Chapter 134:
“You’re awake.”
Baek Joo-won, having returned to the forest dungeon carrying Seo Jae-yi, looked up, sensing a powerful energy from the sky.
A massive, 20-meter long dragon, with shimmering white scales and a sleek body, was soaring through the air.
He could hear its joyous cries echoing through the dungeon; it seemed happy to be back in its true form after so many years.
Airok, sensing Baek Joo-won’s presence, flew towards them.
Whoosh!
After a single, powerful sweep of its massive, membranous wings, Airok slowly landed.
Its presence was far more imposing than when it was in its small, lizard-like form.
This was Airok’s true form.
“Gasp! What?! Master, what’s wrong?!”
His momentary display of his regained power was cut short. Airok cried out in alarm, seeing Seo Jae-yi, limp and lifeless in Baek Joo-won’s arms.
“Her body…”
Burns covering her entire body, wounds everywhere, blood soaking her clothes, her body trembling uncontrollably.
Airok was shocked by Seo Jae-yi’s horrifying state.
She hadn’t been this badly injured even when she single-handedly extinguished the wildfire on Mount Taebaek.
“She overloaded. She’s calmed down a bit now, but…”
Airok’s face hardened at Baek Joo-won’s brief explanation.
“Go find Kim Yoo-sung. He’s nearby. Help him extinguish the fire.”
There was no need to ask what fire. There was no way the surroundings would be intact after Seo Jae-yi overloaded.
“H-how bad is it?”
“Not that bad. I contained it quickly. Just focus on extinguishing the fire. And stay with Kim Yoo-sung for a while.”
Baek Joo-won waved his hand towards Airok. Golden dust seemed to sprinkle onto Airok, and his massive body shrunk back to its previous size.
“Only come back if something happens. I’ll be focusing on helping Seo Jae-yi recover.”
Airok couldn’t say he wanted to stay.
Baek Joo-won’s mood seemed too foul. He knew from centuries of experience that it was best not to provoke him in this state.
“Go now.”
Airok kissed Seo Jae-yi’s forehead and left the dungeon.
Once they were alone, Baek Joo-won slowly walked towards the cave. His appearance, which had been indistinguishable from an ordinary human, changed with every step.
His brown hair lengthened, his eyes turned a transparent green with elongated pupils, his face, even more beautiful than in his human form, and a green robe.
Seo Jae-yi’s blood stained the silk robe, but Baek Joo-won didn’t care. His beautiful face was a mask of cold indifference.
He reached the cave and headed inside. He had made some changes to the cave while Seo Jae-yi was busy with the flower shop and dungeons.
“…I was curious to see your reaction.”
He whispered, his voice laced with complex emotions.
He had imagined countless times what she would say, what expression she would make, but…
He hadn’t expected her to be brought here unconscious, in his arms.
“You always defy my expectations.”
He had found it amusing and intriguing before, but he didn’t find it enjoyable anymore.
He was only afraid of what she might do next, something he wouldn’t know about.
“Fear?”
Baek Joo-won chuckled dryly.
It was absurd that he was feeling fear, and the object of his fear was a human.
A human far stronger than him, a human who constantly did unpredictable things, a human who spouted nonsense, yet a human he desperately desired.
He had never imagined such a day would come.
“But I won’t let you die after you’ve made me like this.”
He laid Seo Jae-yi down on the bed inside the cave. It was a bed he had prepared just for her, hoping she would sleep comfortably in his dungeon.
“Gasp, cough, ugh!”
But Seo Jae-yi, still unconscious, coughed up blood onto the clean, white sheets.
He had been Guiding her on their way here, but her overload level hadn’t dropped below 80%, perhaps because it had been simple contact Guiding.
Her body, already weakened, had been completely ravaged by the overload. She would die within ten days if left untreated.
“So, Jae-yi, I have to Guide you properly this time.”
Simple contact, like he had been doing, wouldn’t be enough to heal her. A kiss wouldn’t be enough either.
He needed the deepest, most intimate Guiding, a Guiding that would completely fill her.
‘I didn’t plan on doing this like this.’
Baek Joo-won smiled, his expression filled with frustration.
He had planned to take her completely when she was completely captivated by him, when she was begging him to stay by her side, not when she was dying.
He had never wanted this. He never wanted to see Seo Jae-yi like this again.
“Cough!”
Seo Jae-yi coughed up another mouthful of blood.
Baek Joo-won let his bloodstained robe fall to the floor and leaned over her.
She was still unconscious, not even recognizing him.
He started Guiding, hoping to bring light back to her eyes. He pushed his energy into her, deeply, powerfully, reaching her very heart.
“Gasp!”
