CH-044

"Sunbae wanted it. It's not strange, is it? Anyway, Lulu and Sunbae have a special relationship."

Lulu smiled obnoxiously and stuck close to Seo Shinu's side. It was a tactic taking advantage of Seo Shinu's lack of full consciousness.

"That's a lie."

"What is?"

"Hyung would never like someone like you."

"But he does?"

Even with Yeom Hajae, who had already moved his hand to his sword, in front of him, Lulu showed not a trace of fear. "Hmm," he mused, stroking his chin briefly before lowering his voice and murmuring confidentially.

"Do you know what Lulu and Sunbae did in the bathroom earlier?"

"!"

"I'll show you now."

Lulu reached out and stroked Seo Shinu's face, as if tracing over it. He didn't care that Seo Shinu could be seen panting, trying to suppress groans. Instead of informing Yeom Hajae about Seo Shinu's condition, he pressed his face near Seo Shinu's nape as if about to plant his lips there any moment.

Swoosh!

"Ah!"

He'd expected it to some extent, but an attack flew at him immediately. Lulu lightly blocked the sword sheath. Straining to press down, Yeom Hajae's hands and the scabbard trembled.

"Ha, this is you attacking first, you know."

Lulu laughed coldly and kicked Yeom Hajae in the stomach.

Thwack!

Yeom Hajae flew into the wall and stuck there. The wall slightly broke, raising a cloud of dust.

"......"

A moment later, Yeom Hajae staggered up from the dust, holding his head.

Drip, blood fell to the floor.

"Haa..."

His reason didn't return. Blood flowed from his head, blurring his vision. Yeom Hajae picked up the sword sheath next to him with a blank expression.

Whoosh.

Flames crawled up the sword, gradually growing larger.

"!"

Jolted by the sudden heat, Seo Shinu came to his senses.

'What?'

Yeom Hajae was using his ability. Even worse, opposite him, Lulu was watching with folded arms.

It was a scene that seemed to give zero consideration to the possibility of the building collapsing. They had to be stopped before the fight got bigger. Staggering, Seo Shinu got up to intervene in the brawl.

"Stop... That..."

'I need to stop them.'

He hadn't even taken a few steps before Seo Shinu's movements gradually slowed.

"Uuep."

At the violent sound of dry heaving, both heads turned simultaneously. Seo Shinu was covering his mouth with a pale face.

"Hyung?"

"Sunbae?"

The two approached Seo Shinu in perfect sync. Touching the exposed skin, Yeom Hajae was startled.

'Hot.'

He had already noticed he was sweating a lot. He thought it was simply because the indoor temperature was high... but now he saw the sweat was from a fever.

"Are you sick somewhere?"

"Stomach, my stomach..."

Seo Shinu couldn't finish his sentence and hunched over. Seeing Seo Shinu prostrated on the floor, Lulu asked brightly.

"Your stomach hurts? Indigestion?"

He wouldn't be complaining of this level of pain just from indigestion. Yeom Hajae fidgeted, chewing only on his lip.

'That's right...!'

He hurriedly approached the monster corpse. The dungeon core should be inside this. He just needed to break it and take him to a hospital. He prodded the corpse with his sword.

But no matter how much he stirred with the sword, the core wasn't visible.

'Why...?'

Yeom Hajae froze in confusion.

"Argh, ugh... Aaargh...!"

"!"

Seo Shinu, who had been groaning, let out a long scream and clutched his stomach.

"H-Hyung!"

Even when anxiously called from beside him, he didn't turn his gaze. He seemed not to hear it at all.

"Heok, heo-eok..."

Veins bulged on his neck. His curled-up body trembled minutely as if convulsing. To Yeom Hajae, he looked like he could die any moment.

"Uwek...!"

'What do I do?'

Yeom Hajae, seized by panic, completely froze. As if he himself was in pain, he began breaking out in a cold sweat.

