Chapter 44: Not Yet Ended
Muyeong, who had been maintaining eye contact with Kang Sunhyuk, slowly shifted his gaze.
“We cannot designate a specific person for you. We send the most suitable person based on the situation and timing.”
It was essentially a rejection. However, whether he understood or not, Sunhyuk’s face remained smiling.
“Is there anything truly impossible in this world? If something can’t be done, you just have to make it happen.”
Then he showed Muyeong two fingers.
“I’ll pay double. Twice the usual request fee.”
This was the first time someone had approached them this way. Most who sought Muryeong valued appearances and didn’t even attempt to negotiate the request fee. It wasn’t a small amount, but they were people who could afford to pay whatever was asked.
“Why must it be that child specifically?”
“Because Kang Dohyuk liked him.”
The reason was absurdly straightforward. But Muyeong narrowed his eyes. Claiming to be his brother yet wanting Yeon because Dohyuk had liked him could be interpreted in many ways.
“Ah, you seem to be overthinking. It’s not complicated. I just think he must be trustworthy since even the fastidious Kang Dohyuk acknowledged him and kept him around.”
Muyeong gazed steadily at Sunhyuk. He couldn’t distinguish whether his words were true or false. In most such cases, truth and falsehood were appropriately mixed. The statement that Dohyuk had acknowledged him was true, but that this was the only reason was probably false.
“He’s not injured, is he? I heard he was shot at that time…”
Sunhyuk’s brow furrowed as if he hadn’t considered this possibility.
“Thanks to the good first aid he received, he’s recovering well.”
“Ah… recovering…”
Again, this didn’t seem to please Sunhyuk as he echoed Muyeong’s words with a mutter. His face clearly showed that he thought it wouldn’t be right to take someone who was still sick.
What a strange person. Despite his rough speech and behavior, he had a soft side. Muyeong closed his eyes and sank into thought. The image of Yeon standing absentmindedly in the courtyard, staring somewhere far away these past few days, lingered in his mind.
Yeon was still attached to the secular world, specifically to Kang Dohyuk. Whether this would be good or harmful to Yeon, he couldn’t readily determine.
‘When the time comes, this child will be drawn to his fate. But at its end awaits only a bloody storm.’
It was something said by Muryeong’s master long ago. Was Kang Dohyuk Yeon’s destiny? A groan circled in his throat.
“Call the child here.”
When Muyeong instructed the person waiting beside him, they briefly showed a surprised expression, then bowed their head and left the room.
“The child will make his own choice. However, even if he accepts, there is one condition.”
At Muyeong’s words, Sunhyuk nodded, indicating he should state any terms.
“You must ensure he never encounters Kang Dohyuk, his previous client. That is the only condition.”
Though concerned about what reaction this might provoke, Sunhyuk brightly smiled and nodded. Saying he could easily accommodate that, Muyeong quietly exhaled. It confirmed his suspicion that this man and Dohyuk were not on good terms.
Would it truly benefit Yeon to send him with such a person? Though the choice would be Yeon’s, Muyeong’s thoughts grew complicated as he considered various possibilities.
“I was told you called for me.”
Yeon’s voice was heard from outside the door.
“Come in.”
Entering the room, Yeon hesitated when he saw Sunhyuk. Sunhyuk, seemingly recognizing Yeon, greeted him with an “Oh!”
“Why is this person here…”
“He wishes to make a request of you.”
At this calm response, Yeon’s eyes widened. His reaction showed this was completely unexpected.
“We’ve met before, right? Sorry I mistook you for a sugar baby back then.”
Sunhyuk rose from his seat and extended his hand to Yeon. It was meant as a handshake, but Yeon just stared blankly at the hand without responding. Embarrassed, Sunhyuk withdrew his hand and awkwardly ran it through the back of his hair.
“The atmosphere was a bit off then, so I misunderstood. If you were offended, please let it go.”
At Sunhyuk’s unnecessary excuse, Yeon turned to look at Muyeong. Muyeong’s eyebrows furrowed as he tried to make sense of Sunhyuk’s words.
“You said he has a request?”
Yeon asked, as if cutting off Muyeong’s thoughts. Muyeong looked back and forth between Yeon and Sunhyuk.
“You may choose whether to accept or decline.”
Yeon’s eyes widened. Never before had the choice of a request been left to an individual. Until now, Muyeong had always accepted requests and designated the most suitable person for the task. But now he was telling Yeon to choose, which seemed to confuse him.
Though Muyeong was the head of Muryeong, even he couldn’t know the entire future. Sometimes he feared what consequences his choices might bring. Going against fate had its repercussions, while conforming to it sometimes led toward a mire. That’s why, this time, he couldn’t make the choice.
He was certain that this was a crossroads that could either lead to a bloody storm or avoid it, but he couldn’t tell which was the right choice.
