The bedroom was a complete mess. The table and side table were partially broken from the impact of the fall, and all the furniture looked like it had been thrown around. The bedding was scattered outside the bed. The only intact items were heavy furniture like the dresser and the bed. However, Seo Won was more shocked that Cha Han-gyeom was nowhere to be seen.
“Where is Cha Han-gyeom?” Seo Won asked.
“Over there…….” Jung Ah-young pointed to the bed with a face full of worry. Specifically, she pointed to the small gap between the window and the bed.
“Explain,” Seo Won demanded.
“Well, I thought Cha Han-gyeom had woken up, so I opened the door to check…….” Ah-young hesitated and looked at the man standing next to her. He was another bodyguard who had naturally taken Lim Du-hyuk’s place while he followed Seo Won.
The bodyguard, standing awkwardly next to Ah-young, continued her explanation nervously, “For some reason, he screamed and was startled when he saw me. Not just me, but he was also scared of the other bodyguards… We couldn’t approach him.”
The bodyguard’s gaze shifted to the other bodyguards standing behind them. They were the ones who had been guarding this floor at regular intervals.
Was it simply because he was surprised by the sudden appearance of strangers?
Even if that were the case, the bodyguards’ faces should have been familiar, as they had been continuously guarding this floor, even with shift changes. Moreover, the Cha Han-gyeom that Seo Won knew was not the type of person to scream or throw everything within reach just because he saw a stranger.
Regardless of the reason, checking on Cha Han-gyeom’s condition was the priority. Seo Won handed the documents he was holding to Lim Du-hyuk and rushed into the bedroom. He quickly made his way to the corner Ah-young had pointed to, avoiding the broken items. In the narrow gap where sunlight barely reached, Cha Han-gyeom was indeed huddled.
His already loose shirt had become even baggier from the struggle, exposing his shoulder. His smooth legs, extending from his comfortable shorts, were pulled up tightly as if trying to hide. He was shaking, with his head buried in his knees and his hands covering his ears. It was a pitiful sight.
Feeling someone’s presence, Cha Han-gyeom curled up even more.
“Don’t come, don’t come, don’t come!” he shouted, trying to push himself back further, but his back was already against the wall. Still, he kept moving his feet as if trying to slide away. His back pressed against the wall, but he seemed oblivious to the discomfort.
Only then did Seo Won notice that Cha Han-gyeom’s foot was bleeding. There were small bloody footprints leading to the corner, indicating that he might have stepped on something sharp during his struggle.
“Cha Han-gyeom,” Seo Won called out quietly, afraid that touching him might cause more panic and worsen his injury.
“Your foot is injured. We need to treat it.”
Seo Won spoke gently, filled with concern rather than accusation. He felt that pressing Cha Han-gyeom too hard might make things worse. Although frustrated by Cha Han-gyeom’s trembling and huddled state, Seo Won approached him slowly and carefully.
Finally, standing right in front of the huddled Cha Han-gyeom, Seo Won carefully grasped his wrists, which were tightly covering his ears, and slowly pulled them away. Cha Han-gyeom jolted in surprise at the touch, crying out in protest.
“No! Get away! I don’t……!”
“Han-gyeom,” Seo Won called softly.
At the sound of Seo Won’s gentle voice, Cha Han-gyeom’s body jerked. He slowly lifted his head, his breath ragged. Seo Won immediately saw that Cha Han-gyeom was not in his right mind. His unfocused eyes struggled to fix on Seo Won through tears.
Seo Won’s face appeared blurry to Cha Han-gyeom, as if seen through a filter.
“…Hyung…?” Cha Han-gyeom murmured, mistaking Seo Won for someone else.
His guard lowered, Cha Han-gyeom’s eyes flooded with tears. New streams of tears flowed down his cheeks, mixing with the ones already there.
“Hyung!” Cha Han-gyeom cried out, embracing Seo Won tightly, his shoulders shaking.
Seo Won’s expression hardened as he wrapped his arms around Cha Han-gyeom. He knew that the only person Cha Han-gyeom would call “Hyung” was Song Yeon-woo, and the situation was far from pleasant.
