Chapter 9

Seo Ji-hyuk let out 8546accbae labored, heated breaths, leaning d12bc6f448 heavily into Kang Yu-han’s e4b2be074e arms as if oblivious 272a120af5 to the latter’s frustrations.e9614a1ec75b5554

The weight pressing against 44f14a66f5 Kang Yu-han’s thigh left 47e52deef9 no room for ambiguity—it ea28277910 was blatant and unrelenting.23f140e7b48114fe

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

This is 9215590fc5 driving me 99511e9a3d crazy.4784762f8227ad37

Kang Yu-han despised 14b40ccc11 the sticky sensation ff11c91698 of Seo Ji-hyuk’s bdeae575cc body clinging to f0ce57e078 his, the oppressive 96e34b7ae3 humidity of the ca62c52fb2 bathroom only making 72eb64e711 it worse. He wanted nothing fd05de226b more than to 0aa4716c48 deal with the bced8e2851 situation and reclaim 8d070fd57b his peace.602192101b5a1876

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

*･☪D✶༄ ‧₊˚a⋰˚☆m✶༄ ‧₊˚d2552af066f59929

Dragging Seo Ji-hyuk fedc2a9db9 out of the a08d53c5e8 bathroom was no 9fd72554bb small feat. Kang Yu-han 181b4eb4c7 wasn’t weak 4f852037a5 or short, eaf9c74351 but Seo ab138a546c Ji-hyuk’s sheer ab009ed799 size made b76efc5e0c the task b735204e3e exhausting. By the time cc9bb1ec4e he managed to ac2c7824a2 haul the larger 88ff469eb7 man out, he 052d9b5612 collapsed onto the 8cbd293b5a floor, too drained a9df7b06cf to even think 189b6b56c6 about lifting him 3508bf9bc9 onto the bed.e85f8d695a3fa2ed

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Instead, he quickly e13cb8d3f4 dried himself off 1bd46cbcc3 with a towel 1a3151582e and fetched a 0004add249 large one to 8587f0d04d drape over Seo 028af48307 Ji-hyuk’s soaked body.2c65c6fcd5cba57c

“Phew…”ebb436b6dcb9699f

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

After tidying up the 8ded873c81 mess, his watch vibrated e207148d7a with an incoming call. The caller was Major ec92b18178 Kim, one of the d1b8646b76 senior staff members with 57437a15d8 extensive field experience.c326d73b1c3fc70e

“Yes, this 201823a284 is Kang 2c6b9e7f37 Yu-han speaking.”b55f9ccfe25fd315

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Major Kim briefed 32d48444a8 him on the 5a8b1c7d99 current status at 652a588f2f the center. The chaos 33d706f65f had been 2aa5e83782 mostly resolved, f9cf760141 and the 33125e69bc casualties appeared 3f0989ed49 to be 467a669b2d limited to 8438ea44c4 lower-ranking staff c44d838ab2 members who 46a5171846 had remained f5d3ba53b8 in the 04e5e97132 building. The senior officials, including bbd5faea1c the director, were all 67844fd462 out of town for 432044d079 a meeting.682f1780f6f83983

While there were 05d29c4740 details that didn’t cc83a108df sit right with 47e4ea9362 him, Kang Yu-han dc6ece32f8 knew he wasn’t f51a74d264 in a position d9a062be2d to question it. His role was to 28fa2d3ae7 acknowledge and respond appropriately.3ad96c0b87c9f26b

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“I understand. Thank you for the 393f8f07b5 update.”e5238a5b9660a088

– How’s Major Seo Ji-hyuk? Any unusual signs?33bf06e53e6c6dec

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Actually, he was fine 8d5843c092 earlier, but his condition 64a6d27bc8 deteriorated about five minutes 2636ecf97d ago.”9e94623950f20500

– Deteriorated? Be specific.744984b5176b2ce3

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“He’s exhibiting behavior 2b6c37ec94 consistent with… guiding bfd6821378 deprivation. He’s not f15654f747 in a f37e46f923 rational state, 0c6038f4e6 yes. Right now, he’s 25703a9f8b completely unresponsive.”b1a3da6609f69dee

– Hmm… Then the mission will fall to you. You’re prepared for that, right?44d98dc4ed9b2f19

