Chapter 26
Lee Haesu lightly touched Eunseong’s shoulder. As white droplet-like healing waves seeped in with a gentle touch as if telling him not to be nervous, color returned to Eunseong’s pale cheeks.
“Hunter Lee Haesu, I…”
Before he could finish speaking, Lee Haesu gripped Eunseong’s shoulder tightly as if he understood the entire situation.
“You came to see Hanyeong, right? Follow me. I’ll take you there. It’s right next door.”
As he embraced and led Eunseong like putting an arm around his shoulders, he suddenly clicked his tongue.
“You ran all the way down here barefoot? What if you hurt your feet?”
“I’m fine. Quickly, I want to go to Hanyeong.”
Eunseong stopped him as he was about to change course, thinking he should find some slippers for him.
Finally arriving in front of a certain door, Lee Haesu took Eunseong inside.
The treatment room was filled with quiet, warm air. With the regular small machine sounds and breathing, Eunseong sensed that Hanyeong was right in front of him and lifted off his eye patch. Though he had prepared himself, seeing his friend lying unconscious made his throat tighten.
“Hanyeong…”
“Fortunately, we removed the oxygen respirator. It means he’s started breathing on his own.”
Lee Haesu said, pointing to Hanyeong. White energy flowing from his outstretched hand seeped into Hanyeong’s body.
“If Hanyeong had been a hunter, it would have been simple, but since he’s an ordinary person… he hasn’t woken up yet. I’m sorry.”
Seeing Lee Haesu looking ashamed, Eunseong shook his head.
“No. Thank you for helping.”
Hanyeong lying on the bed looked infinitely small. Whether he had been washed in the treatment room, his previously black face had become as white as the flesh of a boiled potato. His face was incomparably cleaner than when they lived in the tent village, but it was heartbreaking that he couldn’t regain consciousness.
Feeling sick to his stomach, Eunseong tightly held Hanyeong’s hand and buried his forehead on top of it.
“Yoo Eunseong.”
After staying like that for a while, the voice he heard this time was Mujin’s. Eunseong wasn’t even surprised. Rather, he thought Mujin had found him later than expected.
When he raised his head, Mujin’s face, which was paler than the lying Hanyeong, was right there. He was pale to the point of being blue rather than white. His bloodshot red eyes, clenched fists, and the terrifyingly protruding veins on his forearms were strangely noticeable.
“See, I told you to let him meet him earlier…”
Lee Haesu spoke in a crawling voice and stepped aside two steps.
“…”
“…”
The flowing silence was sharp. It seemed like he would grab him by the collar and drag him away at any moment, but Mujin unexpectedly only stared down piercingly. His jaw muscles were tightly set from how much he had clenched his molars.
Eunseong composed his voice.
“I needed to check on Hanyeong. Because he’s my family. I thought that if he had recovered, we should return home together, and if… if Hanyeong had died… I thought it would be proper for me to hold his funeral with my own hands.”
“…”
“I’m grateful for your help, but I don’t think you have the right to block me so unilaterally like this.”
Eunseong said everything he had thought about while coming down to find Hanyeong. He was a little worried about how the angry Mujin would behave…
“Outside.”
“Pardon?”
Mujin’s chest heaved as he tried to gather his rough breathing that had burst out.
“I’ll wait outside.”
Then he spoke as if chewing and spitting out each word before leaving the treatment room.
Mujin, whose stubbornness had been forcibly broken, seemed to be struggling hard to suppress his anger. Seeing that effort clearly, Eunseong felt sorry. He wondered if he should have persuaded and pleaded until the end, but since his own heart was urgent, he had no regrets.
When Eunseong looked at Hanyeong again, Lee Haesu stepped in to mediate.
“Even though Mujin acts bluntly, he’s doing his best with the treatment, so don’t worry too much. He brought a lot of precious items and medicine too. He probably intended to let you meet once things stabilized a bit more.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
Lee Haesu handed Eunseong a handkerchief and patted his head.
“Hanyeong, you must wake up. You can get better. I’ll wait.”
When he carefully held his hand, Curry fluttered down beside him and rubbed his head comfortingly. For the past three years, he had regarded Hanyeong as such an eyesore, but seeing him lying down seemed to evoke sympathy.
Even children who lived rolling around in the Bottom had soft palms. Small and scrawny, with fingernails chewed up like a mess, but strangely only their palms were like that. It was proof that they were fragile, young beings.
