20XX Love Chapter 8.1 - 8. BLOOD HOLE

Red vapor began to fill the space, as if sprayed from a nozzle, drifting like a fine mist. Droplets of red liquid quickly formed on Choi Suhyuk’s furrowed brow and trickled down his face. Jo Heechan and Choi Suhyuk, who had been scouting the first floor, stood frozen in place, their bodies drenched, dripping red liquid from the tips of their chins.

The grand auditorium started to be stained with the color of blood. A sense of déjà vu that invoked terror. A crack in space that should never have been opened.

“No way…”

“A Blood Hole?”

Unable to move, the two men, soaked in blood, watched as red vapor sprayed out from a vertically split crack.

Choi Suhyuk doubted his own eyes.

A mysterious crack in space scattering red blood droplets. A change that had turned an ordinary world into a living hell.

A Blood Hole, endlessly spewing Creepions, was about to open in the grand auditorium on the first floor of the ward.

“H-How… This…”

Jo Heechan, unable to believe the scene before him, rubbed his blood-soaked eyes with his forearm.

Choi Suhyuk quickly raised an alert on his watch.

“This is Choi Suhyuk. Jo Heechan. Current location: first-floor grand auditorium. Red alert issued. We need to arm up and move immediately. It’s still in the crack stage, not yet a full hole. We’re heading to the first-floor information center. Over.”

The white snowflake decorations on the giant Christmas tree were drenched in red rain, dripping blood. Jo Heechan, staring at the blood-soaked tree with a dazed expression, felt his wrist suddenly grabbed.

“Let’s go!”

“Uh, uh!”

Choi Suhyuk and Jo Heechan immediately bolted toward the auditorium’s exit. They were already soaked in blood from head to toe.

The stench of blood permeated the air. The auditorium, with blood splattered on the ceiling and walls, congealing and dripping, looked like a scene from hell.

In such an isolated space, a confined area, a Blood Hole was opening. Thousands of creatures would pour out until the hole closed.

If Seo Jungin’s mucosal guiding could support them, they might be able to keep up a sustained field attack, but that was in an open space. Could they withstand relentless input attacks in a confined space with no retreat or escape? Could they handle the Creepions’ swarm tactics? In an isolated ward where there wasn’t even enough room for the bodies to pile up?

“Fuck, fuck, FUCK!”

Jo Heechan cursed as he ran. Choi Suhyuk felt the same. The same word echoed in both their minds. A brutal, terrifying two-syllable word.

Annihilation.

As they reached the information center after running through the corridor, the members who had been scouting the third and fourth floors arrived at nearly the same time.

When Seo Jungin spotted the blood-drenched figures of Jo Heechan and Choi Suhyuk, his heart felt like it dropped to his feet.

“Suhyuk! Heechan!”

Seo Jungin stumbled forward, nearly falling, as he rushed toward Jo Heechan and Choi Suhyuk.

“Are you hurt? Are you injured? You’re not hurt, right?”

Seo Jungin’s hands brushed Choi Suhyuk’s cheek and grabbed Jo Heechan’s wrist.

“No, it’s blood from the hole. It’s not ours. Don’t worry.”

Choi Suhyuk gently stroked the back of Seo Jungin’s hand, which was caressing his cheek, and reassured him in a low voice.

Kim Yikyung urgently asked Choi Suhyuk.

“Seeing you covered in blood, it’s definitely a Blood Hole, right? How big was it?”

“When we saw it, it was still a crack, about the size of a person? But it’ll probably spew out hundreds of them.”

Hwang Woohyun looked around at the members and spoke.

“Confronting it is too dangerous. Let’s hide instead. If 24 hours pass, it might reset, and the hole could disappear.”

“What about the third and fourth floors? Were they safe?”

At Choi Suhyuk’s question, Kim Yikyung, who had scouted the third floor with Nam Taeyong, answered.

“The third floor had some Creepions left from the last summon, so Taeyong and I took care of them.”

Seo Jungin and Hwang Woohyun had scouted the fourth and fifth floors.

“The fourth floor was clean, but the fifth hasn’t reset yet, so there are a lot of bodies.”

“Then let’s head to the fourth floor. If needed, we can use the fifth floor or the rooftop. Move out now.”

Following Kim Yikyung’s final order, Team K814 quickly began moving to the fourth floor.

It was impossible to predict how the Separator would split spacetime now. Scattering, regrouping, confronting, or hiding—all carried risks.

The members’ tense, ragged breathing echoed eerily as they climbed the dark emergency staircase. Passing the second and third floors, Team K814 reached the fourth floor. Kim Yikyung, at the front, cautiously opened the emergency door.

“Ugh!”

As soon as the door opened, a wave of blood stench hit them, and red vapor poured through the gap.

“What the hell!”

Jo Heechan shouted in shock, but there was no time to assess the situation.

“Kraaaagh!”

As the door swung wide open, several Creepions with long arms extended lunged forward.

“Fuck, what is this!”

Nam Taeyong, standing right behind Kim Yikyung, grabbed the neck of an attacking Creepion and poured poison into it.

“Kweeeek!”

Black blood spurted from the Creepion’s mouth, splattering Nam Taeyong’s face. The Creepions trying to rush out collapsed in a heap, their bodies tangled, clawing at the air as they failed to break free.

“To the third floor!”

At Kim Yikyung’s shout, Team K814 hurriedly ran down the stairs. Creepions kept pouring through the open fourth-floor door, colliding and getting crushed, causing a bottleneck. But these monsters, heedless of their torn bodies, were fighting to get through—it was only a matter of time before they flooded down.

The members burst into the third-floor cafeteria and quickly shut the steel door. They assumed combat positions, spreading out around the door.

“Heechan, Woohyun, shields.”

Jo Heechan and Hwang Woohyun swiftly cast ability shields around the members’ bodies. The frost shields and faint electric currents would block most of the Creepions’ bites.

“There’s a Blood Hole on the fourth floor too?”

“Judging by the blood spraying, probably?”

“Fucking hell.”

BOOM!

Before Nam Taeyong’s cursing finished, a loud crash rang out as the steel door’s center dented. The members took a step back.