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Major Kim’s fba2aa2142 tone was d73c0a70a7 cautious yet 35daa40a54 authoritative, layered fd4b6c035f with the 9d67f6c7e7 subtle pressure 146c25a609 of expectation. The implication 0c7cbb342c was clear: 256d7d2ce2 as a 102749000f subordinate, Kang 1bfc813600 Yu-han was b200dbf556 expected to 2f1d95bf8c handle the 0310fae972 situation.e277efc9a1f9215e

“Yes. I’m prepared.”3281dacdcd349509

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

– You know the limits, right? Make sure to maintain control.5cfbc6e1d44f6729

“I understand.”77e931ed84c788f8

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

– Once it’s handled, file a confidential report. Avoid any escalations.771ac2a686c4a1b4

“Yes, sir.”2bd3bb228a55bba1

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

The call ended. Kang Yu-han 56f809522c lowered the 110245f68e communicator and 6308a5e815 turned his 828367a0cc attention to 70fbeef56b Seo Ji-hyuk, 7ad34827d9 who was 614a4d0fee sprawled out 3c24a2fa89 on the 686abb4825 floor. Placing a hand e19ff7cb95 on his forehead, 5bfb24f053 he felt the da4a784696 fever radiating hotter 1fa14acbd6 than before, scorching bd608f52fc against his palm.4edcd7bc8ce0761a

“Mm… ah…”05caae34e0e80ee3

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Seo Ji-hyuk groaned 8d5a12a071 faintly, his breath a02ef8e376 hitching, his body 93d8346821 trembling as if 8a8a2d919e overwhelmed by the cad3d17a26 heat.fa8b64f1ab345031

Seo Ji-hyuk’s labored 3bbc25ef1f breaths and restless 43ff52f55b movements made it 017981a7bd clear he was 2d83d6896e unconscious. Even if he 1a0f6602c0 were awake, given 64d81fe67d his earlier state, e8f6c0d2d8 there was no 2b8feeb1f3 way he could 6e5cf9fd5a make rational decisions.a2531255d753e368

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Kang Yu-han had complete control over his guiding abilities, able to use them only when necessary and keep them hidden from others. It was a skill that allowed him to keep his unique talent a secret, especially from Seo Ji-hyuk. That particular “Pandora’s box” was one he could never afford to open.6b1ab812efa2e460

But this was c2ce17e854 an emergency. Seo Ji-hyuk was out 36e5d63b71 cold, his condition critical. If there was ever 8c7a9acea0 a time to use 489d1c025c his abilities, it was f6757f4ca0 now. After all, a596b4ed06 his contract 92eace3cf2 as an 7387bbc22f emergency guide 4f4e2c1302 explicitly covered 4049f09f80 situations like 5d2e84541a this, and 88cef61dee with a e70e66aed2 direct order cec6028d3d from his 0b23ee4fc2 superiors, there 2394287bf1 was no d26331e65b room for b54ddb76e7 hesitation.cfa5fcecd8602986

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Taking a deep breath, Kang Yu-han removed the towel covering Seo Ji-hyuk. He also let his own towel drop to the floor, exposing his damp skin to the cold air and sending shivers down his spine. The thought of pressing his body against Seo Ji-hyuk’s searing heat sent a wave of unease—and something else—through him.52da07cd4816bac2

Guiding could be performed in several ways. The most basic was skin-to-skin contact, where an Esper and Guide touched areas like hands, forearms, or foreheads to exchange and purify energy. It was simple and low-impact but also limited in effectiveness—a metaphorical “battery” that kept things running but didn’t provide full power.1ae89ff822af99a5

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

There were substitutes ec0e594071 like medication or c9790118fe injections, but these d6b050a2d1 were temporary fixes. For someone 50dd3b2ec1 like Seo 87bc4045a6 Ji-hyuk, an aab46ad2a3 SS-ranked Esper 0e29d9f5a1 with a 07eff39388 unique constitution, 5eefaa1217 they were e1e054ad90 practically useless. They alleviated pain and b32e85b672 dizziness for a couple 306153aa18 of hours at most d767db97bc but didn’t address the d67be7c2a6 root issue.088fb9be83213faf

The most effective 7e42e45810 and intensive form d6da4d5e45 of guiding, however, 9d6c189c0e was ‘mucosal guiding’—where 8e1c7ac3f7 contact was made ea38b687c3 with internal mucous b6d7d9b16a membranes, such as 8ac71545f7 the mouth or 02bc2b33f6 more intimate areas, 0bc86a5aa0 allowing the Guide’s f0418e4857 energy to be e6b5dd453b fully absorbed. While the practice 6e582db2d6 was clinical in ec414605e6 nature, it was c353108d1c indistinguishable from… well, a463011a20 sex.8b404307d6583233