Eunseong couldn’t help but think of the tent village children who had been separated at the spider attack site. If Hanyeong had been awake, if he had seen Eunseong’s face now, he would have pinched his nose and told him not to meddle and think about his own future instead.
Sniffling, Eunseong wiped his eyes and smiled bravely.
“I’ll come again.”
When he opened the treatment room door and went out, Mujin was standing diagonally with one shoulder leaning against the wall. Lee Haesu had no intention of leaving Hanyeong’s side, perhaps planning to come out when Mujin disappeared.
In Mujin’s eyes, rage and relief were simultaneously present. Eunseong bit his lips repeatedly before quickly putting on his eye patch. Then he bowed his head.
“I’m sorry for breaking the locking device.”
“That thing! Haa…”
The sigh Mujin exhaled seemed like it would make all the ground beneath his feet cave in. Eunseong blinked inside his eye patch.
“I’m also sorry for coming out on my own.”
“…”
“And I’m really sorry for not recognizing you.”
While apologizing consecutively, Eunseong also felt somewhat puzzled. It was because Mujin’s emotions felt too heavy compared to his own feelings toward Hanyeong.
The emotions he showed were so deep and intense that he kept feeling like he had committed a terribly great sin. When he escaped from the room, he hadn’t known he would feel this sorry.
“Let’s go back for now.”
Mujin, who had caught his breath, extended his hand toward Eunseong. The moment their palms slightly touched, static electricity sparked with a snap.
“I, I can walk well by myself. I ran when coming down.”
Mujin clicked his tongue again. Like when he made him wash his face, like when he put food right in front of him.
“Whoa?!”
The next moment, Eunseong’s body was suddenly lifted. Mujin wrapped one arm around his shoulders and pressed close, then lifted his legs with the other hand. His body simply floated in the air.
“Baek, Baek Mujin!”
In his confusion, even his way of addressing him got mixed up.
“I don’t have the leisure to wait for your steps.”
Eunseong was certain that whether he had memories or not, this had never happened in his life. No matter how bad his eyes were, he was a fully grown adult man. His face flushed red with shame.
“Put me down, please put me down!”
Even as he struggled as if he would fall, Mujin didn’t budge. Eunseong was so flustered that he unconsciously recalled memories of wondering why this guy was acting like this, why he had changed so much, when even when hyung’s leg was broken, he told any guy with intact limbs to go home doing handstands.
And he didn’t even have time to wonder about such thoughts of his own. Because someone had appeared and Mujin had stopped abruptly.
When he slightly lifted his eye patch, he could see a man with silver hair as white as his own standing in front of the two with a displeased expression.
“Move aside.”
At the heavily cracked low voice, when he turned his head again, this time he could see Mujin’s jet-black sunken pupils.
‘The two look alike.’
As soon as Eunseong thought this, Mujin moved his body. The moment he tried to pass by the man’s side, the man reached out and grabbed Mujin’s shoulder to stop him.
Being held in Mujin’s arms naturally put him at an angle to face the man. Eunseong felt an inexplicable hostility from his gaze and pressed down his eye patch. It was fortunate that he had the eye patch.
Then the man spoke. The content was clearly directed at Mujin, but the direction of his voice seemed to be aimed at himself, so Eunseong became a little tense.
“I heard from Section Chief Han. You said you’re leaving the guild. What on earth are you thinking? You’d have to be crazy.”
“I haven’t been a person of this place since three years ago. You’re the one who pretended not to know, Father.”
Mujin moved his shoulder to shake off his touch and took a step.
“Is it because of Eunseong again this time?”
Eunseong leaned his head toward Mujin’s chest. ‘Father?’ His heart pounded at that word.
The man didn’t stop there and began pouring out anger toward Mujin’s back.
“Why are you going astray like this? Why are you ruining your flawless life with your own hands like this? Three years? Yes, you spoke well. You should know that this father has endured a lot in three years too. I waited anxiously, wondering when your wandering would end, and this is how you repay me? Is this your way? Why are you trying to throw your bright future into the mud yourself!”
Mujin lowered his head. He could see Eunseong’s hair swaying from the sigh he exhaled. Even though his expression couldn’t be seen because his eyes were covered, it was clear that Eunseong was flustered.
Every time he heard Baek Sangyeon’s voice, Eunseong’s body tensed and flinched, and the way his heart pounded noisily could all be felt through their touching bodies.
It was a moment when he became unbearably ashamed.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
