The Night Of The Untraced

“Hot… Uh, it’s hot, so move away a little.”Ah, damn. Why is my throat tightening there?I didn’t bother pulling the blanket. Instead, I just curled my back, folding my legs. If I wasn’t careful, the fact that I reacted to that brief contact would be revealed. Even though it was a change so sudden that I couldn’t understand it, the truth is I had already started to endure a while ago.“Ah… Do you not need Hyung anymore?”But Kim Muheun wasn’t someone who would give up with just that. Muheun moved even closer, wrapping his arm around Seungjoo’s waist again. Although it was much better than before, the feeling that he was even closer wasn’t just in my head.“You just snuggled up in my arms earlier.”“When did I?”Seungjoo wasn’t small enough to just fit into Muheun’s arms like that. Seeing Seungjoo snap back angrily, Muheun just laughed like it was fun. He curled his body around Seungjoo’s, nuzzling his nose into the exposed nape of his neck.“Hyung is feeling a bit neglected, Seungjoo…”His sharp nose rubbed against Seungjoo’s sensitive skin. It was an oddly ticklish sensation, so much so that Seungjoo shuddered. And then, the warm breath that came through it was even more vivid.“Stop moving so much.”“I’m not trying to move…”Even without looking in the mirror, Seungjoo knew. His ear must have turned bright red. He just hoped that Kim Muheun wouldn’t notice it. Worse still, the reaction in his lower body hadn’t gone away, and it was starting to feel even more tense. His stomach muscles tightened, and the muscles in his thighs pulled taut.“Hyung, move back a bit.”He opened his mouth to ask Muheun to move back. But instead of pulling away, Muheun pressed in even closer. And at that moment, Seungjoo felt a heavy presence near his tailbone.“…”What the hell is touching me back there?* * *It was bulging and big, and no matter how much Seungjoo thought about it, it couldn’t be his legs. It couldn’t be his stomach either, so the only possible conclusion was one other part. The problem was that it was so much bigger than Seungjoo had known.“Right now…”It couldn’t be…?“…”Seungjoo swallowed his words, feeling embarrassed no matter what he said. Actually, asking about it wasn’t going to change anything.“What?”“No.”Seungjoo quickly shook his head and tried to move his body forward a little. Of course, it wasn’t very effective, given that he was still trapped in Muheun’s arms. Trying again to create some distance, Seungjoo poked Muheun’s arm wrapped around his waist.“…Move back a bit.”“Mm.”Muheun responded with a soft sound, as though half asleep. Seungjoo realized that Muheun must have been sleepy after all. It seemed like he was getting clingier by the minute. The sleepy Muheun had an oddly clingy vibe.“Don’t just answer me.”“Okay… just a moment.”“Don’t talk directly into it either…”The sensation of lips brushing against him was unbearably ticklish. Seungjoo thought he didn’t usually react to ticklish sensations, but now he felt the urge to scratch it off, like his lower abdomen was tightening every time Muheun’s soft lips touched his skin.‘This is crazy.’He was trying hard not to let it show, but he knew it was impossible. No matter how hard he tried to think of something else, the moment Muheun moved, everything would crumble. Even when he tried to focus on something else, like repeating the national anthem in his head, Muheun’s breath only became clearer.“Stop fidgeting.”Muheun reprimanded Seungjoo, as though he were the one fidgeting. As if he were blameless. His strength was such that Seungjoo couldn’t move at all.“You should sleep soon, it’s late.”It wasn’t like Seungjoo didn’t know it was late. He didn’t know exactly what time it was, but it was definitely still sleep time. If it hadn’t been for the nightmares, or if it hadn’t been Muheun beside him, or if Muheun hadn’t pulled him into his arms, things would’ve been different.“I know, so just…”The breath on the back of his neck felt too hot. Just a little, he wanted Muheun to move just a little bit away, and it would be okay.“Hyung, I’m really hot.”So, Seungjoo tried to speak seriously, even though most of it wasn’t a lie. Everywhere Muheun’s body touched him felt like it was burning, making his temperature rise naturally.“Really hot?”Fortunately, Muheun responded properly to Seungjoo’s serious tone. His hand, which had been holding Seungjoo’s waist, slowly moved up to rest on his neck. The heat there was higher than expected, so Muheun cupped Seungjoo’s cheek with his palm.“It is hot.”