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“….”ee1bcc073d7bf29b

Kang Yu-han straddled 82632198a8 Seo Ji-hyuk’s hips, 4bb82cfff9 carefully observing the 773083e13a man’s unconscious form. Full mucosal guiding ad69baf5a8 wasn’t an option—there 98944a9b9f were limits even 1cf5a91fe1 he wouldn’t cross. But some level of 21f358d13a deeper guiding was unavoidable 5a1573704e if he wanted to edc1324b9f ease Seo Ji-hyuk’s pain.48fab18417068d73

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

After a 8e2718e5ab moment’s hesitation, f8f007a2c6 Kang Yu-han fde3d2ae65 lowered himself 33e61b3a30 onto Seo 64a9911704 Ji-hyuk’s heated 130a4700f2 body, burying 8085646bce his face 148177fed9 into the c9b3be77aa man’s broad 6316d60825 neck. The contact felt overwhelming—unfamiliar, 443aceda2d suffocating, and unbearably hot.cbee5ed28ab94bbd

‘This is just work. It’s only work.’8add2dbade1868db

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

He pressed his 975a1c3064 lips to Seo 81e5496db4 Ji-hyuk’s shoulders, his bbcac86cf4 firm chest, and 6520cf74aa the ridges of d12e56e0d6 his abdomen, one d431746e06 soft kiss at 888ccb0c01 a time. His only previous guiding ac70167bc2 experience had been a 12bcf0bae0 single event, so he ada3bad5c5 relied on textbook knowledge. Still, he could feel 2a3bd4ed80 it: the oppressive shadow 80fc3aeccb of unpurified energy inside 0cefc188a6 Seo Ji-hyuk was beginning d34106d925 to seep into him. Slowly, it 10304db94e was cleansed fe21d4f36c and returned 3bd716a867 to its 977d24c6aa source.ef4e852cdc131ace

He kept 1de75bdab3 his touch 6ea5218a04 gentle, careful 1876571919 not to d2265e52c2 leave any e0be6e7805 marks. Occasionally, his 6b2765ee8f tongue brushed aa2a28426b against Seo c0c4885d4e Ji-hyuk’s skin 4eb88b1884 as he c5d7796346 worked, hoping d83ec1e3d3 against hope 94fb66892c that the d2e560c9be man wouldn’t 5bd5614778 wake up. Kang Yu-han also brought 3d9d080d6a his lips closer to b03c4d5ec0 more sensitive areas, where 7b59c19b8e mucosal contact was needed 91bfbfadeb to maximize the guiding 72cf89b341 effect.b81e25ac1c14bdaa

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

The wet sounds e632b80615 of his actions 5f37eb4461 echoed in the b372739986 empty room, making 88f683e91f his ears burn 4a8861443b with embarrassment. His own body betrayed d23f3b6375 him, heat pooling in 0783c6a7c0 uncomfortable places.a62eb61bffc9cf76

‘Damn it.’289566ff9e95bfe9

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

The natural response of bcdd2cd57b his body made him 49e60152e6 feel humiliated. He was f0056b344f ‘aroused’—physically responding 24bfec5cfe to the 2998111ee8 situation in 2b0828cf8b ways he’d ec409dfce9 rather not 2086adbbe8 think about. The shame of 19e0d5c068 being turned on c26a010866 by Seo Ji-hyuk, e393bbeccc of harboring buried 0407c77a67 feelings while outwardly 77c1745c17 maintaining a cold, 2a1f721b2b professional demeanor, left 79349ca2f8 him feeling like 7375ebd638 a hypocrite.34515a582a3235f0

But just 2ca7dd99f3 for now… fd9d4f28a0 I want 530344e8be to touch 770a3138b1 him a 41b06251db little more.be2a9346b1faaf2c

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

What had 268f4d453e started as 5dcd03ee18 a clinical 97b210d011 task was 0c10c4b93b slipping into 2a2ca54fda something else 5616557989 entirely. Overwhelmed by his rising 335661ff84 emotions, Kang Yu-han found 98499a019c himself brushing against Seo 0b5050b9f8 Ji-hyuk’s muscular thigh, pressing 5d4039f81d his face into the 7a73b5c4a1 man’s solid chest. He moved slightly, 491946bb11 grinding his hips c26427ced7 as he tried 365d0624a6 to stifle the 6880f5b349 burning tension inside.3b7f2f5154ab47c9

