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An aquarium…?
He could rent out the entire aquarium, and they even made video messages… Lee Juwon flipped the page, thinking about it. He didn’t think Kang Inheon would like it much, as it was a place that had no respect for marine life. It wasn’t because he didn’t have the confidence to make a video message.
Namsan Tower.
Although the atmosphere seemed good, there were too many people there. There was no way he was going to let either him or Kang Inheon, who had well-known faces, be surrounded by people and watched like monkeys.
An ice rink?
This place was available for rent, but he couldn’t remember the last time he put on skates. He hadn’t been to an ice rink since elementary school. He didn’t want to fall on his butt in front of Kang Inheon, who was a master at every sport.
An amusement park Ferris wheel…
A picture of a couple wearing animal headbands appeared. Lee Juwon shook his head. Sure, he’d look good in an animal headband, but Lee Juwon had a duty to protect Kang Inheon’s honour as Korea’s strongest hunter.
“As expected…”
A hotel restaurant. No matter how many times he reviewed it, this was the best option.
The venue was set, now it was time for the ring. Lee Juwon opened the catalogue the wedding planner had given him again.
The most priceless gemstone Kang Inheon tried to give him. Harder and brighter than a diamond, a rare mana stone. The problem was the price, but that was no longer an issue. How about a safe seven carats?
“…How many zeros is that?”
Without realizing it, Lee Juwon clenched his fist. It wasn’t because he was being cheap, it was just a physical reaction from habit.
These days, Lee Juwon had been doing extensive research on each and every restaurant for the days he could have lunch or dinner with Kang Inheon. He took the advice that taking someone to Kimbap Cheonha to eat and confess as a first restaurant wasn’t cool.
He was also paying particular attention to how he dressed. He bought clothes recommended by a personal shopper, mainly from Company Z, a brand that Kang Inheon had previously given him as a gift, and wore them diligently without looking at the price.
He had been smiling diligently and acting remarkably gently lately with the intention of naturally relaxing his stiff facial muscles, but Kang Inheon hasn’t responded much. However, as of today, he was going to take their relationship to the next level.
It was said that many people disliked loud and flashy confessions. Somehow, it seemed like Kang Inheon would dislike them too.
In the most natural atmosphere possible.
Smiling brightly and passing a ring.
“…I like you.”
Even though he was talking to himself in a place where there was no one else, Lee Juwon’s ears turned red.
“No… Saying ‘I like you’ isn’t enough.”
The word ‘like’ couldn’t express the totality of his feelings. He knew what he needed to say at that time.
“I lo… lo…”
Lee Juwon thumped his head on the desk. Now, his entire nape was red. He couldn’t even get up, and he kept his face against the desk, scratching his neck.
After his parents passed away, Lee Juwon was stingy with everything, but among those things, he was most stingy with love. It was hard to get those words out of his mouth. If he couldn’t do it in practice, there was no way he’d be able to say it in reality. L-l-let’s make a lot of money while we can, Hunter Kang! If he didn’t want to say nonsense like this.
But it was okay. Because he knew the sentence that encompassed all of his feelings.
Lee Juwon walked into the hotel’s Chinese restaurant first, and the staff, whom he’d already been acquainted with, greeted him kindly. “Welcome, CEO Lee. Thank you for coming.”
“Yes, it’s been a while.”
Lee Juwon smiled back. His eyes bent beautifully like a crescent moon, and his mouth formed a soft arc. Unaware of the blush on the employee’s face, Lee Juwon looked back at Kang Inheon and said, “Hunter Kang, don’t you like the jjamppong here?”
“Did I say that…?”
“We’ll take you to your reserved VIP room.”
“Thank you.”
Lee Juwon was smiling with his eyes closed, but in truth, his heart was pounding. It hadn’t thumped like this before, even when he was being detained by the prosecutor’s office… Maybe because he knew he would be released…
Slide, the sliding door with traditional patterns engraved on it slid open. Oil lantern-shaped lights cast a soft glow, and a round table with tableware was already set for two. They took their seats, and the food began to arrive, plate by plate.
With staff carrying plates coming and going and Kang Inheon also having lunch, Lee Juwon slowly filled his stomach and waited for dessert to be served.
He couldn’t tell if he was eating with his mouth or his nose. Since being trapped in the dungeon, Lee Juwon had developed an appetite and ate much better than before, but today he couldn’t quite taste the food.
