Taming the Obsessive Attachment

A sudden illusion swept through the bedroom, as if a violent storm had just blown in.

Seo Eui-woo stood rigid, staring down at Kwon Jae-jin with a hardened expression. Their eyes met—black irises locking onto his with unwavering intensity—before his face slowly twisted. His thick eyebrows arched sharply, and the muscles beneath his jaw tightened into hard angles.

“…Me?”

Seo Eui-woo’s voice came out in a low, sinking tone, dragging across the floor like a blade.

“You’re saying I dated you…? And what, in the future…?”

His gray eyes were clouded with doubt. And of course, they would be. Even to Kwon Jae-jin, talk of the future sounded utterly ridiculous. Especially when he was saying it while handcuffed. It was only natural that Eui-woo would think he was making up excuses to escape the situation.

“Yes, Seo Eui-woo. You asked me out. And after thinking it over, I accepted.”

“And you expect me to believe that kind of absurd bullshit? Do you take me for some… idiot?”

Seo Eui-woo’s frown deepened, his gaze turning razor-sharp with coldness.

Of course. He wasn’t going to believe it.

Kwon Jae-jin let out a heavy, murky sigh. With a bitter smile, he murmured slowly,

“…I’m not lying. I know things about you that you’ve never told anyone. Back when we lived together at the Center’s training facility, you struggled every night because you couldn’t sleep. Isn’t that right?”

“That’s the kind of thing anyone could guess from context.”

“The three-tiered bunk beds that felt like cages. You were too big for them, barely able to move. You couldn’t turn on the lights or toss and turn because it would disturb your teammates. Every night, you were trapped in that pitch-black darkness, and it felt like torture. You told me that yourself.”

“…”

“This house has three elevators. One for passengers, one for freight, and one for emergencies. Do you really think I set that fire without a plan? I knew the sprinklers would go off and that the emergency elevator would activate. And I also know the combination to the safe in your study.”

Before setting the fire, Jae-jin had stopped by the second-floor study while carrying a bottle of alcohol. Just in case, he had tested the safe, and sure enough, the code he remembered had worked perfectly.

“0807. That’s the date you officially completed your Awakener training and were assigned your first mission, isn’t it? That’s what you told me.”

Kwon Jae-jin blinked dully, his vision hazy with exhaustion.

His body was freezing, shivering, dizzy. His stomach burned from drinking strong alcohol on an empty stomach, his head pounded from the hangover, and dark bruises ringed his wrists where the handcuffs dug into his skin.

Unable to hide his fatigue any longer, Jae-jin whispered in a voice of surrender.

“From one to ten, everything—I mean everything—was told to me by you, Seo Eui-woo. The weirdly placed mole, whether it’s in my armpit or wherever, the fact that I have thirty teeth because of my wisdom teeth situation, the nonsense about my body being soft, about my mouth being like a baby’s… Who else but you would say crap like that? No one else has ever said things like that to me.”

“So… you’re saying it was really me?”

Seo Eui-woo asked doubtfully, still not entirely convinced. His expression wavered, but he remained skeptical. Kwon Jae-jin gave a grim nod.

“Yes. It was you, Seo Eui-woo. You.”

“Jae-jin… You and I… we were really dating?”

“Yes. Four years from now.”

“Then… does that mean you ended up liking me?”

“…Yes. Four years from now.”

“And right now?”

“…”

“Right now, do you like me?”

“…”

Kwon Jae-jin shook his arms as if trying to avoid answering. The chains of the handcuffs rattled, a sharp metallic clatter filling the tense air.

“More importantly, could you let me out of these first? My arms hurt… it’s uncomfortable… and honestly, it’s starting to really piss me off…”

“Answer me first. I’m not ready to believe you yet, Kwon Jae-jin.”

“…Stop being so pushy. I’m not in the mood to answer that kind of question. Not after you shoved something weird up my dick.”

“And you set my house on fire and tried to jump off the roof, didn’t you? Ha… Just thinking about it makes my stomach churn. What the hell were you thinking? Why did you do it?”

“…”

“It doesn’t make sense. If you were my lover, you wouldn’t have any reason to commit arson or try to kill yourself. So why?”

“…My memories.”

Kwon Jae-jin’s lips parted slightly. He hesitated, unsure of what to say.

He was terrified of losing his memories. And even more than that, he was terrified of losing Seo Eui-woo. He didn’t want the future to change—but here he was, trapped in a reality where he had no choice but to accept that it already had. It was too much to explain in just a few words.

“I was scared I’d forget. And I thought… I had to settle things somehow. I got drunk, and in the heat of the moment…”

“What?”

“I know it’s hard to believe. But what can I do? It’s the truth.”

“…”

“Believe me, Seo Eui-woo. Not as a favor. Not as pity.”