BAM. BAM. BOOM!

With consecutive loud bangs, the steel hinges and bolts holding the door flew off. The door buckled and crashed to the floor in an instant.

“Kraaaagh!”

Choi Suhyuk’s flames and Hwang Woohyun’s lightning bolts shot toward the Creepions. Ashes scattered, and charred bodies began to pile up. But the Creepions, like a zombie horde, kept biting and flooding through the emergency passage.

Team K814 felt a primal fear rising. It was the learned helplessness from past Blood Hole battles. No matter how skilled an Esper was, no matter how powerful the guiding, swarm tactics were simply overwhelming. The speed of bodies piling up was outmatched by the sheer number of incoming creatures.

They had seen countless field teams buried under Creepions, torn apart by relentless biting, reduced to chunks of flesh. That memory superimposed onto themselves, and a chilling fear crept up their spines.

“Jungin! When the alarm sounds, guide them immediately!”

“Okay, I will. Don’t worry!”

Though gripped by fear, Seo Jungin gritted his teeth and looked at the members.

No way. I won’t let them die. Not ever.

Guide them when the alarm sounds? I’ll guide them even before the alarm.

I’ll make sure not even 1% of toxic force builds up in their bodies.

I’ll make them unleash their abilities to 100%—no, beyond their limits.

“They’re coming!”

BOOM!

Zzzzt.

WHOOSH.

They burned, fried, froze, blasted, stabbed, tore, slashed, and cut.

Creepions poured down from the fourth floor, and more began surging up from the lower levels. As bodies piled up in heaps, Creepions climbed over them, digging through, tearing, and tossing them aside, finally breaking through the third-floor entrance.

The members quickly retreated, scattering around the central cafeteria space and laying down field attacks. Creepions that slipped through the field were targeted by Nam Taeyong and Jo Heechan with positron guns and abilities. But with fear gripping their hearts, a sense of defeat was already setting in. At this rate, even a winnable battle could be lost.

From behind Hwang Woohyun, Seo Jungin quietly observed the members. Choi Suhyuk, Hwang Woohyun, and Kim Yikyung, who were spreading abilities across the space, were likely accumulating toxic force the fastest.

There was no safe zone for guiding. With a Blood Hole open, there was no time for leisurely guiding from a safe spot, and they had to constantly reposition and adjust their formation.

Seo Jungin gently grasped Hwang Woohyun’s left hand, which was supporting his right arm as it unleashed lightning. When Hwang Woohyun glanced back, Seo Jungin looked up with clear blue eyes and gently pulled his hand back. Realizing Seo Jungin was about to guide him, Hwang Woohyun extended his hand back while focusing on the field attack.

Seo Jungin carefully held Hwang Woohyun’s thick, rough palm with both hands and leaned down.

Lick.

Hwang Woohyun’s back flinched at the fleeting sensation. He tried not to show his surprise, but he distinctly felt a soft, warm touch on his palm. It was definitely a tongue, accompanied by warm guiding waves. Moments later, his index finger was sucked into a hot, wet membrane.

“Haa…!”

A dizzying sensation shot to his brain. At the same time, the toxic force that had been rapidly building dissipated instantly.

‘Jungin.’

Hwang Woohyun clenched his jaw, teeth grinding, and focused on his attack ability.

Lick, lick.

“Haa, haa…!”

His index finger was sucked and licked multiple times, then his middle finger was drawn in. A soft, wet tongue wrapped around his finger, meticulously licking and tickling each joint.

“Ah, haa.”

Seo Jungin’s mouth was intensely hot, dizzyingly moist, and soft. The pressure of being deeply sucked ended with the touch of Seo Jungin’s pliant lips.

Hwang Woohyun’s focus kept slipping. Strange-limbed creatures with glossy black eyes swarmed before him. Creepions, drenched in sticky fluids and Blood Hole blood, came in endless waves. Yet all his attention was on Seo Jungin’s soft lips and tongue licking and sucking his fingers.

“Haa…”

His body was becoming utterly clean. The lightning ability bursting from his fingertips glowed blindingly white.

Seo Jungin sucked the last traces of toxic force from Hwang Woohyun’s body, gently drawing his thick thumb into his mouth.

“Hnngh!”

A groan escaped Hwang Woohyun’s lips. At the same time, a tingling sensation poured from the membrane around his thumb.

“Ah, Jungin, s-stop.”

“Haa, Woohyun.”

The tingling sensation was a sign of Seo Jungin’s arousal. Knowing that this feeling could make him lose reason and control, Hwang Woohyun had to pull his finger from Seo Jungin’s mouth.

“Chup, smooch.”

Seo Jungin reluctantly sucked his finger to the end as it slipped out. The moment his finger left Seo Jungin’s lips, Hwang Woohyun felt that not a speck of toxic force remained in his body.

“Thanks, Jungin.”

Seo Jungin looked up at Hwang Woohyun’s broad back as he took his hand back. Hwang Woohyun kept his gaze fixed on the central hall, not turning around, but his nape and earlobes were flushed red.

Realizing he’d wanted to keep sucking Hwang Woohyun’s fingers, Seo Jungin belatedly blushed.

‘The others are fighting for their lives, and what am I thinking? I’m guiding them. Get it together.’

Seo Jungin turned to look at Choi Suhyuk, who was laying down a flame field at a distance. His sharp eyes were raised, arms lifted, unleashing intense heat.

As the ability from his fingertips fused with the lightning field, a bluish-white beam shot through the space. Creepions caught in it turned to ash instantly.

Choi Suhyuk’s eyes seemed to burn, reflecting the flames. His brown hair fluttered wildly in the gusting wind. His sculpted features, calmly slaughtering, made him seem almost otherworldly.

For a moment, a vision overlaid that image. Eyes burning bright red. The moment those blazing hands spread wide, someone turned to white ash and scattered into the air. A death without even a scream, followed by a long, anguished wail.

A heart-wrenching scream and cry of pain. Such a desperate voice.

That wail was…

‘Me…?’

Why? Because the ash I was covered in, the person Choi Suhyuk burned to ashes, the one reduced to a handful of dust…

“No, no! No!”

