NANOM Ch 15

A colossal shadow stepped into the house. Jihyuk’s feet, which I had always thought were not just large but gigantic, infiltrated the inside of the house just like that. One step, two steps. Each time he approached, it looked as if he was stamping black footprints all over this house that Jiwon had so meticulously decorated.

He was the being who had chased me so relentlessly in my dreams. To the point where my chest felt like it would burst from the suffocation, no matter how much I ran, he would unfailingly catch up to me, climb on top of my body, and press me down. That Jihyuk was actually standing before me. Jiwon and I could not even breathe as we looked up at his face.

This was not an illusion. Jihyuk standing in front of me. This was no longer a dream.

“How did you get here···!”

Jiwon, who had barely managed to part his lips, opened his mouth and challenged Jihyuk with a shrill voice, but he could not finish his sentence. Just as Jihyuk’s shoulders seemed to shift slightly, his thick palm opened. It precisely struck Jiwon’s cheek, and at the same time, not a sharp, ear-splitting sound, but a dull thud erupted. Jiwon’s body was sent almost flying as it crashed onto the living room floor.

“Aaargh!”

“Ji, Jihyuk! Wait···!”

It was a reflexive action, to grab the arm of Jihyuk who was approaching the collapsed Jiwon on the floor. However, the moment my eyes met Jihyuk’s as he turned his head to glance at me, I flinched in surprise and, without realizing it, let go of his arm and took a couple of steps back.

It was a murderous intent I had never once felt in my entire life. The fury compressed within his calmly sunken gaze was more vivid than at any other time. It felt as though his gaze could become a sword and stab me to death.

I remember the intense impression from when we first met, how I felt I would be sucked into Jihyuk’s gaze rather than just meeting it. As if he would swallow my entire soul down to its very abyss, Jihyuk stared at me like that. It felt like if I made even the slightest sound, he would immediately attack me with his massive body and rip out my lifeline with his fangs. Overwhelmed by that aura, I even forgot how to breathe and just stared at him. I did not dare to even look away.

“Next is your turn, Teacher.”

He said that as he looked down at me.

“So don’t look away and watch properly.”

Jihyuk, who spat out the words in a monotone voice, walked past me, who was frozen on the spot, and approached the fallen Jiwon. Jiwon looked up at him, blood streaming from his nose. It was hard to find the Jiwon who, just moments ago, had been threatening me with an arrogant expression. His face, completely consumed by fear, trembled as he looked up at the giant figure standing before him.

“Wai, wait, Jihyuk, argh!”

His attempt to plead was mercilessly trampled. Jihyuk snatched his hair, yanked it up, and then lightly clenched his fist. The scars embroidering the back of his hand briefly flashed in my sight. Thwack! Along with the sound of a heavy blow, Jiwon collapsed to the floor again, unable to even let out a full scream.

The blood that had been gushing only from his nose was now being coughed up from his mouth as well. It seemed his teeth were broken. Blood, there was so much blood. I, who had been standing frozen in place, pale as a sheet, screamed and once again ran to Jihyuk and grabbed his forearm.

“Stop! Stop it, Woo Jihyuk!”

He’s going to die at this rate. I really thought he was going to die. I could not just stand by with my eyes wide open and watch a person die.

“Fuck.” Jihyuk, who spat out a low curse, dragged me along with him as he strode to a corner of the living room. Dragged along while clinging to Jihyuk’s forearm, I saw him take out a golf club from Jiwon’s bag and gasped, heok, my breath catching.

If he hits him with that, he will really die. I shook my head wildly with my terribly trembling hands and clung to Jihyuk’s chest, but it was useless. Jihyuk pushed me away with one hand and approached Jiwon.

“Ah···. Ugh··· ugh.”

