Chapter 59
“Of course I’ll keep it secret! I won’t tell anyone! I’ll be the only one who knows!”
“If you happen to tell someone else… you might not be able to see Yoon Seo Won anymore. Can you handle that?”
Yu Sol, who had been cheerfully shouting, was naturally deflated by Baek Rak’s serious demeanor. Being told she wouldn’t be able to see Yoon Seo Won if she ran her mouth carelessly, she had no choice but to be cautious.
“…What, what kind of serious matter is this?”
“It’s important. The reason aside, Yoon Seo Won’s current condition that you know about also needs to be kept secret.”
Unlike before, Yu Sol began seriously contemplating. She felt like she had touched something she shouldn’t have. This was the first time she’d seen Baek Rak emphasize secrecy to this extent.
But since she’d already learned about Yoon Seo Won’s condition, she could say she’d already stepped into it. If she had to keep her mouth shut anyway, it seemed better to at least satisfy her curiosity.
Yu Sol nodded to Baek Rak with a determined expression. Seeing this, Baek Rak slowly opened his mouth.
“Yoon Seo Won is…”
“…”
“He has a special constitution.”
“Special constitution?”
Like Yu Sol, Seo Won had been waiting tensely for Baek Rak’s answer and was momentarily stunned. A special constitution? Me? What did that mean? Question marks began floating wildly in his head.
But then, Baek Rak casually dropped a bombshell.
“He absorbs the energy of hunters he sleeps with, bit by bit.”
“Sleeps with…?”
“Hey! Baek Rak! What are you!”
As he sat up in shock, Baek Rak pressed his shoulder down and made him lie back on the bed. Then he continued speaking to Yu Sol.
“It seems his body changed to survive. Since he can’t become a hunter, he uses that power to strengthen his own body.”
“Is that possible?”
“What changed after the meteorite fell to Earth?”
Yu Sol recalled what she had studied and spoke haltingly.
“…People’s bodies changed, and a small number became hunters.”
Baek Rak nodded slowly.
“In some way or another, people were bound to be affected by the meteorite. Among them, Yoon Seo Won uniquely manifested in this way.”
“In the form of absorbing hunters’ power?”
“Right.”
Seo Won felt like this must be what it’s like to be caught completely off guard. Baek Rak was making up stories about him stealing the guy’s power. Using the strange excuse of a special constitution.
It was fortunate he wasn’t revealing the secret, but… wasn’t this going too far in another sense?
He could only let out a hollow laugh at the absurdity, when Yu Sol looked at him and Baek Rak with narrowed eyes.
“What do you mean by sleeping together?”
“…”
This time Seo Won felt like his blood was evaporating. If you’re going to lie, at least make it wholesome. He had no idea why he was spouting such nonsense.
When Seo Won glared at him, Baek Rak poured oil on the fire with a nonchalant face.
“Well, naturally it’s inti…”
“Aaaaaaaah! Ah! You crazy bastard!”
Finally unable to bear it, Seo Won screamed and shot up. There are things you can say and things you shouldn’t! How could he say such things to a minor without hesitation!
“Hey! Are you in your right mind? Huh? Just try saying more, really!”
“Oh, what a shock.”
Yu Sol, startled by Seo Won’s sudden screaming and outburst, covered her ears. The resounding voice seemed more energetic than usual.
“Sorry, Sol. But… I don’t think you need to hear more. Why don’t you go rest? You’re still a patient too.”
“My bed is right next to yours though?”
Crack. Seo Won’s jaw bulged and hardened.
“And you know, trying to hide it like that just makes it more suspicious, right?”
“What, what…”
“I know everything there is to know too, you know?”
“Sol…”
Yu Sol got up from the bed she was sitting on, crossed her arms, and said:
“In the end, Baek Rak’s one-sided love came true, right?”
“…”
Seo Won’s mouth fell open helplessly. He couldn’t understand how she could reach such a conclusion from that interpretation.
“I heard lovers and married couples sleep in the same bed together. Everyone lives together in one house like that, right? So you two are living together too, aren’t you?”
“…Huh?”
“What’s so embarrassing about that to hide it? If you’re lovers, of course you should sleep in the same bed. Taking Baek Rak’s energy can’t be helped, but since it makes you safer, Baek Rak allowed it, right?”
“…”
“And energy recovers quickly anyway, so it’s not really a big deal. The problem is the special constitution—if word gets out, other shelters will be interested, so naturally Baek Rak is worried.”
