DL Episode 80

#80

If Baek Sa had known that his special care for an innocent child would come back to him in this way… His face twisted in self-mockery as he asked a single word:

“Why?”

Ha-gyeom’s face went pale, as if he hadn’t expected the question. How could he have considered his feelings so natural that he’d never once questioned them? When someone wants to protect another with such overwhelming intensity, it is only natural to question the reason behind it.

Why must they be protected?

Are they truly worth protecting?

Baek Sa had never asked himself such questions, but when it came to Ha-gyeom, he spoke with absolute conviction.

“There’s no need for repayment. I didn’t raise you to be a loyal dog.”

“…….”

“I simply did what needed to be done. You don’t owe me anything.”

Even though Baek Sa had laid it out clearly, Ha-gyeom didn’t seem ready to accept it. If anything, the defiance in his eyes burned brighter.

“Why do you say things like that? Does it make you feel better?”

For two days, Baek Sa had held Ha-gyeom close, cooling his fever with ice packs. Ha-gyeom’s internal injuries had likely healed by at least 70 percent, though complete recovery was only possible through more intimate contact. In his fragile state, it was no wonder Ha-gyeom’s emotions were difficult to control.

Right now, Baek Sa saw nothing but a boy overwhelmed by everything. His breathing was still uneven, and the truths Baek Sa had revealed to him only added to his pain.

“Not at all.”

“Then are you admitting you don’t see me as a comrade?”

To Baek Sa, Ha-gyeom could never simply be a comrade. But that wasn’t the issue at hand.

“Or are you mocking me for being weak?”

“Where did you even pick up such nonsense?”

Baek Sa frowned sharply, catching the glimmer of tears in Ha-gyeom’s eyes before he lowered his head to hide them. He reached out, but Ha-gyeom quickly regained his composure, brushing away his tears with a fierce expression.

“Back then, you always told me everything would be okay. You were always on my side, no matter what.”

It wasn’t just Baek Sa who noticed the stark difference between his past and present selves. Ha-gyeom, too, seemed unable to endure the disconnect, staring at him with a piercing intensity.

Baek Sa sighed faintly, his gaze lingering on Ha-gyeom’s shoulders, now well-formed, and his still-clear eyes, unchanged from childhood. He opened his mouth to explain their harsh reality, but Ha-gyeom moved first.

Rising from his seat, Ha-gyeom stepped around the table, drawing closer. Baek Sa remained silent, watching the difference in their heights disappear as Ha-gyeom wrapped his arms around his waist, pulling him into an embrace.

“I’m not trying to be spoiled. I won’t ask you to understand my feelings anymore, either. It’s unfair, and I hate it, but what can I do? You won’t accept me….”

His trembling fingers clung tightly to Baek Sa’s shirt as he lifted his head to meet his gaze.

“…….”

Being so close that he could feel Ha-gyeom’s breath made Baek Sa’s heart pound. His flushed cheeks, swollen lips, and reddened ears ignited a dry heat in his throat.

“But in this place, it’s just the two of us. You say it’s natural for you to protect me, but it’s unfair that I can’t protect you. That’s just not right.”

The heat radiating from Ha-gyeom’s body reminded Baek Sa of the stark emptiness of the past five years. Just having Ha-gyeom near was enough to shake the peace he’d painstakingly built. He suppressed the heat rising in his chest.

Still, Ha-gyeom wasn’t a child anymore, and he had a sharp perceptiveness that caught Baek Sa off guard.

“Be honest. You didn’t want to send me away, did you?”

The casual question sent a chill through Baek Sa’s eyes. For a moment, he hid the possessive desire that had surged during their rooftop encounter, that undeniable need that had overwhelmed him.

“I doubt I was the only one lonely for the past five years….”

But Ha-gyeom’s soft, coaxing voice broke through his defenses. When Baek Sa reached out to brush Ha-gyeom’s damp hair away, it wasn’t out of lust. It was a craving for something untainted, a longing to feel alive in the presence of something so vividly real.

His hand didn’t stop at Ha-gyeom’s hair; it slid down to his still-damp nape. Ha-gyeom’s eyelashes fluttered, and his eyes closed briefly. Baek Sa could feel the pulse of life beneath his fingers, vibrant and strong.

