IPSDVS Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Lee Nahyuk thought his life was over, despite being only in his twenties.

First of all, the biggest reason—he confessed to his longtime crush and got brutally rejected.

Even though they were the same gender, his colleague had always taken such good care of him, casually initiating skinship, making Nahyuk believe the feelings were mutual.

But…

‘Nahyuk, I’m sorry if I made you misunderstand. I just don’t like guys… I’ll be more careful from now on.’

His colleague started openly avoiding him after that.

Not only that, but he went as far as tattling to Nahyuk’s younger brother—who absolutely despised gay people—about the fact that Nahyuk liked men.

As it turned out, his colleague and Nahyuk’s brother were quite close, having been senior and junior at the same university.

While venting to his brother about how horrifying it was to be confessed to by a man, his colleague ended up spilling everything about Nahyuk as well.

And soon after, an incident occurred that made Nahyuk truly believe his life was ruined.

The second reason—his parents found out he was gay.

His younger brother, unable to let it go, had ultimately gone and ratted him out to their parents, causing a complete disaster.

Getting his ears pierced, getting a tattoo, staying out overnight, becoming independent… His father had never allowed any of those things. So it was no surprise that his fury was beyond words.

His father simply couldn’t accept Nahyuk for being different. What followed was a merciless beating.

Nahyuk was beaten until he lost consciousness. His father, a high-ranking executive at a public corporation, had been a boxer in his youth.

With broken bones and bruises covering his body, Nahyuk had no choice but to be hospitalized. But during his entire stay, not a single person came to visit him.

His mother, just as conservative as his father, left him with only one sentence— “You are no longer my son.” His younger brother simply stared at him in silent disgust.

His father paid for the hospital bills, but it was clear that the moment he was discharged, he would be thrown out with nothing to his name.

No, more than that—he would be completely disowned.

‘What do I do now…?’

Lee Nahyuk had no savings to fall back on.

It hadn’t been long since he started working, and he didn’t have the courage to return to that company—not when the very person who had destroyed him, the colleague he once loved, was still there.

Before getting the job, his father had strictly forbidden him from working part-time, so he had never earned money on his own.

The weight of his current reality felt suffocating.

Would things have been different if he had rebelled against his father when he was younger?

But growing up, the thought of escaping his stifling life had never even occurred to him.

His entire life, he had been beaten into submission, conditioned to fear defying his father.

Unlike his younger brother, who had inherited their father’s boxing talent and physical strength, Nahyuk had no such advantage. So, he had simply chosen the safest path—study hard and become a respectable office worker.

He thought that as long as he kept his feelings for men a secret, everything would be fine.

He had no idea that the person he had mustered the courage to confess to would end up dragging him down like this.

“Still… it feels unfair. The only thing I did was like him….”

If that was the case, he shouldn’t have led him on in the first place.

Lee Nahyuk resented the person who had ruined him, but he couldn’t bring himself to fully hate him.

Like a fool, a part of him still had lingering feelings.

“Haah… my life….”

With a sigh that had become second nature, Nahyuk sank back into the hospital bed. He still had about two more days before he could be discharged.

Just then, his phone, resting beside his head, vibrated lightly. He turned it on and checked the notification.

「‘Even in Ruins, Flowers Bloom’ – Episode 71 Uploaded!」

‘Even in Ruins, Flowers Bloom’

It was a BL novel that Lee Nahyuk had been enjoying lately.

Reading BL novels was his small act of rebellion. There was no risk of his father finding out, and every time he lost himself in a story, he could momentarily escape the suffocating reality of his life.

Pushing aside his grim thoughts, Nahyuk clicked on the newly uploaded Episode 71 of ‘Even in Ruins, Flowers Bloom’.

As if he had never been upset, he quickly became engrossed in the novel. He didn’t want to waste a single word.

The story was reaching its climax.

Episode 71 was particularly intriguing—Yoon Noah, the villainous uke (bottom) who had persistently interfered with the main couple, was diagnosed with a terminal illness.

Desperate after receiving his prognosis, Yoon Noah sought out Lee Kangil, an extra character and a friend of the seme (top).

Lee Kangil was a researcher at a prestigious pharmaceutical company. Though a bit of an eccentric, his talent was undeniable.

「“Lee Kangil, listen carefully. They said I have a terminal illness.”

Yoon Noah, who always appeared impeccably composed, was a complete mess.

His hair was disheveled as if he had run all the way there, and the top two buttons of his shirt were undone.

Lee Kangil silently observed the unexpected sight before him.

To Yoon Noah, Kangil’s gaze felt like that of a snake—cold, its chilling scales wrapping around his body with an eerie intensity.

“Fuck… I know you’re a pervert, but now’s not the time to be eyeing me up! Make me some medicine. I’ll pay you—whatever it takes. You know I have money, right?”

“…….”

Lee Kangil didn’t respond. He simply tapped his long fingers against the desk.

“Lee Kangil, you bastard. Say something!”

Overcome with frustration, Yoon Noah stormed up to him and grabbed his shoulders tightly.

Only then did a sharp, chilling smile creep onto Lee Kangil’s face.