“…”
“Don’t worry. I’ll definitely keep the secret. But there’s no need to hide the fact that you’re dating. Baek Rak’s taste is a bit… well, but if he likes it…”
It felt like being hit in the back of the head repeatedly. Yu Sol seemed to possess the special ability to kill people with words.
Having no idea how to handle this, when Seo Won gave Baek Rak a meaningful look, the guy was laughing as if he found it amusing. He seemed to have lost his mind after being verbally beaten up by Yu Sol.
“You said he absorbs energy when sleeping together, right? Would he take it even if I’m in the bed next to you? That would be a bit troublesome… I’m still in recovery.”
“Since skin contact is needed while sleeping, you don’t need to worry.”
“Really? Then there’s no problem.”
Far from refuting, Baek Rak was providing precautions. While he felt sorry for Yu Sol who believed such absurd talk, Baek Rak was more of a problem. That crazy bastard…
“Does the captain know by any chance?”
“Han Seong Hyeon doesn’t know about Yoon Seo Won’s constitution either. Only the two of us knew. So Yu Sol, you be careful too.”
“Mm-hmm, got it. You must like him quite a lot, more than I thought…”
The situation had already crossed a river of no return.
Seo Won lay down on the bed as if collapsing, having lost the will to explain. At this point, rather than being absurd, it felt like he was dreaming.
Baek Rak had a calm expression, as if receiving such misunderstandings wasn’t much of a blow to him. Maybe he thought he didn’t need to worry since only Yu Sol knew anyway.
Rather, Yu Sol seemed to be enjoying being the only one who knew. The way she looked at him and Baek Rak was inappropriately scheming for her age.
“I’m going to step out for a bit, so you two talk.”
“…Where are you going?”
“To take a shower. I’ve been too grimy since I haven’t been able to wash properly.”
Until now, she’d only lightly wiped with wet towels, so it was certainly understandable that she’d feel sticky.
Seo Won couldn’t bring himself to stop Yu Sol who said she was going to wash, and could only longingly watch her retreating figure.
If he could, he wanted to plead with her not to leave just the two of them here. As soon as Yu Sol disappeared, Baek Rak was looking at him with a hardened face. He’d been laughing fine just moments ago—it was like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
After confirming that even Yu Sol’s footsteps had disappeared, Baek Rak sat on the edge of the bed and crossed his arms. It was clearly a posture for interrogation.
“Your shoulder.”
“…It’s a bit stiff, but it’s fine.”
It would have been better if he’d attacked from the start. Asking about his wellbeing first like this only increased his anxiety.
“They said you need to rest for three days.”
“…Really?”
“There was more bleeding than expected. Since your whole shoulder was torn up.”
Just looking at the area where new flesh had grown, the size of the wound could be imagined. Hearing it described made his shoulder ache for no reason, so he rubbed it.
Because he’d been too close to the Alpha, the incident happened in an instant. He only felt pain after blood spurted out.
Even so, he should have maintained some distance—he’d been too complacent.
“Isn’t there anything else you’re curious about?”
“…”
“Or something you want to say.”
Rather than interrogating him, laying out the groundwork like this made it even harder to speak up. Having ignored Baek Rak’s warning and been fooled by Choi Gi Beom—no, the Alpha—he had nothing to say even with ten mouths.
Watching the restless Seo Won, Baek Rak spoke in a monotone voice.
“Have I been too lenient with you lately?”
As he said, Baek Rak recently had been different from the beginning. A bit softer, and though slight, with a feeling of affection. He’d been sensing that for a while. Though it seemed like he’d ruined it all as of yesterday.
“Or do you feel like you’ve become something since you’re going to be a guardian?”
Seo Won, who had been lying flat knowing his fault, slowly raised his head. Feel like he’d become something? The atmosphere that had been relaxed until just now turned cold with those words.
“What are you saying like that…”
“Since you wouldn’t even listen to me with one ear.”
“…”
“How long has it been since I told you not to act selfishly? Explain to me how far I should indulge you.”
“…”
“Don’t tell me you were hoping for this kind of result?”
Each of Baek Rak’s words felt like something was blocking his breath. It felt both frustrating from being unable to resolve his sense of injustice, and sorrowful from being misunderstood.
The reason for feeling this way seemed to be because of Baek Rak’s attitude—speaking cutting words while not getting angry.
His indifferent voice, expressionless face, and sunken eyes.
Instead, Baek Rak seemed to be saying, ‘I’m looking after you because you’re someone who will become a guardian.’ That if it weren’t for that, he wouldn’t have cared about him to this extent.
Then why did he pat his shoulder?
Why did he support his collapsing body?
He was only confused because of Baek Rak’s inconsistent actions and words.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