Looking down at Jiwon who was groaning and trying to get up from the floor, Jihyuk lowered the golf club in his hand toward the ground. As he lifted Jiwon’s chin with the head of the club, Jiwon’s face, which was almost completely crushed, was revealed in its entirety. Jiwon’s face, groaning in pain, was a mess of blood and tears. I could not even scream and just covered my mouth.

“Teacher.”

Jihyuk looked back at me and grinned.

“Do you still like him? His face is a complete fucking mess.”

In Jihyuk’s eyes, as he asked me with that same mischievous smile, a sinister light was shining menacingly. Unable to dare look away from the cruelly broken face, Jiwon could only let out wretched groans on the spot.

Blood flowing from his mangled and burst features dripped onto the floor, making drip, drip sounds. The dark red liquid, which had already formed a small puddle, continued to expand its area, staining the room.

Jihyuk tilted his head crookedly.

“Answer me. I’m asking you a question.”

“Ji, hyuk··· heok, heok.”

I had to say something to calm this boy down. But my breath was caught in my chest and the words would not come out properly. Like someone with indigestion, I frantically raised my fist and pounded on my chest. thump, thump. But still, only foolish words like ‘uh, uh···’ circled around my lips.

While I was stammering, the golf club was raised high into the air. After the horrific sound of it cutting through the air, thwack! the sleek shaft plunged into Jiwon’s back. His eyes rolling back to whites, Jiwon let out a desperate scream.

“Aaaaargh! Ahh, huaaargh!”

“If your answer is late, this bastard is going to get beaten to death.”

Jihyuk, who spoke in an indifferent tone, this time casually kicked Jiwon’s face to drag him closer, aiming for his center. As if he were about to hit a ball.

“What was so great about him? He’s a cripple, so he probably couldn’t even fuck you properly. Not his dick, so was it his face?”

“Ji, Jihyuk. Wait, just a moment. Listen to me···.”

“Was it his face, is that right?”

The golf club went over Jihyuk’s shoulder at a dangerous angle. Jiwon made a sound like he was about to stop breathing and begged like a madman.

“Ple, please, Jihyuk, aack···!”

Swoosh, with a decisive and clean sound, the golf club cut through the air in a flawless motion. At the same time, aaargh! Jiwon wrapped his head with both hands, but the golf club, having completed its swing without incident, came to rest on Jihyuk’s shoulder. Jihyuk, who had playfully struck a pose, returned to his normal stance and snickered.

“Scared, hyung?”

“Ugh··· Jihyuk, ah, please··· th, that thing···.”

“You cripple.”

Jihyuk giggled with a wicked expression.

“Stop your bullshit and just present your head. You can’t understand even when I give you a warning, so let’s just blow it off, hyung.”

As if to taunt Jiwon, who was sprawled on the floor crying and sniffling, Jihyuk called him ‘hyung’ for the first time today. The sight of him smiling slyly while gently testing the angle as if to swing the golf club once more automatically brought to mind the next scene that I did not even want to imagine.

Next time, Woo Jihyuk would really do it.

My vision turned white. My teeth chattered, making clicking sounds. My trembling knees buckled and finally hit the floor with a thud. Just like that, I crawled on all fours toward Jihyuk and clung to his thigh.

“Ple, please. Please. Don’t do this. Please. For, for my sake. Please.”

Like a mad person, I knelt beside Jihyuk and muttered only those words. My vision had already become a complete blur, and my throat was hot, as if it were on fire.

Tears that streamed down continuously were trickling all the way to my neck. Even though the fear of this situation, completely stained with blood, kept making my body stiffen, the thought that I had to stop Jihyuk somehow miraculously made me move.

However, watching me cry out desperately, Jihyuk tilted his head crookedly.

“Do you hate it that much when I beat this bastard?”

“···Wha, what?”

“I’m asking if you like this motherfucker that much.”

Jihyuk kicked the squirming Jiwon, who was trying to get up, knocking him back down, then extended his foot and stepped on his face. The motion of putting his weight on it, pressing down and slowly grinding, was like killing an insect. Watching Jiwon groaning beneath his foot, I wiped away the dropping tears with the back of my hand. And once again, I clung to Jihyuk’s leg.