In front of Lulu, who was appreciating the scene with glittering eyes, and the broken-down Yeom Hajae, was the moment Seo Shinu writhed feebly.

Ribbit.

"?"

Ribbit.

As if confirming it wasn't a mistake, the sound rang out again. It was a sound coming from inside Seo Shinu's stomach.

"Some, something, squirming, uwek."

It's squirming.

The cup he had seen in the lobby flashed through Yeom Hajae's mind. The tiny eggs inside the cup. And the frog-like monster they had just killed.

No way.

"...!"

"Aargh!"

It must be killed.

Yeom Hajae drew his sword. At the appearance of the sharp-edged metal, Lulu, who was nearby, grabbed Yeom Hajae's arm.

"Wait! What are you trying to do with that?"

It must be killed.

"A monster, there's a monster inside Hyung... We have to kill it quickly."

"What? No matter what, if you use a sword, Sunbae will die."

With an incredulous face, Lulu snatched the sword away. Then he pushed aside the dazed, mumbling Yeom Hajae and rolled up his sleeves.

"If you're human, you should use your hands. You mean we just need to take the monster out of his stomach, right?"

"...?"

"Stomach? Intestines?"

Judging by how he was holding his lower abdomen, it was likely the intestines. Before Yeom Hajae could even say that, Lulu took the lead.

"Let's start with the stomach first."

"Aaagh!"

He wrapped himself around the struggling Seo Shinu from behind. The hunter and the monster watched this scene in a daze.

A brief physical struggle ensued from Seo Shinu's fierce resistance.

"Fuck, get off!"

"Wait, Sunbae...!"

Crackle!

"Urk!"

With a vicious sound, Lulu collapsed. Simultaneously, Seo Shinu's movements stopped as if dead.

"!"

Could he be dead? Yeom Hajae hurriedly approached Seo Shinu. Holding a trembling hand under his nose, he felt a faint breath.

"Ugh... Sunbae, you really attacked seriously."

Lulu, who had fallen to the floor, scrambled to his feet. Pushing back his disheveled hair once, Lulu glanced sideways at Yeom Hajae.

"Don't just stand there watching, help me."

He firmly wrapped his arms around Seo Shinu from behind. After adjusting his position, he restrained Seo Shinu's body with his legs and wrapped his forearm around his head. It was a pose reminiscent of wrestling.

While the body was being smoothly suppressed, Seo Shinu had his eyes closed and was limp.

"Come here."

Yeom Hajae, who had been staring blankly at the sight, snapped to attention at the curt call.

"Wha, what should I... do?"

"Put your finger in here."

Lulu used his free hand to grab Seo Shinu's jaw and pry it open.

"...!"

"Why are you surprised? He needs to vomit for the monster in his stomach to come out."

Yeom Hajae, who approached hesitantly, flinched. The gesture looked almost pitiful.

Lulu smirked.

"If Hunter-nim wasn't so shaky, Lulu would have done it himself."

"......"

"Hunter-nim."

Seeing the thoroughly frightened face, a mischievous urge stirred inside him.

"Our Sunbae is secretly pretty rude, right? Besides me, there's probably a truckload of guys who'd eagerly jump at a chance like this."

Lulu roughly lifted Seo Shinu's face up. It was an angle where the inside of his mouth was more visible.

"A chance for revenge on that obnoxious mouth of his."

That was the moment.

Thwack!

Seo Shinu, who had been lying still, suddenly trembled violently and kicked out as if convulsing. Surprised, Yeom Hajae stepped back.

"Keu-eu..."

"He woke up. Alrighty."

Lulu stretched out the upper body that was shrinking from the pain.

Seo Shinu struggled with all his might, but aside from his relatively free legs, he only twitched feebly.

But.

"Something's... strange?"

Yeom Hajae, who had been watching with a pale face, cautiously spoke up.

At those words, Lulu also focused his attention on Seo Shinu. The two began to scrutinize Seo Shinu closely.

