HMN C25

Chapter 25

Tap, tap.

“Sit on the floor. We need to be at eye level.”

At the words, Go Chiwoo stepped down from the stack of boxes he had been sitting on and settled onto the floor without complaint. Squatting beside him, Ahn Daeyoung adjusted his posture several times before straightening his back.

“Hold on. I read about hypnosis techniques—let me recall them for a moment.”

It was, surprisingly, a rather earnest approach. Watching Daeyoung purse his lips and roll his eyes in concentration, Chiwoo leaned the back of his head against the wall and waited.

It was boredom, really. Sitting in the same position for hours, waiting for someone to open the door, was far duller than he’d expected; talking with the little terrier in front of him was a surprisingly effective way to kill time. That was all there was to it. His gaze slid down from Daeyoung’s cheeks to his jaw, and then to the neck below.

“Alright. I remember now.”

Clink. The light sound came again as the pendant of the necklace dropped into view.

“This is the medium for the hypnosis. Just do what I tell you.”

Chiwoo’s eyes stayed on the gemstone swinging gently within the pendant.

“What sort of hypnosis is this supposed to be? There’s no onion here to feed me instead of an apple, and even if I claimed to see a past life, I could just say I made it up.”

It was a reasonable point. Daeyoung pressed his lips tightly in thought, unable to reply.

“Then I’ll have you do something you’d absolutely never do.”

“What—like jump me, like last time?”

His brows folded sharply at that. Clearly, the memory of slipping and pinning Chiwoo against the wall in the bar bathroom still felt unjust to him.

“I don’t have the slightest interest in you, you know.”

There was a stubborn lift in his voice. Chiwoo’s gaze, sweeping over that irritation, narrowed as well.

“Mutual, believe me. Do you remember I was the one who rejected you first?”

“I said from the start that I wasn’t pushing because I liked you.”

Grinding his teeth again, Daeyoung felt like he was speaking to the wall. He tapped the dangling end of the necklace with his finger, urging Chiwoo to look.

“I’ve had plenty of confessions, but having someone’s body pressed against mine right off the bat? That was a first.”

“Hey.”

Of course, Chiwoo knew it had been an accident—and that Daeyoung truly wasn’t interested in him. It was just the way Daeyoung insisted, driving a nail into the denial as if nothing could be worse, that provoked an inexplicable irritation.

He had turned people down many times in his life—whether it was for romance or empty friendship—but he had never been rejected himself.

Chiwoo’s gaze stayed locked on Daeyoung’s eyes. Summoned into this moment, suppressing the words he might have said, he swallowed deeply, sensing instinctively that a pointed blow was coming. His lips parted.

“Don’t worry—even if someone delivered you to me in a truck, I’d only take the truck.”

“Mutual again. But I don’t even need the truck, so you might as well have it.”

“……”

The counterattack came far too quickly. Ten breaths of patience felt harder than delivering one proper punch. His hand shook around the necklace, restrained only by the thought that physically hitting that smug face might actually feel too satisfying. Seeing Daeyoung’s neck flush deep red, Chiwoo relented, shifting his eyes from Daeyoung’s face to the pendant.

“Start.”

“……”

Alright. If this was how it would go, then he’d make him take a leave from school. Forcing the tension from his jaw, Daeyoung closed his eyes briefly before opening them again. Yes—if he hypnotized him, and made him take that leave, he’d disappear from right in front of him. Breathing deeply to steady his temper, he replayed what he’d skimmed from the book before.

“I’m going to move this slowly, and you’ll watch until I tell you to close your eyes. Then, as you follow my instructions in your mind, you’ll fall under hypnosis.”

Chiwoo gave a disinterested nod, focusing back on the pendant. It was plain—aged metal wrapped around a modest stone, all in a subdued silver sheen with no trace of extravagance.

“Don’t think negatively. We agreed to this, so cooperate fully. If you go in thinking ‘I won’t be hypnotized, I won’t be hypnotized’ just to win the bet, it’s unfair. You understand?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll be speaking formally, so you answer me formally as well.”

The seriousness with which Daeyoung treated this game was almost comical. Still, there was no reason to actively resist—it wasn’t worth the effort. Instead of answering aloud, Chiwoo nodded once more, then lifted his gaze to the chain. He caught a glimpse of Daeyoung’s pale, slender fingers gripping its end; Daeyoung noticed the glance and coughed abruptly. Soon, Chiwoo’s concentration returned to the slow sway of the pendant.

