content warning
descriptions of torture
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Editors: Spade & Asterope
“It’s a little cold, huh…”
Juwon stretched as he stepped out the front door.
As it was early in the morning, the winter sun hadn’t quite risen yet, leaving a bluish glow to slowly creep over the sky, the morning stars still twinkling. The streetlamps illuminated the secluded streets in orange. His mind became much clearer upon breathing in the cool and refreshing air.
A thin layer of snow had settled over the park, a sign of light snowfall during the night. In contrast to the evening when the twinkling lights created a year-end atmosphere, the park in the early dawn was dusky with all the lights turned off.
Upon reaching the entrance of the trail, Juwon inserted an earbud into his ear and started playing a song. It had been a long while since he’d last listened to music, so he wasn’t sure where to begin at first. But over time, he had curated a playlist that he would use when running or driving. These days, he matched the season and listened to carols.
Juwon mumbled to himself as he knelt down on one knee to tighten the laces of his shoe, “Let’s finish this run, Lee Juwon…”
Juwon’s constitution made it so he didn’t gain weight easily, and his stamina wasn’t too shabby either. He never really had any spare time since he lived his life buried in work, so he wasn’t the type to make time for exercise either. The most he’d done was play golf during the business trips he couldn’t avoid. His athletic abilities weren’t bad, and there weren’t any glaring problems with his golf roundings, which only encouraged his indolent tendencies.
However, he began to exercise after he started living with Inheon. After work, he started going to the fitness centre and had recently taken up running.
“Haa…”
After a quick stretch of his wrists and ankles, Juwon started his run. He followed the trainer’s guidance, maintaining a steady breathing pattern and keeping a consistent pace as he ran.
Running turned out to be more enjoyable than he had expected. Juwon now understood why Inheon ran in the morning, even though a morning jog hardly counted as exercise for him.
Besides, there was an even bigger reason as to why Juwon took up running. He often lost consciousness when they had sex, and during those times, Inheon would wash, dry, and even apply lotion to his body. Plus, he’d even wake up first to prepare breakfast for the both of them.
Even outside of their intimate moments, Juwon had a habit of sleeping like a log as long as Inheon was by his side. This meant he rarely had the opportunity to witness Inheon peacefully asleep.
It wasn’t as though his chances of seeing that would soar if he did some exercise, but…
Juwon smiled to himself and picked up the pace while running.
In the early hours of dawn, the trail, surrounded by trees, was shrouded in mist. The sound of Juwon’s footsteps and his breathing seemed to meld with the fog and dissipate.
At a certain point, a set of footsteps distinct from Juwon’s became audible.
The sound, announcing the quickening of their pace, became clearer and clearer.
As Juwon rounded the gentle curve of the path, the fog began to dissipate, and he could finally see who was running. The man, of average height and dressed in blue hiking attire, greeted Juwon with liveliness upon noticing him.
“Hello—.”
Juwon gave a slight nod of his head to reciprocate the greeting as he passed by the man.
“—CEO Lee Juwon.”
Juwon had attempted to increase his pace after passing the man, but his steps came to a halt when he heard the voice calling out from behind him.
The biting winter wind had made it so Juwon had to pull his neck warmer up to his eyes. He was even wearing a baseball cap, so he was practically unrecognisable on the road.
Juwon turned around.
The man, who should’ve made it far ahead had he maintained his original pace, was standing right behind him. Without even showing any indications of his presence.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
The corners of the man’s lips lifted up, happy as if he were meeting an acquaintance he hadn’t seen in a long time. The blade of the knife he took out of his pocket glistened in a bluish hue in the glow of dawn.
The serene singing of the birds came to an abrupt halt.
The strange silence only lasted a moment as the birds spread their wings and flapped them, flying high in the sky. The sharp blade traced a diagonal line through the air.
Clang!
The blade, which had been aiming to stab Juwon’s nape, made a strong clang as it struck a barrier in the air. The blade shattered into two and fell to the ground, and the face of the unidentified man instantly contorted.
