Chapter 84
“It’s a set item.”
Eunseong held up Seorin and brought it close to Curry’s body. Even if he imagined Curry’s appearance as a yellow bird rather than its current charcoal-like state, it didn’t seem like a fitting match. There was no way Curry would have been wearing Seorin around its neck.
“Maybe Curry changed appearance just like its name changed.”
Mujin continued while keeping his gaze on Curry.
“Originally, it wasn’t this form. It might have changed after eating Hwanghwa’s energy, or it might have transformed to stay by your side.”
When he thought about the timing as well, the time when Seorin came into Jung Isaac’s hands and when Curry appeared didn’t overlap either. Whether Curry had been staying by Eunseong’s side from the beginning, and that’s why it only revealed itself to Eunseong… right now it was all just speculation.
“But it seems certain that you made both of them, Eunseong. This childish prank-like smile signature seems to be the evidence.”
*Broccoli nom nom* – Mujin’s eyes curved gently.
“There’s a reason why uncle sealed your ability.”
“Dad did?”
“Yeah. If it were me and my child had made living items, I would have thought to hide that ability first.”
“……Do you want to have a baby?”
“What are you saying?”
Mujin habitually reached out wanting to pinch Eunseong’s pale cheek, then flinched and pulled back when he realized again that his hands were still dirty.
Curry and Seorin were definitely made when Eunseong was very young. Items created by a small child’s tiny hands like molding clay, without precise design or collaboration. Could the unbelievable performance and completeness be coincidence?
As Mujin recalled the innocent and tender Eunseong of those days, dark tension and fear spread around his eyes. Because he could picture a future where everyone would covet Eunseong, hurt him, and he would end up losing Eunseong once again.
“Set items are at least 3 pieces.”
Eunseong, who had been lost in deep thought, spoke.
“And there’s another one inside the rift?”
Eunseong nodded to Mujin, who had given the exact same answer as his thoughts.
“I was thinking that maybe I lost it during the plane crash… If that’s not it, then it doesn’t make sense for Curry to suddenly jump into the rift.”
*Ugh,* Eunseong pressed his temples with both hands, feeling frustrated.
“Where did Jung Isaac even get Seorin from, and how did he know it was mine? It’s frustrating, I can’t remember. It would be nice if I could remember what he said when he handed Seorin to me. It would have been even better if I had told you right away then……”
Mujin stopped Eunseong, who was hitting his forehead and being self-deprecating.
“That guy must not be very important to you.”
“……Is that so?”
“Of course.”
Eunseong, who had been staring at Curry for a while with his reddened forehead, soon lifted his head. Seeing him put strength into his round eyes and make a determined expression, Mujin cleared his throat.
“I want to fix Curry.”
“Can you do it?”
“Honestly, it feels overwhelming right now… but I want to ask Hyeonwoo to help me.”
“If it’s Joo Hyeonwoo’s taste, it might get strangely modified.”
Considering the shapes of items that Joo Hyeonwoo usually made and the style he wore, it was quite possible. Eunseong, who easily sympathized, couldn’t help but snicker.
“Curry might turn into a crow, right? With jet-black fur and multiple silver piercings on its beak, and chains hanging from its claws… We might even have to change its name to something else.”
Mujin followed Eunseong’s imagination and ended up laughing along. Because if the flashy crow Eunseong imagined represented Joo Hyeonwoo’s identity, then Curry’s appearance like a yellow chick was Eunseong himself.
“Ah…… you’re cute, Yoo Eunseong.”
“What, what are you saying? All of a sudden.”
Like a doll that lights up red on both cheeks when pressed, Eunseong’s face immediately turned red and he hurriedly turned around. Then he walked quickly toward the entrance where piles of items were stacked, trying to escape from Mujin.
“What are you looking for?”
Mujin followed Eunseong around the round table. He was watching Eunseong’s hands rummaging through the miscellaneous items, then raised his eyebrows when he saw the hand that found the key phone about to press the number pad.
“Uh, what was Hyeonwoo’s call number again?”
*Click,* Mujin quietly pressed the call end button to turn it off.
“Let’s wash up first.”
“……Huh?”
“I can’t stand being this dirty.”
Mujin spoke with a voice mixed with irritation. He clenched his hand tightly as he habitually tried to touch Eunseong, and took away the key phone.
