Choi Sukwon slapped Yoojin hard enough he fell back against the wall. That quick shock of pain brought tears to his eyes and bruised his cheek. The stinging didn't stop either.
Choi Sukwon smiled down at Yoojin. "I've been waiting. You missed a lot of appointments with me."
The air behind Choi Sukwon shimmered. Please, hold on, Mr. Noah. We have to find Yoo Myeongwoo first.
Noah had agreed to the plan only if Yoojin followed his rules. It didn't matter if they had found Yoo Myeongwoo or not. Noah would pull Yoojin out the moment Yoojin's life was in danger. If they tried to move location, more espers showed up, or someone hurt Yoojin.
Yoojin tried very hard not to look hurt and covered the side of his face. Choi Sukwon had sent Yoojin directions to a small bar near downtown that would have been impossible to get to if it wasn't for Noah's S-rank speed.
"Where's my friend?" Yoojin asked. "What have you done to Yoo Myeongwoo?"
Choi Sukwon looked Yoojin up and down and finally smiled. "You should worry more about yourself."
"I did everything you said, so let Yoo Myeongwoo go. Or tell me where he is. He doesn't deserve to be a part of this."
"You think he doesn't?" Choi Sukwon asked in a mocking voice. "You're lucky he's not dead after what you and your bratty little brother did to me."
"My brother? What does he have to—"
Choi Sukwon cupped the bottom of Yoojin's chin and raised his head. "Don't play dumb with me. I'm out billions because of you two." Choi Sukwon's fingers dug into his jaw. "Do you know what a guide like you would have to do to pay that back?"
Yoojin kept his expression blank. He had to keep calm and not further upset Choi Sukwon. If either of them did something rash, Noah would reveal himself too soon and they wouldn't find Yoo Myeongwoo. But Choi Sukwon's foul breath on Yoojin's skin made him shudder.
Choi Sukwon laughed at his reaction and leaned back.
Yoojin swallowed. "Just tell me where Yoo Myeongwoo is. I have money. I can pay you back for any damages my brother may have caused you. I'll guide all your low rank espers or anything. I just want to know he's safe."
Choi Sukwon laughed. Tears swelled in his eyes as he held his belly and laughed at Yoojin.
It was hard for Yoojin to keep his expression neutral in front of the arrogant esper. It was easy to bully a guide or kidnap an unawakened when you were S-Rank. Even Yoojin was too scared to say anything against him. His face still ached from the slap.
"Do you know what I've been through?" Choi Sukwon asked, voice lowering. "After I lost my syndicate building, I thought about how I was going to hurt your brother. I was going to make him pay for what he did to me."
Choi Sukwon placed his arm next to Yoojin's face and leaned closer to him again.
"When I lost my outpost, I swore to kill him. Then I lost my sea side docs, and I said killing him would be too quick. I want to make him suffer for the rest of his life."
Yoojin's eyes widened as Choi Sukwon inched closer to him with each word. He had no idea what Choi Sukwon was talking about. What had his little brother been doing lately?
Yoojin wasn't sure how much longer Noah would hold back, and they still hadn't found out anything about Yoo Myeongwoo.
And there was something sinister in the look Choi Sukwon gave Yoojin that made his insides stiffen.
"Do you think paying me will make your brother suffer?" Choi Sukwon asked. "Will he really be angry if I have you guiding low ranks?"
Choi Sukwon shook his head, clicking his tongue.
Their foreheads were almost touching now, and all Yoojin could do was stare into the eyes of this madman.
"What about if I cut off one of your fingers every week and mailed them to him with a little picture of you?" Choi Sukwon said as he grinned.
The room was quiet enough to hear a pin drop.
Choi Sukwon reached up and pinched Yoojin's cheek. He flinched like he was being hit again and the skin on his neck prickled. "Don't worry," Choi Sukwon said. "I promised someone I'd keep all your body parts intact."
Yoojin hadn't realized he was holding his breath. The air shuddered from his lungs.
He tried to speak but Choi Sukwon held up a finger and said, "Did you think I wouldn't notice? One of my conditions was to come alone."
