At first, he continued contact unavoidably because if he didn’t send replies quickly, malicious comments would be left, then next he completely tore apart the defeatist way of thinking for the purpose of digging up personal information. Who would have thought that would become great comfort to Pyeonghwa who was living as a hikikomori? A corner of his heart felt uncomfortable for no reason…….
“Honestly, noona’s personality is total trash, you know?”
“What?”
“She’s always angry, cursing, only saying what she wants to say… I looked it up online and it seems like narcissistic personality disorder? That thing. So she probably has no friends either?”
“Fuck, you said you like her?”
“I love her like crazy. I’m probably the only man who can handle that personality.”
What? Narcissistic personality disorder? Dohae suppressed the urge to smack Pyeonghwa’s head. If Pyeonghwa found out that he had been pretending to be a woman all this time, he felt like he’d want to drown his face in dishwater and die.
“Ha…… Why did you leave malicious comments about Do Dohae?”
“Malicious comments? Did I say that?”
“You did.”
“Eh, why would I say that in front of hyung?”
“You did.”
“Really……?”
“You did it because you were drunk.”
“Heop!”
When Dohae insisted to the end, Pyeonghwa raised both hands and covered his mouth. He cowered as if frightened and rolled his eyes around, gauging Dohae’s mood.
When Dohae’s expression wasn’t visible behind the hat and mask, he tilted his head diagonally. Just a little more…… Eventually Pyeonghwa’s upper body bent strangely.
“Kkeue… My back, my back is broken……!”
“Ha.”
Such nonsense. Dohae reached out and cupped Pyeonghwa’s head, then lifted it up at once. Pyeonghwa, returned to his original state, panted and reclined the seat back all the way.
“Hyung, can I talk while lying down? A man’s life is his back.”
“Do whatever you want.”
“So hyung found out I’m Pax? From my own mouth?”
“Yeah.”
“Ah shit, alcohol is really dangerous. Actually, I tried alcohol for the first time today, you know? I thought 10 minutes had passed but… huh? Didn’t I say this already?”
“That’s the third time.”
“Aha.”
Pyeonghwa stared blankly at Do Dohae with drowsy eyes. Having watched so many broadcasts he appeared in, he had now reached a level where he could understand his mood just from the minute movements of facial muscles. But with his face covered like that, there was absolutely nothing he could know.
For now, he was answering properly and didn’t seem that angry… but he couldn’t be sure. Pyeonghwa deliberately spat out mean words as a test.
“Do Dohae stupid idiot.”
“……”
“Dual personality scumbag.”
“……”
“Ugly.”
“Stop.”
“Yes.”
There was no big reaction. Pyeonghwa stretched his head out to look at the footrest and swung his feet back and forth. He thought that black energy that had choked Oh Gidong’s neck had popped up from below, so he checked under his feet, but even with his eyes wide open, there was nothing.
‘Wow, so unexpected. I thought Do Dohae was a petty coward, but he’s cooler than I thought.’
Suddenly Dohae felt like an adult. He doesn’t scold, hit, or kill! Until now, the person he feared most in the world was Do Dohae, but Pyeonghwa’s fear subsided.
‘But wait! He found out I’m Pax, but he doesn’t know why I left malicious comments? Isn’t that crazy?’
There was a reason why they say perpetrators don’t remember. Without ever imagining in his dreams that the destination of this road would be his grave, Pyeonghwa pouted his lips and opened his mouth in a sullen voice.
“About the malicious comments. I left them because hyung lied, you know?”
“Lied?”
“You have a dirty personality but pretended to be nice, you hit me hard but smiled prettily at other people.”
“Ha, just for that reason?”
“Just? Gojakak? Wow! You have no conscience!”
Pyeonghwa fumed and stamped his feet. Dohae kept glancing at Pyeonghwa’s legs because he was bothered by the dirty shoe soles touching here and there. He wanted to grab his thighs and push them down, but he couldn’t bring himself to touch his body, so only his hands twitched.
“Noh Pyeonghwa, put your legs down. Stay still……!”
“What do you mean stay still again? I was stuck at home for years because of hyung!”
“What? Because of me?”
“Yes! Because of hyung! You said you’d monitor me! You knew my name, my dad’s and moms’ names, even my home address! Back then I thought hyung was a criminal, so I was scared and gave up everything and didn’t go outside! Do you know how angry I was when I saw hyung on TV?”
“……Ah.”
“The place where I got hit aches and throbs whenever it rains. How am I supposed to get married? What if noona won’t meet me because the scar is disgusting? Huk, fuck, my butt!”