“…I told you.”It was fortunate. Seungjoo finally had an excuse to get some space. He thought that if Muheun understood, he would pull back. But once again, Muheun didn’t follow his lead. He continued to touch Seungjoo’s neck and face, his voice still laced with concern.“You don’t have a fever, do you?”Seungjoo just wanted to say it was just the heat, but Muheun suddenly lifted himself up to look down at Seungjoo from above. The blanket had already slipped off halfway, so it wasn’t exactly the hottest environment.“Let me see…”Muheun turned Seungjoo’s face toward him, smoothing his messy hair back with his fingers, and then caressing his forehead with his thumb. Finally, his hand settled on Seungjoo’s cheek.“You’re not sweating.”“…”His hand was so big. Just cupping Seungjoo’s cheek, it seemed to cover his ear entirely.Thinking about it, Muheun had always been huge. It was only natural given that he was ten years older, but even the thought that Seungjoo would catch up to him once he became an adult seemed laughable. Seungjoo often got compliments on his height, but compared to Kim Muheun, he felt small, even his hands and feet.“Why are you looking at me like that?”“……”He should have said it was nothing, but he felt as though his heart sank. Seungjoo, who had turned his head absentmindedly, met eyes with Muheun, who was looking down at him, and took a sharp breath. The way he looked down at him under the soft lighting brought back a particular memory.‘……Seungjoo, memories are quite interconnected.’“……”‘When one thing comes to mind, it’s only natural that others follow.’He didn’t want to feel that way about those words. When a similar posture of Kim Muheun came to mind, the events from that day came rushing back. Pulling him closer to kiss him, sucking on his lower lip, and later, when Muheun took over and kissed him forcefully.“……That.”He still couldn’t forget the pleasure that soft tongue had given him. The kiss that day hadn’t been in his right mind, but hadn’t the kiss they shared later, in front of his house, been sober? As faint memories merged with clearer ones, recalling that sensation became easy.“Hyung, I… ”And as those memories flooded back, he also recalled the shameful morning from not long ago. Waking up with a damp lower body, washing his own underwear that day.As if that wasn’t enough, he even had a bad feeling that something similar might happen now, in front of Muheun.“I’ll be right back.”The moment he realized this, Seungjoo quickly rose from his seat. He grabbed Muheun’s wrist and moved him aside, pushing his shoulder to make him retreat. Hoping Muheun wouldn’t notice the tension in his lower body.“Wait, wait, I need to go to the bathroom…”“……The bathroom?”But if he was going to do that, he shouldn’t have shown signs of being flustered. The trembling at the end of his words was something he couldn’t control at that moment. It was so out of character for Seungjoo that Muheun, sensing something was off, squinted his eyes and carefully observed him.“……”“……”Their eyes met again. Seungjoo was lying awkwardly, while Muheun looked down at him from above, almost as if he were pinning him down. After a long, uncertain exchange of glances, Muheun twitched his eyebrows, slowly lowering his gaze.“Ah.”It was a gasp filled with realization. Seungjoo didn’t need to hear the words to know what Muheun had seen, and what he must have been thinking.Muheun slowly, very slowly, pulled away from above Seungjoo. He didn’t say anything, nor did he look back down. With a somewhat troubled or apologetic expression, he simply distanced himself, leaving things at a neutral space.“……”Ah, shit.Seungjoo swallowed his curse as he quickly sat up. Since he wasn’t wearing any underwear, the outline of his arousal was clearly visible through his thin pants. Just the thought that Muheun had seen it made him want to jump out of the window at the back, not the door.Without looking back, Seungjoo walked towards the door. It was almost a relief that when his feet touched the ground, a large t-shirt helped cover up a bit.As he walked quickly, focused only on the front, a soft voice came from behind him.“Should I take care of it, Hyung?”The annoyance Seungjoo felt from that voice was, surprisingly, not because Muheun was teasing him. The soft, slow tone sounded almost as if Muheun were asking if he wanted to have a meal. It was so soothing, almost as if Muheun was saying that it was his mess to clean up, and he was offering to do it.