The man convulsing, making ugly sounds like a beast. Saliva he couldn't swallow was trickling from his mouth. Not a trace of his usual composure could be found in that appearance.

However, this time he wasn't just thrashing around in pain. There was a consistent pattern. After making a choking, suffocating sound, Seo Shinu soon gagged as if trying to spit something out.

As if something was stuck in his throat.

Two pairs of eyes stared intently into Seo Shinu's mouth. And not long after.

Ribbit.

A sound came from inside his throat.

"Seems like his throat is blocked? Come here and check."

Lulu called Yeom Hajae over. Yeom Hajae sat on Seo Shinu's thighs to look deeper into his throat. He could vividly feel the muscles twitching beneath his buttocks.

Embarrassed, he slightly shifted his seat, but Seo Shinu, gagging, poked his lower body with his thigh.

"Uht."

Yeom Hajae, inadvertently letting out a groan, contorted his face.

...This wasn't the time.

"Hurry up. If it's within finger's reach, grab it and pull it out. Even if not, Sunbae vomits easily, so just gently putting your finger in will work."

Yeom Hajae picked up a flashlight.

Only Seo Shinu's nose and mouth were visible on his face, obscured by Lulu's forearm. Saliva stretched endlessly from the forcibly opened mouth.

Past the slightly bloodshot eyes and the canines sharper than average, he peered inside. The constantly moving tongue obstructed his view, so he had to hold it down with his thumb.

The red tongue twitched, suppressed. Beyond it was a dark hole...​​

After examining closely, Yeom Hajae shook his head.

"I can't see it."

"Then we have no choice but to make him vomit first."

Lulu looked at Yeom Hajae.

"Here."

At the prompting words, Yeom Hajae's Adam's apple bobbed.

"......"

"Please put a bandage on me."

A soft voice echoed in his mind. His hand, taking off the glove, trembled as if seized by a spasm.

"Uh..."

It was the hole from which those affectionate words leaked.

He slowly brought his fingers, calloused and thick, towards it.

"Eu-euk."

"Ugh."

Yeom Hajae grit his teeth. The inside of the mouth was soft and warm.

The tongue wrapped around his finger, as if trying to identify the intruder.

Just as he steeled his resolve and was about to move his finger.

"!"

Seo Shinu's face grew wet. It was tears. Seeing that, tears also welled up in Yeom Hajae's eyes.

"Hurry up and move it. Sunbae is suffering."

"S-Sorry...!"

At the threatening tone, Yeom Hajae flinched and apologized. It was a timid sight hard to believe from the person who had been glaring with a sword just moments ago.

The tears that eventually flowed obstructed his view. Rubbing his face with his left arm to wipe away the tears, Yeom Hajae glared sharply.

He is suffering. The longer this drags on, the harder it will be for Hyung.

'I have to finish this quickly.'

"Gag."

Perhaps the hasty movement blocked his throat, Seo Shinu made a choking sound.

"Uht, sorry."

Startled, Yeom Hajae carefully pulled his hand back.

"Sorry..."

Once he vomits, it's all over.

Contrary to his intentions, the once-stiffened finger didn't move easily. The finger placed on the tongue twitched awkwardly.

Lulu was merely dumbfounded watching that scene.

'What is he doing?'

It was pathetic seeing him tremble alone over something that would be finished in 10 seconds.

'This is why hunters are no good.'

This wasn't an opportunity that came every day. If he were in that position, he would have dug in gleefully, but he couldn't seize it. Even while thinking that, Yeom Hajae was still hesitating, whimpering.

"Ah, really. Frustrating."

Clicking his tongue, Lulu leaned his upper body back.

Naturally, the finger came out a little. The moment Yeom Hajae unconsciously let out a sigh of relief at that fact.

"Like this,"

"Gack!"

"Do it."

In one swift motion, the hand was shoved deep down the throat.