Taming the Obsessive Attachment

“I don’t dislike this mansion, but if I think about living here for the rest of my life, I do feel a bit regretful. I want to move into a newly built house. Even if it’s not new, anywhere is fine—just not by the seaside.”

Yeah. Moving.

Leaving this place far behind for a new home.

More than keeping the secret of his regression, moving was the most crucial thing. He knew that in four years, a Gate would open right in the front yard of this house. He had to get away from here as soon as possible.

For Kwon Jae-jin to survive, changing houses was essential.

“Hmm.”

Seo Eui-woo slowly lowered his eyelids. His eyelashes, so long and fine they almost looked transparent, drooped like a delicate piece of craftsmanship.

For a moment, his breathing slowed, and the surrounding mist, weighed down by the pressure he exuded, sank heavily to the floor.

“Shall we? Should we move, then…?”

“Yes. The sooner we leave, the better.”

“But, Jae-jin… You changed the subject just now, didn’t you? Did you really not want to talk about the past that much?”

“The past? No, I must have missed it because I was lost in thought. Your voice didn’t even register in my ears.”

“…Well, alright.”

Seo Eui-woo let out a short chuckle, followed by a faint, murky sigh.

“Fine, if you don’t want to tell me, Jae-jin. I won’t dig any further into your past. Right now, I just want to do whatever makes you happy. I need to win your favor—a lot.”

“……”

“And, for some reason… I kind of want to figure it out on my own. Maybe it’s better if I don’t hear it.”

A hand, still covered in white foam, moved between his legs. Since Jae-jin’s upper body had already been washed, it was time to clean the lower half.

The touch was surprisingly careful.

As if afraid that Jae-jin might say it hurt again, Seo Eui-woo was paying extra attention. Or perhaps he had another reason entirely. His voice sounded slightly husky.

“You know… What if we build our new house from the ground up? I want to tailor everything—location, structure, interior, down to the door handles—to your exact preferences, Jae-jin.”

Seo Eui-woo slowly ran his hand over Jae-jin’s thigh again and again. His fingertips pressed softly into the folds of skin behind his knee, kneading gently.

“So that you’ll really like it. So much that you won’t know what to do with yourself…”

Kwon Jae-jin let Seo Eui-woo touch him as he pleased, but under the invisible water, his toes curled again.

“Hey, I just want to ask, just in case… You do know how to smile, right?”

“…I smile as much as anyone else. There’s just nothing to smile about right now.”

“Man, that’s tough. I, on the other hand, can’t stop smiling just from sitting still… Because I’m happy.”

“Nobody’s stopping you…”

“Jae-jin, I like you so much. It’s almost strange. I like you too much.”

“…Yeah, yeah…”

***

After finishing the bath, an unbearable wave of drowsiness hit.

Kwon Jae-jin, fumbling, slipped into a bathrobe and half-closed his eyes as he walked to the bedroom. Seo Eui-woo kept insisting that he’d carry him, but Jae-jin firmly refused. His whole body ached. He was going to die.

Jae-jin flopped onto the bed, and Seo Eui-woo, who had followed him, stood there watching with a smile. Wrapped tightly in his white bathrobe, Jae-jin looked like a baby swaddled in a blanket, but Seo Eui-woo kept that thought to himself, not wanting to get an earful.

“Jae-jin, are you asleep?”

“……”

“You’re sleeping now?”

Kwon Jae-jin didn’t respond. He didn’t have the energy to.

Seo Eui-woo chuckled softly, ruffling his damp hair. He paused for a moment, watching Jae-jin, then turned to open the bedside drawer.

Inside, sleeping pills and bottles of whiskey were haphazardly tangled together. Seo Eui-woo opened a bottle of pills, poured a handful into his palm, and swallowed them all in one go with tequila instead of water.

Jae-jin, through barely cracked eyes, saw it happen.

“…Spit it out.”

He mumbled. He had tried to enunciate properly, but he was too sleepy.

“What? You weren’t asleep?”

“That… Spit it out…”

“Huh?”

Seo Eui-woo, still holding the tequila bottle, lay down beside Jae-jin. He wasn’t wearing a bathrobe; instead, he had only a large towel wrapped around his waist.

“I already swallowed it, how am I supposed to spit it out? Look, ah—”

Seo Eui-woo opened his mouth wide to show that it was empty. Jae-jin frowned, clearly annoyed.

He had to put this bastard to sleep properly, make sure his insomnia was taken care of. But instead, this idiot was just downing pills and alcohol like it was nothing.

