By Zephyria 
A Long-Term Design
Starlight Road is as colorful as ever.
Up close, it is nothing more than shabby and precarious, but from a distance, the passing scenery looks exactly like a tourist attraction in some unknown city.
It felt even more so because there were no vehicles passing through. After all, the only people wandering through the slums in broad daylight were those who couldn’t even land a cheap, illegal job.
Those with no past to boast of, no present to feel achievement in, and no future to hold hope for spent their days idling like vagrants, taking charge of the gossip on Starlight Road.
As for meals, stealing from their families was enough to get by. A vagrant, peacefully smoking a hand-rolled cigarette, coughed ungracefully and turned his head.
“Is that guy still taking commissions?”
“I’d do it too. I heard he’s become famous and makes a hell of a lot of money.”
Just as he was getting bored, a man who hadn’t been seen for a while was walking toward them from the end of the road.
A sturdy, healthy young man whose skin glowed brilliantly, as if he had been eating and resting well somewhere.
The dragon of the sewer. The gold ring in the cesspool. Called by slang that was unclear whether it was a compliment or a slur, he was the greatest “output” of the western slums.
“Don’t stare. Just keep your hat on tight.”
The vagrant wanted to glean something interesting, but as the man passed by, all he heard was a dry conversation.
The companion who followed him like a tail, boringly enough, always kept his face covered.
Rumors said the guy’s face was scarred and twisted, or that his cheekbones had collapsed while working as a mercenary, leaving him a horrific sight.
However, almost no one truly believed that. Based on the glimpses of his skin and jawline, they were certain he didn’t look like a monster.
‘Still, who would dare touch him? The crackdown is no joke.’
The vagrant muttered the words internally, afraid the man might hear.
Everyone in this neighborhood knew what kind of state the city was in when a mad yaksha tore through it while his companion was missing.
Furthermore, the vagrant had once been robbed of 30 Deals—which he had bullied his younger brother to get—by that damn hat.
His body still remembered the taste of those heavy fists that beat him senseless without the man’s voice ever changing.
“Tch…”
Even though a dry smoke lingered in his mouth, he didn’t even have the courage to spit loudly. He might not mind with others, but he had no desire to be misunderstood and pick a fight with them.
It was fine. Right in front of him, another surplus human in a similar predicament was stealthily moving out of the way.
The fact that he wasn’t alone gave him the will to continue this kind of pathetic life. The vagrant inhaled the acrid smoke and stole a glance at the receding backs of the two men.
Clack. The sound of the door opening was normal. Despite being away from home for quite a while, it seemed the handle and lock hadn’t been tampered with.
Since he had returned home after nearly two weeks, it had been a considerably long infiltration. Jin Mu-hae felt the spot where his mask used to be and let out a languid sigh.
“Heh. Jin Mu-hae.”
The first thing he heard upon closing the front door was his name, spoken with a hint of laughter.
No matter how much he tried to self-brainwash, the alias—whether it was Jeong Han-seok or some psychopath—had never stuck to his ears, and now it finally fell away as cleanly as a decayed tooth.
Had he reacted with joy without realizing it? Joo-oh let out a stifled giggle and threw himself onto the sofa.
Huuu… He shifted his hips back and forth as if trying to survive, settling himself in.
“Wash up and lie down.”
“I washed up yesterday evening. I didn’t even touch any dirt.”
“Is that sofa yours?”
“Jin Mu-hae is mine.”
Every facility in the Tamjeunggwan is spotless, without a single speck of dust. While not entirely sterile, they maintain an extremely hygienic environment to ensure no disruptions in the experimental process.
Despite knowing this, Mu-hae looked at the dawdling youth as if warning him.
Unable to ignore the sharp gaze, Joo-oh grumbled and pushed himself up.
“Tch. Not even a compliment.”
“…….”
“You have to touch me twice. No, three times. Ten times.”
He felt as if he had heard something utterly absurd by the bathroom door. Jin Mu-hae turned on the TV, pretending not to have heard.
—Pop, pop! Sparkling like stars! Rainbow Sparkle Candy-♪
As the childish commercial music filled the living room, he could finally, ironically, use it as white noise to immerse himself in the thoughts he had postponed.
[Project Dodum: Transformatsiya47 Reaction Characteristics 3rd Analysis Report]
It strictly followed the agency’s reporting format, but even if one read it with half their intelligence removed, T-47 was data related to the Return flight.
He didn’t know why that information happened to be in the hands of Olga’s lover, or through what process it reached the Tamjeunggwan.
He could only speculate. Since Solar City was mentioned in many of the Return flight records, it seemed the research passed down then had come to light through the crisis of the city’s survival.
If so, someone in Goryeo City must have known exactly what to look for among the ruins of the fallen city.
The experiments conducted at the Tamjeunggwan and the results Dmitri had independently dug into. Although the direction of the two research goals differed, the starting point was the same: the traces of Solar City.
‘Starlight.’
