Chapter 397

At the warm body heat covering the back of his hand, Cha Seohu’s pale fingertips trembled faintly.

That warmth, and the gentle continuation of those words, slowly made his cheeks grow hot.

“That.......”

Blinking blankly, Cha Seohu parted his lips several times before finally managing to speak.

“So, I.......”

He tried to say something, only to fall silent before he could continue.

Inevitably, what happened last time came back to him.

The unidentified Rift he had entered for the first time. The “Ryu Sunghyun” he met inside it.

After killing “Ryu Sunghyun” and escaping from the Rift, he had spoken with the real Ryu Sunghyun alone like this as well.

[Couldn’t you look at me... instead of “Ryu Sunghyun” anymore?]

Ryu Sunghyun had definitely said that back then.

[Does the expression “created” sound excessive? But I don’t think there’s any phrase that explains me more perfectly than that.]

A gentle voice. A faint smile.

[Don’t turn away from my sincerity, Hunter Cha Seohu.]

A careful plea that lodged itself in his chest without hurting him.

Ryu Sunghyun had always been like this. Before the regression, and now as well. That was why it was even harder for Cha Seohu to avoid the hand reaching out to him.

No, more precisely, the problem was that part of him did not want to avoid it.

“.......”

Swallowing dryly, Cha Seohu slowly raised the gaze he had lowered in retreat.

Ryu Sunghyun was quietly waiting for him. That behavior made another part of his chest tighten painfully.

In the end, Cha Seohu gave up trying to evade him and smiled bitterly.

“To be honest, Vice-Guildmaster, you know you’re stubborn too, right?”

At the joking remark, Ryu Sunghyun’s lips curved upward as well.

“I know. I think it’s my only good trait.”

“I can’t even deny that as a joke.”

Letting out a small laugh, Cha Seohu fell silent for a moment with a bitter expression before speaking again.

“...I’m sorry, Vice-Guildmaster. I can’t give you an answer. Just like back then.”

Ryu Sunghyun’s smile did not disappear. Instead, his hand moved.

Slowly stroking the back of Cha Seohu’s hand with his thumb while still holding it, Ryu Sunghyun asked calmly,

“Because you have something you need to do?”

“I don’t want to do it either, but apparently there’s no one else who can.”

Cha Seohu’s voice carried equal parts humor and sincerity.

Because it was a real lament wrapped in the shape of a joke. The fact that he did not want to do it, and the fact that there was no one else who could, were both true.

Ryu Sunghyun seemed to know that as well. Stroking the back of his hand once more, he spoke.

“Hunter Cha Seohu. That’s not what I meant when I said I couldn’t be considerate anymore.”

Meeting Cha Seohu’s eyes directly, Ryu Sunghyun continued.

“I never intended to pressure you by asking you to answer my feelings. Don’t apologize. Why would that be something to apologize for? Those are your choices, and your feelings.”

Cha Seohu blinked.

Seeing the puzzled expression of someone who still did not understand, Ryu Sunghyun let out a small laugh.

“I don’t intend to act that shamelessly. But... I can’t confidently promise I’ll behave with complete restraint either.”

“Hm?”

“What I mean by not being considerate is this.”

The hand Ryu Sunghyun had been holding was suddenly pulled toward him.

Smack. Along with the embarrassingly soft sound, a ticklish sensation brushed against the back of his hand.

Cha Seohu’s eyes widened roundly as he watched Ryu Sunghyun pull his hand closer and press a kiss against the back of it. Having been hit with a completely unexpected attack, his cheeks flushed even redder.

“What are you.......”

“This is what I mean.”

Apparently finding Cha Seohu’s expression—a mixture of shock and embarrassment—quite amusing, Ryu Sunghyun smiled deeply.

“Until now, I thought I shouldn’t force my feelings onto you. I thought you had things you needed to do, so I shouldn’t interfere with my own feelings. But.......”

Ryu Sunghyun pressed his lips to the back of his hand once again.

“After realizing I almost lost you because of this incident... I regretted it a great deal. I regretted doing nothing and holding myself back during all that precious time I spent beside you. And I hated myself for rationalizing it as consideration because I lacked the courage to act.”

“.......”

“So from now on, I’ve decided to express it.”

Still holding his hand, Ryu Sunghyun rose from his seat.

Too dazed to even think of pulling his hand away, Cha Seohu’s gaze unconsciously followed him.

Coming around the table to stand beside him, Ryu Sunghyun not only refused to let go of his hand, but held it even more firmly as he spoke.

“Hunter Cha Seohu. I °• N ?? v ?? l i g h t •° said I won’t hold myself back anymore, but only as far as you allow me to. You don’t have to return anything. You don’t have to answer me. Just... accept me.”

“.......”

“That’s enough. I’ll shamelessly keep giving you what I want to give.”