“…”

“Just believe me.”

Seo Eui-woo lowered his long, delicate lashes and slowly reached out. His fingers traced the silver chain, connected to the bolt embedded in the wall, gliding down to the handcuffs at the end. He ran his touch along the cold metal before pausing, gaze settling on the reddened, bruised marks encircling Jae-jin’s wrists. His expression was unreadable as he lifted his head to look at Jae-jin, who was still struggling to endure.

“Then… give me permission.”

For what?

“Your memories.”

I won’t erase them. Just confirm them.

Seo Eui-woo smiled—a soft, languid curve of his lips.

His clear, unblemished face was horrifyingly beautiful. His features were like a perfectly symmetrical masterpiece, sculpted with impossible precision. And those gray eyes, swirling with an overwhelming presence, held both power and omnipotence.

Something beyond defiance. Something that evoked fear and reverence alike.

He was the strongest being humanity had ever known.

Jae-jin understood this. Even now, in this very moment, Seo Eui-woo was showing him mercy.

From the beginning, Seo Eui-woo had the power to bind him, control him, and utterly dominate him. If he had wanted, he could have erased Jae-jin’s memories long ago and turned him into nothing more than a tool.

He could have scraped Jae-jin’s mind clean, leaving him as a blank slate—an infant with no recollection of who he was. And in that state, Jae-jin would have become nothing more than a puppet, existing only to offer his guidance, obeying Eui-woo’s every command like a slave.

Seo Eui-woo had the power to drag Jae-jin into the depths of an abyss, to shatter him beyond recognition.

And yet, he hadn’t.

In truth, his entire life had been that way.

He possessed such overwhelming strength—held such terrifying authority within his singular existence—yet he still chose to suppress it.

Why?

Why hadn’t he ever unleashed it, let it explode without mercy?

Why had he endured the agony of his own imbalance alone, fought and bled for humanity in places no one even knew about?

Jae-jin had thought Seo Eui-woo was an unnatural, monstrous force—something completely detached from humanity. A being utterly devoid of empathy.

But maybe… that wasn’t true.

Maybe, in reality, Seo Eui-woo was more rational, more human, than anyone else.

Because if it had been Jae-jin in his place—he wouldn’t have held back. He would have lost his temper long ago and destroyed everything in sight.

“…Fine. Do it.”

Jae-jin exhaled the words with a mix of resignation and something else—something softer, almost pitying.

“If you’re only reading my memories, then I don’t care. Go ahead.”

“Are you sure? What if I’m lying to you?”

Jae-jin felt a weight lift from his chest now that he had confessed everything, but Seo Eui-woo still hadn’t let go of his suspicions. Even as he looked at Jae-jin with a visibly eased expression, his eyes remained sharp—analyzing, measuring, doubting.

It was… sad, in a way.

“Yeah, I know.”

“I could say I’m only reading your memories, but in truth, I might just dig through your entire mind and leave you empty.”

“Are you trying to scare me? Not like I have many options right now, anyway. And I can’t exactly ask you to trust me on just my words alone, can I?”

“…”

“I’ll trust you first. I’ll give you my memories. So look, confirm them for yourself, and then—”

Jae-jin took a breath.

“Then, trust me too.”

“…”

“What are you waiting for? Hurry up and dig into my damn head already. My arms hurt, I’m freezing, and—fuck—I’d really like to get this thing out of my dick now…”

Seo Eui-woo’s gray eyes widened—just barely, but enough.

He clearly hadn’t expected Jae-jin to give up his memories so easily. He had assumed it was just another desperate attempt to buy time with shallow lies. But if Jae-jin was telling him to go ahead and look for himself, then…

“That means… it’s real.”

“For fuck’s sake, I’ve been saying that from the start.”

“You really came back from the future?”

Seo Eui-woo lifted a hand, fingers pressing lightly against his chin. He was beginning to accept the weight of Jae-jin’s unwavering conviction.

And then—

“Ah.”

A soft pink flush spread across Seo Eui-woo’s pale, pristine face.

His fingers trembled slightly as he covered his mouth, head ducking as though embarrassed. Between the loose strands of his black curls, the tip of his ear—fully regrown, restored to its original shape—was tinged with color.

“I-I see. Kwon Jae-jin, you’re seriously weird. How the hell does something like this even happen?”

“Beats me. But from where I’m standing, you moving objects without touching them, teleporting, all that crazy esper shit—you and me coming back in time don’t seem all that different. Looks about the same to me.”

“Ah…”

“So, the memories? When exactly are you planning to read them?”

“Wait, hold on—I need a second. I can’t do it while I’m all worked up… It’s dangerous…”

Seo Eui-woo took a deep breath, steadying himself.