“Ian-nim.”
Vermouth called out to Ian with a pale face. Even though cold sweat poured down like rain, Vermouth’s violet eyes looking at him were strangely excited.
“Your hands are warm.”
“Shut up. You don’t have the strength, so don’t run your mouth.”
“Are you worried about me? If so, then getting injured like this isn’t so bad.”
Ian’s eyebrows twitched.
How could he say something like that at a time like this? Ian wanted to punch him, but he couldn’t since Vermouth was a patient. Ian’s insides were burning up, but the person in question acted as carefree as if he’d gone on a picnic. He tried not to get angry and spoke in a low voice.
“Are you really insane? Your arm was cut off. You can’t even get proper treatment right now—aren’t you worried? Don’t you know what that means?”
“I know.”
Vermouth answered calmly.
“But if it’s for you, Saint-nim, I could give you my heart, so isn’t just one arm rather cheap? If you’re safe, I’m fine with having all my limbs cut off.”
There was no lie in Vermouth’s words. And that made Ian even angrier. This man sometimes thought of his own body as nothing more than a disposable tool. Especially when protecting Ian.
That blind and twisted devotion pressed down on Ian’s chest.
“Don’t be ridiculous. Your body is yours. Don’t treat it carelessly. Do you think I’d be happy if you get hurt?”
Ian growled, openly displaying his anger. But Vermouth seemed pleased even by that.
“Just wait until you’re healed, including what happened earlier. I really won’t let you off then!”
“Haha. How exciting. I wonder what punishment you’ll give me.”
Vermouth smiled, his eyes crinkling as if he received even Ian’s threats as rewards. Ian let out an incredulous laugh. Really, there was no getting through to this guy.
While the conversation went back and forth, blue veins bulged on the back of Choi Jaeheon’s hand gripping the steering wheel. The leather handle screamed with a ‘screech.’
From what he saw in the rearview mirror, the two seemed quite close. Choi Jaeheon found it unbearably irritating. Ian getting angry at Vermouth, worrying about him, feeling sorry for him—all those emotional exchanges made Choi Jaeheon feel thoroughly alienated.
He’d definitely thought he was grateful to Vermouth for helping save his brother. His head really thought it was fortunate, but his heart didn’t. Why did his insides twist like this? It felt like someone was scorching his body with fire. He should have been the one protecting Ian and lying there instead.
That’s how desperate his thoughts had become.
“…We’re here.”
Choi Jaeheon spoke in a stiffly hardened voice.
They’d arrived at a luxury house on the outskirts of Chuncheon that Hong Seoyoon had provided. Perhaps because it was a carefully chosen house, the atmosphere was different from the entrance.
“We’re here! Stay here for the time being. Just in case, I’ve set up various devices so it’ll be safe. Plus there’s a treatment room inside.”
Hong Seoyoon explained while telling them the entrance password.
Then Choi Jaeheon put down the luggage and said, “Yeah, thanks.”
“Thanks? Between friends! Well then, I’ll be going now, so keep a good watch on that guy.”
“What about you?”
“Mm, I need to go pick up the buffer.”
“You could just tell him to come down.”
“No way, how can I let such a precious person travel alone? Well, I’ll be back!”
The excuse sounded plausible, but no matter how you looked at it, he was running away. He seemed to be avoiding the situation in case Choi Jaeheon would nag him about hiding Ian for a week. That had also put Ian in danger. To be precise, the culprit was the sudden gate, but reason tends to disappear when it comes to someone you like.
After that, once Hong Seoyoon disappeared to handle the situation, a strange and uncomfortable cohabitation of three people began.
Ian laid Vermouth down on the master bedroom bed with Choi Jaeheon’s help. And then Choi Jaeheon set up an IV for him.
“Hyung, don’t you not have a medical license?”
“Awakeners receive basic medical treatment training. Regular people can’t enter gates.”
“I see.”
