IH Ch 25

Chapter 25

When Gates had just begun to appear, it was impossible to determine their rank right away. Only after they fully opened could one accurately identify their attributes and rank, which would then determine the composition of the exploration team. There had been many instances where a Gate that looked harmless on the surface turned out to be equivalent to an A or S-rank, resulting in the team’s annihilation. For that reason, it was the principle to wait until a Gate was fully open.

There was no way Hwang Jae-i didn’t know something that everyone now accepted as common knowledge. And yet, he had deliberately gone into a partially opened Gate alone and destroyed the core. Only now did the smell emanating from Hwang Jae-i’s body and the scorched ends of his hair make sense. The outcome had only been that minor because it was Hwang Jae-i—any other hunter would’ve sustained far more serious injuries.

“…You couldn’t wait because you were afraid the child might get hurt?”

If a Gate had opened nearby, it wouldn’t have mattered whether it was a child or anything else—everything would’ve been obliterated. Knowing that better than anyone, Hwang Jae-i simply couldn’t stay still.

Dohwa looked into Hwang Jae-i’s vacant eyes.

A being whose thoughts he’d never been able to guess before now appeared different.

“You’re kind.”

Dohwa reached out and carefully touched Jae-i’s face. Stroking his cheek with one hand, he traced down the bridge of his nose with his thumb, and then lightly pressed his lips before pulling away.

Hwang Jae-i, who had closed and reopened his eyes slowly, stared at Dohwa. Without so much as a blink, he gazed fixedly at him and bluntly said,

“You’re pretty.”

“……”

“You’re beautiful.”

At the compliment about his appearance—more precisely, his face—the faint smile at Dohwa’s lips vanished. Even as his expression grew cold and doll-like, Hwang Jae-i simply continued to look at him. With no ulterior motive or hidden agenda, his eyes were murky, filled only with his sincere thoughts.

Once he fell into a deep sleep and woke again, he wouldn’t even remember saying any of this. There was no point in listening to the words spoken by a Hwang Jae-i who, until now, had treated him like a discarded tissue on the street. He knew they weren’t worth taking to heart, but…

Dohwa grabbed the hem of his shirt, which had clung uncomfortably to his soaked body, and pulled it up. Peeling the fabric stuck to his skin with effort, he tossed it to the floor, then took off his pants. That part didn’t require much effort. Since the waistband never fit properly to begin with, just hooking his fingers into it and tugging caused it to slide down.

The pants slipped down his long legs, and he kicked them aside. Then, looking down at Hwang Jae-i, he brushed all his annoying hair back and lowered his arms.

“……”

He tried to appear calm, face expressionless, but his body was tense, and two small mounds of flesh on his chest were raised.

Hwang Jae-i’s gaze, which had been on Dohwa’s face, dropped to his chest. Staring blankly at the soft mounds attached to Dohwa’s smooth chest, Jae-i tilted his head. Though they were in the same place as his own, the different shape seemed to spark confusion.

Hwang Jae-i reached out and poked the right nub of Dohwa’s chest. The small piece of flesh squished and lifted slightly. Finding the sensation pleasant, he pressed harder the next time. Dohwa, who had been standing still until then, flinched his shoulders. Seeing this, Jae-i immediately stopped and looked at Dohwa’s face. Then, without warning, he stood and lifted Dohwa—who had been standing in front of him—into his arms.

“…!”

More than the suddenly elevated view, what unsettled Dohwa was the discomfort of being bare-skinned and pressed against someone. He tried to push Jae-i away, but before he could even apply strength, Jae-i had already strode over and laid him down on the bed.

“……”

Seeing the face leaning over him, Dohwa’s expression wavered. Unlike before, his face was now clearly flustered, and when Jae-i reached out a hand, Dohwa squeezed his eyes shut. In the next moment, a blanket was wrapped tightly around him.

The thick bedding beneath his back was pulled, then unfolded wide to cover him again and again. He was completely wrapped up.

Bundled in the blanket with only his face peeking out, Dohwa was drawn into the arms of Hwang Jae-i, who now lay beside him. Only then did he realize the state he was in and opened his eyes. Jae-i was right in front of him.

Staring quietly at Dohwa, Jae-i spoke.

“When I was young, when I lived there, a black cat showed up.”

He didn’t know where it had come from. But the cat was so small and fragile, it struggled even to open its eyes, let alone walk.

“I gave it warmth, water, and food… but it died.”

