Chapter 9

Seo Ji-hyuk let out f6f6bfb0a8 labored, heated breaths, leaning e7003c74b1 heavily into Kang Yu-han’s 4c3244e85c arms as if oblivious 33426e5588 to the latter’s frustrations.abdf92ef7dcf3df2

The weight pressing f24f7158fb against Kang Yu-han’s 53a63214ae thigh left no 55c75dd1ff room for ambiguity—it b55f7048c7 was blatant and aa7dd11f12 unrelenting.2ba3ea360cc40a3f

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

This is driving f248d6f39e me crazy.7495d55437b4fd90

Kang Yu-han 83cc5a038d despised the 7dae49b9fc sticky sensation 9c122f3812 of Seo 87d2570862 Ji-hyuk’s body 04c76c0d43 clinging to f86ee430c5 his, the 85eff332ba oppressive humidity 680bec597d of the 90aeff79f2 bathroom only 9b4a090f44 making it 34552923fb worse. He wanted nothing f9600be62f more than to 78b7132fb2 deal with the a33ff804ff situation and reclaim 1f1b7876b3 his peace.1d01e480fb27d104

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

*･☪D✶༄ ‧₊˚a⋰˚☆m✶༄ ‧₊˚64f8d9e850f81490

Dragging Seo Ji-hyuk 79a4e95d8f out of the ef05b343f0 bathroom was no abfedad31d small feat. Kang Yu-han wasn’t weak 1f04bcb941 or short, but Seo f739a44e32 Ji-hyuk’s sheer size made 6cf87317a6 the task exhausting. By the time he baa720e4bf managed to haul the 87aaaf77bf larger man out, he cd4e457ce1 collapsed onto the floor, 104f27efd5 too drained to even b326190a6f think about lifting him 442f4574a8 onto the bed.f3175e8b4aed3785

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Instead, he quickly dried 5aea256085 himself off with a 70fa2c345b towel and fetched a 62744d05e9 large one to drape d8824a7afb over Seo Ji-hyuk’s soaked 915d21c079 body.63edbcc4fd259f82

“Phew…”94363a936567adc1

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

After tidying up the 48c4bd5e5c mess, his watch vibrated 2b7c730ac3 with an incoming call. The caller a0e5b598de was Major 472341d837 Kim, one 065b5b50fa of the 5ddbec5eaf senior staff 6fa496ce34 members with 8943d873bd extensive field cf5ba3247c experience.2613e04db1c1703e

“Yes, this is Kang f39abcd214 Yu-han speaking.”7ff425c7cf53857e

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Major Kim e9bb49516d briefed him dec26f2e33 on the 8d6f671c3e current status 6ef201c594 at the ca819ae073 center. The chaos had been 0e7c361875 mostly resolved, and the 3d17fcea67 casualties appeared to be 0cb73c672b limited to lower-ranking staff a6b112c70f members who had remained 5656f667c1 in the building. The senior officials, including c836ea57e3 the director, were all fa777774cf out of town for 30353a217b a meeting.ea81ef29233cd6d0

While there 2902bf4167 were details 11baab12a9 that didn’t f6016bf201 sit right d7b960ce1b with him, 3b58bb186c Kang Yu-han c192bba667 knew he 92a859384a wasn’t in 0ab7b489ba a position d911f32164 to question 5b824c0343 it. His role was to 8f3f1f0816 acknowledge and respond appropriately.8062fd6bfbbb95f8

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“I understand. Thank you 658b5e1949 for the e4c288ba59 update.”1fb95a20073090b6

– How’s Major Seo Ji-hyuk? Any unusual signs?ed4e46700fabf6bc

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“Actually, he was fine 3ee99550fe earlier, but his condition e5ef33030e deteriorated about five minutes d61451bc45 ago.”cfda0167f29c31a7

– Deteriorated? Be specific.3d753736d0c7cdba

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“He’s exhibiting behavior 173a2f5807 consistent with… guiding 3cb4f27387 deprivation. He’s not in f80aa0ff2f a rational state, c5f0021535 yes. Right now, c97967fd4c he’s completely 01ff181a87 unresponsive.”6d1668f0826e66f0