Another esper jumped out of a back door and kicked Noah across the room. He slammed into the wall and slid to the ground.
"Noah!!" Yoojin screamed. Choi Sukwon easily held Yoojin back. Damn it! How had they seen him?
"Would you like to meet my friend Yoon Kyeongsoo?" Choi Sukwon asked, laughing again. "I told him all about you and that shit of a little brother you got. He's very interested in meeting you."
Hadn't Yoojin heard that name before? Damn it! Was that another mob boss? Which put Noah up against two S-Ranks. Noah got up quickly and dodged Yoon Kyeongsoo's next attack, but more espers rushed into the room.
There were at least five attack espers and two support espers. Noah had no trouble handling the three A-Rank attack espers, even with two support espers backing them. But Noah couldn't use his poison skill to the full extent with Yoojin in the room.
Yoon Kyeongsoo rushed Noah, slamming him into the wall. Noah escaped his grip by kicking him and sending him across the room. The other two espers ran at Noah while the other three stood back up.
Yoojin watched in horror as Noah tried to defend them off. The walls of the building shook from the attacks, the glass at the bar shattered, and the furniture broke.
Yoon Kyeongsoo pinned Noah down with the help of the support espers. Noah growled, baring his teeth, but he was held down on the floor, blood dripping down the side of his head.
"Wow, you had a lot of energy." Yoon Kyeongsoo looked at Choi Sukwon. "But we came prepared too. Take him and get the transport ready."
Yoon Kyeongsoo stomped down on Noah and broke something in his leg so he couldn't stand.
"Why are you doing this?" Yoojin shouted at Choi Sukwon. "I'll pay you back! I'll even ask Sung Hyunjae for a loan!"
Choi Sukwon smiled. "Sung Hyunjae? You can't ask for money from a dead man."
"What?"
"Do you know why mob bosses have an agreement not to attack each other during monster hunts?"
His words turned Yoojin's stomach, and a dark feeling spread through him.
"Because of how quickly espers go through their powers while fighting," Choi Sukwon said. "If we're scared about turf wars every time we went out monster hunting, we would never fight monsters. We would just save our powers while monsters destroyed the city and killed families."
"You bastard. How dare you do that!"
Was Sung Hyunjae okay? Why were they going after him?
Choi Sukwon slammed Yoojin into the wall, making him gasp for air.
"How dare I? Have you not been listening? I lost everything. I'm just paying him back."
"What does Sung Hyunjae have to do with this? Leave him alone!"
Choi Sukwon looked disgusted. "Don't act like you don't know. All you guides are the same. Manipulative cowards. You have to trick espers into fighting your battles for you. What did you have to do to convince Sung Hyunjae to protect your brother. Did your brother sell you off as a whore, or did you go willingly?"
Yoojin's lips pulled back from his teeth. "Don't you dare talk about my brother like that! And it doesn't matter if you try to attack Sung Hyunjae like a coward. He can defend himself against anything."
Choi Sukwon laughed. "You think so? What about against a guide?"
"What are you talking about?"
"If Sung Hyunjae manages to survive, he will be weak and need a guide. Do you know how easy it is to bribe a guide? As soon as Sung Hyunjae returns, his guide will give him a guiding burst and send him into a rampage. Then my men will finish him off."
"He won't fall for something like that!" Yoojin snapped, but he was shaking worse than before. "He won't use anyone else because I'm his—"
Yoojin froze.
That woman, Guide Takko. Yoojin had agreed to let her guide him. Yoojin had pushed Sung Hyunjae to other guides! He had taken part in the attack against Sung Hyunjae.
He was no better than those other guides.
Yoojin had to get out of here and warn Sung Hyunjae. Maybe he could call his brother for help.
Choi Sukwon's hand circled around his neck. "You've caused a lot of trouble for a little guide."
Yoojin sucked in a breath as a sudden pain burst through him. Forced guiding.
"AHH!"
His legs locked up, and he tried to beat Choi Sukwon's hand off his neck. Thick, corrupt power pushed into him and his head fell back. The S-Rank had too much power and Yoojin couldn't breathe.
"Yoojin-nim!" Noah shouted but the other espers dragged him out of the room.
