Ian’s heart started beating noisily. It seemed Choi Jaeheon was moving. As if feeling it, Ian punched Vermouth’s chest with his fist. It was a signal to stop. He wanted to ignore it, but it seemed better to listen to him now.
Vermouth reluctantly pulled his lips away from Ian.
Silver thread-like saliva stretched long between the two, leaving a suggestive trace.
“Haa, haa.”
Ian panted roughly with a flushed face. His lips were swollen, and the corners of his eyes were wet. It wasn’t a face that had received normal treatment by any measure. He was full of heat like someone who had just finished making love.
“…Are you crazy? Why did you put your hand in!”
Ian protested quietly as if screaming silently and swatted away Vermouth’s hand.
Vermouth licked his lips with his tongue and smiled languidly. The poison hadn’t completely disappeared, but it had definitely weakened.
“I thought it might heal better if we touched as much as possible.”
“Don’t say things that don’t even sound like words.”
“It’s true. Why would I tell such a lie?”
“You always…! No, never mind. Is your body okay?”
“Yes, I feel much lighter. Sensation is returning to my arm too.”
It was as he said. Warmth began to return to his pale white face, and his eyes shone brightly. New flesh hadn’t grown on his arm yet, but compared to the beginning, he was overflowing with vitality.
“It’s very regrettable, but we should stop here for today, right?”
Ian glared at Vermouth and got off the bed. When he stepped onto the floor, his legs trembled. It was because of excessive divine power discharge and tension.
Right at that moment.
Footsteps were heard from the living room. It seemed Choi Jaeheon, who had been sitting on the sofa, had stood up. The sound got closer and closer, then stopped right in front of the door.
“Choi Ian.”
It was Choi Jaeheon’s voice. It was heard very close with just one door between them.
Ian stopped breathing.
“Are you sleeping?”
There was suspicion in his voice. As an S-rank Hunter, he couldn’t have missed the faint sound of clothes rustling and rough breathing heard from inside. Ian covered his mouth. Even breathing was difficult. If he answered now, his voice would tremble and he’d be caught for sure.
Vermouth lay slanted on the bed, pointing with his eyes at Ian’s disheveled clothes and reddened face, smiling as if enjoying it. This situation itself seemed to be entertainment for him.
‘I want to punch him hard.’
But Ian couldn’t turn his thoughts into reality.
Creak.
The doorknob turned slowly, very slowly.
Since it wasn’t locked, there was no way to stop it. A gap appeared and the door began to open. Through the gap in the door, the fluorescent light from the living room cut through the dark room like a sharp blade.
‘I’m screwed.’
Ian’s mind went blank.
This position, this face, this atmosphere. The moment hyung sees, everything is finished. Setting aside hyung getting angry, he was worried about what would happen next. Vermouth’s head would fly off.
There was nowhere to run. Ian, awkwardly straddling Vermouth, was a rat in a trap. In an instant, Ian’s instincts rang alarm bells loudly. Somehow he had to smooth over and hide this situation.
Ian pretended his strength gave out and collapsed onto Vermouth’s broad chest as if crumbling. Then he buried his flushed face in his embrace. It was the only way to hide his burning cheeks and swollen lips.
At the same time, Vermouth’s hand moved swiftly. He pulled down the disheveled shirt behind Ian’s back and yanked up the crumpled blanket to cover their suggestive position.
They were perfect accomplices moving as one body.
Click.
Then the door opened wide.
Choi Jaeheon stood in the doorway like a giant totem pole with the light behind him. His long, dark shadow fell over the two people on the bed. His sharp eyes swept over the bed. Ian lying face down buried in Vermouth’s chest. And Vermouth embracing him with one arm.
“…Ian?”
Choi Jaeheon’s voice sank coldly. The calm before the storm circulated through the room. A pressure that made even breathing difficult dominated the space.
“What are you doing there?”
It was a shameful position for others to see. It was natural for Choi Jaeheon, as his hyung, to ask such a question. But Ian didn’t raise his head. No, he couldn’t.
Ian mumbled in a crawling voice with his face buried in Vermouth’s chest.
“…Heart rate.”
“What?”
“The machine is acting strange, so I’m checking directly. I suddenly can’t hear the sound well.”
The excuse he squeezed out was nonsensical. Who would believe such a lie? When a state-of-the-art vital monitor was running perfectly fine right beside them, blaming the machine. It was an excuse even a passing dog wouldn’t believe.
