Chapter 198
“Take me to my room. I can’t walk.”
Yoo Siwoon asked, as if his uncomfortable leg had begun to feel severely numb.
Eunseong hurriedly wiped away his tears and supported him. The awkward and cold distance between them had disappeared like a lie in an instant after he had grabbed and shaken Yoo Siwoon’s hair a few times. Yoo Siwoon felt that if this was how things could be resolved, he wouldn’t mind having all his hair pulled out. He was newly grateful that he had abundant hair.
Eunseong took him to the bedroom and sat him on the bed. Yoo Siwoon exhaled the breath he had been holding and released the tension in his body.
“I think I was standing too long.”
“Your leg… should I massage it for you?”
Eunseong asked glumly, as if feeling sorry for grabbing and shaking his hair.
“No, it’s fine. Don’t do that.”
Yoo Siwoon patted the spot beside him, asking Eunseong to just sit next to him. When Eunseong sat down, he took his hand again, which he had momentarily released.
He caressed Eunseong’s hand preciously, as if it was too valuable and precious to have him do such a thing as massage his leg, no matter how much it ached and throbbed. Despite this, he had tried to keep his distance coldly, even though he would end up like this eventually.
“Don’t worry about the Yongse Pacheon Church. The police are investigating, so even if anyone remains, they’ll all be caught.”
“…”
“Live normally… doing what you want to do.”
It sounded like he had deliberately put himself in this condition to deal with the last remaining forces. As if that was important, as if that was something of value. Eunseong felt frustrated with himself for having blindly hated Yoo Siwoon, who had gone so far as to risk his life for this. The fact that the Yongse Pacheon Church was still active also meant that Eunseong would have to live under some kind of threat until his death.
The reason he couldn’t help but forgive him was the undeniable fact that all of Yoo Siwoon’s deceptive actions, from beginning to end, had stemmed from his desire to protect Eunseong.
Even the smallest lies.
“You want me to live a normal life? But you… don’t want me to live normally. You want me to be The Great Crevice, don’t you?”
“Why do you think that?”
“You want to get me pregnant. You want me to have your child.”
“If you don’t want it, I don’t want it either.”
“But you said if it happens, you’d want to keep it.”
“…That’s because it would be born from our love.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me because I’m The Great Crevice?”
Yoo Siwoon, who had been holding and touching Eunseong’s hand, raised his upper body and moved closer.
“I sincerely hoped you weren’t The Great Crevice. More than anyone, I was the one who wished you weren’t The Great Crevice.”
“…But you didn’t dislike that I was the child in the prophecy.”
“I didn’t dislike it. That’s why I thought we were destined. That you and I couldn’t reject each other… that we were in an inevitable relationship—that’s the only joy I got from you being The Great Crevice.”
It was true that the fact that this wasn’t a simple attraction but a fate predetermined from thousands of years ago, because Eunseong was the being in the prophecy, had intensified his emotions.
Yoo Siwoon was one of the few bloodlines who had inherited their blood, and Eunseong was a miracle in himself. If loving each other, liking each other was according to the prophecy, it was such a natural thing.
“…You say we have a marital bond?”
After learning the truth, his words had felt so cruel, but not anymore.
Eunseong seemed to vaguely understand how Yoo Siwoon thought of him. In a way, he could also understand his feeling that they were more closely bound and more fateful.
“If a child is conceived… we’ll keep it?”
“If you don’t want it, I don’t want it either. Don’t think about such things anymore.”
“…”
“You can go to college next year, study abroad if you like, or stay in Korea if you prefer. Wherever you want, do as you wish. I’ll do whatever you say. I’ll do as you tell me.”
“…”
“Live normally… ordinarily. It’s safe now.”
It sounded as if Yoo Siwoon had orchestrated all of this, endured suspicion, taken abuse, and voluntarily played the role of the villain to provide Eunseong with such an environment. In the end, he had nearly lost his life for it. Yoo Siwoon had risked his life for Eunseong’s ordinary daily life.
That’s what he would do. Eunseong wanted to live diligently. He didn’t want to waste the precious life his parents had left him by hating Yoo Siwoon.
Nodding, Eunseong said:
“…And I’ll travel too.”
