“As I mentioned earlier, it’s research on whether betas can belatedly manifest as other traits, so what we mainly need is Jiwoo-ssi’s blood. Sometimes we may need urine too.”
“From that explanation alone, it doesn’t seem like I need to come here.”
“You’ll understand if you follow me.”
Following the researcher, we had already arrived in front of a room called ‘Trait Observation Laboratory’. He opened the door with a smile.
For something called a laboratory, the inside looked like an ordinary room at first glance. There was not only a sofa and bed, but also a bookshelf, television, and even a dining table. The only difference from a home was the glass installed instead of a wall around the edge of the room. It seemed to be a structure where one could watch the inside of the room from inside the glass, which reminded me of the fact that this was a laboratory.
“You can read a book or sleep in this room, it doesn’t matter.”
Why is it always only you guys who don’t care. I was just flabbergasted, but the researcher was excited and busy with the guidance.
“It will take about 30 minutes.”
I was relieved they weren’t giving injections or making me take medicine, but the fact that someone would be watching was quite burdensome.
“If you’re uncomfortable about anything, please call out loudly. Conversational sounds are soundproofed so they won’t be heard.”
With those words, the researcher opened the door to the glass area and went inside.
“…What are you doing?”
Lee Hyeonseok, who I thought would either follow the researcher or go take care of some other business for a moment, picked up the remote control on the dining table and sat on the sofa.
“I’m getting observed together too.”
Lee Hyeonseok, who spoke without even looking at me and turned on the television, was choosing a movie.
“Observation? Why. Haven’t you already manifested…?”
“Something about confirming the differences with a beta or whatever.”
―Oh no, this is terrible. Nikolai has discovered a bear and a baby bear. As expected, it was the bear that ruined Nikolai’s backyard. In Russia, bears are commonly seen animals. At this rate, Nikolai will inevitably become the bear’s fun toy or delicious food. Either way, it’s a pleasant thing for the bear.
Just then, an exciting narration was flowing from the documentary channel that was on. I almost got absorbed in the documentary but came to my senses and asked Lee Hyeonseok again.
―Fortunately, the bear hasn’t discovered Nikolai yet and is absorbed in playing with its cub in the backyard.
“What differences?”
“It’s probably just that it would be good to have something to compare with.”
“……”
―Nikolai is pondering what to do about the bear. Nikolai could choose an effective physical means like a gun if it comes to it, but he can’t just catch it carelessly. Bears are animals protected by the state, so if you catch them without permission, you can receive legal punishment. Since Nikolai is in his twenties with many days left to live, he seems hesitant to commit illegal acts.
To take Lee Hyeonseok’s words at face value, I wasn’t that stupid, but to suspect him, he had never lied to me until now.
―Of course, running away is the best method, but a bear with a cub is very sensitive and ferocious. If you clumsily run away, it will chase you at a speed of 50km per hour. Recklessly running away or charging at an opponent you can’t beat isn’t a very good idea. Nikolai must make a good judgment.
“Hah…”
In the end, I sighed and sat in the chair attached to the table. For now, this was the best course of action. Rather than bringing something up for no reason and making our relationship awkward, it was better to at least pretend to maintain a good relationship.
―Ah! Nikolai has moved. What on earth will Nikolai do…
As mentioned earlier, since there were no drugs or injections, I was about to focus on the documentary in earnest with the mindset of just watching this time, when Lee Hyeonseok must have chosen a movie because the movie’s intro started instead of the documentary footage.
“Ah!”
“What.”
“I was watching that…”
“Fuck, what taste.”
When I let out a short exclamation in surprise and disappointment, Lee Hyeonseok looked at me and asked. When I expressed my disappointment as is, Lee Hyeonseok even snorted and disparaged my taste. This is why he gets screwed over by his half-sister. After being done like that, to continue like this, doesn’t that mean he wants to get screwed over again?
While I was briefly contemplating whether to write a BL novel featuring Lee Hyeonseok, he changed the screen back to the previous channel. I was surprised by the unexpected action, but the documentary must have already ended as a narration saying “to be continued next week” started along with commercials.
“……”
“I think you have fucking terrible luck.”
“How much worse must the luck be for the person who gets done by that bastard with fucking terrible luck.”
“Want to bleed a little too?”
“If it weren’t for hyung, it would have been a huge disaster. How are you so lucky?”
“A bastard with no guts keeps yapping all the time.”
“A broad-minded person should be patient.”
Because Lee Hyeonseok was being sarcastic, my accumulated resentment burst out, but I quickly calmed down at the following threat. At my blatant flattery, Lee Hyeonseok sneered and turned the movie back on, but if we could get past this smoothly, it didn’t matter whether he sneered or not.
