It was strange. Kim Euijin’s condition, which had slightly improved, began to slowly deteriorate again. More than a week had passed since he fell ill and took to his bed, but instead of improving, he seemed even worse than before. Jung Haekyung bit his lip out of anxiety. Fear rushed over him—a fear that he hadn’t even felt when he was caught in a fiery pit of exploding bombs. What if he keeps worsening, what if he doesn’t wake up tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, and so on and so forth… Jung Haekyung shook his head, no longer wanting to think about it. No one knew better than him how easily extinguished a human life could be. Many lives had perished at the tips of his fingers—too many to even count. All living beings were weak and easy to break. Jung Haekyung heard the sound of footsteps behind him. Soon, a voice was heard as well.
「What a virtuous wife you are.」
Jung Haekyung said to Baek Cheongah, his gaze still fixed on Kim Euijin, who was lying down, 「I didn’t call for you. Aren’t there any other doctors here?」
「You should be grateful I’m letting you off easy.」
Baek Cheongah pulled out an IV string from the pocket of her coat. As she hung the ringer on the bedpost and connected the IV string, Jung Haekyung stared at her with suspicion in his eyes. She narrowed her eyes, offering an answer to his gaze. 「It’s just fluid.」
At the same time as her answer, she stabbed a needle into Kim Euijin’s arm. Jung Haekyung, blatantly staring at her careless actions, said, 「Touch him like that again, and I’ll blow your guts.」
Baek Cheongah’s nape went cold upon hearing the quiet voice. Her hands became a little gentler as she pushed the thermometer inside Kim Euijin’s ear.
「What did you do for his fever to rise even more?」
「…I don’t know.」
「Are you only now realising how ridiculous your actions are? Do you want him to shrivel up and die? That’d be rather problematic, even for you. We’re going to move him to a ward. You need to depart.」
「I’m going to see him improve.」
「Are you aware of the damage our forces are currently facing…?!」
「Shut up. You’re going to wake him up.」
Jung Haekyung’s quiet voice was dripping with murderous intent. Baek Cheongah scowled, but having no other choice, she lowered her voice and said, 「He’ll get better if we hospitalise him. You know that I don’t want him to get any worse either, right? He’s in this state right now because you made a fuss about nursing him yourself.」
「If I leave, are you going to force him to eat by shoving liquid food down his throat again?」
Baek Cheongah grinded her teeth, but unable to raise her voice any further, she said, 「You were the one who ordered me to do that first. So, you want me to leave him in an undernourished state or what? Why are you acting like this all of a sudden?」
「I don’t remember ordering you to do it again, so why are you doing things I didn’t order you to?」
Jung Haekyung raised his gaze and stared at Baek Cheongah. Simultaneously, Baek Cheongah’s right wrist was blown off without a trace. She let out a short but high-pitched scream.
「Fucking bitch, I told you to be quiet, but you just kept on going on and on.」
Baek Cheongah stumbled back, blood belching out from her wrist. Standing up from where he sat, Jung Haekyung started approaching her, step by step.
「You think you can just step all over me because I treat you like you’re my boss? You aren’t in your right mind, are you?」
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.
This time, it was Baek Cheongah’s forearm that fell off, looking as though it had been mangled. She gritted her teeth, holding back her groans. If she were to scream right now, her life would be put in actual danger. The muscles in her face twitched and jerked as she restrained herself, afraid a sound would escape through her clenched teeth. Jung Haekyung’s gaze then shifted to her elbow. Consumed by Jung Haekyung’s gaze, silky like a snake, Baek Cheongah unknowingly collapsed to the ground and protected her shoulder. However, nothing happened. When Baek Cheongah lifted her head again, Jung Haekyung was sitting at Kim Euijin’s bedside, listening attentively. Kim Euijin rolled around in his sleep, seemingly letting out a faint groan.
「Selplc-jt, jgf sbe bxjs?」
Even while caught in unbearable pain, Baek Cheongah felt dumbfounded. What the hell is that crazy bastard doing? It was the first time he had ever ditched work, so she didn’t know how to deal with the situation. Jung Haekyung carefully patted Kim Euijin’s hair, caressed his hand, and pressed the tip of his lips against his cheek, as if he had never blown off her arm with the intent of killing her in the first place. Baek Cheongah stood up. She was about to leave when she felt an intense anger rise within her. She couldn’t continue allowing herself to suffer at the hands of an immature brat.
