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I managed to get through the highways, but as we entered the city of Cheonwol, I began to wander the streets. The streets of Cheonwol were far too complex to only look at the mileposts. Haekyung’s car lacked navigation as well. The space perception ability of an ability user was exceptional, and as expected, I was not an ability user. As I continued to wander, Haekyung chimed in from beside me, “Take a right here, then proceed straight before turning ten o’clock at the second signal.”
“So where are we going?”
“127 Jacho-dong, Jung-gu.”
“.…..”
“The road name address is 118-1, Semyungcheon-ro, 7th floor.”
“…How did you know?”
“Know what?”
“My home address.”
“Isn’t that pretty much just the basics?”
Knowing the home address of a friend who never told you it was the basics? I didn’t know Haekyung’s address. I didn’t have the chance to naturally find out about it either. Come to think of it, I was so surprised by him saying he’d give me the car that it didn’t cross my mind, but how did he know about my family’s financial situation? Various questions suddenly passed through my head. Instead of worrying about things on my own, I decided to ask him.
“I don’t think those are the basics. How did you know? Do they tell SS-Classes all about the private information of recruits?”
I hadn’t been in a particularly good mood ever since I started driving the car, so my words came across as harsh, even to my own ears. Still, I didn’t exactly want to revise them. It was true that I was questioning him. Haekyung meekly said, “If I want to find out about something… I can find out about most things. Does that bother you?”
“…A little.”
“Then you should tell me things first in the future.”
“What?”
“If you tell me every little thing, then I wouldn’t have anything to be curious about, and I wouldn’t go out of my way to find out about it elsewhere, right?”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that I want to know everything about you.”
Haekyung gently touched the tips of my hair. I want to know everything about you. Was this something that people told their friends? These kinds of words… were like something between lovers…
“You’re crazy… I felt goosebumps rise.”
“Really?”
“Don’t make those kinds of jokes.”
“Director Baek told me. She sort of assigned me the role of surveillance.”
“No, but why would she trust you to keep an eye on me? You…”
I didn’t want to delve into memories from that time, so I left my sentence unfinished. Following Haekyung’s directions, I soon caught sight of my home. It had been nearly half a year since I’d last been here. After parking my car in the parking lot, I hesitated a little about going up. It was my first time bringing a friend over, and that was fine with me. However, the state of the house was a little… Still, I couldn’t ask him to wait in the car, so I dallied a little.
“What are you doing?”
Haekyung got down first and opened the car door. It was a bit strange to see him open the driver’s door, as he had gotten down from the passenger’s seat. Haekyung, who had been scanning our surroundings, inquired, “Do they have separate parking lots and elevators for each floor? One for each floor?”
“Probably?”
As soon as I completed the fingerprint recognition, the elevator doors slid open.
“Do you like it here? Doesn’t it sort of remind you of Rapunzel’s castle?”
“…Rapunzel?”
“If I were to lock you up at home and set it so only my fingerprint would be recognised, then only I could come and go. It’s exciting.”
“What’s so exciting about that?”
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.
“If a prince comes up, he’ll be killed.”
“Pwqglrbcwfca jcv wegvfg… Pc tlcvrluta, atja ojlgs ajif lr delaf ygeaji.”
“Pa’r j gfoifmalbc bo gfji-ilof vfrlgfr.”
Ktf tberf P tjv gfaegcfv ab joafg rb ibcu kjr ralii mbiv. Ktf ilnlcu gbbw kjr mbwqifafis fwqas, jcv jiatbeut atfgf kfgf rfnfgji gbbwr, bcis bcf kjr erfv. Snfc atfc, la tfiv bcis j yfv, j vgfrrfg, j ofk mibatlcu rfar, jcv j tjcvoei bo ybbxr. P tjvc’a gfjilrfv la yjmx ktfc P kjr ilnlcu jibcf, yea cbk atja P tjv ygbeuta rbwfbcf bnfg, P ofia fwyjggjrrfv. Ca atf nfgs ifjra, atf mjgfajxfg tjv mifjcfv la fnfc ktfc P kjrc’a atfgf, rb la kjr rdefjxs mifjc klatbea j tlca bo vera. Ljfxsecu ibbxfv ja atf ilnlcu gbbw jcv rjlv, “Qtja j ragbcu rfcrf bo wlclwjilrw.”