Finally, the last plate was placed on the white table. He pushed the orange sorbet into his mouth, but he still couldn’t tell what it tasted like. But since they were eating something sweet, shouldn’t Kang Inheon feel good too? He glanced at him, but as usual, he couldn’t really read his expression.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Cgf sbe oeii?”
“…Tfr. Ccv sbe?”
“Zf abb.”
Pa kjr delfa. Ycis atf mijrrlmji werlm jggjcufv ys j rlz-raglcufv Bbgfjc hlatfg qijsfv mjiwis. Rbgwjiis, atf rlifcmf kjrc’a jkxkjgv ktfc tf kjr klat Bjcu Pctfbc, yea cbk tf ofia fzagfwfis jkxkjgv jii ys tlwrfio.
“Lecafg Bjcu.”
Lee Juwon called out, and Kang Inheon raised his head. Their eyes met. Lee Juwon inwardly took a deep breath and said, “Get married.”
Ktfgf kjr rlifcmf jujlc. Ktf ogbca bo Bjcu Pctfbc’r fsfygbkr oeggbkfv.
“…Are you speaking to me?”
“Then is there someone else here besides Hunter Kang?”
“…With whom?”
“Of course…”
It was such an obvious question that Lee Juwon felt a little embarrassed for no reason. He carefully pointed his finger at himself and said, “With me?”
Kang Inheon said, even his eyes now narrowed, “…Why?”
Only then did Lee Juwon’s shoulders relax. This was a question he’d been expecting, and he had a solid answer ready. He swallowed dryly before speaking in a serious tone, “I want to be legally bound to Hunter Kang.”
His will had already been notarized, but that wasn’t enough. Even without that scrap of paper, he wanted to make sure that when he died, both legally and in the eyes of the world, Kang Inheon would get all of his inheritance. There would be no court battles.
“It makes me nervous that… Hunter Kang and I don’t have any kind of relationship.”
Kang Inheon’s stiff expression instantly relaxed in disbelief.
“So you’ve heard?”
This time, questions appeared on Lee Juwon’s face.
“…About what?”
“The stock thing was just a rumour. I don’t plan on moving to Lyon, so just finish your persimmon first. Now you’re even doing this…”
Lee Juwon blinked. Kang Inheon seemed to have misunderstood something. Lee Juwon waved his hand and said, “Ah, yes, I’ve heard the rumours, but… If you want to, you can move to Lyon. Of course, it would be better if you didn’t, but that’s if Hunter Kang really wants to go.”
Kang Inheon was now leaning back in his chair, arms crossed, listening to Lee Juwon.
“Well, because you can go commute to Lyon and come back to our home? Hahaha.”
Lee Juwon pretended to be magnanimous and laughed. In truth, with his sincere feelings, he never wanted to let him go, but… he also wanted to see him act freely.
As if indifferent to the saying that you can’t spit on a smiling face, the look in Kang Inheon’s eyes said he could spit on one as he said, “Are you perhaps going to sell the company?”
“…What?”
“What the hell did you get yourself into? How much money do you need for you to act like this?”
“No…”
“…Is that why you’ve been going around grinning like that? The only thing you’re lacking is an image, so you’re going to raise the company’s image and sell it for as much as you can? But you don’t think that’s enough, do you?”
“……”
“Just tell me the amount. I’ll give you however much you want.”
Somehow, it seemed like Kang Inheon had misunderstood something. There was an unpleasant edge to his words, but Lee Juwon held it in. It seemed like he needed more explanation, so he spoke a little more carefully, “…I almost died on Christmas, didn’t I?”
Kang Inheon’s expression subsided tremendously. Lee Juwon continued slowly, “When I was in that dungeon… I thought I was going to die, so I wanted to give all of my inheritance to Hunter Kang. As you know, I have no family. Hunter Kang has contributed the most to the growth of my fortune, and I think you’ll put it to the best use…”
Lee Juwon glanced at Kang Inheon and paid attention to his mood. Kang Inheon tilted his head down and smirked. He didn’t seem to believe him at all.
Should he tell him more in detail about what happened in the dungeon? He didn’t even believe him now, but would he believe that mirage-like story if he told him? Lee Juwon wasn’t sure. Still, he tried to speak up, but Kang Inheon was faster. “Well, alright, let’s just say that…”
“……”
“It’s not like marriage is the only way to inherit your wealth, so why should I marry you?”