“Crazy, what are you saying?!”Naturally, Seungjoo didn’t hesitate and yelled angrily. “What do you mean, ‘should I take care of it’? Does he even know what he’s saying?”Bang. As he slammed the bathroom door behind him, a sense of disillusionment washed over him as he looked at the dark living room. The faint sound of a hollow laugh from behind wasn’t just his imagination. He had never felt this overwhelmed by desire in his life; it was ridiculous that he was reacting to something as simple as a familiar touch.“Crazy bastard…”The bitter curse was aimed at himself. No matter how much he muttered it with full anger, nothing changed.As soon as Seungjoo reached the bathroom, he splashed cold water on his face three times. Not to calm down his excitement, but to suppress the rising embarrassment and anger. Once his flushed face settled, he let the water drip from his chin, standing there blankly for a while.The fear he had felt earlier from seeing a ghost had long since disappeared, leaving no trace behind. Even the lingering feeling from the nightmare had vanished without him realizing.‘I’ll make sure you don’t have nightmares.’Was that what he meant? If so, then it was a success. Now, he was more worried that it wasn’t nightmares he might dream about, but something else entirely.“Hah…”Now that he had calmed down, he should return to the room where Muheun was. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it. It wasn’t just the difficulty of facing him, but he also feared that Muheun might misunderstand and think that he had masturbated.There was nothing more frustrating than being misunderstood for something you hadn’t done. But denying it would be hard, especially considering everything else that had happened. The best option, then, was probably to just remain silent and not reveal the truth.“…I want to go home.”With his hands covering his face, Seungjoo crouched in the middle of the bathroom for a while. He knew he had to return quickly, but he just couldn’t summon the courage to face Muheun.And then, there was the truly ridiculous fact that crossed his mind.‘Should I take care of it, Hyung?’Why had he been at a loss for words at that moment? He had been angry, but for a brief second, he couldn’t deny that he had hesitated.He was definitely losing his mind. Seungjoo thought this to himself as he sighed.* * *Seungjoo usually didn’t sleep outside the house, but before his sister and Hyung passed away, he often stayed over at the house next door. He’d fall asleep playing with Muryeong, or sometimes he would end up staying unintentionally because Muheun would beg him not to leave.However, at some point, that kind of thing stopped happening. There were many reasons for it, but mostly, it was because as he grew older, things became more uncomfortable. His parents were fine with him staying next door, but being there would often bring up various memories from his childhood.They weren’t anything special. Like playing with Muheun every day before he moved out, his sister taking Seolgi for walks, or Hyung bickering with Muyeong.These were irreplaceable memories, so Seungjoo turned away from them, and over time, it became a habit. Now, he didn’t feel lonely when he remembered the past, but he just found the comfort of home easier, so he stopped staying out. At some point, he also realized his feelings for Muheun, and the uncomfortable feelings led him to avoid staying over.So, normally, he wouldn’t have slept at Muheun’s house. Unless, of course, he was drunk or passed out and carried there.Well, now there was another reason for that.When Seungjoo returned from the bathroom, Muheun was deeply asleep. He must have been really tired, Seungjoo thought, as he lay down at the edge of the bed. He wanted to sleep on the couch, but he didn’t want to hear unnecessary complaints.It was probably a good thing, though. Muheun wasn’t the type to bring up things that were already done. After waking up together in the same bed, Muheun had made breakfast without teasing him. Seungjoo knew that, so he pretended everything was fine as he sat at the table.As they began eating, Seungjoo told Muheun about what happened the previous night. He had encountered a strange man on his way home, and after smelling the cigarette smoke, his spiritual vision had opened. When he mentioned that he couldn’t see the man’s face because he was wearing sunglasses, Muheun answered without changing his expression.