“It hasn’t been long since I moved…”
“When did you move?”
“Like the beginning of last year?”
Haekyung took a look around the house and said, “You’ve got no furniture except for a bed. Isn’t this a bit erotic?”
I told him he was crazy and laughed. I was unable to offer him a seat since there were no sofas or chairs, so I awkwardly rubbed my neck and entered my room. I couldn’t just leave him awkwardly standing there, so I needed to get my things quickly and leave. I gathered my bankbook, check card, credit card, cash, passport, and various other items before stumbling upon a watch case in my drawer. I picked up the watch, the most valuable one among all I owned, and contemplated. How about I give this to Haekyung? He suddenly gave me a car, so there was no reason why I couldn’t give this to him. It was just that if I gave this to him right away, it would seem like I was paying for the price of the car, so I decided to naturally give it to him at a later time. I placed the watch in my bag and returned to the living room to find Haekyung taking a bottle of water from the fridge.
“Surprisingly, this house is stocked with all kinds of side dishes, huh? All sorts and types. Honestly, it seems like they were made not too long ago, don’t they?”
“Someone comes once every two days, I think?”
“Do they know that you’re away?”
“It’s similar to S.E. It seems they haven’t received any new instructions.”
Haekyung leaned against the sink and took a sip of his water. Was it safe to drink that water? Just in case, I felt a bit worried. Even though he was just drinking water, he was drinking it to the full as if he were shooting some kind of coffee commercial, so I kept staring at him. When our eyes met, Haekyung said, “Staying here alone must be boring.”
“Not really. Let’s go.”
“Already? I like it here, though?”
“This house?”
“Yeah. It’s like I’m stepping into your innermost thoughts.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your innermost thoughts where only a bed resides…”
I laughed at his lame joke again, then took his hand and tugged him along. I didn’t want Haekyung to stay in the house for long. It felt too empty and cold, making me feel somewhat sorry. At that moment, he suddenly grabbed my hand and pulled me. It took me a moment to realise he was hugging me.
“What are you doing?”
I was flustered, but I tried my best not to show it and gently pushed him away. However, Haekyung held me even tighter.
“Even though you must’ve been bored,”
“.…..”
“What’s with the house interior? Who’re you protesting against? I tried to pretend like I didn’t notice, but it’s way too obvious, so I can’t just sit by.”
“.…..”
“Should I fill it up for you?”
The sudden turn of events caught me off guard, but the arms around me were warm, and his voice in my ears was kind. I couldn’t even recall how long it had been since I last felt someone’s warmth enveloping my entire body. Truth be told, I couldn’t really hear what Haekyung was saying. Both the warmth embracing me and the low voice that lingered in my ears felt good. It was funny to act like this when we were both men, so I thought that I should break away from him, but I wanted to continue to stay like this. There was no one else around, so what? So, for a while, I simply stayed like that.
∞
Before I knew it, cold winds began to blow, signalling the start of autumn. Thanks to Haekyung, I had managed to somewhat adapt to S.E. When I was with him, difficult things became easier. However, the time we spent together wasn’t all that much. Haekyung was busy. Unlike me, a recruit, he was assigned to various missions, often resulting in us not seeing each other for days or even weeks. Still, whenever he returned to S.E., he would always seek me out first and arrange his free time to coincide with mine.
“Lower your gaze a bit and exhale the smoke as if you have a story of your own. Give the sky a wistful glance too.”
I told Haekyung that he looked cool when he smoked, and he told me the way to look cool.