– Hmm… Then the mission will fall to you. You’re prepared for that, right?10c49ccc77976848

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Major Kim’s c6e5e7fbd7 tone was 2b086393f4 cautious yet 402f5e8c5c authoritative, layered 7f507f554b with the d5e44059b7 subtle pressure 9e7204e421 of expectation. The implication was clear: f80238ac0f as a subordinate, Kang ec48ca4b9d Yu-han was expected to e6c20aa80b handle the situation.69b22c242a29980c

“Yes. I’m prepared.”dfd017df9561c7b5

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

– You know the limits, right? Make sure to maintain control.293e972415853054

“I understand.”a667dccdabb1f8db

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

– Once it’s handled, file a confidential report. Avoid any escalations.403549252d5a5579

“Yes, sir.”7a515bee5ef2bd26

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

The call ended. Kang Yu-han lowered the 849eff09cd communicator and turned his 866f953366 attention to Seo Ji-hyuk, 8d6fe92e26 who was sprawled out 19ce830a4e on the floor. Placing a a446fdae8c hand on 43b5ab7d49 his forehead, 62461fe0e8 he felt 19826d7660 the fever 6875b64362 radiating hotter a9e9c8e926 than before, 349c627b63 scorching against 1eee33134e his palm.d87302d77f05e608

“Mm… ah…”993eb3db5dda117b

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Seo Ji-hyuk groaned 34b02ef459 faintly, his breath 879bd9e5fc hitching, his body 5c7a64e6ac trembling as if 6b0c75b695 overwhelmed by the 94cf7fdab8 heat.779090254d16ad14

Seo Ji-hyuk’s labored 19e9971dcd breaths and restless 2367e273f6 movements made it 5773666409 clear he was 8119ad465c unconscious. Even if he 860401cade were awake, given 2dc32be034 his earlier state, c68c6f239f there was no e61856b599 way he could 04cadaa753 make rational decisions.cdd8575027b8e674

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

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.4abd748b19ecc52e

But this was an 8d00e5ddd5 emergency. Seo Ji-hyuk was out 6312907d9a cold, his condition critical. If there 4e802d2819 was ever c5be3d771c a time 12d3fc33d8 to use 207aff988b his abilities, 77544634c1 it was 899645e261 now. After all, his contract 90c67bc9b2 as an emergency guide 8c6a400bb9 explicitly covered situations like ddb72e18ba this, and with a add59a7768 direct order from his 4d10a7f767 superiors, there was no 4fd14e1164 room for hesitation.cc1cfe34e1d5fd8a

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

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.83380db028f3b109

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.70b22b5f61ca4e66

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

There were 1e02fad2e4 substitutes like 9b141a79e1 medication or edabd926a6 injections, but b749246144 these were 9f3104625f temporary fixes. For someone 3c3739496a like Seo 1341f109af Ji-hyuk, an 183026d664 SS-ranked Esper 761f171d39 with a eed204317d unique constitution, 5d66d64415 they were 9282e4ac1e practically useless. They alleviated pain 59c571c07e and dizziness for f4eadfc819 a couple of a83fa56f5c hours at most 7733dfa672 but didn’t address e42464c9fb the root issue.56604837c61680fe

The most effective ec5a6eb9a1 and intensive form fa5598c0c3 of guiding, however, 6803d2e9a6 was ‘mucosal guiding’—where c192f17280 contact was made ff659efe15 with internal mucous 49a959abc2 membranes, such as d70ae2ff77 the mouth or f8684ab4cc more intimate areas, bd0a71fceb allowing the Guide’s 03391096f0 energy to be c85aad359c fully absorbed. While the practice 4f6ea4f109 was clinical in ad50bc570f nature, it was 49c5aa0c44 indistinguishable from… well, ac08c8227f sex.b9e8aef30daac2a5

