IH Ch 68

Chapter 68

“……”

Though there was no reason for him to hide, Jae-i’s legs moved on their own.

He strode up to Dohwa, seized him by the wrist, and yanked him forward. Dragging him along, he headed toward an old, worn-down house nearby. Finding no sign of inhabitants and no lights on, Jae-i led them into the front yard and moved behind the wall.

However, while Dohwa’s head was completely hidden behind the wall when standing upright, Jae-i’s was not. His head stuck out, visibly poking above the top, so he lowered it in a hurry, bowing until his chin nearly touched his collarbone. Only then could he barely conceal himself as faint lights quickly passed by overhead. After confirming that several vehicles had driven past, he cautiously lifted his head.

Watching the fading lights in the distance, Jae-i narrowed his eyes. He turned toward Dohwa again, who was still standing comfortably upright, and was about to interrogate him when Dohwa surprisingly spoke first in a calm tone.

“I’m an Awakened. But my abilities only manifest when I use them. So they can’t be detected through standard testing.”

“……”

“Your system wouldn’t be able to tell if I’m an Awakened or not.”

He said it as if it were no big deal, but it was a monumental revelation.

An Awakened whose powers can’t be detected unless actively used? Was that even possible? It sounded completely absurd. Jae-i stood frozen, face hardened, as Dohwa continued.

“Lee Myeonghwan’s remnants didn’t give up until the very end. That’s why I was there. They wanted to deal a heavy blow to the Association even if it meant dying in the process. Judging by how things turned out, I guess they failed.”

That was even more shocking than what had come before.

Expression vanishing from his face, Jae-i glared at Dohwa with cold eyes.

“Why are you telling me all this now?”

Dohwa lifted his head and looked Jae-i straight in the eyes.

“You never asked.”

“…Are you serious.”

Shouldn’t someone confess something that serious even before being asked? And why tell him, of all people? Shouldn’t he have told someone else, like Kimwi?

Unable to understand what the hell he was thinking, Jae-i suddenly grabbed Dohwa by the collar. The fabric stretched taut as if about to tear, and Dohwa’s lightweight frame lifted off the ground. The faint crease forming between Dohwa’s brows made Jae-i pause, and without realizing it, he loosened his grip.

No, wait. He said it himself—he’s an Awakened. If things get dangerous, he’ll instinctively protect himself. So wouldn’t it be fine to apply more pressure? Jae-i, who had once again tightened his grip, sighed and let go when he looked into Dohwa’s dark eyes. Dohwa staggered back, coughing softly.

Running a rough hand through his hair, Jae-i stared over the wall, his voice lowered.

“Get your ass to the Association. Now.”

“…Why?”

Jae-i jerked his head angrily in response to the question.

“Isn’t it obvious?!”

He was about to say, ‘How could I keep someone like you around after hearing all that?’ but faltered mid-sentence. Under the bright moonlight, Dohwa stood with his gaze lowered and features slackened in disappointment.

“If I go there, they’ll put me in a cell. I don’t want to be in a place like that anymore.”

“……”

“And what if there are more weirdos like the guy who tested me last time? He almost attacked me.”

Muttering, Dohwa lowered his head again. But this, too, now seemed like a performance. Like he was trying to weaken Jae-i’s resolve on purpose. No, that wasn’t it. Just because he acted like that didn’t mean Jae-i’s heart would soften. Just then, a sharp gust of wind came from behind. Jae-i, his face hardening, turned quickly and swung his arm.

Wham. He caught something midair that had flown at him. It was round, soft, and squishy—something black and pliant. The moment he realized it was the monster from before—the one that hadn’t come out of the bag, and which he had kicked, causing it to roll into the grass—he hurled it to the ground with all his might.

“……!!”

With a loud smack, it flattened like a pancake on impact, then bounced lightly upward. Tumbling and rolling, it came to rest at Dohwa’s feet. The sensation of touching that squishy thing had been so unpleasant that Jae-i furiously rubbed his chest to wipe it off. Grinding his teeth, he scrubbed himself raw, but when Dohwa bent down and picked up the puffball, Jae-i cried out in alarm.

“Why would you touch that?!”

But Dohwa, already holding the monster in his cupped hands, muttered calmly.

“This isn’t dangerous.”

“…What?”

“You don’t feel any aggression coming from it.”