At Seo Jungin’s frantic cry, Hwang Woohyun turned in alarm.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay? What happened?”

“Ah, ahh, haa…”

Tears streamed down Seo Jungin’s face, gripped by anguish. Hwang Woohyun’s heart sank. He immediately pulled Seo Jungin into his arms but couldn’t stop attacking, so his gaze stayed forward.

“Calm down, Jungin. Okay? Calm down.”

“Ugh, sob, Woohyun, sob.”

“What’s wrong, Jungin?”

“It’s nothing. Sob, I’m fine now, I’m fine.”

Seo Jungin said he was fine, but he kept rubbing his face against Hwang Woohyun’s firm chest, wiping away tears.

“You’re really okay, right? You’re sure.”

“I just… mistook something for a moment. I’m really fine. Sorry.”

Seo Jungin lifted his head to look at Hwang Woohyun’s jaw.

“I’m going to guide Suhyuk next, then Yikyung Hyung. I’ll guide the three doing field attacks first, then Heechan and Taeyong.”

Hwang Woohyun, unable to fully tear his gaze from the central hall, glanced down at Seo Jungin. His eyes were red from crying.

Why does my heart ache like this?

Hwang Woohyun infused ability into Seo Jungin’s body in his arms. Seo Jungin felt his body hum, a tingling electricity flowing across his skin. Another thick lightning shield had been cast around him.

“When you move, make sure you’re armed and report your path to the terminator after guiding. Got it?”

“Got it. I’m going to Suhyuk now.”

Seo Jungin tried to slip out of Hwang Woohyun’s arms, but the arms wrapped around him didn’t let go. When Seo Jungin looked up with a puzzled expression, Hwang Woohyun’s arms finally loosened.

The warmth of Hwang Woohyun’s embrace was gone, leaving an empty, aching void in his chest.

Crackle. Zzzt.

“Huff, huff, huff.”

Choi Suhyuk began panting heavily. Field attacks consumed a lot of ability, and with the sheer number of Creepions, Choi Suhyuk was pouring out far more power than usual. Naturally, toxic force built up rapidly, and his condition deteriorated quickly. His stamina was also significantly drained.

It wasn’t just Choi Suhyuk—every member of Team K814 was in the same state. They hadn’t even had a full day since their last battle, with no proper rest. The fact that a Blood Hole had opened was enough to induce panic.

Kim Yikyung, replicating Choi Suhyuk’s flame field. Jo Heechan, firing ice spheres in all directions. Nam Taeyong, poisoning Creepions that slipped through the field. Fear, confusion, and weary helplessness mixed on their faces, making the operation seem already doomed.

Seo Jungin, running, took in each member with determination.

I can’t let it end like this. I can’t protect them like this. I have to support them to unleash stronger abilities.

I can do it now. I can.

‘I need to make them realize I’m their strongest ally.’

Reaching Choi Suhyuk’s back, Seo Jungin panted lightly and called out.

“Haa, haa, Suhyuk.”

Hearing Seo Jungin’s voice, Choi Suhyuk felt relief but also the pain he’d been enduring. Though drowned out by the crackle of abilities and the creatures’ wails, his watch had been sounding the first guiding alarm for a while. He’d silenced it before the others could hear.

“Huff, huff, Jungin. Hnngh.”

Choi Suhyuk felt his body burning with pain and a severe headache. Every breath brought nausea.

“Suhyuk, I’ll guide you.”

Seo Jungin’s guiding. A wave that could make him lose reason. But now wasn’t the time to be picky. Without guiding, his toxic force would exceed the threshold.

“With my lips. My tongue.”

Unable to take his eyes off the central hall, Choi Suhyuk maintained his attack stance, arms outstretched, and nodded. As he emitted bluish-white ability from his fingertips, Seo Jungin quietly slipped into his embrace.

“Huff, huff, huff.”

The eyes looking up at Choi Suhyuk briefly flared with light. As Choi Suhyuk sensed the strange glow and slightly lowered his head, Seo Jungin’s hands pulled his cheeks, their lips meeting.

“Hnngh!”

It was a kiss laced with cool frost and tingling electricity. As guiding energy surged, Choi Suhyuk instinctively opened his lips. Seo Jungin’s small tongue slipped into his mouth.

“Haa, mmph!”

“Mmm…”

The moment Seo Jungin’s tongue touched his, a flood of guiding waves poured in like a waterfall.

“Mmph, ugh! Ugh! Mmph!”

The small, hot tongue gently caressed Choi Suhyuk’s, then tangled wetly, rubbing and pressing. A jolt of energy hit his head, nearly making his eyes roll back.

“Ugh! Hnngh! Mmph!”

Choi Suhyuk helplessly swallowed the waves surging into his throat.

‘Ugh! It’s hot! Too…!’

Guiding energy was typically warm, and Seo Jungin’s mucosal guiding was hot, but this was on another level.

Like boiling water, like a blazing fireball, it was as if his own fiery ability was burning through him, a scorching guiding force being fed into him recklessly.

“Hnngh! Mmph! Mmph!”

Guiding orbs burst in succession, spreading through his veins to every extremity, wiping out toxic force. The violent, dizzying sensation raged through his body like a storm.

“Mmph! Ugh! Ugh!”

Choi Suhyuk, retracting his ability, clutched Seo Jungin tightly in his arms, stumbling back as the guiding overwhelmed him.

His body was being licked clean inside. It was as if an invisible, hot tongue had entered, licking, rubbing, and prodding. Dizzying, ecstatic, and terrifying.

When Choi Suhyuk’s back hit the wall, he panted and pushed Seo Jungin’s shoulders away. Breathing heavily, Seo Jungin’s eyelids slowly opened.

“Haa, haa, Suhyuk…”

“Haa, haa, haa.”

Under Seo Jungin’s thin eyelids, his eyes… burned a bright red.

“Jungin! Your eyes…!”

“Suhyuk, your body is completely clean, not a speck of impurity left. Try using your ability. You can use it fully now. You’ll be able to use it perfectly.”

Seo Jungin whispered, his eyes burning, then lightly grasped Choi Suhyuk’s jaw with one hand, leaned in, and sucked on his lower lip once more.

