Chapter 29: Something Unknown (3)

But right when Jiho was about to follow Yiwon.

“Joo Yiwon.”

His father called Yiwon with a stern face.

Yiwon glanced at Jiho once before shrugging and following Jiho’s father. His father fake coughed a bunch of times before entering his room with Yiwon.

Thus, instead of going up to his room, Jiho sat in the living room and waited for Yiwon to come out. But no matter how long he waited, Yiwon didn’t come out.

It didn’t seem like he could ask how long they were going to take. When he went by the room, he could hear his father’s furious voice yelling, “Who’s this brat trying to fool…!” Although Jiho didn’t know what they were talking about, he couldn’t just step in if they were talking about a specific person.

While Jiho was waiting anxiously, Jaeun, who was getting ready to go back home, came up to him.

“What are you doing, Uncle?”

“I was going to talk with Joo Yiwon because he said he had information to give, but Father suddenly called him in. I’m in the middle of waiting for them but… I don’t know what they’re talking about, but it doesn’t look like they’re stopping anytime soon.”

Jiho looked at the door worriedly. 

“What are the two talking about in there? It sounded like Joo Yiwon was getting his head broken in by a pot1.”

Unlike Jiho, who was worried, Jaeun was calm.

“Is that hyung someone to have his head broken in by someone? It’s more likely that he’s the one doing the breaking.”

“That’s true. But he wouldn’t break Father’s head…”

Joo Yiwon doesn’t have a particularly nasty personality, and even if he did, he wasn’t the type of person to rise up against someone who was like a father to him. Jaeun shook his head at Jiho’s reaction.

“He wouldn’t break Grandpa’s head, but he might rile him up.”

“What would he rile Dad up with?”

“Grandpa was the only one who didn’t notice Hyung and Uncle’s relationship. That’s why Grandpa’s sulking right now.”

What kind of nonsense is this? Jiho sighed.

At the table today, his older brother had complained that instead of studying, Jaeun was talking about weird stuff. It looks like he wasn’t wrong. Because Jaeun was pitiful, Jiho had taken his side, but it looks like he should’ve joined in on the scolding as well.

“That’s something Joo Yiwon always says as a joke… Stop watching so much MeTube. Even if that guy’s a psycho, he’s not so much a psycho that he would make those kinds of jokes to Dad as well.”

“Uncle, that Hyung is a psycho…”

“I’m gonna tell Joo Yiwon you called him a psycho.”

“Ah, don’t.”

Judging from how hard Jaeun tried to stop Jiho, he was definitely receiving money from Joo Yiwon.

After promising Jaeun, who looked like he was about to start hanging off of Jiho’s leg, that he wouldn’t tell Yiwon, his cheeky nephew smiled brightly and left.

All of his family members left. Jiho stood near the door for a bit before finally heading upstairs.

Since his office isn’t too far from here, he planned to spend the night here.

Upon entering his room, Jiho washed up and changed into his pajamas before sitting on the side of his bed. He leaned on a pillow and yawned before jumping up.

“What’s taking so long?”

Jiho looked at the clock that was pointing to 11 o’clock and frowned.

Yiwon has to go out of the country tomorrow. Even if he’s an SS-rank, he’ll be tired if he goes to sleep late. He was starting to feel like his father was cruel for holding onto Yiwon for so long.

No, before that.

Jiho felt like if he waited any longer like this, he would fall asleep. After working hard every day, his body felt sluggish from the full meal and rest.

Jiho thought for a bit before he entered Yiwon’s room right next to his. 

The room was familiar to him. After all, they lived together for so many years that it was impossible for it not to be familiar.

As soon as Jiho entered the room, he could see a small display case in the hall2 full of certificates and trophies that his mother had organized.

Maybe SS-rank hunters are different from the start. Since he was young, Yiwon was not only good at studying, but he was also amazing at every sport he picked up. Every time he picked up a sport, people would say, ‘This child has a future as a gold medalist,’ and they would try to convince him to be an athlete.

But in the end, Yiwon got accepted as a liberal arts student and went into the same school and major as Jiho.

Thanks to that, Jiho lost first place in university too…

Suddenly bringing up bad memories, Jiho turned his back to the display case and walked into the bedroom before lying on the bed.

Jiho buried his head into the pillow without much thought. The clean bed sheets smelled fresh. After all, Yiwon hasn’t slept here in a while, so his scent has been washed away.

Jiho’s eyelids felt heavy. He didn’t fight back against the sleep creeping in. Jiho closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep.

Another dream.

Because the dream was so clear and vivid, it felt like something from real life, rather than from his subconscious.

But there’s no way the scene in front of him is real.

Jiho was on the ground with a large injury.

Blood violently spilled from the wound stretching from his shoulder to his side in a diagonal line. Jiho could feel his life quickly fleeting away. If he stays like this, he’ll definitely breathe his last breath and fall into an eternal sleep.

