Chapter 73
Mujin’s room always had the same atmosphere, the same scent. Eunseong found it fascinating that this was true even in the new place he had moved to.
Walking behind Mujin, Eunseong carefully steadied his breathing. It was becoming increasingly difficult to control his increasingly lewd thoughts.
The well-soundproofed space felt so enclosed that it was suffocating. The imagination of being trapped alone with Mujin in a tiny box kept surfacing. Fearing that his inappropriate thoughts would be discovered at any moment, Eunseong tried to conjure up sad thoughts, but even that wasn’t working.
He escaped to the bathroom as if running away from Mujin, but he couldn’t exactly sleep in the bathtub either. After washing in cold water as if freezing his body, he came out with his pale cheeks seeming to emit steam.
Mujin, who had been sitting on the sofa waiting for Eunseong, raised his eyebrows high. He looked speechless about something.
Wondering if he had spent too long in the shower… unfortunately there was only one bathroom. Eunseong hesitated and then asked somewhat flatly.
“What?”
“…Nothing. I’m just not used to it.”
“To what?”
“Never mind.”
Mujin just threw out these enigmatic words and went into the bathroom. Who’s the one who should be sighing here… Eunseong stared at the closed bathroom door and then grabbed an ice pack and lay down on one side of the bed.
The sound of rushing water continued for a long time.
“Haah…”
With Mujin gone, he exhaled a long breath freely. How long would this life continue? With the ice pack covering his hot eyes, thoughts began to link one after another.
The joy of Hanyeong waking up was brief; there were still many unresolved issues. Had anything been resolved at all? What had happened to Baek Sangyeon? And what about Curry who had run away? There was also the issue of the neutral zone’s major rift that they would soon have to deal with. And there was still his own buff problem that he hadn’t fully mastered.
“…”
Why was it that at the end of his thoughts, he heard Woo Nayeong’s voice?
‘You don’t seem to know, but Huiseon still hasn’t given up on Baek Mujin having an heir.’
Mujin’s child? He couldn’t even imagine it. Even Baek Sangyeon, who was currently furious, would be delighted if Mujin gave him a grandchild. Ah, would he try to exploit that child too?
That mustn’t happen.
“…”
Eunseong, who had just thought that Mujin shouldn’t have a child, let out a weak, hollow laugh. It seemed like he was only thinking about what he wanted.
If Mujin found a woman he liked…
It was entirely possible. Actually, with his looks, it was surprising he wasn’t dating already. Not just himself, but anyone in this building would agree.
Yes, even though they were now friends who couldn’t live without each other, eventually they would part ways. Until someone more precious came along for Mujin, should he close his eyes tight and monopolize Mujin and enjoy it? In a way, this was a luxury he wouldn’t be able to enjoy except for now.
The mattress tilted to one side. Eunseong lifted the ice pack covering his eyes and startled.
The lights in the room had all been turned off. The only light was a single streak of yellow illumination flowing through the slightly open door. Mujin, who had climbed onto the bed, looked like a large black monster. His hastily tied robe had come undone at the front, revealing his chest completely.
And why was he looking at him like that?
“You’re still awake?”
Mujin’s eyes were glowing yellow.
“…Yeah, I was just about to fall asleep.”
Eunseong swallowed dryly and, despite his resolution to enjoy this, quickly turned his body. He moved timidly, curling up on his side at the edge of the bed.
“You’ll fall off the bed like that, Yoo Eunseong.”
“That won’t happen.”
Before he could finish speaking, he was dragged across the bed. Like a cat that didn’t want to be held, he tried to grab the sheets, but it was useless.
Mujin stretched out his left arm and placed Eunseong’s head on it. Then he pulled Eunseong into his embrace, wrapping around his back and holding him tight. It was exactly the same scenario as the past few nights.
His temple pressed against the thick bicep. Eunseong had no choice but to adjust his head, finding a concave spot. Once settled, Mujin’s other arm wrapped around his shoulders, imprisoning him.
As Eunseong regulated even his breathing, one of Mujin’s legs suddenly slid between his. Eunseong squeezed his eyes shut.
“You know I won’t be taken away again.”
Squirming only added more strength to the constraining arms. Mujin ignored him and buried his lips against the back of Eunseong’s head. With each warm breath he felt, his lower body tingled.
