Befitting a grand mansion, the bathroom attached to the guest room was also tremendous in size, and he could see a huge bathtub large enough to have room left even if Yeojin stretched out his legs fully. He first turned on the water full blast, roughly washed his body with the showerhead, then entered the bathtub.
Even though the water had only filled up enough to submerge his ankles, the sound “Ah, this is nice” came out naturally. He entered the bathtub and lay down stretching his body out. Splash splash splash, the water made a loud noise as warm water gradually filled up. Strangely, the more languid his body became, the clearer his mind became.
What should I do now?
Only now did he seriously think about it.
I was so busy spending hectic days that I didn’t even have time to organize my thoughts. No. I need to change my thinking.
What should Haeju and I do now?
Yeojin was no longer alone. He’d become a set with Haeju. It wasn’t about thinking only about my own future. Even when his younger brother was with him, he always lived thinking What should we do now?, and he should do the same going forward.
The fact that he wasn’t alone was reassuring on one hand, but burdensome on the other. Haeju said he would protect his doctor and whatnot, but it should be me who leads the guy. Something like the responsibility of being the elder.
Neither Yeojin nor Haeju had anyone to rely on. Being in a situation without a single family member was the same for both. If that was fortunate, it was fortunate. If there had been family, I couldn’t have recklessly stirred up things like this.
First, Yeojin thought about his assets. One apartment where he lived. Money saved in installment savings. The apartment would be difficult to dispose of due to government surveillance, so there’s no choice but to cancel the installment savings.
With that money, getting one house where the two of them, Haeju and him, could live in the provinces didn’t seem difficult. The problem was where in this country they could hide and live comfortably.
Haeju was being chased by the government and radical-leaning Rebels centered around Wi Seokwoo. Yeojin’s situation was no different. Branded as a Rebel, I won’t be able to get a proper job anywhere.
In the current state, the ones who could help them were ‘Earth’.
Can I really trust these people? So far, they’d definitely been helpful. It was Earth who saved Haeju in crisis, and they were the ones providing this comfortable space. But one never knew when they might backstab us too.
“I don’t know.”
Yeojin muttered lowly and relaxed his body more, submerging deeply into the water.
It’s a tremendously serious situation, but strangely I’m not that worried. He thought it would work out somehow. Would I really die? There must be a way. Strangely optimistic and positive thoughts welled up.
Is it because I’m not alone? After meeting Haeju, who had been his biggest worry, peace came to his heart. Even though the guy is a bit of a spoiled child, he’s not a little kid who needs to be looked after from one to ten. He’s a guy who can fully manage his own body. No, that’s wrong. He was a guy with the power to fully protect and guard not only himself but also Yeojin.
Remembering being easily lifted and carried by Haeju at the Center earlier, Yeojin grinned.
No matter how I think about it, it’s amazing. How did he run that fast while carrying me? Without even panting? I’ve only carried people, but it was the first time being carried by someone, so it was a very fresh experience. And he also thought such things would happen often in the future.
If battles occur in the future, as a civilian, I’ll be the weakest.
In actual combat, I’ll need to be protected not only by Haeju but also by female Transcendents like Im Yena who I saw in the reception room earlier, or even child Transcendents.
“I should at least train my physical strength.”
Remembering the embarrassing situation of hugging and hanging onto Haeju’s neck earlier, Yeojin muttered to himself. Shouldn’t I at least do one person’s worth? Honestly, no matter how much he, an ordinary person, flew and jumped around, let alone doing one person’s worth, it would be fortunate if I’m not just in the way. Then I should train my body to at least not be in the way.
But first, let me rest a bit.
Thinking that, Yeojin let out a long sigh and closed his eyes.
***
Yeojin was tied up in a space surrounded by darkness on all sides. In pitch darkness where he couldn’t see even an inch ahead. As he was anxiously looking around, he heard footsteps—thud, thud.
〈Who is it?〉
He called out, but there was no answer. He only felt signs of someone approaching Yeojin. Soon, two eyes flashed in the darkness. They were eyes like a beast’s. Yeojin stopped breathing with a gasp. The shining two eyes looked at Yeojin and grinned. White teeth were revealed eerily.
〈What are you?〉
Again, there was no answer. Instead, something reached toward Yeojin’s face. A large hand wrapped around Yeojin’s head. At that moment, a tremendous shock like high-voltage current spread throughout his body. It felt like his head would burst. It felt like someone was messing up the inside of his brain.
〈Uwaaah!〉
When Yeojin writhed and screamed, the opponent in front of him smiled more deeply. Madness could even be felt from the opponent’s sparkling eyes, and the smile deepened more and more, revealing more white teeth.
〈Doctor.〉
The bastard torturing Yeojin by wrapping his head with his hand whispered.
