IH Ch 46

Chapter 46

“…Is it hard?”

“…”

“Even if you’re tired, you should eat. You like eating, don’t you?”

That lunchbox was honestly really good.

If there had been only one, it might have been awkward to offer, but there were three. The portions were also larger than they looked, so it seemed fine to share with Hwang Jae-i. After working so hard, wouldn’t it be better to eat something? Then Dohwa remembered that Hwang Jae-i was only covering his lower half with a towel and spoke again.

“And put some clothes on. You’ll catch a cold.”

“…What the hell are you saying, seriously.”

He had wondered why that chipmunk, cheeks puffed like it was hoarding acorns, suddenly came over—was it just to say something this pointless?

Hwang Jae-i sat up abruptly. Caught off guard by the sudden movement, Dohwa stepped back. Hwang Jae-i glared at him and barked,

“Hey.”

“Yeah?”

Dohwa replied innocently, as if asking what the problem was. Hwang Jae-i fell silent. That was because, all of a sudden, Dohwa’s appearance came into full view—baggy clothes far too loose for his body, messy hair, and above all, a glaringly purple bruise.

“…”

As expected, he really should’ve broken that bastard’s wrist and snapped his neck.

An inexplicable surge of displeasure rose in Hwang Jae-i as he swung his arm through the air. A bluish-glowing space appeared, from which he retrieved two S-rank potions. He flicked his finger at Dohwa—flick, flick—like calling a dog. When Dohwa didn’t move and just stood there, Hwang Jae-i lowered his voice.

“Come here.”

Dohwa reluctantly approached and stood in front of the bed. Jae-i tilted his chin.

“Sit.”

“…Is this because of the bruise on my face? That stuff’s expensive. It’ll fade on its own in a few days.”

“Just shut up and sit down. If you keep standing there like that, people will think I hit you.”

At his even lower voice, Dohwa cautiously sat on the edge of the bed. Seeing that he didn’t even deny the implication of his words, Hwang Jae-i was tempted to snap, but held back.

Potions were primarily meant to be ingested, but applying them directly to a wound worked too. Back at the Association, he’d said an A-rank potion wouldn’t help, but S-rank was a different story. He opened the lid, aiming to get rid of the bruise first, and spoke nonchalantly.

“Show me your face.”

“…”

He let a small drop of the potion fall onto his fingertip. Confirming its bluish glow, he looked up, but Dohwa was still just sitting on the edge of the bed. That alone wouldn’t have mattered, but he then lowered his head, trying to hide his face by tugging down his hair. Hwang Jae-i narrowed his eyes.

“What are you doing? I told you to bring your face over here.”

“…”

Until now, the kid always did what he was told without hesitation—so why was he stalling now? Watching Dohwa fidget with his hair, still trying to cover his face, Hwang Jae-i asked,

“Is the reason that bastard acted like that… because of you?”

“…”

“Think about it. How could anyone pull that kind of crap in a place like that? Unless he was under some kind of spell, right?”

Even if the guy was insane, doing something like that in that setting made no sense. He acted like he was in heat. It would be baffling if he hadn’t heard the explanation from Dohwa before. That he was a ‘doll.’ What else had he said? That he’d been forced to wear an iron mask for disobedience.

Would someone like that listen just because their face was covered? Clearly not. Just look at him now—he’s been called over and still won’t come, just hiding his face. He must’ve been disobedient even back then. Maybe that’s why he got beaten, and those scars on his back came from that time.

“…”

Feeling stifled in a different way now, Hwang Jae-i frowned. Dohwa, still looking down, muttered,

“I didn’t do anything. I was just looking.”

“…”

“I only looked, and he went crazy and jumped me. That was him, not me.”

He seemed to assert his innocence boldly, but then immediately clamped up again. His bottom lip turned pale where his teeth pressed into it. After a pause, Jae-i muttered,

“He really was out of his mind when he came at you.”

“…”

“The Association deserves to rot for hiring trash like that and calling him a researcher. The chairman should apologize.”

Dohwa lifted his head slightly, as if he’d just heard something unexpected. The look in his eyes asked, “Do you really think that?” Hwang Jae-i repeated himself, more firmly.

“I should’ve broken his damn neck.”

Sure, the Association would probably punish him, but that wasn’t enough. He should’ve stomped him into the ground. Clicking his tongue, he looked at Dohwa, who was now staring at him fully. Jae-i gazed back at the small face and asked nonchalantly,

“Are you pretty?”

“…Huh?”

A faint wrinkle appeared between Dohwa’s brows, like he was wondering what nonsense this was.