“D, don’t do this. Let’s talk··· talk it out, please···!”

“How much do you like him that you two are even shacked up like this? Haha, you’ve decorated it so fucking prettily.”

Jihyuk slowly looked around the house and mocked in a cynical tone. Everywhere his gaze landed, a scene that was more than enough to cause a misunderstanding unfolded. The moodily flickering candles and the two wine glasses, the romantic movie that had been left playing. Even my own clothes, which were a mess from the scuffle with Jiwon.

I was at a loss for words. If I did not clear up Jihyuk’s misunderstanding, it really felt like someone would end up dead. Jihyuk, who seemed to have been completely consumed by rage, looked calm because of it. There was no sign of hesitation in his jet-black eyes.

“The fucking idiot was me, after all. Not even knowing you were doing this behind my back.”

Jihyuk, who spat that out, carelessly tossed the golf club onto the floor. Suddenly, Jihyuk’s broad chest trembled as he let out a snicker, and then he burst out laughing with a continuous sound of air escaping. Watching the chillingly laughing Jihyuk, I began to sob.

“Jihyuk, Jihyuk. It’s not that. It’s not that, my words, listen to me···.”

“Shut the fuck up, Teacher. Your mouth smells like Woo Jiwon’s fucking cum.”

At Jihyuk’s words, as he barked at me with murderous eyes, I could only let my tears fall, drip, drip, onto the floor. I have to say something···, but like an idiot, it felt as though any and all words were melting in my brain and flowing out as tears.

Just then, Jiwon, who had been trembling under Jihyuk’s foot, rolled his eyes back and went limp.

“Ji, Ji, Jiwon!”

Letting out a scream, I crawled on my knees and checked on Jiwon with a trembling hand. I brought two fingers together and placed them on his carotid artery. Thankfully, his pulse was beating normally. It seemed he had fainted from the extreme pain.

Trembling, I picked up my phone. After fumbling several times, while I was calling 119, Jihyuk surprisingly just stood there and watched. My voice was trembling so much I could not even remember what I said. As soon as I stammered out the address and hung up the phone, a firm grip snatched my hair.

“Ah, aack···!”

“Let’s go now. Us.”

Saying that, Jihyuk dragged me all the way to the front door. The pain was so severe it felt like my entire scalp was going to be torn off. I screamed and thrashed, pounding his forearm, thump, thump, but it was useless. It was an overwhelming strength that made my body feel like it was not my own. I had no choice but to be dragged out helplessly and get into the elevator.

Was it okay to leave the unconscious Jiwon behind like that? And, where was I being dragged to? As we went down to the first floor, I cried and clung to him, begging, but Jihyuk did not answer and just stared ahead.

With a ding sound, the doors opened. I hoped there would be someone, but unfortunately, there was no one in the pitch-black darkness. Still, I screamed until my throat was hoarse.

“He, help! Is anyone···!”

But before anyone could hear my voice, a sedan with its engine running, waiting on the first floor, caught my eye. A man who got out of the car door grabbed me while Jihyuk, with an impassive expression, opened the car trunk.

My lips trembled. Surely, he’s not going to put me···

“Let go of me, what is this, wait, wait···!”

“Gag his mouth first.”

Following Jihyuk’s instruction, the man tore off a piece of tape and sealed my mouth with it. As I thrashed about wildly, the man threw me into the trunk and, with practiced movements, tied both my hands behind my back. My feet were also tied. The man, who had handled the task with swift movements, gave me one last look. The moment our eyes met, I realized that the man was not the driver who always used to drive me.

“We will depart now.”

With the man’s words, the trunk door closed. I was left all alone in the horribly pitch-black darkness.

📖

Inside the empty trunk, my body was thrown to one side and then slammed into the other every time the car tilted.

