, drenched in vivid red blood.

Riding the wind, the stench of blood wafted sharply toward him.

Overlapping with that image was the memory of Tae-woo lying on an operating table.

“Ugh…”

Suddenly, he couldn’t breathe.

His chest felt crushed, his head spun, and as his vision darkened, he lost his balance and collapsed to the ground.

Nausea surged up violently.

Curling in on himself, So-won desperately held back the dry heaves rising in his throat.

Muffled groans—‘ghk… hk’—kept leaking through his tightly sealed lips.

“Mr.

Lee So-won?”

As So-won crumpled to the ground, Tae-woo’s expression hardened and he rushed over.

He immediately checked So-won’s condition.

So-won was crouched on the ground, trembling violently.

Just moments ago, he’d been smiling brightly—then the instant their eyes met, he’d gone pale and collapsed.

Tae-woo reached out toward him, then froze as he realized his own body was covered in monster blood.

His face twisted.

“…Lee… So-won.

Lee So-won!”

Tae-woo’s voice pulled So-won back to reality.

“Lee So-won, slowly inhale, then exhale.

Yes.

You’re doing well.”

Following Tae-woo’s words, his breathing gradually evened out, and his mind began to clear.

As soon as his vision returned, the first person So-won searched for was Tae-woo.

“T-Tae-woo—no, Tae-woo—th-the blood… you lost so much blood…”

“I’m not injured.

Look.

This is the monster’s blood.”

Though So-won’s words came out jumbled and incoherent, Tae-woo immediately understood what he meant and replied.

Still, unlike what he’d seen before, the blood staining Tae-woo now was so red it looked as if it belonged to him.

When So-won lifted his hand to check whether Tae-woo was truly unhurt, Tae-woo stepped back.

Did he… avoid me?

Deeply hurt, So-won looked as though he might cry.

“I’m sorry.

You mustn’t touch it.”

Ah… he said it was toxic.

Only then did the explanation Tae-woo had given him surface in his mind.

Even so, he couldn’t hide his disappointment.

Seeing So-won’s trembling hand and crestfallen expression, Tae-woo pressed his lips together tightly.

“Um… are you all right?”

A medical team staff member who had arrived a beat late asked cautiously, watching Tae-woo’s reaction.

Their face showed indecision—whether to call the police or contact a hospital.

“Give it to me.”

“Y-yes?!”

Startled and stepping back, the staff member watched as Tae-woo frowned slightly and took the towel they were holding, wiping his hands and face.

Then he crouched down again in front of So-won, bringing himself to eye level.

“Lee So-won, look at me.

I’m fine.”

Taking So-won’s hand, Tae-woo guided it to his own face.

Through the slightly rough skin, So-won felt warm heat and a familiar wavelength.

Ah… it’s real.

Tracing Tae-woo’s face with his fingers, So-won confirmed that he was unharmed.

When So-won’s touch landed on his face, Tae-woo closed his eyes, letting him examine freely.

Carefully, So-won checked him over bit by bit.

His wavelength was stable, and just as he said, there wasn’t a single injury.

He was exactly the same as before he’d departed for the gate.

Sensing that So-won’s trembling had stopped, Tae-woo slowly opened his eyes.

“Do you feel better now?”

“Yes… I’m sorry.

A bad memory came back…”

So-won staggered as he pushed himself upright.

His legs were still weak, but after confirming that Tae-woo was truly fine, he could stand again.

The moment So-won rose, Tae-woo grabbed his hand and hurriedly led him somewhere.

“T-Tae-woo?

Where are we going?”

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