Kang Inheon really didn’t believe Lee Juwon’s words. At first, he was flustered, but now he was angry.
If what Lee Juwon was saying was really the reason, a unidirectional inheritance and succession would’ve been enough. There was no way to explain why Lee Juwon wanted a two-way inheritance and succession so much other than his having another motive. Like always, he couldn’t believe Lee Juwon.
“I’ll go first.”
When Kang Inheon started to stand up, not wanting to continue the conversation, Lee Juwon hurriedly spoke, “Because I like you.”
As he stood up from his seat, Kang Inheon froze as if he had turned to stone.
“…Hunter Kang, you like me too, don’t you?”
His whole body stiffened, and only his pupils dilated. With those eyes, he could see that Lee Juwon was bewildered.
Looking at Lee Juwon, who seemed to be at a loss of what to do, as if he hadn’t expected to be rejected, Kang Inheon couldn’t deny it. No, he was unable to deny it.
A cold and sunken voice unknowingly came out of his mouth. “…How did you know?”
Kang Inheon felt like he had been struck in the head. Was love really something you couldn’t hide, like coughing and poverty? From where the hell did his feelings, which he had been keeping hidden, leak out? How, how did this…
Lee Juwon swallowed, and his Adam’s apple moved. “During Christmas…”
“……”
He felt like the puzzle was finally coming together.
Christmas. If it was that day, it was possible it could’ve leaked out, or he could’ve noticed. That time, when he frantically searched for Lee Juwon for twenty-four hours, if it was that day when he thought it was fortunate they could die together… He realized that truth, so from then on, his attitude changed. Kang Inheon laughed despondently. “Haha…”
Lee Juwon, who was studying Kang Inheon’s expression, hurriedly said, “Hunter Kang, you must be misunderstanding something. I like you too. I’m serious.”
He had once imagined Lee Juwon telling him that he liked him. He had also had sleepless nights from the heart-fluttering feeling of that imagination.
But it wasn’t like that now.
“It must’ve been good, right?”
“…What?”
“So that’s what you’ve been so excited about this entire time…”
“……”
“You found something that was a moneymaker for you and a weakness for me…”
He felt miserable. He didn’t want his feelings to be so naked and exposed.
He was happy to be useful to Lee Juwon and December as a hunter. It was an ability that was manifested for him anyway.
But he didn’t want his feelings to also be used.
‘There’s nothing as stupid and easy to manage as a guy who’s blinded by love.’
When Lee Juwon said that about BH’s Min Seungjoon, his heart sank coldly, even though it wasn’t directed at him. In the end, they were words directed at him. Kang Inheon spat out a forced laugh mixed with resignation.
Like? You, towards me?
He desperately wanted it, but he knew all too well that it’d never come. Despite his love for Lee Juwon, Kang Inheon couldn’t trust him.
For Kang Inheon, love and trust were two different things. No, he couldn’t trust him all the more because he loved him. His attention kept landing on him, he kept watching him, and he worked hard to understand him in any way possible, so he knew him better than anyone else.
Kang Inheon thought that his feelings for Lee Juwon were like the oddly formed rocks standing on the sea. Originally, it would’ve just been a rock, neither strange nor grotesque, but after being swept away by the windy rain, the waves, and the sunlight and being splintered, broken, and melted, only a strange and grotesque shape was left.
His feelings were like that, too. Initially, the components of his feelings were belief, affection, yearning, longing, and worry lumped together. Even though it was one-sided and dreary, it was more precious to him than anything else. He couldn’t bring himself to attach a pretty word like unrequited love to it, but every time he secretly brought it out, it shone. It was his reason to live, the source of the power manifested as a hunter, and his reason to be a righteous and happy person, even if it was a stolen mask.
And then they met again, and he was disappointed, he held expectations, they fought, he held hope, he got angry, and he waited, and at some point it seemed like all the shining had melted away after repeating that cycle, and only obsession and desire remained, standing tall in a strange, grotesque form.
“Alright, let’s do it. The marriage.”
Instead of opening the door and walking out, Kang Inheon marched over to Lee Juwon and grabbed him by the collar, pulling him to his feet.
“But do you know what it means for me to like you?”
