Side Story 1:
The two of them, coming down from the rooftop, ignored the Guild members’ suggestions for a celebratory party to commemorate the president’s impeachment and headed straight to Seo Jae-yi’s room at the Guild headquarters.
Perhaps because it was their first night together in days, Baek Joo-won couldn’t control his excitement.
He tried to restrain himself at first. But Seo Jae-yi, overjoyed by the ring, had been… proactive, pushing him down onto the bed, and he couldn’t hold back any longer, his fangs and horns appearing.
Naturally, their lovemaking became intense and unrestrained. It was so passionate that they both collapsed, exhausted, and fell asleep in each other’s arms after just one night.
About an hour later, Seo Jae-yi woke up.
“….”
She glanced at Baek Joo-won, who was holding her tightly.
His hair was still long, and his horns hadn’t disappeared yet. She could see the tips of his fangs between his slightly parted lips.
She traced his slightly swollen lips with her fingertips, and a thought occurred to her.
‘His fangs are so sharp, and yet, he’s never hurt me.’
Baek Joo-won liked leaving marks on her, biting and sucking on her lips, neck, and everywhere else during their intimacy, but they were always just reddish marks, never drawing blood.
Despite his sharp fangs.
It meant he had been controlling his strength, even when lost in passion.
‘Why would he care about a little scratch?’
As an Esper, she was used to injuries. A little bite mark wasn’t even painful.
And now, with Baek Joo-won’s power, his Yeouiju, integrated into her being, even significant wounds healed quickly.
So he didn’t need to be so careful; he could leave as many marks as he wanted.
‘…But he wouldn’t change, even if I told him.’
That was Baek Joo-won.
She gazed at his sleeping face and was about to snuggle closer when she felt something on her left ring finger.
She raised her hand and looked at the platinum ring he had given her, the ring with the red stone that represented her.
And the small green stone on the inside, representing him.
She hadn’t expected him to give her a ring. She hadn’t even thought about exchanging rings with him.
Such ordinary, everyday things were… foreign to her.
So she was happy, truly happy, to be experiencing something so ordinary with Baek Joo-won.
“He’s being surprisingly cute.”
Seo Jae-yi smiled, tracing the unfamiliar ring with her fingertip.
A familiar warmth, his body heat, seeped into her fingers.
“Are you… talking about me…?”
A sleepy voice whispered in her ear.
His voice, lower than usual, husky with sleep, sent shivers down her spine.
Hae-wi’s voice was dangerous when it was like this.
Seo Jae-yi frowned slightly.
“Who else would I be talking about?”
“Right. You’re the only one I act cute for.”
Baek Joo-won took her hand, their fingers intertwined, and kissed her ring.
He really was being cute.
“Why are you awake? Is the ring uncomfortable?”
“No, it’s just… unfamiliar. I’ve never worn a ring before. But I’ll get used to it.”
“You’re being quite cute yourself.”
“Me? Why?”
“You’re saying you’ll keep wearing it until you get used to it.”
Baek Joo-won smiled brightly, his lips still pressed against her ring.
His tousled hair, his sleepy smile, his voice lower than usual… it was enough to invigorate her weary body.
Seo Jae-yi leaned down and bit his lip playfully.
He chuckled, his lips still touching hers, as if he had been expecting it.
“Ah, but…”
Seo Jae-yi pulled away, a soft popping sound as their lips parted.
She would have happily continued, but there was something she had to ask.
“What if the ring… melts?”
Could the ring withstand the heat she generated during battles?
Should she take it off when she was fighting?
“Don’t worry about that.”
Baek Joo-won pulled her closer, his arm around her waist, his eyes, now open, fixed on her lips, a flicker of desire in their depths.
“The red stone is a lava stone, and the green one contains my power. And the platinum band is also fire-resistant, so you can wear it all the time.”
“What?”
Seo Jae-yi chuckled, dumbfounded.
She had thought they were just custom-made rings.
“Your power… I can understand, but a lava stone? And fire-resistant platinum? Don’t tell me…”
“Yes. I asked Seo Won-yeong to make them. She was very happy to.”
