Chapter 121

“Before you eat, stick your tongue out and check whether it’s hot or not. And you must chew ten full times before swallowing. If you swallow it whole again like before, then you don’t get to eat this anymore.”

“Give me that. I didn’t even buy it for you in the first place. I was supposed to eat all of it alone.”

“Why are you eating that!”

Maybe I should just die.

His mood sinking endlessly, Jae-i looked to the side. There sat Dohwa eating cake, and beside him was the beast, picking up the mountain of mana stones one by one and eating them.

“……”

There was no particular explanation for how this situation had come to be. When he came to, he had already set everything up for the two of them like that. Happily nibbling on the cake, Dohwa occasionally checked the beast sitting close beside him.

Whenever the beast reached for the mana stones with his bare hands, Dohwa shook his head and pointed at the spoon. Then the beast grabbed the spoon, scooped up the stones one by one, and put them into his mouth. He chewed exactly ten times each, and Dohwa counted along for him.

“Five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. Gulp.”

Tilting his head back, the beast looked up at Dohwa as he swallowed, his eyes narrowing with pride. Dohwa patted his back gently and said, “Good job.” Then he returned to tasting the cake before him, smiling with a cheerful hehe as he looked toward Jae-i, eyes curving sweetly as if to say: “This is delicious.”

Staring quietly at Dohwa, Jae-i spoke in a flat voice.

“Eat more.”

“No, this is enough.”

He dipped the cream-covered strawberry and placed it carefully into his mouth. Watching Dohwa’s puffed cheeks, Jae-i murmured, “Wait a moment,” and stepped into the living room.

Going straight to the wall by the window, he braced his hands on his hips.

“……”

Yes, he was living harmoniously with Dohwa now, but it hadn’t been like that at first. The days immediately after he’d brought home Dohwa with the iron mask played vividly through his mind. Remembering everything he had said then, Jae-i slowly lowered his head and buried his face in his palms.

Why on earth had he acted that way? It was just his usual foul personality, but he had gone too far. He shouldn’t have done that. There were so many rooms—he should have given Dohwa a proper bedroom with a bed from the start, given him three full meals and snacks every day, taken off that damned iron mask right away, and—well. No, he wouldn’t have. Even though he regretted it now, if he went back, he would probably behave the same. Scrubbing his face harshly, he felt warmth approach from behind.

A pair of arms slipped around his waist. Startled, he turned, and Dohwa peeked up at him softly.

Jae-i stared at Dohwa, who smiled up at him, and spoke in a small, crawling voice.

“…I’m sorry for back then.”

“Just don’t do it again.”

“……”

Even faced with a sudden apology, Dohwa reacted as if he already knew everything. Jae-i, with nothing to say even if he had ten mouths, murmured another quiet sorry.

His face had gone pale—he truly felt apologetic and guilty. Watching him closely, Dohwa, still holding him, gently shifted until he stood in front of Jae-i. He slid his arms behind Jae-i’s waist and placed his hands on that broad back.

“You don’t treat me like that anymore.”

Jae-i carefully embraced Dohwa, who had nestled his cheek against his shoulder.

“I won’t ever do it again. For the rest of my life.”

“……”

Hearing that, Dohwa lifted his head slightly, eyes narrowing in a soft smile.

“Okay.”

Seeing Dohwa’s bright smile, Jae-i buried his face into his hair. Within the softness of his strands was now a familiar scent—the sweetness of shampoo mingled with Dohwa’s own faint fragrance. Jae-i hugged him even tighter, inhaling deeply again—until a sudden vibration sounded from somewhere.

The timing was too perfect; he wanted to ignore it and pretend he hadn’t heard, but the vibration continued relentlessly. Finally losing patience, Jae-i clenched his teeth. Dohwa soothed him by patting his back, then rubbing up and down as if to say, Don’t get angry. Calm down.

And it worked—Jae-i’s expression eased at once, though his irritation simmered beneath the surface.

Unexpected calls had been far too frequent lately. Maybe people mistakenly thought his temper had softened because he was doing things he normally never did. Should he show them clearly that this was not the case? Thinking that, he gradually loosened his hold on Dohwa.

“Wait.”

He slipped away and practically dashed into his room, grabbing the phone from his desk.

[Hwang Suhyeon]

Seeing the name on the screen, Jae-i’s expression softened immediately, and he pressed the call button without hesitation.

“Yes.”

Now that he thought about it, Suhyeon’s call was overdue. Jae-i’s ads had begun appearing everywhere—including near Suhyeon’s company building. She would likely have something to say about that. But strangely, she hadn’t called until now. Tilting his head, Jae-i asked:

“Aunt?”

[Yes, Jae-i.]

Her voice was warm and gentle as always—but that only heightened the sense of wrongness. Instinctively sensing that something had gone awry, Jae-i asked calmly:

“What happened?”

[Lee Yong-geon and his son Lee Yong-seok, who were under detention, were found murdered. After completing dinner and a light exercise routine, Officer Kim, who went to check on them due to unusual silence, was the first to find them.]

[Lee Yong-geon was discovered kneeling in front of the toilet, with more than half of the back of his neck severed. His eldest son, Lee Yong-seok, was found with his arms and legs broken, stuffed unnaturally under the bed—]

[To prevent interaction between the two, they had been detained separately at Seongsu and Gangnam Police Stations. Estimated time of death is after 8:10 PM. At 8:05 PM, a witness saw Lee Yong-seok, who did not appear to be in any unusual condition.]

[The facility allows no external contact outside designated hours, and no trace of the perpetrator was seen on CCTV. The investigation related to Pungjin has been temporarily suspended. Although the scene suggests homicide, the police are also considering the possibility of suicide.]

No one had expected this. For days, TV screens had been filled only with stories about Hwang Jae-i—until now. Suddenly, the faces of Lee Yong-geon and Lee Yong-seok plastered the broadcast, the greedy father and son who had been at the center of the recent corruption scandal.

People insisted it couldn’t be suicide—those kinds of men would cling to life even with their last breath. Then who had done it? Commenters tried ranking the most likely suspects, but soon gave up—there were simply too many.

As the news aired, real-time comments scrolled continuously:

“Good riddance.”

“Look at the things they did. Divine punishment.”

“Someone I know lost their business because of Pungjin and took their own life soon after.”

“The world’s better off without them. Let’s celebrate.”

“They died too comfortably. Should’ve paid for every crime.”

Questions about the murderer appeared only at the start; afterward, nearly every comment echoed the same sentiment: they deserved it.

The tone was overwhelmingly: They died well. Whoever did it is a hero.

And then—another announcement appeared.

[Breaking news. Guild Leader Hwang Jae-i has been accused of using his abilities against civilians.]

[According to testimony from Jang Man-seok, chairman of Ilwon Construction, Hwang Jae-i intervened during a dispute involving illegal occupiers around a coastal area recently purchased for a pension business. The Guild Leader allegedly assaulted Jang’s workers and destroyed their office, later coercing them into false statements.]

[This is the scene of the incident. As you can see, aside from this warehouse-like structure, the area is desolate. People working late that night reported being ambushed by Guild Leader Hwang, unable to defend themselves. Let’s hear from one witness who remembers the events.]

The reporter walked around the empty mountain property before heading indoors.

There, people with their arms, legs, or necks in casts sat lined up. Their faces were blurred, their clothing worn and shabby. They looked like ordinary rural farmers. The moment microphones were handed to them, they burst into tears as if they had been waiting for this exact moment.