Chapter 183
After hiding his packed bag under the bed, Eunseong washed his face. He changed clothes and went to the living room. As on any other morning, as it had been when he first arrived here, the familiar scent of coffee wafted through the air.
Eunseong headed to the dining room. Though he hadn’t shared morning routines with Yoo Siwoon since discovering the truth, he calmly entered the dining room where Siwoon was.
On one side of the island table, there was an apple with its white flesh exposed and a glass of milk.
“…”
Eunseong was surprised that Yoo Siwoon had been waiting for him as always, but he didn’t show it in his expression. He coolly sat in his usual seat. He took the apple as usual and put it in his mouth, crunching it.
Yoo Siwoon, who was brewing coffee, looked quite surprised that Eunseong had come to join him despite what had happened the night before.
“…Did you sleep well?”
“Yes.”
Forcing himself to swallow the apple that felt like it was choking him, Eunseong gulped down the milk and answered casually.
“Would you like some coffee?”
“…Yes.”
Yoo Siwoon took out the cup he only gave to Eunseong from the cabinet and poured coffee into it. The coffee aroma was so rich and smooth it seemed to seep into one’s chest.
He pushed the carefully brewed coffee toward Eunseong. Just like the first time, he placed it at a distance that required Eunseong to stretch his arm to reach it.
“…”
Eunseong got up and stretched his arm to get the coffee cup. He sipped the hot coffee. Though he didn’t spare Yoo Siwoon a glance, he could feel Yoo Siwoon’s intense gaze tickling his temple.
Without further conversation as they drank their coffee in the quiet space, footsteps were heard, and Director Nam entered.
Upon seeing the two together, Director Nam hesitated momentarily as if it was unexpected, but soon greeted them naturally.
“Good morning. Did you sleep well, Eunseong?”
“I hope you slept well too, Director.”
Director Nam gave no hint about what would happen today.
Today would end it all. This morning needed to be the start of an ordinary day, no different from any other.
“Did you sleep well, CEO? Have you packed your suitcase for the trip? Would you like me to pack it for you?”
“I can manage that much on my own.”
At Yoo Siwoon’s response, Director Nam raised his eyebrows and walked to the espresso machine. He selected a capsule and inserted it into the machine. The awkward silence that occasionally found its way between them was buried under the sound of the machine.
Each lost in their own thoughts, only the sounds of drinking and chewing occasionally broke the silence.
“Did you hear from Director Nam that I’m going on a business trip today?”
Yoo Siwoon asked, cutting through the chilly atmosphere. Director Nam glanced at Eunseong while pouring milk into his mug. Eunseong, keeping his gaze fixed on his coffee cup, simply nodded. His tightly closed lips were still swallowing the remaining apple in his mouth.
“I’ll try to finish as quickly as possible and come back. It won’t take that long.”
“…”
“Don’t give Director Nam a hard time, listen well… and take care of yourself.”
Whether it took long or not, Eunseong didn’t care and it meant nothing to him. By today, he would escape from Yoo Siwoon and live the life of an ordinary person named Seo Eunseong, not The Great Crevice—a life free from interference.
Sitting before the man who thought it natural to steal his right to live normally and ruin his life, Eunseong felt neither anxious tension nor nervousness about potentially having his new life stolen again. Surprisingly, his mind was calm. No, it was composed.
“Is there anything you want? I’ll buy it for you on my way back.”
“…”
Eunseong shook his head, indicating there was nothing. Yoo Siwoon smiled gently. Despite the coldly dismissive response, his smile expressed gratitude and happiness that Eunseong was at least communicating in this way.
Director Nam, who had suspected the previous night that Yoo Siwoon might have hidden some listening device in his clothes, felt a pang in his heart at that smile but was simultaneously relieved.
Yoo Siwoon had no idea that Eunseong was leaving. If he had noticed, he wouldn’t have such an expression. Director Nam still vividly remembered Yoo Siwoon’s desperate face when he went to fetch Eunseong from the apostle’s summer villa. He even remembered the exhausted breathing as Yoo Siwoon fell into a deep sleep only after having Eunseong physically beside him.
To him, Eunseong wasn’t just a conservative man’s partner but the fulfillment of prophecy and the retribution for the world he had grown up observing.
That was the problem. The fact that it was Seo Eunseong who was driving him out of his right mind.
Director Nam deliberately cleared his throat, drawing Yoo Siwoon’s attention to himself.
“Ahem, the car should arrive soon. You can stop by the company for the final report and then head to the airport. I’ll bring your suitcase out.”