Zing.

“Ugh!”

Choi Suhyuk shuddered at the electrifying sensation.

“Chup, haa, it’s clean…”

Seo Jungin’s face was flushed as he pulled back from the kiss and whispered. Choi Suhyuk looked down at Seo Jungin’s face, as if seeing something inexplicable, and was drawn to lean in and press their lips together again.

“If you’re done guiding, hurry up and move! Don’t you see the line forming? Suhyuk Hyung!”

“Get your head in the game and lay down that flame field!”

Jo Heechan’s and Nam Taeyong’s irritated shouts came one after another, causing Choi Suhyuk to pause and look ahead.

It was as if they had been in their own world, oblivious to the horrific scene unfolding in real time. Though it hadn’t been long, this wasn’t the time for distractions. Kim Yikyung’s flame field, compared to Choi Suhyuk’s original ability, wasn’t strong enough to fully stop the Creepions. Already, monsters were trampling corpses, leaping forward, and swarming the space like a pack of ravenous beasts.

Choi Suhyuk gently lifted Seo Jungin from his embrace while brushing his soft lips with his thumb, wiping away the glistening saliva.

“Sorry. And thank you.”

“Yeah. I’m going to Yikyung Hyung now.”

The warmth of Seo Jungin slipped out of Choi Suhyuk’s arms. Choi Suhyuk clenched his reluctant hand and focused on his ability. Inside his body, which Seo Jungin had thoroughly cleansed, a pure flame surged without any obstruction.

Choi Suhyuk extended both arms, steadied his breathing, and drew up his ability.

It was truly astonishing. His body felt as light as a feather, but more than that, a powerful force swirled and gathered at his fingertips almost simultaneously with his thoughts.

Fwoosh.

There was no special sound or light. But everyone in Team K814 could feel it. An overwhelming, terrifying force seemed to crush the space around them.

“What… is this…?”

“Is this Suhyuk Hyung’s field attack?”

To the naked eye, the fusion of flame and lightning looked unchanged. But everything caught in Choi Suhyuk’s newly unleashed flame ability vanished without a sound, without a trace, without even a scent.

As if it had never existed. As if nothing had ever been there.

Even the other members felt chills and goosebumps from the power. Even Choi Suhyuk himself felt a shiver run down his spine.

To think such an absolute, overwhelming force could be wielded so lightly? A power this strong?

Choi Suhyuk’s astonished face gradually darkened, tinged with confusion.

‘This kind of power, I…’

Seeing the pinnacle of his ability with his own eyes, the power of annihilation felt like a monster. He was overwhelmed by the sensation that this force could ultimately destroy even himself.

“Choi Suhyuk, just how far does your power go…?”

Kim Yikyung, unable to believe the sight before him, stared blankly with wide eyes as living beings were erased one by one.

“Yikyung Hyung.”

Startled, he turned to see Seo Jungin standing there, his eyes glowing red.

“…?!”

“Hyung, I’ll guide you.”

“Jungin, your eyes…”

“Look forward.”

Seo Jungin slipped into Kim Yikyung’s arms, his arms outstretched. Their ability shields overlapped, sending a cold, tingling sensation through each other’s bodies.

“Ah, wait!”

Kim Yikyung exclaimed in panic as Seo Jungin’s hand cupped the back of his head, but his head tilted to the side, and Seo Jungin’s tongue softly grazed his clean neck.

“Hngh!”

The moment Seo Jungin’s tongue touched him, Kim Yikyung was overwhelmed by a rush of hot guiding energy, unable to breathe.

“Chup, chup, haa, chup…”

Seo Jungin’s tongue began to thoroughly lick and suck Kim Yikyung’s neck.

“Ugh! Hnngh! Ugh! Ugh!”

Kim Yikyung let out uncontrollable moans. The intense, ecstatic guiding waves interrupted even his flame attack.

“Hyung, use your ability quickly. I did kiss-guiding with Suhyuk, and it broke his attack, so I’m doing it on your neck…”

“Hnngh! Jungin…!”

Even Seo Jungin’s whispering breath against his ear was electrifying.

‘Is this unrelated to guiding? Am I just getting excited because Jungin’s whispering…?’

While Kim Yikyung’s dazed mind wandered, Seo Jungin whispered again.

“I said use your ability, Hyung…”

His hand instinctively reacted, firing flame orbs with a bang. Seo Jungin’s ecstatic mucosal guiding resumed. His tongue glided softly along Kim Yikyung’s pulsing vein, leaving it drenched in saliva.

“Haa, haa, haaa.”

Kim Yikyung blinked his hazy eyes, dizzyingly feeling the hot guiding waves flowing through his vein.

Seo Jungin, licking Kim Yikyung’s smooth skin, felt an unbearable pleasure rising. It was porcelain-like, perfect for licking. The more he licked, the more it wrapped around his tongue. He wanted to suck and leave marks, to graze it with his teeth and hear moans…

“Hngh! J-Jungin, hngh!”

Kim Yikyung flinched and staggered back, overwhelmed by the tingling sensation of his sensitive neck being sucked and the pleasure of teeth grazing it.

Zing, zing.

“Hnngh!”

“Chup, haa, Hyung, chup.”

As ecstatic guiding waves poured from the aroused Seo Jungin, Kim Yikyung couldn’t hold back and pulled Seo Jungin into a tight embrace.

“Mm! Yikyung Hyung…!”

“Haa, haa, Jungin, haa.”

When Kim Yikyung grabbed the back of Seo Jungin’s neck and lifted it, his head tilted back willingly.

Bright red, languid, beautiful eyes. A small, pale face. Sweet breaths escaping slightly parted red lips.

Seo Jungin was aroused. Every point of contact with him sent tingling waves flooding in. Kim Yikyung couldn’t hold back anymore. Blood Hole or not, he wanted to pin Seo Jungin down right then and there.

I want to suck his lips.

I want to suck his neck.

I want to bite his nipples.

I want to strip off his pants, spread his legs wide, lick his hole, and suck his erect clit.

