“Doctor. I really, really like you.”
Seo Haeju spat out those words and stuck out his tongue to lick Yeojin’s lips. The flustered Yeojin hurriedly pulled his head back and struggled, and his hand gripping Haeju’s wrist also came loose. Not missing that opportunity, Seo Haeju’s hand touched Yeojin’s body. Yeojin trembled in shock.
“Seo Haeju. I told you not to! You’re really going to get in trouble!”
When he raised his voice and struggled, Haeju touched Yeojin’s body while licking Yeojin’s lips with his tongue.
“Doctor. You’re really sweet. My doctor.”
Haeju’s breath, panting and muttering in an excited voice, was hot and damp. The kid’s tongue licking his lips smelled of sweet whipped cream and fresh strawberries.
“You like me too, don’t you, Doctor?”
It was an instinctive phenomenon from external stimulation. That was all.
“Haeju. Seo Haeju, please.”
The more he squirmed and struggled, the more Seo Haeju pushed Yeojin with his large body. Yeojin looked at the CCTV on the room ceiling and desperately writhed, pleading for him to stop. If they saw the CCTV, people would surely rush in and drag Haeju out. He would be locked up in a special detention center for the crime of trying to harm a government official. He was more worried about what would happen to Seo Haeju than what would happen to himself.
“Please, Haeju. You’re really going to be in big trouble if you keep this up.”
But Seo Haeju was busy panting and licking Yeojin’s lips and cheeks. It was an act that was neither a kiss nor anything else, like a dog excitedly licking a person’s face mindlessly. All the kid’s actions were impulsive and clumsy as could be. A thick tongue pushed into Yeojin’s mouth between his lips, which had parted as he gasped for breath.
Yeojin bit down hard on the kid’s tongue. The moment Haeju let out a weak scream and hurriedly pulled his face away, he struck Haeju’s face with his fist. The kid’s face whipped around and he staggered greatly before sitting down on the floor. Not missing that moment, Yeojin sprang up from his seat.
“Damn it. What the hell do you think you’re doing!”
Yeojin cursed and fumed. He roughly rubbed and wiped his lips, still damp with Haeju’s saliva. Just from getting hit once like that, Seo Haeju trembled while clutching his struck cheek.
“It hurts.”
“Don’t exaggerate.”
“It really hurts. It hurts.”
Haeju whined and raised his head. He had a nosebleed and his lip was split and bleeding. Though he was smaller in build than Haeju, Yeojin was former Special Forces. It was natural that his face had ended up like that since he’d thrown his punch with all his might in excitement.
Seo Haeju looked up at Yeojin with tear-filled eyes, a far cry from when he’d been panting like a beast and lunging at him. In the midst of it all, blood dripped down the kid’s handsome nose.
Yeojin clicked his tongue and bent his knees to sit down, wiping Haeju’s nosebleed with his sleeve. His doctor’s coat sleeve turned bright red.
“I clearly said I’d get angry, didn’t I?”
Looking closely, his lip was split and torn. In this state, the inside of his mouth must have been torn too. His face would soon bruise. Seo Haeju looked at Yeojin’s face with moist eyes as he wiped his nosebleed and examined the wounds on his face.
“Doctor, do you hate me now?”
His moisture-laden jet-black pupils shone glossily. It was the Seo Haeju that Yeojin was familiar with.
“Hm? Do you hate me?”
“I hate it.”
“Can’t I have you, Doctor?”
“Who the hell are you to have me? I’m mine.”
Seo Haeju’s eyes trembled and a tear rolled down. The moisture pooling in his jet-black pupils overflowed and streamed down his smooth cheeks, and he stared as if entranced because it was so pretty. As pretty as it was sorrowful and pitiful, so Yeojin wiped away the tears pooling in Haeju’s eyes with his fingertips.
“I’m sorry. I actually know. That I have to leave here starting tomorrow. That I have to part with you, Doctor. But I want to keep being with you, Doctor. Doctor. Doctoooor, I only have you…”
Stopping mid-sentence, Haeju bit his lips and contorted his face. The kid’s cheeks and eyes trembled.
“Can’t I keep being with you, Doctor? I won’t part with you.”
Yeojin just looked at Haeju, who was trembling and whining like a frightened child, with a troubled expression. What should I do with this kid? Yeojin’s heart was breaking as if forcibly tearing away a child he’d raised himself.
Yeojin reached out and stroked Haeju’s cheeks and hair.
“Just because you leave here doesn’t mean we’re parting forever with Doctor. Wherever you go, I can come visit you.”