Baek Joo-won’s hand caressed her back, his touch radiating warmth.
But Seo Jae-yi was too surprised, too touched, that her beloved sister had made the rings, to fully appreciate his touch.
“Won-yeong? She was… happy? Why?”
“I told her I was going to propose. That I wanted to be with you, forever.”
Seo Won-yeong, who cherished her sister, would naturally be overjoyed that Baek Joo-won, her savior, wanted to be with her forever.
She could picture her sister, dropping everything to work on the rings.
“So stop worrying about the ring and focus on me.”
Baek Joo-won, unable to endure it any longer, flipped her over, his long hair cascading over her bare shoulders and arms.
Seo Jae-yi shivered at the soft, ticklish sensation and instinctively arched her back, her legs shifting.
“Ah, Jae-yi…”
Her unconscious movements only fueled his desire.
He bit his lip, nuzzling his face against her shoulder, his hot breath against her skin, even more ticklish than his hair.
His hips moved slowly against hers.
“I thought we were both exhausted… You recover quickly… Does your regenerative ability work on… that too?”
Seo Jae-yi sighed, feeling the growing pressure against her lower body.
“You like it.”
“I never said I didn’t.”
She chuckled and wrapped her arms around his neck. Baek Joo-won, finally receiving her permission, kissed her cheek softly.
Seo Jae-yi moaned contentedly, tilting her head back.
“Ah… Hae-wi… listen…”
“Hmm?”
Before he could move, she reached out and touched his lips. He opened his mouth slightly, confused but willing, as her fingers traced the curve of his lips.
Her fingertip brushed against his elongated fangs.
“You don’t have to… hold back.”
“What?”
“You’ve been holding back… too much… because of me.”
Baek Joo-won’s eyes widened slightly, as if understanding something.
Seo Jae-yi smiled at him, her expression soft and loving.
“Don’t. I actually… like it when you don’t hold back. I’ll do whatever I want, indulge my own desires, so you don’t have to restrain yourself either. Honestly… I quite like… the marks we leave on each other.”
Even deeper wounds were fine. They would last longer.
Baek Joo-won’s eyes darkened at her words, his desire for her, suppressed for so long, resurfacing.
“So… don’t hold back anymore.”
She caressed his cheek, her touch gentle.
Her words were sincere. She actually… liked it when he lost control.
“…You’re driving me crazy.”
Baek Joo-won whispered, his voice husky with desire. Seo Jae-yi smiled, seeing his reaction.
She had won again.
“Then move, Hae-wi.”
“Hah… one of these days, you’ll have me wrapped around your little finger.”
Baek Joo-won chuckled and then moved, as she commanded.
He gazed down at her, his eyes fixed on her face, her soft moans music to his ears, and he couldn’t help himself. He lowered his head, his desire overwhelming him.
His fangs, sharp and long, grazed her shoulder, the pale skin, unmarked, untouched by anyone but him, a tempting canvas.
He had wanted to bite her, to mark her as his, not just with fleeting red marks, but with his teeth, his scent.
It wasn’t just lust, but a primal instinct, a Mireu’s way of claiming its mate.
But he had always suppressed that urge, not wanting to inflict more pain on her, not wanting to taste her blood, knowing her past traumas.
‘And she knows, somehow…’
He chuckled and nuzzled his forehead against her shoulder, and she wrapped her arms around him, holding him close.
As if giving him permission, encouraging him.
He couldn’t resist any longer, her scent intoxicating him.
His sharp fangs grazed her shoulder, and then…
“Hae-wi…!”
Her soft gasp, her body tensing beneath him, was all the encouragement he needed.
He sank his fangs into her shoulder, drawing blood.
A pang of guilt, of self-loathing, shot through him, the scent of her blood, sweet and intoxicating, arousing a dark, possessive pleasure.
But it was overshadowed by a surge of… something akin to joy, a primal satisfaction as his mark, his scent, was etched into her skin, a claim only he could make.
Baek Joo-won, finally having obtained what he craved, let out a soft, contented sigh.