Haa, haa, I want to suck it right now. I want to ram my cock into his dripping hole.

Overwhelmed by intense desire, Kim Yikyung devoured Seo Jungin’s lips.

“Mmm!”

Their lips rubbed wetly, red tongues fiercely entwining.

“Chup, Hyung, hngh! Mmm, chup, chup.”

“Guh! Hnngh…! Chup, hngh!”

Moans escaped involuntarily. Kim Yikyung’s eyes rolled back, overwhelmed by the swirling guiding waves pouring from Seo Jungin. His legs gave out, barely holding up Seo Jungin in his arms.

Kim Yikyung had no choice but to take in the tingling sensation flooding from Seo Jungin, the hot guiding waves pouring through their touching tongues and mouth membranes.

‘Too… too hot and rough. Is this guiding? It’s like swallowing a fireball. It’s like…’

[His Guide ability feels mixed with an Esper ability.]

Nam Taeyong’s words came to mind, along with Seo Jungin’s eyes. If he hadn’t seen wrong, Seo Jungin’s eyes were completely red. Realizing this, Kim Yikyung grabbed Seo Jungin’s shoulders, pushing him away to break the kiss.

“Haa, haa, haa.”

“Haa, haa, haa, Yikyung Hyung…”

He hadn’t been mistaken. Seo Jungin’s eyes were filled with deep crimson lines rising at the edge of his black pupils, his irises entirely red.

Like flickering flames of lava. Like a blazing sun. Like Choi Suhyuk’s burning eyes.

“Hyung, try using your ability…”

“…What?”

“I cleaned out your entire body. Like when you first awakened. You’ll only be able to use pure ability.”

The ecstatic pain of a blazing fireball cleansing his body was still vivid. Kim Yikyung stared at Seo Jungin’s eyes, then focused on the ability flowing within him.

“…!”

His body, light as a feather, was filled with a pure, powerful force. The unobstructed, resistance-free flow moved freely as he thought and willed.

“Haa, what is this…?”

He couldn’t believe it. The infinite power he felt when he first awakened, as if he could absorb everything. That power was so effortlessly, refreshingly at his fingertips.

The heavy, lingering sensation that had always seemed to cling to his body, even the ancient toxic force undetected by watch sensors, was completely gone. His body was filled only with powerful, swirling energy.

“No way…”

As Kim Yikyung marveled at the incredible power, feeling the ability at his fingertips…

“Hngh, hnghaaak!”

“Heechan!”

Jo Heechan’s scream and Nam Taeyong’s shout rang out from across the central hall. Kim Yikyung and Seo Jungin looked in shock to see Jo Heechan pinned under several Creepions, his neck and thighs being torn apart.

“No! Heechan…!”

Seo Jungin’s eyes widened in shock. Despite the ability shield, Jo Heechan’s defenses had weakened as toxic force built up in his body.

“Die, you fuckers!”

Nam Taeyong grabbed the monsters piling on Jo Heechan, pouring poison into them.

“Kweeeek! Uweeek!”

Nam Taeyong flung back several Creepions spewing black blood, pulling Jo Heechan from under the pile. Jo Heechan, now visible, was gushing blood from his neck and thighs.

“Heechan, no…”

Seeing Jo Heechan covered in blood, Seo Jungin muttered as if in a trance, then suddenly bolted toward the central hall.

“Dangerous!”

Kim Yikyung grabbed Seo Jungin’s wrist as he rushed forward.

“Heechan, Heechan! Heechan!”

“Jungin! Jungin, don’t worry. Taeyong will heal him. Calm down.”

“His toxic force is too high, the shield’s useless. I have to go guide him, quickly!”

“Okay. I’ll cover you, so stay behind me.”

Kim Yikyung calmed the panicking Seo Jungin, held his hand tightly, and ran toward Jo Heechan.

“Kraaaagh!”

As the smell of Jo Heechan’s blood spread, the Creepions went into a frenzy, growing more ferocious. Choi Suhyuk maintained his field attack, firing flame orbs at the Creepions lunging at Jo Heechan.

Nam Taeyong dragged Jo Heechan back with a screech. A trail of blood followed. Jo Heechan, eyes rolled back, frothed blood and convulsed.

“Heechan, Heechan, hold on, just hold on, okay?”

Nam Taeyong pressed his palms to Jo Heechan’s neck and thighs, focusing on healing. A faint light glowed, and the torn skin slowly began to mend.

Kim Yikyung and Seo Jungin ran in a wide arc behind the intensified flame and lightning fusion field. The Creepions’ glossy black eyes tracked their movement, then began thrashing in excitement. A Creepion, climbing the wall like a spider, leaped at Seo Jungin.

“Kiaaaak!”

“Jungin!”

“Ah!”

Kim Yikyung quickly wrapped his arms around Seo Jungin’s waist.

Thud.

The monster, leaping over the central hall’s fusion field, narrowly missed them and crashed to the floor.

“You okay?!”

“I’m fine!”

The Creepion rolled a few times, then stood, its eyes flashing as it searched for Seo Jungin. Its arms dangled oddly, likely broken from the fall.

“Kraaaagh!”

The moment the monster spotted Seo Jungin and lunged with its gaping maw, a particle beam from Seo Jungin’s weapon pierced its head, carving a clean path.

“Guh…!”

The creature collapsed forward, black blood pouring from its head. But there was no time to marvel at Seo Jungin’s quick response.

“Jungin, look behind you!”

Creepions flooding the central hall began climbing the walls like the previous monster. They moved like a swarm of spiders. Dozens of Creepions crawled up the walls and ceiling, a grotesque and terrifying sight that made breathing difficult and sent chills down the spine.

“Hyung!”

“We need to lay down more field attacks.”

Kim Yikyung spread both hands and focused on his ability: body replication. In an instant, four duplicate Kim Yikyungs appeared beside him.

“Haa…”

Kim Yikyung let out an incredulous sigh.

‘Replicating four bodies is this easy?’

The replicated Kim Yikyungs split into two groups, laying down flame fields. Two would pour out flames, while the other two replicated Hwang Woohyun’s ability for lightning attacks.

“Let’s go!”