Screeech! Dohae urgently pulled the car over to the shoulder. Pyeonghwa was the one who screamed like the world was ending, but Dohae was the one panting heavily.
Dohae was shocked by the fact that the butt scar he obsessed over like a madman in his dreams was a wound he had made himself by beating him until he bled.
So Pyeonghwa becoming a hikikomori and leaving malicious comments with a grudge were all…… Dohae banged his head on the steering wheel and squeezed his eyes shut.
Perhaps the ring was trying to let him know that Pyeonghwa’s life was ruined because of him. The ring’s original owner was also Pyeonghwa. It was a very disgusting and terrible dream, but there was no punishment worse than that.
“A-am I going to die now?”
Pyeonghwa, who had been cheerfully pouring out resentment, was quickly deflated and asked while stammering. Dohae’s broad back heaving roughly looked like he was swallowing down anger.
Pyeonghwa looked around hurriedly. They were alone on a road between the foot of mountains densely packed with tall trees.
“……No.”
“Ah shit, I don’t want to die… Can’t you not kill me? It’ll be over soon anyway……”
“Sorry. Fuck, I said I’m sorry!”
Dohae shouted and raised his body that had been bent over. He crumpled the hat and threw it away carelessly, pulled off the mask from his ears, then glared at Pyeonghwa with reddened eyes.
Honestly, he didn’t know what he did so wrong. He saved a stupid brat who came into a Gate to awaken, and when he saved him and the kid tried to report him to the police, he disciplined him with a few spanks on the butt. Calculating even what splattered on his clothes from vomiting, he should have hit him twenty more times, but he let it go because he whined so much. He even took him all the way to the hospital!
But what? He became a hikikomori because of him? Who told him not to leave the house? Fuck, such an idiot! He had no choice but to apologize to escape the ring’s curse, but Dohae, whose pride was stuck at the end of the sky, felt humiliated. Dohae ground his teeth and glared at Pyeonghwa.
“Uh…… that…… yes……”
Pyeonghwa blinked with a blank face. He doesn’t seem sorry at all…… No, more than that, why is he staring at me so intently…… He had a lot to say, but his lips wouldn’t move.
Whoosh. Heat rose to the top of his head belatedly. It felt like drunkenness was rapidly spreading.
“I apologized. You received an apology. That’s the end, the end!”
“Yeeees…… But can you stop staring? I’ve encountered hyung a lot through videos. But now you’re approaching in 3D so I need an adjustment period……?”
“Fuck, what are you saying?”
“If you put on the mask too, I’d be more grateful….”
Pyeonghwa picked up the mask and politely handed it over with both hands. Dohae clicked his tongue, then put on the mask he gave him and grabbed the steering wheel again. Pyeonghwa, who breathed a sigh of relief, straightened the reclined seat.
“Hyung, if you want to hide being Do Dohae, you need to cover your eyes too. I recognized you because your eyes are pretty, I’m saying. Look earlier too. Yoon Gyeom ahjussi said Dohae something or other, but you didn’t hear, right? I sensibly coughed right away so you probably didn’t hear. I’m telling you this because hyung apologized to me.”
“Let’s just close your mouth and go now, Noh Pyeonghwa.”
Dohae turned the steering wheel sharply. Pyeonghwa tilted his head at the sudden U-turn. Come to think of it, the time to arrive home had long passed, but they were still in the middle of deep mountains.
Geez, not using navigation so he went the wrong way. He acts so tough but has stupid aspects. Pyeonghwa giggled and entered his home address in the navigation.
“Then can I just close my eyes for 5 minutes?”
“Don’t open your eyes until we arrive.”
“Eh, how can you say that? In Shorts they said you’re a villain if you sleep in the passenger seat. It’s manners to keep talking to the driver……”
“You’re a villain when awake, so close your eyes.”
“Awesome.”
Pyeonghwa reclined the backrest even deeper than before. In this lying position, he could only see Do Dohae’s ear and the hand holding the steering wheel. Pyeonghwa’s eyes slowly closed while blinking.
To be able to be this comfortable next to Do Dohae. What a thing to see after living long. It didn’t seem sincere, but he even got an apology. The beautiful face stained with humiliation came to mind and he giggled.
Do Dohae wasn’t as scary as he thought. Even though his personality is dirty…… He hadn’t completely forgiven him, but from today it seemed like he could sleep with his feet stretched out.
“But you know, hyung…… I don’t hate hyung that much anymore…… Except for the butt……”
Pyeonghwa murmured softly with his eyes closed. Dohae didn’t answer at all.