「Tbe—vb sbe fnfc ibnf tlw?」
Aecu Ljfxsecu’r ujhf ribkis rtloafv yjmx ab tfg. Djfx Jtfbcujt vlvc’a kjca ab wjxf fsf mbcajma klat tlw, jcv rtf kjr ecregf ktfatfg tfg kbgvr wluta qgbnbxf tlw ab yibk tfg cfmx boo atlr alwf, yea gfujgvifrr, rtf mbcalcefv ab rjs ktja rtf tjv ab rjs jr rtf ifoa atf gbbw.
「But will he be able to love you?」
The door slammed shut. Next time, I’ll slice that bitch’s wrist off in a way she won’t be able to reconnect it, Jung Haekyung swore. That way, she wouldn’t be able to touch Euijin ever again, and Euijin would probably be happy as well. He’d do it right away once Euijin gave birth to their child. Just wait a bit, Euijin-ah. Jung Haekyung kissed the corner of Kim Euijin’s eye again. It was a very tender kiss, his lips barely grazing his skin, just in case.
Jung Haekyung called the medical team again. There was no way he could leave Kim Euijin in this place, reeking of blood, so he had to move him to S.E.’s inner ward. While he didn’t know why, he had to admit that his nursing was of no effect. Still, that didn’t mean he had any intention of leaving Kim Euijin alone and going elsewhere.
∞
Jin Soohyun took a deep breath before carefully knocking on the door of the one-person hospital room. Jin Soohyun, a medic belonging to S.E., found himself suddenly tasked with the role of Kim Euijin’s doctor. That very Kim Euijin, who was called the calamity of S.E. He wasn’t particularly eager, but in a way, being entrusted with the care of an ability user on a level that Director Baek personally oversaw was a good opportunity.
However, there was no response from inside the hospital room. Consulting the chart, Jin Soohyun noted that it was time to change the IV drip. After a brief moment of hesitation, he announced his entrance and opened the door to the hospital room. There was no one inside the neatly organised room. Except for his assigned patient lying on the bed.
Jin Soohyun felt a little more at ease. Because S.E.’s other calamity wasn’t present. He looked down at the sleeping Kim Euijin. Despite having worked at the main building for four years, this was the first time he saw Kim Euijin’s face up close. His eyelids were faintly trembling, as if he were having a bad dream.
「…He’s nothing special,」 Jin Soohyun mumbled under his breath so that no one else would hear. Kim Euijin was more ordinary than he expected. Moreover, lying sick in bed for several days due to a heatstroke, he seemed too human for S.E. However, Kim Euijin was the ability user who established S.E.’s new grading system, the ability user they invested the most effort into. -00. A grade denoting the ability to neutralise all abilities. It was a mark referring to Kim Euijin.
Until now, there had never been a being immune to abilities. He still hadn’t forgotten the image of Director Baek jumping around in excitement like a Greek who had just discovered the principle of buoyancy when she first laid her eyes on Kim Euijin and when she first identified the range of abilities that had no effect on him. Even afterwards, she insisted on keeping the data up to date, regularly sequencing Kim Euijin’s DNA, analysing his immune system, blood serum, plasma, and other components every quarter, and even cloning and incubating his cellular tissues. It was clear that, on the off chance they were able to commercialise Kim Euijin’s ability as a weapon, or if Kim Euijin acquired offensive abilities, S.E.’s position would be much bigger than it was now. While there were no clear results, as Director Baek always lamented, Kim Euijin’s mere existence was already precious enough as a resource. Of course, only a select few knew the specifics about Kim Euijin, as it was kept confidential even within the research institute. As a result, Jin Soohyun himself didn’t know much.
