20XX Love Chapter 5.2 - 5. NIGHT X NIGHT

“Haha.”

Nam Taeyong let out a dry, incredulous laugh. Ignoring him, Jo Heechan was about to bury his face back into Seo Jungin’s taut buttocks when Nam Taeyong’s fist came down hard.

Thwack.

When Jo Heechan’s head snapped back into place, fortunately, he regained his senses.

“Taeyong Hyung…?”

“Yeah. You back to your senses? I was about to fucking kill you if you weren’t.”

“Wait! Hyung, hold on!”

Jo Heechan was dragged out by Nam Taeyong’s grip.

“Hyung! Let go of me! I get it, just let go of my hand…!”

As Jo Heechan’s voice faded into the distance, Seo Jungin, his face buried in his arms, quietly glanced back. Spotting Choi Suhyuk standing there with a devastated expression, Seo Jungin’s eyes widened.

“It’s Suhyuk…”

The red neural lines within his golden irises seemed to blaze as if they might ignite at any moment.

“Suhyuk-ah.”

Seo Jungin stood up, reaching out both arms toward Choi Suhyuk.

“Jungin-ah…”

Choi Suhyuk softly called his name in response, and Seo Jungin’s eyes curved gently. Choi Suhyuk didn’t resist as Seo Jungin wrapped his arms around his neck, embracing him warmly.

“It’s really Suhyuk…”

Seo Jungin’s soft, moist skin and sleek bare legs rubbed against Choi Suhyuk’s body. The contact sent a dizzying, electrifying sensation flooding into Choi Suhyuk, as if it had been waiting for this moment.

“Haa, Jungin-ah. The color of your eyes…”

Choi Suhyuk, sinking into deep despair, looked down at Seo Jungin’s eyes. The color had changed again. The golden hue that once filled his irises now held a red flame.

“I was waiting for you, Suhyuk-ah. Hurry…”

Seo Jungin gazed at him languidly, tilting his head to kiss Choi Suhyuk. Choi Suhyuk’s face leaned toward Seo Jungin’s, as if to meet the kiss, but instead, he slid past, only rubbing their cheeks together.

“Suhyuk-ah. Eunng, hurry… kiss me…”

“I’m sorry. Jungin-ah, I’m sorry.”

The electrifying waves flowing from Seo Jungin were achingly sweet and overwhelming. The beautiful body clinging to him was seductive, breathtaking. It pained Choi Suhyuk’s heart. His face, gently rubbing Seo Jungin’s cheek, contorted in anguish.

“Kiss me, Suhyuk-ah. Put your tongue in.”

“Okay. I got it, Jungin-ah, I got it.”

Seo Jungin kept trying to seduce Choi Suhyuk, growing increasingly desperate. How could he return things to normal?

It was his fault that Seo Jungin’s body had changed. The shifting eye color, altered personality, and memory loss were all because he had fed him his flame ability.

It was completely different from Jung Taehee’s case. After absorbing the flame ability, Jung Taehee expelled all the waves and returned to normal, but with Seo Jungin, it seemed the waves had fused with his body.

When his eye color changed, he didn’t just become aroused—he craved intense pleasure and seduced espers. But when his eyes returned to normal, he couldn’t remember any of it.

Choi Suhyuk, overwhelmed by crushing self-loathing, tightly hugged Seo Jungin’s warm body.

“What are you doing, Suhyuk-ah? Suck my tongue.”

“Okay. I got it…”

He knew how much burden and responsibility Seo Jungin had taken on by stepping up for mucous membrane guiding after Han Seungmin’s death. To have turned such a kind and gentle Seo Jungin into this state.

He was furious at himself for turning the precious Seo Jungin, whom he had cherished from afar, into this.

“Hurry… okay? Hurry…”

“Okay. Just… let’s stay like this for a bit…”

Unaware of these feelings, Seo Jungin rubbed his crotch against Choi Suhyuk’s thigh. Even the tingling sensation ached in Choi Suhyuk’s chest. Seo Jungin, held in his arms, was thinner than he’d expected, making his heart ache even more.

He had never even allowed himself to dream of holding him like this, only watching from a distance. The shy, quiet, kind secondary guide of the K814 team, Seo Jungin.