I felt nauseous and could not bear it. But my mouth was completely gagged. If I threw up in this state, my airway would be blocked, so I desperately bit my lips and held it in. The metallic taste of blood flowed down my throat. Water streamed from my eyes and nose, drenching my entire face.

My hands tied behind my back ached, and my legs, which could not move at all, felt suffocating. But the motion sickness that felt like it was going to kill me and the discomfort were not the real problem.

In the pitch-black darkness, I was in a complete panic. The abyss-like darkness, which remained the same whether I closed my eyes or opened them, pushed me into the midst of the surreal situation I had just experienced and shackled me. Within my completely restricted vision, I had to endlessly relive the events from moments ago.

I had vaguely known that his innate nature was cruel and severely wicked. But the Jihyuk I had known until now was merely a shell.

Because the way he looked at me was playful yet tinged with warmth. Because there were times when he would touch me carelessly but then turn back with difficulty before a certain line I had drawn. I had lived forgetting his dark side.

No, it would be more accurate to say that I never knew everything about Jihyuk from the very beginning. In Jihyuk’s actions of beating his own brother to the point of knocking him unconscious from extreme pain, there was no hesitation, no reluctance. His foot, stomping on Jiwon who was lying there bloody and groaning, even looked relieved, as if he had completed a long-overdue task.

‘He’s, he’s going to do that to me, too···.’

I felt a chill. It was so cold. I was tied up without even having been able to put on an outer coat, so my body was shaking severely. Sniffling, I wracked my brain trying to devise a way to escape this situation, but my mind, completely consumed by fear, was not functioning properly.

With the feeling of the brakes being applied, the car finally came to a stop. I felt the car door open with a click sound. With eyes filled with anxiety, I stared at the rapidly opening gap in the door. It was still dark outside, and I could not guess where this was.

The man who opened the trunk covered my eyes with something like a cloth, and subsequently, Jihyuk lifted me out. Even with my vision restricted, I knew immediately that the person holding me was Jihyuk. It was because of Jihyuk’s distinctive, strong scent.

My teeth started chattering on their own. I squirmed faintly, but I stopped that action upon feeling the strength of Jihyuk’s arms holding and enveloping my body tightly. Resisting while blindfolded, gagged, and with both hands and feet tied was meaningless.

I heard the voice from the elevator announcing that it was going up to the 27th floor. Where on earth was this? This place that was not Jihyuk’s family home, nor my home. I chewed on my lips anxiously and tried to figure it out. It felt like Jihyuk was looking down at me, as a chuckle escaped from him.

After entering the passcode and coming inside the house, Jihyuk carelessly tossed me somewhere. Thrown onto the hard floor, I swallowed a scream inside my gagged mouth.

“Uuughh···.”

“Teacher.”

An impassive voice called me.

“Are you happy to see me after so long?”

“Uugh, ugh.”

Jihyuk, who spoke insincerely with a rising intonation as if asking a question, came over and pulled the tape from my mouth. The part where the tape that had been stickily attached to my face was removed stung as if it were on fire. Soon, the cloth that had covered my eyes was also slowly untied. I could see Jihyuk’s knee and calf as he knelt on one knee in front of me.

“Ah, agh···! Hah, hah···.”

“Wait here. If you try any funny business, I’ll kill you, so don’t waste your energy.”

Jihyuk spat out the coercive words, then stood up and moved away. Soon, I could faintly hear the sound of water, so it seemed he was washing up. Still tied up and panting on the hard floor, I looked around as my eyes gradually started to get used to the dark.

It looked like an officetel or an apartment. This space, which was furnished, was a place I had never been to before. Seeing Jihyuk acting so naturally, it did not seem to be an unfamiliar space to him.

However, more important than where I was now was what would happen to me from now on. I gasped for breath and tried to calm my chaotic mind.

Get a grip. Please, get a grip. You have to be calm. You have to be calm···.