“Fuuuck!”
The panic only lasted a second as the unidentified man suffused the remaining half of the knife with a dark red pulse. Juwon knew that the man had reached a decision. It was rare for criminals to use pulse when committing crimes, as using it for an attack would undoubtedly leave behind evidence of their identity.
The unidentified man’s eyes glinted as he screamed, “Dieee!”
The blade, infused with black pulse that was tinged with red energy, swung high into the air once more.
“Ugh! Uuaaaghhh!”
Screams of pain echoed throughout the park.
However, the screams weren’t coming from Juwon. The unidentified man dropped the knife he had been wielding, clutched the back of his neck, and crumpled to the ground. A long needle imbued with pulse was lodged in the man’s neck.
Juwon took a step back and surveyed his surroundings.
Two men, dressed in casual attire, quickly ran towards them. The man wearing an ordinary blue padded jacket subdued the unidentified assailant by pinning him to the ground, pressing a knee into his back, and twisting both of his hands backward to place restraints on his wrists.
The sounds of the unidentified man’s screams and intense resistance spread throughout the otherwise silent park. However, it instantly turned silent as the other man shoved a leather restraint into the stranger’s mouth and fastened the strap around the back of his head. The sound of his gagged groans continued on, and even those began to fade as he appeared to lose consciousness.
Juwon straightened out his breathing as he tried to assess the situation.
The unidentified man hadn’t recognised Juwon by coincidence. He had already been aware of Juwon’s path of movement. Juwon had been accompanying Inheon on his morning runs for a while now, and today was his first time running alone. One could deduce this if they had been following the news reports about Inheon’s current involvement in the dungeon that had occurred in Gangryeong.
And what was with the sudden appearance of these men? As Juwon rubbed his face in confusion, the situation was instantly settled.
“Take him away for now.”
When the other man ordered, the man in the blue padded jacket started to drag the unconscious assailant away from the scene.
The remaining man took a step closer to Juwon and made a courteous bow of the head.
“Mr. CEO, are you injured anywhere?”
Juwon briefly examined his body. Not a single hair had been damaged. There had been no opportunity for him to get injured. When Juwon nodded his head, the man continued, “That’s a relief. My name is Cha Juhyeon, and I’m the team leader of Pensus.”
Juwon let out a small sigh and said, “Shouldn’t you be giving a more cohesive explanation instead of suddenly dropping a name I’ve never heard before?”
“…My name is Cha Juhyeon, and I’m the team leader of Pensus, the security service belonging to December.”
“Was there such a security service in my company?”
Juwon furrowed his brows. Rather than a question, it was a doubt. There were security hunters within December, but he had never heard of the name Cha Juhyeon or the name of that team before. A team within December that he was unaware of, it was absurd.
After a moment of hesitation, Cha Juhyeon spoke once more, “…It’s the security service exclusively responsible for the CEO.”
With each word, Juwon’s bewilderment only grew, and he lowered his neck warmer down to his chin.
“I have an exclusive security team that I didn’t even know about?”
“…Yes.”
“Since when?”
“Five years ago.”
“Ha…”
Juwon let out a scoff. His breath bloomed white in the cold air.
To think that he was being guarded for so long without even realising it. It was evident whose doing it was without having to even ask.
Their surroundings brightened little by little as daybreak approached. The trail was quiet, so much so that it was hard to believe the earlier commotion had occurred. All that could be heard was the sound of the wind blowing and the birds chirping.
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.
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“Thank you for saving me. You’ve been working hard all this time.”
When Cha Juhyeon raised his head, he locked eyes with Juwon. Juwon continued, “The cooperation of the protectee has the most significant impact on the job’s difficulty, but to think that you were operating without me even being aware. It appears that there’s an exceptional talent in December that I was unaware of.”
Cha Juhyeon straightened his back and shook his head.
“No, I was only doing what I needed to do.”
Juwon gave him a gentle tap on the shoulder.
“Yes, and there’s one more thing you need to do.”
“What?”
