IH Ch 51

Chapter 51

He was an S-rank who could slice through iron, so there was no way a little bump on the head could actually hurt. Still, Dohwa glanced at Jae-i’s forehead and opened his mouth.

“You…”

Hwang Jae-i lifted his head. Even in the dark, Jae-i’s face glowed. His vividly red eyes seemed almost mystical. How could a human have such eyes? Dohwa stared blankly, and before he realized it, a large hand reached up to cradle his face. The fingers traced along his features, and then, out of nowhere, he murmured, “You’re alive.”

“I thought you were dead.”

“…”

“That bastard kicked you back then, and I… I couldn’t control my strength…”

At the same time, Jae-i rested his forehead lightly against Dohwa’s and whispered.

“My little black cat.”

“…”

Jae-i continued to caress Dohwa’s face, nuzzling into it repeatedly. It was as if he genuinely believed Dohwa was a cat and acted accordingly. Standing still and passively receiving something like grooming, Dohwa finally opened his mouth.

“The one who kicked you was the bad one.”

At that, Jae-i—who had been rubbing Dohwa’s forehead with his cheek—suddenly paused.

“You did nothing wrong. The ones who hurt you, the ones who kicked you—they were the bad ones.”

The ones who forced and coerced, those who made demands just to get their way, even when he didn’t want to do it—those were the bad ones. The ones he didn’t even want to call trash.

“You’ve done nothing wrong. Don’t blame yourself.”

Dohwa’s voice was firm. At that, Jae-i, who had been clinging to him nonstop, slowly pulled back. He straightened up and looked down at Dohwa, the intensity in his gaze softened compared to earlier. Seeing that, Dohwa spoke even more clearly.

“Don’t be sad about it anymore. You don’t need to be.”

At the same time, he gently stroked Jae-i’s head. The unfamiliar sensation made Jae-i blink and squint one eye before opening it again. Even so, Dohwa kept repeating the same words—you did nothing wrong. The bad ones were the adults who tried to use you. You don’t need to carry the guilt for that anymore.

Jae-i stood still and listened quietly, then nodded.

“…Mm.”

Then he nodded again, more firmly this time, and said with a faint smile,

“Mm.”

“…”

Seeing Jae-i smile, Dohwa felt his palms itch.

A genuine smile really was different from the kind that was faked. Staring at that gentle expression, one that didn’t suit Jae-i at all, Dohwa spread his arms open.

“…Should I put you to bed?”

At those words, Jae-i’s smile slowly faded. He stared blankly at Dohwa, then narrowed his eyes and replied, “Mm.” At the same time, he curled his large frame and nestled into Dohwa.

Pushed by his size and strength, Dohwa gauged the position of the bed and wrapped his arms tightly around Jae-i. He climbed onto the bed first, settling into place, and then pulled Jae-i to lie down beside him. Immediately, as if he couldn’t bear to be apart, Jae-i wrapped his arms around Dohwa’s waist and buried his face in his chest. He blinked slowly, staring up at him, not looking like he’d fall asleep anytime soon.

Dohwa stared back at him and placed his hand on the back of Jae-i’s head. He gently rubbed, and Jae-i’s red eyes slowly narrowed. That faint eye smile was coy and endearing. It looked far better than when he narrowed his eyes in irritation during the day. Dohwa murmured,

“Just be a little gentler. Why go out of your way to make people hate you? Harsh words always sound louder. There are more people who like and support you.”

Then, Jae-i blinked and hugged Dohwa’s waist even tighter as he asked,

“Do you… do you like me too?”

“…”

What a random question.

When Dohwa didn’t answer, Jae-i began to gently rock his waist side to side, urging him to respond. Dohwa wanted to keep pretending he didn’t hear, but he couldn’t. Hesitantly, he said,

“I don’t hate you. For one, you…”

You helped me get out of that place and brought me here, whatever your reason may have been. You gave me clothes, let me taste good food. You’re a little prickly during the day but incredibly cute at night.

Looking into Jae-i’s eyes, waiting only for his answer, Dohwa gave a small nod.

“I like you.”

The moment the words left his mouth, Jae-i stared at him. As if trying to determine whether the words were true. Dohwa didn’t look away and calmly met his gaze as he murmured,

“Who wouldn’t like you?”

With a face like that, and on top of it all, being S-rank. Even if Jae-i just stood still, people would flock to him and revere him. Jae-i was the real deal—and because of that, people envied and hated him. Because no matter what they did, they knew they could never even reach his shadow.

