Kofi thanks to: Andy
Muwon lay sprawled on the sofa, staring at the ceiling. Hwang Ran’s atrocious taste was fully reflected in the ceiling painting, which was supposed to depict a dragon ascending to the heavens but looked more like a snake due to its bluish color and crudely painted scales.
His cheek, despite having been slapped, was too unblemished. It had turned slightly red earlier, but now there wasn’t even a mark, though he could still feel the heat.
“Why so displeased, my younger brother?”
Tae Cheonoh, sitting on a wooden pole, stroked Pegasus’s head as he asked.
“What ‘younger brother’, you’re only a month older.”
Despite being blindfolded, the hawk’s head was turned towards Muwon. Tae Cheonoh tried to make it face him again, but it turned back towards Muwon.
The hawk, having once been abandoned by its mother, would have become snake food if not for Muwon. Perhaps because Muwon saved it, the hawk followed him far more than Tae Cheonoh, who was the one who gave it the name Pegasus. Thanks to Tae Cheonoh feeding it well, the once palm-sized bird had grown significantly larger than others of its kind.
As always, Tae Cheonoh showered Pegasus with one-sided love, unbothered by the lack of reciprocation.
“Muwon, want to go out for some night fun?”
That was also true for Tae Muwon. He persistently approached someone who consistently ignored him, yet his pride remained unscathed. Such was Tae Cheonoh’s affection for Muwon, confident that his love was much greater than Muwon’s.
Conversely, Muwon had never poured interest or affection into anyone. However, that didn’t mean his care for Peira was fake, though it was more akin to a sense of duty than affection.
He had seen much bloodshed and countless deaths before he had gathered the scattered Kwon clan. Yet, while Tae Cheonoh had relentlessly pursued flings during those times, Muwon had never kept anyone particularly close. He was content without having to pour affection into someone, receiving plenty of attention regardless.
Perhaps that was because he was half Hwa. The Hwa clan naturally attracted people’s favor, just like Muwon’s mother, Darahan.
No matter how angry Tae Cheonoh was, just seeing her would soothe his rage, much like calming one’s heart by looking at a beautiful flower. Everyone loved Darahan, even after she changed.
“Is it because of the apothecary?”
Muwon fiddled with his Zippo lighter without lighting it, a cigarette in his mouth.
“Not going as you like?”
“What ‘like’?”
Only then did Muwon respond, his scoff an added bonus.
“Annoyed because you wanted to knock him down but couldn’t?”
He did knock him down. Cheongyeon seemed to enjoy it when they were grinding against each other, but after climaxing once, he just looked unjustly wronged with those innocuous, mild eyes. He had glared at Muwon as if he had forced him. It was the first time Muwon received such treatment after pushing further.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Why bother with the apothecary? Even if he’s indeed pretty, there are plenty more out there if you look. My baby is pretty too.”
“Tbeg fsfr wera yf bc sbeg offa.”
Zekbc ila tlr mlujgfaaf klat atf Ilqqb ilutafg, remxlcu lc atf rwbxf. Cr tf fztjifv, atf rwbxf yifcvfv lcab atf qjlcafv vgjubc bc atf mflilcu jr lo la kjr fcnfibqfv lc wlra.
“Pr tf gfjiis ogbw atf Lkj mijc? Po tf’r cba ojiilcu obg rbwfbcf jr oibkfg-ilxf jr Kjf Zekbc, P’w cba abb regf.”
Tae Cheonoh tried to console his brother in his own way.
“The guy who survived after drinking my blood?”
“…”
He missed the timing to say it was a joke. Tae Cheonoh, having unexpectedly thought of Darahan, couldn’t hide his bitter feelings.
Darahan had died after drinking the blood of her son, Tae Muwon.
“Aish, just force it or whatever.”
Tae Cheonoh made a rough remark uncharacteristic of him, intending to change the topic, but Muwon got up from the sofa, pressing down on the leather. Tae Cheonoh was startled by the sudden movement.
With the cigarette still in his mouth, Muwon grabbed a black coat hanging on a rack. As he put on the coat, it looked like a vibrant flower blossoming in a dark cave.
“Hey, hey! You’re not seriously going to do it, are you?”
Tae Cheonoh yelled at Muwon’s back as the latter went out. Startled by the sudden shout, Pegasus flapped its wings. Tae Cheonoh’s attempt to calm it down by stroking his head backfired, and Pegasus, still seated, pecked at Tae Cheonoh’s forehead several times with its yellow beak.
“Tae Muwon! Even if it’s you, I won’t overlook breaking the rules!”
When gathering the clan, one of the first rules Tae Cheonoh established was never to force oneself on anyone, regardless of gender. This rule stemmed from an incident of nearly being sexually assaulted when he was not yet a teenager. Because of that terrible memory, Tae Cheonoh was adamant about not overlooking any violation of this rule, even by his own family members.
“The person who can only piss and cums has no place to talk.”
“I only do it with consent, you know?!”
Muwon left Tae Cheonoh, who was insisting on integrity, and opened the door.
“No, I’m going to buy it at a high price, okay?” As the thick door opened, Hwang Ran’s voice could be heard. He was negotiating with Saturn in front of the door but quickly shut his mouth upon seeing Tae Muwon.
“Muwon-nim, is there something else you need?”
“What are you buying at a high price?”