Seo Jae-yi, who had been trembling and coughing up blood, stiffened at the sudden surge of power. Baek Joo-won continued Guiding, observing her reaction, her body convulsing as if she was suffocating.
He filled her dying body with his power, so potent that his previous Guiding felt like a joke.
He watched her for a moment and then lowered his head, pressing his lips against hers. The metallic scent of her blood filled his senses.
He had never wanted to taste it; he had been furious when she had told him to drink his blood, but he had never imagined this day would actually come.
And he felt even more disgusted with himself, as her blood tasted sweeter than any monster’s magic stone.
‘Damn it.’
Baek Joo-won cursed himself inwardly and deepened the kiss, pouring his energy into her. He focused all his power on her, forgetting the taste of her blood.
And then, she reacted.
Her arms, which had been thrashing weakly, her legs, which had been scraping against the bed, wrapped around him tightly. It was a powerful grip, as if she had never been weak.
Her eyes, though not as crimson as when she was overloading, still glowed with a reddish light, staring at him intently.
They were still unfocused. There was no spark, no affection.
There was only one thing.
Greed.
A desperate greed for his energy, the energy of the only one who could save her. A thirst-like greed, a desire to possess him completely, even if it meant tearing him apart.
It was the look Baek Joo-won had longed to see, the look of wanting only him.
“Ha, haha.”
He pulled away, a chuckle escaping his lips. Seo Jae-yi tried to pull him back, annoyed, but Baek Joo-won couldn’t move.
Was this what he had wanted? This gaze, filled with pure desire for him?
Was this what he had truly desired?
“…I was a fool.”
Seo Jae-yi desiring him so desperately meant that she was in a critical condition.
He had only just realized it. How foolish.
He shouldn’t have wanted this. He should have been content with her bright smiles and affectionate gaze.
He was angry at himself for wanting this, for being the reason Seo Jae-yi was like this.
A guilt he had never felt before gnawed at him.
“…It’s my fault.”
He whispered.
It didn’t matter anymore whether Seo Jae-yi wanted him or not. It didn’t matter at all.
What did it matter? He would stay by her side anyway.
“So please, live.”
Baek Joo-won kissed her again, deeply. Seo Jae-yi clung to him desperately as his Guiding, even more potent than before, surged into her.
Rip.
Her fingernails dug into his back and shoulders. Her grip, stronger than usual, tore his clothes and left deep gashes on his skin, blood welling up.
Baek Joo-won realized that she had been holding back before, careful not to hurt him when she clung to him.
You were so considerate of me, and I wanted something so terrible from you.
A dull ache throbbed in his chest.
He moved carefully, his fingertips gently tracing her wounds, as if he were touching a newborn baby, afraid of hurting her further.
Her wounds slowly healed under his touch.
He lifted his head when the most noticeable wounds disappeared, and her trembling subsided.
Another piece of cloth, his robe, landed on the floor next to the blood-stained one. The light from the glowing stones embedded in the cave walls illuminated his upper body.
His perfectly sculpted muscles were tense, perhaps due to guilt and self-loathing. His broad shoulders, his back marred by Seo Jae-yi’s scratches, seemed to carry the weight of the world.
“Ugh!”
Baek Joo-won, his upper body bare, leaned over Seo Jae-yi again. The Guiding intensified as her heat, still scorching, transferred to him. Seo Jae-yi, the heat that had been consuming her subsiding, let out a soft moan.
Her hands instinctively roamed his body, pushing away the heat within her with every touch, replaced by his cool energy.
Seo Jae-yi, her body burning from the overload, couldn’t resist the sensation. She craved it.
She gasped and then flipped him over. She gazed down at the man beneath her, her eyes filled with greed.
She wanted him, this man who sent shivers down her spine.
“Do as you please.”
Baek Joo-won whispered, meeting her still unfocused gaze.
His hand caressed her waist. Even the sweat drenching her back was hot. He traced the beads of sweat with his fingertips.
“Take me, as much as you desire.”
Seo Jae-yi lowered her head as if his words were a signal.
Their lips met again, sparks flying. Still lost in her overload, she was rougher than usual, clinging to him desperately.
There was no gentleness, no restraint. Her fierce assault was almost painful.
But Baek Joo-won didn’t stop Guiding. He kept giving her what she wanted, as much as she desired. He had already given her everything; what did this pain matter?
He was satisfied, seeing her lose herself in him.
“Haah, haah…”
Seo Jae-yi, intoxicated by his refreshing Guiding, clutched his shoulders, wanting more.
Her grip, strong enough to leave red marks, was a desperate attempt to get closer, to consume him.
And as she grabbed his arm, her fingers digging into his skin, Baek Joo-won flipped her over again.