Chapter 140

Jae-i frowned at the mechanical beeping echoing near his ear. What on earth was that sound? He slowly opened his eyes—and found himself surrounded by people in lab coats, masks, and goggles. Before he even had time to question who they were, a torrent of information poured into his mind.

He, too, was a researcher—one of them. It had been roughly ten days since he came here. Still an apprentice, he had been following senior researchers around, learning the procedures step by step.

Working here was supposedly an extraordinary stroke of luck. Most people desired this position but could never obtain it. He had no intention of wasting the opportunity, so he tried not to miss a single snippet of conversation. Yet from the very first day, he felt cornered. He had been mentally prepared, but nothing could have prepared him for the reality. This place was far, far worse—and far more unethical—than anything he had imagined.

He had seen the disposal process for a failed test subject earlier, and his stomach still churned. He had not had a proper meal in days because of the constant nausea.

‘Hey. Are you listening?’

‘Yes, I am.’

He answered immediately, afraid they might notice his mind wandering. A researcher narrowed his eyes suspiciously before instructing him to follow. Jae-i trailed behind, checking each test subject one by one.

Even looking at the restrained subjects weighed heavily on him. He followed quietly, trying his best not to show his discomfort, when they stopped before a particular cell. It was unlike any of the others—a narrow room with dense metal bars, and behind them, a very small child was bound to a chair.

‘……’

Too young.

Far too young.

He had done many questionable things in pursuit of advancement and recognition, but seeing a child this small made his conscience twist painfully. He lingered, unable to move, until the senior researcher beside him asked what he was doing. Normally he would have brushed it off, but—

‘Is that child also a test subject?’

‘Of course. Why?’

‘They… seem too young.’

‘Are you seriously bringing morals into this place?’

The senior looked at him as if he were spouting nonsense. Jae-i faltered. The researcher stared at him for a moment before jerking his chin toward the cell.

‘That one is the most important test subject we have here. Don’t be fooled by appearances—it’s extremely dangerous. You’d better be careful.’

‘…I understand.’

He nodded, ready to move on, but the senior beside him didn’t budge. Confused, he turned slightly—just in time to feel something hard press against the top of his head.

‘……!’

He sensed danger and tried to dodge, but too late. A sharp bang sounded, and his skull burst open. His vision flickered violently as his head snapped back and slammed into the wall. His sight died almost instantly, but their voices remained horribly clear.

‘Sorry about this. But someone with half-hearted resolve doesn’t belong here…’

‘How many is that now? Ever since that kid came in, things keep going wrong. Can’t we move it somewhere else? Gives me the creeps.’

‘We don’t get to decide that. Orders from above.’

‘Yeah, yeah, I know. Still creeps me out.’

Their grumbling faded. Strangely, though, the image of the bound child only sharpened. Even with the child’s face hidden by a lowered, mask-covered head, he felt certain he knew who—what—it was.

No. Impossible.

But if it really was the being he feared… what then?

He woke with a sharp inhale.

Without thinking, he reached out beside him—only to relax when his hand found Dohwa nestled safely in his arms. Exhaling quietly, he lifted his head, sensing eyes on him. At the foot of the bed, the beast was hugging its raised knees, staring at him unblinkingly.

Jae-i shot it a brief glance. The beast immediately slid off the bed and scampered out of the room with quick pattering footsteps. Jae-i let it go, instead pulling the blanket up to cover Dohwa’s shoulder.

Crunch. Crunch.

Kneeling before the table, the beast picked up mana stones it had arranged in a neat line and devoured them one by one. Beside it, Dohwa drank soy milk while keeping an eye on the creature, stroking its head occasionally and telling it to slow down whenever it ate too fast.

Today, the beast wore a yellow tracksuit perfectly fitted to its tiny body, its hair tied into two short pigtails. There was nothing particularly strange about it—other than the fact that the tracksuit was bright yellow. Coincidentally, Dohwa was also wearing a yellow hoodie, making them look like matching couple outfits from behind.

“…….”

Arms crossed, legs draped over his chair, Jae-i watched the two without blinking. But when Dohwa finally turned around, Jae-i instantly looked away as if he had never been staring. Dohwa observed him quietly, then stood and approached.

“What are you doing?”

Even when asked, Jae-i only rested his chin on his hand, pretending to look at his monitor. Dohwa followed his gaze.

Jae-i was on the screen—four of him, in fact. A four-panel layout of photos from his collaboration shoot with Hyesung. That team handled all the professional details, but for final selection, they still sent everything to Jae-i.

Dohwa examined the photos, then pointed at one.

“This one is pretty.”

“……”

His voice tickled warmly by Jae-i’s ear. Jae-i wasn’t convinced the picture was particularly pretty, but Dohwa zoomed in, leaning close. The weight of Dohwa’s chest on his shoulder broke Jae-i’s focus entirely.

Then Dohwa smiled up at him.

“That one looks the most like you.”

Coming from someone who saw him every day, the statement carried weight. Jae-i selected that photo and sent it over.

He then checked the next email from Ahn Yuna. It was an invitation—an 80th birthday banquet for a conglomerate chairman. Jae-i had never attended such an event. Why send this? He found the answer immediately: the name “Hwang Hajin” was on the guest list.

“……”

Jae-i stared at the name, his eyes hardening. He forced himself to scroll past it, but the letters burned behind his eyelids. If he were alone, he might have smashed the monitor. Dohwa’s presence was the only thing keeping him grounded.

A pale hand rested gently on Jae-i’s shoulder. Dohwa kneaded softly, reassuringly—calm down.

And somehow, it worked. Jae-i turned the monitor off entirely, leaning his head toward Dohwa. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the sofa: the beast had finished its mana stones and was fast asleep on the cushions. Eat, sleep, eat, sleep—what a luxurious life. The face was unfortunately similar to his own, but the long black hair softened Jae-i’s irritation.

“…Does your body feel okay?”

Jae-i pushed his chair back slightly and wrapped an arm around Dohwa’s waist. Dohwa let himself be pulled in, settling neatly onto Jae-i’s thigh as if it were his rightful seat. Resting his cheek on Jae-i’s shoulder, he relaxed completely.

Jae-i reacted instinctively, adjusting so Dohwa could lean comfortably. He placed a hand on Dohwa’s slender waist. One hand could encircle it entirely. Everything about Dohwa was thin, delicate. Was it really right to do those things to someone so small? Whenever they were intimate, Jae-i lost all sense of restraint—but afterward, he always felt a sting of guilt.

As if sensing exactly what he was thinking, Dohwa stroked the back of Jae-i’s head and asked quietly:

“Are you worried I might not be feeling well?”

“…I was afraid I was too rough.”

“But it still felt good.”

“….”

Jae-i shut his mouth and lowered his gaze. He shouldn’t have been the one getting embarrassed—but he couldn’t help it. He continued lightly patting Dohwa’s waist.

Then Dohwa cupped his face, brushing his eyebrows and eyelids with his thumb before leaning in to press a small kiss to his cheek. Jae-i stared at him—this adorable, affectionate person who somehow found him lovable, despite being so much larger, rougher, and intimidating in comparison.

The thought made heat climb up his neck. Jae-i lowered his head, and Dohwa immediately wrapped his arms around him. Jae-i wanted to pull him close—hold him tightly—

But knock knock—a knock at the door interrupted them as it swung open.