[We have two guides assigned to the K814 team. The main guide, Han Seungmin, and the secondary guide, Seo Jungin.]

With the guiding director’s introduction, the two long-awaited guides entered the team office. The assignment had been delayed repeatedly due to a shortage of A-class guide personnel, even after the combat team was formed.

While everyone’s attention was drawn to Han Seungmin, who radiated a bright, cheerful smile, Choi Suhyuk’s gaze fell on the tall, pale man standing awkwardly behind him with a shy smile.

Even as Han Seungmin blended into the team with his bright smile and easygoing demeanor, Choi Suhyuk’s eyes remained fixed on Seo Jungin, who quietly surveyed the office.

His tousled bangs, pale skin, small but prominent nose, and thin lips pressed together. His neatly clasped hands showed tension, but his sparkling eyes beneath his bangs brimmed with curiosity.

Listening attentively to people’s conversations, nodding slightly, or quietly smiling at the team’s banter, he seemed so kind.

After his introduction, when his ears and neck flushed red, Choi Suhyuk turned his expressionless face to the window.

His heart had already dropped. Not wanting anyone to notice the unfamiliar, strange feeling.

[Um, did I maybe do something wrong…?]

[Huh? What did you say?]

A few months after joining the team, Seo Jungin cautiously spoke, and Choi Suhyuk, slightly surprised, asked him to repeat himself.

It was rare for Seo Jungin to initiate conversation with Choi Suhyuk. He must have mustered considerable courage to speak.

[Well… I was wondering if you’re maybe mad at me…]

[Me? At you?]

Looking down at Seo Jungin, whose face reddened after speaking, Choi Suhyuk suddenly understood.

Choi Suhyuk had a habit of staring intently when deep in thought, which sometimes caused issues when directed at people. It often led to misunderstandings, with others assuming he was interested or fond of them. As a result, he avoided eye contact, and his expressionless face became a mask.

It must have been worse with Seo Jungin, as Choi Suhyuk had been observing him constantly.

Seo Jungin’s startled face, flustered expression, shy smile, and the clear eyes visible when he brushed back his hair—Choi Suhyuk meticulously noticed every small detail others missed.

Like painting a picture of Seo Jungin. Like writing a book about him.

He observed Seo Jungin with increasingly lingering gazes and deepening eyes, storing him carefully in his heart. Sometimes, he was so absorbed that he didn’t even realize it. But whenever their eyes met, Choi Suhyuk would turn away with an expressionless face.

That day, Seo Jungin was training alone in the guiding room.

Holding the palm of a human-sized training robot, guiding it, staring intently at the display, scratching his head, and trying again, Choi Suhyuk watched the back of his head for a long time.

His round head seemed full of complex thoughts. It was so endearing that Choi Suhyuk smiled and watched for a while. When Seo Jungin finally sensed the gaze and turned, Choi Suhyuk, as usual, erased his smile and turned away.

Seo Jungin, anxious about that gaze and demeanor for months, finally mustered the courage to confront Choi Suhyuk. Stammering, hesitating, and fidgeting.

[You always… look at me with a scary face, or when our eyes meet, you look angry…]

[…]

[So I thought maybe I did something wrong… or maybe… you don’t like me…?]

[…]

As Choi Suhyuk remained silent, Seo Jungin’s face turned bright red.

[Oh. No, I mean, sorry for saying something weird, um, sorry.]

Flustered and rambling, Seo Jungin lowered his head, apologized, and turned to leave.

That’s not it. That’s not it at all. Absolutely not.

Dislike him? Never. Far from disliking him.

[Ah…! Suhyuk-ah…?]

Seo Jungin turned back as Choi Suhyuk grabbed his wrist. Choi Suhyuk’s deep brown eyes stared directly into Seo Jungin’s from beneath his long, picturesque eyelashes.

Seo Jungin, faced with an overly handsome face gazing at him without hesitation, didn’t know where to look.

[Sorry. Did I… upset you with what I said?]

[…]

He could see Seo Jungin’s trembling eyes through the gaps in his thin hair.

If only he could, he wanted to gently brush back that hair. If only he could, he wanted to touch those soft, warm-looking cheeks. If only he could, he wanted to say that just looking at him made him smile.