The powers of the S-Rank beat into Yoojin. He felt the earring's skill defend against the forced guiding, but not even they could completely block Choi Sukwon's power.
Yoojin gritted his teeth and tried to fight back against it.
Yoojin almost couldn't make out Choi Sukwon's face, even though he was so close.
Yoojin grunted and swore at Choi Sukwon. The pounding headache caused him to feel sick and lightheaded. He lowered his head, having trouble breathing.
Choi Sukwon said, "You feel weak. I don't believe for a second you are guiding a S-Rank, but Yoon Kyeongsoo thought you might be hiding something. Looks like he was wrong."
This bastard.
"And for your brother, I will blackmail him for millions, just for the small bit of information about you. How much do you think he'll pay until he realizes he'll never see you again?"
When he let him go, Yoojin slid to the ground. His head was splitting and his skin felt like melting.
Vomit traveled up Yoojin's throat, but he held it down.
Yoon Kyeongsoo walked over to Yoojin. "Is he really that weak?" Yoon Kyeongsoo asked Choi Sukwon.
"See for yourself."
"Wa…wait!!"
Yoojin tried to hold his arms out to stop him, but Yoon Kyeongsoon grabbed him anyway and the second S-Rank esper used forced guiding on him.
Yoojin tried to scream, but his voice froze in his throat. It felt like something ripped him in half and burned up his spine. He threw up.
"Ah, disgusting!" Choi Sukwon said, stepping back.
Yoon Kyeongsoon laughed. That laughter was the last thing Yoojin heard before he passed out.
Give Me Your Violence
"Yoojin."
Yoojin groaned, slowly coming too.
"Honey, it's time to wake up."
Yoojin pried his eyes open, his vision not working right. A rush of sickness and pain from his deficit hit him hard, and his eyes squeezed shut.
Oh, this pain. Oh, please go away.
Yoojin was going to be sick again. His breath rushed.
"Yoojin, my dear Yoojin. Open your eyes and I will give you a potion."
A hand touched Yoojin's face, and he jerked away. The cold, calloused skin didn't feel good. Yoojin struggled to move, but his hands were tied behind his back. His eyes popped open and the blinding light forced the vomit from his stomach.
"There, there, let it out. I'll help you."
The cold hands assisted Yoojin to lean over the side of the sofa and then patted his head.
Yoojin squinted to look at the man holding him. Diarma smiled down at Yoojin. The scarred gangster was the last sight Yoojin had wanted to see.
"D-Diar…" Yoojin's throat burned from the stomach acids.
Diarma smiled and offered Yoojin some water. Yoojin turned his head away and eyed the open water container suspiciously. His denial upset Diarma. "Yoojin, honey, I'm trying to help."
"Why are you here? I Don't have a debt with you anymore."
"Yoojin, I'm here to rescue you."
Yoojin paused. From Choi Sukwon?
"Then untie me." Yoojin said.
He almost couldn't believe the mob boss would help. Diarma might have been above S-rank, but he didn't seem to have any combat skills or reflexes. But if they could get Noah back, they might be able to defend themselves and warn Sung Hyunjae.
"Have you seen my friends?" Yoojin asked. "They'll need a guide and a healer."
"Friends? I hired those gangsters to find you not anyone else. You've been missing for a long time, and I was worried about you."
Yoojin stared. "You? You hired them? You did this to me?" He lurched away from him and twisted his arms against the ropes. He looked around the room for a way out and tried to push away from Diarma.
"Yoojin, calm down. I've been so worried since you went missing."
Worried my ass!
"I—" Yoojin started coughing. The pain coiled through his stomach again. He pulled back before Diarma could touch him. "I wasn't missing! What are you talking about?"
Diarma frowned. "This wouldn't have happened if you weren't always trying to hide from me. Now other gangsters are trying to steal you away. It's not safe for a guide to be on their own."
Diarma knew he was a guide? Yoojin looked in horror. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
"I will protect you, Yoojin. Even if you're not a great guide, you can still be mine."
Yoojin's insides twisted in disgust.