“Yes, you’ll travel.”
“I need to experience flying in an airplane.”
“Yes, you should experience flying.”
“And raise Baekseol.”
Eunseong added as if it had suddenly occurred to him. Yoo Siwoon responded immediately.
“Yes. Let’s raise Baekseol. A white dog. Shall we build a pretty house in the garden for it?”
As they envisioned various aspects of the future together, Eunseong’s face gradually softened.
“No. I’m going to let the dog sleep in my room. If we make it sleep in the yard, the dog will feel neglected.”
“Let’s do that. Let’s raise it inside. Dogs should be raised indoors originally. Let it sleep on the bed.”
Yoo Siwoon immediately withdrew his opinion and agreed. He stroked Eunseong’s hand, encouraging him to say more.
“We should buy a dog bed too. Dogs have their private lives too, you know.”
“Right, because dogs have their private lives too. Let’s buy a bed and cushions for it.”
“…After I take the college entrance exam, I’m going to get a part-time job.”
“I think we can think about that after you get into college.”
“I’m going to do it. I’ll save money diligently. I’ll get certifications too, oh, I want to get my driver’s license first. I recently realized how inconvenient it is not to have a license.”
“Is there a reason you need to drive when you have a chauffeur?”
“Because sometimes the chauffeur doesn’t listen to what I say.”
“Why wouldn’t the chauffeur listen to you? He’s there to listen to you.”
“He might not listen.”
“What reason do you have to think he wouldn’t listen to you?”
Yoo Siwoon asked seriously, as if he didn’t understand, and Eunseong argued that they should prepare for such a possibility.
“Director Nam doesn’t listen to you sometimes either.”
“Director Nam is more like… a close relationship rather than an employed person.”
“You said he was a servant.”
“When did I ever? You said that. I never said such a thing.”
“Anyway, I’m going to get my driver’s license. It’s really important.”
“Alright, if you want to get it, go ahead. I’ll teach you.”
“I can just go to a driving school. Oh, it’s a waste of money to go to a driving school for a driver’s license, I can practice on my own. They say it’s super easy to get a license these days since everything’s automatic.”
“Let’s practice with my car, then.”
“Your car is expensive. What if I scratch it against a wall?”
“That’s what insurance is for.”
“…Then I’ll practice with your car and get my license.”
After chattering excitedly for a while, Eunseong awkwardly lowered his eyes, which had been meeting Yoo Siwoon’s.
“Is there anything else you want to do?”
“…And in between, I’ll look for ways to forgive you.”
“You’ll do that for me?”
“I have to, right? There’s no choice. I need to see the sparrow build its nest… and see it lay eggs. I didn’t see the baby birds last year, so I’m determined to see them this year.”
“…They must be incredibly cute.”
“Did you see the baby sparrows then, ahjussi?”
Eunseong’s eyes wandered around Yoo Siwoon’s chest before returning to his face. Their eyes met. Yoo Siwoon’s gaze, just as when he first held Eunseong’s hand, remained fixed on Eunseong without the slightest distraction.
“No, I didn’t see them either. Let’s see them together this year. But don’t touch them.”
“…Yes, let’s not touch them. We shouldn’t get human scent on baby birds.”
“Then we should go to the garden often. Shall we look for the nest together?”
“When you’re better, ahjussi. When you’re all right.”
“…I’m fine. I couldn’t be better than I am now.”
His eyes, which recognized this as the only moment he was truly aware of being alive and breathing, and realized that this moment was not a fleeting breeze but a sustainable reality, flickered toward Eunseong.
Eunseong looked back at him, as if being engulfed by that gaze.
“I’m glad to be alive. I didn’t want to live, but I’m glad I’m alive.”
“…”
“I should have just been honest from the beginning and had my hair grabbed.”
“If you had, all your hair would have been pulled out.”
Eunseong stroked his tempting black hair preciously, saying that all of it would have disappeared.
Yoo Siwoon closed his eyes, holding Eunseong’s hand as it caressed his hair and cupped his cheek. He breathed slowly.
He was glad to be alive, glad he had endured the moments when he thought it would be better to die, and he felt relief in the peace that had finally come as he savored the warmth of the hand on his cheek.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