Could it be… I like Seo Jungin…?

Choi Suhyuk gazed into Seo Jungin’s eyes as if pouring his heart into them. But Seo Jungin couldn’t hold that kind of gaze for long.

As Seo Jungin shrank back, lowering his head to avoid his eyes, Choi Suhyuk spoke softly.

[It’s not that I dislike you or that I’m angry. You didn’t do anything wrong.]

[…]

[You were just training with the guiding robot. Why would I…]

[…]

Seeing Seo Jungin’s clear face as he cautiously looked up, Choi Suhyuk’s heart began to pound. His stirred emotions felt like they might spill out as honest words.

I was curious about you, so curious. That’s why I looked. I smile when I see you. That’s why I smiled.

I avoided your eyes because I thought you might not like me staring. I was afraid you might dislike me.

As jumbled thoughts threatened to spill out, Seo Jungin carefully spoke.

[Is it maybe because I set the guiding robot… to you for practice?]

Choi Suhyuk’s eyes widened at Seo Jungin’s unexpected words.

[What?]

[Well… our wavelengths don’t match well in our team… so I was actually practicing with the robot set to you earlier.]

Choi Suhyuk’s eyes began to waver.

[Seungmin is your matched guide, but since I’m the secondary guide, I thought I should practice…]

[…]

[I thought if I practiced matching your wavelength, I could at least guide you a little…]

Seo Jungin fidgeted, eyes darting around while keeping his head bowed.

A-class or higher guides could guide most espers, but B-class or lower guides needed to match wavelengths with espers for efficiency. Thus, A-class guides were assigned as main guides, while B-class or lower guides underwent matching tests, requiring at least a 50% match rate for team assignment.

Seo Jungin’s match rate with Choi Suhyuk was near zero, but his high match rate with Hwang Woohyun and the team’s overall match rate exceeding 50% secured his place on the K814 team.

Because of this, Seo Jungin hadn’t practiced guiding with Choi Suhyuk in the months since joining. Using a neutralizer was better than his guiding.

[The director said to leave your guiding to Seungmin… but just in case for real missions…]

[…]

Choi Suhyuk felt his pounding heart might leap out of his mouth. The faint shampoo scent from Seo Jungin’s crown made him dizzy for a moment.

So he was holding the robot’s hand, set to me, guiding it. That serious expression was him worrying about guiding me.

Practicing with a robot wouldn’t tell you much. To find the right wavelength, you’d need to hold my real hand.

What would it feel like to be guided by Jungin? To have him look into every corner of my body, holding my hand tightly, sweat beading on his pale face, focusing only on me.

He’d try to adjust the guiding waves to match me, struggling to get inside my body.

What would happen if he realized he couldn’t get in? If he realized hand-guiding wouldn’t work at all.

Would that small, round head think of such things?

Mucous… membrane guiding?

The typically conservative Choi Suhyuk was startled by the sudden thought but couldn’t stop imagining. He pictured Seo Jungin’s pale face leaning in, his thin, soft lips touching.

He’d cup that pale face with both hands, gently rubbing his lips against the approaching ones, then carefully slip his tongue in to lightly touch Seo Jungin’s small tongue. He’d soothe the flinching, trembling tongue, licking it gently, then slowly suck it into his mouth, rubbing and sucking softly.

Like Seo Jungin’s shy, kind appearance, his small tongue would probably be soft and tender. Should he whisper in his ear while gently stroking his soft hair? That he wanted to be guided by him. That he only saw him from the start.

That he… likes him.

[Suhyuk-ah. It’s hot. Too hot.]

At that moment, Choi Suhyuk flinched, recalling Jung Taehee’s pained moans.

His flames that burned guides, tormented them, defiled them.

[When you make mucous membrane contact with a guide, it’s like you’re absorbing their guiding ability. It mixes with your flame ability, creating waves that overstimulate the nervous system.]

The doctor had explained while looking at Jung Taehee, panting and strapped to a hospital bed.

[When those waves flow into a guide, their pleasure center is overly stimulated, sometimes even causing hallucinations.]

Choi Suhyuk pushed away Seo Jungin’s wrist, which he’d been holding.

[Ah…! Suhyuk-ah…?]

