Of course, there were risks to remote detonation from afar. The intent of the one who handed over the “remote control” had been dubious from the start.
[Special] ! !! (??)
—Collapse this worthless world and convert it into ░░.
But was any other method free of risk? Even if one was willing to shoulder danger, there was simply no way to take out everyone involved in that incident.
[Proxy? Authority!! !’s Access Rights]
Thankfully, this synchronized reactor detonation button only responded to his will. He could instinctively tell that much—this wasn’t a lie.
I don’t know what’ll happen after it’s over… but at least, I can be sure of revenge.
A murky revelation with nothing but the future left blank… Which was why, from the beginning, Moon Tae-young had never intended to involve anyone else in this—besides Jeong Seong-hyu. He’d shared part of his plan with Cha Eui-sung only because of the latter’s persistence. That was it. At least, until he woke up. Until he saw his lover gasping for breath, covered in blood.
Drip. The rushing sound of water suddenly stopped. The bathtub must’ve finished filling. Moon Tae-young wasn’t trying to monitor every little sound around him—but no matter how much he tried to ignore it, his attention kept circling Cha Eui-sung. As he changed out of his bloodied clothes and washed his hands, scenes from moments ago replayed in his mind.
Cha Eui-sung, trembling violently, blood pouring from his mouth. His face pale, drenched in tears and blood. Even someone with no medical knowledge could tell—this wasn’t just a matter of being “unwell.”
How many times had he collapsed in just the past few months? No mild illness—not even for an Awakened—could leave someone in that state. And then, the moment he regained consciousness, he’d scrambled to reassure others…
Why…?
Cha Eui-sung was someone with a keen sense of judgment. He wasn’t the type to walk around getting hurt. But looking back on their conversations, his definition of “I’m fine” had never really reflected how he felt.
Even if he collapsed, even if he got stood up—it’s fine. Because if the situation ended up better in the end, his own fear or pain didn’t matter to him. The more Moon Tae-young thought about it, the harder his expression turned. It relaxed slightly every time a splash echoed from the bathroom—but the fear clawing at his heart refused to subside.
Fear… yes, that was it. Fear. The panic he felt the first time Eui-sung collapsed had, at some point, turned into pity—and now, it had become full-blown anxiety. On top of that, Cha Eui-sung had a tendency to phrase things ambiguously, always leaving room for multiple interpretations.
Moon Tae-young didn’t want to dig too deep into what he meant by “My revenge has become impossible.” But the way his mind kept attaching uneasy meanings to it—was that just him being paranoid?
“…Cha Eui-sung?”
Moon Tae-young turned his head as he opened the window. He’d left his ears open even while lost in thought—but suddenly, the sound of running water had stopped. There was no response to his call. He focused harder—caught the faintest trace of Eui-sung’s presence.
Bloop—
…?
His brows furrowed as he slowly stepped toward the bathroom.
Silence.
The only thing left was the occasional bubbling of air. Even that had stopped just a moment ago.
He stood frozen before the tightly shut door, mentally counting seconds in rising panic.
How long had it been since the water stopped? At least a few minutes. It’d been that long since Eui-sung had moved. Had he fallen asleep against the tub? Or had he collapsed again? What if that bubbling noise had been…
Maybe it was seeing all that blood right after waking up—but he couldn’t think straight anymore.
CRACK—!
SLAM!
The door handle shattered as the bathroom flew open. Inside, Cha Eui-sung lay fully submerged in the filled bathtub.
At that moment, Moon Tae-young’s thoughts went completely blank. All thoughts of revenge. All hesitations about someone crossing into his personal space. All second-guessing about their relationship.
His body moved on its own. He dove in and grabbed him—without a second’s delay.
***
“Why the hell were you holding your breath in there?”
“Just felt like it. I figured I’d enjoy some luxury with someone else footing the water bill.”
Cha Eui-sung sat at the table, wrapped in an oversized robe. The glare being shot his way wasn’t just unfriendly—it was outright feral.
Clack. The food set down in front of him was exactly what he’d expected: a pale, watery porridge. His lips threatened to pull downward, so he forced his facial muscles into place.
“If it’s hard to swallow, say so.”
“I said I’m fine. Just do your laundry or…”
“Pretty sure I didn’t ask you to talk about that.”
Moon Tae-young’s expression wasn’t under his usual control—his eyes were unusually sharp. He’d been like this ever since realizing his utterly ridiculous misunderstanding. Normally, he was the kind of person who grew colder when angry, not more agitated. Clearly, this had embarrassed and shaken him more than expected.