The first time Yoojin had ever met Diarma, he had been malicious and uncaring about Yoojin's situation or reasons for being in debt. Even though Diarma was horrible to him, Yoojin couldn't look at him and not see the darkness that plagued him. He wasn't sure if it was because Diarma was so high ranking, but his concentrated powers were visible without touching. It made Yoojin feel bad for him.
Loneliness, fear, and self-disgust rolled off Diarma like a bitter perfume.
Yoojin had only ever offered him kindness and understanding, and Diarma had taken everything Yoojin had offered and pushed the boundaries between them every time.
Making payments had given Yoojin terrible anxiety. He couldn't sleep the night before he knew he would be seeing Diarma. He changed all his responses to short or harsh words. But Diarma had changed by then. He saw Yoojin as some kind of servant. Making regular payments, listening to him whenever he wanted, and trying to touch Yoojin inappropriately.
How do you say no to the mob boss who owns your debts? Yoojin had been firm and said he didn't like to be touched, but Diarma never listened. And Yoojin often noticed the scarred esper looking at his lips or his gaze lingering over his body.
Never in his life had Yoojin regretted being nice to someone. Yoojin was thankful for Sung Hyunjae buying his debt for more than one reason. Even though Sung Hyunjae had seemed a little erratic, Yoojin had felt his anxiety slowly vanish.
"Listen Diarma—"
The door opened, and Yoon Kyeongsoo walked inside. Yoojin looked out the door to a large room he wasn't familiar with, filled with powerful espers. Maybe twenty of them. Did they move him while he was passed out?
Yoon Kyeongsoo looked down at Yoojin and his smile gave him chills.
"Be careful with this one. He's still recovering from the rescue."
"Rescue?" Yoojin asked in bewilderment.
Yoon Kyeongsoo grabbed Yoojin's arms. He bent him around and lifted the sleeves of his jacket to his forearms. The marks from Sung Hyunjae's chains were still visible on his pale skin.
Yoon Kyeongsoo laughed. "Looks like we rescued you just in time. Espers can be sooooo cruel to guides." Yoon Kyeongsoo winked at him.
Diarma gasped and clung to Yoojin. "What has he done to you?"
Yoojin jerked out of both of their grips. A fury swept through him as what he thought was a private moment was suddenly revealed. "That's none of your damn business! I wasn't rescued. They kidnapped me!"
"Sung Hyunjae will pay for this," Diarma hissed.
Yoojin's eyes narrowed. "Don't you dare touch him."
"You don't have to worry about my safety, Honey. I know all about him, his resources and weaknesses. That's why we will leave for the boat soon."
Yoojin's ears perked up. "Boat? What? What Boat?"
Diarma's hand cupped Yoojin's face, and it took everything in him not to jerk away. Diarma never picked up on Yoojin's cues of disgust anyway.
"Yoojin is the sweetest and most precious thing to me. Don't worry about it. I will keep you safe. We will leave soon and they won't be able to find you again."
Yoojin's eyes widened, and his heart dropped. Yoon Kyeongsoo laughed at Yoojin's reaction.
How long has Yoojin been unconscious? Was Sung Hyunjae done with his monster attack? Could Yoojin get word to him before they ambushed him?
And what about Yoo Myeongwoo and Noah? Were they okay?
"I don't want to leave Korea! I don't even have a passport!" Yoojin said.
"You don't have to worry about things like that. I'll take care of you."
"Wait, wait…" Yoojin was near a panic attack. "My brother! I can't leave my brother."
"The brother who lied about you using negative guiding to ruined your reputation?" Yoon Kyeongsoo said.
Why did he know that? Yoojin looked between them. What else did they know? Was that how they were able to get to him?
Yoon Kyeongsoo said to Diarma, "Be careful until you get out of the country. It looks like Stockholm's syndrome and classic signs of abuse from powerful espers. Even if he was being hurt by Boss Hyunjae and his brother, he won't appreciate what you're doing for him until you're out of their reach."
Yoojin was about to scream his head off when Diarma cup his chin and pulled him closer. His fingers biting into Yoojin's face. "I won't let them hurt you anymore. After we get set up far away, you'll never have to guide anyone else. You can relax."
"If you really meant that untie me and—Ahha!"