You seem to think that my love for you is devotion—that I gave my life to save you—but you’re mistaken. My love for you is endlessly dreary, just like myself. There were times when looking at you gave me a strange sense of fulfillment, beyond a feeling of kinship.
I didn’t know to what extent it turned strange, but the moment I was trapped in a dungeon with no exit, I knew. Knowing I was the only one beside you gave me a strange sense of satisfaction. Even as I said I’d wait, maybe I wanted you to stay isolated like that.
Someone who hasn’t been loved properly can’t give love properly. It was the cruellest curse I’d ever heard. True to its word, my love is twisted and ugly, not knowing what complete love is.
If you asked me what it meant for me to like you, it’s that I want to hurt you. If you really liked me, if you loved me, you’d go back and forth between heaven and hell at my every word and gesture. Your lips would dry up at my silence, and you’d read meaning into my eyes, alternating between joy and sorrow. Just as I did.
But what about you? No matter how sarcastically I spoke to you, how angry I got, and how much I insulted you, you didn’t even blink an eye, let alone get hurt. So how could you shamelessly say you like me?
Kang Inheon held Lee Juwon’s entire face with his large hands with prominent knuckles. Lee Juwon couldn’t open his eyes because of his grip. He could only hear a low voice in the darkness of his tightly closed eyes.
“Your face is good for masturbation. The colour of my cum is similar to that of your face.”
Kang Inheon’s fingertips traced down his nose and cheek, then pressed against his lips.
“When you’re nibbling at your food like you were today, I imagine you sucking my dick instead. Always sucking it well, too…?”
Kang Inheon’s hand slid down from his lips to the tip of his chin and fell to the bottom.
“It’s nice that I can actually stick it in instead of just imagining it now, but do you know how to use your hole? No, you’ve already been awfully worn out, but was I the only one who didn’t know?”
Kang Inheon grabbed Lee Juwon’s belt and tugged, causing their already close lower bodies to press even closer together. “Should we check to prevent a fraudulent marriage?”
Lee Juwon, who had just opened his eyes, looked at Kang Inheon and replied, “If that’s what you want to do… do it.”
“……”
“Not here… upstairs.”
“Wow…”
Kang Inheon let out a sarcastic exclamation and took a step back. Soon, he dropped his head as if in disbelief and laughed.
“Hahaha…”
But his face looked as if he had just been insulted.
“…You’re so crazy about money that you’re even selling your body now.”
Lee Juwon’s eyes widened. Kang Inheon pulled Lee Juwon to him and pressed their lips together. He kissed him so deeply that his nose was pressed against his cheek, and their lips were crushed together. The marble floor was slippery, and Kang Inheon was heavy. Lee Juwon’s back hit the wall as he helplessly took a step backward and was pushed back.
Kung!
The black porcelain on the shelves shook. The lights hanging from the ceiling swayed, causing the light to flicker.
With the wall behind him and Kang Inheon in front of him, Lee Juwon couldn’t move an inch. Their bodies, pressed tightly together under his weight, were hot and felt like skin-on-skin contact.
He held his face and invaded the inside of his mouth. His tongue licked the inside of his teeth and the roof of his mouth, swimming over the slippery flesh of his cheeks. He savoured the dented area under his tongue, entwining and rubbing against the root of it. He bit his lower lip, their mouths rubbing against each other relentlessly. He was obstinate, as if he didn’t want to miss a single area.
Their saliva mixed together indistinguishably, filling their mouths with sticky fluid. Wet, sloppy breaths escaped from between their teeth.
“Haa… hnng!”
Not only his breath but also his groan were eaten by Kang Inheon’s lips again. The obscene sound of saliva mixing, ragged breathing, and heartbeats echoed in his ears.
The dry air of the well-heated room felt damp. He instantly felt feverish when he took in the scent of his body at the tip of his nose.
He wondered if the low-saturated lighting that was used to make the food look appetizing also had an effect on kissing. His lips and saliva were also sweet. Wanting more and more, Lee Juwon hugged Kang Inheon harder. He pulled him closer to himself. The back of Kang Inheon’s neck, wrapped in Lee Juwon’s hands, was hot and damp, feverish and sweaty.
He felt a burning sensation, as if every cell in his body that was touching the other were stirring. The brisk pleasure made him prickle from the back of his neck to his tailbone.