But the image of Jiwon, rolling his eyes back after being struck by the weapon Jihyuk wielded, came back to life again.

‘I’m scared, I’m scared, I’m scared···.’

Tears automatically started to flow. My jaw began to tremble again, to the point where my teeth chattered. I sobbed, sob, sob, and shook my head wildly. I was scared and terrified, but I had to use my head to get out of here alive. But, I could not think of anything.

Just then, the door opened and a faint light illuminated the living room. I held my breath when I saw Jihyuk walking out of the bathroom, drying his wet hair. Jihyuk, who came out wearing a simple sweatshirt and pants, raised his eyebrows as he approached me.

“Are you crying?”

His tone sounded indifferent at a glance. But his eyes were sunken endlessly deep. Despite his seemingly unimpressed gestures and expression, I could instinctively feel that Jihyuk’s mood had hit rock bottom.

“Don’t cry. It makes my heart soften.”

Saying that, Jihyuk naturally took out a can of beer from the refrigerator. With a click sound, Jihyuk opened the can and threw the liquid back his throat. Jihyuk, who had drank the beer coolly, lightly wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and smiled faintly at me.

“Ah, right. My teacher doesn’t like this kind of thing. A kid acting like an adult.”

“······.”

“My teacher is so fucking moral, you pushed me away because I was a minor.”

With a thud sound, Jihyuk placed the beer can on the table and slowly walked toward me. Behind his still-smiling eyes, dark emotions were churning and overflowing. I could only stop breathing and stare blankly up at him.

Jihyuk came closer and squatted down in front of me. He lightly grabbed my hair with his right hand and lifted my head toward him. My spine and neck ached stiffly from trying to look up at him while tied up and lying face down. I grimaced and let out a small groan.

“Ah··· it hurts.”

“It hurts?”

The corner of Jihyuk’s lips slowly went up.

“From now on, it should hurt a little.”

“Ji, hyuk···.”

“It’s no use calling me so desperately. You should have acted cute like that before you sucked Woo Jiwon’s dick.”

Even though he was smiling with his eyes, a chill dripped from the end of his words. I shook my head desperately. I instinctively felt that I had to clear up this misunderstanding at least.

“No. It’s not what you think. I··· I didn’t do it with Jiwon, we’re not in that kind of relationship. So please···.”

“Fuck, Teacher.”

A faint hint of annoyance crept into Jihyuk’s voice.

“I told you. I’d stuff something in your mouth every time you make a noise.”

“Ple, please···.”

“What should I stuff in there? There are no fruits here.”

Jihyuk, who snickered, slowly caressed my jaw and cheeks, wiping away my tears. The large, dry palm that had wiped my face clean this time came to my mouth.

His firm thumb slowly swept across my lips. It was a gesture imbued with a thick, viscous force, as if crushing fruit pulp to squeeze out the juice. Jihyuk, who let out a hot and sticky sigh, laughed as if in self-mockery.

“For something like this.”

Jihyuk, who muttered in a low voice, had his focus on a distant place.

“Fuck, for something like this. Why was I holding back like a fucking idiot.”

When he ran his tongue over his lips, a sharp canine tooth was briefly visible between them. I unknowingly held my breath for a moment. Soon after, his thick thumb slowly dug into my mouth.

“Uuugh, hhh···.”

“Open up.”

At the concise command, I trembled but forced my jaw, which kept trying to clench, to lower. In this situation, not even a grain of sand of will to resist remained. I was someone who had just vividly witnessed Jihyuk assaulting his own brother to the brink of death.

Jihyuk’s finger dug deeper into my opened mouth. The thumb that penetrated my mouth slowly pressed down on my tongue. I automatically felt a surge of nausea. Despite the strong, quivering vibration that came with a gagging sound, wretch, Jihyuk pushed his finger in deeper. The tip of his thumb pushed in as if trying to invade all the way to the root of my tongue.