「…He is pretty handsome, though.」
Gazing at his neat eyebrows, tall nose bridge, pale lips, and slim jawline, Jin Soohyun loosely grasped his arm to change the IV drip. Right at that moment, Kim Euijin’s eyes snapped open, and he forcefully yanked away the arm he had been holding. Thrown into a momentary fluster, Jin Soohyun took a step back. However, Kim Euijin, who had just shook his arm off, seemed even more flustered than he was. Kim Euijin sat up and suddenly grabbed Jin Soohyun’s wrist, his voice trembling as he said, 「No, in my sleep, I just… I wasn’t avoiding you. Believe me…」
The hand gripping Jin Soohyun was trembling as well. Jin Soohyun was shocked, but made it a priority to gently grasp the shoulders of the patient, who appeared far more shocked than he was, and said, 「First Lieutenant?」
Kim Euijin slowly lifted his head upon hearing Jin Soohyun’s voice. His eyes, shifting from the white coat Jin Soohyun was wearing to the embroidered name on his upper pocket and, finally, to his face, gradually settled down. Kim Euijin examined his surroundings. His eyes seemed a little wary of the unfamiliar place. Then, realising that he was still holding onto Jin Soohyun’s wrist, Kim Euijin hastily let go before apologising, 「I’m sorry.」
「It’s alright,」 Jin Soohyun responded, shaking his wrist, which bore a red handprint, with as much nonchalance as he could possibly muster. An ability user having a fit was a familiar sight for Jin Soohyun. It was also difficult to classify something as minor as this as a “fit.” But, for some reason, Jin Soohyun’s wrist felt hot. Kim Euijin stared at his wrist for a moment before lowering his gaze.
「This is the research institute’s hospital ward. Do you remember being admitted yesterday?」
「Yes.」
「I need to change your IV drip now…」
There was a bit of blood coming from Kim Euijin’s forearm, likely because the IV needle had been dislodged during his excessive arm movements from earlier. Kim Euijin limply conceded his arm to Jin Soohyun, not even looking at him. He maintained the same attitude even as Jin Soohyun cleaned the blood with a disinfectant swab, inserted a new IV needle, took his temperature, and checked his blood pressure. Jin Soohyun coughed unnecessarily, seeing how dull both his voice and eyes appeared—nearly lifeless, despite how pitifully they had trembled earlier. 「You still have a high fever. Did you take a fever reducer this morning?」
「Yes.」
「Is there any area that feels uncomfortable? Your breathing seems a bit unstable…」
「I’m fine.」
Just then, the hospital door slid open. Jin Soohyun turned back to see Jung Haekyung standing there. His voice sounded gentle to the ears, soft enough to melt iron.
「You’re awake?」
Kim Euijin’s settled eyes began to waver again. Kim Euijin nodded. Jung Haekyung shot Jin Soohyun a glance before moving towards the bedside and touching Kim Euijin’s hair.
「I was worried since you were sleeping for so long.」
「…Sorry.」
「I’m the one who should be sorry. I had to leave for a bit because of my father’s summons.」
「It’s okay.」
「What happened?」 Jung Haekyung asked, looking at the small blood stains adorning Kim Euijin’s patient’s clothing. Despite his kind tone as he addressed Kim Euijin, his gaze was directed towards Jin Soohyun. Looking at the glossy sheen of Jung Haekyung’s eyes, Jin Soohyun found himself incapable of opening his mouth. Just then, Kim Euijin answered, 「The needle fell out because I tossed and turned too much.」
Kim Euijin glanced over to Jin Soohyun, signalling for him to leave. Jin Soohyun nearly retreated backward out of the hospital room. Jung Haekyung averted his gaze from Jin Soohyun and whispered something to Kim Euijin again before kissing his cheek. It was only after carefully closing the hospital room’s door could Jin Soohyun finally exhale.
However, that wasn’t the end of it. Jin Soohyun had to check up on Kim Euijin at least three times a day. Kim Euijin aside, the person sitting beside him under the title of his guardian was the real problem. Jin Soohyun didn’t want to go to where Jung Haekyung was. The Jung Haekyung he had seen during his excursion for combat medical support was still fresh in his mind. It felt as though he had stepped foot onto the slaughter scene of a joy killer rather than a battlefield between armies. He thought he had gotten used to it all, having seen so many squeamish scenes at the S.E. research institute, but that was an oversight on his part.