〈Call out “Haeju, help me! Save me!”〉
An eerie voice rang in Yeojin’s ear. The shock stirring inside his head intensified. Even screams wouldn’t come out. From the terrible shock like his brain being finely ground and decomposed, his entire head trembled violently, his teeth ground, and hot nosebleed burst from his nose.
“Huk!”
The moment he felt the burst nosebleed, Yeojin opened his eyes wide. A ceiling with a luxurious chandelier appeared before his eyes. He touched under his nose with trembling hands, but it was clean. Even after recognizing it was a dream, Yeojin couldn’t come to his senses for a while. He just lay still and panted.
The demon bastard who appeared in the dream was Wi Seokwoo. It was amazing that I’m fine like this now even though such a tremendous shock was applied to my head. Did he skillfully inflict only pain without creating fatal wounds? A bastard like a torture technician.
Thinking about it again, his teeth ground. If I meet that bastard later, I won’t let him off, damn it.
Since he was up, he squirmed to get up and drink some water, and from the side came the sound “Mmm” of someone talking in their sleep. Startled, he looked to the side and saw a large form curled up and squirming. It was Haeju.
When did he come in? He remembered lying in the bathtub until his body swelled up, then barely managing to get up and come out, wiping his body, putting on new clothes that Im Junwoo had prepared, and lying on the bed. I definitely locked the bedroom door before lying on the bed. I clearly remember that too.
I don’t remember opening the door in my sleep at all, so how did he get in?
Dumbfounded, he laughed emptily and looked at Haeju. Haeju, who fell asleep curled up in a ball with his large body, was unmistakably a child. His sleeping face is really bright. His skin is smooth and his disheveled hair is fluffy.
Because his skin was clear and clean without a single blemish, the red wounds were especially more visible. Looking again, his heart ached, so Yeojin clicked his tongue inwardly. Whether he was dreaming in his sleep, his fine brow twitched and the corners of his eyes wrinkled slightly. Seeing even his expression slightly distorted, it didn’t seem to be a very good dream.
How could he dream happy dreams? It must have been a life of only hardship since awakening as a Transcendent.
If he hadn’t become a Transcendent, he would have lived a bright and sparkling life just as he looked. Your life too, how did it end up like this?
I couldn’t touch him for fear of waking him, so I just quietly looked. Even when at the Center, he’d never watched Haeju’s sleeping face this long. Although I saw him every day, we only met during short counseling and examination times.
As expected, no matter how I think about it, he doesn’t resemble my younger brother at all. Yet looking at the sleeping guy naturally reminded him of his younger brother. My younger brother, who threw all kinds of hysterics at me, was also an angel when sleeping. He looked exactly like when he was young, following around calling “Hyung, hyung,” so I used to look endlessly at my sleeping younger brother with a heart full of pity.
I felt sorry for my younger brother who relied on and looked only at me because of his illness. Pitiful and pathetic. But the weight of responsibility was equally tremendous. It was so heavy that my shoulders felt like they’d collapse. How long should I look after that kid? Forever? Every time he thought that, he couldn’t even breathe.
One time when he was lost in various thoughts while looking at his sleeping younger brother as usual, his younger brother woke up. Perhaps it was a day when his condition was unusually good, the guy opened his eyes and when he saw his hyung before him, grinned.
〈Hyung. I like you so much. I love you, hyung.〉
Saying that, the guy made embarrassing sounds unlike himself. Feeling awkward for no reason, he chuckled and scolded him.
〈Why are you suddenly doing things you don’t do? Did you run out of allowance?〉
〈Thank you, hyung. And I’m sorry. For always throwing tantrums at you and treating you badly. But you know. Don’t hate me. It’s because I only have you.〉
At that time, Yeojin’s throat was completely blocked and he couldn’t continue speaking. Suddenly the bridge of his nose stung and tears welled up. Not wanting to show his younger brother a crying face, he turned his head and just coughed for no reason. Then his younger brother mischievously giggled and teased.
〈Hyung, are you crying? How embarrassing, crying.〉
〈I’m not crying, you punk.〉
But at that time, he actually shed a few tears. It was the day his younger brother, who was always irritable because of his illness, smiled brightly like a child for the first time in a long while.
I’d tried to forget and live for a while, but remembering that day made my heart ache again. His heart stung and hurt. This wound in my heart will probably never heal for the rest of my life. Even if I barely bury it and live, it’s a scar that will never be erased, that will poke and torment me once in a while for life.
Perhaps because I stared too intently, Haeju’s brow twitched and he opened his eyes drowsily. His thin eyelids lifted and clear pupils were revealed. When their eyes met, Haeju grinned like his younger brother.
