* * *
Han Jihyuk, with his characteristic unreadable expression, simply stared straight ahead, while Lee Dohoon wore a relaxed smile.
“You had quite a bit of fun with Yeonwoo in the bathroom, didn’t you? You should’ve let me join in too, hmm? Jihyuk.”
To others, Lee Dohoon appeared calm and composed, but the words flowing from his lips told a different story.
With the noise-canceling device activated to ensure no one else could overhear, his raw, unfiltered words filled the space.
“That’s not what the surveillance cameras were installed for.”
Han Jihyuk spoke indifferently, his gaze still fixed straight ahead.
The bunker where Go Yeonwoo was confined was packed with surveillance cameras, allowing the four of them to take turns monitoring his condition.
Among them, the one who checked the cameras most frequently was Lee Dohoon.
It was a habit he’d had even when Woo Jiyoo was still alive.
Han Jihyuk, along with the other two, was well aware of Lee Dohoon’s voyeuristic tendencies.
“What? It’s entertaining. Keeps me from getting bored.”
Lee Dohoon shrugged nonchalantly, the corners of his lips curling into a smirk.
Han Jihyuk didn’t respond, merely keeping his gaze fixed on the shimmering entrance of the gate.
“But still, doesn’t it seem strange? A notice just two hours in advance?”
Lee Dohoon, like Han Jihyuk, also pointed it out.
It was strange that no one found the unusual summons suspicious.
“Hm, it’s a hassle, but should we dig into the director a bit? What do you think?”
“Do it, as long as you don’t get caught.”
“Of course.”
Lee Dohoon, his eyes curving in amusement, gave a light nod just as one of the center’s administrators signaled them.
It was the sign that they were about to enter the gate.
As the administrator stepped aside after deactivating the defensive barrier around the gate’s entrance, the Espers began moving in.
Han Jihyuk and Lee Dohoon took their positions at the very back.
The moment they stepped inside, a damp, stifling air clung to their skin.
The smooth smile on Lee Dohoon’s face twitched ever so slightly.
“Hm, not exactly my kind of environment.”
Inside the gate was a place filled with drooping trees and tall grass, obstructing the view like a dense jungle.
It looked like the kind of place that would be teeming with insects.
It was the kind of environment that Lee Dohoon, who preferred cleanliness, could never welcome, so his steps were sluggish.
He even glanced subtly back toward the entrance of the gate.
“Don’t even think about running away. I won’t allow it.”
Han Jihyuk, quick to pick up on Lee Dohoon’s thoughts, warned him in a low voice.
With Dohoon’s face already twisted in displeasure, there was no mistaking the reason behind his slow pace.
Letting out a small sigh as if resigning himself to the situation, Dohoon quickened his steps.
At this point, he figured it was better to clear the gate as soon as possible.
“By the way, did you hear about that?”
As Lee Dohoon spoke without a direct object, Han Jihyuk glanced at him.
“What are you talking about?”
“Our Taewon has caused trouble again, can you believe it?”
“What is it this time?”
“He set someone on fire again. Taewon really knows how to have fun, doesn’t he? And he’s not even a kid.”
Lee Dohoon’s eyes were filled with ridicule as he spoke.
Han Jihyuk, fully aware of the mocking tone, turned his gaze forward again.
“The director is going to be a nuisance again.”
“Jihyuk, you should give Taewon a serious talk this time. Make sure it clears his head for good.”
Instead of replying, Han Jihyuk simply raised an eyebrow—a subtle sign that he somewhat agreed with Dohoon’s words.
Step, step.
Team 2, including the two of them, continued moving forward.
Given that this place resembled a jungle, the absence of any monsters felt undeniably strange.
There were still no signs of Team 1, who had entered the gate earlier.
The entire group proceeded cautiously, keeping their senses sharp.
Yet, all they could see were trees and grass.
At first, Lee Dohoon had been on high alert, but boredom gradually crept onto his face.
They had been walking for an hour, and the unchanging scenery was starting to wear on him.
Eventually, unable to suppress his boredom, Lee Dohoon discreetly touched the earring in his ear—making sure only Han Jihyuk wouldn’t notice.
The moment he did, a small screen appeared, visible only to him.
What he had accessed was none other than a device linked to the surveillance cameras installed in the bunker.
It was a specialized video display that only the user could see, allowing him to check on Go Yeonwoo’s condition from afar.
“Oh? Our Taewon is out there causing all kinds of trouble and then taking it out on Yeonwoo when he gets back? At this rate, our Yeonwoo’s gonna wear himself out. Makes me wanna head back right now, I’m that worried.”
For someone claiming to be concerned, Lee Dohoon’s expression didn’t match his words in the slightest.
Instead, a slow, amused smile spread across his face.
Noticing this, Han Jihyuk cast him a sidelong glance before speaking.
“What are you doing?”
At Han Jihyuk’s indifferent question, Lee Dohoon responded with a silent, gentle smile.
Seeing this, Han Jihyuk touched his earring just like Lee Dohoon had, bringing up the holographic display to check the interior of the shelter.
Kang Taewon, who seemed to have just returned, was seething with anger as he pressed his fist against the limp, unconscious Go Yeonwoo’s back entrance while he hung from the ceiling.
Kang Taewon half-heartedly rubbed the entrance a few times before firmly pressing his fist inside.
As the fist slowly began to push in, Go Yeonwoo’s limp body jerked violently as if in convulsion.
The unhesitating penetration forcibly jolted him awake.
“Huaaah…!”
As the pale face that had been hanging downward suddenly lifted, a scream echoed through the air.
Kang Taewon paid no mind and kept forcing his fist in.
The tight hole, which had been swallowing his knuckles one by one, finally yielded enough to take in the back of his hand.
Stretched wide without a single wrinkle, the opening turned red and swollen in real time.
“Shut up, you noisy bitch.”
As Go Yeonwoo kept screaming and thrashing wildly, Kang Taewon issued a fierce warning.
But when Yeonwoo continued convulsing uncontrollably, Taewon raised his free hand.
Then, without hesitation, he brought it down hard on Yeonwoo’s backside.
Smack! Smack!
Red handprints began to layer over the round curve of his raised hips.
Kang Taewon had been striking Go Yeonwoo’s backside as if punishing him, but at some point, he noticed the sudden silence and withdrew his hand.
It seemed that Go Yeonwoo was in shock from the harsh beating, his mouth hanging open as he silently gagged.
With a fist pushing into the hole and additional blows landing on his backside, the pain appeared to have doubled.
‘Tsk, did becoming a Guide make you stupid? You were already a bitch in heat, desperate for cock, so I guess you would’ve been pathetic either way, even if you hadn’t become one.’
Kang Taewon hurled relentless, violent words at Go Yeonwoo.
As if determined to unleash all his fury, he spat out his scorn while forcing his fist deeper.
His thick knuckles pushed past, and in the end, he shoved his wrist into the hole.
A smirk curled on Kang Taewon’s lips.
“This crazy bitch is gushing like a flood just from a fist? You like that, you bitch?”
Just as Kang Taewon said, the hole that had swallowed his wrist was overflowing with slick fluids.
And neither Han Jihyuk nor Lee Dohoon missed that sight.
* * *