At those words, the puffball lying snugly in his palm slowly opened its eyes. With narrow slits, it stared blankly at Dohwa, then, returning to its round form, gave a soft bounce. And just as it was about to bounce again for a third time, Jae-i smacked it away with the back of his hand.

Sent flying from the forceful blow, it crashed into the ground and remained still. It might bounce back again. Jae-i stepped forward and lightly tapped Dohwa’s still-cupped palms.

“You don’t even know what that thing is, and you’re just handling it like that? You’ve never been inside a gate, have you? Some of them look even cuter than that—then suddenly turn grotesque and terrifying, and rush you—”

He trailed off mid-sentence. Because Dohwa had gently taken hold of his hand—the one that had been brushing his own palm. It was only for a brief moment, but the feeling of Dohwa’s fingers clasping his sent a chill up the back of his neck.

“……”

Jae-i clenched his jaw as he looked down at Dohwa, who now stood with both hands clasped innocently as if he had never touched him. The muscles along Jae-i’s jawline tensed enough to make the veins pop. In a low voice, he asked,

“You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”

“…What do you mean?”

Dohwa raised his eyes to meet Jae-i’s. The moonlight spilled over his face—his skin appearing even whiter than usual, lashes long and full, features delicately sculpted. Jae-i found himself staring blankly at Dohwa’s lips. Then the memory of what had happened that morning suddenly returned—Dohwa had kissed him.

At that moment, Dohwa’s lips slowly parted, and Jae-i, flinching, blurted it out.

“Why did you kiss me?”

“……”

“This morning, you kissed me—!”

“You kissed me first.”

“……”

“You hugged me and kissed me. That’s all I remember. I don’t recall ever kissing you.”

“……”

“If we’re being technical, isn’t it weird for you to be scolding me about this?”

It was almost always Jae-i who came to find Dohwa at night. His expression said, “If you have anything to say, go ahead.” Jae-i fell silent.

He had been fixated on Dohwa kissing him, wanting to confront him about that—but he hadn’t expected to hear anything else. The fact that he visited Dohwa nightly was a major weakness. Because he couldn’t remember it himself. If he really had kissed Dohwa first, then…

Jae-i recalled the soft sensation that had touched his lips. So smooth it was hard to believe it was skin—and it had carried a faintly sweet scent.

“…!”

Hwang Jae-i tightly shut his eyes, then opened them again and lashed out at Dohwa harshly.

“You’re making things up, knowing I can’t remember what happens at night, aren’t you?”

“No, I’m not. You kissed me first—”

“How the hell could I have done that?! I’ve never kissed anyone before in my life!”

The moment he shouted it, he realized his mistake. Why the hell was he saying this to this guy? But he kept ranting.

When he thought about it, it didn’t make sense. Why did he keep visiting Dohwa at night? He’d never done that before. Granted, he had never let anyone else into his space before, so there was nothing to compare it to, but still—

“What did you do to me?”

“……”

Dohwa’s face hardened under Jae-i’s accusing glare. He was about to retort with a “What are you even talking about?” when Jae-i continued.

“I don’t know what the hell you were doing in there, how you used your body, but I swear I’ve never done anything with anyone—!”

“I didn’t use my body!”

Dohwa, who had rarely raised his voice, suddenly snapped. Jae-i froze in place.

“……”

As Hwang Jae-i replayed his words in his head, he realized his mistake and opened his mouth to apologize—only to stop when he saw the sorrow in Dohwa’s hardened eyes.

He had always been called someone with a loose tongue. He had never held back what he wanted to say and had never paid attention to others’ feelings. Because it never mattered.

In the quiet car, Jae-i looked out the window at the passing scenery. He shifted in his seat, but no position felt comfortable, and the weight on his chest remained.

Back in the car heading home, Dohwa was once again the one driving. Jae-i hadn’t been able to find the right moment to say anything when Dohwa got in the driver’s seat, so things naturally ended up this way. Sitting in the passenger seat, Jae-i thought he should’ve just driven himself. He hadn’t realized how awkward it would feel to do nothing and have to be mindful of someone else. As he held back another frustrated sigh, a loud growl sounded from somewhere.

“……”

Jae-i instinctively looked at Dohwa’s skinny stomach. Sensing his gaze, Dohwa—who had been quiet all this time—finally spoke.

“It’s just noise.”