The one who should be pissed is the guy who got scooped up like a trout and thrown out of the water. Cha Eui-sung grumbled inwardly and scooped up a spoonful of the watery porridge.
Sure, he’d heard stories about people getting injured or even dying in bathtubs. But seriously, what did Moon Tae-young think of him? That an S-rank Awakened could drown while soaking in someone else’s tub? Even for an unawakened person, the shock of falling underwater usually woke them up—unless you wanted to die.
In short, this had been an overreaction. Apparently, vomiting up blood first thing in the morning had hit him hard.
Of all times for my Skill to activate…
As always, the timing of his Skill’s activation couldn’t have been worse. He’d been ready to dive deep into the topic of revenge, and then this nonsense happened.
Sure, he’d racked up a bit of karma by playing the sickly act lately—but honestly, most of it had been orchestrated by the System. Always turning into a human blood sprinkler in front of Moon Tae-young…
At this rate, I’m not helping with revenge—I’m getting booted out of the whole operation like the last damn leaf on the branch.
The thought made him even more irritated. Worse, the way Moon Tae-young kept sneaking glances to check on him only made Cha Eui-sung’s chest tingle in a way he didn’t like.
“Is it edible, at least?”
When he gulped down a few spoonfuls, Moon Tae-young’s tone softened just a little. Cha Eui-sung nodded while quickly spinning his mental gears.
Once he’s calmed down from eating, maybe I can gently circle back to the whole murder plan.
Getting back to yesterday’s vibe might be hard, but since he’d already barfed up blood, he could probably milk the sympathy. Not that it’d work very well—but maybe if he hugged him one more time and got a little clingy, it’d wear him down. Or he could just start poking at the porridge with his spoon and act all disappointed. Playing the pitiful card was his specialty—time to put on another performance.
“About what we talked about yesterday…”
Cha Eui-sung spoke up as if he’d just remembered. Moon Tae-young continued silently chewing the mushy porridge that didn’t even need chewing.
“I don’t think I caught all the details. I wanted to ask a bit more.”
He threw the line out casually, but no response came. Instead, Moon Tae-young picked up his glass and took a long, deliberate sip—like he was drinking molten lava. Dragging it out forever.
Yep. He’s not going to give it up easily.
Just as Cha Eui-sung twisted his lips and was about to quietly put down his spoon—
Clack.
Moon Tae-young set his glass down with a decisive thud and finally spoke.
“Perfect. I actually have something I want to ask first.”
“…What is it?”
“Your health. This is dangerous stuff we’re dealing with. I can’t share more unless I know what we’re working with.”
If you want more info, you’ll have to pay up with your own story. Moon Tae-young had just proposed a trade—one that fit Cha Eui-sung perfectly.
After breakfast, the two of them remained at the table. The next hour was filled with a back-and-forth, a mix of probing and decoding truths.
By the end of their lengthy exchange, Cha Eui-sung had managed to scoop up more information than he’d expected. It had taken time, but it hadn’t been a bad trade-off.
Tick.
“I’m a real drama queen, you know. If I were truly sick, I’d be rolling around, not sitting here like this.”
“You seemed fine when you got stabbed.”
“That was… I was just too shocked to say anything. And yeah, I collapse sometimes—but as you saw, I bounce back pretty fast.”
Tick.
“So about that—what’s the connection between the dungeon and revenge?”
“When a dungeon resets, all the trash inside gets erased. Having a private incinerator isn’t such a bad thing.”
Tick.
“I’m an Awakened.”
“So am I.”
“You’re not trying to get smart with me, are you?”
“Go on, I’m listening.”
Tick.
“They say dumping stuff in dungeons can cause weird effects…”
“It’s not like I’m tossing in tons of waste.”
“Still, people used to get dungeon overflows from dumping industrial waste…”
“It’s not industrial waste.”
Tick.
“So you’re saying you’re fine.”
“I bounce back quickly. Honestly, I don’t even need this porridge.”
Tick.
“Should I go into the dungeon too?”
“Frankly, I’d rather you didn’t. But since you’re good at digging things up, just like you said…”
Tick.
“To summarize: I sometimes faint and cough up blood, but it’s not life-threatening.”
“And if you push yourself, it won’t make the condition worse?”
“Calling it a disease is kind of vague, honestly. Let’s just say it’s more like a syndrome.”