This is driving me crazy.
“…Even if you were taken, I’d find you again. Right?”
Mentally calling upon his father, mother, brother, and even ancestral spirits, Eunseong raised his hand into the darkness as if he’d thought of a brilliant plan.
“Look. Now, I can do things like this too. You don’t need to worry so much…”
White energy spread from his fingertips, drawing stars in the air. Just as silver threads were extending smoothly to form constellations, Mujin grabbed his wrist. Then he covered Eunseong’s hand completely with his large one, making him close it. The sparkling silver threads vanished without a trace.
“Don’t do that. You shouldn’t keep using your ability.”
His admonishing voice was heavy and dry. Eunseong bit his lip.
Mujin was seriously concerned about him. Eunseong slightly turned his shoulder to look back at him, but Mujin had his eyes closed as if trying to sleep. Eunseong turned back to his original position.
Mujin’s chest against his back rose and fell evenly. Realizing this, Eunseong felt as if someone had thrown cold water on his tingling lower body.
What was I thinking… how far was I going?
Eunseong closed his eyes tightly.
***
Hot, shallow breaths scattered across the philtrum. Eunseong had fallen into a deep sleep, but his breathing was irregular. Mujin lay on his side next to him, resting his chin on his hand, quietly looking down at Eunseong. In the darkness of the pitch-black night, his irises glowed yellow.
“…”
With each breath Eunseong took in and let out, golden energy rippled like a net beneath his transparent white cheeks. The soft light pulsed, appearing and disappearing repeatedly. In the dark room, Eunseong’s body glowed like a firefly.
The hair on his round forehead was matted with cold sweat. Mujin brushed the silver hair away with his fingertips. The forehead was burning so hot that he could feel it without even touching it.
‘I can’t do anything about Eunseong’s fever. How should I put it… I can’t even interfere, Mujin.’
‘What does that mean?’
‘It’s like something inside is rejecting it? To express it, there’s a barrier inside. It prevents me from touching the energy flow. That’s probably the Hwanghwa. Since Hwanghwa is a higher grade than me, it’s not unusual. What’s strange is that I couldn’t feel its presence before, but now I can.’
Mujin carefully pondered what Lee Haesu had said.
Since returning from the Rift Control Agency, Eunseong’s condition had been deteriorating over the past few days. Mujin gently stroked the reddened skin around Eunseong’s eyes with his thumb. Though not normally a heavy sleeper, Eunseong could hardly regain consciousness.
In his current state, he probably wouldn’t be aware of anything Mujin might do. If anyone understood the feeling of being controlled by the Hwanghwa, it was Mujin, more than anyone else in this world.
While Eunseong had the ability to read the state of the Hwanghwa and its core inside Mujin, Mujin couldn’t even detect the Hwanghwa inside Eunseong, let alone read it. The Hwanghwa, which had been as clear as looking at his own palm when it was inside him, became undetectable once it moved into Eunseong, as if hidden behind a curtain. When Eunseong had exhibited abnormal power and wielded fire, Mujin had only guessed from what he saw.
But now, the Hwanghwa inside Eunseong was revealing itself to the extent that even Mujin could sense it. It was controlling Eunseong’s sleeping body and emitting energy.
“…”
When he pulled up the t-shirt, Eunseong’s white stomach and chest were fully exposed. Above the left chest, right over the heart, a mass of light like tangled golden threads was breathing. From there, thin, dense branches of light extended throughout Eunseong’s body.
Mujin fingered the Seorin hanging around Eunseong’s neck.
“It’s not time yet…”
He shouldn’t extract Eunseong’s Hwanghwa using the same method that was used on him. Unlike Mujin, who was accustomed to repairing his broken and torn body, Eunseong didn’t have such abilities. There were still many days left until the auction where they could obtain an item to protect his heart when the core was split.
Mujin’s mouth went dry with anxiety, fearing Eunseong might not hold out until then.
Then suddenly, he remembered something he had forgotten. That creature that craved the fire energy. Could its disappearance be the reason for the sudden deterioration?
‘Curry went into the rift, Mujin. What should I do?’
Mujin recalled how he had felt relieved at the time, as if a thorn in his side had been removed. Back then, he had only thought Eunseong’s tearful face was cute.
Could it be…
His yellow eyes filled with consternation.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
