“That’s right, friend. Definitely a friend, Dokkaebi sir! I finally have someone I can call a friend. Huh-huh-huuuh!”
‘My lifelong wish was to become friends with a monster.’
Professor Bang Ki-bong removed his glasses and wiped his damp eyes. Extremely moved that his lifelong dream had come true, he continuously rubbed his face with his wrinkled hands.
“I’m so glad I stubbornly put down roots and lived in this muddy world. By not giving up and waiting patiently, a day has come when I can bloom like this. Today, I too am a fully bloomed lotus flower, Dokkaebi sir.”
A fully bloomed lotus flower.
He had lived by killing himself inside and drinking muddy water.
Even now, after completing his revenge, he planned to continue living in the mud pit, unable to even imagine blooming.
But.
Yeo Moon-beom looked at Eun-hwi as he handed a napkin rolled up and tied with chopsticks to the tearful Professor Bang.
If I’m with you, then I too…
Everything had changed since the day he took the small half-dokkaebi’s hand. Even if his entire body became covered in mud, he was completely soaked in Eun-hwi’s loveliness, enough to endure anything.
How could I not love you, who makes me feel fully bloomed every day, no, every moment?
Sensing the continued intense gaze, Eun-hwi turned his head. Sparkling eyes beneath damp eyelashes reflected Moon-beom. Soon, the pooled tears formed droplets that rolled down his cheeks and fell with a plop.
“Why are you crying? You were eating so well.”
“But he said flowers bloomed. *Sniff*”
“What’s new about that? You’ve blossomed fully too, Eun-hwi.”
“…Me too?”
“Of course you’ve blossomed fully. In the mud. You must not have realized this place is a mud pit because the human world is still unfamiliar to you.”
He reached out to gently stroke the delicate cheek and wiped away the tears that rolled onto his thumb. Then, looking at the now-clean face, he said:
“Listen carefully. If you’re a flower, I’m the roots. I’ll handle all the filth, so you just bloom beautifully.”
If he couldn’t escape from the bottom, he would simply root himself deeper and become a solid foundation.
So Eun-hwi could withstand all storms and blizzards without faltering.
“Moon-beom…”
After showing a light smile that eased the weight of his words, he licked the jajang sauce smeared on his lips.
Unlike earlier when he had blindly delved into the crevices, this kiss only traced the delicate wrinkles of Eun-hwi’s lips, making him slightly wrinkle his nose bridge as if ticklish. Trembling breaths seeped through their overlapping lips.
“Smooching again! Again!”
Unable to bear it any longer, Professor Bang blew his nose, threw away the crumpled napkin, and shouted once more.
“Chairman Yeo! Let me feel moved for a bit longer!”
“Feel that all you want at your own home.”
“What?”
“If you’re so envious, why don’t you make one too, Professor? Not a friend, but a lover.”
When Moon-beom jabbed back in a tone disguised as kindness, the half-dokkaebi cheerfully added:
“That’s right. Dr. Hong-salgwi should find a lover too!”
*Chuckle*
Swallowing the laughter about to burst out, Yeo Moon-beom pulled the chin he was holding and explored the lips that remained insufficient no matter how much he savored them. The fresh, fruity sweetness that had been masked by the sauce seeped into his nostrils.
Somehow, he felt he might develop a bad habit. The disapproving gaze of the spectator touching his entire body was thrillingly exciting.
* * *
Whirrr—
He stood by the window, holding a mug filled with freshly brewed coffee. Morning was breaking dimly in the distance, beyond Chairman Jang Gitae’s mansion, which had burned down leaving only its foundation.
Was it because the faint remaining curse of the white fox had completely disappeared?
His face, now smooth as if the three lines of scars had never existed, was reflected in the glass window.
After taking a sip of coffee, Yeo Moon-beom checked the messages that had arrived overnight. There was a report text saying they had dealt with the man who had been Jang Gitae’s henchman and the president of Gang-il Construction.
With this, the development project for Wolhwa Island Resort was completely scrapped. There was no longer any need to invest hundreds of billions for high-ranking officials’ entertainment.
While Eun-hwi was in a coma, Yeo Moon-beom had handled the situation by disguising it as conflict between internal factions and a gas explosion accident.
As the usurpation of the chairman position had been meticulously planned for a long time, and since Jang Gitae himself had killed his own father to seize the company, there wasn’t much opposition. In a world governed by the law of the jungle, a powerless revolution would only be a futile struggle.