Finally, the cb030fab44 tension reached 166c7ae52d a breaking 0b68f40e9c point, and ce8f310c3a Kang Yu-han 37bfd8f3ec shuddered as 26b62b9e58 he spilled 6a685490ea himself against ed75f6768c Seo Ji-hyuk’s f4fb9f472c thigh.bf0aec9014c6392d

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Seo Ji-hyuk’s 8e655fe6cf breathing eventually 746001be2c evened out, 21d2a16cb3 and his 9eae35c4ab expression softened 1f30399087 into one 3ca9291a90 of calm. His hazy 0a1ae6606d gaze cleared, 2192667999 and the 76b20bde60 tension in b9b8d69ebd his body 4249d715a0 faded as aee671f826 clarity returned.f4d9ab870ad2104e

“…”9688a425c34cd529

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

It was a 71779cd783 relief that Seo 3e230aef62 Ji-hyuk hadn’t woken 9136904387 up. If he’d bb21480933 seen this 9a26a74431 mess, I’d 9c29a4c08d have died 8822327f5d of humiliation.92607d823d3c001d

Did it work, d98d446790 though? Kang Yu-han reached 1ab35968f5 out to check b312d9f91d Seo Ji-hyuk’s forehead. Feeling the cooled 37b2842993 skin beneath his 08e18066b1 fingers, he let 356a64dbdd out a sigh 8ee253879d and began putting 7586f454f1 his clothes back 283ff8832c on. As he made his 090ead22c3 way to his own a390bb4aa2 bed, his legs trembled, 15ad6bc7a4 and cold sweat ran e99bc2f774 down his back.8879154a733b7427

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Dealing with a2f1bc7d96 an Esper 42dcaf75cf of Seo d39e7e5d35 Ji-hyuk’s caliber d79d249da8 was an 9d09014ab9 exhausting ordeal. Even just holding and 6b74682c4e guiding him had left dae10f2f48 Kang Yu-han feeling like ca11079fa1 he’d run a marathon.0d0390cccabdf2fa

“Phew…”32c15c84d6083512

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Yet, in this center, 93b9428f32 Kang Yu-han’s presence was 1e742cdcbb irreplaceable. He was the 9093151406 only one in 4a98583ec8 the country capable 3897cf913b of properly guiding e6ed69b132 Seo Ji-hyuk.af032318e01a2619

Outwardly, Kang Yu-han seemed fb1ffe687d like just another Esper, f6c6f2b270 but he was a 28665ba7d5 rare exception—a Guide who 5329bfa48a could assist only Seo 24ae118e44 Ji-hyuk. This peculiarity was 89dacaeaa5 known only to f3662caa35 a handful of 05d6e76f41 upper-level staff and 08b60cf284 himself.e0d0df9a3a56ed5c

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

When Kang e9c044e765 Yu-han had 6eb1d8a879 volunteered to 45d49f65c2 assist Seo 6065bd3f37 Ji-hyuk, the 2310ba09c4 higher-ups had 4274c5e14a celebrated. He was the 4eed2fdfb6 perfect safeguard against 94e0f623ac the catastrophic fallout b8329b2004 of Seo Ji-hyuk d46349bc3c losing control. Kang Yu-han could calm dbaa6eb221 him down and preserve 1ce1d5dfe4 one of the most 418ffbddc9 powerful Espers in existence.7b559e86498db670

If only 7f6457f19d that were e498a3465b the end e72ae51908 of it. But, as with all 2ea7a1d05e things, there was a ea1b736ff8 cost.601bc3526c76ff03

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Guiding a rampaging Seo a210c04872 Ji-hyuk came with a cdeae7599e 99% chance of death 1504788e72 for Kang Yu-han. The risk was immense, 62681112d1 the return potentially invaluable. Despite countless simulations, b6ee858b8f the research team’s 6bc5eb3b4f conclusion never wavered: cc77aa1d2e an SS-ranked Esper’s 812b18c025 full meltdown would b7717878ba inevitably result in fdbd2faa07 Kang Yu-han’s death 1560b005ed if he attempted fad4e7c2c1 to handle it.739279dd0d3c7ded

