Seung-hyeon, who had settled into the passenger seat, immediately lowered his head towards Seon-woo. Given his personality, under normal circumstances, he would have politely knocked on the door and said something like, “Is it okay if I get in?” or “Excuse me for a moment.” But it seemed that Seung-hyeon had realized the situation was serious.
“Can’t you breathe?”
He asked urgently. Seon-woo nodded weakly, then turned to look at his face. Even amidst this, the unnervingly stiff expression on Seung-hyeon’s face felt unfamiliar. With a self-mocking smile, Seon-woo let out a harsh, haggard laugh. The laughter, mixed with his labored breathing, turned into an ugly sound, a wheezing “hick, heuk.” It seemed that Seung-hyeon didn’t even realize he had laughed.
“Is there anything like a bag in the car…?”
Seung-hyeon adopted the most exemplary posture when handling a hyperventilating patient. Mumbling to himself, he rummaged through his pockets, then irritably swept his bangs back.
“There’s no way.”
He muttered to himself, then covered Seon-woo’s mouth with his sleeve, as if to block it. Even though he had exchanged words with Seung-hyeon, the Gwanggong score had not decreased. Was the system’s stance that it disliked Jeong-hee more than it disliked Gwak Seung-hyeon? With no understanding of the tangled circumstances, it was difficult to make any judgment. Seon-woo, still struggling to breathe, exhaled into Seung-hyeon’s sleeve.
For a brief moment, it seemed like things had improved, but his condition wasn’t visibly getting better. As long as the abnormal state persisted, no matter what method was used, the root cause couldn’t be resolved. Of course, Seung-hyeon, who couldn’t know that, looked at Seon-woo with a serious face. His expression showed he was pondering why things weren’t getting better.
Seon-woo’s breathing grew more rapid. It was hard to tell from his own perspective, but his complexion must have been terrible. Perhaps because of this, Seung-hyeon looked at him with a dark expression before seemingly making a decision and speaking.
“I’m sorry.”
Then Seung-hyeon kissed Seon-woo.
<Gwanggong score decreases by 13!>
Before Seon-woo could even process the situation, the significant score reduction was already in effect. It seemed that the shock of being kissed by Gwak Seung-hyeon was the main cause. It wasn’t just the system that was shocked—Seon-woo himself was just as stunned. Here? A kiss? Why suddenly?
But Seung-hyeon appeared to be completely devoid of ulterior motives. After firmly holding Seon-woo’s head to prevent him from turning away, he blew air into his mouth. After repeating this several times, Seon-woo finally realized the nature of the action. It was artificial respiration for someone showing signs of hyperventilation. If Seon-woo had been in a slightly more rational state, he might have realized it was artificial respiration as soon as Seung-hyeon’s lips touched his, but it seemed that he was definitely out of his mind at that moment.
Perhaps because they had drunk the same pre-meal wine, Seung-hyeon’s breath carried a sweet grape scent. As it was the most intuitive and effective method, it seemed to have some effect even on the hyperventilation induced by the system. At least during the exchange of breaths, it was bearable and not unbearably labored. It was an embarrassing situation, but just being able to breathe more easily was enough to make Seon-woo feel grateful.
But aside from that, there was something else Seon-woo was hoping for. He quickly finished calculating in his head. Since it dropped by 13 all at once, it was definitely below 40 now. If that’s the case, wouldn’t the system turn off again?
Finally, the long-awaited notification came.
<The current Gwanggong score is 35.>
And that was it.
Just like last time, he had been waiting for the notification that “the system has lost control,” but no further messages came from the system. Panicked, Seon-woo pushed Seung-hyeon away. He confirmed that Seon-woo’s condition had improved somewhat before stepping back.
Seon-woo, now lost in confusion, took a few deep breaths. Why was the system still active despite the Gwanggong score dropping so much? Didn’t it lose control last time because of the score? Or was it only when it hit exactly 40?
There was no way to know what variables influenced it, no way to figure out what matched up so that the system had turned off only at that exact moment. Still, he had thought the most significant factor was the score… Was that not the case?
As Seon-woo pondered, his breathing became more erratic again. It wasn’t entirely because of emotional distress, but rather because this wasn’t something that could be fixed with just one round of artificial respiration.
Seung-hyeon, now looking down at him with a face twisted in worry, watched him struggle for air again.
Then, he lowered his head towards him once more. It seemed he was going to try artificial respiration again. Seon-woo shook his head, grabbing Seung-hyeon’s shoulder and pushing him away.
“Just… just for a moment… it’ll be back to this in no time…”
“I’ll keep going until then.”
His tone was so firm that it almost made Seon-woo laugh. He was going to keep doing artificial respiration until Seon-woo was better? He had no idea what he was saying. This was a symptom that wouldn’t disappear until the side effects from the Gwanggong score were gone.
“How long? Until… you’re out of breath?”
Seon-woo let out a self-deprecating laugh. But even with his painful laugh, Seung-hyeon’s expression remained unchanged, serious. It almost seemed like Seung-hyeon would keep his word. At this rate, though, Seung-hyeon’s breath might give out before Seon-woo’s Gwanggong score dropped to zero.
Was there no other way? As Seon-woo continued to think, he felt his breathing becoming more unstable. He began to fear that he might actually die this way. If that happened, it would be the most absurd death he could imagine. If there were an afterlife, how could he explain his death?
“I died from hyperventilating because I was acting out of character for a Gwanggong. I couldn’t breathe and just… died.” The mere thought was terrifying.