While gently stroking Jae-i’s head, Dohwa gave a soft smile. Staring straight at that smile, Jae-i spoke.

“Give me a kiss.”

“…Huh?”

The fact that the word “kiss” came out of Jae-i’s mouth—such a cute word—and the fact that he actually asked for one, threw Dohwa off. As he blinked, Jae-i leaned forward. He pressed their bodies closer and tilted his head toward Dohwa.

“A kiss.”

He asked for a kiss, yet he was offering his head. Shouldn’t it be on the lips?

When Dohwa hesitated, Jae-i leaned in again, impatient. So Dohwa pursed his lips and pressed a light peck onto his head. Jae-i flinched slightly, then leaned in even closer. So Dohwa kissed him again, another light peck.

A moment later, the tension drained from Jae-i’s body. He wrapped himself around Dohwa and buried his face in his neck.

Dohwa, sensing what might be happening, lightly patted Jae-i’s broad back. There was no response, but he felt deep, steady breathing. He was asleep.

“…”

Had Jae-i never been kissed on the lips before?

Ah, that’s right—he was still only twenty. Ever since the appearance of gates, hunters had begun their activities as early as fifteen. Because of that, they were treated as adults from fifteen onward, but in this country, anyone under twenty was still legally considered a minor.

In Jae-i’s case, even if he had no guardian, he seemed like the type who wouldn’t do anything he shouldn’t. Not being the type to fall for people, he probably hadn’t experienced proper romance either.

Dohwa’s hand, which had been patting his wide back, lifted slightly. He clenched his fist, then slowly opened it as he murmured,

“He really did grow up.”

Even before it was fully erect, it was already that size.

There was no benefit in having anything be excessively large. Maybe that was part of why Jae-i was so reserved with his body—because he knew how abnormally large that part of him was. But being born that way wasn’t his fault. No one is born exactly how they wish to be. So there was no blame to place.

Dohwa continued gently patting Hwang Jae-i’s back—broad as the Pacific Ocean.

Jae-i was alone in that cramped, cold place, appearing just as he had when he was a child.

He sat curled up on a hard bed with nothing but a single blanket beneath him. His gaze and expression were bleak. He knew he was dreaming. Normally, the moment he became aware it was a dream, he could wake himself—but not this time. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t escape.

So he chose to wait. He rested his chin on his knees, feeling bored, and sat there for who knows how long when he heard a strange sound. In a place like this, the rule was to ignore all sounds and sensations, and he meant to do that again. But then…

Meow. A soft sound, followed by a tiny, dainty black paw tapping onto the bed. Then the other front paw followed, and soon, a kitten no bigger than his palm rolled onto the bed.

The kitten stood up, stretching with stiffened front and back legs and tail held straight. Then it looked up at Jae-i.

After a brief moment of eye contact, Jae-i spoke in a flat voice.

“What are you looking at?”

He knew this was a dream. He also knew that kitten would soon disappear just like always. He tried to convince himself not to care even if it stared at him, but his body still reacted.

Even just speaking those few words felt like a mistake, so he closed his mouth. The kitten meowed softly and slowly approached. At first, Jae-i turned away, pressing himself against the wall as the kitten got closer.

Why he was retreating like this from a kitten barely the size of his palm, he didn’t know. He asked himself what he was doing, but still he kept scooting away until finally he jumped off the bed.

At that, the kitten quickly changed direction and extended a paw, trying to approach again.

“…”

It was strange. This dream felt different from the others.

At this point, Jae-i wasn’t sure whether it really was a dream. As he panicked, the kitten reached the edge of the bed. Even though there was nothing beyond that edge, it fearlessly stretched a paw out into the air. Without thinking, Jae-i extended his hand.

The kitten tumbled gently into his outstretched palm. It was so light he could barely feel its weight, but the softness of its fur and the warmth that spread across his hand froze him in place.

Whether it knew he had gone stiff or not, the kitten remained calm. Lying on its back, it spread its legs and licked its paws before rubbing its face. After a few washes, it looked up at Jae-i.

Staring at him, it opened its mouth and meowed, “Meow.”

“…”

It felt bizarrely real. As if the kitten in his hand was truly alive.

Maybe this time… maybe this time he wouldn’t have to lose this tiny life so meaninglessly. Maybe he could protect it until the end. With that thought, Jae-i slowly opened his mouth to speak.

Just as he was about to say something, the kitten narrowed its eyes until they were barely visible and meowed again. It was as if it had read Jae-i’s mind and was saying, “Go ahead. Try it.”