Like the president of Gang-il Construction who tried to swallow the entire company without knowing his place.
As of today, everyone who would defy him had disappeared. He could now go down to Wolhwa Island with a much more at ease mind.
“Shall we get started?”
After emptying his cup, Yeo Moon-beom took out the ingredients he had prepared the previous day and grilled bacon, sausages, mushrooms, and hash browns in a pan. He planned to make an English breakfast for Eun-hwi, who was deeply immersed in studying English.
He hadn’t brought anyone home for nearly a decade since becoming independent. Naturally, there was only one of everything—spoons, dishes, chairs, and even pillows.
Owning many possessions meant increasing one’s troubles as well.
Moon-beom, who didn’t want to expend energy on anything other than revenge, had lived with only the minimum necessities required for sustaining life.
Of course, now his home was quickly filled with things for Eun-hwi.
Ding!
He took the golden-brown toast out of the toaster and placed one piece each on two identical plates. After drizzling syrup, sprinkling powdered sugar, and adding butter, a proper English breakfast was complete.
After preparing breakfast, Yeo Moon-beom headed to the bedroom to wake Eun-hwi, who was still wandering in dreamland.
The room where they had made love all night long was still filled with lingering heat. The half-dokkaebi, sleeping naked, had stuck out his legs from the tightly wrapped blanket and was muttering in his sleep.
“Candy… please…”
He seemed remarkably studious, speaking English even in his dreams. It was unexpected, as Moon-beom had thought Eun-hwi was only good at hopping around like a rabbit or crying with reddened eyes.
Yeo Moon-beom silently laughed at the particularly strong pronunciation and approached the bed.
“Mmm…”
The closed eyelids trembled as if the light shining through the curtains was too bright.
He extended his hand to create a shadow. Only then did the shallow wrinkle between Eun-hwi’s brows smooth out, restoring his usual soft face.
He quietly gazed at the features highlighted by the shadows that rippled with the movement of his hand. Emotions that had settled like sediment at the bottom of his heart stirred and floated around.
You have no idea. How much I like you.
Every morning when he opened his eyes, he was surprised by his own feelings, which had grown larger and deeper than the day before. Never in his life had he expected to hold someone’s existence so vividly in his heart.
His first and last love, which came when he was thirty.
From the moment he accepted the seemingly coincidental meeting with the half-dokkaebi as fate, Yeo Moon-beom believed in eternity.
He buried his face against the plump cheek and inhaled deeply, as if savoring it. The smell of freshly baked bread, the cozy scent of dried laundry, and the sweet fruity body odor all mixed together, filling his lungs.
It was the scent of natural, gentle happiness. Yeo Moon-beom suppressed the stirring, unsettling desire and softly called his name.
“Eun-hwi.”
“…”
“Wake up. Let’s have breakfast.”
“Mmmm…”
He grabbed the warm, limp body that had just awakened from sleep. The baby-soft skin wrapped around his hand.
“We need to eat quickly and go see your father.”
“…Fa-ther?”
“Yes. We decided to go down to Wolhwa Island today, remember?”
“Ah! It’s the full moon night!”
Eun-hwi, who had been responding drowsily, opened his eyes wide with a startled face. His eyes, now returned from the dream world to reality, shone clearly, erasing their haziness.
“What should we do? Aren’t we late?”
“We still have some time… but we should hurry. The traffic might be heavy.”
Instead of Oh Seok-gu’s boat that they always took, they had decided to take the express ferry that passed by Wolhwa Island to gain a new experience.
The problem was that the ferry only ran once a week, and since Wolhwa Island, now virtually an uninhabited island, had no visitors, there were no alternative boats. He didn’t want to use a private yacht if possible, as it held unpleasant memories for Eun-hwi.
“Go ahead and eat first, Moon-beom. I’ll wash my face and come!”
The half-dokkaebi, rubbing his dark eye circles, got up and ran to the bathroom attached to the bedroom.
He had completely adapted to this house, a far cry from when he had awkwardly claimed it was his first time being invited to someone’s home.
Yeo Moon-beom arranged the bedding and took out clothes for Eun-hwi to change into. Since it was a special day, he chose items that would suit Eun-hwi best.
Having not only taken the precious son’s power but also devoured him promptly, it was best to prepare thoroughly to minimize the curses he might receive.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