No matter how absurd the thought was, it didn’t make him feel any better. Instead, it only deepened his sorrow and fear. At that moment, the system seemed to take pity on him and provided a choice.
▶ (Beat Gwak Seung-hyeon senseless in the rain.)
▶ (Strike Gwak Seung-hyeon with a brutal punch.)
Even though it was a situation that wasn’t funny at all, a hollow laugh escaped him. Gwak Seung-hyeon, perhaps mistaking Gwak Seon-woo’s laughter for a sound born out of pain, wore a face full of concern. He was probably debating whether he should forcibly perform CPR on him. It was ridiculous and painful to realize that a man whose intentions were so hard to read was now so completely transparent to him, just at this moment. And the fact that he had to hurt someone who was worried about him felt incredibly apologetic.
However, Gwak Seon-woo couldn’t refuse the system’s choice and grabbed Gwak Seung-hyeon by the collar. Once he had him, Gwak Seung-hyeon let his body go limp and was dragged along. Even when he saw Gwak Seon-woo raising his fist, Gwak Seung-hyeon only slightly furrowed his brows and didn’t push him away. Without resistance, Gwak Seon-woo slapped him across the face, causing Gwak Seung-hyeon’s head to turn to the opposite side.
< Gwanggong Score increases by 4. >
Gwak Seung-hyeon, who had been punched unexpectedly while trying to give mouth-to-mouth to someone suffering from hyperventilation, was now trembling. Even though he could simply shake it off, he was being beaten without resistance. Seeing this, Gwak Seon-woo’s pupils shook relentlessly.
It couldn’t be helped. It really couldn’t. What could he do, even if he felt sorry for it? No matter who Gwak Seung-hyeon was, this was still a game. In this game, he couldn’t die from breathing difficulties. Since it was just a game…
Gwak Seon-woo froze, still holding Gwak Seung-hyeon by the collar. After receiving a slap, Gwak Seung-hyeon’s cheek had slightly swollen, but he still remained motionless, sitting still. Gwak Seon-woo, as if petrified, stared into the air like someone who had seen Medusa’s head.
Right… it’s just a game.
Suddenly, he became confused. While Gwak Seon-woo had lost himself in thought, the system diligently moved his body. It meant he continued to beat Gwak Seung-hyeon.
< Gwanggong Score increases by 2. >
< Gwanggong Score increases by 2. >
The frustration was being recovered, but it wasn’t enough to exceed 50, and the weight on his mind only grew heavier. After taking a few more hits, Gwak Seung-hyeon stared at Gwak Seon-woo with an unreadable gaze. He looked both dumbfounded and incredulous. It was the same sharp and elegant look he had seen before. But he didn’t seem angry.
He didn’t know how to describe that gaze of Gwak Seung-hyeon. But in this situation, even if he understood it, it wouldn’t change anything. He avoided Gwak Seung-hyeon’s gaze and turned his eyes to the window.
If he hadn’t been in such a state, he would have been able to make a more calm and rational judgment. But right now, Gwak Seon-woo was struggling to breathe, and his emotions were running wild. The thought that he might die like this made his head spin, and his vision blurred from the lack of air. There was no way he could make a clear judgment in this state.
Gwak Seung-hyeon called out to him in a voice that was heavily suppressed.
“…Director.”
It was a voice so tightly constrained that it made him think Gwak Seon-woo might suddenly twist his neck to look at him. But Gwak Seon-woo, as if he didn’t hear it, mumbled while still staring out the window.
“Get lost.”
“Director.”
“Get lost. Before you see something… worse.”
Just as Gwak Seung-hyeon was about to respond, Gwak Seon-woo’s eyes snapped open, as if noticing something. He had seen something outside the window. Reluctantly, Seung-hyeon turned his head to follow his gaze.
At the end of it, there was a man standing with light brown hair and a gentle-looking face. It was Seo Eun-jae.
Seo Eun-jae walked toward the car as if drawn by a magnet. It seemed, in a way, like both of them — no, like Gwak Seon-woo — already knew someone was here. Gwak Seon-woo briefly glanced at Seung-hyeon’s face before reaching for the passenger seat door. He then shoved Seung-hyeon out with force.
Even though Gwanggong’s body was trained, he could hardly breathe properly in his current state. He didn’t have the strength he usually did. But, just like when he was being beaten, Seung-hyeon was shoved out without any resistance. After being pushed out of the car, Seung-hyeon lowered his head and looked inside the window.
“Director. Please open the door.”
“How many times do I have to say it… to make you get lost?”
“What are you going to do?”
Gwak Seon-woo finally ignored him. Meanwhile, Seo Eun-jae, who had completely closed the distance, stopped by the side of the car.
“Director! …Team Leader is here, too. Anyway, what are you doing here?”
Hearing Eun-jae’s voice, Gwak Seon-woo slowly turned his head. Seeing the pale, gasping Gwak Seon-woo, Eun-jae leaned in with surprise, and Gwak Seon-woo opened the passenger seat door, pulling Eun-jae inside.
Eun-jae hesitated at first but was naturally seated in the passenger seat. Outside the car, Seung-hyeon looked down at them, his face chillingly cold. It was so pale that it almost seemed more so than Gwak Seon-woo, who was suffering from a status ailment.
Gwak Seon-woo briefly glanced up at his frozen face before lowering his gaze toward Eun-jae. As Gwak Seon-woo’s face moved closer, Eun-jae seemed to nod slightly.
Even without looking, Seung-hyeon could feel Eun-jae’s gaze. Gwak Seon-woo kissed Eun-jae right then and there.