Kim Yikyung grabbed Seo Jungin’s hand and started running again.

“Kweeeek!”

“Kiiii!”

As the replicated Kim Yikyungs’ flame field attacks spread across the walls and ceiling, even more horrific screams echoed.

“Heechan!”

Jo Heechan, healed by Nam Taeyong, snapped back to consciousness at Seo Jungin’s voice. He bolted upright, looked around, and spotted Seo Jungin running toward him from a distance.

‘What? Is he coming to me? To guide me? Is it my turn now?’

Seo Jungin kept calling Jo Heechan’s name, his face looking like he might cry. Jo Heechan remembered he’d nearly been torn apart and killed by Creepions.

‘Wow, look at that face. Is he running like that because he thought I’d die? Is Taeyong Hyung seeing this?’

Jo Heechan looked for Nam Taeyong with a smug expression, but Nam Taeyong was already at the reception desk, head barely visible, focused on sniping Creepions.

‘Well… it’s not about who’s watching. What matters is that Jungin Hyung is showing me that face.’

Watching Seo Jungin run toward him, pale with worry, Jo Heechan sat back and spread his arms wide. Realizing his palms were covered in blood, he rubbed them on his pants and opened his arms again.

‘Jungin Hyung, running to guide me, is like a prince on a white horse. Or a princess? Then Yikyung Hyung behind him is the knight?’

Thanks to Nam Taeyong’s thorough healing, Jo Heechan’s wounds were clean, but the rising toxic force made his head feel like it was splitting. Every part of his body ached, and a chill crept in. The first guiding alarm would likely sound soon.

‘If Jungin Hyung gives me a deep kiss, I’ll be fine in three seconds.’

When the Creepions tore into him, he’d briefly thought, “Is this it? Am I going to die here?” But seeing Seo Jungin running toward him so desperately, Jo Heechan felt a surge of life and courage.

How could I die with Jungin Hyung here? There’s so much to do outside.

Go to Arksaloto, get matching couple suits, and visit a couple’s clinic. Eat langoustine at French Christian’s sensory cuisine. Ride the X Tower cable car and show him the killer night view. Kiss deeply there. Maybe even take him from behind if I can.

Book a VIP suite at Kings Hotel, order room service for days, and roll around together. Take him from the front, from behind, up and down, lick and suck him from head to toe. With so much to do with Jungin Hyung, why would I die?

Wait, why are Jungin Hyung’s eyes like that? Did they change again? What is it this time? It’s not like he’s begging to be taken or anything aggressive, right? Wait, am I the one getting taken?

“Jo Heechan!”

“Haa… mmph!”

Seo Jungin leaped into Jo Heechan’s open arms, pressing their lips together.

“Heechan, Heechan, chup, chup, chup.”

“Ugh, chup, hnngh, Hyung, hnngh…!”

Seo Jungin’s tongue parted Jo Heechan’s lips, rubbing and caressing every corner of his mouth’s membrane. The movement was urgent, with no room for pause.

“Chup, Heechan, haa, chup.”

“Ugh, mmph, chup, hnngh!”

Just the licking and rubbing of Seo Jungin’s tongue on his membranes made Jo Heechan’s headache and nausea melt away. The cool, tingling sensation of their overlapping ability shields sent him into a daze.

‘Ah, so good. Jungin Hyung. So good. I love kissing Jungin Hyung so much.’

Before he knew it, Jo Heechan’s body was pushed back, his back hitting the floor. Seo Jungin leaned over him, frantically licking his lips and mouth membranes.

Lick, lick.

“Mmm, mmph, haa, Jungin Hyung.”

Jo Heechan, lost in a daze, looked up at Seo Jungin with confusion when the kissing suddenly stopped. At that moment, a warm droplet fell onto his face with a plop.

“Huh, what’s that? Hyung, are you crying?”

“Sob…”

Seo Jungin’s red eyes shimmered with tears. As they welled up, a few more drops fell onto Jo Heechan’s face.

“Why, why are you crying? Hyung… don’t cry. Okay? Don’t cry.”

Seo Jungin’s tightly pressed lips trembled with sobs.

“I thought you were going to die, I thought you were dying, I thought you were going to die…”

“Hyung…”

As Seo Jungin squeezed his eyes shut, more warm droplets rained onto Jo Heechan’s face.

“I really thought you were going to die, sob…”

Jo Heechan’s lips also pressed tightly together, his heart aching in sympathy.

“Don’t cry, don’t cry. Okay? Seeing you cry hurts my heart. Don’t cry, okay?”

Jo Heechan cupped Seo Jungin’s cheeks with both hands. Seo Jungin’s tear-filled eyes opened, sparkling.

‘Still those red eyes. They’re beautiful too. These eyes are beautiful. Everything about Jungin Hyung is just beautiful.’

Seo Jungin, still teary, gently stroked Jo Heechan’s hair, matted with blood and sweat.

“You need more guiding. Your body is still full of toxic force, so we need to keep going. Open your mouth.”

“Huh? Uh… ugh! Mmph!”

Just as Seo Jungin leaned in to kiss Jo Heechan and pour guiding waves into him, Jo Heechan pushed his shoulders back, gasping for breath.

“Why, what’s wrong…?”

“Don’t do that thing where you shove it in like that, okay?”

“Shove it in?”

“Not that rough guiding stuff. Just do it gently for me. I feel like I’ll choke if you force it in like that.”

“But…”

“I like it better when it’s gentle. Can’t you just softly suck my tongue and do it slowly?”

“…”

Kim Yikyung and Nam Taeyong, positioned side by side at the reception desk, sniping Creepions, genuinely tried to be patient. They felt sorry for Jo Heechan, who had just come back from the brink of death, and they certainly intended to let him rest and receive guiding from Seo Jungin at a leisurely pace.

“Or maybe suck on my earlobe or neck and do it slowly?”

But Nam Taeyong finally exploded, unable to hold back any longer.

“Is this bastard seriously flirting and acting all lovey-dovey right now?”

But when Nam Taeyong turned around, he saw Seo Jungin gently sucking on Jo Heechan’s earlobe.

“…Unbelievable.”