It felt as though Jung Haekyung’s mere presence was enough to thicken the air around them. Even without any movement on his part, it made others feel as though their heads and shoulders were being weighed down by the atmosphere. The softness of his smiles and his quiet whispers seemed overly kind, making him all the more terrifying. How could Jin Soohyun possibly endure being in his company all day? The very idea sent a chill coursing through his body, eliciting shivers. As he prepared the medicine, Jin Soohyun repeatedly glanced down the corridor. Sometimes, Jung Haekyung would leave the hospital room to receive business reports and give instructions for about ten minutes, so Jin Soohyun was planning on paying a quick visit to Kim Euijin’s hospital room during that time.
Checking that Jung Haekyung had left the hospital room, Jin Soohyun swiftly entered and pushed the cart in. Kim Euijin was sitting on the bed and staring out the window. He continued to stare beyond it, remaining motionless despite having heard the door. Wondering what he was looking at, Jin Soohyun looked over to the window as well, but it was only a window in name as it had its blinds shut and seemed closer to a white wall than anything. Jin Soohyun approached the window, grabbing the strings of the blinds as he asked, 「Would you like me to raise them?」
「It’s alright.」
When Jin Soohyun stood by the window, Kim Euijin shot his wrist a glance before redirecting his gaze towards the door. Feeling like he knew the reason why Kim Euijin avoided making eye contact with others, Jin Soohyun refrained from pressing further and did what he had to do. Having completed all the basic checkups, such as verifying medication intake, adjusting fluid levels, taking temperature readings, and other stuff, he had to leave before Jung Haekyung returned. After a moment of hesitation, Jin Soohyun asked Kim Euijin, 「Would you like me to bring a book for you to read?」
He shouldn’t have said anything unnecessary. But strangely enough, Jin Soohyun was concerned about Kim Euijin. Even so, Kim Euijin still didn’t bother to look at him and answered, 「No.」
The next day, Jin Soohyun placed a book in his cart. It was a bestseller novel, one that was entertaining enough to be adapted to film. He had no intention of giving it to Kim Euijin. It wasn’t as if he were going to accept it anyway, but it would only put him in a tight spot if he did. He just placed it there for no reason. Thus, the book remained in the cart for several days. Meanwhile, Kim Euijin had almost made a full recovery. He hadn’t been seriously ill to begin with. His condition had simply worsened slightly due to initial mishandling. If he was going to get discharged tomorrow, when would he be able to see him again? Would he be able to see him during the regular checkups now that he was appointed as Kim Euijin’s doctor?
Checking through the window to ensure Jung Haekyung had momentarily stepped out of the research institute after receiving a summons, Jin Soohyun stepped inside Kim Euijin’s hospital room. Kim Euijin was sleeping. His brows were knit together, as if he were having a bad dream, just like the first time they met. Without even realising it himself, Jin Soohyun brought a hand to Kim Euijin’s brows. However, even the slightest touch caused Kim Euijin to react sensitively, tossing and turning. Jin Soohyun quickly pulled his hand away. Even as his doctor, he couldn’t touch Kim Euijin without a valid reason. No, even if he did have a reason, staying as far away from him as possible was the best way to avoid disaster.
But, strangely enough, Jin Soohyun found his gaze repeatedly drawn to Kim Euijin. Although Jung Haekyung was the one who was inhumanly beautiful, it was Kim Euijin who occupied his thoughts—standing by his side, offering curt nods and terse replies. At first glance, he seemed to adopt a calm attitude towards everything, with indifferent eyes that didn’t seem to reflect anything at all, but just a simple glance was enough to show his nervousness and trembling. He couldn’t forget the precarious trembling of his eyes and voice when they first met. Something about that appearance of his seemed…
「Pretty?」
Jin Soohyun was unable to continue his thoughts after hearing the voice from behind him, causing him to instinctively turn his head. There, he was met with a pair of brown eyes, gleaming with a glossy sheen. For a moment, Jin Soohyun was unable to breathe. It wasn’t due to his shock. He genuinely couldn’t breathe.