“I already knew you were dying.”

“…What?”

“The hospital you go to? It’s owned by my company.”

“…….”

“And here’s the important part. I can’t guarantee anything, but we just so happen to have developed a new drug that might cure your illness. The problem is… it’s not ready for commercial use yet.”

Before Lee Kangil could finish, Yoon Noah cut him off with a desperate shout.

“For real? Are you serious? I… I can be saved?”

Lee Kangil let out a quiet scoff, as if Noah’s survival was the least of his concerns.

“But Noah… I don’t see why I should bother saving you.”

“…….”

“How about this? Crawl between my legs. Maybe then, I’ll start thinking of a reason.”

Yoon Noah’s body trembled with humiliation. His pride was screaming at him, but at the same time, his knees were already giving out beneath him.

He was actually considering it—crawling between Lee Kangil’s legs.

If it meant he could live… then so be it.」

As Lee Nahyuk finished reading the last part of Episode 71, a whispered “Damn….” escaped through his lips.

Despite the lingering bruises on his face, an expression of pure excitement lit up his features.

“Wait… is Lee Kangil not just an extra? Is he actually going to end up with Yoon Noah? How am I supposed to wait for the next chapter?”

What would happen to Yoon Noah?

Just moments ago, he had thought his life was over—but at the very least, he needed to stay alive long enough to finish Even in Ruins, Flowers Bloom. He was dying to know how it would end.

Maybe because he had been too engrossed in the novel, drowsiness slowly crept in.

He should have been thinking about his next steps, figuring out what to do once he was discharged…

But sleep won over, and he let his eyes drift shut.

His phone, still in his hand, remained open on the last page of Even in Ruins, Flowers Bloom—Episode 71.

* * *

How long was I asleep?

That was the first thought that crossed Lee Nahyuk’s mind as he woke up.

Normally, he would have woken up to a nurse calling him for breakfast. But today, he hadn’t heard anything.

For a brief moment, a dark thought crept in—had his father taken his breakfast away?

With a weak blink, Nahyuk slowly opened his eyes… only to be met with an unfamiliar ceiling.

The ceiling was absurdly high, stretching far above him. A luxurious chandelier hung in the center, yet next to it, oddly enough, was a cheap-looking star sticker.

‘Where… am I?’

Nahyuk sluggishly climbed out of bed, scanning his surroundings.

This was definitely not his hospital room.

The space was huge, and every piece of furniture exuded luxury. Even someone like Nahyuk, who knew nothing about interior design, could tell that everything here was expensive.

Still disoriented, he froze when a sharp notification sound—ding!—rang out.

His eyes darted around, searching for the source.

On a nearby nightstand, he spotted a phone.

It wasn’t his, but when he pressed his finger to the screen, the lock screen instantly unlocked.

A polite and formal text message appeared on the screen.

– Hello, Mr. Yoon Noah. This is your attending physician, Dr. Kim Myung. Your test results have arrived, so please make sure to visit the hospital today. If you are unable to come, let me know a convenient time, and I will come to you personally.

It was a message filled with utmost sincerity.

And one that made absolutely no sense.

“Yoon Noah? Me?”

Like someone in a trance, Lee Nahyuk walked over to the vanity.

A massive, ornate mirror sat atop it, as if the room’s owner spent a great deal of time admiring their own reflection.

In the spotless mirror, an unfamiliar face stared back at him.

Gone were the bruises and swelling from his father’s relentless beating.

Instead, he saw a man with porcelain-white skin, a high nose bridge, slightly upturned eyes, and strikingly red lips.

The man was stunningly beautiful.

Nahyuk hesitantly ran his fingers over his face as if seeing himself for the first time. The warmth and texture beneath his fingertips confirmed that this wasn’t a dream.

‘What the hell is going on?’

Just then, a voice called out from outside the door.

“Young Master, are you awake?”

Nahyuk hesitated before cautiously walking to the door and opening it.

A middle-aged woman with a kind expression stood in front of him.

“Young Master? M-Me? I’m the young master?”

“Pardon? Yes… You are Young Master Yoon Noah.”

“Y-Y-Yoon Noah?”

“Young Master?”

The woman tilted her head, looking at him with concern.

With a growing sense of dread, Nahyuk swallowed and hesitantly asked,

“Are you… Manager Song?”

“Yes, Young Master. I am Manager Song.”

Oh, shit.

If she was Manager Song, then that meant she was practically Yoon Noah’s nanny—the woman who had raised him.

Nahyuk’s voice wavered.

“A-Are you telling me that I’m really Yoon Noah? The youngest son of Taekwang Construction?”

A flicker of worry crossed the woman’s face.

“Young Master… should I call Dr. Kim? Are you feeling unwell? Do you have a headache?”

“Just answer my question first.”

“…Yes. You are indeed the youngest son of Taekwang Construction, Mr. Yoon Noah.”

Nahyuk’s legs gave out, and with a thud, he landed on his backside.

Overnight, he had become Yoon Noah, the villainous uke from Even in Ruins, Flowers Bloom.

It was almost impossible to believe.