“Bring me the records of the entire Pensus Team’s activities from the past five years. Immediately.”
“Oh, t-that would be a little di…”
Cha Juhyeon wiped his forehead, which was moist with sweat even in this weather. Juwon spoke in a friendly voice, as if encouraging him, “I understand. Team Leader Cha has orders he must follow, and he can only obey the instructions of that one person. However, wasn’t it that person’s directive to disclose your affiliation as well if you have no choice but to reveal your identity during the job?”
Cha Juhyeon hesitated for a moment before nodding.
“…Yes, that is correct.”
Juwon nodded as well.
“Right, I don’t know how things would unfold if you had kept it hidden, but as long as Team Leader Cha discloses that he’s a part of a team within December, you’ll be obliged to follow my instructions as well.”
When Juwon saw that Cha Juhyeon was caught off guard and incapable of easily giving him an answer, he instead said, “What are you waiting for? Aren’t you going to bring the records?”
The morning sunlight streamed through the thin curtains hanging over the window, seeping into the hardwood floors. Sitting at the desk in his study that was dyed in warm colours, Juwon flipped through the Pensus Team’s operational reports.
Just as Cha Juhyeon had said, it had been going on for five years.
Once, there was a time when someone threw an egg at him, and it struck him, resulting in a small injury near his eye. Juwon didn’t care much about it and simply brushed it off. However, from that point forward, Inheon had formed an exclusive security team.
As long as Inheon didn’t disclose this to him, Juwon had no way of knowing. If a pro-hunter were to conceal their presence, there was no chance that a civilian like Juwon would notice.
Besides, it was one of Inheon’s rights to covertly assemble a team without requiring any approval whatsoever. It was a realm beyond Juwon’s reach, and he didn’t feel the need to interfere either.
Juwon laughed hollowly as he flipped through the documents. The documents were so clean that one might question if they belonged to an incorruptible government official.
“Inheon-ah… Spend some of the company’s money, won’t you…?”
In the financial records labelled as top-tier confidential documents, the Pensus Team had maintained a record of zero expenditures over the past five years.
Maintaining a security system with three A-Class hunters on constant rotation for 24 hours must’ve cost an enormous sum of money. Even then, it was obvious that Inheon had used his own funds to finance it. Not only that, high-level hunters weren’t individuals you could simply hire with money alone.
All of this was achievable because it was Inheon’s doing. The reason he incorporated the team into the company was likely to establish a stronger legal framework for holding suspects accountable in situations like the one that transpired today.
“I almost died multiple times, huh…”
Seeing from the performance report, this wasn’t the first time he had been in danger. Throughout the years, there had been both minor and major threats. Kidnapping attempts and cases of stalking were not uncommon occurrences either.
Everything had been taken care of without Juwon’s knowledge. The old Juwon had no private life, so his movements were always known to his secretary. Although unintentional, he made the security job relatively easy. As for him being trapped in Gnipahellir, it was a natural disaster that’d be impossible for even them to tackle.
Lately, he had been acting in an unpredictable way, which must have posed challenges for his bodyguards. However, the recent number of crime attempts had dwindled, almost as though they’d converged to zero. Except for the encounter with the lunatic he met in the park today.
“Well, only a madman would dare touch Kang Inheon…”
It had been that way ever since he made his civil union with Inheon public. If anyone possessed even a shred of sanity left, they’d think twice before turning Inheon into an outright enemy.
Juwon worried about the company’s security but was indifferent to his own safety. Nevertheless, whether he used his money or not, he was a wealthy figure recognised by the world and an enemy to the public.
Even so, the reason he was able to survive with such insensitivity—the reason why he was able to remain insensitive from start to finish—was Kang Inheon.
Juwon sank into the back of his chair and let out a long sigh.
He had been so surprised earlier that it made him calm. It had become a habit to restrain his emotions and focus on delivering a rational judgement depending on the severity of the situation.
It wasn’t until he had a clear understanding of the situation that he could finally relax. The tension drained from his body, and his heart settled.