But was it just his imagination that the hand inserting the needle seemed to have personal feelings in it? He did succeed on the first try, but it looked quite painful. Ian helped with the other treatments. He couldn’t set up IVs, but his hands seemed quite practiced at caring for patients.
“In Lancia, priests were mostly in charge of the wounded. When divine power sometimes ran out, I had to use other methods, so I did it a lot.”
At Ian’s words, Choi Jaeheon unconsciously gritted his teeth. It pained him to realize that Ian had struggled where he couldn’t see. As if noticing his feelings, Ian shook his head.
“It’s okay. It wasn’t a bad experience.”
Everyone called Ian Saint-nim and respected him. Sometimes that became a burden, but the moments when he did his best to save people were rewarding.
“I’ll go check if there’s anything the patient can eat. Stay put.”
After saying that, Ian left the room for a moment.
Only Vermouth lying on the bed and Choi Jaeheon watching him like a guard remained in the room. A heavy silence flowed through the room.
Choi Jaeheon looked down at Vermouth.
His complexion was as pale as a corpse from losing too much blood, but only his eyes were still arrogant. The violet eyes looking up at him seemed to hold mockery.
A hateful rival he wanted to kill. A bastard he wanted to grab by the collar and throw out of this house right now. But there was one undeniable fact.
Without him, Ian would have died. In the instant when he himself couldn’t react, it was Vermouth who threw his body. So he had to say what needed to be said.
“…Thank you.”
Choi Jaeheon opened his mouth as if squeezing out the words. The pride he forcibly swallowed scratched his throat like broken glass shards.
“For saving Ian. I’m truly grateful.”
It was sincere. If Ian was safe, his own pride could go to hell. He hated being indebted, but he had to acknowledge what needed acknowledging.
But Vermouth’s reaction was unexpected.
“There’s no reason for me to receive thanks from you.”
Vermouth smirked. Despite being in pain, his expression looked relaxed.
“I merely protected my god. For a believer to give their life for their god—isn’t that more natural than breathing?”
It would be words that would make the Goddess Regnasia gasp if she heard them. But her influence didn’t reach here, and Vermouth had realized that long ago. Then wouldn’t it be fine to worship the person he loved most as his god?
Moreover, his words were an arrogant and self-righteous declaration claiming ownership of Ian.
‘I’ve devoted this much for Ian. What have you done?’
That silent mockery lay on the surface.
“You really are a son of a bitch.”
Choi Jaeheon clenched his jaw tight and made a fist. But he couldn’t actually do anything to Vermouth. He slowly inhaled and forcibly suppressed his emotions. And he finished his thanks by bowing his head to him.
Just then, Ian entered the room.
“What were you doing?”
Ian asked, reading the atmosphere that had become more murderous than before he left.
“No, nothing.”
Choi Jaeheon said that and turned to go outside. If he stayed any longer, patient or not, he felt like he’d grab him by the collar and slam him to the floor.
Ian looked at the closing door puzzled, then turned his gaze to Vermouth.
“Why is your expression fierce again?”
“You know the reason better than I do, don’t you? What did you say to hyung?”
“Hmm, he thanked me for saving Ian-nim, so I merely told him I did what was natural.”
Even in the original dimension, Vermouth had said quite a lot of things that got under people’s skin. Because he was the strongest and humanity’s hope, there was no one to restrain his behavior.
Except for Ian.
He pinched the cheek of Vermouth, who lied with the world’s most innocent expression. Seeing him pretend to be composed while cold sweat dripped from his forehead made Ian’s heart ache on one hand.
“Ian-nim?”
“Don’t be spiteful to hyung.”
“I’ll try.”
It was an unreliable answer, but it was better than not trying at all. Ian sighed and sat down beside the bed.
“Does your arm hurt a lot?”
“It’s bearable. Since Ian-nim is by my side.”
“I’m not a painkiller. And don’t lie.”
The moment Ian briefly stopped his actions, Vermouth’s body began to collapse. The poison had decreased a lot, but it seemed like Vermouth would die faster than the poison could be removed.