The subject Olga had mentioned previously. The substance that created a unique change when combined with Crystal Blue had piqued everyone’s interest.
In a way, T-47 was an improved form of Starlight. It was also the final goal Mu-hae had been trying to find through Dmitri’s research.
‘It’s too much to be a coincidence.’
And of all people, Cheong was the one to give this to him as a commission?
Even if he hadn’t fully grasped the identity of Starlight, with that cunning personality, there was no way he would entrust the job without caution.
The valuation of 80,000 Deals could be explained as calculating only the profit gained from the tightrope walk, regardless of Starlight.
‘I thought this side might be useful for that.’
The fact that Cheong judged that Mu-hae could pull it off felt disgustingly unsettling.
Even more so knowing that the news of Mu-hae returning to Starlight Road would have reached that bastard’s ears by now.
Cheong had predicted his success from the beginning. The deception that he failed to carry out the commission would not work.
Siphoning off the information he was supposed to pay was also not an attractive option. Even if he acted like he was out of his mind, the man was the actual ruler of the den of evil known as Sakdal.
“I’m done washing.”
Splosh. A damp hand touched his rolled-up arm. Only then did Mu-hae realize he had been so deep in thought that he hadn’t even noticed the other’s presence.
As usual, the guy came out having barely dried his hair, water dripping from him. Joo-oh, who had hurriedly thrown on someone else’s clothes at some point, leaned in with a bright smile.
“……Right.”
As Mu-hae took the towel, frowning slightly, a familiar scent wafted around his nose.
A faint shampoo scent spreading over a sweet, fragrant natural body odor. The smell of the same product he used completely pushed away the unpleasant traces of the Tamjeunggwan’s supplies.
“Now pet me.”
Despite there being space left on the sofa, he climbed onto Mu-hae’s thigh as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Joo-oh hummed along to the music playing from the TV. His back, pressed close, vibrated with the sound, making Mu-hae feel a tickle in his sternum.
Constantly sniffing another person’s scent was something only a fool would do. Yet, his head moved naturally.
Seeing the exposed white nape of the neck, the worries weighing down his mind melted away, reducing their burden.
“Haha! Jin Mu-hae, I’m being eaten!”
It wasn’t the first or second time he had bitten him, yet the reaction was the same every time he bared his teeth even slightly.
He had never imagined that the expression ‘eating’ would come from an actual act of dining. Thinking about it now felt a bit macabre, but it wasn’t repulsive, which was funny.
Jin Mu-hae breathed deeply, pressing his lips against the soft skin. No matter how many recorded videos from the surveillance system he discarded, he couldn’t recklessly touch him until now.
Thus, it had been a long time since he had felt this warm, pleasant sensation, or the trembling movement beneath the tongue. Joo-oh seemed to feel the same, as his swaying body slumped into the embrace with a languid breath.
“Touch me. A lot.”
“Where.”
“My head, ears, cheeks, hands, and, mmm… there… there too.”
If he was going to be like this, why did he even ask? At the touch of a hand digging in from under the T-shirt while hugging from behind, the black head flinched noticeably.
As he stroked the flat lower abdomen and moved up toward the chest, he could feel the thumping of the other’s heartbeat.
Hmm. He had intended to just bite and knead that annoying nape a few times. But as the warm body touched him, the hairs on his neck stood up surprisingly.
Mu-hae enjoyed the wriggling movements, rubbing the smooth skin with his palm. Every time Joo-oh’s breath hitched, his round buttocks bounced against the seat.
He usually pressed down when climbing onto his lap, but today, for some reason, that view from behind felt more stimulating.
“……Who told you to act so erotic. Did you learn this in prison in the meantime?”
Even as he spat out the spiteful words, a sudden surge of anger flared within him. He knew better than anyone that it wasn’t possible, yet strangely, the hand groping the chest tightened.
A soft yet firm protrusion was caught by his fingertips. As soon as he pressed and pulled it, the guy sitting on his lap let out a whimpering moan and arched his back.
“Mmm, I didn’t learn it. Only how to grow wheat, hng.”
Growing wheat was less about farming and more about acting as a component for parts that hadn’t been fully automated.
Because some processes, no matter how perfect the technology, couldn’t match the cost-effectiveness of human labor.
And yet, it was absurd how he acted proud, as if he had provided the food for all of Goryeo City. It wasn’t even enough to fill a bowl… well, thinking about it, it might be a little cute.
Mu-hae’s hand, which had been wrapping around the waist, dug into the underwear. Buttocks of just the right size to touch trembled in his hand.
As he gripped the mound firmly as if to burst it, the chest heaved and jumped.
“Heek, huu…”
Without even attempting to hold back, his front became damp. Every time the nipple was pulled, a flinch followed, and the stain grew larger.
When the half-lowered underwear was completely removed, his slickly wet genitals reared its head again.
Ah. He had thought about just using his hand since he was at it. The flushed face looking back with blinking eyelashes felt like it was lighting a fire in his lower abdomen.