Snake Venom Ch 100
by berryChapter 100
âPlenty of leg-spreaders here. Pick one on your way out and have at it. OrâŠâ
Trailing off, Shin Junseong swept Lee Yeonwoo up and down briefly. Donning an incongruously grave expression, he stroked his chin. Lee Yeonwoo spoke.
âWorried I took it without a partner to cling to?â
âHuh?â
Before a retort formed, Shin Junseong exhaled a short, baffled breath at the rejection.
âNot my type at allâwhatâs this?â
Muttering as if dumbfounded, his eyes held more alien curiosity than displeasure. Tilting his head, he blurted,
âHow much for this one?â
Valuing a living being came without awareness of insult. To himâreducing talent, beauty, even emotion to figuresâit was natural. Cheon Wooshin made no effort to soften his hardened face.
âNo.â
At Cheon Wooshinâs resolute tone, Lee Yeonwooâstraighteningâfroze. Cheon Wooshin raised his voice irritably.
âHow many times must I say it has an owner, you fucker.â
Mere statement of fact in Shin Junseongâs vulgar idiom, yet laced with vivid hostility unseen before. Shin Junseong, eyes wide, suddenly burst into laughter.
âAhahaha⊠ahahahaha!â
Clapping, stomping, he seemed deliriously pleased by Cheon Wooshinâs agitation. Tears gathering at the corners, he bellowed,
âJust kidding, you fucker! Itâs the chairmanâsâwhy would I touch!â
The apologyâif it could be called thatâwas utterly flippant. Still, he sneaked glances, gauging reaction. Low-grade mischief shone in expectant eyes.
Yet Cheon Wooshin, composure restored, offered no reply. Losing interest in silence, Shin Junseong pouted, lightly smacking the back of Lee Yeonwooâs head.
âAnyway, I like you. Come again next time.â
Instead of answer, Lee Yeonwoo lowered his eyes and coughed faintly.
Heat of unknown origin began spreading across his skin; he desperately ignored it. Deal and pleasantries concluded, yet this remained Shin Junseongâs domain. A man who snatched single words to probe insidesâno excess foothold could be granted. Shin Junseongâs gaze still prickled the nape.
Merely near him felt foul, repulsiveânot solely from tossed jests. With endlessly slack face, he hurled questions requiring multiple mental contortions to decipher intent, then voraciously observed fluster. Unwilling to show the slightest waver, Lee Yeonwoo clung fiercely to focus.
Perhaps tension eased upon distancing from Shin Junseongâs sphere. Rounding the corner, the floor swayed as though treading cracked glass. He thought balance held, yet beyond tilting vision, ground rushed closer. A firm arm burrowed from somewhere, bracing his chest.
âToo early.â
Indifferent voice; cool presence touched. Cheon Wooshinâs body heatânow etched as familiarâseeped without resistance. Realizing this, ear-down stood on end. Like slender needles pricking every pore.
Dangerous. A warning light blinked faintly somewhere. Soon the mind grew misty. What was dangerous? Lee Yeonwoo slowly lowered his gaze.
â……â
Form coalesced in blurred sight. Vision slid along the impeccably pressed jacket. Beneath smooth skin, azure veins stabbed into his pupils. Wrist and hand exposed at sleeveâs endâprotruding knuckles visibly solid. The dimming alarm rang again in his ears.
âSorry.â
Flustered, Lee Yeonwoo pushed the arm away. A tongue-click sounded overhead. Following it, he raised his head. The moment the emotionless, refined face filled vision, Cheon Wooshinâwho had withdrawnâquickened pace. Lingering here was pointless.
Lee Yeonwoo agreed. Must escape before the drug spread further. He bit the inside of his cheek hard. Metallic taste circled his mouth. Thus regained, he followed Cheon Wooshin.
Walking while ignoring bodily changes proved far harder than imagined. Objects grazing eyes swelled and shrank jaggedly. Moans or shrieksâunidentifiable noisesâbuzzed in his ears. Crossing shadows writhing hips chaotically, passing corridors crammed with baffling ornaments, his legs buckled repeatedly.
He saw only Cheon Wooshinâs back. Even that kept smudging. Rapid blinking proved futile. Drug onset: about 30 minutes. If current symptoms mere prelude, what sensations would follow? Bearable? He might disgrace himself beyond a mere stumble.
Exiting, their car appeared. Lee Yeonwoo, before the rear door, drew a deep breath.
âIâll ride here.â
Cheon Wooshinâs gaze lingered brieflyânothing more.
âFine.â
The rear door opened. Crawling in to hide collapse, Lee Yeonwoo pressed against the seat. Short stimulation raced his spine. Not the seatâheightened senses. Hastily he covered his lips. Fevered thin skin burned excessively. The speed heat spread to his palm startled even him.
Fabric brushing skin was provocative. Lee Yeonwoo breathed slowlyâlittle change. Mere drops on tongue rendered such sensitivity. Like heat without suppressants? Even simple breathing felt alien; somewhere the body malfunctioned abnormally.
Cheon Wooshin entered the driverâs seat; the chassis swayed lightly. Lee Yeonwoo glanced at his spasming fingers, then raised his head. Belatedly sensed fragrance.
The interior overflowed with Cheon Wooshinâs scent. Too acute for familiarityâoverstimulated senses, blurred subconscious dissected it. As though deliberately scraping beast traces lurking within. Unconsciously drawn, Lee Yeonwoo tilted his head to the ceiling to resist.
Cheon Wooshin started the engine. Brief rev faded; even minor recoil felt assaultâLee Yeonwoo swallowed a moan secretly. Rubbing his heated nape, he stared at Cheon Wooshin.
Hands turning the wheel were calm; straight shoulders and profile as ever orderly. Why did his stark presence stab the eyes? Yet Lee Yeonwoo instinctively severed the seeking thought, shaking his head sharply.
Entering a wider road, Cheon Wooshin deftly peeled the silicone leather from his face. Taking the cue, Lee Yeonwoo fumbled beneath his chin, lifting the thin film. Removal was simple. Breathing eased momentarilyâyet blocked heat grew clearer. Cheek burning, he brushed it.
âThere should be a box under the driverâs seat.â
Speeding from the lot, Cheon Wooshin spoke, eyes forward.
At the words, Lee Yeonwoo bent, reaching down. Easily found, he placed the arm-sized boxâdark faux leatherâon his lap. No lock, yet he awaited instruction obediently. Exiting narrow mountain path to road, Cheon Wooshin said,
âOpen it. Libido suppressant is the gray pen-type injector.â
Lee Yeonwoo opened. Selecting one among neatly aligned injectors, Cheon Wooshinâs low voice followed.
âAdministration same as my suppressant. Can you manage?â
Lee Yeonwoo nodded lightly. Like grandmotherâs insulinâpre-dosed needle simply inserted subdermally. Seolkyung, teaching injection, had used the analogy.
âUpper arm fine?â
âYes.â
Light changed. As Cheon Wooshin accelerated, Lee Yeonwoo shed his jacket from behind. Fabric graze was eye-closing stimulus, yet he desperately concealed it. Unbuttoning shirt halfway, baring left arm. Disinfecting with included alcohol swab, he plunged the needle without hesitation. Sharp sting flashed briefly.
Cheon Wooshin gently turned the wheel.
âHold on a bit. Itâll calm far more than now.â
Roughly re-fastening clothes, Lee Yeonwoo leaned into the backrest. Nausea churned like seasickness. Gaze fleeing strange pull toward Cheon Wooshin, yet duty remained.
âShin Junseongâthat man isnât human.â