As Juwon gently threw the document on his desk with a thud, tiny specks of dust drifted through the soft light. The winter flowers in the translucent vase exuded a refreshing fragrance. It was a peaceful and cosy scenery that, for some inexplicable reason, he could not enjoy. Juwon mumbled as he gazed at the lifeline on his palm, extended by a scar, “You saved me every time…”
There were moments when he felt as though he stood alone in the winter rain. In reality, he wasn’t alone during those times… Unaware of the warmth that supported him from behind, allowing him to remain resolute, he mistakenly thought he could shoulder everything by himself. He remained oblivious to the truth because he never looked back.
Inheon, on the other hand, must’ve always felt cold, as if he had plunged into the icy waters of a river.
“Come out, I said, come out! You sons of bitches!” Ahn Baekdu yelled. However, in the deserted underground storehouse, his cries echoed off the walls of the storage room, with no one to hear them but himself.
“Ugh, how dare you look down on Ahn Baekdu, on me…!”
He could use his pulse to free himself from the restraints, but that was of no use. It was impossible to escape since the room lacked windows and all four walls were constructed from solid concrete. His only option was to await an opportunity when someone entered the storehouse. However…
“What the hell is this, shit!”
Under the surge of nervousness, Ahn Baekdu roughly messed up his hair.
The people who had brought him here hadn’t asked any questions. Instead, they just force-fed him the Lips of Finn. Ahn Baekdu was made to confess everything, unable to offer even the slightest resistance.
Ahn Baekdu, burdened with a mountain of debt due to his gambling addiction, had miraculously awakened as a B-Class hunter. At that time, he felt like he had won the lottery. He could settle his debts in the blink of an eye.
However, his vow to quit gambling was short-lived as his circumstances improved. He stepped foot back into gambling as if possessed. The world of gambling designated for hunters was far more thrilling.
The dopamine he amassed was in equal amounts to the debt he began to accumulate once more, which only fuelled his dissatisfaction. Why am I not an A-Class or S-Class? How come I’m just a B-Class?
To cope with the rising stakes in gambling, he found himself with no other option but to start doing illegal work. Then, in his misfortune, he was caught, and that led to his expulsion from the Hunter Association.
His anger was exponential, questioning why he was the only one to get caught when others managed to keep it under wraps. He was discovered trying to set fire to the Hunter Association’s headquarters, which led not only to his imprisonment but also to a permanent expulsion.
Following his release from prison, he had to work as an unregistered hunter, earning far less than before. However, the CEO of December suddenly went crazy and not only disclosed information related to dungeons and monsters, but even publicised hunter ability statistics. Faced with the overwhelmingly positive public response, other hunter companies had no choice but to follow suit.
The outcome was dreadful. The wages for unregistered hunters with criminal records plummeted, leaving only dangerous missions for them to undertake. His debt had soared to an astronomical figure compared to when he first became a hunter, and he had no means to repay it.
Ahn Baekdu felt it was all unfair. His resentment spiked. The target of his resentment was obvious.
The CEO of December, Lee Juwon.
He had offered Lee Juwon a chance. Since it was hard to approach him, he had given him warning signs through what appeared to be loan advertisements stuck to his car. He had urged Juwon to revert to his previous self on multiple occasions, yet Lee Juwon had ignored it all.
How dare you ignore me? Is it because I’m a B-Class?
As the frequency at which Lee Juwon changed his car increased and his clothes grew more and more luxurious, Ahn Baekdu’s anger reached its peak. He couldn’t allow himself to watch from the sidelines any longer.
Everyone Ahn Baekdu had once known had severed ties with him. Even when he assured them that he wasn’t seeking them out to borrow money, they continued to ignore him. While this angered him, there were plenty of individuals who harboured hostility towards Lee Juwon online. Ahn Baekdu attempted to rally them, but when he actually got in touch with them, they all quietly tucked their tails and ran.
Ahn Baekdu gritted his teeth. Those fools, those cowards, behaving this way when they already had so much in life! Did they think that he wouldn’t be capable of doing this on his own?