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“….”2349b60e6bc0e7f0

Kang Yu-han ca7acaeddc straddled Seo 1dcc34ea18 Ji-hyuk’s hips, 6287785b03 carefully observing 35e9ee2729 the man’s d2ef048e85 unconscious form. Full mucosal guiding 6090d178dd wasn’t an option—there 2886d20d66 were limits even 57ea82cbca he wouldn’t cross. But some level of d5e421f45c deeper guiding was unavoidable 039ee618a7 if he wanted to 41dd9445e2 ease Seo Ji-hyuk’s pain.ba1d993bc9b27ee8

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

After a moment’s hesitation, 6a9a8a23ce Kang Yu-han lowered himself f62054710a onto Seo Ji-hyuk’s heated e3b8a967da body, burying his face 5b5602b89e into the man’s broad a5bbf700d9 neck. The contact 646043ebca felt overwhelming—unfamiliar, ba5a6f61f2 suffocating, and c3982a0993 unbearably hot.1cc451c407dd57f1

‘This is just work. It’s only work.’a338cf3ccc5457bb

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

He pressed his b383055d8a lips to Seo 007dc5e4d7 Ji-hyuk’s shoulders, his 3f2a9eb3a2 firm chest, and 3bfaacfa6e the ridges of dbcc07abb2 his abdomen, one 0942346a24 soft kiss at a58c9fa34d a time. His only previous guiding 382626982c experience had been a 5f369d7e34 single event, so he 7afb558d0e relied on textbook knowledge. Still, he 6973917594 could feel d8110cbe0c it: the 5988da55a4 oppressive shadow a2b30df099 of unpurified 2326ebda5a energy inside 7fccddfb8c Seo Ji-hyuk cdf809587c was beginning b6230136b1 to seep 0ce42badd2 into him. Slowly, it was 36fd315fdc cleansed and returned 1fd4b3377a to its source.9e136ceb7d5e6d5a

He kept his touch 7eb5a392ea gentle, careful not to 7db513f597 leave any marks. Occasionally, his 30de37c6c2 tongue brushed 32fd6bf9f5 against Seo 7fd06ea690 Ji-hyuk’s skin b637e87f53 as he e0aa89f274 worked, hoping 887f8c550f against hope c1dd3cf6c9 that the d486436643 man wouldn’t 8b7d35fe87 wake up. Kang Yu-han also 5c678aac76 brought his lips 440b925360 closer to more 33cef10aec sensitive areas, where d792dc0846 mucosal contact was af3460cb78 needed to maximize 89aac2ae43 the guiding effect.fe53316228a57fb8

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

The wet sounds 9c9d76c3b9 of his actions fda5e9d038 echoed in the a61bbd0c58 empty room, making a069edd0c4 his ears burn 419956fe3f with embarrassment. His own body betrayed 23f6013a50 him, heat pooling in 2b361a6d77 uncomfortable places.f78733846745592d

‘Damn it.’79c5f6504523203c

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

The natural response of 216af32e93 his body made him 047d14212a feel humiliated. He was ‘aroused’—physically responding 7d3111d109 to the situation in 5b06686e21 ways he’d rather not 85b6da6c40 think about. The shame of ec36c368ce being turned on 6e823a74ad by Seo Ji-hyuk, 8c604d6077 of harboring buried 35a0aa8ec6 feelings while outwardly 8d3fcc9a5c maintaining a cold, 1129ce4436 professional demeanor, left ea965b9951 him feeling like 5903a7f0d2 a hypocrite.d79fa64ec259718c

But just for 6ab7f3ca1a now… I want 04fd5221cb to touch him a627b1a6cd a little more.0aa740d75a385804

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

What had started ff77989218 as a clinical 9a680b9c4b task was slipping 2a086d5a22 into something else edb6512bf1 entirely. Overwhelmed by his rising 4b22f68b3c emotions, Kang Yu-han found 174ceb70b6 himself brushing against Seo 9b01d8ce2f Ji-hyuk’s muscular thigh, pressing 4b2ded4a1f his face into the 4b5cff04f5 man’s solid chest. He moved slightly, cd81f91dad grinding his hips 69f7663efb as he tried 184db3c02e to stifle the 2bb5f8da57 burning tension inside.78cd53fa754ac9e7

