"Th-Thank god. But, um, why are you unbuttoning...?"

Joo Seunghyuk was slowly undoing the buttons of my shirt, one by one—the ones that hadn’t even ripped yet.

"You’re soaked."

Thanks to someone turning on the shower, I really was drenched head to toe. But that had nothing to do with unbuttoning my shirt.

"I can do it."

"It’s fine. What are you going to do while shaking like that? What if you fumble and pop off one of these expensive buttons?"

"I won’t—"

"I don’t want to see you crying, so just stay still."

"......"

Just like that, I was made out to be the kind of guy who’d cry over a lost button. I mean, I had said it, but still—it felt a little unfair.

"I’m not gonna eat you, so don’t be scared."

"......"

His gentle tone carried a subtle pressure. I closed my mouth quietly.

Joo Seunghyuk kept unbuttoning my shirt. I hadn’t really noticed before, but he had beautiful hands.

Of course the obsessive yandere Dom would have perfect hands too. Other than his personality, he was annoyingly flawless.

His fingers reached the last button.

I swallowed dryly, tense. And just as he undid it, I blurted out,

"I can take it from he—!"

But before I could finish, my mouth was sealed shut.

Joo Seunghyuk’s warm lips touched mine, then slowly parted. Startled, I pressed my lips together, but he nipped lightly at my lower lip as if coaxing me.

That signal felt like an irresistible command. As I slowly opened my mouth, his warm breath swept in—followed by his tongue.

His kiss was gentler than before, but just as relentless.

It was better than the first time, but I still had no idea what I was doing. The longer the kiss went on, the more breathless I became.

That’s when his hand moved downward.

Startled, I shoved him away.

“T-This is, um...”

I’d rejected the obsessive Dom. Panicking, I scrambled for an excuse, but Joo Seunghyuk only smiled sweetly, eyes crinkling.

"What, you were just planning to come over to your boyfriend’s house and then leave?"

A word I couldn’t ignore brushed past my ear.

I told myself I must’ve misheard, but still asked cautiously,

"...What did you just say?"

"I said, you’re at your boyfriend’s house."

"Boyfriend...?"

My heart sank like a stone. But Joo Seunghyuk kept smiling as if he were genuinely pleased.

"Why the question mark?"

"A-Are we... boyfriends?"

"You’re asking something weird. We gave each other our virginity. We kissed. If we’re not boyfriends, then what are we?"

Boyfriend. I never imagined such a grounded, real-world term would come out of an obsessive yandere Dom’s mouth.

Did he even say something like that in the original novel? I searched my memory, but a chilling voice cut in.

"Don’t tell me... you were just playing with me?"

The black mana that had disappeared under the warm shower water began to rise and swirl again.

I frantically shook my head.

"No! Of course not."

"Then what are we?"

"B-Boyfriends..."

"Then there’s no problem."

No problem my ass!

I wanted to argue furiously. But the words wouldn’t come out.

If I denied that we were dating, who knew how this obsessive Dom would react?

Before I knew it, I wasn’t thinking as 'Lee Yeonsu', the villainous sub-character—I was thinking like 'Kim Jun'.

As I hesitated, unsure of what to do, Joo Seunghyuk’s hand moved downward again.

I jumped in surprise and grabbed his hand—only for him to finish taking off my shirt.

The wet fabric clung halfway down, getting caught.

Joo Seunghyuk pulled me close by the waist and kissed the nape of my neck.

I tried to push him away, startled, but the half-removed shirt twisted and pinned my arms back as if tied.

While I froze in that position, he kept making those intimate touches.

Afraid of how he might react, I couldn’t even say no or resist—I could only accept what he was doing.

"Y-You said you wouldn’t eat me..."

After carefully thinking over what I could say that wouldn’t upset him, I finally opened my mouth. He smiled, eyes narrowing.

"Who said I’m going to eat you?"

"Then... you’re not going to do it...?"

"No. I am."

“!”

Completely unreasonable. But before I could protest, his hand slid slowly down my back.

***

When I opened my eyes, a pitch-black ceiling filled my vision.

Where... am I?

I turned my head.

Walls, ceiling, furniture, curtains—everything in the room was black. It was stylish, sure, but not my vibe.

Staring blankly at the luxury furniture, I suddenly shot up in bed.

This place...!

“Ugh.”

I winced, grabbing my lower back. At the same time, the events of last night flashed through my head like a photo reel.

My face flushed instantly.

What do you mean 'slowly'?! What a liar. Saying he wouldn’t eat me was a total lie too.

I thought obsessive yandere Doms didn’t lie—just said awful things. Guess that wasn’t true either.