Now, he seethed with anger towards everyone living in extravagance, including Lee Juwon. He, who lamented the fault of this unfair world, now felt a newfound sense of justice. He felt like he had become a crusader against injustice.
He had obtained information about Lee Juwon attending a charity event hosted by Min Seungah and had etched an illegal diagram in the party hall. It was a diagram he had luckily managed to steal from another unregistered hunter he had once worked with in the past. The likelihood of a dungeon breach varied greatly based on the location of the diagram, but fortunately, the probability of a dungeon occurring in the party hall was high.
As rare as it was, his luck continued to hold. It felt like a divine revelation. He had assumed that his gamble would naturally succeed this one time, wishing that all the pieces of trash gathered in that mansion would meet their demise together. He was determined to sweep them away and teach them a lesson, but he had failed. His final attack after he blew his top had failed as well.
“Haa, this is just too unfair!”
Things would have turned out differently had he just awakened as a higher-level hunter, but it was too unfair. His unrelenting anger welled up. All he wanted was to exact revenge on him for ruining his life—what was so wrong about that?
“You should take responsibility for ruining the lives of others!”
How much time had slipped by with him venting his anger into the empty air? Ahn Baekdu, who had been yelling and putting on a strong front like a frightened dog, began to grow more and more anxious at the lack of response. His voice became smaller and smaller.
Having exhausted himself, Ahn Baekdu sat down and roughly heaved. The humid air penetrated his lungs.
And just like that, time passed. No, he couldn’t discern whether time was flowing or had come to a complete standstill. His surroundings were too dark to tell. It was so dark that even he, a hunter, couldn’t get a proper sense of time or space.
Creak.
A faint metallic sound rang out, but to Ahn Baekdu, who had grown weary of the silence, it felt like a thunderclap. He sprang to his feet from where he had been seated.
The door, which remained firmly closed no matter what he did, finally opened. Light seeped in through its gap.
With a click, the fluorescent lights on the ceiling flickered intermittently before turning on to faintly illuminate the darkness.
Ahn Baekdu froze, like a deer caught in headlights on a deserted road at night. His pupils widened at the sudden burst of light before swiftly constricting as his brain registered the danger.
“K-Kang Inheon…”
Ahn Baekdu’s breath hitched in his throat. He had a premonition of what awaited him the moment he’d been caught, but the instant his gaze met Inheon’s, it was as if his entire body had been paralysed.
The sound of the footsteps’ slow approach gripped his heart. Ahn Baekdu instinctively took a step back.
“Ugh, uh…”
Before he knew it, there was no more room for him to retreat. His back pressed against the coarse surface of the cement wall. It was hard to discern whether the wall was damp from the basement’s moisture or due to the sweat trickling down his back.
Just the silence of his gaze was enough to make his goosebumps rise. In order to overcome the fear that penetrated deep into his bones, Ahn Baekdu screamed, “Y-yeah, just kill me, damn it, I’ve got nothing left to lose anyway! Everything’s ruined!”
Ahn Baekdu clenched his teeth as he harnessed his dark red pulse, forcing it into the ground. It coursed along the dust-mottled floor. However, it ended up dispersing before it could even reach Inheon’s feet.
Rumble–.
Ahn Baekdu could feel it through his skin—the presence of another, stronger pulse, one that was on a different level from his own, coalescing in the air. Gasp, he sucked in a breath.
Inheon created a long sword from his pulse. He swept the blade with his large hand, causing blue flames to blossom from where he touched.
Ahn Baekdu couldn’t tear his eyes off of the flames. The pulse was as beautiful as it was chilling.
With a whoosh, the sword’s blinding light traced its path.
Slash!
“Uaaagh…!”
The blade sliced diagonally across Ahn Baekdu’s upper body, and he felt as though he had been sliced in two.
But something was strange. Ahn Baekdu gazed down at his body.
Thud—!
The reinforced vest that Ahn Baekdu had been wearing had indeed been severed in half. The two segments of the vest fell to the ground, producing a dull sound.
