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Taehyun stared at me for a long, uncomfortable moment. Then, without saying anything, he turned and walked out of the room, leaving the door wide open.
'He left?'
[I don't think he's gone far, Host.]
Sure enough, Taehyun returned a minute later carrying a tray of food. The smell of warm rice, soup, and grilled fish filled the room. My stomach betrayed me by growling.
'Is he trying to poison me?'
[Sure]
He set the tray down on the nightstand with surprising gentleness, his mismatched eyes flicking to the ugly bruise around my neck.
"…Sorry about that," he muttered.
My heart actually skipped a beat.
[No it didn't, you liar.]
'It was an expression!'
[A stupid one.]
"Your sorry won't un-bruise my neck," I grumbled, eyeing the food suspiciously. "What's this?"
"Poison," he replied without hesitation.
"What?!"
Taehyun's eye twitched. "It's breakfast."
I blinked at him. "Why?"
Instead of answering, he sat down on the edge of the bed, right beside me. The mattress dipped under his weight, bringing him way too close.
His presence suddenly felt overwhelming in the quiet room.
"You need to eat," he said, voice low. "You passed out yesterday."
"And you strangled me yesterday!"
Taehyun's jaw tightened.
"I apologized."
"That doesn't—"
"You've changed."
His voice dropped. Not loud. But sharp.
"Overnight, you're different. You flinch when I touch you. You look at me like I'm going to kill you."
"Maybe because you did almost kill me!"
"You weren't scared of me before." He tilted his head, mismatched eyes boring into mine. "So which is it, Hanseong? Did you finally grow a backbone? Or is someone pulling your strings?"
My blood ran cold.
[Host , he's deflecting...]
'Shut UP!'
***
Seoul.
Guide Association HQ.
In a modern elegant office, a black haired woman sat behind an immaculate desk, glasses resting low on her nose.
Kim Yuri.
The woman responsible for all the registered guides in South Korea.
An employee scurried in, whispering something in her ear that made her lips twitch in excitement.
She leaned back in her leather chair, legs crossed, a cold smile playing on her lips as she listened to the report.
"He took his new guide to an active S-class gate?"
She let out a soft, amused laugh. "What a possessive psycho…"
But the smile slowly faded.
That wasn't supposed to happen.
Lee Taehyun was never protective of Jung Hanseong in the original story.
Something was wrong.
She tapped her perfectly manicured nail on the desk.
"Bring Guide Jung Hanseong to headquarters. I want to see him myself."
***
"I..."
"Let me make this clear, Hanseong. If I discover you're spying on me…"
His voice dropped into a dangerous growl.
"I'll slit your throat myself."
[Host, i think he's serious.]
'Are you sure you always think?!'
[Host—]
'Shut up useless system!'
Taehyun raised an eyebrow.
The spoon handle snapped in his grip.
"Is that understood?"
I nodded frantically like a terrified pecking chicken.
"Good. Now eat"
He shoved the tray at me, fixing the spoon he broke with a snap of his fingers.
His eyes fixated on me, calculating my every move.
[Very yandere host, I must admit]
'I will ignore you from now on'
*RING* *RING*
'Oh thank god, another phone call to the rescue'
[It's your phone host]
'I have a phone?!'
[What a stupid question to ask host]
'Son of a...'
The phone vibrated again, underneath the covers. Before I could reach for it Taehyun already snatched it before I could touch it.
The room's temperature instantly dropped ten degrees.
"Why is Kim Yuri calling you Hanseong?"
I froze.
'Universe take me now'
[It doesn't work like that host]
"I don't know" I said quickly
Taehyun chuckled darkly, he placed the phone in my hand.
"Answer it"
My thumb hovered over the green button.
Kim Yuri.
The woman who had just promoted herself to the top of my problem list.
Taehyun watched me silently.
Waiting...
"No"
"It wasn't a request"
*beep*
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