***
“I said I’ll take responsibility, didn’t I? What’s the reason for refusing?”
Kwang! Due to the glaciers mercilessly hammering down, the training hall transformed into a wasteland.
“Hyung’s eyes aren’t normal!”
Yeo Dowoon, who was fiercely chasing Yoon Minoh while repeating the same question, let out an empty laugh at the same answer that kept coming back. Not normal so he doesn’t want to. What a discriminatory standard that was.
There was one more question he wanted to return.
“Were you ever normal?”
Yoon Minoh clenched his teeth hard, unable to find grounds to refute. It was because he himself deeply realized there wasn’t even a speck of time when he had been normal.
Kwang, kwaaaang! Yoon Minoh, who had been dodging glaciers here and there, gasped for breath and retorted.
“Then can you show me your butt?”
When Yeo Dowoon was at a loss for words, he reddened both cheeks as if shy. Though he couldn’t be certain what terrible imagination he was having, Yeo Dowoon felt chilling goosebumps crawl up from his spine.
“If you’ll allow me to have hyung…”
“Shut up, you bastard.”
Yeo Dowoon carved large blades that ruffians from early Joseon period would have favored with ice and swung them indiscriminately. Yoon Minoh shouted, thinking his limbs might get severed if he wasn’t careful.
“If you won’t even show me your butt, what responsibility are you talking about!”
Yeo Dowoon didn’t even feel motivated to correct how exposing precious body parts became part of taking responsibility. The longer time spent confronting Yoon Minoh, the more his exhaustion grew in size.
Yeo Dowoon made a decision.
No matter how he looked at it, Yoon Minoh wasn’t a human figure that persuasion would work on. So it seemed faster to bind his entire body like when he captured him to the Esper base and then obtain a definite agreement.
“Ah, ahhh! Hyung, wait! Ahheuk!”
Yoon Minoh boldly crossed the training hall while consistently maintaining lascivious moans.
Yeo Dowoon, who had slammed down ice chunks two or three times thinking he was doing it on purpose, stopped his attack altogether when he realized Yoon Minoh was enjoying it.
“Haah, ha… What? Are you tired already?”
Yoon Minoh’s vision was gradually blurring from the thrilling sensation that heated up the soles of his feet. Even though he was in the position of prey busy being chased by a predator, the corners of his mouth rose without knowing the heights of the sky.
“It’s foul play if the person who talked about responsibility raises the white flag first.”
Yeo Dowoon recalled a gray beast resembling Yoon Minoh.
The overall facial features and style were similar to a fennec fox, but looking at just his reckless temperament, he could ruminate on a word consisting of three syllables.
‘Rhinoceros.’
A heavy animal preparing for battle by digging up dirt with its front feet.
Yeo Dowoon suddenly faced a difficulty.
Could he really succeed in communicating with Yoon Minoh using human language? Rather, a rhinoceros seemed like it would have higher learning ability—wasn’t he expecting too much?
“Sunbae-nim?”
Yeo Dowoon, who had fallen into self-reflection, drew a new conclusion. Having resolved to take responsibility for Yoon Minoh, there was no need to feel uncomfortable about minor factors. What importance would human exchange and respect have?
“Ahhhhh…!”
Yoon Minoh screamed from the headache that came like when gulping down cold drinks. Since it was pain about seven times that, it was worth rolling around on the training hall floor.
Yeo Dowoon approached Yoon Minoh who was lying curled up with his knees pulled in. Perhaps due to the bone-penetrating cold, Yoon Minoh had a bluish complexion and lips.
“My specialty is freezing.”
It was an attack he’d put off as a last resort knowing it would be very painful. Since it was a cold syndrome even he had experienced countless times, Yeo Dowoon stroked Yoon Minoh’s nape as if empathizing.
“I freeze people well too.”
“Heu, ah…”
“So I freeze sometimes too.”
Yeo Dowoon covered Yoon Minoh’s finely trembling eyelids with his hand like a lid. He planted a spark in his body and sharply raised his body temperature. Yoon Minoh shivered and licked Yeo Dowoon’s palm.
“Hyung…”
While writhing his limbs as if performing a pitiful dance.
Yeo Dowoon didn’t answer with a yes. He just carefully looked around to see if any abnormal reaction he couldn’t predict was occurring. Yoon Minoh’s voice slowed down.
“I’m cold…, hyung.”
He breathed off-beat, relying only on Yeo Dowoon’s palm.
His upper body rose steeply and descended. Yeo Dowoon suddenly swept his forehead, back of his neck, and collarbone in order. Yoon Minoh craved his heat and rustled.
Yeo Dowoon spoke with his voice reduced to nearly nothing.
“There’s only one way for both you and me to benefit.”
Clearly Yoon Minoh had requested him to proceed with the <Liberation> project together.