“Follow where your heart leads you on whether to accept or decline Kang Sunhyuk’s request.”
At Muyeong’s words, Yeon pressed his lips together and bowed his head.
“…I will accept.”
It was a quiet answer, barely audible.
Yeon was someone who could see the connections between people. He must have already noticed that Dohyuk and Sunhyuk didn’t have a good connection. Yet he accepted Sunhyuk’s request. Whether this was a choice to cut off his lingering attachment to Dohyuk, or a desire to remain entangled with Dohyuk in whatever way possible, even Muyeong couldn’t tell.
“Go prepare. Since Kang Sunhyuk came all the way here himself, you can leave together.”
Yeon acknowledged and went back to gather his belongings.
“Is the request fee in cash?”
Sunhyuk asked, judging that the deal was sealed. Muyeong replied that he would inform him separately later.
“Please don’t forget the condition for accepting the request.”
Whether he had momentarily forgotten or didn’t understand, Sunhyuk initially looked confused, but then seemed to remember and loudly assured him not to worry.
Would sending Yeon with this man truly ensure he wouldn’t encounter Dohyuk? Whether this small rebellion against fate was foolish or wise, only time would tell.
***
Kang Sunhyuk glanced sideways at Yeon sitting next to him. His demeanor was completely different from when Sunhyuk had seen him in Dohyuk’s office. Then, perhaps due to Sunhyuk’s sudden intrusion, he had seemed flustered, but now his face was so expressionless that one might wonder if he had any emotions at all.
“What’s your name?”
At the question, Yeon turned to look at him. It was a strange feeling, seeing his own face reflected in those blue eyes. They reminded him of the glass marbles he had played with as a child.
“Whatever you…”
Yeon began to answer but then, for some reason, slightly furrowed his brows. After a soft sigh, he spoke again.
“You can call me Yeon.”
“Yeon? How old are you?”
“…I don’t know exactly.”
At this peculiar answer, it was Sunhyuk’s turn to frown. He thought it odd that someone wouldn’t know their own age.
“If you answered Dohyuk like this, with his personality, he must have gone ballistic…”
There are various ways of going ballistic, but knowing that guy, he probably would have just given a cold stare without even treating you like a person. Yeon didn’t deny Sunhyuk’s assumption.
“Maybe it’s the clothes, but your vibe is definitely different from when I saw you before.”
Sunhyuk looked Yeon up and down. With his light brown hair and blue eyes that didn’t match his white shaman’s robe, Sunhyuk thought he would be better suited as an entertainer than a shaman.
“Want to quit being a shaman and try becoming a celebrity? I’ll back you up.”
More than the sudden informal speech, it was the unexpected suggestion that caused wrinkles to form between Yeon’s brows.
“With your looks, girls would go crazy even if you just modeled.”
Yeon quietly observed him. This person really just says whatever pops into his head, he realized. Even after just a few exchanges, Yeon could tell these were meaningless words. It was completely different from Dohyuk, whose thoughts remained unreadable even in conversation.
“But seriously, nothing ever happened between you and Dohyuk?”
At the suspicious glance, Yeon turned away from him and looked at Lee Seojin sitting in the front seat. Though pretending otherwise, Seojin was clearly on edge. A murky yellow thread stretched from him to Yeon, clinging and pulling taut. Yeon could feel his tension. While jealous because of Dohyuk, Seojin was also worried that Yeon might recognize him and tell Sunhyuk about his connection to Dohyuk.
“I am merely a shaman.”
Not an entertainer receiving sponsorship, nor a prostitute selling his body. Unlike Dohyuk, Sunhyuk hadn’t mentioned those things, but Yeon still felt annoyed.
“Dohyuk keeping a mere shaman by his side all day? Even a passing dog would laugh.”
Sunhyuk scoffed at the absurdity. Knowing Dohyuk’s character, Yeon didn’t refute this.
“Well, it doesn’t matter either way. I’ll have to think about how to use you going forward.”
Sunhyuk said he was tired from traveling such a long distance, leaned back in his seat, and closed his eyes. Yeon carefully observed the various colored threads swirling around Sunhyuk. Among them was clearly a black thread.
Could that thread be connected to Dohyuk? He couldn’t be sure. Just because both Dohyuk and Sunhyuk had ill fate, it didn’t mean their threads were connected. They could be separate ill fates.
Still, Yeon had accepted Sunhyuk’s request because of the slight possibility. If Sunhyuk’s ill fate was connected to Dohyuk, he wanted to sever it from this end.
If only he had confirmed it properly when they had met in Dohyuk’s office that day…
Recalling that day made his face feel hot. He turned his head toward the window and calmed his unsettled heart by watching the passing scenery.
Though Dohyuk’s request was already finished, nothing inside him was resolved. Severing Dohyuk’s ill fate had nothing to do with Muryeong’s work. This was purely his own destiny, continuing from a previous life.