“Let’s wash up first, rest a little. Then gather people. Plan the next rift entry after that, and we’ll need to coordinate with the large rift schedule too… there’s really a lot to do from now on.”
Mujin turned off the power of the item panel and picked up Curry, leaving the flustered Eunseong behind. He handed the blackened Curry to Eunseong and made a firm conclusion.
“That’s enough for today.”
Eunseong couldn’t give any proper answer and just swallowed his dry saliva.
* * *
Eunseong’s attempt to head toward his own house alone was beautifully blocked. Mujin put his arm around Eunseong’s shoulder and very naturally entered through the same front door.
Eunseong, being dragged along with a reluctant face, rolled his eyes around. Wasn’t the situation flowing too smoothly like water……?
*’Then we can do more when we get home.’*
*’This means I can be greedier, right?’*
The things Mujin had said kept echoing in his head. It seemed like his brain had given up on being wise.
“You need to take off your shoes.”
At the coaxing voice, Eunseong suddenly came to his senses. When he reflexively looked down, he saw shoes covered in dirty mud about to cross the threshold.
“Huh? Oh!”
Suddenly pulling his legs together, his body lost balance. Staggering and greatly flustered, Eunseong grabbed Mujin’s t-shirt desperately. Mujin, who firmly supported his waist with both hands, quietly looked down at Eunseong.
“……”
“……”
An awkward silence descended over the entrance. Since they weren’t moving, even the sensor light turned off and everything became pitch black. Without realizing it, it had become the middle of the night.
It was Mujin’s short laugh that broke the silence. At the same time, *pop,* the light turned on. Mujin’s eyes that had been glowing yellow had already returned to their gentle black color. Eunseong looked diagonally down, trying to hide his noisy insides.
“Why are you so nervous? What on earth are you thinking about?”
At the teasing words, his heart finally regained its usual rhythm, and at the same time, Eunseong got a little annoyed.
“What about you, why are you so natural after saying all those things earlier!”
“Did I seem natural to you, Eunseong?”
“What?”
“No, more than that… does it bother you that I seem natural?”
*So it did bother you.* Mujin curved his eyes and muttered to himself.
“Don’t worry, I’m a virgin.”
Leaving behind those mirage-like words, Mujin let go of Eunseong’s waist and walked into the house. Then he immediately started moving busily, throwing off his clothes. All he said to Eunseong, who was standing blankly in the entrance, was ‘I’ll wash first.’
“What, what……”
Eunseong, who belatedly grasped the situation, felt as if hot steam was escaping from both his ear holes. His head seemed to be cooked by Mujin’s words.
“What the hell is he saying……”
Eunseong muttered repeatedly as he entered the house.
“Is that guy crazy?”
There was the sound of strong water coming from the bathroom. Eunseong, who had been staring at the bathroom door with his mouth agape, soon began pacing around the living room in circles.
Could it really be that he didn’t know what he was talking about? It was because he couldn’t believe it at all. Was the Baek Mujin he knew really the same person as the Baek Mujin in that bathroom right now?
“……”
Eunseong, who had been denying reality for quite a while, suddenly began moving quickly like someone who had realized something.
When he flung open the bedroom door, the cleanly arranged pure white bed stabbed his eyes like a surprise attack. Eunseong deliberately looked away and quickly made a round of the room.
“Where did it go?”
What Eunseong was looking for was Mujin’s tablet. Come to think of it, the last time he saw it was when they ate together and looked at the rift guide site. Disappointed that the dining table was clean, Eunseong turned around and saw the living room sofa. Running over and lifting the cushions, eureka! Mujin’s tablet was in his hands.
Opening the search engine, Eunseong briefly lifted his head and looked around. He did this even though there wasn’t another person in the house. That was because the words he was about to type in the search bar were quite secretive.
*Men together do…*
His reddened fingertips trembled.
*How to do it.*
Eunseong, who had closed his eyes tightly while pressing enter, opened his eyes again and sighed at the adult verification window that appeared before him. Looking toward the bathroom again to double-check the sound of water, he familiarly typed Mujin’s password into the login window.
Dbdmstjd0611
He was momentarily startled by his own hand naturally typing the password without needing to rack his memory, but Eunseong’s nose tingled because Mujin was still using the same password.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
