“Lee Hyeonseok.”
When I called out to Lee Hyeonseok, who was clicking his tongue while observing Cheon Jaekyung, he turned to look at me. He had looked incredibly menacing until just now, but perhaps thanks to Cheon Jaekyung, he didn’t seem particularly angry. I shyly lowered my eyes and carefully opened my mouth.
“You bastard. You’re really amazing.”
“……?”
“You know I trust you more than anyone, right?”
“Are you crazy?”
At my sudden buttering up, Lee Hyeonseok looked at me like I was insane and asked. Then he placed his hand on my forehead. It seemed he was checking if I had a fever. I almost let out harsh words at his attitude of genuinely treating me like a madman, but I smiled brightly while recalling what I had done.
People sometimes needed to be shameless. I was so shameless that Lee Hyeonseok froze in place with an indescribable expression. I felt embarrassed, but once I started, I had to see it through. I pretended not to notice and kept rambling on.
“You’ve never lied to me.”
“…What are you trying to say.”
“Just… well….”
Lee Hyeonseok seemed quite nervous, not knowing what would come out of my mouth. He looked a bit like a criminal being interrogated. Well, you see what you want to see—he looked exactly like someone with a guilty conscience. The sense of kinship made guilt about my illegal act creep up on me. I decided to steel my resolve by reminding myself that Cheon Jaekyung had picked a fight first.
“I was thinking that you said you’d have my back, being magnanimous and bold as you are.”
I subtly mentioned the utterly unreasonable contract we’d written about six months ago. The clause that said if it wasn’t my rut, we wouldn’t do it if I didn’t like it, and the clause that said whether I manifested as an omega or not, I’d stay for at most about six months. Lee Hyeonseok hadn’t kept any of it.
Of course, circumstances had changed to end up like this, and Lee Hyeonseok had helped out of goodwill, but anyway, he hadn’t kept the contract at all. While reading the room, I subtly pressured him with a look that said if you’re human, you should at least keep this promise.
“I misspoke.”
“Huh?”
As soon as Lee Hyeonseok heard my words, he pulled out a cigarette from his pocket with a face that said he’d never seen such an absurd bastard as me. His expression soon changed to bewilderment, and he muttered, “What was I even thinking….” Like a bastard who didn’t know the manners or common sense of asking permission before smoking in front of a non-smoker, he seemed not to know his own thoughts either. My situation of being held hostage by a bastard who knew absolutely nothing became complicated, but I didn’t show it on my face.
“You know what.”
“Yeah.”
Lee Hyeonseok stared at me intently and finally opened his mouth. Just as Lee Hyeonseok had been nervous not knowing what would come out of my mouth, I also swallowed dry saliva not knowing what would come out of Lee Hyeonseok’s mouth, but outwardly I acted nonchalant. Lee Hyeonseok had also regained his composure and returned to his usual arrogant atmosphere.
“I sometimes think there might come a day when I have to get you out of a detention cell.”
In Lee Hyeonseok’s imagination, I had apparently already committed some act and was waiting for him in a detention cell. Since I had prided myself on living without shame, I felt so wronged for a moment that I got choked up.
However, looking back at my recent actions, that wasn’t entirely wrong, so I kept my mouth firmly shut. Even right now, I had submitted a proxy military enlistment application for him. Rationally thinking, it was something I should have quietly waited to be sued for.
“…A detention cell. What did I even do.”
“Right, yeah. A detention cell—I thought about it too lightly.”
Should I quietly wait for a lawsuit, or should I humor Lee Hyeonseok and just screw over Cheon Jaekyung and be done with it? Obviously the latter was better. After finishing my weighing of options, I grinned and played coy, and he also gave a hollow laugh and played along. After giving me an agreement that wasn’t very welcome, Lee Hyeonseok deeply inhaled his cigarette.
“What do you mean lightly, ugh, cough! Cough!”
“Actually, I’m thinking I should reduce your sentence.”
Then he blew that smoke into my face. As if that wasn’t enough, he added unnecessary words.
To blow smoke at a non-smoker—what great home training he received. I was confused whether the first place Lee Hyeonseok should go was a psychiatric clinic or Sungkyunkwan etiquette school. I wanted to say something, whether curses or sarcasm, but having never smoked before, the cigarette smoke was too unbearable and I could only cough. Once again, tears welled up slightly.
Of course, Lee Hyeonseok just looked down at me with a satisfied expression, whether I was like that or not. Damn bastard, I hope you get lung cancer.
“It’d be good if you behave well.”
“Cough, cough. How can I behave any better than now.”
While saying that, he demanded even more obedience from me than now. I asked stubbornly while finishing my coughing. If I fawned any more than this, my back and palms would all wear away, so how could I do better? I wish he’d at least give examples before saying it. While I was exasperated, Lee Hyeonseok’s face, which seemed to be recalling something without even looking at me, looked quite serious.
“People have somehow become more complicated than before. Thanks to that, it’s become annoying to clean up after them.”
“People?”