「But he’s mine.」
Jung Haekyung broke Jin Soohyun’s neck with one hand. In reality, he wanted to gouge the doctor’s eyes out and cut off his fingers, but the doctor would scream if he did that, so he was put in a tight spot. If he gouged his tongue out first, his hand would be covered in saliva. Plus, Kim Euijin would have to change hospital rooms if things got bloody. He could use his ability, but the look in the doctor’s eyes had bothered him from the onset, so he wanted to get rid of him with his own hands. Jung Haekyung felt a little vexed by how simply it ended, but since there was no helping it, he decided to move past the matter.
Jung Haekyung sat by Kim Euijin’s bedside and kissed the corner of his eye. He slightly poked his tongue out and tapped it against his skin. Having laid kisses on both his cheeks and forehead, Jung Haekyung felt his mood lighten a little. Kim Euijin’s condition had markedly improved. His pale complexion had gotten better, returning to its original hue, and his ragged breathing had stabilised as well. His high fever had subsided, and he maintained a normal body temperature. In spite of that, Kim Euijin wanted to keep sleeping, and even the slightest touch prompted a grumble from him.
How anxious he had been during that time. Right now, Jung Haekyung longed to look him in the eyes and tell him just how worried he had been, how sick he was, and how scared he had felt. He felt a bit sad looking at his tightly shut eyes, but liked it all the same.
However, the fact that Kim Euijin wasn’t only pretty and nice in his eyes was a cause for concern. No matter how meticulously he worked to get rid of the people in his surroundings, it was never fully clean. It seemed better to have Baek Cheongah resume her role as Kim Euijin’s doctor, just as she had been before. Because that woman viewed all lifeforms as test subjects. He never liked the way she treated Kim Euijin as a test subject, but Baek Cheongah wasn’t stupid, so she wasn’t going to treat him carelessly again in the future. Jung Haekyung thought of what Baek Cheongah had last told him.
「Do you even love him? But will he be able to love you?」
How greatly did that crazy bitch think of herself to be able to lecture others about love? Jung Haekyung scoffed, but made an attempt to roll the word “love” around in his mouth anyway. He liked the nuance of it. Come to think of it, it was a word he often heard in videos or the romance white book. He didn’t know why he hadn’t paid it much attention before. He seemed to know what love was, but in order to have a precise understanding of it, Jung Haekyung even looked up the definition of the word “love” in the dictionary. The feeling of treasuring or feeling great care for someone or something. Jung Haekyung liked the definition of love.
Yeah, I’m in love with Kim Euijin. Jung Haekyung finally understood his feelings. He had fallen for him since the very start, finding himself yearning to be by his side more and more. He didn’t want others to touch him and treated him with care, afraid that he would get hurt. He even trembled because of him, afraid that he would disappear. Those were unfamiliar sensations that he had never felt before.
Jung Haekyung was curious. Does Euijin also want to be with me? Does he want to have me? Does he hate it when I get hurt? Will he love me? Jung Haekyung could easily give an answer to his own feelings, but he couldn’t do the same for Kim Euijin’s. In moments like these, he wished he could read Euijin’s mind. Though it was a shame he couldn’t, it was even better that he couldn’t.
Jung Haekyung felt anxious. What if Euijin tells me he doesn’t love me, like he did the first time I confessed that late autumn night?
Jung Haekyung worried. What do I have to do for mine and Euijin’s feelings to be one and the same?
Jung Haekyung thought. Since I made him like me, I just need to make him love me now.
Jung Haekyung decided to identify Kim Euijin’s feelings first. Depending on his feelings, what he had to do varied. How romantic would it be if, regardless of the path taken, they ended up feeling the same way?
Jung Haekyung pressed his lips against the tiny dot beneath Kim Euijin’s eye. It was a small black dot, the spot he liked most on Kim Euijin’s face. It looked especially pretty today. Jung Haekyung whispered to him, 「I love you, Euijin-ah.」
orcinus comments:
I lost half of my file for this chapter and ended up having to redo it, so some parts may sound brainfried (because I was definitely brainfried after I realised it was gone…)
Wow I loved reading the pic of someone looking into their relationship. I feel like it makes it even more pitiful
Damn how stressful it must be
Thank you, bless you translator!