“Haa…”
A wet breath passed between their lips, separated for a moment. Lee Juwon stared into Kang Inheon’s face. His eyes locked with Kang Inheon’s, who was so close that their eyelashes almost touched. His eyes narrowed slightly as he steadied his breathing, his face too captivating.
“Hunter Kang,” Lee Juwon whispered, tickling his lips, “don’t misunderstand, I really do lo… love you.”
Lee Juwon moved to press their lips together again, but Kang Inheon turned his head and took a step back.
Suddenly, the warmth between them was gone, and Lee Juwon looked at him. He couldn’t read his emotions based on his face. He looked both displeased, angry, and surprised.
He didn’t look like someone who had just been told, “I love you,” by the person he liked. Of all the emotions on his face, he couldn’t find any trace of a positive signal among them. Kang Inheon, whom he had been kissing deeply up until now, had an expression that looked as if he were covered in filth.
Kang Inheon roughly ran his hand through his hair as if confused and took a step back, turning around.
“Hunter Kang?”
Tang! The sound of the sliding door slamming shut was the only sound left in the room.
orcinus rambling:
surprise! all the previous extras were slowly building up this explosion!! this chapter hasn’t been split by me btw it was already split into extra 5 and 6 in the raws
with each and every chapter, i learn all the more that kang inheon isn’t an easy opponent to deal with… and neither is juwon 
honestly, i really didnt expect him to say “then do it, let’s go upstairs” when inheon implied doing the do
honestly idk if i should call it a power move on the author’s part to leave all the relationship development in the side stories and give us more pain
Where’ s the sweetness ? QAQ
Guess it’s also normal to freak out if your unrequited love who has a bad personality suddenly did a 180° and responded to his love. Ml be thinkin mc’s up to something. Nevertheless, this must hurt for mc 😅 even said the difficult i love you but got a situation like that. Haisst. Missing Psyche again :’))
Oh noo QwQ I replied under someone aaa
I’m sorry 💦
Thank you for the episode 🙏🏻
I just want them to be happy together 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
Thank you for the episode 🙏🏻
I just want them to be happy together 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
They make me so mad and I can’t decide if it’s the bad mad or good mad anymore 😭😭
tore my hair out the first time i read this chapter ngl its the one i dreaded translating the most bc i did NOT want to revisit it at all 😭😭
….😮
Worn out as in someone who literally sleeps a lot or someone who has sex a lot?… On second thought, I think I remember a chapter that states that Lee Juwon doesn’t wanna die virgin? Or was it another novel?
Juwon hasn’t actually slept around, Inheon just said that to make him mad in the heat of the moment lol
Thank you for the chapter
aaaah we’re finally here 😭😭 they need to be happy together!! NO MORE PAIN FOR THEM 🥹
psyche come get your man so we can finally have some sugar 😭😭 love how the only sweet scene we’ve gotten wasn’t even with the real inheon….the payoff better be good for this amount of emotional distress im receiving
Frrr 😭😭😭
PLSSS WITH THAT CHAPTER TITLE I THOUGHT THERE WOULDNFINALLY BE FLUFF
cmon i want sugarrrr😭
Literally dropped my phone when Inheon started dirty talking bc it shocked me so much. I get distracted was trying to make Juwon angry but DAMN?!?!?!? He was so explicit wit it 😭
Damn this was the worst and messiest confession ever. Such a big misunderstanding! But damn I can see were Kang Inheon is coming from. He has been watching him for years. It must be so hard for him to believe that he truly changed and likes him back. 😭
I thought we finally get our sugar damnit.. also reading the colour of my come is similar to your face is so bewildering??? Kkkk
Hunter kang, after I told him you’re selling yourself for money, I threw the phone away and tried to calmly cut the fruit but it didn’t work. I’M SO SORRY I WILL CRY
My, my! I did actually like the push and pull thing that’s been going on. I mean, who wouldn’t be confused when your oblivious love interest suddenly made such confession?
But c’mon. I can’t wait for them to be officially together!!!
PSYCHE COME GET UR MAN 😤 /j
I’ll be waiting for sweetness between Juwon and [real] Inheon if there’s any :3
This chapter is painful but I can understand KI
PSYCHE WOULD NEVERR
I’m glad the author made both characters complex and didn’t turn it into a Disney fairytale. Trauma changes people, it sticks with you and it gets worse when it just silently festers inside you