“Yeah. They used to all be bastards who’d do whatever I told them to, but setting aside talking back, they’re trying to climb up or act above their station.”
I couldn’t know in detail what Lee Hyeonseok was talking about, but I guessed he might mean that the people in the book had become more human. Like how the flustered appearance of the guard, who had only acted businesslike and seemed like a machine, felt quite human.
“Did something happen?”
“Why. If something did, will you try being charming?”
When I asked slyly with anticipation of whether Lee Hyeonseok might be able to adapt to this world, his response was outrageous. It was amazing how every word he said was a gem. While I was at a loss for words, Lee Hyeonseok threw away his cigarette. Somehow I felt only an ominous premonition rather than thinking it was good.
“Try being charming.”
As expected, the ominous premonition was spot on. After throwing away his cigarette, Lee Hyeonseok came close enough for his breath to reach me and spoke while caressing my cheek. Unlike me, who was getting goosebumps along with chills, Lee Hyeonseok looked pleased. You bastard, how nice for you to be so pleased.
“That’s how I’ll have your back.”
“If I don’t, you’ll send me straight to prison?”
“Did you do something that deserves it?”
“…….”
When I retorted sullenly to Lee Hyeonseok’s brazen words, he hit the nail on the head. Lee Hyeonseok, who had been watching me gauge and read the room about whether to tell him or not, started laughing as if it was amusing. This time he looked like he was anticipating what on earth I had done. There was no longer any trace of his having been furiously angry about my secretly leaving the house without permission. Since I’d been inwardly troubled thinking how am I going to humor him again after seeing that menacing appearance earlier, I even thought it turned out well.
I decided to act docile rather than play coy. Since it had come to this anyway, I wanted to be charming as he wanted, but when I actually tried, nothing came to mind. If I just acted docile and humored him, he’d probably think it was aegyo or charm on his own. Lee Hyeonseok, unaware of my sinister heart, seemed to just think I was keeping my mouth shut because I felt guilty about causing trouble. He was now even making his eyes sparkle in anticipation of my charm.
“…Wait, your gaze is too burdensome.”
“Ugh….”
This time too I was about to just make a finger heart or something, but Lee Hyeonseok’s expectant gaze was too burdensome. Even if I put on a poker face, it was hard to ignore, and just as I was about to say something, a groaning sound came from below.
Mine and Lee Hyeonseok’s gazes turned toward inside the pit. It seemed Cheon Jaekyung was finally about to wake up.
“How did he end up like that.”
“Right.”
The guy who until last year had nothing he couldn’t do, nothing to fear, came looking all shabby and fell into a pit on his own and passed out. They say life is unpredictable—it was exactly that. At the pitiful sight, Lee Hyeonseok wasn’t sympathizing but clicking his tongue in disdain. Thinking about it one way, it was pitiful, but having more bad feelings than good feelings toward Cheon Jaekyung, I unconsciously agreed.
“Still, he wasn’t the type to be like this. Not just him but the other bastards too…. It’s hard to deny that things are gradually becoming different from the original.”
When I naturally agreed, Lee Hyeonseok started muttering, thinking we were on the same page. Seeing him look quite serious, I wanted to help too, but unfortunately, I had never properly read not just the original work but even web novels. Lee Hyeonseok glanced at me as if asking for my thoughts. I just smiled shyly and answered.
“I think I forgot since it’s my first possession, but you know it’s my first time too, right?”
Lee Hyeonseok openly sighed as if to say what do you expect from me. Ah, you bastard. Then at least tell me about the original work in detail. When I actually ask, you’re another bastard who’ll just vaguely brush it off.
“Seo, Jiwoo…!”
While glaring at Lee Hyeonseok with a surging heart, I heard Cheon Jaekyung call my name with difficulty in a dying voice. The voice was full of resentment, so for a moment I almost mistook that all the blame was only on me.
“Hey, should I… do something?”
While rubbing the back of my neck and trying to say, ‘I submitted a proxy military enlistment application for Cheon Jaekyung, so can I ask you to make sure I don’t get sued,’ Lee Hyeonseok picked up the shovel with a calm face.
I heard the sound of him raising his body from below, but perhaps he fell wrong when he fell, I heard a short groaning sound. Seeing him crouched unable to fully get up to about waist height, I wondered if he’d even injured a bone.
More than that, when I frowned and asked in a flat tone at Lee Hyeonseok’s ominous appearance holding the shovel, he smiled viciously and said.
“I’m going to bury him.”
“What the…! Lee Hyeonseok?”
Then he really started throwing dirt into the pit. At the pile of dirt that suddenly started falling, Cheon Jaekyung’s surprised voice was heard. Perhaps because it hurt quite a bit, he couldn’t get up and only raised his head, and when Cheon Jaekyung confirmed that Lee Hyeonseok was throwing dirt at him, he was shocked. It was a scene worthy of that reaction. While I had thought there was no way he’d actually bury him alive, I no longer wanted to be involved in this crazy situation. I should quietly slip away and go home in the meantime.
