CHAPTER 77: ENEMIES TO LOVERS?

"Be careful, Areum. Don’t go overboard."

"What can you do if I do go overboard?"

Yoon Seoyul swiftly grasped Cheon Areum’s wrist in an attempt to restrain him. But Cheon Areum’s eyes burned with fury as he glared at him, the black flames in his gaze nearly as searing as the ones around them. With a sudden jerk, he tore his wrist free from Seoyul’s hold. In the same instant, a massive storm of black energy rocketed forward from his body, crashing into the black fire and then spreading to the front side of the jungle like a tidal wave of hellfire.

Trees, undergrowth, and every living creature in its path were engulfed in the searing blaze, their forms reduced to ash in seconds. The jungle screamed as it burned alive, reduced to a scorched wasteland in moments. Yoon Seoyul stared down at him quietly as the black fire only rose higher into the sky.

That’s right. I won’t concede. You like me tamed, don’t you....

*

"It’s not that high anymore...."

"A little lower. It’s still way above the trees."

"Alright, now I can’t make it any lower than this, so let me go."

Cheon Areum tried to break apart the arms clasped around his waist, fixing him in one place—Yoon Seoyul’s lap. Yoon Seoyul’s grip was unshakable. Using his advantage in strength, he put him in a timeout. The arms were indefatigable; Cheon Areum could only be freed if he used any of his offensive skills, which he didn’t want to. Maybe Yoon Seoyul also knew he would never injure him for such a reason—that’s why he was nonchalantly resting his head on his back as Cheon Areum sat on his lap in surrender.

The more distance he tried to put between him and Yoon Seoyul, the closer Yoon Seoyul came to Cheon Areum. If he ran away from him now, wouldn’t he despairingly chase after him?

Is it too late to run away now...

"Just let him go now. It’s already so hot. Watching you is making me sweat more."

Lee Nari, sitting daintily on the flat ground opposite them, spoke with a soft but unmistakably annoyed tone, her voice delicate despite her irritation. Yoon Seoyul didn’t answer—his focus was entirely on him. With a gentle touch, he cupped Cheon Areum’s cheek, guiding his face toward him and trapping his lips too in a kiss that left no room for resistance.

Cheon Areum’s gaze locked with Yoon Seoyul’s, and in that heartbeat, he melted—utterly, completely—into the kiss. Around them, the black fire encircling the cleared square flickered and weakened, its furious dance subdued and swaying with his emotions. Yoon Seoyul pulled back slightly, just enough to let Cheon Areum breathe. A clear string of mixed saliva still connected their lips. Becoming impatient, Yoon Seoyul bit down lightly on Cheon Areum’s lower lip.

That small gesture jolted Cheon Areum back to reality. His narrowed eyes widened in sudden awareness, and he abruptly turned away, breaking the connection entirely.

"Mhn...."

Cheon Areum parted his lips slightly, his fingers rising to brush against his lower lip. A sharp pain stung there—split open by the abrupt, forceful pull away. His fingertips came away with a faint smear of red, and he blinked, dazed, as if unsure whether it was the physical pain or the nonphysical pain that had left him speechless. But he didn’t have the time to know, as Yoon Seoyul turned his face towards him once again.

"Don’t go away, Areum."

He whispered before continuing to savour his lips in no particular hurry. Cheon Areum, aware of it this time, could only feel more heartbroken by the kiss. Embracing all the emotions tugging at his heart, Cheon Areum tilted his head to deepen the kiss one last time when an arm came out of nowhere, wrapping his neck like a scarf, separating him from Yoon Seoyul as the arm around his waist tightened uncomfortably.

"This is a bit too much, Yoon Seoyul. He’s been begging you to let him go, and now you’re forcing yourself on him. At least look at the time and place."

The voice came from the person holding his neck and shoulders away from Yoon Seoyul. The tone was entirely hostile, as the hand on his shoulder blade also gripped him, the nails almost embedded in the fabric of his sweater. Cheon Areum felt like choking. He was about to ask Lee Nari to remove the arm.

At that moment, Yoon Seoyul—who had remained silent all this time—seized her arm, twisting it sharply away from his neck. A short, high-pitched scream burst from Lee Nari as Cheon Areum glanced at both of them, bamboozled.

"I’ll break that arm if you ever do that again, Lee Nari."

Yoon Seoyul warned Lee Nari who shook her arm in the air, her stare fizzling with anger. Cheon Areum hadn’t thought that their relationship would be of enemies to lovers. He might be the cause of that, but a serious fight between two S-Classes would end with one of them dead—especially inside a dungeon where there weren’t any laws. Lee Nari would definitely not listen to him, so he quickly hugged Yoon Seoyul in an attempt to put out the fire.

"Stop, Yoon Seoyul. Don’t go picking up fights when I’m behaving myself here."

The black fire surrounding them, nearly extinguished, clung to its final embers before vanishing completely as heavy thuds echoed around them, making the earth beneath their feet judder. Cheon Areum turned toward the source of the sound as he saw the once-cleared area had fallen under a massive shadow. Cautiously, he lifted his gaze—only to be met with the sight of a colossal, wrinkled sole looming above, poised to crush them under its weight. Cheon Areum hadn’t considered the boss stage to be after he had burned down the whole jungle, reaching the ends of the map.

With his remaining energy, he could still use his skills, but the sole, gradually coming down, would no doubt be faster.