Taming the Obsessive Attachment

The air vibrated intensely.

Even without intending to, the power Seo Eui-woo exuded tore through the atmosphere, spreading throughout the entire bedroom. It felt like an invisible gravity had been added to the space, pressing down on everything. A primal fear arose, like an instinctive response to an impending disaster.

Just as rats and birds sense anomalies before a catastrophe and flee in droves, Kwon Jae-jin felt the overwhelming urge to escape this place.

But Kwon Jae-jin did not back down.

“Ugh, ugh. Seo Eui-woo, what you want from me is guiding through mucous membrane contact, right? Kissing, fucking… Normal people don’t just do those things with anyone. You’re supposed to want it.”

Seo Eui-woo tightened his grip on the handcuffs and stared at him intently. His dry, ashen-gray eyes darkened, revealing the abyss within him.

“I get it. I really do. You don’t want this. That’s exactly why I’m trying to tie you down, even if I have to force it. Because I need you, Jae-jin. And I need the guiding…”

An Esper who had starved for twenty years was a creature desperate to satisfy its hunger, its judgment clouded, reason slipping away. His instincts screamed at him to bind Kwon Jae-jin in chains and take him—demanding he touch, press against his membranes, devour every inch of his body before his mind could regain clarity.

But in the old fable, it was not the wind that stripped the traveler of his cloak, but the sun.

With trembling hands, Kwon Jae-jin smacked Seo Eui-woo’s forehead with a sharp chap. He briefly considered throwing in a kiss for good measure but decided against it. Instead, he grabbed Seo Eui-woo by the waist and pulled him down onto the bed.

“So, if you need me, then make me like you a little.”

Straddling him, he looked down with a chilling gaze.

“Seduce me.”

***

As obvious as it may be, Seo Eui-woo also had a job to go to.

He regularly attended training at the Center, a government institution responsible for managing, supervising, educating, and deploying Awakened individuals.

Though it was only twice a week.

As an S-Class Esper, he had no need to coordinate with lower-ranked Espers in group training. Instead, he was required to respond to emergency calls the moment they came in.

For instance, if a swarm of creatures appeared at the perimeter wall or if a gate opened in a pioneering district, Seo Eui-woo had to teleport immediately to the designated coordinates.

That meant he had to remain on standby at all times, 24/7, never knowing when disaster might strike—much like an ER doctor, a firefighter, or a police officer.

Some days, there would be no calls for over two weeks. Other times, he could be summoned three or four times in a single day.

And this week was an especially busy one for Seo Eui-woo.

‘Maybe that’s a good thing?’

A house without Seo Eui-woo was paradise for Kwon Jae-jin.

Jae-jin first picked out the fresh groceries that had arrived via express delivery and moved them to the kitchen. There were plenty of other packages stacked up, but perishable items couldn’t be left at room temperature for too long.

He tore open the packaging, removed the ice packs, and carefully stored the fresh ingredients in the fridge. The beef short ribs looked especially high quality.

‘Maybe I should make braised short ribs. With big chunks of potatoes.’

Using his beloved kitchen knife, Jae-jin prepped mushrooms, potatoes, onions, and carrots while draining the blood from the meat. He blanched the ribs in a large pot first to remove impurities, then threw in the rest of the ingredients. A mix of soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sugar, and mirin finished the seasoning. Once everything boiled together, it would be done.

As he was in the middle of cooking, a sudden burst of white light flashed from a distance, flickering like a camera flash before leaving behind tiny remnants of light that quickly faded. A clear trace of teleportation.

Seo Eui-woo had already returned.

“The smell of food again. Jae-jin, you’re always in the kitchen.”

The moment he stepped out of the sterile transfer chamber, Seo Eui-woo strode directly toward Kwon Jae-jin.

It was hard to decide whether he was more like a loyal dog following its master or a greedy mutt sneaking bites of food he wasn’t supposed to have. Most likely the latter. To Seo Eui-woo, Kwon Jae-jin was nothing more than a delicious bone to gnaw on.

Seo Eui-woo wrapped his arms around Jae-jin’s waist and licked the nape of his neck. A shiver ran down Jae-jin’s spine, goosebumps rising as tension coiled from the tips of his toes to his lower back. But he gave no outward reaction, keeping his focus on cooking.

“Don’t mess with me while I’m in front of the stove. You do see the knife in my hand, don’t you?”

“I see it. I see it very clearly.”

“With this, I could—never mind. Since you got here just in time, taste the ribs and check the seasoning.”

Jae-jin used the tongs to pluck a well-cooked piece of meat and held it up in front of Seo Eui-woo’s mouth.

Seo Eui-woo didn’t react. He simply curved his eyes lazily in a smile, his glossy gray irises betraying not even a hint of hunger.

“Ah. Guess it’s not time yet.”