Yoon Kyeongsoo grabbed Yoojin's shoulder and a burst of forced guiding shocked through his brain and left tears in his eyes.
Yoojin fell forward, not even caring it was Diarma who held him.
Diarma glared at Yoon Kyeongsoo.
Yoon Kyeongsoo shrugged. "A little forced guiding never hurt a guide."
Yoon Kyeongsoo removed his hand, and Yoojin's heart thudded with rage and pain. Lying fucking esper!!! Yoojin struggled to breathe. His head was pounding, and he had to fight to stay awake. He had to get out of here before they shipped him off to a different country.
"Yoojin," Diarma stroked Yoojin's hair and his other hand rested low on his hip. "I will get you help and once we get out of here I'll give you a potion. An expensive one. Then you don't have to worry about anything. I have you now."
"You should try force guiding as well." Yoon Kyeongsoo said. "It'll help your sync rates."
Fucking liar!!
Yoojin tried to shout, but his voice cut off in coughs.
"I can't hurt him…" Diarma's cold fingers turned Yoojin's face up to him. "Yoojin, imprint with me? We can be bonded."
"What?" Yoojin's jaw clenched when Diarma pulled him closer.
"That way, no one else can use you to guide them. It'll only be you and me. Of course, you won't be able to fully stabilize me, and I'll need more guides. But I have plenty of other guides who serve me. I'll still take good care of you so you can live a peaceful life with me."
"I have a peaceful life right now!"
Yoon Kyeongsoo gripped Yoojin's shoulder, and his power flooded him again. Yoojin's teeth clamped shut and his arms strained against the rope.
Yoon Kyeongsoo spoke casually with Diarma while Yoojin almost bit his tongue off.
"There are multiple ways to imprint with a guide, so don't worry if he's like this. Remove the earrings, too. I think they're guide shield earrings, so once you take them off, you can imprint with him without risk. A guide's abilities do better once they imprint, anyway. He feels low ranked, so he will need all the help he can get."
Yoojin tried to speak, but it felt like he was suffocating, fire crackling in his head. When Yoon Kyeongsoo released Yoojin this time, his limbs were twitching and his head fell on Diarma's shoulder. He made a small sob sound, but no one cared.
"His abilities don't matter." Diarma said to Yoon Kyeongsoo, "Just as long as he's able to stay with me." Diarma touched the earrings on Yoojin and frowned. "Were these given to you by Sung Hyunjae?"
Diarma began removing the red earrings, but Yoojin turned his head away. Diarma's fingers slid off his ears. If they took the earrings, Yoojin thought his head would actually crack open. His powers were already drained, and he was scared what it would feel like without the earring's support skill.
"We'll take them off later. I'll get you a better pair." Diarma said, stroking Yoojin's back.
Yoon Kyeongsoo's phone buzzed, he and checked his messages. "Looks like the car has arrived. You'll disappear once you get in. Let's go."
Diarma wiped the tears off Yoojin's cheek.
"H-hey… wait…" Yoojin's voice broke. He didn't even care that Diarma was rubbing his back. "W-we… can't… leave Korea. Please… tell me what happened to Yoo Myeongwoo and Noah."
"I don't know who those people are," Diarma answered.
"Then… untie me. Please? I'm just a guide… and you're higher than S-Rank."
Yoon Kyeongsoo crossed his arms and watched Yoojin with an upset look. "We should go now," Yoon Kyeongsoo said.
Diarma's eyes widened, and he smiled, ignoring Yoon Kyeongsoo. "You can tell my rank? I never would have thought you had a high ranked skill." Yoojin turned his face away when Diarma touched his cheek. "Maybe you won't be such a poor guide for me after all."
Yoojin shook. He was so angry, but he swallowed it down. He looked around the room. There had to be a way out of this, but if they left and got on that boat, Yoojin knew he would never see his brother or friends again.
"H-how can I be your perfect guide if we don't even know our sync rate?"
"Sync rate? But we don't have any of the equipment to check."
Yoojin nodded and licked his dry lips. "I can read esper ranks and check guide/esper sync rates," Yoojin lied. "Those are my skills. I can check it for you now. Don't you want to know how compatible we are?"