“Everyone who’s seen you keeps going on about how pretty you are. That’s why all this happened too, right?”

Trailing off, Jae-i tilted his head, staring at Dohwa, and muttered to himself.

“Pretty, huh?”

Was this really what people called pretty? There was clear doubt in his voice.

Dohwa, a flicker of uncertainty passing through his eyes, muttered with a hardened face,

“I don’t know either.”

He grumbled like he was dissatisfied, then closed his mouth again. Amused by his response, Hwang Jae-i waved his hand dismissively.

“Whatever. Just get over here. Do you even know how much this stuff costs?”

This S-rank potion could heal most injuries. He’d given it to hunters who fought hand-to-hand in gates before, but using it just to reduce a bruise? It felt excessive.

Yet, after all that resistance, Dohwa finally crept over to the bed. Reaching Jae-i’s side, he glanced at the potion in his hand and muttered,

“…I really am fine though.”

“Shut up.”

Cutting him off before he could say more, Jae-i dispensed a bit more potion onto his fingertip and said, “Move your hair.” In a flat tone, he instructed Dohwa, who hesitated before tucking his hair behind his ear and offering his bruised cheek.

The bruise extended all the way up to his eyelid. Looking at it, Jae-i wondered how someone as frail as a dried anchovy could end up this badly bruised. He gently touched the bruise with his fingertip. Dohwa flinched even at the lightest touch, but Jae-i ignored it and began rubbing the darkest area.

“Don’t move. Stay still.”

Saying that, he cupped Dohwa’s chin with one hand.

His face was so small it easily fit within his palm—with room to spare. Jae-i had never thought his hands were particularly big, but now it was obvious. Either that, or Dohwa’s face was absurdly small.

He applied more potion with his fingertip, spreading it across the bruised area. At first, there was no visible effect. But after several layers, the bruise gradually began to fade.

“Hey. It’s going away.”

His triumphant tone was met with Dohwa’s puzzled expression. Then Dohwa touched his own cheek, the one Jae-i had been handling all this time.

His moist, soft cheek no longer hurt when pressed. Surprised, he kept trying to feel it again, but Jae-i pushed his hand away with the back of his own. Then, with more potion on his fingertip, he gently tapped it around Dohwa’s eye.

“See? Of course an S-rank potion works. If it didn’t, that’d be the weird part. Whatever they used on you back there must’ve been cheap junk. That’s why it didn’t work.”

That cult-like group had a structure where only the leaders benefitted while the rest were exploited. It was like a pyramid scheme—aside from the top few, everyone else was just a worker ant. Would they have cared if someone died or got hurt? No chance. Whatever medicine they gave Dohwa was probably fake or completely ineffective. As Jae-i moved his fingers, he suddenly paused.

“…”

His fingertip brushed against long, soft eyelashes.

From the moment Jae-i’s hand touched his face, Dohwa had decided it was better to keep his eyes closed. Because of that, Jae-i was now seeing his tiny face from an extremely close distance.

When the iron mask first came off, all he noticed was that Dohwa had big eyes. That was it. Even when Yohan and An Yuna fussed over how pretty he was, Jae-i had dismissed it as nonsense. No matter how many times he saw the kid’s face afterward, it never struck him.

He just didn’t care about other people’s faces. The only reason he knew names and faces of those around him was from long-term exposure. With hunters, he recognized them by their distinct unpleasant aura. And now…

A pale, small face. Delicate features. Eyebrows that drew fine, distinct lines. Long, layered hair like a silk cascade.

The full, reddish lips—usually sealed—parted slightly. They twitched, seemingly in discomfort, and then his tightly closed eyes suddenly opened. The moment those round, clear pupils appeared beneath the long lashes, Jae-i slapped his large hand over Dohwa’s face.

“…!”

Like slamming a lid over a pot, he completely covered Dohwa’s face with his hand. Then, shoving that face to the side, Dohwa lost balance and flailed.

Since it was on the bed, the fall didn’t hurt. But his flailing hand landed somewhere strange. Propping himself up on his elbow, Dohwa grimaced and let out a small groan.

He had only opened his eyes. Why did he get shoved like that? Was it just the surprise? He thought it’d be fine, but maybe Jae-i really didn’t like it. As he squirmed to sit up, he shifted weight onto his other hand. Something thick and firm filled his grip. Dohwa turned his head without thinking—and froze.

“…”

Blankly staring at where his hand had landed, Dohwa slowly looked up. Seeing the most serious expression he’d ever witnessed on Jae-i’s face, he panicked and yanked his hand away.