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The problem isn’t how much it hurt. The problem is that Joo Yiwon is now licking at the spot he bit with his tongue. 

“A-Are you crazy?”

It’s not like he’s a dog, why is he licking a human? Is this why Chun Hui Lim calls him a crazy dog?

Gripping Jiho, who was horrified, Yiwon’s lips moved to the side. And before Jiho could stop him, Yiwon went in for another bite. 

“AH!”

Unable to bear it, Jiho instinctively cried out in pain. It really hurts. Does an SS-rank hunter’s bite force increase with their grip strength? Maybe that’s obvious since both have to do with the body….

“It, it hurts….”

Jiho could endure the first bite, but not the second. He didn’t want to cry, but it hurt so much that tears slipped from his eyes. Yet, despite Jiho’s cry, Yiwon didn’t take his lips off of him. Instead, he licked a long stripe up and kissed Jiho’s lips lightly as if to comfort him before biting him lightly. 

“I said it hurts!”

Jiho grabbed his inconsiderate childhood friend by the hair and yanked him off.

It really hurts, to the point of tears. But instead of showing conscience or regret, the bastard who bit him was shamelessly glaring at Jiho.

“That f*cker Chun Hui Lim hurt you.”

“…Do you have a spy in Heaven?”

Even though it hasn’t been that long since Jiho’s come out of the dungeon and that isn’t something they’d normally reveal, Yiwon already knows about it. That means someone from the raid team told him.

Yiwon neither confirmed nor denied and instead glared at Jiho’s neck.

“Why are you biting someone else’s neck?”

“Chun Hui Lim, that f*cker, grabbed you by the throat, put his arms around you, and even lifted you.”

“Well, a few… unsavory things did happen.”

“This is disinfection. I have to make the spots he touched clean.”

“Can’t you see me washing right now?”

“That’s not enough. How dare that bastard who doesn’t know his place grab you and lift you up….”

“…Don’t lift me.”

“…”

“Don’t lift me. You hear?”

Yiwon didn’t answer. This bastard… he must be plotting to lift him no matter what. Yiwon, who remained ominously silent while he stared obsessively at JIho, scowled as if anger was rising.

“I’m going to kill that f*cker.”

“Don’t kill him….”

“…”

“Don’t kill him, okay? Let’s solve things peacefully.”

Although he’s probably making a joke–it has to be a joke–Yiwon’s gaze looks too gloomy to think he’d end things at a conversation. Only after listening to Jiho’s soft whispers for a while did Yiwon slowly nod his head.

Unlike his fierce march to the bathroom, Yiwon, whose momentum has died down a lot, hesitantly pulled back. 

“Come out when you’re done.”

“Okay…. You should hurry up and change too.”

“Eung.”

Yiwon’s coat, which usually looks sleek, had become a mess from the water. Unlike his obedient-sounding answer, Yiwon stayed sat and glared at a corner of the floor. Wondering if there was something there, Jiho turned his head, but Yiwon abruptly got up and left the room.

“What was that? So confusing….”

The spot Yiwon glared at had nothing but bathroom tiles. Jiho stared at the tiles for a long time in case he missed something, but he couldn’t find anything.

This isn’t the time to be absorbed in the bathroom tiles. Worried that Yiwon might do something extreme after leaving like that, Jiho ended his bath earlier than he had planned and came out.

Thankfully, Yiwon was quietly sitting on the sofa after changing into comfortable clothes. His anger, which had appeared to have reached the boiling point earlier, seems to have cooled as well, as he had a tranquil look on his face.

“Have you cooled down a bit?”

“…”

Yiwon didn’t say anything, instead pulling Jiho, who was standing in front of him, close.

“I don’t like it….”

“I didn’t like that person either. But I still got one punch in.”

“Eung, I heard. Good job, Honey. Chun Hui Lim is pretty strong….”

“R-really?”

Jiho thought Yiwon was going to say that Chun Hui Lim isn’t much. Yiwon nodded before gravely mumbling. 

“Eung. Next time, let’s kill him.”

“…Don’t kill him.”

“How should we kill him?”

“I said don’t kill him.”

“I can’t let him die an easy death.”

“You shouldn’t kill people.”

“I’ll let him live so that he dies a painful death.”

“Are you trying to shoot a gorey movie….”

Yiwon continued to devise a murder plan as if his ear automatically filtered out anything stopping him from killing.

“Hey, Joo Yiwon….”

“About Lim Seung Joo.”

“Huh?”

Yiwon suddenly changed the subject. When Jiho’s eyes widened at the unexpected subject, Yiwon gently smiled before whispering.

“Would you let me borrow him?”

“Borrow him? But Lim Seung Joo is….”