“Ugh, wretch.”

“You’ll have to eat everything I give you from now on, what are you going to do if you can’t even eat this?”

As if measuring the size of my throat, Jihyuk, who pressed down firmly on the root of my tongue with his thumb, muttered and slowly pulled his hand back. Sticky saliva trickled down below my chin. Jihyuk, who slowly brought his hand, covered in the watery liquid, to his mouth, looked at his wristwatch with a weary gesture.

“While I was gone, did you have a good time?”

“Hah, heuk··· wretch.”

The nausea still had not subsided. I tried to shake off the tears that filled my eyes and stare at Jihyuk while catching my breath. But my vision kept blurring.

“While I was gone, did you eat a lot of Woo Jiwon’s dick with this dirty mouth hole?”

“It’s not, like, that, please···. Listen to me, hhh, haah.”

“Once the tutoring ended, did you have nowhere else to get money from?”

All my thoughts stopped. My vision turned white. I stopped my incoherent rambling and just stared blankly at Jihyuk.

“So you even sold your body? To the student you used to teach?”

The sharp point, honed to be as sharp as a blade that would cut with just a graze, pierced the tender flesh of my chest. The cynical words became a poison that killed me, spreading through my veins.

As if my mouth were paralyzed, I could not say anything. It was true that while receiving all those things from Jiwon, I had thought to myself that I would have to pay the price someday, that it was only right. This body that will rot away after death anyway, for the sake of my family, this much is nothing, I had thought.

I tried to run out belatedly, but I had already eaten too much from inside the fishbowl he had built. By the time I realized this was not right, it was ultimately too late.

“Fucking hell, so dirty. What’s the difference between you and a male prostitute?”

Jihyuk grabbed my chin and forced my mouth open. My cheeks and the inside of my teeth were pressed by his strong grip, and my lips parted like a fish’s. Into the gaping red flesh, Jihyuk spat. spit. The watery liquid that entered my mouth flowed out past my trembling lips.

“Swallow it all. Where do you think you’re letting it spill.”

Speaking with a contemptuous expression, Jihyuk forced my mouth shut. The insults being poured mercilessly onto my exposed raw wound hurt. Unable to bear the stinging pain, I continuously shed tears.

“Teacher. You pushed me away saying I was a minor, but did it feel good to sell your body to Woo Jiwon?”

“Hut, ugh. Heuk···.”

“Sell it to me, too. Stop with the pathetic pretense of being moral.”

Jihyuk, who had sneered to his heart’s content, stood up from his spot. Grabbing my hair once again, Jihyuk dragged me as he was and sat on the sofa. Dragged powerlessly, I ended up kneeling in front of him. In his eyes that looked down at me in the darkness, a menacing gleam carrying a chilling murderous intent was swirling.

“Surely you’re not thinking of saying no this time because I’m a minor, are you?”

Jihyuk mocked me by perfectly mimicking the words I had said, and applied more force to the hand gripping my hair. My entire head was pulled along, and my body tilted forward. I flailed my head, trying to pull my body back, but the more I did, the tighter Jihyuk’s firm grip, which had dug into my hair, became, as if it would pull out all my hair.

My nose and mouth, tilted by force, were pressed against his thigh. I could clearly feel the lump of flesh, holding a hot heat, bulging from under the fabric. Startled by the sensation, I reflexively tried to pull my head back, but my body would not budge, as if it were not my own.

Looking into my eyes, which were clearly filled with terror, Jihyuk snickered.

“Teacher. Did you know? That I’m an adult now?”

As he said that, he showed me his phone screen. My heart sank all the way to the pit of my stomach as I stared at the screen, from which a white light was pouring out.

00:01. And written next to it, 1/1.

Now I understood. The true nature of the anxious and fearful feelings I had felt the entire time I was watching the movie with Jiwon. I, who had wished for this moment not to come, might have been vaguely feeling it in my deep consciousness.

