Chapter 45
Theo, who had been jogging energetically toward Hunter’s house, stopped dead in his tracks at a hint of chilly air. It was just getting dark as the late evening fell. Looking around cautiously, Theo pressed himself against the wall and quickly moved to grab a dark figure when he heard a faint presence beyond it.
“Oh, God! Please spare me!”
The startled man reflexively dropped to his knees. Examining the familiar face buried in matted curly hair, Theo’s expression soon turned serious. When Theo showed no reaction, the trembling man glanced up.
“T-Theodore?”
Theo frowned, clearly displeased, at the man who smiled in apparent relief.
“Simon.”
“It’s been a while. Y-you still look good, Theodore!”
Simon laughed while gasping for breath, then covered his mouth with an expression of sudden realization. The way he kept looking around suggested he was anxiously fleeing from someone.
“Why are you here?”
“I was running around and… I see. I’ve come all the way to your neighborhood? Hic, hehic, this is the second time today. It felt good in the garage then. At the Asian teacher’s house, hic.”
“Why do you keep laughing like that?”
Theo narrowed his eyes. Simon had lost weight since he’d last seen him. His protruding eyes looked like they might pop out if the back of his head were struck even once.
Simon, who had been gnawing at his fingernails and grinning, suddenly grabbed Theo’s arm as if something had just occurred to him.
“H-hey, I’m sorry. I’m really sorry, but could you help me?”
“Why should I help you? Go home, wash your feet, and go to bed.”
What are you doing wandering around at this hour anyway? As Theo grumbled and tried to move away, Simon grabbed him again.
“Please, Theodore! Save me!”
“…”
Sensing something wrong, Theo abruptly yanked off Simon’s upper clothes. From his chest down to around his navel, there were numerous scratches and wounds from fingernails. Some of the wounds were so severely scratched that flesh had come off and pus had hardened over them.
“Methamphetamine? Are you fucking kidding me?”
“No, no.”
Theo’s fist buried itself deep into Simon’s face. Grabbing the collar of Simon, who had collapsed to the ground with a weak moan, Theo dragged him into an alley filled with trash.
“I clearly told you that if you touched it one more time, I would really kill you.”
“No, listen to me!”
“What do you mean ‘no’? If you wanted to die young, you should have said so earlier.”
Theo tapped Simon’s cheek.
“Th-things are looking bad these days. You should get out of here too, Theodore.”
“Stop talking nonsense.”
“It’s true! Es-especially here, this neighborhood. They say a high-ranking member of some huge organization lives here. It’s dangerous. A war might break out soon.”
“What war? Will you get a grip?”
“I’m talking about a mafia war!”
Simon’s expression of horror, with his hands covering both cheeks, was reminiscent of Munch’s “The Scream.” Mafia war? Theo felt uneasy at his words. Didn’t Ghost say he was being chased by the mafia?
As Theo pondered this, he was about to return to Michael’s house to tell them, but then decided it would be better to notify Hunter first and quickly left the alley. Take me with you! I don’t want to die! Simon shouted in a voice that sounded like it might tear.
Theo ran until Hunter’s house came into view. The air around felt chaotic. However, there was no one wandering outside except for Theo. This isn’t right. Normally, drug addicts should be staggering around in various places or sitting on the street, picking fights with slurred speech.
Feeling the need to hurry, Theo jumped over several fences to reach the back of Hunter’s house. It was his personal shortcut. Just as he was about to climb up a tree to Hyungoh’s room window, which happened to be open, he noticed that strangely, the front door was also wide open.
Theo slowly removed his hands from the tree. Something felt off about Hunter leaving the door open. His instinct told him that someone had broken into Hunter’s house. After standing dumbfounded for a moment, Theo let out a hollow laugh.
“Shit, what the hell is going on?”
***
“Michael, look. Choi is here.”
Herick spoke in a gentle voice. Hyungoh took a step back. Looks like nothing’s wrong, so I’ll just head back downstairs. As Hyungoh turned around, assuming a posture that suggested he might bolt at any moment, Herick firmly grabbed his shoulder and pulled him inside.
“Didn’t you want to get along?”
“…It’s uncomfortable because your ulterior motives are written all over your face.”
“Here, Michael.”
Herick positioned Hyungoh in front of him and smiled at Michael. Marsha quietly closed the door, stepped back, and observed the situation.