Jae-jin muttered something, his voice thick with drowsiness. Seo Eui-woo, unable to catch the words, leaned in closer.

“What? I can’t understand what you’re saying.”

“…People need to sleep…”

“Haha, are you sleep-talking? Or is this just whining for sleep?”

“…Sleep…”

“Alright, alright. I’ll put you to sleep, Jae-jin.”

Seo Eui-woo set the tequila bottle on the nightstand and pulled Kwon Jae-jin into his arms. His hand patted Jae-jin’s back in slow, steady motions—gentle, almost lulling.

This wasn’t right.

Kwon Jae-jin was supposed to be the one putting Seo Eui-woo to sleep.

It wasn’t supposed to be the other way around…

Ah…

In the end, Jae-jin succumbed to exhaustion, his breathing evening out. Seo Eui-woo chuckled quietly as he watched the defenseless expression on his face. He stared at him for a long moment, then slowly brushed the back of his hand over Jae-jin’s cheek.

Each time their skin touched, the pleasure from guiding spread soundlessly. His hand was still damp, but that didn’t completely block the effects of guiding. It felt good.

“Huu…”

Letting out a faint sigh, Seo Eui-woo tightened his hold on Jae-jin, pulling him flush against his body.

Their forms pressed together completely, and he slowly closed his eyes. Whether it was the sleeping pills taking effect, the proper guiding at work, or both, he felt like he could actually fall asleep.

The walls of insomnia that had stood firm for so many years were beginning to crumble.

His breathing gradually steadied, and his hyper-aware senses finally relaxed. Even his body, usually tense like a finely cut diamond sculpture, slackened bit by bit.

Entwined with Kwon Jae-jin, Seo Eui-woo felt a rising euphoria. His entire mind was humming with an unbearable intensity. But he had to endure it. He understood the weight of the life resting against his shoulder.

No matter what, he couldn’t lose control. He couldn’t allow a rampaging disaster to unfold.

Hiding a mutant guide who hadn’t gone through formal Awakening, let alone growing so dependent on that very mutation—this was something he never should have…

Something he wasn’t supposed to…

His consciousness blurred. Eventually, he drifted into sleep, all thoughts severed.

***

A few weeks passed.

If Kwon Jae-jin’s life had been a novel, there would probably be comments by now saying, “Author-nim! Please, for the love of God, feed Jae-jin properly! Why do you keep starving him?!”

To meet such imaginary expectations, Jae-jin piled his bowl high with steaming white rice.

The braised short ribs, freshly simmered and left to rest for a day, had become so tender that the bones slipped out with the slightest touch of chopsticks. The soy sauce marinade had seeped deep into the meat, making it slightly salty—but paired with the sticky, glutinous rice, it would be perfect.

For side dishes, he lightly cooked a rolled omelet with salted pollack roe, grilled buttered abalone, and decided that a warm soup would complete the meal. He scooped in two spoonfuls of soybean paste, added half a spoon of red pepper paste, and quickly made a simple stew.

To top it off, he arranged neatly sliced store-bought whole kimchi and green onion kimchi on the table.

With everything laid out, it was a feast fit for a king.

‘Even if it wasn’t second-life Seo Eui-woo but thirteenth-life Seo Eui-woo who showed up, this table would be cleared.’

With a look of determination, Kwon Jae-jin locked the dining room door. Just this once, he desperately wanted to eat in peace. It had been so long since he’d had a proper meal that he could barely remember the last time.

‘Thank you for the meal.’

Jae-jin picked up his spoon. He scooped up a heaping bite of rice and topped it with a generous piece of braised short rib. Letting the spoon lightly touch the rich, glossy sauce so that the rice absorbed just the right amount of flavor, he brought it to his mouth. The mouthwatering aroma made his salivary glands go wild. His hunger surged to an unbearable degree.

“Jae-jin! There you are.”

Ah, fucking hell.

Despite locking the door, the dining room burst open, and in walked Seo Eui-woo. Of course—unlocking things with telekinesis was nothing to him. His face was practically glowing with innocence as he approached, smiling radiantly.

“…….”

Jae-jin ignored him completely, pretending not to see, and shoved the spoonful of food into his mouth. Today, he refused to back down.

Food over Seo Eui-woo.

Food over guiding.

Today was about food!

With the determination of a ravenous hamster, Kwon Jae-jin stuffed his cheeks full of short ribs and chewed furiously. His jaw worked with fierce resolve, as if every bite was a battle against time—an effort to eat as much as possible before Seo Eui-woo could interfere.