That Jihyuk, who had caught and knocked me down no matter how much I ran away in my dreams, would eventually find me in reality as well. That the time I had wished would never come had finally arrived, and it would sever the thin line I had drawn and struggled so hard to protect.

“Happy New Year. Teacher.”

Jihyuk’s lips stretched into a long smile, and his jet-black eyes flickered, holding a clear desire. Jihyuk, who had been gently stroking my hair several times, looked into my eyes and whispered in a low voice.

“Take it out and suck it.”

“So you even sold your body? To the student you used to teach?”

The sharp point, honed to be as sharp as a blade that would cut with just a graze, pierced the tender flesh of my chest. The cynical words became a poison that killed me, spreading through my veins.

As if my mouth were paralyzed, I could not say anything. It was true that while receiving all those things from Jiwon, I had thought to myself that I would have to pay the price someday, that it was only right. This body that will rot away after death anyway, for the sake of my family, this much is nothing, I had thought.

I tried to run out belatedly, but I had already eaten too much from inside the fishbowl he had built. By the time I realized this was not right, it was ultimately too late.

“Fucking hell, so dirty. What’s the difference between you and a male prostitute?”

Jihyuk grabbed my chin and forced my mouth open. My cheeks and the inside of my teeth were pressed by his strong grip, and my lips parted like a fish’s. Into the gaping red flesh, Jihyuk spat. spit. The watery liquid that entered my mouth flowed out past my trembling lips.

“Swallow it all. Where do you think you’re letting it spill.”

Speaking with a contemptuous expression, Jihyuk forced my mouth shut. The insults being poured mercilessly onto my exposed raw wound hurt. Unable to bear the stinging pain, I continuously shed tears.

“Teacher. You pushed me away saying I was a minor, but did it feel good to sell your body to Woo Jiwon?”

“Hut, ugh. Heuk···.”

“Sell it to me, too. Stop with the pathetic pretense of being moral.”

Jihyuk, who had sneered to his heart’s content, stood up from his spot. Grabbing my hair once again, Jihyuk dragged me as he was and sat on the sofa. Dragged powerlessly, I ended up kneeling in front of him. In his eyes that looked down at me in the darkness, a menacing gleam carrying a chilling murderous intent was swirling.

“Surely you’re not thinking of saying no this time because I’m a minor, are you?”

Jihyuk mocked me by perfectly mimicking the words I had said, and applied more force to the hand gripping my hair. My entire head was pulled along, and my body tilted forward. I flailed my head, trying to pull my body back, but the more I did, the tighter Jihyuk’s firm grip, which had dug into my hair, became, as if it would pull out all my hair.

My nose and mouth, tilted by force, were pressed against his thigh. I could clearly feel the lump of flesh, holding a hot heat, bulging from under the fabric. Startled by the sensation, I reflexively tried to pull my head back, but my body would not budge, as if it were not my own.

Looking into my eyes, which were clearly filled with terror, Jihyuk snickered.

“Teacher. Did you know? That I’m an adult now?”

As he said that, he showed me his phone screen. My heart sank all the way to the pit of my stomach as I stared at the screen, from which a white light was pouring out.

00:01. And written next to it, 1/1.

Now I understood. The true nature of the anxious and fearful feelings I had felt the entire time I was watching the movie with Jiwon. I, who had wished for this moment not to come, might have been vaguely feeling it in my deep consciousness.

That Jihyuk, who had caught and knocked me down no matter how much I ran away in my dreams, would eventually find me in reality as well. That the time I had wished would never come had finally arrived, and it would sever the thin line I had drawn and struggled so hard to protect.

“Happy New Year. Teacher.”

Jihyuk’s lips stretched into a long smile, and his jet-black eyes flickered, holding a clear desire. Jihyuk, who had been gently stroking my hair several times, looked into my eyes and whispered in a low voice.

“Take it out and suck it.”