Inheon’s slash had been executed with great accuracy, only cutting through the vest itself. Not even a thread of the clothing underneath had been grazed. It was truly a masterful exhibition of swordsmanship.
Although Ahn Baekdu hadn’t been slashed, it still felt as though his entire body had been sliced in half. His legs gave way, and Ahn Baekdu slid down the wall.
Inheon took a step closer. Ahn Baekdu’s entire body trembled, certain that this time it would be his body that would be slashed.
He had arrogantly told him to go ahead and end his life, but when confronted with the fact that his life was in actual danger, he was completely overwhelmed. The presence before his eyes was a different kind of power. With a pallid face, Ahn Baekdu cried out, “W-wait, wait a second, ugh…!”
The blade, striking once more, pierced through Ahn Baekdu’s flesh and shattered his ribcage.
Blood gushed out from the gaping wound in his abdomen. The pain of his body being torn apart in a matter of seconds and the agony of his flesh searing in flames made Ahn Baekdu scream.
“Hieeek, uah, uaaagh!”
His vision blurred with the excruciating pain. He wondered if this was how he was going to die.
Trickle.
Inheon stood there, indifferent, as he tilted a bottle filled with liquid. A green substance spilled onto Ahn Baekdu’s torn abdomen.
“U-ugh?”
A brilliant light emanated from the wound, and it began to writhe as if it had a life of its own. His torn skin and tissue slowly started to knit back together, like the pieces of a puzzle falling into place.
Ahn Baekdu’s consciousness began to slowly clear up as well. Once he realised what the identity of the liquid was, his eyes widened to the point where it seemed as if his eyeballs might pop out.
“T-the Green Elixir…?”
The mysterious green liquid was undoubtedly the Green Elixir, renowned for its ability to mend any injuries a hunter incurred while its effects were in effect.
Both the Lips of Finn and the Green Elixir were top-tier items that Ahn Baekdu would have had a hard time even catching a glimpse of in his lifetime. Watching it be poured out so casually, Ahn Baekdu could only be astonished for several different reasons.
Ahn Baekdu hastily rubbed the liquid spilled on the basement floor onto his stomach. True to the rumours he had heard, the effects were incredible. His wounds vanished as if time had been rewound, and new skin regenerated, restoring him to his prior state. It was as if his melted skin and slashed lower abdomen had been nothing more than a hallucination.
Vigour returned to Ahn Baekdu’s body, which had been drained from fear and shock, and his previously foggy consciousness became clear. Ahn Baekdu, who had been licking the basement floor with his tongue, wary of wasting even a single drop, suddenly raised his head.
When their eyes met, Inheon said, “Drink as much as you can.”
“S-such a p-precious thing… why…?”
“Well, it’s nothing much to me.”
Unlike his nonchalant tone, the blue flames were as beautiful as they were cruel. The blade was directed at Ahn Baekdu’s thigh. Ahn Baekdu, who had just fully recovered moments earlier, could only muster another powerless scream.
“Ugh! Uaaaaagh!”
The pain, so intense that he’d rather faint, surged through him. His vision swirled with unbearable agony. However, he couldn’t lose consciousness. The body sustained by the elixir continued to heal itself, the wounds bubbling and simmering.
Inheon faintly smiled.
“Isn’t it fortunate that you’re a hunter?”
His body was slashed and healed again and again. Amidst the whirling pain, Ahn Baekdu realised that something had gone seriously wrong.
He was prepared to face death, but he didn’t actually end up facing it. His brain, stained with gambling, had dulled his sense of judgement. In those moments when he had been devising his plan, everything had seemed like it would go his way.
“Aah, aaaaghhh!”
It was only then that Ahn Baekdu truly realised what he had done. There was a reason why everyone else had backed down in fear.
Now, the only thing weighing down on Ahn Baekdu was his instinct for survival. All that remained was his resolve to escape from the pain. He felt like he could do just about anything to make it out of there alive.
“Haa, ugh…”
Ahn Baekdu dragged his barely recovered leg towards himself. He knelt and bowed his head low enough to touch the ground.