As he said that, Yeojin glanced at the ceiling CCTV once more.
“Stand up for now. People will come after seeing the CCTV footage. When they do, I’ll make up some excuse, so you just stay still.”
“No one’s coming.”
Haeju muttered in a tear-filled voice. When he stared, wondering what he meant, the kid rubbed his wet eyes with his hand and spoke again.
“I fixed that in advance.”
“What?”
Just when he was about to demand what the hell he was talking about. Someone kicked the door open with a crash and people rushed in. They were heavily armed soldiers. Before he could even be surprised, they grabbed Seo Haeju’s arms and forcibly lifted him up.
“Doctor!”
When the terrified Haeju struggled to break free, one of the soldiers struck the kid in the abdomen. Kuhuk! Haeju let out a pained groan and staggered greatly. A violent cough burst from the kid’s mouth.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing!”
When Yeojin, unable to watch any longer, shouted, the soldiers’ gun barrels turned toward Yeojin. Yeojin raised both hands and assumed a surrender posture for now. Haeju hung limply, panting with his arms held by the soldiers. He had no idea what was going on. Why had armed soldiers suddenly barged in?
When Yeojin was about to speak again, a man in military uniform wearing a beret appeared, pushing through the soldiers. He glanced at Haeju once with cold eyes and flipped through the document file in his hand.
“Quarantined individual Seo Haeju. As you have become a legal adult as of today, you will be immediately transferred to Iryeongdo Quarantine Center.”
Yeojin burst out.
“Wait a minute! Iryeongdo? Isn’t the quarantine center on Jeju Island? And all quarantined individuals at the temporary quarantine center should be able to make two choices when their quarantine period ends. Why are you suddenly ignoring all procedures like this?”
Iryeongdo Quarantine Center. It was a place called the Uninhabited Island Prison Camp. He knew it as a place where those who caused problems at the Jeju Island Quarantine Center or those classified as dangerous were transferred.
The man’s cold eyes turned to Yeojin.
“Who are you?”
“I’m Dr. Min Yeojin of the Seoul Temporary Quarantine Center. I’m also Seo Haeju’s attending physician.”
After finishing his brief self-introduction, Yeojin quickly scanned with his eyes the name tag and rank insignia on the man’s military uniform.
“Now please answer my question, Major Park Mingyu.”
“Government policy changed as of today. From now on, all Transcendents discovered domestically will be immediately transferred to Iryeongdo Quarantine Center after completing their three-month quarantine period at the Seoul Temporary Quarantine Center.”
The conversation the office people had been having in the morning floated up in Yeojin’s mind. The Minister’s attack incident, rumors related to the rebels. If that story was true, it was understandable that the soldiers would come out like this.
“Even so, how can you suddenly do this? You should give time to adapt to the changed rules. And I know Iryeongdo is a place that separately quarantines dangerous individuals.”
“From now on, we will treat all Transcendents as problem individuals and dangerous persons and handle them in a somewhat aggressive manner.”
“While using violence against powerless civilians like this?”
“Civilians?”
Major Park snorted.
“Who’s a civilian? Do you think that thing is the same kind of person as us, Doctor?”
The Major pointed at Haeju with his finger. Major Park’s eyes and tone were full of hatred and contempt toward Transcendents. Yeojin shot back just as strongly.
“He’s a person, of course. A person who bleeds the same as us and feels pain when hurt. Is that kid an alien who bleeds blue blood? He’s not, is he?”
Below Haeju were drops of red blood the kid had spilled from his mouth.
“Doctor, you have a rotten mindset.”
“You seem to want to fight with me, but let’s fight later and first let go of Haeju. I can’t accept government policy that changed overnight. That child is a patient. I’m that child’s attending physician and I can’t allow my patient to be taken away like this. Damn it, put away that shitty gun first! What is this, a battlefield? Waving guns around?”
Still annoyed by the gun barrels pointed at him, Yeojin screamed shrilly.
“What kind of blockhead bastard is the superior who ordered you to point guns at a civilian? Fuck, you not putting down the guns? I’m remembering all of you and filing a complaint! You’re all going to face disciplinary action!”
When Yeojin cursed and pointed fingers, the soldiers hesitated and slowly lowered their gun barrels. Though heavily armed, they were all young guys with baby faces. It was clear they’d armed and brought out young enlisted men who knew nothing. The expression on the guys’ faces clearly showed they’d been dragged out against their will.
Yeojin approached Haeju just like that. When Yeojin glared, the soldiers holding Haeju’s arms subtly let go.