Muttering to himself, Jae-jin turned the tongs and popped the meat into his own mouth. The texture was just right—cooked through to perfection. Letting it simmer just a little longer would allow the flavors to fully infuse.

“Time? What time?”

“The time when you eat.”

“I don’t have times like that. I don’t eat much at all.”

“Exactly. That’s why I said, not yet.”

“I told you, I don’t eat.”

Seo Eui-woo chuckled softly and bit down on Jae-jin’s ear, chewing playfully. Through muffled speech, he murmured, “I’ll eat this instead.”

Irritated, Jae-jin shook his head to shake him off.

“Cut it out. Let me cook.”

“Later. Let’s guide first. I thought of a great way to do it.”

“You might be fine starving yourself, but I need to eat. If I keep skipping meals, I’ll die.”

“You can just use your healing factor…”

“I was wondering when you’d bring that up. If you don’t like it, just sit tight and wait patiently. If you have nothing to do while you wait, there’s a pile of packages by the entrance. You could carry those upstairs for me. To the second floor.”

“The second floor?”

“The biggest room in the middle, the one with the best sunlight. I’m going to use that as my room. Move my stuff there.”

“Ah… well, I don’t really mind, but…”

Seo Eui-woo grabbed Jae-jin’s chin and pressed their lips together. Their tongues tangled, wet and slow, as he sucked on the soft flesh.

As they remained like that for a moment, the pot of braised short ribs suddenly let out a loud, bubbling noise, on the verge of boiling over.

Kwon Jae-jin nudged Seo Eui-woo’s chest with the tip of his beloved kitchen knife. Seo Eui-woo didn’t flinch or move away, allowing the blade to press against him. His body, reinforced by an ability-generated barrier, didn’t receive so much as a scratch.

“My stuff. Move it.”

“Mm, I’m moving all of it right now. But what’s this?”

A sound of ripping cardboard came from the middle of the living room.

Both Kwon Jae-jin and Seo Eui-woo were still in the kitchen, but it seemed Seo Eui-woo, in the middle of levitating the packages with his psychokinesis, had decided to open one instead.

“A motorcycle?”

Seo Eui-woo’s eyes lowered in quiet scrutiny as he looked down at Jae-jin.

The pot of braised ribs continued to boil noisily.

“And where do you plan on going with this?”

“Going? Where would I even go?”

“You hate me so much that you’re planning to run away. Far away.”

Kwon Jae-jin reached out to turn off the stove, but his hand couldn’t reach. Seo Eui-woo had him held tightly, making it impossible to shift his weight.

“It’s for display. I liked the design, so I bought it. It doesn’t even have fuel, so I can’t start it.”

“There’s fuel. Gasoline.”

“Oh, really? I never ordered any. Must’ve come with it…”

“……”

Seo Eui-woo’s eyes narrowed further and further until they became razor-thin slits.

This time, instead of the sound of a cardboard box being torn open, there was a loud crunch—the noise of steel plating being crushed.

Jae-jin grumbled in annoyance.

“Don’t break my stuff. I’m not leaving. I told you, I’m not stepping outside.”

“Really? Are you sure I don’t need to cuff you? I might let it slide once, but I won’t let it happen twice.”

“Come on. If I were planning to run, would I be standing here calmly cooking? Would I be buying all these things? Instead of doubting me, why don’t you actually look at me?”

“Mm…”

“And open your eyes properly. Do you think squinting like that makes you look cute or something?”

…Actually, it kind of does.

With those harmoniously balanced features and that flawless, striking face, the expression was strangely amusing.

Maybe being handsome really does make anything entertaining.

“…So, Jae-jin, do you like cooking and shopping?”

“Huh?”

“You told me to seduce you. I already know what you don’t like, but I still have no idea what you do like.”

“Ah… well, yeah, I guess.”

“Did I get it wrong…? Do you even like anything?”

“If you look hard enough, sure. I’m human, after all.”

“……”

Seo Eui-woo pursed his lips like a bird’s beak. Then, as if by an unseen hand, the stove flame flickered out. He must have turned it off himself.

Seo Eui-woo pressed a series of soft kisses—one to Jae-jin’s cheek, another to the tip of his nose, and one last on his eyelid. A single strand of Jae-jin’s dark eyelashes clung to Seo Eui-woo’s lower lip. He blew lightly, like whistling, to brush it away before suddenly asking,

“Say Eui-woo-ya.”

“What?”

“Eui-woo-ya. Call me that.”

Kwon Jae-jin exhaled a short, incredulous breath.

Knowing full well it was a pointless threat, he poked Seo Eui-woo’s chest in several places with the tip of his beloved kitchen knife.

“I have no idea what you’re trying to do, but if you’re done moving my stuff, get out of the way. I’m going to eat.”

“You know, Jae-jin, you’re really weird.”