“Ugh, I was, sob, I was wro-wrong. Ple… please, sob, forgive me, just this once…”
The only thing that could save him was Inheon’s mercy, so Ahn Baekdu pleaded, clasping his hands together.
“I-i-if, haa, if you, spare me… I’ll never do it again, sob, I swear it, I really do! I’ll reflect and, haa, I’ll atone…”
“I heard you enjoy gambling. Care for a round?”
He heard a simple voice coming from above him. Ahn Baekdu barely managed to lift his head, which had been pressed against the floor.
Inheon retrieved a small coin from his pocket. Between Inheon’s fingers, the silvery metal shimmered in the fluorescent light.
“If it lands on heads, you live, and if it’s tails, you die. What do you say?”
Inheon flicked his finger. The coin flew into the air before falling to the basement floor. As the coin spun vertically on the floor, it slowly lost its momentum before finally toppling over.
It landed on heads.
“…H-heads? It’s heads! It’s heads, right? Heads? That’s it, isn’t it?”
Ahn Baekdu frantically checked before looking up at Inheon.
Inheon nodded. An overwhelming sense of ecstasy and joy washed over Ahn Baekdu’s face, which had been distorted by tension.
“I-I’m alive! I’m alive! Th-thank you! I will never, never again, sob, towards CEO Lee Juwon… ugh!”
With the sound of a blade ripping through the air, it lodged itself in Ahn Baekdu’s nape. His face contorted once more with intense pain.
“Don’t say his name.”
Ahn Baekdu opened his mouth and attempted to scream, but no sound emerged. Only the pain—piercing and tearing—dominated him.
“You may have done this, thinking you have nothing to lose, but… you’ll realise how much you actually have from now on.”
Bright rays of light gathered near his torn throat as his wound slowly healed. Inheon’s gaze lingered on the whites of Ahn Baekdu’s eyes, which were overturned in agony.
“The right to die is no longer yours.”
Pulse began to tumultuously gleam in the palm of Inheon’s hand. He had to pay the price for daring to touch the one thing he held dear, after all.
Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep–.
The sound of the door lock being undone echoed through the air.
Inheon quietly entered the house. As he set foot into the living room, his gaze met with Juwon’s, who was seated on the couch.
Silence momentarily hung over the spacious living room. Only the lights of the decorated Christmas tree placed on one side of the living room twinkled.
Inheon quietly took a seat at one end of the couch and looked at Juwon as he said, “Are you okay?”
Juwon let out a disbelieving laugh and said, “You’ve already received a report on it, so why’re you asking? I’m fine, but Secretary Kim kept nagging me, so I went to the hospital. Isn’t Team Leader Cha just openly tailing me now anyway?”
“I was wondering if you were shocked… You may seem alright now, but there could be issues like muscle pain or trauma, just like in car accidents.”
Juwon tilted his head, his gaze fixed on Inheon’s pallid complexion.
“Aren’t you the one who’s more shocked…?”
“…That’s why, from now on, I’ll make sure to stay by your side even more,” Inheon responded, slightly downcast. It seemed like he was blaming himself for being incapable of protecting him properly, and that made Juwon want to pull him into a hug and kiss him, but he had to restrain himself. They had much to discuss, and once they started kissing, who knew when it would stop.
Juwon leaned back into the plush couch and asked, “What happened with that guy?”
“He was handed over to the Ability User Prosecution Bureau.”
“…He was handed over alive, right?” Juwon doubtingly asked. He wasn’t concerned about whether that crazy bastard had died; his worry was if Inheon had killed him. It’d be a shame if Inheon had to dirty his hands because of someone like him. Of course, Inheon, who was the nicest and most righteous person in the world, would never do that, but…
Inheon confidently nodded. Juwon swept his chest and nodded as well.
“Then, good job. But what was up with that bastard? Why did he do that?”
“He’s an unregistered hunter, probably acting out of some inferiority complex.”
