Taming the Obsessive Attachment

What kind of emergency summons did he receive that made him leave? Seo Eui-woo hadn’t returned home for six days.

It seemed he had been assigned to a long-term mission. In the first timeline, he had also occasionally been away from home for extended periods, but Jae-jin couldn’t remember if it had been around this time.

Kwon Jae-jin lay alone on the stark white bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Through the wide glass ceiling, the irritatingly handsome face of Seo Eui-woo floated into his mind, appearing hazy yet persistent.

Was he going insane?

Jae-jin yanked the blanket over his head. It was a pointless escape. Even with his eyes closed, Seo Eui-woo still lingered in his thoughts. Even in sleep, he dreamed of him.

That bastard didn’t come back for six whole days after what happened.

Was it because the future had changed?

Anxiety gnawed at him. The thought that Seo Eui-woo might die during his mission crept in. Had he ever been sent on such a long assignment in the first timeline? Had he come back unscathed? What had happened? Jae-jin couldn’t remember any of it clearly. Trying to recall his past life was useless, and that only made his nerves worse.

The future Kwon Jae-jin once knew was now worthless.

It had been completely derailed.

Seo Eui-woo had even gone as far as trying to erase his memories, so it wouldn’t be surprising if something else unexpected happened. If Seo Eui-woo died, if he was gravely injured, or even worse…

Fuck it…

Worrying about Seo Eui-woo not returning was one thing, but worrying about him returning was another.

What if that bastard tries to erase my memories again?

Judging by Seo Eui-woo’s personality, he definitely would. Unless something completely unpredictable happened, he would be relentless. Jae-jin curled up under the blanket before suddenly slamming his fist against the mattress. He grabbed a pillow, threw it across the room, then got out of bed.

What the hell… what am I supposed to do? Forget about Seo Eui-woo? Should I just erase everything, once and for all?

If the memories of the first timeline’s Seo Eui-woo disappeared, then everything tied to him from that life would vanish too.

Four years, gone. Completely wiped away.

If that happened, Kwon Jae-jin wouldn’t even know he had regressed. It would be as if this life were his first, as if meeting Seo Eui-woo had never happened before—everything would reset.

Maybe then… maybe I could finally go back.

If Kwon Jae-jin forgot the Seo Eui-woo of the first life, he would undoubtedly fight against guiding with every ounce of resistance.

With only his life as a normal person remaining, he would come to despise and loathe Seo Eui-woo with everything he had. He wouldn’t just refuse guiding—he would do everything in his power to escape this house, raising all kinds of hell in the process.

He would fight Seo Eui-woo, steal his gun and fire at him, hide away with his cherished kitchen knife to secretly mutilate himself, only to be relentlessly healed by the bastard’s healing factor and restrained in cuffs.

If I go through all that insanity again, won’t the Seo Eui-woo of the second life end up like the one from the first? The Seo Eui-woo who regretted, who repented. My lover. The Seo Eui-woo I knew, the one I accepted… Won’t he come back to me?

If the only way to return to Seo Eui-woo was for Jae-jin to forget him first, then perhaps erasing his memories was an option worth considering.

The idea was absurd, irrational, completely contradictory—but at the same time, wasn’t it strangely… reasonable?

I’m fucking insane.

No, I’ve lost it.

Well, after spending four years with that lunatic Seo Eui-woo, was it any surprise his madness had rubbed off?

This was all Seo Eui-woo’s fault.

Seo Eui-woo had made him like this.

Jae-jin staggered toward the kitchen, his steps unsteady. As he moved down the hallway, he lashed out—kicking the walls, punching them—taking out his frustration on the empty space around him.

Upon reaching the kitchen, he retrieved his cherished kitchen knife, gripping it tightly in one hand, then descended into the wine cellar.

The dim lighting cast a soft glow over the spacious walls, where rows upon rows of expensive liquors were neatly displayed.

Every kind of strong alcohol imaginable was there—vodka, martini, whiskey, brandy, rum, tequila…

Jae-jin ran the tip of his knife along the displayed bottles, tapping them idly as he walked from one end of the shelf to the other.

Eventually, he grabbed the first transparent bottle of tequila that caught his eye, twisted off the cap, and took a long swig straight from the bottle. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

Son of a bitch. Seo Eui-woo, you fucking bastard.

To think that, in both the first and second lives,, Seo Eui-woo could break and torment him like this.

That man was truly something else.

Jae-jin poured more liquor down his throat on an empty stomach, then grabbed a beautifully crafted crystal bottle of whiskey and a vintage wine from the year he was born. With the bottles tucked under his arm, he left the cellar, took the elevator up to the second-floor study, then changed course toward the exhibition room.

As the name suggested, it was an art gallery.

Seo Eui-woo’s collection of paintings was displayed here.

All of them were said to be originals.