“You have to use a cheap lighter. It’s to create an unexpectedly carefree image. Plus, if you carry a portable ashtray around, won’t it make you seem like a steady young man?”
However, Haekyung’s advice wasn’t much help. Steady young men wouldn’t smoke cigarettes. Inexpensive lighters or the pose in which you smoked didn’t seem important either. Still, it was nice seeing him sincerely explain even the little things to me, so I feigned attentive listening.
“Your level? I had the day off yesterday. I spent the entire day grinding, so I levelled it up a bit.”
My Deode level had suddenly increased, so I asked Haekyung about it, and he told me that on the day off he got after finishing his mission, he played games all day on my account and raised my level. Since he was good at games and spent a bewildering amount of money, my level had rapidly risen to that of a commissioned officer. Even though I was recruit in reality… However, I didn’t know how he knew my ID and password. I had never told him…
“What’s up? Are you in a bad mood? Is it because of Baek Cheongah? Should I make it so you don’t have to see her today? There’s nothing hyung can’t do for you.”
He had said it like a joke, but in reality, with just a word, he could do anything. No, I didn’t even need to speak for him to do stuff for me. I didn’t know what to do. I enjoyed the time I spent with him. I liked Haekyung. He was kind, considerate, fun, and sweet… If I tried to name all the good reasons, there’d be no end to it. After passing the time in this manner, it was going to be Chuseok next week, and we’d be granted a special one-week holiday.
If I were with Haekyung, I could be allowed to stay out overnight, but officially, I was prohibited from going out. This time, I couldn’t go with Haekyung, and even if they allowed me out on my own, I had nowhere to go. I didn’t really think much about it. I never really had any days that were special to me. Whether it was holidays, birthdays, or any form of celebration, I rarely spent them with others. However, I was looking forward to this Chuseok. On our way back to the dorm after playing games in the PC room, as we always did, we sat on a bench for a while. We shared some small talk, and I handed him the watch I had brought from home.
“What’s this?”
“A Chuseok gift.”
It felt somewhat awkward giving a holiday gift, but if it was for the sake of expressing one’s feelings to the person they’re thankful to, I could give Haekyung a watch as well as ten cars. However, Haekyung’s expression as he opened the watch case wasn’t all that good, which was quite rare. Worried that he didn’t like it because it was used, I added, “I’ve only worn it once. It’s brand new.”
Still, Haekyung didn’t respond. I cautiously inquired, treading on thin ice, “You don’t like it?”
“Yeah.”
Upon hearing his curt response, I was at a loss for words. Oh… I nodded my head like an idiot and tried to take the watch back.
“Then, if there’s something you need…”
However, Haekyung took off the watch he was originally wearing. Then, he took the watch out of the case I gave him and put it on his wrist, gazing down at it with a less-than-enthusiastic expression.
“It’s okay if you don’t like it. Something else can…”
“No need.”
Haekyung placed the watch he had initially been wearing in the empty case and threw it into the trash can next to him. What was he doing? Not understanding, I rubbed my eyebrows with my finger. Then, I grabbed his wrist and took off the watch.
“If you don’t want to, then don’t.”
However, Haekyung slapped my hand away and reiterated that there was no need, so I awkwardly withdrew my hand. As the atmosphere suddenly turned cold, I pondered what the problem was. Moreover, I came to the conclusion that Haekyung’s behaviour was the problem. If he didn’t like it, then he shouldn’t have taken it; if he was going to go as far as accepting it, then he should have done so graciously or even asked for something else.
“You…”
“What are you planning to do during the break?” Haekyung asked, leaning his head on my shoulder. He wore a gentle smile, as though he had never shown that cold attitude earlier, and he gazed up at me with his head resting on my shoulder. Even if I were to confront him about accepting my gift despite not liking it, he would likely respond in this manner, so I simply answered his question.
“I’m going to stay here.”
“Why?”
“Because… I’m prohibited from going out.”