Anyway, now I understood why Kim Jun always looked exhausted in the original novel.

If anything, it would be weird not to be sore. S-class Espers really did have ridiculous stamina.

Joo Seunghyuk might as well have been a weapon.

Still, now wasn’t the time to think about the past. I looked around the all-black room, like something out of a demon king’s castle.

Am I trapped? What if the door’s locked...

A cold shiver ran down my spine.

Knowing how the story goes, that was totally possible.

Maybe I’d be locked in here for the entire semester.

Terrified, I scrambled off the bed. I had to check. If the door was locked, I needed a plan to escape.

I reached for the handle, but before I could grab it, the door burst open.

“Holy—!”

Startled, I fell right onto my butt. Joo Seunghyuk stood there, looking down at me.

"Hyung, why are you so jumpy? You look like someone caught trying to run away."

Hit right in the nerve, I froze in place. His gaze suddenly turned cold.

"Wait, seriously? You were actually trying to run?"

"......"

"And here I was, all excited this morning, buying clothes to keep Yeonsu warm so he wouldn’t get cold."

He held the clothes in his hand. A soft-toned blue sweater and beige pants—definitely not his usual color palette. He always wore neutral tones.

Did he... really buy these for me?

"Yeonsu, did you hate me that much? Enough to run away naked?"

His speech got shorter, and the mana around him turned ice-cold and hostile.

I could feel it—if I said the wrong thing now, this would turn into full-blown hardcore imprisonment angst mode.

"I wanted to see you!"

"...What?"

"I woke up and ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) you weren’t there, so I went looking for you!"

"You wanted to see me? You, Yeonsu?"

His lips smiled, but his eyes looked lethal.

Did he figure out I was lying?

But I couldn’t take it back now. If I wavered even a little, I’d be on the express train to imprisonment.

"Yeah! Last time you were right there. You stayed with me until I woke up. But today I was alone... I thought you didn’t like me anymore..."

"Why would I hate you?"

"Because..."

What do I say?

Because I lied to him and went off guiding part-time? Because I didn’t remember our first night together?

No—neither of those would help. I’d just be digging my own grave.

I’d barely calmed him down yesterday. No need to bring that up again.

What can I say? As I struggled to come up with something, his expression kept getting darker.

Say something—anything—

"Because I’m a loser..."

“...Ha.”

As soon as I said it, he let out a low laugh. I had no idea if he was annoyed or amused—but it definitely wasn’t good.

"Sorry."

"For what?"

"For being a loser..."

"And why would that be something to apologize for?"

"Because someone pathetic like me took your virginity..."

I said it quietly, gauging his reaction—and suddenly he pulled me into his arms.

"They say you can’t even drink cold water in front of kids. But you... you’re something else."

Kids? Was he talking about me?

I looked up at him cautiously, and he kissed my cheek with a loud smooch.

"Hyung, you’re not a loser. If anyone says you are, tell me. I’ll beat them up."

“...There’s no one else. Just you.”

I didn’t want to criticize a yandere Dom’s behavior, but knowing him, he might actually break someone’s arm.

I didn’t want anyone else getting hurt because of the excuse I made, so I mumbled the truth.

I thought he might be offended—but instead, he burst into hearty laughter.

"Yeah, that’s true. No one else should ever see Yeonsu like this."

He hugged me tightly.

And I didn’t miss him muttering, in the smallest voice, "I’ll just get rid of any bastard who tries."

***

It felt too awkward to keep sitting there naked, so I quickly put on the clothes he’d brought me. But the moment I pulled on the soft blue sweater and beige pants, a wave of regret washed over me.

I hesitated at the doorway, then stepped out. Joo Seunghyuk, lounging on the sofa, glanced my way.

"You look nice. But why are you all hunched again?"

He meant, why do you look like such a loser again...

"Um, this looks really expensive..."

I might not know fashion, but even I could tell these clothes weren’t cheap. The feel of the fabric alone said everything.

"Don’t overthink it. Come here."

"Okay."

He patted the seat next to him. I obeyed without hesitation.

Sitting beside him, I neatly placed my knees together and rested both hands on top—prompting a chuckle from him.

"Are you being punished or something?"

"Ah, no, it’s just..."

"Well, you should be punished. You met other bastards yesterday."

"I wasn’t meeting anyone. I was just guiding..."

Since he didn’t seem upset, I mustered the courage to correct him—though my voice trembled a bit despite myself.

"I’ll let it slide this once, since it’s your first time. But don’t do it again."

"But I’m a Guide. I have to do guiding—"

"I don’t give a damn. Whether it’s guiding or whatever, I don’t want any other bastard touching you."