[To get rid of those waves, you’d need to expel them from the body in some form. Helping with the expulsion would be the fastest way, since you’re the one who created them.]

Choi Suhyuk stepped back from Seo Jungin, his face confused. He recalled Jung Taehee writhing, screaming, and masturbating.

Even though it was clearly Seo Jungin before him, Jung Taehee’s image overlapped. He vividly pictured Seo Jungin crawling on a bed, moaning, leaking fluids, and suffering in torment. Feverish, begging for relief, rubbing and grinding, arching his hips.

If he liked Seo Jungin and made contact with him…

Seo Jungin would suffer under torturous waves that burned his body, craving sex. He would defile this kind, pure Seo Jungin completely.

[You don’t have to do it.]

[Huh?]

[You don’t have to guide me. Don’t guide me.]

Seo Jungin’s flustered face looked up at Choi Suhyuk’s stern expression, then dropped in dismay.

[Oh, okay. Sorry. I was worrying for nothing…]

[You don’t need to practice. Got it? Guiding practice or guiding me.]

[Sorry, sorry. I got it. I won’t practice.]

[I’m fine with Seungmin guiding me. You don’t need to guide me.]

[Yeah. Sorry, sorry.]

Choi Suhyuk, seeing Seo Jungin’s deeply bowed head, stepped back, leaving him steeped in worry and hurriedly exiting the training room.

Boom! Boom!

Kim Yikyung hurled fireballs at the charging bodies. The Creepions hit by the fireballs spewed crimson flames from their eyes, noses, and mouths, as if hellfire burned inside, before collapsing to the floor, smoking.

Jo Heechan darted around, freezing monstrous lifeforms with his ability and shattering them with his positron gun.

“Take this, you monsters! Ice Bolt!”

“Kaaaak!”

A Creepion bared its sharp teeth menacingly at Nam Taeyong and lunged. Its jaw stretched unnaturally wide, as if revealing its insides. Grabbing its neck tightly and pouring in venom, the Creepion retched, and Nam Taeyong was doused in black blood.

“Fuck, disgusting.”

Wiping the blood off his arm and tossing the corpse aside, he poured venom into another Creepion charging from the right. As he repeatedly killed the swarming monsters, a sharp pain suddenly stabbed his thigh. Looking down, a Creepion was biting into his thigh. Grabbing its repulsive head with both hands, he poured venom into it and tore it off, flinging it away.

“Huk, huk.”

Checking his limbs, Nam Taeyong saw several bite marks. To attack with his venom ability, he needed direct contact, making injuries common in battle.

So that’s why the healing ability comes with it? Fucking great, huh?

“Frozen Armor!”

Jo Heechan’s shout rang out, and a bone-chilling cold suddenly enveloped Nam Taeyong’s body.

“Krr… euk!”

As he turned to look, a dull thudding impact hit, and several Creepions bit at his back. But for some reason, their teeth couldn’t sink in. A thin layer of ice had formed, protecting his body.

Nam Taeyong fed venom into the mouths of the Creepions whose teeth slipped off. As they roared and spilled black blood, he shoved the corpses aside, and Jo Heechan sent a smug signal with a haughty expression.

“Yeah, fuck, thanks.”

Nam Taeyong brushed off the frost and wiped the black blood splattered on his face with the back of his hand.

“Keeeek.”

With the last Creepion felled by Hwang Woohyun, the fierce battle finally ended. The relentless summoning of Creepions must have reached well over a hundred.

The central hall was a gruesome mess of charred remains, bone beads, corpse piles, and ash, all mashed in black blood. It seemed the Separator was determined to end this standoff in the ward.

Even with such aggressive swarm tactics, the rapid buildup of toxic force left them no choice but to unleash field attacks. In an isolated situation like this, with no retreat or escape, their defense was vulnerable, and they were tactically disadvantaged. If they didn’t find and destroy the source soon, they could be wiped out in this ward.

Kim Yikyung and Hwang Woohyun checked the fifth-floor entrance and sensors on their watches, declaring the battle over.

“Where’s Suhyuk?”

At Hwang Woohyun’s question, Kim Yikyung looked toward the barrier. Choi Suhyuk, taken there by Nam Taeyong, still hadn’t returned.