Manet’s original. Degas’ original. Géricault’s original.

Jae-jin had no eye for art and no interest in it, so no matter what masterpiece he looked at, all he could think was: Seo Eui-woo looks better. That bastard’s face is more pleasant to look at.

But sometimes, when he was alone, he would come into this room.

Because the people in the paintings made it feel like he wasn’t alone.

Having spent his whole life as just another face in the crowd, Jae-jin felt comfortable in groups.

Of course, back in the Sixth Residential District, he had been something of an alpha male himself. Even among the working class, he had a naturally strong build and never neglected his training—there was no way he wouldn’t stand out.

But after spending four years with someone as exceptional as Seo Eui-woo, he had no choice but to realize his own relative mediocrity.

Being ordinary wasn’t a bad thing. It wasn’t something inferior.

It was simply the identity he couldn’t let go of.

Even though he had inevitably become Seo Eui-woo’s guide, he couldn’t just abandon the years he had lived as a regular person.

A mutation. A half-breed. A marked target for execution.

He stood at the heart of all that instability and danger, clinging to a fractured identity that belonged neither here nor there.

So… I’m not the one who’s wrong.

Jae-jin’s desires had always been justified.

The desire to avoid the Gate and survive.

The desire to maintain his relationship with Seo Eui-woo.

The desire to hold onto his memories.

The desire to erase his memories and return to how things were.

His desires were contradictory and conflicted with each other, yet none of them could be called wrong.

Kwon Jae-jin genuinely wanted it all.

He had the right to grasp and claim everything he desired.

I have to decide.

Which path to take. What future to shape. He had to weigh Seo Eui-woo against Seo Eui-woo on the scales.

Should he hold onto his memories and keep the Seo Eui-woo of the first life? Or should he relinquish them and gain the Seo Eui-woo of the second? Was it a battle of sacrificing the past to obtain the future, or giving up the future to preserve the past?

If it were Seo Eui-woo… what would he do?

If Kwon Jae-jin were split into two, and Seo Eui-woo had to choose one of them, what would he…

…

Jae-jin took another swig of liquor.

He uncorked the whiskey and wine he had brought, switching between different alcohols and mixing them as he drank.

He could normally hold his liquor well, but drinking straight from the bottle like this would get even the heaviest drinker wasted. His arms, legs, shoulders, and knees flushed red-hot.

Seo Eui-woo.

His tongue twisted as he muttered under his breath.

“That bastard… he’s such a fucking big shot… even if I split in two… he’d find a way to put me back together.”

Who knew?

Maybe there was an ability that could overturn regression itself. Maybe there was a power that transcended time. Who could say for sure?

What mattered was this—Seo Eui-woo wouldn’t have given up on either version of Kwon Jae-jin.

That obsessive, possessive lunatic would never let go so easily. If he were the type to just relinquish something, Jae-jin would have escaped from him long ago and be sailing the Caribbean on a goddamn yacht.

“Fuck… then I won’t give up either, you son of a bitch.”

The Seo Eui-woo from the first life, the Seo Eui-woo from the second—they were both his.

He wouldn’t let go of either of them.

Kwon Jae-jin would take them both.

He would take everything.

My memories, my future, my life, Seo Eui-woo.

And on top of that—

Double down.

The life of a normal person, the life of a guide, the life of a mutant. They’re all mine.

***

The sharp scent of gasoline burned his nose.

Seo Eui-woo had crushed a sixty-million-won Ducati Panigale V4 SP into a basketball-sized hunk of metal.

And along with that totaled bike had come a little bonus—gasoline.

An extra. A throw-in. Not the main dish, just a side dish. Not the lead, just a supporting role.

Who would’ve thought that some unnoticed, insignificant add-on would become Kwon Jae-jin’s most reliable ally at this moment?

Life really was unpredictable like that.

The stench of gas is strong.

Jae-jin strolled leisurely through the living room, carrying the open gas canister.

He walked around, tilting it just enough to let the fuel spill freely, emptying the entire container as he went.

The sofa, the carpet, the curtains, the floor, the TV—everything got doused in gasoline. When there was nothing left, he even flipped the container upside down, making sure not to waste a single drop.

Just in case, he grabbed the half-empty tequila bottle and poured that over the mess too.

In the first life, he had to smash every last one of Seo Eui-woo’s precious liquor bottles, one by one, just to get enough fuel for arson. But in the second life, it was so much easier to set everything on fire.

Kidnapping and imprisonment experience—some things just didn’t fade with time.

Well… knowing exactly what’s going to happen takes away some of the fun.

Reeking of alcohol and gasoline, Jae-jin flicked on the torch.

His fingertips were still flushed red from the booze, but he didn’t hesitate.

As flames erupted and spread through the living room, he stepped back, crossing his arms, watching with perfect ease.