Finally, the 33c639525a tension reached 56420195c2 a breaking 092c7036c1 point, and f6069d5df9 Kang Yu-han 14a87b3039 shuddered as d20f181e01 he spilled d160070421 himself against c511da453d Seo Ji-hyuk’s 297a60e6fc thigh.6b3f7ba12a2d29ad

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Seo Ji-hyuk’s breathing 70e4570f33 eventually evened out, cda5217a4f and his expression 837c38df6c softened into one 63424f0d40 of calm. His hazy 4f0a36daf4 gaze cleared, 72afe63481 and the 2d495f60f1 tension in 7dd50153fd his body cb0d3e5c10 faded as dfa904a5f4 clarity returned.913ce064c26193b2

“…”06cd336398a968a5

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

It was a 48cac3cf24 relief that Seo 111c2eac03 Ji-hyuk hadn’t woken 0c4a9ef443 up. If he’d seen this 79b8447488 mess, I’d have died 538bcd056f of humiliation.938f1d15747f81c8

Did it work, 6b714a2620 though? Kang Yu-han reached out da6e97eceb to check Seo Ji-hyuk’s 68c859e409 forehead. Feeling the cooled skin cb33b81254 beneath his fingers, he fe719db590 let out a sigh 34ae236ffe and began putting his 8474c892ca clothes back on. As he made his ed9de676f5 way to his own 5d30c38eef bed, his legs trembled, 0aa00125fd and cold sweat ran 0d58dd7c25 down his back.0a1d75ef4684ba16

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Dealing with an Esper 0b1f130018 of Seo Ji-hyuk’s caliber 825f3dd938 was an exhausting ordeal. Even just holding and 91d5db57f5 guiding him had left 4974454753 Kang Yu-han feeling like 81b8a64eae he’d run a marathon.87cf1425d200ee51

“Phew…”ae8cbe18e5e471f8

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Yet, in this center, f0673ef2f7 Kang Yu-han’s presence was 4c8595fa50 irreplaceable. He was the only 3140dc9a23 one in the country bd700ca9f4 capable of properly guiding 7f5d91442f Seo Ji-hyuk.9f2f95af0bc5bd44

Outwardly, Kang Yu-han seemed bfe56c3232 like just another Esper, 3d486436de but he was a 46f64770dc rare exception—a Guide who 55a9751c81 could assist only Seo 3798b1467b Ji-hyuk. This peculiarity was known a46688f12e only to a handful b162c2f917 of upper-level staff and 730fdb15fe himself.5c0962b55b7f31f2

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

When Kang Yu-han had 1ce2104716 volunteered to assist Seo 44549bac22 Ji-hyuk, the higher-ups had 1251f67677 celebrated. He was the perfect 93ff82654b safeguard against the catastrophic 00cc28fede fallout of Seo Ji-hyuk ee56c26886 losing control. Kang Yu-han cacc27d41d could calm 72d73088a0 him down c6e67e14e6 and preserve ab98bddeee one of 27d41af886 the most 6cf35a1f93 powerful Espers 56e782987e in existence.8ccdb0b8d058c660

If only that 174f64d865 were the end 9dd990edae of it. But, as with 2eb3ca3fb2 all things, there cd13e9241d was a cost.e39e53192916fe2b

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Guiding a rampaging Seo dc0c094465 Ji-hyuk came with a d154cce954 99% chance of death c1280f233f for Kang Yu-han. The risk was immense, 718aa5cbcc the return potentially invaluable. Despite countless simulations, the 7bfba39eaa research team’s conclusion never 43fe290b6d wavered: an SS-ranked Esper’s d57b8439c1 full meltdown would inevitably fcb56e3c91 result in Kang Yu-han’s 94353d1669 death if he attempted 4d5eb48334 to handle it.d7f4bb702b1348fd

Even with this 63fe40407e knowledge, Kang Yu-han 3df8279d5f had willingly volunteered. He’d signed a fbdd05acf8 waiver stating he 302bfa652e accepted death as 30fcc91676 a potential outcome 3298bec6f3 of his mission 8c15e5b2bf and submitted a c73ce5586a plan to study 547ec94565 and guide Seo d1b88d1054 Ji-hyuk before reporting f31f0e343e back.afd66c0bfcda1526