Choi Jaeheon strode over. His footsteps were threatening enough to make the floor shake.
“Come out. I’ll check.”
Choi Jaeheon reached out his hand to grab Ian’s shoulder.
Just then, Vermouth, who had been quietly watching his actions, coughed roughly.
“Kugh. *Cough*!”
Vermouth clutched his chest with a pained expression. It wasn’t acting. The healing crisis phenomenon caused by the rapidly injected divine power forcibly driving out the poison in his body came belatedly and powerfully.
“I apologize, but Ian-nim is currently concentrating on treatment.”
Vermouth said in a cracked voice, but nevertheless utterly calm.
“The poison had spread to my heart. If Ian-nim hadn’t pressed down directly, I would already be dead.”
Choi Jaeheon’s gaze turned suspiciously to Vermouth’s wound. The wound that had been more than half blackened until earlier was in a much better state. What he said didn’t seem to be a lie. It was certain that Ian had taken some measures to save him.
Choi Jaeheon’s expression changed from suspicion to bewilderment.
“Phew.”
Only then did Ian slowly raise his head.
He deliberately tousled his hair to half-hide his reddened face. He bit his lips hard to hide the swelling and looked up at Choi Jaeheon with the world’s most exhausted expression. The corners of his eyes were wet and his face was flushed red.
To anyone, it was the desperate appearance of someone who had poured out their strength until exhaustion.
“Hyung, I’m really exhausted. I barely managed to calm the poison. I poured out too much energy, so I’m dizzy.”
Ian came down from Vermouth’s body while staggering. When his legs gave out and he swayed, Choi Jaeheon reflexively rushed over to support him.
“Be careful! What’s wrong with you? Your body is burning up.”
Ian’s body was hot. It was the aftermath of excessive use of power and the intense activity that had continued until just now. But Choi Jaeheon accepted it as a ‘side effect of devoted treatment.’
Choi Jaeheon supported his brother, who looked so exhausted that he felt pathetic for having suspected, and sat him in a chair.
“I’m sorry. Since you closed the door and there was no sign of anyone, I came in just in case. I misunderstood for nothing.”
“I appreciate the concern, but right now Vermouth needs stability. I need to rest a bit too.”
“Okay. I got it. Should I take you to your room if it’s hard to walk?”
“No. I’ll be able to walk after resting a little.”
“When else but at times like this would I get to hold our little brother?”
Choi Jaeheon took on the appearance of the affectionate older brother from before and picked Ian up. And in that state, he skillfully went outside and closed the door. Since Ian was being held in his arms, he couldn’t tell exactly what expression Choi Jaeheon was making. But the atmosphere changed subtly from when they left the room. But he couldn’t guess what caused it. He laid Ian on the bed and covered him with a blanket.
“Rest a bit. I’ll prepare something to eat.”
“Okay.”
“Is there anything you want to eat?”
“No, not really.”
“Then I’ll prepare something on my own?”
A large hand naturally swept through his hair. He thought ‘oh no’ belatedly realizing his face was revealed, but Choi Jaeheon didn’t say anything particular.
“Rest.”
He just left those words and went outside.
Standing in front of the closed door, Choi Jaeheon tried hard to calm his anger. What Ian did was a simple treatment act. There’s not even a bit of affection in it. If he didn’t think that way, he felt like he’d go crazy. Would it have been better if he hadn’t known about Ian’s ability at all? Knowing half-heartedly stimulates the imagination and makes it more painful. He dry-washed his face and headed to the kitchen.
The damn bastard is still a patient, so I should feed him porridge. And I need to prepare Ian’s favorite food. A stew and about three side dishes should do. Fortunately, the refrigerator was packed full of ingredients.
Bang!
The knife hit the cutting board with a violent sound. Naturally, the cutting board split in half, and Choi Jaeheon had to find a new cutting board. It seemed it wouldn’t be easy to settle his anger.
The next morning,
Ian, who opened his eyes to chirping birds and stinging sunlight, was startled to find himself on the bed and sat up abruptly. Then he soon remembered last night’s events and sighed quietly. Hyung said he’d prepare food, but it seemed he’d kept sleeping without even hearing it.
“Ah, I didn’t wash up.”
Ian headed leisurely to the bathroom.