Seo Jungin nibbled on Jo Heechan’s earlobe, then slipped his small tongue into his ear canal.

“Hngh, ugh, Hyung…”

Jo Heechan’s hands slowly moved toward Seo Jungin’s hips, starting to knead them. Seo Jungin’s lips then slid down to Jo Heechan’s neck.

The torn neck had healed seamlessly, but dried blood was caked and smeared on it. As Seo Jungin licked the once-wounded area, he recalled the heart-stopping moment.

Lick, lick.

“Haa, it hurt a lot, didn’t it…”

“Hngh, ugh, I was so out of it, ugh, I didn’t even feel the pain, hnngh.”

Seo Jungin licked the neck meticulously, like a dog tending to a wound. Each touch of his tongue sent a dizzying sensation flooding into Jo Heechan, making him moan uncontrollably.

“Hngh, ugh, haa, ugh.”

Jo Heechan’s hand reflexively tugged Seo Jungin’s shirt out of his pants, slipping inside to touch bare skin.

“Chup, smooch, haa, Heechan.”

“Hyung, ah, so gentle. It’s too…”

His large hand roamed over smooth skin, then began rubbing a raised nipple. Tingling guiding waves immediately poured into Jo Heechan.

“Haa, Hyung, it’s tingling. Feels good when you touch here, doesn’t it…”

“Ah… ahh, ahh, ahh.”

Seo Jungin’s face flushed deeply as his nipple was stimulated, lifting his head and letting out continuous moans. Jo Heechan, with a languid gaze, looked up at Seo Jungin’s aroused expression and whispered mischievously.

“Do you like it when I rub it like this, or when I circle it like this?”

“Hnngh! Mmm! Ahh, ahh, Heechan.”

“Hyung, haa, you gotta tell me so I know. Ugh, haa…”

Each time Jo Heechan teased Seo Jungin’s nipple in different ways, he reveled in the tingling waves pouring out. He then pushed up Seo Jungin’s shirt, exposing pink nipples, and began sucking on them.

“Hngh! Ahh! Ahh! Ahh!”

“Smooch, smooch, lick, haa, feels good? Huh? Smooch, smooch.”

Jo Heechan alternated between licking and sucking both nipples, then naturally laid Seo Jungin on the floor, beginning to caress him in earnest.

“Haa, feels good, doesn’t it? Smooch, smooch, doing it slowly, smooch, is better, right?”

“Mmm, mmph, haa, haa.”

Jo Heechan’s hands clinked as they unbuckled Seo Jungin’s belt, swiftly slipping inside his underwear to reveal the pink tip of his glans.

“Wow… the color, insane. Hyung, huh?”

“Hngh, no, Heechan, not now…”

“So I only pulled out the tip. Can I just suck it a little?”

“No, no.”

“Just a little, just the tip, okay?”

Seo Jungin shook his head with a flushed face, but Jo Heechan’s red hair was already moving toward his groin.

“No, no, don’t, haaah!”

“Smooch, smooch, haa, hnngh, chup, chup.”

As Jo Heechan took the slick glans into his mouth and sucked, an electrifying pleasure surged through him. When he pushed his tongue into the urethra, the small opening seemed to shoot out pleasure.

“Guh, ugh, smooch, smooch, crazy, smooch, smooch, ugh, smooch.”

“Hnngh! Ahh! Ahh! No! No!”

Seo Jungin watched his glans move in and out of Jo Heechan’s mouth, moaning dizzyingly and shaking his head repeatedly.

Jo Heechan savored the pink glans like candy, subtly pulling down Seo Jungin’s pants and underwear to expose his scrotum. He began kneading the soft scrotum while vigorously sucking the penis from root to glans.

“Hnngh! Heechan! You! Hnngh! Mmm! Ugh!”

“Smooch, smooch, guh, it’s tingling, so much, smooch, smooch.”

Seo Jungin grabbed Jo Heechan’s red hair, twisting his hips and trembling with pleasure.

Jo Heechan’s watch alarm widget, on the verge of turning black, dropped to blue as his toxic force levels plummeted. Glancing at the watch, Jo Heechan pretended not to notice and focused on sucking Seo Jungin’s penis.

“Smooch, haa, so pretty. So sweet. How is Hyung like this, smooch, smooch.”

“Hnngh, mmm! Ugh! Ahh, haa.”

“Haa, feels that good? Huh? Smooch, seems like you’re gonna come soon, smooch.”

Jo Heechan sucked the nearing-ejaculation glans while rapidly stroking the penis with one hand, not forgetting to knead the scrotum with the other.

“Ah, hngh, no, Heechan, hngh! Stop, stop!”

“Smooch, smooch, I’ll take it all, so just come, smooch, smooch.”

“No, nooo, hngh, ugh! Ugh… ugh!”

Seo Jungin thrust his hips into Jo Heechan’s mouth, convulsing intensely.

“Mmph! Hnngh! Hnn… gulp, gulp, hnn!”

Jo Heechan’s eyes rolled back in ecstasy as he moaned and swallowed the ejaculate. Even the fluid sliding down his throat tingled.

“Sob, I told you not to, sob, but you did it, hngh!”

Jo Heechan, still feeling lingering tingles, kept sucking Seo Jungin’s glans while holding his penis.

“Hnngh! No, no, stop! Stop it! Hnngh!”

“Ah, haa, it’s so pretty, smooch, smooch, I can’t stop sucking.”

At that moment, the stench of blood in the air grew stronger. Seo Jungin quickly sensed it and sat up abruptly.

“Heechan, blood smell…!”

Jo Heechan, startled, jerked his head up. As Seo Jungin hurriedly adjusted his clothes, Jo Heechan helped despite the chaos.

The air grew heavy and humid. The sensation of mist settling, like water sprayed from a nozzle, made the K814 members exchange quick glances.

Kim Yikyung rubbed his eyes as droplets formed, revealing vivid blood droplets on his hand.

“No way…”

Kim Yikyung scanned the surroundings, then looked toward the kitchen area. His eyes widened in horror.

“No way.”

A long, vertical crack in space had torn open between the freezers in the back of the kitchen. Blood droplets were spraying violently from the red gap.

