87
When Yeon Ji-ho crossed the gate, he was met with pitch-black darkness.
Previously, Set had always been by his side when crossing gates. For Ji-ho, who was new to gates, Set would deliberately hold his hand firmly to prevent him from being startled.
Ji-ho clenched his empty hand into a fist to forget that emptiness. It was okay that he wasn’t by his side right now. Soon, Set and everyone else would follow through the gate.
“…Ugh!”
At that moment, Ji-ho’s body fell to the floor with a thud. There wasn’t even time to feel the sensation of falling. It was when Ji-ho raised his arm to check his stomach first.
Thud. Thud, thud.
The range of motion for his arm was extremely limited. Ji-ho frowned at the stifling situation, as if he were in a narrow box.
Then, raising his head, Ji-ho noticed a very faint light entering his field of vision and slightly opened his mouth. A shallow light, like light coming through a door crack, could this be…
“…A wardrobe?”
Clank.
Muttering, Ji-ho stretched out his arm and pushed hard on the door in front of him. Then, ridiculously easily, the door opened and the outside became visible.
It was his room.
Ji-ho, who had somehow been crouched inside the wardrobe, was about to gently extend his feet to the floor when he realized he was wearing shoes and decided to take them off first. Holding one shoe in his hand, he stood in the middle of his room.
“I really came back…”
The familiar smell. The familiar objects. It was indeed Ji-ho’s home where he had lived almost his entire life.
In this peaceful space, Ji-ho went to the living room, neatly placed his shoes in front of the entrance, and hurriedly returned to his room. It was to greet the others who would come out through the wardrobe, just like him.
Isquis and Baal were patients, so they should use the rooms in his house. For Shango and Apophis, he would offer either a pension or a caravan, whichever they preferred. And Set could share a room with him, couldn’t he?
As he carefully made his plans, Ji-ho unconsciously smiled. The shocking things Hadad had said could be thought about later while reading “The Star of Hadad” with Set again.
Ji-ho deliberately pushed back the bad thoughts, fearing that the mental shock he had received might be transmitted to the child in his womb. Right now, he just wanted to see Set.
“…”
But why wasn’t anyone coming?
In truth, it hadn’t been a long wait. Barely ten minutes had passed. Yet, somehow he felt anxious.
“Should I… prepare some water?”
Ji-ho, who had been sitting on the bed staring blankly at the gate drawn inside the wardrobe, got up. It would be nice to give those who had struggled some cool drinks, but having been away from home for so long, there wasn’t much suitable to drink.
Finally, intending to prepare some cool barley tea, he approached the door of the room. It was then that he sensed a presence behind him as he turned towards the door.
Thud!
Before he could turn around, he heard the sound of the wardrobe door, which he had left open, closing again. Does the gate automatically close the wardrobe door when activated?
Ji-ho approached the closed wardrobe, trying to calm his trembling heart. The next to come was supposed to be Baal and Isquis, so it might be them. Postponing his expectation that it might be Set, Ji-ho took a deep breath.
Thud, thud thud.
Inside, someone was repeatedly knocking on the wardrobe door as if asking for it to be opened. Ji-ho grabbed both handles of the wardrobe tightly and yanked it towards him.
Simultaneously, a person tumbled out from inside.
“Ugh!”
Ji-ho frowned in surprise at the person who fell into his arms. With his arms spread, his stomach was exposed, and the weight of the other person was quite substantial, pressing directly on his belly.
Unable to bear the person’s weight, Ji-ho stumbled backward and fell onto the bed.
The hair of the person who ended up sprawled on top of him touched Ji-ho’s cheek. Ji-ho was certain it wasn’t Set from the unfamiliar scent.
“Who…”
Baal? Or Shango?
It was when he moved to check who was weighing him down. The body on top of him shook slightly.
“Heh…”
A faint laugh was even heard. The moment he heard that sound, Ji-ho’s face hardened.
Coming to his senses, Ji-ho hurriedly crawled out from under the man who was weighing him down. After hastily crawling off the bed, he finally looked at the other person’s face properly.