As he said the word “died,” a deep crease appeared on Jae-i’s brow. His face tensed as if the memory was painful, and with a heavy sigh, he added,

“That bastard kicked it. And then…”

He trailed off, examining Dohwa’s face carefully, then lifted a hand and brushed aside the damp hair. As Dohwa’s small face, forehead now fully exposed, came into view, Jae-i’s eyes narrowed.

“You’re even prettier.”

Clearing away the unnecessarily long hair made him look even prettier, Jae-i said, as his large fingers gently traced over Dohwa’s delicate features. Then suddenly, his palm covered Dohwa’s nose and mouth. Unsure what he was trying to do, Dohwa simply watched.

Even with his nose and mouth pressed under a large palm, Dohwa didn’t resist. Seeing this, Jae-i gave a small grin.

“You can’t breathe like this.”

The tone suggested—then why are you staying still?

If Jae-i had applied real pressure, made it difficult for him to breathe, Dohwa wouldn’t have remained so quiet. But he knew Hwang Jae-i wouldn’t go that far. So he just stared, and the hand that had covered his face withdrew. Instead, Jae-i reached around Dohwa’s waist and pulled him closer, whispering like sharing a secret,

“I won’t suffocate you. But my mom did.”

“……”

“She wrapped me up so tightly in blankets I couldn’t breathe, but back then… I thought it was nice because I could feel her body heat. I thought that meant she loved me…”

But that wasn’t it. He only realized much later what she had really been doing. And only then did he understand that what he had done for the cat hadn’t been an act of love either.

A gaping hole had been left in his chest. It hadn’t grown larger since, but it remained—an ever-present void. Most of the time, he wasn’t even aware of it. But sometimes, it would flare up, reminding him of its presence. And every time it did…

“It hurts.”

Murmuring, Jae-i looked at Dohwa and whispered softly.

“I think it really hurts.”

Watching Jae-i say he was in pain, face blank and eyes unfocused, Dohwa parted his lips. But he didn’t know what to say, or how.

After several moments of hesitation, he said clearly,

“Sleep.”

“……”

“I won’t go anywhere until you wake up.”

Not that he could go anywhere in this state anyway. He could only move after Hwang Jae-i woke up. At that simple promise, Jae-i blinked slowly. Blink. Blink. And on the fourth blink, he didn’t open his eyes again.

“……”

His sleeping face was a pleasant sight. He had said Dohwa was beautiful, but in truth, it was Jae-i who was beautiful. If only he relaxed his expression and softened his gaze, so many people would adore him.

The reason Hwang Jae-i had as many enemies as he did fans was his attitude. Regardless of how he felt inside, if he had just treated people a little more gently on the surface, more than half—no, far more—of the people who disliked him probably wouldn’t have.

Dohwa looked at the smooth space between Hwang Jae-i’s brows. Unlike what he saw in the videos, it was now peacefully relaxed. Though his sleeping face still didn’t match his age, it looked much more at ease than in the videos.

He used to wonder what could make someone so perpetually angry—but it turned out Hwang Jae-i had his reasons. His life hadn’t been as easy as it seemed.

After watching Jae-i in silence for a long time without blinking once, Dohwa finally closed his eyes. He hoped he wouldn’t have another nightmare this time. Instead, he wished for a dream where he was simply eating cake while Hwang Jae-i glared at him scarily in the background. As that thought crossed his mind, he let out a quiet yawn.

There was a faint noise.

At first, it was fine, but once he became aware of it, it started to really get on his nerves. What the hell… he grumbled irritably, hugging the thing in his arms tighter and rubbing his cheek against the soft surface a couple of times before pressing his nose into it.

Every breath he took was filled with a sweet scent. Did anything in the house smell like this? He didn’t normally like strong fragrances, but this one was okay. Satisfied, Hwang Jae-i rubbed his nose even more vigorously and let out a contented sigh.

“……”

Roughly the time it would take to count slowly to five passed—and then Hwang Jae-i’s eyes snapped open. Lowering his gaze to check what was in his arms, he saw Dohwa, bundled up in blankets with only half his face visible.

Hwang Jae-i squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them again. But nothing had changed. Blinking several more times, he muttered a curse under his breath and, finding it insufficient to just hold on tightly, noticed that he had also slung one leg across Dohwa.

Recoiling in horror, as if he’d been burned, Hwang Jae-i jumped away in panic. The real shock came when he realized the state of his own body.

Flustered, he looked around, grabbed a pillow, and held it between his legs. But even that wasn’t enough. Something else—something to wear. Then he turned around and froze.

The bathroom attached to the room was open, and right at the entrance lay the clothes Dohwa had worn the day before, abandoned like a shed skin. And scattered throughout the room were the clothes he himself had been wearing the previous day.