Director Nam left the dining room with his portion of coffee.
Left alone, the silence became more pronounced. The sunlight filtering through the window settled over Eunseong, who kept his head down, staring only at his coffee cup.
Yoo Siwoon quietly observed Eunseong’s profile.
‘The appearance of the chosen one is more brilliant than the light of heaven, and he comes riding a wondrous wind; all who see him lose their souls and worship, but his beauty is not whole, and like the shadow of sunlight, he will cover the prostrate one and slowly lead them to fall.’
Their eyes unexpectedly met in midair as Eunseong turned his head away from those eyes that seemed to suggest corruption was natural and proper.
Without taking his eyes off Eunseong, Yoo Siwoon asked:
“Should we get a dog?”
“…”
“A white dog like Seolgi.”
This was the end.
Eunseong didn’t want to say anything hurtful in this situation. He didn’t respond. He just silently gazed back at him.
While Yoo Siwoon was away, Eunseong would also leave this place. According to Director Nam, it was a government-guaranteed witness protection program, and since Lee Joon-seung would intentionally withhold documents, no one would be able to track him. It was an ultimatum that he would never meet Yoo Siwoon again.
“We could name it Baekseol.”
“…”
“And build a house for it.”
“…”
Such things could never happen. It was a future that would not come to pass. It was now an empty story that couldn’t even be imagined.
“Later… yes, later when circumstances allow, let’s get a dog.”
“…”
Receiving no answer, Yoo Siwoon lowered his gaze and picked up his coffee cup. Like an optical illusion, his hand holding the cup seemed to tremble faintly.
Yoo Siwoon’s Adam’s apple moved slowly but prominently as he drank his coffee.
“Just believe one thing, just one. Though you probably won’t believe anything.”
“…”
“If you weren’t The Great Crevice, I wouldn’t have rejected your feelings for so long. There would be no reason to.”
He spoke while looking at each detail of Eunseong’s features as if examining them anew, cherishing each one.
Though Eunseong’s face remained expressionless as he looked at him, he felt a lump in his throat. It felt as if a large hole had been drilled in his chest, and a lonely, cold wind brushed against his raw flesh.
“I prayed that it wouldn’t be you. That was the first prayer I ever made in my life.”
“…”
“I won’t see you for a few days… can I hug you just once?”
Yoo Siwoon made an earnest request. Eunseong just stared at him with rigid eyes, not moving an inch.
Faced with this clear rejection, Yoo Siwoon couldn’t approach or even stretch out his arms, flinching instead.
Again, whether it was an optical illusion or not, his eyes seemed to turn red. After enduring Eunseong’s non-response for a long time, he put down his cup and turned away at the sound of Director Nam calling him.
Eunseong blinked his trembling, watery eyes as he took in the empty space where Yoo Siwoon had always stood.
After the car carrying Yoo Siwoon and his new secretaries disappeared, Director Nam rushed in and called for Eunseong.
“We need to go now. Have you packed your things?”
Stunned by Yoo Siwoon’s final appearance, Eunseong had to get up without time to dwell on his gaze, pushed by Director Nam’s urgency.
Entering his room, he pulled out the bag he had hidden under the bed. He slung it over his shoulder and left the house, following Director Nam.
Eunseong got into the car. Looking anxious, Director Nam scanned the surroundings and closed the car door. Perhaps due to Yoo Siwoon’s business trip, the security at the residence was not strict as personnel had been diverted to the company, and there were no watching eyes or movements to stop them.
Yoo Siwoon’s residence was unusually quiet today.
Director Nam started the car. They drove down the hill and automatically passed through the barrier, which no one was guarding today.
With a bag containing just photos and a few sets of clothes, nothing to remind him of Yoo Siwoon, placed on his knees, Eunseong sat quietly in the moving car as if in a daze.
“Listen carefully. No one on the cruise knows your identity. You’ll stay in the crew quarters, and when you arrive, someone will be waiting at the arrival hall with a paper bearing your new passport name.”
“…”
“Eunseong, are you listening to me?”
“I’m listening.”
Eunseong answered promptly, though he was still staring at the bag on his knees with vacant eyes.
After checking on Eunseong through the rearview mirror, Director Nam shifted his gaze back to the road ahead.
“You’ll take a plane to Auckland with that person. They’ll accompany you to Auckland, but they’re not police or one of our people. They’re just a study abroad agency guide, so you shouldn’t tell them anything.”
“I’ll be careful.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