“Ha…dad?”
“Ahaha.”
As soon as his name was called, Hadad let out a shallow laugh. Laughing so much that his Adam’s apple trembled finely, he suddenly muttered.
“None of that matters now.”
Hadad’s hand reached towards Ji-ho’s chin in front of him. Seeing that he was about to grab his face, Ji-ho jerked his upper body backward.
“Why are you…”
It wasn’t Set, nor Shango, nor Isquis, not even Baal. Ji-ho’s voice trembled unsteadily, mixed with confusion and fear.
“Don’t worry, Ji-ho. Those who tormented you are gone now.”
At Hadad’s words, Ji-ho raised his head. Looking at the wardrobe behind Hadad, he could see the gate that no longer shone inside the tattered wardrobe door.
Realizing this fact, Ji-ho’s breath caught.
“Then, Set…”
“You’ll never see them again.”
Hadad replied before Ji-ho could finish speaking. Ji-ho’s pupils shook violently.
“…That, that can’t be…”
“Ji-ho. You’re too soft-hearted… But it’s better for you to forget quickly.”
Saying this, Hadad approached Ji-ho on the bed. Startled, Ji-ho tried to escape backward, supporting himself with both arms on the sheets, but ended up slipping.
“…Don’t come closer.”
Ji-ho tried to stand up, putting strength into both knees. But strangely, his body was trembling so much that nothing was easy. Meanwhile, Hadad was slowly approaching on his knees.
“Ji-ho. There’s no need to be so wary. After all, I’m the one who saved you.”
“Saved me? Who are you to save me?”
Hadad, who had suddenly reached Ji-ho, easily subdued him. Grabbing and pressing down on his wrist, Ji-ho’s body fell backward. Suddenly finding himself under Hadad, Ji-ho’s lips trembled.
“S-stop…”
As Ji-ho struggled to escape, he realized Hadad’s long fingers were tracing his neck. At that moment, a voice filled with fear escaped him involuntarily.
In the face of such superior strength that couldn’t be compared to his own, even breathing properly was difficult. As Ji-ho tightly closed his eyes, Hadad gripped his chin firmly and forced him to open them.
“Ji-ho, don’t worry. Even if you hate me now, I will love you.”
The eyes of the one claiming to love him showed no affection for Ji-ho. Ji-ho was forced to look at that chilling appearance.
“Ugh!”
At that moment, his throat convulsed strongly and nausea welled up. Surprised, Ji-ho unconsciously pushed against Hadad’s shoulder and covered his mouth.
Hadad smelled of pungent blood. It was natural, as he must have just come from battle beyond the gate. That blood smell induced Ji-ho’s nausea.
“Get, ugh, get away!”
“Tsk.”
With the continuing nausea, Ji-ho spat out profanity without even having time to be afraid. Hadad stepped back, not hiding his annoyed expression.
Ji-ho, finally given some space, tried to crawl out from under Hadad. He couldn’t, because Hadad forcibly pushed his hand between Ji-ho’s fingers.
At this rate, who knows what would happen to him on his own bed.
Fear filled Ji-ho’s eyes at Hadad’s aggressive attitude. From that point on, full-fledged resistance followed.
“Ji-ho, please calm down. There’s nothing threatening you anymore.”
“The only thing threatening me right now is you!”
Kicking Hadad and punching his shoulder had no effect on him. Instead, he grabbed Ji-ho’s wrist and pinned it to the bed.
“Have you calmed down a bit now, Ji-ho?”
Finally, Ji-ho’s resistance subsided. It was because Hadad was pressing his knee against Ji-ho’s stomach, poised to put his full weight on it at any moment.
Ji-ho was so angry he could grind his teeth at being asked if he had calmed down while being completely pinned down. However, Hadad, disregarding Ji-ho’s angry demeanor, tried to pull him into his arms.
In the end, Ji-ho spat in Hadad’s face.
“Didn’t you hear me tell you to get lost?”