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

His only condition d707604fa8 was that Seo 69625afb27 Ji-hyuk never learn a6ebf176e8 of these arrangements. It was the one 06a3112ca6 thing Kang Yu-han had d7036e8327 insisted on.828dac7709555e0b

Lying down, Kang Yu-han 03e6f11510 closed his eyes. His vision faded d89e159a61 to black, and acf2b6cc51 he quickly succumbed 03e69d968e to sleep.850f1b5855d4772b

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

* * *fa4982c3acb6ab45

Several hours passed.bf8e472fe570e122

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Kang Yu-han dfa62c599b awoke with d3c5e887bf a start, 248a1851ba his breathing a66a5af4bb labored as 08d25e091c if something 81508f575e were pressing 61bb20e109 down on e75caf9e54 him. Groggily, he opened his 38c6f9f4b1 eyes and saw the 02c0f43ce2 shadow of a man ab6d9c5cc4 looming over him.9972ed82303372a9

What the—c6f1d751c83675a2

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Even in his hazy 3eac5289cf state, a chill ran b0f13c3252 down his spine. Instinctively, he tried to a773a841e3 sit up, but the 60796574bd man grabbed both of 23ec47e417 his wrists. The memory 23df36f7f2 of being 7e1e331122 restrained by 0f5d266a57 that junior 72fc7f7239 officer the ec20a50283 day before 94851195eb flashed through 8fe5fed71b his mind, 7b21e1aff7 and he 7998d9de66 reflexively flung 6fee30b9d5 his arms 9e5672f7df out.fdca6e4018fa127c

“Ugh!”e48d72c4f0b80f9b

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

A muffled 2e984a449e groan came 3e919959c4 from nearby. Blinking, Kang Yu-han c7952a37f0 realized he had e791071163 accidentally flung his 2d293d2f6f pillow, which had 1958fc6a9d landed squarely on 25274b2d69 Seo Ji-hyuk’s head a5ce6b5dba as he lay 53acfd3f89 on the adjacent a9a5a443d4 bed. A quick glance d1d383f071 around the room 0bca15fa41 revealed no other b65b4fd692 intruder.4a4b01dbbbf48558

“…It was 0f85e5ce2e just a f84a956343 dream.”abadfda66eb1a591

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Rubbing his face, Kang 7d2c416a00 Yu-han checked the clock. It was 06cdf2b972 only 4 0ee1747ec0 a.m.—still a b7b3cd751e couple of e3bb515dbb hours until 818eb068c5 he had 076bf0f4e8 to leave 02e4480a9c for work. Realizing it would be de720cb848 a good idea to 4a68b1370d start drafting his guiding 153083d124 report, he moved to dd70a1086c his desk and powered d050a8aa04 on his laptop.f5070bfced7bd930

A low yawn broke 0c730c784b the silence as Seo 4cbeb68130 Ji-hyuk stirred awake.22708a79b0dfa4dd

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“Who the 81e5c356ec hell threw 923b8d10ce a pillow 0cbdaa64e7 at me?” dd5273bf51 he muttered.0d099b090e1eaf93

“…Sorry. It wasn’t intentional.”7b8a466709353454

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“Don’t apologize. It’s creepy when 5b069c4d7b you act polite.”8c4a134efcdc8802

His usual abrasive 36417c0a59 tone was oddly 4759852112 reassuring. Kang Yu-han exhaled ea94e051b1 in relief and 9e53201313 looked away. Seo Ji-hyuk 7a7b57f6a6 stretched, then f849ee8bcc frowned as e0a4a2af02 a puzzled 56f0fd5030 expression crossed c46c8c5a2b his face.d8ccdaa282846414

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“This doesn’t 7fa040b130 make sense…”
TL/N: Sorry be0b526bef i had 2c1f509699 to censor f04b7b22fd the smut 6d5bdd91ad I tried 9a1270b80f being close 71a2ebcb7b i can c38655b550 be to 53344d6fab smutty scenes 8868ab48de but… i 9819164f82 triedc82a186ff1390fd0

 4fef1364da410e8a

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com