The ash from the burning cigarette in Muwon’s mouth dropped to the floor as he spoke. Saturn rushed inside to fetch an ashtray, while Hwang Ran shrank his shoulders.
“Well, there’s something I want to buy from Saturn…”
Seeing the ashtray in Saturn’s hand, Hwang Ran began to confess out of intimidation.
It was about the lotus tea Saturn had purchased from the apothecary during the sperm whale auction day. He’d boasted about its exceptional efficacy and wished to buy it from him at a high price.
“Efficacy?”
“Yes, yes. As I’ve mentioned before, the lotus tea sold by the apothecary is a nourishing tonic, especially good for virility. After drinking that lotus tea in the Marine Building, I felt rejuvenated like I was ten years younger and three times, I vigorously-”
Muwon’s forehead creased deeply, causing Hwang Ran to clamp his mouth shut again.
“Have you also tried it?”
“I wouldn’t dare waste it by drinking.”
Saturn covertly glanced at his right chest pocket.
“Show me.”
Saturn’s eyes widened as if wondering how Muwon knew. Then, with a sullen expression, he pulled out a bulging cloth pouch from inside his suit.
Muwon threw his cigarette into the ashtray and took the cloth pouch, opening it wide. Inside were dried lotus flowers packed tightly together, seeming to be well taken care of, as they were in mint condition such that not a single crumb had fallen off. Hwang Ran’s eyes widened as he looked at the pouch.
“I’ll buy it for ten times the price, no, twenty times!”
“A hundred times. Give it to me.”
Muwon, who had declared his intent to purchase, took the cloth pouch.
“A hundred and two times!”
“Hwang Ran, you want to bid against me?”
After tying the pouch’s opening with a string, Muwon slipped it into his coat pocket.
“Then just one petal, or if you could just tell me where the apothecary is, I’ll negotiate—agh!”
Muwon grabbed Hwang Ran by the back of the neck and pulled him towards himself.
“If you want to deal with the apothecary, you have to go through me first.”
“…Yes?”
Hwang Ran barely managed to squeak out a response with his neck grasped.
“Fuck, is 0.4 a joke?”
With a cold demeanor, Muwon released Hwang Ran’s neck with a dismissive push and started to walk down the stairs, skipping two or three steps at a time. Hwang Ran, puzzled, rubbed his sore neck, while Saturn decided he’d buy more lotus tea with the hundredfold price he was about to receive.
“What’s up? What’s with the atmosphere?”
Tae Cheonoh, who had just calmed down Pegasus, came out to see what was happening. As a result, he too became highly interested in the lotus tea.
Each of them harbored desires for different reasons in a dream-like manner.
***
At 4:30 a.m., Cheongyeon was biting his nails, a habit that had formed overnight due to his unstable mental state. His hands and feet tingled with anxiety.
The chrysanthemum imbued with the voice of a Hwa had lost its vitality at some point, ceasing to produce any sound. It had exhausted its remaining life to encapsulate the Hwa’s voice. Thus, Cheongyeon could not even listen to it continuously.
‘Who could it be? They definitely knew my nanny’s name. And their voice resembled hers too. Could they be a relative or sister?’
Cheongyeon shook his head. His nanny had said that after his mother passed away, they were the only family each other had.
Perhaps too much time had passed, and he had mistaken the voice. Regardless, it was clear a Hwa wanted to meet him.
They were supposed to meet at 5 a.m., so it was almost time to go out.
“Muwon hyung-nim asked me to check if the food suited your taste. Didn’t it suit you?”
Some time after the meal was delivered, Jupiter came to visit. He looked at the cold dishes on the table with concern. Cheongyeon had only managed to eat a single lobster because overthinking was overwhelming him, making him feel queasy. He made an excuse, saying it was too late to eat much and declined the meal. At that time, the chrysanthemum was also with him.
If he had known that Tae Muwon ordered the food, he wouldn’t have touched even a piece of cheese on the lobster. He had enough money to buy his own food. He ended up staying in this room only because Venus and Jupiter were pleading with him, claiming they would kick the bucket otherwise. Upon reflection, Cheongyeon wondered why he should care whether they lived or died.
He didn’t even glance at the clothes hanging on the wardrobe; he just put on his knit coat. Since Venus and Jupiter had gone to bed, there was no one to watch him at this hour. He had intentionally turned off the lights in the room.
He considered taking his backpack but ended up putting only the room key in his pocket. If he happened to encounter Venus or Jupiter, he planned to lie, saying he was going to the inn’s first-floor restaurant because he was hungry. Fortunately, the restaurant operated 24 hours.
Meeting someone from the same Hwa clan for the first time filled him with both fear and anticipation.
Would anything dangerous happen…?
He wondered if he should carry a weapon, but then absurdly thought of Tae Muwon, imagining that, if it were Muwon, he could solve any dangerous situation with a single punch. It was a ridiculous fantasy.
Pushing aside the insane thought, Cheongyeon unlocked the door. He swallowed dryly to erase his hesitation, and flung the door wide open.
Pr: Sasa
Lo and behold! here comes muwon spoiling the plan.
Is Muwon going to be on the other side of the door and he’s going to miss his chance? 😫 Thanks for the chapter!!
I STILL DONT TRUST TAE CHEONOH!!! I feel like he’s gonna be the ultimate bad guy or something.