Yeo Dowoon was planning to accept that proposal. Since Tartaros’s intentions weren’t his problem to gauge, he just needed to refine his own purpose.
“Since it’s not a matter to discuss here, let’s meet at the dormitory back gate around eleven at night.”
“……”
“I’ll come pick you up.”
There were two goals to accomplish.
Rescuing the personnel who fell into the base’s hands among Demeter’s Espers who had scattered, and using Yoon Minoh as a safety device after the project ended to prepare.
“By the way, I’m not asking a favor. I’m not good at that.”
Of course, he wasn’t trying to manipulate his entire life either.
He just wanted to put in place as insurance someone with the ability to handle the situation in place of Cha Haseong when he went berserk for some reason.
That way, there would be no need to join Tartaros and receive help from the cognition-type.
“Clearly engrave the sensation coming up now.”
“Fuck…, I got it…”
So when exposed to cold exceeding the limit, cold sweat drips out too.
Yoon Minoh obtained his own harvest and put his tongue on Yeo Dowoon’s palm.
The warm skin felt more appetizing than delicacies. Since he looked like he’d faint soon anyway, Yeo Dowoon considered his palm donated and endured the wetness.
“Hand…, more…, bring it closer.”
The gesture of stealing between the fingers with his sharply raised tongue was pitiful yet pathetic.
But it stopped at sentiment; he didn’t come to pity him. Yoon Minoh groaned and opened his lips. His wide tongue swept and licked the back of his hand.
“Haah…, sunbae-nim.”
Yoon Minoh, who let out a long breath as if exhausted, blinked and looked up at Yeo Dowoon.
“Next time, I’ll… suck one of the two below too.”
Even while fainting he had energy left to throw out nonsense—his fighting spirit was impressive. Yeo Dowoon inserted his hand under his back to shoulder the limp Yoon Minoh who had lost strength with a thud.
Though it might be hard to lift him in one go since his build was exceptional, he’d delivered monster corpses before so this much shouldn’t be bad.
But as soon as he bent his upper body, his nape was grabbed and he was tilted backward.
“…Are you crazy?”
It was a voice worse than a thunderbolt. His heart sank.
Someone who grabbed the collar near the back of his neck pushed him aside and checked on Yoon Minoh. A familiar perfume smell filled his sense of smell completely. The filled fragrance reminded him of tree roots and a bookstore.
“Dowoon-ssi too, really, pulls all kinds of shit.”
Creak creak. His head moved like old hinges turning. Yeo Dowoon received back the sentence he had put in his mouth without a single letter missing. A high horn sounded in his head.
The color wasn’t bright yellow or bright red. Just bright blue and chilling like Cha Haseong.
***
He’d caused a major accident. Though it was an intended result, to someone who didn’t know the circumstances it was nothing but a spontaneous territorial dispute.
When a new Esper entered the base, large and small disturbances were bound to occur in the assigned team.
It could be to strengthen internal discipline, or because of hierarchy sorting among vigorous young men. The reasons were various and diverse to that extent.
But it was certain that it was a situation where even specifically making excuses wouldn’t save face.
“…Want some water?”
Thud. Yeo Dowoon, who had been doing a handstand for over five hours, finally lowered his legs only after hearing the beep of the alarm.
When Cha Uihyeon, who had been watching for timing, approached and offered bottled water, he bowed his head slightly to express thanks. Sweat drops fell patter patter. Yeo Dowoon, who quickly emptied half the water bottle with gulps, asked.
“Is training over?”
It was a hoarse voice like someone who had just woken from sleep. Perhaps because his neck was numb and his spine ached, he couldn’t straighten his body properly.
Cha Uihyeon answered while gently massaging his waist and pelvis. Yeo Dowoon didn’t push him away either.
“About twenty minutes ago. We didn’t really have training either, just kept going through the basic routine.”
“What about the operation?”
“He didn’t explain. Just cursed the whole time.”
Kwon Jeonghoo, who entered with the Guides, showed extreme anger that Yeo Dowoon and Yoon Minoh had caused a disturbance.
Yoon Minoh had fainted with a thud so he wouldn’t know, but from when Cha Haseong ran to check his condition until Kwon Jeonghoo dragged Yeo Dowoon out, it hadn’t even taken 5 minutes.
Yeo Dowoon followed along shuffling like a stuffed doll with a broken string.
“Don’t worry. The Captain doesn’t hold grudges. He’ll be fine by tomorrow.”
Cha Uihyeon consoled him with a grin. Yeo Dowoon swept back all his sweat-soaked front hair.
“I know.”
It was an unexpectedly nonchalant reaction.
“I’m glad you seem okay too. I was worried what would happen if you collapsed.”
Thanks to that, Cha Uihyeon could let out a sigh of relief. He who had been worried about Yeo Dowoon doing a handstand in the corner and couldn’t concentrate cleanly on training either.