“If you’re still following Director Kim’s orders, then as someone who came here on her orders, I should help you. That makes us partners now.”

“…Partners?”

“Yes, partners. If I can’t go back to the Center, does it matter if this place is heaven or hell? Either way, we’ll die here in the end.”

Ha-gyeom’s audacious words and gleaming eyes were dizzying. Baek Sa found himself staring, forgetting the many arguments he could have made as he met Ha-gyeom’s pleading yet defiant gaze. How could he tell someone with such unclouded eyes that what they’d seen here was only the tip of the iceberg?

“I don’t know how far I can go, but isn’t that the same for you? I’m not just the kid I used to be. Watch me. See how far I can go.”

Before Baek Sa could respond, he found his hands gripping Ha-gyeom’s waist tightly. Even as his gaze darkened, Ha-gyeom didn’t retreat. Instead, he leaned in, whispering softly into his ear.

“…What are you so afraid of, really?”

* * *

The elevator indicator, which had previously shown the 10th floor, flickered briefly before the red digits disappeared entirely. The display remained black until it passed the 11th, 12th, and 13th floors.

Within moments, the elevator reached the top floor and came to a halt. When the doors slid open, the scene before Baek Sa contrasted starkly with the subterranean levels. A cool blue glow illuminated the interior, emanating from large aquariums lining both sides of a curved hallway. It was a scene of luxurious decadence, incongruous with the apocalyptic state of the world outside. Baek Sa, unfazed by the grandeur, stepped out as if he had done so countless times.

His gaze briefly swept over the bizarre aquatic creatures within the tanks as he walked down the hallway. Soon, he reached a living room cloaked in deep shadows, the aquariums’ glow barely enough to hint at its outline. Without pause, Baek Sa ascended a spiral staircase in one corner, making his way to an upper level where pale light seeped out from a bedroom.

Knock, knock.

He entered after knocking lightly, his eyes meeting those of Representative Tak, who had just risen from the bed. Despite being a non-Espers, Tak’s steroid-enhanced physique made him appear as formidable as one. Baek Sa offered no greeting, his mere presence enough to assert his position. His gaze shifted to the figure stirring beneath the sheets.

“A moan like that… Just shameless!”

Tak, fastening the buckle of his pants, suddenly grabbed a belt from the table and held it high in the air. In an instant, he was at the bedside, yanking the sheets off the naked figure lying there. The sound of the belt lashing against skin filled the room, leaving red welts across a pale, emaciated body.

“Disgusting. Who taught you to be like this?”

The man on the bed, his body battered and exhausted from the night’s abuse, didn’t even cry out. He curled up as Tak’s blows landed relentlessly, leaving behind deep, bleeding gashes.

“Representative Tak,” Baek Sa interjected, his voice even. Yet before the words could register, Tak climbed onto the bed with alarming agility, balancing precariously as he pulled a knife from his pocket.

“We won’t be hearing those revolting sounds again, will we?”

Without hesitation, he pressed the man’s chest down and, with a swift motion, slashed across his throat.

“Urk…!”

Blood spurted from the wound, though the carotid artery had been narrowly avoided. Baek Sa pulled a handkerchief from the pocket of his jacket and approached the man, who was now choking and flailing in panic. Ignoring Tak as he disdainfully wiped the knife clean, Baek Sa climbed onto the bed, pressing the handkerchief against the gash to stem the bleeding.

“Ghh…! Ghhck…!”

Blood pooled in the man’s mouth, dribbling down his chin as he struggled to breathe. His trembling hand reached out to grasp Baek Sa’s wrist in desperation, his terrified, wild eyes begging for mercy. Every twitch of his battered body screamed of futile resistance, as though clinging to a threadbare lifeline.

Baek Sa remained impassive, though the sight brought to mind memories of his earlier days in this place. He remembered the first time he had encountered someone in such a state—how he had vomited the moment he returned to his quarters, the image seared into his mind.

But now… he felt nothing.

Now, he had become a man capable of pressing his weight against the writhing figure, calmly holding the handkerchief in place as blood seeped through the fabric. This was no longer unfamiliar or shocking—it was routine.