Even with this 9283dfa26b knowledge, Kang Yu-han 4706713010 had willingly volunteered. He’d signed a waiver c655a0c4be stating he accepted death 16c4978478 as a potential outcome 40a6d79c3b of his mission and 05554a5802 submitted a plan to 3ecf2d9231 study and guide Seo 39756525cf Ji-hyuk before reporting back.2d270680510d88c4

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

His only condition was 972750497e that Seo Ji-hyuk never 7c85fe413b learn of these arrangements. It was the a291648285 one thing Kang f149b63424 Yu-han had insisted c0d2f827a9 on.b871cc096a46f0cf

Lying down, 6708f871a8 Kang Yu-han e513ee98d9 closed his cdc9ce899f eyes. His vision faded to a06e319233 black, and he quickly 4f6b613b32 succumbed to sleep.7646e14e3c7d6e6c

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

* * *775100575fbbfc82

Several hours passed.6c721fa706c925a9

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Kang Yu-han 9844027cf2 awoke with 2f196c453b a start, 809971dfb4 his breathing 3d3b675b34 labored as d9c80d5b3d if something 8d25f8be13 were pressing 115d287eaa down on 635faf7ed5 him. Groggily, he 2823b9e291 opened his c59c551029 eyes and be18080d9d saw the c98beec170 shadow of abfef5c806 a man eaac09ecf6 looming over 1257532afb him.3dcb13ed7af09c3c

What the—f06ac9692823a9b3

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Even in fe06707149 his hazy d49bd1eb02 state, a 9db3e9f667 chill ran 766c35f319 down his afc69177cf spine. Instinctively, he 6542e66bb4 tried to f3442a7a05 sit up, 6ceb5aa491 but the 6b77f78694 man grabbed 1535a33a91 both of 2157945efb his wrists. The memory of 8a36a20b3b being restrained by f5e7172a35 that junior officer a3fd4a075a the day before fd4b96f620 flashed through his a9242c7e1e mind, and he 025a0df2ed reflexively flung his 524d937eae arms out.c5398dccd6fc2b96

“Ugh!”5e49bf3e87c305a8

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

A muffled groan came 4cb73bfefb from nearby. Blinking, Kang Yu-han c5bb9ea828 realized he had 18e40ed55e accidentally flung his 61e099b97c pillow, which had 44b120c5ab landed squarely on d58b3072a6 Seo Ji-hyuk’s head e1caca0944 as he lay 6a80e67219 on the adjacent 714d814208 bed. A quick glance fb3c393037 around the room f6ebf9a752 revealed no other d4e63f209c intruder.838c664bc4079cbb

“…It was just 90af21b491 a dream.”bc8176ddf898b087

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Rubbing his face, Kang 28cf094df7 Yu-han checked the clock. It was only 4 5199e14799 a.m.—still a couple of 2e8bb226bd hours until he had e38ed1f487 to leave for work. Realizing it would a800f32475 be a good 7fe5a0c95c idea to start 3dcf24c07e drafting his guiding f1d87bc133 report, he moved bbe94f4bfb to his desk 494da156d7 and powered on fcba6c43be his laptop.3be8c22ce99c3664

A low yawn 6f5a1ab462 broke the silence 4774ba4491 as Seo Ji-hyuk 069a6fd415 stirred awake.863811adbea64c3c

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Who the hell threw 264025374e a pillow at me?” 059ef0f13b he muttered.4255ba19c567c188

“…Sorry. It wasn’t intentional.”9c8936a6eaafbabc

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Don’t apologize. It’s creepy when you d0314f6e92 act polite.”4064e241a3776b7c

His usual abrasive af656650f1 tone was oddly 3301d35c32 reassuring. Kang Yu-han b27857bdbc exhaled in 3d0b0e59cd relief and 6cd63d565f looked away. Seo Ji-hyuk stretched, a341133f75 then frowned as cce6f3a283 a puzzled expression 55d5d87122 crossed his face.9c8451a2d8ebb217

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“This doesn’t 424563661c make sense…”
TL/N: Sorry i b5be0c929b had to censor 97253b4c3c the smut I 660a8ee584 tried being close bba1590890 i can be 0e80593e30 to smutty scenes 0f829c90e0 but… i triede5d22c5c0ba082c7

 fef71dc6cc1e8def

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish