CRT Ch 31

💎

Seok Ryu waited in the hallway until the Jo Youngseop couple left. He had explained the situation to Yejun via text, but there was no reply yet. Jinguk was smoking at the window at the end of the hallway. He squinted at Seok Ryu and then spat on the hallway floor.

It reaffirmed how small this world truly was. The customers who used the workshop were often connected through a few degrees of separation, so awkward situations like today’s occurred frequently.

Seok Ryu turned his head to observe the situation inside the conference room. The frosted film attached to the glass door vaguely reflected the interior. The couple weren’t as kind-looking as they appeared in Shinbi’s crayon drawings. However, they didn’t look particularly villainous either, just ordinary people you could see anywhere.

The couple, who had been on the verge of divorce, became closer after bringing Shinbi home and even had a child. After experiencing the guardian stone’s effect, the decision of early return was entirely up to the customer. He acknowledged that the cruel words the couple supposedly uttered were fabricated by Noeul.

It was purely Shinbi’s mistake to yearn for his former masters, forgetting his duty. No matter how heartfelt his feelings, it couldn’t erase the sin of betraying his new masters. As long as Seok Ryu didn’t forget that fact until the couple left, nothing would happen. Then, he could go home, sleep soundly, and greet a peaceful tomorrow.

Jo Youngseop was boisterous upon arrival, and he was just as loud when handing out invitations.

“You all haven’t seen our Jun’s first birthday photos, right?”

As Jo Youngseop fussed, his wife, Lee Eunhye, maintained a disapproving expression. Manager Byeon offered flattery.

“I saw him at his 100-day celebration. Your son is so bright, he’ll surely grow up to be someone important. Haha!”

“You have to see his first birthday photos too. Babies change every day, you know?”

“Oh, you’re absolutely right!”

Cha Yilhyun handed the invitation to Secretary Yang without even looking at it. He seemed slightly annoyed. Perhaps, for Cha Yilhyun, the line between dislike and like was more accurately described as boring and interesting. Boring people were bad people, interesting people were good people.

Lee Taeon kept his distance, exuding an aura of “do not approach.” Only Yejun showed genuine interest in Jo Youngseop’s boasting about his son.

“Wow, he’s so cute. He could be a baby model.”

“Park Yejun, you have a good eye. But I won’t let our Minjun go anywhere near the entertainment industry. It’s such a dirty business, you know?”

Jo Youngseop grumbled to Cha Yilhyun, who was busy with something else in the back.

“By the way, President Cha, I was very disappointed that you didn’t come to the 100-day celebration! Can I look forward to seeing you at the first birthday party?”

Lee Eunhye shot her husband a look of exasperation.

“The 100-day celebration was enough. What’s with another party for his first birthday? Everyone is busy, so please know your limits.”

“Oh, come on, nagging from morning! Why did you come along if you’re just going to nag?!”

“Who dragged me out of bed and up a mountain, saying it would be embarrassing to go alone…?”

The artificial relationship, patched together by Shinbi’s power, seemed to be unraveling again. If they were like this in front of other people, Seok Ryu could only imagine how much they tore into each other when they were alone. It seemed even a real child couldn’t replace the miracle of the guardian stone.

Although he was far away, Seok Ryu could glimpse the baby’s photo on the invitation Yejun was holding. He never thought he would see the being Shinbi missed so much and believed to be his younger brother. Seok Ryu didn’t know what would change by seeing the photo, or why he was watching the Jo Youngseop couple.

The moment he looked up, suppressing a bitter smile, Seok Ryu’s heart sank. At some point, Cha Yilhyun had been staring at him through the glass door. Or perhaps it was just bad timing, their gazes meeting as Cha Yilhyun looked away.

Before he could be thrown out, Seok Ryu quickly hid behind the wall. He clutched his pounding chest. It seemed best to leave altogether. He was about to move towards the emergency exit when he heard,

“By the way, Team Leader Park, when are you going to send out your wedding invitations? You’ll need to dye your hair a proper color to wear a wedding dress.”

This time, Jo Youngseop addressed the blonde employee. It was the same employee who had brought the sugar earlier. She answered with a respectful yet wary expression.

“I haven’t chosen the design for the invitations yet. I’ll visit you soon when they’re ready.”

“Oh, right, what about that mutt you picked up off the street? Take care of it before the wedding, you might run into trouble.”

“Take care of what?”

Displeasure was evident in the blonde employee’s voice. However, Jo Youngseop, oblivious, continued talking.

“Team Leader Park, I don’t think you know how jealous stray dogs can be. Imagine what it might do if you get married and have a baby. They report it on the news, you know.”

“I saw on TV that it’s usually the child who harms the dog.”

“Oh, come on, that’s ridiculous!!”

Finally losing her patience, Lee Eunhye tugged at Jo Youngseop’s clothes.

“Stop it and let’s go.”

“Stop what? Am I wrong?”

Even though his wife tried to stop him, Jo Youngseop didn’t calm down. And then he said something he shouldn’t have.

“I briefly had a dog, and do you know how jealous it was of our Jun? Every time my wife or I showed affection to Jun, there was a murderous glint in its eyes! One day, it snuck into the baby’s room while we weren’t looking and started nipping at Jun’s hands and head…! It still gives me chills thinking about what could have happened if we hadn’t found it quickly. I thought it would be a disaster if we kept it, so I returned it immediately!”

“Just stop it! Please shut up!! Please!!!”

When Lee Eunhye yelled, Jo Youngseop and the employees froze. As his wife stormed out with her bag, Jo Youngseop, flustered, reluctantly followed. The employees also came out into the hallway to see the couple off.

Jo Youngseop spotted Seok Ryu standing blankly in the hallway. Although Seok Ryu had seen the couple countless times in the photos Shinbi showed him, they didn’t recognize him. Without the choker, they wouldn’t know he was a guardian stone.

Jo Youngseop glanced at Seok Ryu indifferently and headed towards the elevator. Watching the couple walk away, Seok Ryu let out a hollow laugh. It was a grotesque sound, like air escaping from a punctured lung.

Perhaps he had hoped to find even a sliver of longing for Shinbi in the couple. That they had abandoned Shinbi due to unavoidable circumstances, and that they missed him as much as his last tears suggested. He felt that confirming this would allow him to unload some of the burden he carried for Shinbi.

That he wouldn’t have to despair over Yejun, who treated him like a dog, despite Seok Ryu dedicating all his energy to him. Because there must have been unavoidable circumstances behind treating a guardian stone, who had given his all for his master, like a dog overnight.

“He was just petting his younger brother because he loved him, and you’re calling it biting…?”

Jo Youngseop stopped walking and turned to Seok Ryu. The people who had come to see them off also turned around one by one. Seok Ryu couldn’t see anything anymore.

“Do you know how the dog you abandoned died?”

Jo Youngseop furrowed his brow.

“Are you talking to me?”

Seok Ryu clenched his teeth so hard his jaw trembled. Noeul was right. He didn’t need to confirm it; it was obvious. The couple was putting on a facade of innocence, fabricating excuses to justify abandoning Shinbi.

“Every night, he would wake up sobbing, clutching the scraps of photos you gave him. He believed in your promise to come back for him until his very last moment.”

Jo Youngseop glared at Seok Ryu, scanning him from head to toe. As he examined his wine-colored hair and eyes, his expression gradually hardened. But when he saw that Seok Ryu wasn’t wearing a choker, his eyes filled with confusion. Lee Eunhye had long since turned pale.

“L, Let’s go. Hurry!”

The couple rushed to the elevator and frantically pressed the button. Seok Ryu lunged at Jo Youngseop, grabbing his hiking jacket.

“Your son exists because of Shinbi! If you’re human, you should feel at least a little bit sorry for him!”

“What’s wrong with you? Are you crazy?!”

Yejun, who had been in the conference room, ran into the hallway and pulled Seok Ryu away. His face was contorted with shock and anger. It was the master to whom Seok Ryu had pledged loyalty until the very moment the bond was severed. Did Yejun also see Seok Ryu as a dog that bites its master? Seok Ryu thought that it wouldn’t matter if Yejun shattered his choker right there and then.

Seok Ryu pushed his master away and grabbed Jo Youngseop by the collar.

“Then why did you treat him like a human if you were just going to tie him up and feed him dog food? Why did you let him call you dad? Why did you promise to come back for him? Why?!”

“You crazy bastard!!”

Slap––! Slap––!!

Jinguk appeared out of nowhere and slapped Seok Ryu across the face repeatedly. Taking advantage of the opportunity, the couple escaped into the elevator. Seok Ryu shoved his fingers into the closing gap of the door.

The couple shouldn’t have been able to escape so safely, wearing the faces of victims. It wasn’t fair that they were enjoying heaven while Shinbi, transformed into a demon, was cast into hell. However, the couple, safely escorted by the crowd, disappeared behind the metal doors.

“You filthy piece of trash, trying to ruin Yejun’s future!!”

Jinguk dragged Seok Ryu to the emergency staircase and threw him against the wall. He beat Seok Ryu’s face until his vision went white. Seok Ryu slumped, barely gasping for breath. Was this pain also fake? Then what was this feeling like his heart was about to explode? He could see the bottom of the steep staircase in his wavering vision. If he threw himself down there, would this pain disappear? He couldn’t remember why he had clung so desperately to life. Sometimes, he missed the days he lived in a fake paradise.

“Stop acting so noble, you disgusting bastard! You piece of trash!!”

A brutal force pulled Seok Ryu to his feet. The buttons torn from his shirt rolled down the stairs. Jinguk snorted in disgust and rubbed his erect penis against Seok Ryu’s groin. He bit Seok Ryu’s neck with his teeth and licked the exposed skin around his chest.

The loosened bandage, dislodged during the struggle, peeked out from his shirt. Seok Ryu mustered his strength and pushed away the repulsive touch. Jinguk’s hand raised again, about to strike Seok Ryu across the cheek when––

Suddenly, a dull thud echoed. The sound of something rolling noisily followed. Seok Ryu thought it was the sound of his body falling and shattering at the bottom of the abyss. He felt like he would return to the day his neck was severed if he opened his eyes. If he went back, he wouldn’t yearn for another life ever again.

A firm grip pushed Seok Ryu against the wall, pressing down on his thigh. It was a possessive touch, as if it were dragging Seok Ryu’s consciousness, which had been hiding in the darkness, out into the light. Seok Ryu gritted his teeth. He pushed against the force restraining him and scratched with his nails.

“Let go of me! Let go!!”

Seok Ryu’s struggle ripped buttons from his assailant’s shirt and tore at his skin. But this time, there was no retaliation with vulgar language or violence. He seemed to be waiting for Seok Ryu to calm down on his own, holding him firmly within his arms. A refreshing scent permeated the air, amidst the rough scuffle. It was a scent Seok Ryu wouldn’t forget until his dying breath.

Seok Ryu gasped for breath, staring blankly at the shoulder filling his vision. He couldn’t think straight. He couldn’t understand where Jinguk had disappeared to, why Cha Yilhyun was here, or what had happened. He saw his hands clutching Cha Yilhyun’s suit in fury.

Cha Yilhyun’s gaze quickly swept over Seok Ryu’s split lip and swollen cheek. An unreadable fire flickered in his dark eyes. He suddenly reached out towards Seok Ryu. For a moment, the image of that hand twisting Seok Ryu’s neck flashed through his mind.

Seok Ryu leaned against the wall, holding his breath. Cha Yilhyun’s hand stopped near Seok Ryu’s cheek, then fell, as if only grasping Seok Ryu’s breath. A voice, silent as winter, descended.

“What are you doing?”

Belatedly, Seok Ryu came to his senses, realizing what he had done. He had broken every single rule of the workshop he had protected like his life. He wouldn’t be able to complain even if he was thrown into a grinder alive. Seok Ryu wiped his tear-soaked cheeks as if erasing bloodstains from a murder scene. He pulled up his disheveled shirt and stammered,

“What happened today…”

“How do you know Jo Youngseop?”

“I mistook him for someone else.”

“Jo Youngseop also seemed to recognize the manager. Judging by how he ran away like a debtor.”

“Isn’t it natural to run away when a stranger comes at you with crazed eyes?”

Only then did Seok Ryu notice the thigh pressing against his groin. He was afraid someone would come running and see him like this. The emergency exit door was, strangely, firmly shut. Seok Ryu pushed with all his remaining strength, but Cha Yilhyun grabbed his shoulders and pinned him against the wall.

“Let me rephrase the question.”

A searching gaze scrutinized Seok Ryu’s expression.

“Jo Youngseop abandoned a dog. Why is the manager going berserk?”

Seok Ryu bit his trembling lip. He had learned the hard way how Cha Yilhyun tightened his grip, how no logic worked with him, if even a sliver of suspicion remained.

“I told you I mistook him for someone else. It has nothing to do with you, so mind your own business.”

Cha Yilhyun’s eyes gleamed with a cold yet burning intensity. He suddenly twisted his lips into a smirk.

“Why wouldn’t it have anything to do with me? It’s Yejun’s advertisement. I can’t imagine how upset Yejun will be.”

Seok Ryu glared at Cha Yilhyun’s shoulder. To the followers, Seok Ryu was always a thorn in their side, so Cha Yilhyun wouldn’t be any different. He, who currently held Yejun’s complete trust, could eliminate Seok Ryu with just a few words if he wanted to.

If Jo Youngseop held a grudge over today’s incident and tried to obstruct Yejun’s path, Seok Ryu could turn him into an ally. He could dope him as long as he wasn’t the master of a guardian stone, so if he managed to fix the situation somehow, Yejun would turn a blind eye at least once.

“I’ll take responsibility for this, so don’t do anything strange in the meantime.”

“What do you think I’m going to do?”

He genuinely seemed curious, without any ulterior motive. What made Cha Yilhyun more difficult to deal with than Jinguk was his position on the borderline between innocence and malice. As expected, he ruthlessly tore into his opponent’s weakest point.

“You insulted a major figure in the advertising world and even grabbed him by the collar, how can a mere manager take responsibility for that? You must have some special know-how.”

His eyes shone with a bold and impure glint. Seok Ryu mustn’t forget that he was no longer the Cha Yilhyun of the past. He mustn’t break down every time he was reminded of that fact.

“It worked on you, so is there anything I can’t do?”

Cha Yilhyun’s lips tightened. He released his grip on Seok Ryu’s shoulders and placed his hand on the wall instead. A deep, musky scent emanated from his clean shirt sleeve.

“Do you think it worked?”

“Considering how many times you fucked me and came inside me that day, yes.”

He wrinkled his nose.

“How vicious.”

Seok Ryu instantly regretted his words and rubbed his lips with the back of his hand. He couldn’t treat Cha Yilhyun like Jinguk. Cha Yilhyun had taught him what real emotions were, giving him the illusion, however brief, that he was a real human being.

He hadn’t just awakened his dormant consciousness and crammed it into a hollow shell of a body. He had breathed real life into him. He had made his heart beat.

Seok Ryu felt like he would only continue to say cruel things to Cha Yilhyun if he stayed here any longer. He turned his head, trying to escape from Cha Yilhyun’s encircling arms. His gaze was suddenly drawn to Cha Yilhyun’s cheek. Scratches from Seok Ryu’s nails were etched across his healthy skin. The skin around his neck was also red and raw.

His eyes, which once sparkled mischievously, were now dull, like someone who hadn’t slept properly in a long time. The vibrancy that used to change the very air around him was fading. A faint smell of cigarettes clung to him.

Sometimes, the aftereffects of the transfer affected the followers as well, causing hysteria, insomnia, and various other side effects. Cha Yilhyun had only given to Seok Ryu, while Seok Ryu had only taken.

“By any chance…”

Seok Ryu started, and Cha Yilhyun’s gaze shifted towards him.

“Do you suddenly feel feverish, or do your moods change drastically from moment to moment? Or are there any other symptoms…?”

“Why does a manager care about my condition?”

The day Seok Ryu would call Cha Yilhyun by his name again would never come. Seok Ryu parted his lips, then closed them again. He felt like Cha Yilhyun would leave if he even sighed carelessly. His patience was notoriously thin. It was the first time Seok Ryu had realized how desperate and anxious it felt to face someone.

He had heard that consciousness, shattered along with the core stone, would wander with the wind, becoming a tree or a wildflower. If that were true, Shinbi wished to become a tree and then Pinocchio. Since he loved to draw, becoming paper would be alright too.

Seok Ryu didn’t want to become anything if his core stone shattered. It seemed like destined masters didn’t exist. Just like the couple who escaped their guilt by giving Shinbi a family photo as charity, Heewan might have implanted cheap and efficient hope into him as well. It felt disgusting that he, who had hurt a pure soul with acts more inhumane than anyone else, longed to meet his destined master and become a real person.

A submerged city shimmered beyond his blurred vision. If he jumped into it, would there be a world where nothing existed?

Suddenly, the heavy sigh that had been weighing on him for so long dissipated. Seok Ryu slowly raised his gaze. A man, more desolate than the city, gritted his teeth and asked with burning eyes. Seok Ryu had the illusion that the man’s features, swallowed by the backlight, were distorting.

Cha Yilhyun’s tightly closed lips parted slightly, as if about to speak. Seok Ryu stared at those lips, unable to even blink. But the words floating within Cha Yilhyun’s mouth never took form.

At that moment, someone knocked on the emergency exit door.

“President, are you alright?! Please open the door!”

It was Yejun’s voice. The rattling of the doorknob made Seok Ryu anxious. He didn’t know how the emergency exit door had locked. He was afraid to face what would come after the door opened. As he stared at the door with despairing eyes, his body was pulled somewhere.

When he came to his senses, Cha Yilhyun was holding his wrist and leading him down the stairs. Seok Ryu stared blankly at his back, unable to blink. The hot body temperature against his wrist, Cha Yilhyun’s unusually shaking shoulders, all those afterimages played out in slow motion.

Jinguk, lying unconscious in the corner of the spiral staircase, flashed into view. His nose and mouth were covered in blood, and his limbs were twisted grotesquely, like a disassembled doll.

As they descended the endlessly spiraling staircase, Seok Ryu forgot whether they were going up or down. Judging by how he wished this moment with Cha Yilhyun would last forever, what awaited him at the bottom of the stairs must be hell.

Clang–––!

The moment the emergency exit door opened, light flooded in. Before his vision could adjust, he was pulled somewhere again. As they entered the lobby, he bumped shoulders with a passing man. Cha Yilhyun’s steps also stopped. The stranger, noticing Seok Ryu, gave him a cold look.

The man, who looked to be in his early twenties, was undeniably unattractive. He had small eyes, a flat, upturned nose, uneven lips, and acne scars scattered across his cheekbones. Seok Ryu didn’t know him, but his face seemed familiar.

“Why are you just standing there?”

Someone jumped and hugged the man’s neck. Wine-colored hair swayed. A teardrop-shaped garnet hung from the velvet ribbon around his white neck. The moment those wine-colored eyes turned towards Seok Ryu, chills ran down his spine.

The face Seok Ryu had painstakingly ruined had been perfectly restored, mocking his efforts. He couldn’t process why Noeul, who should have been locked away in the basement, was here, or why he was wearing a choker.

Noeul’s eyes widened when he saw Seok Ryu. He soon trembled his red lips and teared up.

“This… isn’t a dream, is it?”

His voice, like an auditory hallucination, froze Seok Ryu. He must have lost consciousness after being beaten by Jinguk. That’s why he was having this nightmare. Because Cha Yilhyun wouldn’t hold his hand, wouldn’t help him escape a dangerous situation.

The nightmare-like being hugged Seok Ryu tightly. The world spun around him. It was a horrifyingly vivid sensation for a dream.

“I thought I was going to die missing you.”

Noeul raised his head. A vile malice, like a stagnant pool, burned in his dark red eyes.