“It’ll be okay if you come with me.”
“Anyway, my father won’t be in Korea…”
“Is he still in Sweden?”
Had I told him about that? Even I had only learned about my father’s current location in Sweden for the first time yesterday when his secretary informed me of it over the phone…
“How did you know?”
“I guessed. Did I get it right?”
“…Anyway, that’s why I’ll be staying here.”
“Come with me.”
“I want to leave too, but will Director Baek allow me to take a week off?”
“It’ll be alright if you come to my house.”
I didn’t want to do something as imposing as going to a friend’s place during the holidays. However, I couldn’t immediately reject him. Haekyung hated it when I said no. So, I generally tried to accommodate his requests if possible. Most of the time, the things he told me to do were fun, helpful to me, and things I wanted to do, so honestly, there weren’t many instances where I said no. I carefully chose my words.
“Uh… wouldn’t that be a bit rude? It’s alright, so you can just go.”
“How can I leave you here and go? My family doesn’t do ancestral rites. We don’t have many guests either.”
“That’s not the problem… Regardless, I’m not going.”
I knew that once Haekyung decided to push for something, there would be no end to it, so I just told him straight up. Haekyung, who had been leaning on my shoulder and looking up at me, straightened his posture and sat upright.
“Yeah, alright.”
I was relieved that he was behaving more obediently than I had anticipated. When I nodded my head, he said, “I’ll stay here too, then.”
“What?”
“The quiet must be nice, and emergency services will still be operating too.”
“No, why?”
“Because you said you weren’t going.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“What does it have to do with it?”
I only realised I had made a slip of the mouth when Haekyung stared at me. Honestly, I didn’t know how it was related. However, Haekyung kept telling me “not to talk like we’re strangers”. The fact that he told me that honestly made me happy.
“No, it has something to do with it. Still, they gave us a special vacation for Chuseok, and you not going because of me…”
I spoke in mumbles. Haekyung had a good relationship with his parents. Hadn’t he mentioned that he was the youngest son? Even in normal times, they would call to check up on each other or text on a regular basis. It was a nice thing to see, so I didn’t want to disturb it. However, Haekyung cut off my words and said, “So come over to my place.”
“I think… It might be uncomfortable if I go…”
“My parents like it when guests come over. Guests usually come on holidays.”
Feeling as if the conversation was going to be trapped in repetition, I closed my eyes and said, “It’s uncomfortable for me. Just go by yourself.”
“Yeah, alright. Let’s stay here together.”
His words made me explode on the inside, but I couldn’t get angry at him. Anyway, I thought he was just being this stubborn because he was thinking of me, so I felt both grateful and apologetic. Still, I didn’t want to spend the holidays at a friend’s house for a week. I tried to persuade him once more.
“Your parents must be waiting for you, so if you don’t go, they’ll be sad…”
“That’s true.”
“Huh?”
“Do you prefer my parents being sad or you being uncomfortable?”
“.…..”
“Choose whatever you prefer.”
orcinus comments:
I have a much bigger workload than I expected with my classes, so updates won’t have a fixed schedule anymore. Still, I’ll try to update once every week at least. Hopefully I’ll be able to increase the chapter word count that way as well
🚩🚩🚩
Red flags all over the place but MC is so psychologicalky worn out despite saying he isnt (isolation, torture).
I wonder if all of it was arranged by Haekyung because he is just that powerful and influential or they break in everyone like this.
That’s what I’m thinking
Haekyung is the creepiest dude wtf 😭
SAYA SO IRRITATED LIKE- BROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Auto translated 😅, saya mean i
It feels like the ML is a manipulative sadist that cant have something happen that is out of his control like the event with the watch. I also think that all the bad things that happened were because he ordered them.
The MC seems like a pushover and maybe that can be because of the torture he faced but even before that in the event at the bank he seems like a suckered.
Enjoying the story so far, thanks for the translation and enjoy your classes orcinus!