Inheon’s tone was calm, and Juwon wasn’t surprised either. Given that he was a bastard with a melted puddle for a brain, he had expected something along those lines, and he wasn’t particularly curious about it either. The only thing that surprised and intrigued him today was Inheon.
Juwon extended his hand towards him.
“Give me your phone.”
Inheon retrieved his phone from his pocket, unlocked it, and handed it over to Juwon.
When Juwon opened the messaging window, he noticed that his message history with the Pensus Team was at the very top. All this time, reports about Juwon’s actions had been sent at hourly intervals, and any special situations that occurred were reported in real-time.
He was also receiving separate reports about Juwon’s schedule from his secretary. It appeared that there were backup copies of the messages for every time Inheon changed his phone as well, as there was no end to the messages no matter how far back Juwon scrolled. Looking at the message window, which stretched all the way back to when Secretary Kim had first started working, Juwon mumbled with a little bit of a tired expression, “Secretary Kim wasn’t a secretary, but a mole…”
Inheon slightly coughed as he looked at a distant mountain. The way he always seemed to know Juwon’s movements almost seemed like telepathy. Anyhow, it was true that they were exchanging electromagnetic waves.
Inheon lowered his gaze and looked at Juwon. He spoke in a slightly nervous tone, “…I’m sorry for not telling you.”
Inheon didn’t want Juwon to get hurt. He didn’t want to disrupt his daily life, either.
He had hoped to lessen the mistrust, vigilance, and anxiety that had once filled Juwon, even if it was just a little. So he wanted Juwon to remain unaware of everything that posed a threat to him. However, he couldn’t deny the fact that he wanted to know about his every little move as well.
“Kang Inheon.”
“…Yes.”
Their gazes crossed. Inheon nodded, bracing himself for whatever reprimand was about to come his way.
It took a while before Juwon finally spoke.
“Thank you for always protecting me.”
Inheon was rendered momentarily speechless by Juwon’s earnest words. A little surprised by this unexpected reaction, he rubbed his dry cheek.
“…Doesn’t it upset you?”
“I’m a bit surprised, but…”
“……”
“So what? You’re my husband, aren’t you?”
Juwon, who had a serious expression on his face, teasingly lifted one corner of his mouth.
“You have the right to know everything about me.”
Observing the way Juwon’s eyes curved as he smiled, Inheon thought it resembled flower petals in full bloom beneath the sunlight. He looked just like he did when they were younger, with that smile that made Inheon want to pause everything around them.
“Come here.”
Juwon extended both arms. Inheon, who had been gazing at him in a daze, buried himself in his arms.
“Ugh…!”
Inheon’s weight overwhelmed Juwon, forcing him to recline on the long couch. Still, the weight that was pressing down on his body was always a welcome one.
Inheon, seemingly more bent than he was hugged due to their height and size difference, silently looked down at Juwon. Juwon raised his hand, cupping Inheon’s cheek as he whispered, “You’re the best Christmas present life has ever given me.”
Their faces drew nearer, close enough for their eyelashes to touch. Their lips met, gently overlapping like the descent of flower petals.
Warm breaths entwined, and the sound of their lips brushing against each other’s was distinct and ticklish.
As their lips gently parted, their gazes met once more.
Inheon’s chest felt overwhelmed again. It was due to the brilliance of this moment where he could see himself reflected in Juwon’s clear eyes.
But he no longer wished to stop time. Allowing time to run its course wouldn’t be a waste. Because moments like these would persist as long as he was with Juwon.
orcinus comments:
before last chapter!! juwon accepting inheon’s crazy will never not be funny to me like the 3x house price incident already confirmed the fact juwon’s aware that inheon stalks him (him assuming the reason inheon never gave harsh punishments to his stalkers was bc he felt a sense of camaraderie with them took me out 😭)
All these extras is killing me.
💖💖💖💖
oooh turns out the “private” user is this baekdu. the author really clever at giving subtle hints 😭
A tw for the torture pls
done~
Istg there’s nothing stopping me from re-reading, this shi is too good 😭