“Hypnosis isn’t anything special. Anyone can be susceptible, and it’s actually quite simple. Like when you’re watching a movie or listening to music so deeply you don’t realize what’s happening around you—that’s a form of hypnosis too.”

It was the opening passage from the notes he’d read—a small relief that he remembered it clearly. His voice carried softly through the basement space, a calm, measured tone. Chiwoo’s gaze stayed steady on the pendant.

“Just listen to my voice and let your thoughts follow wherever they wish. That’s all.”

Gulp. Surprisingly, it was Daeyoung who felt a flicker of nerves. He tried to stay composed while watching Chiwoo’s eyes move, but swallowed dryly more than once.

“Now, take a deep breath, and relax your body.”

Simple enough. Chiwoo released the tension from his neck and shoulders, his eyes following the slow movement of the pendant.

“Relax your brows, your lips, your shoulders. Let the tension drain from your fingers and toes.”

He hadn’t even realized he’d been holding tension, but now it flowed out freely, down to his toes. It wasn’t unpleasant. His eyelids eased, slipping halfway closed.

“As you watch this, your eyes feel heavier. You can’t resist the weight, and your lids begin to fall. Your body sinks with them, and your muscles let go of all strain. My voice calms your mind. Once all the tension is gone from your body, you will close your eyes.”

At those words, his fingertip gave a faint twitch. Relaxing all four limbs was hardly a challenge, but there was something in Daeyoung’s voice—like a ripple across a quiet lake—that made the feeling different. Beyond the slow side-to-side arc of the pendant, everything else blurred. The teal glint swaying there seemed to fill his vision, stretching moments out into a soft, unending slow motion.

Blink. Blink. His eyes, still fixed on the pendant, began to drop—slowly, heavily. Darkness covered his sight, yet that blurred teal glow hung still in the center. His muscles felt weightless, unmoving. No unease came with it; instead, a tranquil stillness settled through him, a faint warmth like a winter fire stirring gently in the core of that calm.

Rustle.

Watching the unmoving figure, Daeyoung bit his lower lip, then laid the pendant into his palm again.

“…Slowly, focus on your breathing. Breathe deeply out, imagine emptying your lungs, then fill them again.”

That face was in front of him now, eyes closed. He knew this wasn’t the moment to think it—but for all that arrogance, Chiwoo’s features truly were handsome. Eyes, nose, mouth. As Chiwoo breathed evenly, enjoying that green-lit calm without precedent, Daeyoung’s gaze traced his face.

“Each time you hear my voice, your body sinks further down. From this relaxed state, feel yourself descending, and focus on that feeling. You sink endlessly. Down, and further down. This sensation of sinking is the utmost comfort.”

With the words came a deep, weighted breath from Chiwoo. His back slouched further against the wall. In rhythm with Daeyoung’s voice, he did genuinely sink—into a softness unlike drifting in empty space, more like nestling into plush clouds. No anxiety, no tension. Only pure ease. His eyelids stayed perfectly still.

Without realizing he might truly be working some kind of spell into Chiwoo’s world, Daeyoung studied the lines and planes of his face. Under the dim light, he looked utterly at peace. How can a nose even be that high? A sudden curiosity about his parents’ faces crossed Daeyoung’s mind.

“In front of you, you see a staircase with no end in sight.”

Instantly, Chiwoo’s mind formed white steps. The notes had been clear: a medium was crucial. The pendant had served to focus him; now it was time to transition into the mental world. From the examples in the notes, Daeyoung chose stairs.

“So now…”

With his eyes closed, Chiwoo was so still it felt almost illicit, like watching someone sleep. His features were absurdly beautiful. Speaking the words he was meant to, Daeyoung’s gaze still lingered on him.

“Step down the staircase, one step at a time.”

The first step made the body even heavier. Without knowing why he should, Chiwoo bent his knee to take it, and outside that inner scene, Daeyoung’s gaze drifted from the brow to the bridge of his nose. The second step brightened the surroundings; in a moment, the space was bathed in warm light. At that, Daeyoung’s brown eyes slipped past the slope of Chiwoo’s nose to the clean line of his jaw.