Yoojin hoped no one hear the way his voice shook.
Diarma's cheeks flushed. "You want to be compatible with me?"
Yoon Kyeongsoo stepped in. "We really should be going."
Yoojin looked at him. These espers had carefully planned all of this, but if Yoojin could find a break somewhere in their scheme, there might be a way out. Maybe the boat was on a schedule and would leave without them? Or the driver would feel rushed and run a light, causing them to get pulled over.
If he could get Diarma to untie him, he could get outside, call for help, and warn Sung Hyunjae. But to do that, he would have to trick Diarma into thinking he wasn't looking for a way out.
Yoojin forced himself to smile and tried to stop shaking. "I want to be a good guide for you," Yoojin said. "Don't you want to know our sync rate?"
"Now?"
Yoojin nodded, biting the inside of his lip and digging his nails into his palm.
"How do we check?" Diarma asked.
Yoon Kyeongsoo stepped closer. "The car is here. We should leave."
Diarma shot him a look. "We have plenty of time." He turned back to Yoojin with a much softer look. "How do we check?"
"We should really get to the car," Yoon Kyeongsoo said again.
"Don't rush me when I'm the one paying you," Diarma snapped at him. He turned back to Yoojin and asked him again.
Yoojin swallowed. "Would you… kiss me?"
Diarma's eyes widened, and his lips parted. He glanced at Yoojin's mouth. Yoon Kyeongsoon frowned and reached for Yoojin, but Diarma stopped him before he could touch him. Yoojin was grateful. He couldn't take another round of forced guiding. If he passed out, there was nothing he could do to stop them.
Diarma looked at Yoojin's lips again.
Yoojin turned away. "But I'm shy! After everything that happened to me recently at Jupiter…" Yoojin tried to look fragile and hurt. He played into Yoon Kyeongsoo's lies about needing to be rescued.
"Can we please do it alone? I don't want our first kiss to be like that." Plus, if Yoon Kyeongsoo wasn't in the room to rush Diarma, he could really focus on stalling and getting out.
Diarma told Yoon Kyeongsoo to step out, and they argued. Good. Every second here, Yoojin was closer to finding a way out.
But Yoon Kyeongsoo grounded his teeth and glared at Yoojin. "Fine, but this has to be quick," he said and stepped into a backroom, slamming the door behind him.
They hadn't argued nearly as long as Yoojin had hoped, and that left him alone with Diarma. At least with Yoon Kyeongsoo gone, there would be no more forced guiding, and Yoojin could focus on a plan to escape.
But Yoojin didn't know if he could actually kiss the man. He felt sick again. Diarma's hands slid up Yoojin's neck to cup his face. Yoojin turned his head away, but the quick movement left him faint.
"It would be easier to check if I wasn't tied up," Yoojin said. "These ropes are really hurting." But Diarma didn't respond and pressed closer. The hand on his face moved around his neck and angled his head toward him.
Yoojin fought to not turn away. As Diarma's face moved closer, he closed his eyes. He shivered when Diarma's lips touched his. They were rough. Not just from the scars, but from the forceful way he pressed against Yoojin.
Yoojin had stiffened like a board, a tortured sound escaping his throat.
Diarma laid Yoojin on his back, still touching where he wanted and licking Yoojin's lips.
"Open your mouth," Diarma ordered.
He parted his lips.
"Now check our sync rate."
Yoojin opened up his guiding powers. He almost vomited again. His brow furrowed and his nails bit into his palm. Every inch of him tensed as he fought through the grinding pain. He was guiding with no energy, and it hurt almost as badly as forced guiding. But he needed to trick Diarma. He would hold out as long as he could and give Diarma some fake sync rate.
Diarma's kiss grew rougher. He crawled on top of Yoojin and his knee slid Yoojin's legs apart. Yoojin gagged, choking on the taste of blood. He turned his head away, but Diarma brought him back to his lips. His guiding powers flickered, pounding at his head like nails raking against his skull.
Yoojin had to stay wake, but he faded in and out of consciousness. That's when a familiar thought popped into his head.
Would you like to try negative guiding?
Yes.