No Name’s main combative force, so he can’t be leaked. Noticing Jiho’s inner conflict, Yiwon shook his head.

“Ah, I’m not trying to take him to a dungeon. I was just thinking of teaching him a couple of things.”

“Really?”

Joo Yiwon rarely teaches anyone other than Shin Jiho. Maybe a few pieces of advice when he walks by the training room? He’s never purposefully pulled someone out to teach them. 

But now he’s going to teach Lim Seung Joo, who’s from another guild. This is a really good chance. And Lim Seung Joo, who wants to get stronger, will definitely agree. 

“If you’re offering, then of course I’m grateful. I’ll have to ask him first, but….”

“If I say I’m going to teach him, he should be prostrating himself before me in gratitude, why ask for his opinion?”

Yiwon spoke extremely arrogantly. Though he’s not wrong, his confidence is a bit too brazen.

Still, it’s a relief he isn’t so overbearing to Jiho. Of course, he does have a tendency to do whatever he wants and order people around when it comes to hunters, but….

“…”

Jiho suddenly remembered the vision he saw a few hours ago of the high schooler Joo Yiwon. The friend from the vision overlapped with the friend in front of him.

Both are the same person, but…. They’re way too different. Like the person switched. Naturally, people change over time and if they’ve gone through a lot, but what happened to Yiwon?

“What are you thinking?”

“I saw a vision.”

Jiho instinctively answered. Seeing Yiwon’s black eyes urging him to explain, Jiho spoke.

“It was when we were in high school…. I was unconscious, and you were apologizing to me. Crying.”

“Really?”

“…Really.”

“I was crying?”

“Yeah, you were sobbing.”

Yiwon laughed like he heard a joke.

Thinking that Yiwon would be shaken if that memory was real, Jiho stared at him, but neither his eyes nor his expression showed any signs of surprise. 

He knew that cat was speaking nonsense.

Although the cat told him that it would come to find him or something, Jiho can’t just trust the words of something he doesn’t know and wait. He should track it.

“Jiho-ya?”

“Yeah.”

“Focus on me when you’re with me. Don’t think about weird things.”

Before Jiho could reply, Yiwon forcefully pulled Jiho. Jiho and Yiwon’s bodies fell back. Jiho ended up sprawled over Yiwon, whose body lay on the sofa. 

Jiho struggled for a second, but Yiwon didn’t let him go. Fatigued from his four-day fight, Jiho quickly gave up. Plus, even though this body, which is much larger than his, isn’t as good as his bed, it’s not too bad to lie on.

As Jiho obediently settled down, Yiwon softly patted his back as though he was coaxing a child.

“Don’t associate with Heaven Guild next time.”

“Eung, I wasn’t planning to do that a second time either.”

Both Chun Hui Seong and Chun Hui Lim are the type to exhaust others. Half of the exhaustion Jiho feels right now probably comes from them. While this time was to probe them, Jiho refuses to do it twice.

“I don’t like you going around with other people….”

Yiwon grumbled as he hugged Jiho even tighter. Finding it slightly hard to breathe, Jiho’s body meshed with Yiwon’s.

Jiho wondered why he was like this, but he didn’t say much and stayed in Yiwon’s arms. The pressure was just right, so it felt like he was receiving a refreshing massage. Jiho stayed in that position for a bit before carefully speaking.

“Hey, Joo Yiwon.”

“Hm?”

“Wait a bit. I’ll catch up to you soon so we can go into dungeons together.”

Ah, Jiho remembers he’s said this many times before.

‘Hey, Joo Yiwon. Next time, I’m going to win.’

‘I said you can’t beat me.’

Whenever Jiho said this out of anger, Joo Yiwon would only tease him more. Though it really annoyed him, he’s never beaten Joo Yiwon before.

Still, at least Yiwon was at a place he could reach back then. While Jiho lost to him in grades, he still got into the same university as Yiwon, so they attended it together.

Unlike the past, the distance between them is too wide now.

However, Jiho’s goal has always been the same.

Rather than fall behind or be protected by Joo Yiwon, he wants to stand next to him. Jiho wants to be with him forever as his closest friend and precious family.

Thankfully, the expansive gap is closing. One step at a time. Though it’ll take some time, one day, Jiho will catch up to him.

Having heard Jiho’s resolve, Yiwon chuckled.

“Eung, I’ll be waiting for you.”

His reply was warm, a stark contrast from when they were young.

But unlike the strange anxiety he felt from the vision of Joo Yiwon, Jiho was comforted by the warmth emanating from the body under his and gently closed his eyes.

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LaZ Bird Corner

Tell me this is not couple behavior. I don’t believe it. Jiho moved on from being bitten way too quickly.

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