The last words carried laughter in them, as though he were deliberately echoing Cha Seohu.

The corners of Cha Seohu’s eyes reddened before twisting sorrowfully.

A burning emotion welled up from deep inside his chest all the way to his throat. The hand caught in Ryu Sunghyun’s trembled faintly.

Had anyone ever given him affection this pure and clear before?

Not even the Ryu Sunghyun from before the regression had shown him feelings like these.

Perhaps that was only natural. To “Ryu Sunghyun,” Cha Seohu had been someone he needed to protect.

Of course he had cherished and loved Cha Seohu as well, but beneath those feelings lay a protector’s desire for control and selfish obsession.

But the Ryu Sunghyun standing before him now was different.

Sometimes he had received help from Cha Seohu, and sometimes he had helped Cha Seohu in return. Their relationship had begun as one where they could support each other shoulder to shoulder.

A relationship where they relied on each other while also becoming someone the other could lean on.

They wanted each other to be happy, and wanted themselves to be included in that happiness.

If Cha Seohu tried to go somewhere dangerous, “Ryu Sunghyun” would stop him and hold him back, even if he had to use somewhat forceful methods.

And this Ryu Sunghyun, instead, would hold his hand and go with him like this.

Only now did Cha Seohu truly realize that difference.

“.......”

That was why he felt even sorrier. Even more regretful.

Slowly, Cha Seohu smiled a smile similar to Ryu Sunghyun’s.

“...All right.”

Cha Seohu’s trembling hand tightened around his in return.

The one startled by that was Ryu Sunghyun. He had been tense, considering the possibility that Cha Seohu might reject him and pull his hand away, but the tension finally eased from his shoulders.

“Thank you.”

Ryu Sunghyun, who had calmly and steadily explained his feelings the entire time, now found his fingertips trembling ridiculously enough only after receiving Cha Seohu’s permission. The opposite of Cha Seohu.

Keeping their joined hands together, he carefully reached out with his other hand. Ryu Sunghyun’s fingertips softly brushed the corner of Cha Seohu’s eye.

Ryu Sunghyun leaned down slightly. Through the strands of hair falling loose, the tips of his ears were strikingly red.

“Hunter Cha Seohu, just because you allowed me doesn’t mean you have to accept everything.”

The hand that had been stroking the corner of his eye moved to brace itself against the table beside him. Leaning closer still and meeting his gaze directly, Ryu Sunghyun whispered,

“If you don’t want it, say so. You can avoid me if you want.”

Anyone who was not an idiot could easily guess what he intended to do.

Cha Seohu forcibly ignored the embarrassment surging up inside him and answered haltingly.

“...I-I won’t avoid you. At least not right now.”

All the kissing experience he had accumulated throughout his life was utterly useless now.

Because this situation was different from the kisses he had shared before without thought, emotion, or meaning, simply letting them happen as they came.

Hearing Cha Seohu’s answer, Ryu Sunghyun smiled again.

“Yes. I know.”

And just as he had said himself, with a shameless reply, their lips finally met.

Tilting his head slightly to find a better angle, Ryu Sunghyun pressed firmly against his lips. He lightly bit and sucked on Cha Seohu’s lower lip, forcing apart the closed seam of his mouth.

“Mmgh...!”

A hot tongue pushed inside without hesitation. Cha Seohu squeezed his eyes shut, his eyelashes trembling faintly.

The hand that had been braced against the table slid around his waist in an instant, pulling Cha Seohu tightly against him as he wrapped an arm around his back.

“Haah, ngh, ah.......”

The sound of wet flesh rubbing together and saliva mixing echoed obscenely through the hospital room.

Ryu Sunghyun’s tongue pushed deep into Cha Seohu’s mouth, sweeping over the sensitive flesh inside and tangling against the root of his tongue. Everywhere it touched, tingling sensations spread.

Greedily swallowing down his saliva, Ryu Sunghyun deepened the pressure and pace of the kiss without even giving him a chance to properly breathe.

The long kiss only ended after Cha Seohu, lacking air, hurriedly shoved at Ryu Sunghyun’s shoulder.

“Hah... hngh.......”

The moment their lips parted, Cha Seohu gasped for breath, while Ryu Sunghyun, looking reluctant, slowly licked away the saliva left on his own lips.

“You did well.”

Ryu Sunghyun gently wiped the corner of Cha Seohu’s mouth with his thumb as he spoke softly.

“We’ll stop here for today. The rest can wait until next time.”

“...What?”

The rest?

For a moment, Cha Seohu nearly asked aloud, but barely managed to swallow the question back down.

Because even though he was curious, he had the ominous feeling that if he asked now, something else completely beyond his ability to handle would begin all over again.

As if proving that suspicion at least partly correct, Ryu Sunghyun smiled brightly, his eyes still filled with lingering desire.