The members exchanged glances. Without saying it, they all knew what had happened behind the barrier.

“Go separate them.”

“Are they feeding him more abilities again?”

As Kim Yikyung and Nam Taeyong exchanged remarks, Hwang Woohyun, with a stern expression, glanced at them before circling the pile of corpses and heading toward the safe zone. While Nam Taeyong, Jo Heechan, and Kim Yikyung cast curious and concerned glances toward the safe zone, Hwang Woohyun disappeared behind the barrier’s veil.

Moments later, the barrier shimmered as if folding space, collapsing neatly into a small capsule, revealing Choi Suhyuk and Seo Jungin behind it.

“…”

Everyone could only stare at the two in silence.

Choi Suhyuk sat against the wall with his legs spread out, holding Seo Jungin tightly in his arms. Seo Jungin sat on Choi Suhyuk’s lap, his arms wrapped around his neck. Seo Jungin was clad only in a shirt, but Choi Suhyuk’s appearance and attire remained unchanged. Despite Seo Jungin’s constant squirming and twisting, he was held firmly by Choi Suhyuk, unable to move.

Seo Jungin kept whispering something into Choi Suhyuk’s ear, and Choi Suhyuk, in turn, whispered incessantly into Seo Jungin’s ear.

“They’re just holding each other? Really?”

Jo Heechan stuck out his tongue in astonishment. Hwang Woohyun, standing close by, listened to Choi Suhyuk and Seo Jungin’s whispers, his eyes softly lowered.

“Why won’t you do it? Why won’t you kiss me?”

“Let’s just stay like this a bit longer, Jungin-ah. Just a bit more.”

“When will you do it? Huh? When are you going to do it?”

“Later. Just stay like this for now…”

“I want to. I want to do it with you.”

“Okay. I get it. I want that too. Really.”

Kim Yikyung approached, kneeling to check the toxic force level displayed on Choi Suhyuk’s watch.

「1.8%」

The toxic force had dissipated with just physical contact, without mucous membrane guiding.

‘Given Jungin’s state, guiding waves must have kept flowing in. Choi Suhyuk held back well without giving in to Jungin.’

Kim Yikyung shook his head and stood up. From behind, Jo Heechan muttered in awe.

“Suhyuk Hyung. Seriously insane. That’s some crazy restraint.”

His tone was filled with admiration.

As Hwang Woohyun leaned down and gently stroked Seo Jungin’s head, a pleading voice accompanied by golden eyes flowed out.

“Suhyuk won’t do it. Will you do it, Woohyun? Will you?”

“Yeah, Jungin-ah. I’ll do it. I’ll make you better.”

“Really? You’ll really do it? Really?”

“Yeah. I’ll make you feel at ease. I’ll take out what’s tormenting you. I’ll definitely do that.”

Seo Jungin, still sitting on Choi Suhyuk’s lap, reached out to Hwang Woohyun, wrapping his arms around his neck.

“Do it quickly. Do it now. Make me feel good. Okay? Both of you together.”

Hwang Woohyun embraced Seo Jungin, who rubbed his cheek against him, clenching his teeth against the electrifying sensation and exchanging pained glances with Choi Suhyuk.

“Jungin, what do we need to do? How do we make you go back to normal?”

“…Honestly, I don’t know. Jungin’s different. Something’s different.”

Hwang Woohyun stroked the back of Seo Jungin’s head as he clung to him, looking up at Kim Yikyung.

“Think of something. We can’t leave Jungin like this.”

“…”

Kim Yikyung stood rooted in place, silently staring down at Seo Jungin for a long time.

Choi Suhyuk’s ability, mixed with guiding abilities, had taken on a unique wave form, overheating Seo Jungin’s nervous system. Awakened as a guide optimized for mucous membrane guiding, Seo Jungin seemed to lose his sense of self and rationality, craving pleasure as those waves entered his body. The golden eyes burning with red neural lines were likely a sign of that state.

Ultimately, the only solution was to expel the waves from Seo Jungin’s body. The doctor’s suggested method was the top priority.

In other words, Choi Suhyuk and Seo Jungin needed to engage in intense sex until the fiery waves in Seo Jungin’s body were fully expelled through climax.