TFN C73

Chapter 73

 

The mass of flesh tracing over the entrance pushed its way inside.

The shock was far greater than when he had first been licked, and Wonhyo squeezed his eyes shut.

While his dazed mind delayed judgment, his body sought out the pleasure on its own.

He twisted his hips, but it was useless.

Even though he knew the other couldn’t see him, he kept rolling his hips, again and again—until the tongue finally withdrew.

Just as he caught his breath, a finger thrust in deep with a wet sound.

Each time the long finger speared into him with merciless precision, his hips moved on their own. Then, kisses began to rain down his spine.

The repetition blurred into familiarity; the groans that had once been pained melted into breathless moans.

Wonhyo ground his arousal against the floor, his voice spilling out in gasps.

The lips on his back trailed upward, kissing his earlobes and cheeks with wet sounds before biting his nape and licking down his spine once more.

Then, as if to fill the space left behind by the withdrawn fingers, something far larger pressed inside.

Thud!

In one brutal motion, it drove into him to the deepest point. Wonhyo’s eyes flew open wide.

A dim ceiling came into view.

He struggled, wriggling his stiff body to remove what was constricting him—

and as the rustling sound reached his ears, he realized it was the sleeping bag.

A long sigh escaped him.

“…Damn… it.”

His voice, still heavy with sleep, scattered weakly, carrying weariness and self-mockery.

He shook his head, forcing the remnants of sleep away, and groped beside him for his phone.

Thankfully, it wasn’t far. Picking it up, he opened his purchase history to check when he’d bought this sleeping bag.

He’d thrown away the old one last November after an accident with sparks, so it hadn’t been that long ago.

Scrolling through his shopping records, he found the sleeping bag and looked up its washing instructions.

“…Machine washable… machine washable.”

He exhaled in relief. It could be washed at home, though he’d have to be careful with detergent.

Kicking the sleeping bag off with his feet, he left the room.

He tossed it on top of the unwashed blankets from yesterday and went back into the bathroom.

After washing up, his head felt foggy.

“Wasn’t it supposed to be over?”

He’d been sure this was just a temporary side effect from the penalty that turned him into a beast.

Running his fingers through his hair, he groaned.

“What the hell, on the first full moon of the year…”

He was still only a vessel in training, but nonetheless, the Great Full Moon was a day to cleanse oneself and avoid impurity.

To start such a day with a lewd dream—

No wonder his energy felt utterly drained.

He had rewritten every talisman for warding off nightmares and lust spirits since his skill rank had risen, placing them beside his bed, yet they’d been useless.

“Maybe my divine power’s run dry from skipping prayer…”

That made no sense—divine energy wasn’t something charged like a battery.

Lifting his bowed head, he saw the pile of laundry stacked high before him.

He shut his eyes again and chanted diligently, reciting incantations to drive away impure energy.

Only after his lips were parched from repetition did he come to his senses.

It was the fifteenth of the lunar month.

His mother and sister would have gone to the mountain at dawn to pray and would be preparing a full table of food by now. He should go help them.

His purity might be gone, but his face still needed to show up.

Even if he ended up being scolded and doused with salt.

Sighing for the third time, Wonhyo rose to his feet.

It was at that moment—

Ding!

A clear chime rang, and a quest window appeared before him.

『

The rabbit dwelling in the Moonlight Garden awaits your help. (1/??)

—Time remaining: 00:12:59:58』

The words Job Quest at the top made Wonhyo choke on air.

He quickly read the text below.

Just the vague name Moonlight Garden, without a specific location, made his legs go weak.

He sank to the floor as another window appeared.

『If you exceed the quest time limit, you will be afflicted with the Rabbit’s Curse and transformed into a lunar animal (Stage 2 penalty).』

The voice of the boy he had met on the seventh floor of the Tower echoed in his head.

“Please make sure not to be late next time.”

No, shouldn’t you tell me where to go if you want me to be on time?

Where the hell even is this place?

“No, no… NO!”

In true Korean fashion, Wonhyo kept shouting “No!” in protest to the system, practically howling in despair.

Shhhhhhh—

Under the falling stream of water, Cheongmun stood still. When the suds were gone, he turned off the shower and stepped out of the booth.

Wiping himself dry, he wrapped a fresh towel around his waist and left the bathroom. The empty living room greeted him in silence.

Crossing it, he entered the dressing room and got dressed.

A T-shirt, long pants—simple, unassuming. He returned to the living room and looked out the window.

Under the rising sun, the Special Bureau’s sign—which had glowed through the night—dimmed and went out.

