IH Ch 4

Chapter 4

 

“You’re my masterpiece. So be quiet, and wait patiently in my hands until the time comes.”

A hand slowly slid downward and gently wrapped around the neck.

“My pretty child. Don’t disappoint me. If you do…”

Like a voice submerged in water, the words blurred and dissipated. Even though the sound was unclear, it was more horrifying precisely because he knew what was being asked of him.

Yes. Horrifying.

“……”

He jolted, trembling violently, and opened his eyes.

Nothing was visible at first. Feeling unsettled, he reached out into the darkness and soon caught an unfamiliar scent. It was a mixture of different smells, unlike anything he recognized or remembered. Slowly, he pushed himself upright.

As he sat up and reached sideways, his hand brushed against something soft. He grasped it firmly, then released it, crawling cautiously along the floor. During that short crawl, his hands and legs bumped into various things—soft and plush textures, rustling and crumpling materials, and even solid, hard objects. Pushing through them all, he finally reached a wall and stretched his hand upward. His fingers caught hold of a fabric, and he pulled it aside. A flood of bright light poured in through the parted blackout curtains.

“……”

Drawn by the natural, unartificial sunlight, he watched, spellbound, before pulling the curtain open wider. As the once-dark room brightened, the space he had briefly dozed in came into view.

It was a massive storage room. At least ten times the size of his previous room, it was filled with countless boxes, dolls, sparkling jewelry, clothes, shoes—so many items that trying to count them would be meaningless.

“……”

It seemed that, at first, there had been an attempt to stack everything neatly along the walls for organization. But there was simply too much—too heavy—so the stacks had collapsed, burying the floor. From that point, things had just been tossed on top of the pile haphazardly. Perhaps he had been tossed there too.

Jae-i, who had been forced to take him in, had a truly frightening face. He had thought the man might eventually throw him somewhere and walk away. But someone named Ahn Yuna had insisted that Jae-i take responsibility for him. That’s how he ended up here… but honestly, it was a bit awkward. Because Jae-i seemed to dislike him.

So when Jae-i, with that annoyed glare, had left him here without a word, it was almost a relief. There were plenty of places to hide among all the abandoned items. Even now, a slight shift to the side would completely conceal his body behind a mountain of piled objects. It was messy and disorganized, but not entirely unpleasant. If he stayed quiet and invisible, Jae-i would likely stop caring about him. And then…

Gurgle.

“……”

Startled by the loud growl from his stomach, he bowed his head in embarrassment. At the same time, a sharp pain shot through him, and he curled up, hugging his belly with both arms and drawing his knees up.

What was that? He wasn’t unfamiliar with hunger, but this was the first time it had made such a loud noise. As he thought back, the sweet milk he drank yesterday came to mind. Strawberry milk. So you’re the culprit. Maybe it was too delicious and upset his system. He pressed harder on his stomach with his hands. But since he barely had any flesh, there wasn’t much give.

Still concerned, he turned his head and looked at the rabbit he had found in the room.

“……”

This space hadn’t felt familiar from the beginning. He had stood around for hours not knowing where to go until he found that white rabbit, which had helped him create a place to lie down.

Carefully crawling across the floor again, he returned to the circular space he had arranged for sleeping and picked up the plush toy. It was just the size of his torso—perfect for hugging. Soft and fluffy, it felt incredibly warm. He lowered his head onto it but quickly lifted it again when he felt hard metal pressing the plush fur. Rubbing the flattened spot gently with his palm, he spotted a sharply protruding postcard wedged between some stacked boxes.

[Hunter Jae-i, I like you. Thank you for protecting our country.]

He read the crooked, childish handwriting a few more times before gently returning the card to its original spot. Now that he looked around more carefully, he noticed that letters and postcards were tucked in all over the room.

Everything in this space had been sent to Jae-i as gifts. All to express gratitude. The rabbit in his arms must have been the same. Which meant it was something important—yet why had it been so neglected?

“……”

He kept fidgeting with the rabbit, then picked up another item in front of him. Holding a small box, he glanced around and found a clear plastic bag to place it in. Before he knew it, he was squatting and sorting through hand-sized boxes, putting each into the bag.