His eyes were getting cloudier. From his blurry vision, he could see his blood spilling, a city swallowed by flames, and someone’s leg and foot. Right when he was about to feel resentment towards the person with his back turned away from him.

The person turned around as if he heard Jiho’s thoughts. He bent over Jiho’s dying body.

“I’m not going to let you die.”

It was Joo Yiwon’s voice.

But his voice was slightly hoarse, and much lower and heavier than usual.

The Jiho in the dream moved his lips. But even though he was speaking, Jiho couldn’t hear it. 

Instead of answering, Yiwon sighed deeply. He lifted his large hand and wiped away the tears streaming down from Jiho’s eyes.

“It’s okay, Jiho.”

“…”

“You’re going to be okay. And we’ll meet again, so…”

“…”

“…let’s start again next time.”

A low whisper mixed with tears. Soft lips touched Jiho’s cheek. Jiho reached his hand out towards Yiwon, who had stood up again.

“…”

He tried to move his lips to call Yiwon, but he didn’t turn back.

Everything disappeared in a flash of light.

There are times.

When you wake up and feel like you slept too long.

Having slept deeply, Jiho woke up in shock and opened his eyes. Then he was shocked again.

A wide chest was in front of his eyes.

It was the owner of this room: Joo Yiwon.

Yiwon only had a pair of boxers on. His arm wrapped around Jiho’s waist and pulled him in. Thanks to that, Jiho’s nose was pressed against his chest. Jiho panicked, lifted his hand, and pushed Yiwon’s chest.

Not only has Yiwon’s body always been thick, but he even works out now. Yet his relaxed chest muscles weren’t as hard as Jiho thought they would be. After thinking this, Jiho fell into despair.

He was dumbfounded by himself for judging his childhood friend’s body, and he also felt his pride take a critical hit. When they were young, Jiho used to be bigger than Yiwon, but now, Yiwon’s body was double the size of his.

Although one’s body doesn’t improve just by awakening, it’s easier for combat hunters to build muscles than others. But Jiho had a hard time gaining muscle even when he was still a combat hunter. Now that he’s completely switched over to a support hunter, it will probably be even harder.

Swallowing his sigh, Jiho tried to push Yiwon away. But the arm that looks even thicker now than it does in clothes made it so that Jiho was unable to move.

“Joo, Joo Yi-”

“Mm…”

Joo Yiwon made a low sound and stretched his arm out. The strength of an SS-rank hunter is ridiculous; Jiho was easily pulled back in with the slightest movement from Yiwon, as if he was a paper doll. 

“Oof!”

Jiho’s face was smooshed straight into Yiwon’s chest.3 Because Yiwon used a bit of strength, his muscles hardened. Jiho found it hard to breathe. He wiggled around and popped his head out. Yiwon’s hand, which had been empty, slowly snaked towards Jiho’s waist.

Right when Jiho was about to tell Yiwon to get up, Yiwon’s hand slipped under Jiho’s shirt. He started to rub and grope the waist that was much thinner than his.

“Hey, are you cra…!”

“Honey…”

Yiwon mumbled in a drowsy voice. Hearing this, Jiho’s erratically beating heart chilled in an instant.

Who is he mistaking him for?4

Although Yiwon insists he has no experience, there’s no way that’s true. Yiwon received countless confessions when he was a student, and, after becoming an SS-rank hunter, he was at the receiving end of even more seductions.

He must’ve started his mornings off with someone like this. Falling asleep together in each other’s arms before waking up in the morning together.

Using him a shield while doing that, creating discord with his father.

Annoyance flaring up, Jiho angrily hit Yiwon. Yiwon opened his heavy eyes and looked softly at Jiho.

“Honey, did you sleep well?”

He should direct that stupid Honey to his actual lover.

Jiho grumbled that to himself as he pushed himself up.

“You were so heavy that I couldn’t sleep. Why are you sleeping with me?”

“What do you mean… You were the one sleeping on my bed.”

“Why’d you sleep next to me when it’s so narrow here?”

“It’s not that narrow.”

True. The wide king-size bed took up a sizable amount of space in the large room. It could easily fit the two of them. Because they were sleeping stuck together, there was a lot of room left. 

Embarrassed, Jiho shifted his eyes.

“You could sleep in my room…”

“Sleep in your room?”

Joo Yiwon’s face suddenly turned dark. Jiho, wondering if he said something wrong, looked over, to which Yiwon grinned playfully.

“There’s times you sleep over in that room, right?”

“Yeah. After all, I come over more often than you do…”

“Right. I would probably never be able to fall asleep in there. I would be doing something else.”5

“…”

What other things? Is he planning to search through the room? But no matter how hard Jiho thought, there were no secrets he hid there.

It’s not like he writes a diary or hides erotic books. The room is completely clean. Even though Jiho doesn’t know what Yiwon is thinking of doing there, because he feels uneasy, he decided to not let him in the room from now on.