“Choi.”
“Yes, Michael.”
Hyungoh smiled awkwardly at Michael, who was staring blankly at him. This doesn’t feel like a good atmosphere.
“Choi is a liar.”
Michael said coldly. Lie. Liar. Hyungoh pulled back. Huh? All of a sudden?
Hyungoh hurriedly assessed the situation. The rumpled blanket and Michael’s disheveled hair made him look like someone who had just woken up. The devastated state of the room suggested someone had vented their anger without any self-control. That ‘someone’ didn’t seem to be Herick or Marsha. Hyungoh calmly turned his head to face Michael, who was standing in front of the shattered window.
So, with that small frame, he turned the room into this disaster zone?
“Are you hurt, Michael?”
Hyungoh once again addressed Michael while wearing his mask. Although this hidden side of Michael still made him uncomfortable, he seemed to have adapted enough that accepting the situation was much easier than before.
“Don’t come closer.”
Michael glared at Hyungoh with ice-cold eyes.
“You said you disliked me. You said you really disliked me.”
I did my best for Choi. His eyes gradually reddened. It’s unfair. Hyungoh blankly stared at Michael, who was radiating sorrowful emotions like someone betrayed by someone they trusted.
I never said that. Hyungoh turned his head to look at Herick and Marsha. The two merely looked back at Hyungoh without saying anything, providing no explanation for Michael’s behavior. Perhaps they too were at a loss about how to handle this situation. Hyungoh sighed.
“Michael. I like you.”
“Lies.”
“It’s true. Michael is cute and lovable, isn’t he? How could I hate you?”
“My, that sounds fake even to my ears.”
Herick muttered from behind. Hyungoh bit his lip hard for a moment to cool the irritation that had suddenly surged up.
“Hyungoh is lying. I know it.”
“No. Michael, you don’t know.”
Hyungoh said firmly.
“You can’t always be right. Stubbornly denying others’ opinions is a bad habit.”
“But my words have always been right.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
At Michael’s unhesitating answer, Hyungoh pondered. Wouldn’t it be good for Michael himself to break that stubbornness? He seems to be under a lot of stress because of it.
Michael had excessive confidence in his own judgments. That’s the problem. While Hyungoh was contemplating what to say, whether by chance or not, his eyes met Herick’s. At the same time, a perfect example of how to break Michael’s stubbornness came to mind.
“Then Michael,”
Hyungoh stood right in front of Herick.
“Can you guess what I’m going to do to Herick now?”
Michael blinked. You claim you can know everything. Hyungoh smiled provocatively.
Herick turned his head irritably, as if just having Hyungoh standing close in front of him was annoying. Glaring at Herick, Hyungoh clenched his fist, wondering if he should just punch him. Even Michael probably couldn’t predict this.
“Nothing… was done.”
Michael mumbled as if in a trance. Hmm, he keeps using the past tense whenever he gets the chance. Hyungoh was puzzled. There’s no way he wouldn’t know such basic grammar.
“I’m sorry, but you’re wrong, Michael.”
Hyungoh hugged Herick tightly. Both Michael and even Herick visibly stiffened, as if they hadn’t imagined this. It felt like hugging a rigid scarecrow. In truth, he had seriously considered actually hitting him, but decided not to leave any grounds for retaliation since he might face consequences later.
“I… was wrong?”
“Yes, Michael. See? You’re not always right.”
Of course, everyone is like that. We can all be wrong sometimes. Hyungoh quickly delivered his moral lesson, worried that Michael might be hurt in his pride. After all, humans are full of contradictions, so no one can possess just one aspect. You’ve just shown a more human side than anyone else. That’s a good thing.
“My words, my memories… they can be wrong?”
“Of course. But like I just said, that’s completely natural, so don’t think too negatively about it…”
Hyungoh trailed off as he looked at Michael. He was smiling brightly. Instead of being flustered at being wrong or insisting on his stubbornness, he looked happy, as if finally liberated from something.
“Thank you, Choi.”
Michael wore a much more comfortable expression. Then he walked gracefully over and hugged Hyungoh. Surprised, Hyungoh hugged him back reflexively.
Did things work out well? Hyungoh was suspicious of the situation that had resolved so unexpectedly easily. But seeing Michael’s brightened expression, he relaxed, thinking it must have turned out well. All this without noticing Herick, who had frozen with anger and confusion.