What Lee Hyeonseok chose was a horror movie. Inwardly, I thought he would choose a queer film, but my expectation was completely off. I didn’t know he’d like thrillers. I thought he’d at least watch melodramas… I was thinking that far when I came to my senses.
First impressions were this important. Though I shouldn’t judge by appearances, from the outside Lee Hyeonseok was far from an image of queer films or melodramas. Considering his actual personality, preferring rough things suited him. It was just because my first impression was ‘a rake who enjoys reading BL novels’ that I naturally thought he would choose queer films or melodramas.
―So, whose villa is it?
―I told you. Eddie discovered it a few months ago.
―Eddie? That guy who always spouts weird things? Isn’t it dangerous?
―Who cares. What’s important is that we found the villa and there’s a lake where we can swim 10 minutes away!
Not knowing my thoughts, Lee Hyeonseok was setting the movie to 1.5x speed. Since it would take about 30 minutes, he seemed intent on quickly skipping the predictable beginning parts.
The characters who had been greeting their parents just a moment ago were already in the car chatting among themselves. Two women, two men. A scene of a total of four people riding in the car continued. Then the man sitting in the driver’s seat turned around and asked, and the woman answered with a smile.
It was a horror movie with an obvious cliché. Now they’ll go to that villa and meet a serial killer or evil spirit or something, and either they’ll all be killed one by one, or only one person will survive, or only the male and female protagonists will survive—that would be the ending.
“Haah…”
“Can’t watch horror, I see?”
“I just don’t prefer it, it’s not that I can’t watch it.”
When I sighed at a genre I didn’t particularly prefer, Lee Hyeonseok spoke with a face saying that worked out well. This bastard, don’t tell me… he chose it hoping I’d hate it. He really went out of his way. With this much effort, there’s nothing he couldn’t do.
“Don’t decline. I’ll lend you my embrace.”
“Ugh…”
When Lee Hyeonseok even lightly spread his arms toward me with a sneer, a disgusted sound came out of me reflexively. It was truly an unconscious action. True to an expression made without any thought whatsoever, it was perfect for pissing off Lee Hyeonseok. Sure enough, the corners of his mouth that had been curved up—even a sneer counts as a smile—became a straight line.
“Sit.”
“Yep.”
I prepared to beg quickly before getting hit once, but Lee Hyeonseok was faster. He commanded without inflection, so I answered obediently and scurried over in front of Lee Hyeonseok. As if he’d been waiting, Lee Hyeonseok spread his legs enough for me to sit. It seemed he really was going to lend me his embrace. Ugh…
“Wow, how comfortable.”
“Where else would you find an embrace like this.”
“Exactly.”
“We’re going to see each other for a long time, so it’d be nice if you acted pretty on your own.”
“Even if I don’t act pretty, please see me prettily, I should borrow that too.”
It was fucking terrible, but once I gave him empty words like reading from a Korean textbook, he acted all proud saying it was good again. Of course, Lee Hyeonseok also knew my words were empty. Instead of pointing it out, he deliberately praised himself and drew out my reaction. In the midst of it all, he spoke shittily again, but now I didn’t even care. He was a bastard who played so happily by himself. It would be nice if I could play along a bit too.
―Kyaah! What is this?
―What’s wrong, Olivia!
―What, it’s just a skeleton.
At the sudden scream, I looked at the screen and the group had either discovered a skeleton in the bushes and were surprised or being nonchalant about it. While we left the movie alone, the group seemed to have arrived at the villa. Those four will be creeped out by the skeleton they found but will still play well. And then they’ll die one by one.
―Somehow I have a bad feeling, let’s just even now…
―Oh! My god, look at that. There’s even a house in the tree!
―What? Really. Olivia, you come here too!
As expected, they who had hesitated briefly were soon distracted by something else and forcibly dragged the still uneasy Olivia along. With the skeleton in close-up, the voices of the group chatting happily could be heard. Olivia still had a creeped-out face looking at the skeleton but soon turned her head.
“Only Olivia will survive.”
“No, Olivia might die first.”
Lee Hyeonseok, who had been watching the movie with me, picked Olivia as the final survivor. But there was also a cliché where a character who was creeped out like that surprisingly died first. At my rebuttal, Lee Hyeonseok snorted, then grabbed my cheek and fixed my gaze on him. If he wanted to make eye contact, he could call me or bring his own face closer, but this bastard was the first to directly bring my face over, so I was flustered.
“What are we betting?”
Why bet when we could just watch. I hoped he’d just go completely bankrupt. I was about to ignore him and just watch the movie when suddenly, I thought it wouldn’t be bad. Lee Hyeonseok had already taken everything he could take from me, but I had a lot to take from Lee Hyeonseok.
