Mudoo - Chapter 66

Kang Tae-shin’s rough breaths spread hot across Seula’s chest. His thick length scraped along her inner walls, pounding without mercy.

A burst of white sparks flashed before her eyes. The pleasure of his mouth sucking her br3asts, combined with the sensation of his c0ck tearing into her flesh, shattered her mind. Her vision blurred, moisture gathering at the corners of her eyes. From below, the loud wet slaps of their joining rang in her ears.

His lips traveled up from her chest, licking along her throat until they found her mouth.

“So filthy like this… no wonder I couldn’t keep my hands off you.”

She wanted to throw his own words back at him, but the raw hunger in Tae-shin’s face dragged her straight into the fire. Her entire body burned.

“More… give me more…”

“What happened to the woman who begged me to go slow?”

Seula no longer knew what she was saying. Her heart hammered with the desperate urge to be closer, to be completely joined with him.

Her insides stretched tight, crammed full. When his tip rubbed that single spot deep inside, her toes curled hard. She lifted her hips to meet each thrust, matching the rhythm of his pounding. And each time their bodies collided, his thumb ground against her cl!t, pressing and circling.

“Hhnngh—ahh, ahhh…”

Tae-shin licked away the tears that had pooled at the corners of her eyes. Her walls clung to him, soaked and tender, squeezing down as if to trap him inside. He bit down on his lower lip with a groan, his c0ck ramming into that exact place at her depths.

“Aahh!”

The flashing sparks dissolved into pure white. Her vision went blank as she collapsed limply against his shoulder.

When he finally spilled inside her, Tae-shin soothed her trembling body with light pats against her ass. He nipped her ear, his low voice brushing against her skin.

“…What am I going to do.”

“What do you mean?”

“Once isn’t nearly enough.”

Seula shut her eyes tight and gasped, dragging in the breath she had been holding back. Tae-shin studied her face, then asked softly, almost teasing.

“Is this part still the same too?”

Unsure whether to answer or stay silent, she half gave up and whispered back.

“…That depended on the time, too.”

“Sh1t.” The curse slipped through his teeth, low and sharp.

***

The cigarettes were tucked in the nightstand drawer. Tae-shin grabbed the pack and stepped outside. Leaning against the pavilion, he slid one between his lips. From the pack, he pulled a lighter, struck a flame, and inhaled deeply. Harsh smoke filled his lungs.

“Kang Tae-shin doesn’t smoke,” came a cheerful voice.

From the corner of the alley, Hobun appeared, smiling like always. Tae-shin flicked a glance at him before looking away, removing the cigarette from his lips to reply curtly.

“I do. I’m an adult, what’s the problem?”

He exhaled a plume of gray smoke. Hobun strolled closer, amusement tugging at his mouth.

“You’ll fall ill.”

“Why the hell would you jinx me like that?”

“What you feared most was a long life of illness. Dying of sickness, you could at least escape the pain. But to suffer disease and never die? That was the worst fate you imagined.”

As if to prove him wrong, Tae-shin dragged long on the filter and let smoke curl past his lips.

“Well, there’s no such thing as never dying anymore. So I can smoke if I want.”

“You’ll just live through the pain instead.”

“This bastard…”

Hobun sat calmly, nine silver tails unfurling in a dazzling fan behind him. From his pocket he drew out a comb, tending to them one by one. Tae-shin scowled.

“Unbelievable.”

“One should never neglect their appearance. Remember this well, Kang Tae-shin. For us, beauty itself is capital.”

“Us? Don’t lump me in with you.”

Hobun ignored him, humming lightly as though grooming his tails was the purest joy. Tae-shin smoked beside him, listening to the cigarette crackle and burn down. By the time only the filter remained, a strange sense of loss stirred in his chest.

“…I must’ve sneaked smokes before, too.”

Hobun turned, brows raised.

“My body knows. There’s no rejection. Which means I never quit because I hated it, I just forced myself to stop.”

“Hm.” Hobun went back to combing, thoughtful.

“You’ve denied yourself a great many things. That’s why you endured such long, solitary years. Training yourself to bear it all.”

Tae-shin flicked the glowing tip away, exhaling the last of the smoke.

“I don’t care. I don’t need to know how I used to live.”

“I understand. Sometimes ignorance is the kinder truth.”

Still, the thought unsettled him, that others knew his past, while he remained blind. But he had no regrets, no sorrow. Compared to that, this life felt lighter.

Especially when every time he looked at Seula, that dull ache in his chest returned. Just how deep were we entangled?

Part of him wanted to know. The rest of him wanted to look away. Because if the man he didn’t remember had done it… he wanted no part in carrying that weight.

***

“I can see ghosts.”

It was a weekend morning, halfway through breakfast, when Seula suddenly said it. Tae-shin answered flatly.

“So can I.”

“No, I mean, I couldn’t before. But because of you, I can now. You opened my spirit eyes.”

“…What am I supposed to say to that? Congratulations?”

“That’s not something to celebrate!”

Seula sighed and set down her spoon, her rice bowl already empty.

“I helped you, so you should help me in return. Fair is fair, right?”

“What exactly did you help me with?”

Tae-shin’s gaze was steady, genuinely unreadable. She wanted to remind him of last night in the study, but Dong-gil was sitting right there, blinking at her.

“What did you help with? What?” Dong-gil tilted his head, eyes round.

Three times in the study. Once in the bathroom when he followed her there, insisting on helping her wash. Twice more in her room when he refused to leave, that heat still lingered in her belly, and yet he was pretending ignorance.

She had enjoyed it too, but if he played dumb, her purpose in coming back to Cheonghae-dong would never be met.

“I kindly explained what kind of relationship we had,” she said. With my body.

Tae-shin smirked, catching her meaning.

“Guess I’ll be needing a deeper explanation next time. Can I count on you?”

“Forget it. What I want is for you to close my spirit eyes again. And make the spirits disappear.”

Tae-shin tilted his head, narrowing his eyes.

“Am I really capable of that?”

“You said yourself, your memory’s gone, but your knowledge isn’t. Take responsibility for what you started.”

Again, he cocked his head, as though truly uncertain. Seula’s chest tightened with frustration. Was he truly clueless, or just pretending? If she could, she wanted to tear into his mind and see for herself.

“Selective amnesia? You did it before, why can’t you do it now?”

“Seula, be patient. He’s still a patient, still recovering,” Dong-gil said softly, resting his paw on her shoulder.

Tae-shin’s face twisted, glaring at the dog.

“How many times have I told you, don’t treat me like that.”

Dong-gil glanced at him, then shook his head toward Seula. His message was clear. He’s not normal right now. You need to endure it.

The tension thickened until Tae-shin set his spoon down on the table.

“…I’ll look for a way.”

Relief softened Seula’s chest. The Tae-shin she remembered would have flatly refused.

“But if I grant everything you want…” He ran his tongue over his lips, drawing out the pause.

“…you won’t come back to me again, will you?”

Her body froze. She lifted her gaze, locking eyes with him, searching for proof. Did he really lose his memories? Or was this the same man who had once trapped her here, his true self surfacing?

The Tae-shin she had known before was always a riddle, impossible to read. But this one bared his thoughts without hesitation. For once, she almost understood why Dong-gil called him a patient.

“…I’ll still come back.”

The words left her in a resigned sigh. Kang Tae-shin, memory or not, was still a man who knew how to bind her fast.