However, before jealousy could set in, Seo Won focused on assessing Cha Han-gyeom’s condition and calming him down. Cha Han-gyeom’s body was burning with fever, so Seo Won began by cooling him down, reducing his body heat where their bodies touched.
Meanwhile, Cha Han-gyeom’s confused gaze was fixed on the bodyguards standing by the door.
“They’re back… I don’t want to… I don’t want to do it anymore…,” Cha Han-gyeom muttered, clinging to Seo Won.
Seo Won listened intently to Cha Han-gyeom’s words and followed his gaze. He realized that all the bodyguards, except for Lim Du-hyuk, were Espers.
‘Come to think of it, he was very wary of Espers.’
Even though Cha Han-gyeom had regained consciousness, the mental shock and high fever could have caused him to have a momentary breakdown at the sudden appearance of Espers, reminding him of his darkest days at the research facility.
Seo Won recalled the documents he had given to Lim Du-hyuk and gently stroked Cha Han-gyeom’s back.
‘Now there are even more reasons to investigate,’ Seo Won thought, soothing Cha Han-gyeom as he glared at the bodyguards.
“Close the door and leave,” Seo Won ordered.
As Seo Won spoke coldly, the bodyguards exchanged glances and bowed their heads before closing the door. Outside, Lim Du-hyuk would likely reorganize the bodyguards, and the perceptive Jung Ah-young would contact Director Shin for Cha Han-gyeom’s treatment.
Left alone in the disheveled bedroom, Seo Won and Cha Han-gyeom remained.
“I sent them all away. They won’t come back,” Seo Won reassured him.
Only then did Cha Han-gyeom relax, his body going limp with relief.
“Thank you, hyung…” he murmured, his exhausted voice wrapping around Seo Won. The name, meant for someone else who was no longer in this world, stung Seo Won’s heart.
Seo Won lifted Cha Han-gyeom and laid him on the bed. The blood from Cha Han-gyeom’s foot quickly stained the pristine white sheets, but Seo Won paid it no mind. Whether from relaxation or the fever that flushed his face, Cha Han-gyeom’s eyes fluttered open and closed, his gaze unfocused and fixed on Seo Won.
“I’ll keep my promise too….” Cha Han-gyeom whispered.
Seo Won, sitting on the edge of the bed, gently touched Cha Han-gyeom’s face with his ice-cold hands, providing a soothing coolness. Cha Han-gyeom rubbed his cheek against the comforting touch, but his next words were chilling.
“If you’re going to be disposed of… I’ll… I’ll kill you myself….” he said, his lips curving into a faint smile, tears still glistening in his eyes.
The words sent a shiver down Seo Won’s spine. Cha Han-gyeom was clearly speaking to Song Yeon-woo, the person he had once cared for deeply enough to imprint on. Yet, he spoke of killing him without hesitation.
“Because… only I can kill you….” Cha Han-gyeom finished, his eyes closing as he drifted off to sleep.
Seo Won watched him, puzzled. How could Cha Han-gyeom talk about killing someone he loved, especially someone immortal like Song Yeon-woo? And what did “disposed of” mean?
Seo Won had seen the term “disposal” in the research facility documents provided by Cha Min-hyung. Although the exact meaning was unclear, it seemed to imply death. If that were true, it was ironic to think of an immortal like Song Yeon-woo being disposed of, and even more unlikely that Cha Han-gyeom, a mere guide, could kill him.
‘I thought he was rampaging because he didn’t receive timely guiding, but if that’s not the case…….’
Seo Won’s mind raced with questions. He stood up, looking down at the sleeping Cha Han-gyeom, his face a mix of confusion and concern. He gently held Cha Han-gyeom’s hand, feeling the feverish heat against his cool palm. Cha Han-gyeom’s hand twitched slightly, but he remained asleep.
Seo Won decided not to question Cha Han-gyeom. Not because he doubted his answers, but because he feared that his questions might cause Cha Han-gyeom more pain. The suffering Cha Han-gyeom had endured was already immense, overshadowing even the physical injury to his foot.
With a heavy heart, Seo Won left Cha Han-gyeom to rest, determined to find answers elsewhere.