“He’s definitely an exorcist.”That was exactly what Seungjoo had expected. There was no way something like that would happen otherwise. Nodding knowingly, Seungjoo continued to listen as Muheun added lightly:“Well… I’ll need to check whether he’s from the association.”Not every exorcist with spiritual powers was affiliated with the association. While the association tried to recruit as many exorcists as possible, some still operated independently. They took private commissions or hid their abilities to live as normal people. Some even pretended to be shamans.“The cigarette was probably something that contained Yeongi…”Muheun furrowed his brows, trailing off as he seemed to be thinking. He lowered his eyes for a moment before looking back at Seungjoo and explaining slowly.“It’s not widely used yet, but the association has started researching it recently. They’ve been making it into something like pills that can be taken to help exorcists who lack Yeongi.”“Does it replenish Yeongi?” Seungjoo asked.“For now, yes. The problem most exorcists face is usually not physical strength, but Yeongi,” Muheun explained.Exorcists had superior physical endurance compared to regular people, but once their spiritual energy was depleted, they began to tire. Even if they stayed up for three nights, the condition would be different depending on whether they used their powers or not.“Have you tried it, Hyung?” Seungjoo asked curiously.“Of course not.”Muheun squinted playfully at Seungjoo’s lighthearted question and added with a shrug as if to say Seungjoo was being ridiculous.“It’s for exorcists who are lacking Yeongi, not for people who already have enough.”The implication was that Muheun didn’t need it. It was an unfortunate thing to hear, but knowing Muheun, it made sense.“Maybe you’d think that cigarette is similar to the pills,” Muheun added.“So if you take that pill, will it open your spiritual sight?” Seungjoo asked, concern creeping into his voice.That seemed dangerous. He was wondering if the association would be careful about the distribution of such pills, since a leak could cause serious problems. If someone unaware of spirits saw them, they would likely end up in a psychiatric hospital.“That’s actually what I was going to talk about…”Muheun hesitated, not because he was unsure, but as though he didn’t want to say it.After a brief pause, he squinted and said:“To get straight to the point, no. Taking one pill won’t open your spiritual sight. Especially in the case of smoke, a lot of the energy gets lost, so it would be even harder.”Of course, it wouldn’t be that easy. Seungjoo had already expected that.However, there was something strange about it.“But you’ve opened your spiritual sight.”“…”Seungjoo, who had been silent, scrunched his face like Muheun did. If that was the case, why was it that he had ended up being able to see?“Do you remember what I said, Hyung? The day my spiritual sight first opened, I thought it was a bit weird.”‘It was already weird. Seungjoo, that day you were drunk…’It was the day he heard about the empty bowl. Muheun had naturally started the conversation and then brushed it off to talk about it later.“Seungjoo, that day you were drunk…”Was it time for the follow-up? Muheun opened the same topic as before. And the words that followed were something Seungjoo never expected.“Hyung, you had your Yeongi taken from you.”“…It was taken?”Taken? Seungjoo had no memory of such a thing. No, there was no way he could have done something like that.“As soon as our lips touched, I felt like my Yeongi was being drawn out. I thought it was just a feeling, but it wasn’t.”“What do you mean…?”Seungjoo let out a hollow laugh, his words trailing off. Muheun, in a calm tone, explained something very obvious.“Seungjoo, kissing someone doesn’t open your spiritual sight.”“…”It felt like a blow to the back of his head. A contradiction he had never thought about or realized before.Why hadn’t he known this? If kissing opened spiritual sight, then exorcists around the world wouldn’t be able to have relationships. Also, a non-affiliated spiritualist wouldn’t be able to live like a normal person.The reason Seungjoo’s spiritual sight had opened was because he had taken Muheun’s Yeongi. The stronger Yeongi that entered his body forcibly opened the pathways that should have been blocked. This wasn’t something that happened often, and Muheun hadn’t expected it either.It made sense. If it were just a matter of ‘receiving,’ that would be one thing, but in order to open the spiritual sight, far more conditions were needed. First, there needed to be a spiritualist with an enormous amount of Yeongi, and that spiritualist needed to willingly share it. The transfer had to happen not just through skin contact but through the respiratory system or mucous membranes.That raised a question, though: why had Muheun’s Yeongi been transferred to Seungjoo to the point that it opened his spiritual sight? Muheun was a powerful spiritualist, and though they had deep contact, he hadn’t intended to give Seungjoo his Yeongi. So why had Seungjoo been able to take it?