He wasn’t doing it with the intention of organizing the room. He just had nothing else to do. Doing nothing was boring, and moving his body helped drive away the noise in his head. Maybe that’s why. At first, he moved hesitantly, eyeing the closed door, but eventually, he became absorbed in cleaning.

He grouped similar items together and stacked them neatly. Trash he sorted separately. At first, there was no visible change, but after continuing steadily, the floor space gradually expanded. But before he could feel any sense of accomplishment, he suddenly faced a pressing issue.

“……”

He stood frozen in front of the closed door, hesitating for several minutes. Meanwhile, the cramping in his lower abdomen grew worse. He needed to use the bathroom. He had been holding it in for a while, trying to distract himself, but now his whole body was breaking out in a cold sweat.

Trembling slightly, he kept his legs tightly together and stared at the door. Just as he finally reached out a hand—

“Agh…!”

A sharp pain spread through his lower stomach, making him clench his teeth and bend forward. Desperately, he threw open the door and stepped outside. He just needed to take care of this emergency and then come back in. Struggling with awkward, stumbling steps, he raised his head—only to freeze in place.

“……”

Bright sunlight poured down over his face.

The living room, with half its ceiling covered in glass, revealed a wide-open view of the sky. Standing there, wearing the iron mask, he looked like a statue—utterly frozen. Staring up at the sky for a long moment with his head tilted back, he was suddenly jolted again by the urgent pressure in his bladder.

He pressed both hands against his belly, scanning the surroundings in a panic. The unfamiliar space was far too large, and he had no idea where anything was. His body overheated, cold sweat poured down, and his breathing grew labored. Unable to see clearly, he decided he would just open every door he found until he located the bathroom. He took one big step forward—

—and crashed into something solid.

“……!”

Startled, he stumbled backward and froze on the spot. Because—

“What the hell.”

The voice was low and rough, laced with suppressed displeasure and irritation. Not just the voice—Jae-i’s face, visible through the gap in the mask, was deeply scowling. Dressed in only a light pair of training pants, looking like he’d just woken up, Jae-i glared down at him with a vicious expression.

The masked figure tried to flee, but before he could, a large hand grabbed his arm.

“Where do you think—!”

Jae-i started to speak but immediately stopped.

With a hardened face, he looked down at the figure’s tightly pressed-together legs. Between them, a damp patch had begun to spread, forming a circle of liquid beneath the pale soles of his feet.

“……”

Jae-i stared blankly, not quite believing what he was seeing, then lifted his gaze again. The masked figure, shoulders drooping along with his head, stood frozen.

“You—”

At first, Jae-i was too stunned to process the situation, but rage quickly bubbled up. He was old enough to know better—what the hell was he doing peeing himself? Jae-i yanked the arm harshly, ready to throw him out of the house altogether—but then he paused.

He heard it. A tiny, muffled whimper. Huu, hic—quiet sobs coming from inside the iron mask. Not only that, but the arm he was holding, the body—both trembled.

He heard another stifled sob, and his gaze lifted.

Suddenly, it occurred to him: standing there in broad daylight, having wet himself, the kid must be humiliated. Maybe deeply. Not that he really cared.

But he could feel the other desperately trying to suppress his crying, and that made Jae-i yank the arm again irritably.

“Ah…!”

“Shut it.”

The startled squeak was immediately silenced by Jae-i’s snappish command. He strode across the room, kicked open the nearest bathroom door, and shoved the masked figure inside.

“Take your clothes off and wash.”

“……”

The bathroom was wide and spotless.

Standing on the glossy tiled floor, the masked figure lowered his head. Another muffled hiccup slipped out. Running a hand through his hair in frustration, Jae-i muttered,

“If I hear you cry in there one more time, I swear I’m not letting it go. I barely got any sleep all night…”

Just as he was about to unleash more irritation, Jae-i threw his head back.

Why the hell did he bring something like this back?

“Shit,” he muttered under his breath, grinding his teeth. He lowered his head again. Sensing the stare, the masked figure flinched, and Jae-i shot him a sharp glare.

“Hey.”

“I’ll give you clean clothes, so hurry up and wash.”

Then I’ll send you back to the Association.

He’d throw that ridiculous mask right at Kim Wi’s face.

Jae-i slammed the bathroom door shut. Bang. Turning around, he looked down and scowled at the trail of stains that led from where the masked figure had been dragged.