He brushed the damp hair off his forehead, eyes turning toward the place he’d been an hour ago.

‘We found the Bethany Evangelical Church.’

‘Where is it located?’

‘…It isn’t. It doesn’t exist anymore.’

Frowning slightly, Cheongmun recalled the deputy leader’s report.

The cursed item said to have created the wraith—

The church printed on that evangelism card no longer existed.

‘It used to, years ago, but it’s been replaced by another church. Those cards were used back then, not anymore. The current congregation asked us where we even got it.’

Cheongmun reopened the list of every church containing the word “Bethany,” just in case.

The list included not only Protestant churches but also cult foundations.

‘Any connection with Clerk Jung Kyohwa?’

The same business card had been found on Jung, a member of Team 3.

‘He said he got it on the street. We checked surveillance footage from that day, but his face isn’t visible in any of them.’

‘No connection to his usual haunts?’

‘None. Records show he mostly attended a Catholic church. He says he doesn’t even know why he did it himself. We’re investigating whether mind control through the item was involved.’

Turning away, Cheongmun walked into the innermost room.

Unlike the rest of the empty apartment—devoid of any sign of living—the room was packed wall to wall with books.

He sat at the desk and pulled open the largest drawer beneath it, taking out an old, worn shoebox.

Placing it on the desk, he drew a slow breath.

The unusual flicker of tension made him smile faintly before he lifted the lid.

Inside were several objects.

He took out a torn piece of paper sealed in an evidence bag—a fragment of a flyer.

Holding it up to his eyes, he saw the partial words “–eni” and “Church” on the torn edge.

There was no trace of the sigil that had appeared on the talisman Wonhyo had found, nor any sign it had been an item at all.

He had examined it countless times before, yet it had yielded no clues.

He returned the old relic to the box and slid it back into the drawer.

Then, he opened his status window.

『Lee Cheongmun (S-Rank)

Title: □□ King. Lord of □□. Guardian of □□, □□□□.』

The entire profile was obscured.

He closed it and opened his skill tab.

『

*□□□□ (S-Rank)

—Can create a space ruled only by the king’s command.

*□□□ Summon (S-Rank)

—Complete the quest.

—View details.』

He tapped the broken-out skill, triggering a linked quest window.

『

Your memories are sealed. Regain them and reclaim the name of the □□ King.

Clues found: (12/??)』

From the day he first received the quest until recently, he hadn’t found a single clue.

But when he met Wonhyo, the counter finally went up.

Each subsequent encounter had raised it again.

Ten years spent chasing fragments of the past—and the clue had been a person?

Cheongmun clenched his hand, then slowly relaxed it.

Though further contact hadn’t added new clues, he didn’t believe the connection had ended there.

He swept his hand, dismissing the floating windows, and opened the tracking interface for Wonhyo’s marked status.

『Detecting marked target’s location…

▽ Yoon Wonhyo (Current location: Jongno-gu, Seoul)

Status: Abnormal. Condition poor. In need of care.』

Without hesitation, Cheongmun stood and grabbed his coat.

Flying would be faster than driving.

Throwing the coat on, he stepped out onto the balcony, opening the glass door.

He rose into the air, summoning a cube beneath his feet.

Within five minutes, he reached Wonhyo’s home.

Descending quietly, he scanned the area first.

The alley was calm, no distortion in mana—peaceful.

He walked to the front door, eyeing the pitiful excuse for security before pressing the doorbell.

A small yelp came from inside.

Overlaying a cube onto the doorknob, he reached through and unlocked it from within.

Somewhere in the quiet house, he heard faint breathing.

“Mr. Yoon Wonhyo?”

He followed the trace of life energy.

Tiny, hesitant footsteps pattered here and there before a weary presence finally emerged.

Cheongmun blinked.

A small, squirrel-like creature—fuzzy and white, with oversized ears and round black eyes—stared up at him.

“Mr. Yoon Wonhyo.”

At his call, the little ball of fur—apparently Wonhyo transformed—nodded.

“Pii—”

The sorrowful squeak made Cheongmun let out a brief sigh. He crouched down and extended a hand.

After a moment’s hesitation, Wonhyo trudged forward and climbed onto his palm.

Holding the tiny creature carefully, Cheongmun lifted him to eye level.

He moved with deliberate gentleness, afraid of crushing the fragile weight in his hand.

A slow smile curved his lips.

It was misfortune for Wonhyo—but for Cheongmun, it was a rare chance to hold and control him just a little more.

“It seems we need to have a talk.”

…Doesn’t it?

Wonhyo’s tiny head bobbed in agreement.