“No way. No way. This can’t be happening.”

“Fucking hell, they’re really trying to kill us.”

Jo Heechan’s mutter and Nam Taeyong’s grumble followed. Kim Yikyung ran toward Hwang Woohyun, shouting loudly.

“Suhyuk! Woohyun! A Blood Hole is opening in the kitchen!”

Choi Suhyuk and Hwang Woohyun, unable to look away from their field attacks, had already sensed the blood stench and the droplets running down their faces.

Kim Yikyung checked the kitchen again. The space-tearing, blood-spraying gap was unmistakably a Blood Hole.

Blood Holes could open in the sky, city centers, or farmlands—anywhere, with no pattern. They varied in size from A to C, and multiple holes opening wasn’t uncommon. But a case like this, crammed into a confined space, was unheard of. It was likely due to the Separator’s summoning ability, unlike any Blood Hole they’d faced before.

Hwang Woohyun’s blue eyes darkened.

“Yikyung Hyung, what do we do? This is too dangerous.”

Kim Yikyung gritted his teeth, thinking. A way to escape. A way out. A way to survive.

The first and fourth floors already had Blood Holes. Team K814 was trapped on the third floor, and the emergency exit was blocked by swarming Creepions. If the kitchen’s Blood Hole fully opened, they’d be like rats in a trap.

They couldn’t stay like this. Even with Choi Suhyuk’s transcendent ability erasing bodies, the Creepions’ overwhelming numbers would eventually outpace their kills.

Kim Yikyung’s eyes landed on the elevator as he scanned the third floor.

What if they took the elevator to the fifth floor? If they laid down a maximum-radius field attack right after boarding, they could buy time for the doors to close and ascend.

But was the fifth floor safe? If a Blood Hole was open there too, the moment the elevator doors opened, Team K814 would face extreme danger.

What if the elevator didn’t work? Only one of the four elevators had been functioning during their sweep. With time resetting every 24 hours, they could assume one would work.

But Creepions could be summoned in the elevator shaft, or the ones flooding the first and fourth floors could pour onto the car.

Still, it was their only option. The emergency stairs were swarming with Creepions from above and below. Breaking through was impossible. Jumping out the window would only loop them back to the same spot due to the spacetime distortion.

The elevator was their only hope.

At that moment, the crack in the kitchen split wider, opening into a round hole, and Creepions began pouring out from the blood-red gap.

“Suhyuk!”

Kim Yikyung fired flame orbs and shouted. Choi Suhyuk turned and unleashed a devastatingly powerful ability attack toward the Blood Hole. The searing, blindingly colorless force erased the charging monsters like an eraser. Two replicated Kim Yikyungs assisting with field attacks also turned, laying down fierce lightning abilities across the kitchen.

Hwang Woohyun and another replicated Kim Yikyung intensified their lightning and flame fusion field toward the central hall. The original Kim Yikyung joined Choi Suhyuk’s position, firing flame orbs for targeted attacks.

Jo Heechan swiftly joined the attack, moving with unprecedented agility. He extended both hands to fire ice orbs, but what came out was a chain of ice streams. Seeing the swirling ice energy extend endlessly, Jo Heechan’s eyes widened.

“Whoa, what’s this? I could do this?”

Jo Heechan, genuinely amazed, marveled at his lighter body and the pure, powerful ice ability surging within, stronger than after his last guiding.

Nam Taeyong fired his positron gun relentlessly, poisoning Creepions that got too close, unleashing indiscriminate close- and long-range attacks.

In that moment, Team K814 held their own against the Creepions’ swarm. Their abilities were manifesting more powerfully than ever, pushing their potential to the limit.

But it was a matter of time. They weren’t machines or infinite beings. They needed to eat, rest, and sleep, and required guiding when toxic force built up. They were also psychologically vulnerable. If this continued, they’d be surrounded and brutally torn apart by the monsters.

“Kraaaagh!”

“Kiiii!”

The members, attacking while slowly retreating, soon found themselves back-to-back in the center.

“Argh!”

“Guh!”

“Taeyong, heal!”

Injuries mounted. Creepions leaping from the ceiling and walls bit and tore, leaving the members with bleeding wounds.

Nam Taeyong, frantically performing attacks and healing, reached his limit. After healing Kim Yikyung’s bitten arm, he gasped for breath as blisters rose on his skin. His toxic force had built up.

“Huff, huff, Jungin, Seo Jungin!”

Seo Jungin, guiding by sucking Choi Suhyuk’s fingers from behind, whipped his head around. Nam Taeyong’s condition was visibly bad. Realizing he hadn’t guided Nam Taeyong once while covering the field-attacking Espers, he gasped.

“Ah! Taeyong, I’ll guide you… mmph!”

Nam Taeyong, unable to wait, rushed to Seo Jungin, pulled him tightly by the waist, and pressed their lips together.

“Chup, smooch, smooch, chup.”

“Mmph!”

Seo Jungin moaned under the rough kiss but assessed Nam Taeyong’s body and immersed himself in guiding.

“Hnngh!”

Nam Taeyong shuddered at the guiding waves pouring into his throat, marveling as the boiling toxicity and pain subsided instantly.

‘Haa, Seo Jungin. This insane guiding.’

Seo Jungin gripped Nam Taeyong’s arms tightly. He felt a robust vitality in his firm forearms. Suddenly, his lower body flared, and a dizzying pleasure hit him faster than with the other members.

“Hnngh!”

“Chup, ugh, guh!”

Nam Taeyong’s body shivered, his groin swelling painfully as tingling waves overflowed from Seo Jungin.

‘Seo Jungin, you’re aroused? Fuck, this feeling. Haa, even in this mess… it’s so damn good. Insane.’

Nam Taeyong yanked Seo Jungin’s shirt from his pants, hurriedly caressing his bare back. The kiss grew rougher and messier.

“Chup, smooch, smooch, haa, chup, chup.”

“Mmm! Mmph! Chup, mmph!”

Seo Jungin began to feel helpless pleasure from Nam Taeyong’s devouring kiss and the entanglement of their tongues. The skillful movement of his tongue drove him wild.