“So, you’re saying I took Hyung’s Yeongi, and that’s why my spiritual sight opened?”“Yep.”Muheun confirmed with a nod, and Seungjoo couldn’t hide his shock as his lips moved, still stunned.“No… I never did that when I was with Kim Muryeong.”“You didn’t kiss Muryeong.”“…”Seungjoo, who had suddenly had a terrible thought, grimaced. He hadn’t meant to, but his face stiffened on its own. Damn, even if Kim Muryeong had heard this, would he be able to stay composed?But as the unpleasant words lingered in his mind, a new question naturally followed.“…What about outside the front door?”That time when he impulsively offered to help Muheun, and Muheun had suddenly kissed him after pulling him close with his injured arm.“Was it the same back then?”It was a topic Seungjoo didn’t want to bring up, but there was no choice. It wasn’t about being embarrassed right now; it was necessary to clarify this new information. He had already known that his body was prone to crave Yeongi, but the idea of ‘taking it’ felt different.“I was sure back then.”Muheun answered casually, lowering his gaze as though staring into empty space.“Seungjoo, you’re the type to take Yeongi.”Sure, he said. It wasn’t just a guess or assumption, but certainty. The fact that Muheun would say this made it seem like this startling revelation was highly plausible.“You absorb more than others, take in more, and store more.”In his 20 years of life, this was the first time Seungjoo had learned such a thing. He had been so involved with the family next door, surrounded by Yeongi, and yet he never knew this. If it weren’t for that day, he would have never figured it out.“Maybe that exorcist from yesterday was trying to find out. Whether my spiritual sight would open from the cigarette, or if it wouldn’t.”“How would they know about my condition?”No one else, other than the two of them, should have known about it. Seungjoo asked, wondering how anyone could have figured it out. Muheun, rarely showing any signs of discomfort, made a troubled expression.“Sorry, Hyung doesn’t know that yet either.”Muheun looked genuinely apologetic, and Seungjoo didn’t press further. He could only ask, mesmerized by the furrowed brows.“…If my Yeongi was taken, is Hyung okay? Is there something wrong with your body, or…”Yeongi was just as important as physical strength to an exorcist. If it had been completely taken, wouldn’t there be a problem for Muheun too?Muheun, however, just smiled with a relaxed expression, as though everything was fine.“To take something to the point where it causes issues… just that won’t be enough.”Seungjoo wasn’t clueless about what “just that” meant. A mix of embarrassment and hurt pride made him feel momentarily enraged, like when he had heard, ‘That’s something we can’t do with Seungjoo.’Whether Muheun knew what Seungjoo was thinking or not, he soon became serious and began speaking with a serious expression.“Seungjoo, listen carefully to what I’m saying.”Though his voice remained gentle, there was a weight to it that hadn’t been there before. Seungjoo straightened up reflexively, his face tense.“You’ve heard about the strange movements in the association recently, right?”“Yes.”It was the strange exorcist who had come to the school who told him about it. Recently, strange things had been happening, and the culprit seemed to be Kim Muheun. The culprit wasn’t Muheun, but he hadn’t denied that strange things were happening, so Seungjoo had vaguely thought it might be true.“That’s the work of new forces seeking power.”“…New forces?”Muheun nodded and looked at Seungjoo, his slow voice flowing from slightly parted lips.“And…”What was he about to say? That thought lasted only a moment. Muheun didn’t drag it out, meeting Seungjoo’s eyes directly as he spoke the words Seungjoo hadn’t wanted to hear, but which, in hindsight, had been inevitable.“They’re targeting you.” The chapters have been revised, edited, and compressed, and the complete main story has been released for free, as I’m concerned it might be taken down or worse. I didn’t want to disappoint the readers, so I apologize for any inconvenience, and I hope you enjoy reading the complete story! The side stories will be coming soon, so don't worry~