IPSTDS Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Among the two left behind, the first to snap out of the shock was the one who had just received an overwhelmingly enthusiastic cheer—Kim Daon.

“Dowoong. Has Noah-Sunbae lost his mind? I heard rumors that he’s been acting weird… but it turns out they’re true.”

“He seemed happier to see you than me.”

“Yeah. And he hated me.”

Seo Dowoong nodded.

Everyone around them knew just how much Yoon Noah despised Kim Daon.

At one point, Dowoong had seriously considered hiring a personal bodyguard for him, worried that Noah might actually try something extreme.

“You think he’s acting?”

“I don’t know. But… Noah-Sunbae is terrible at lying. I doubt he could fake something like that.”

“That’s true.”

Dowoong admitted it easily.

Yoon Noah had always been painfully honest about his emotions—

To the point where it became a problem.

If someone rejected him, he should have known when to back off.

But instead, he relentlessly pushed his feelings onto Dowoong, making his life miserable.

‘But now… he’s suddenly stopped?’

Was this really a love that could be abandoned so easily?

He had always acted like he would die without him.

And now, just like that, it was all a lie?

And on top of that, he only called Kim Daon handsome?

Dowoong’s gaze followed the small figure retreating into the distance.

For some reason, today, his head looked… kind of cute.

‘…Cute?’

Dowoong frowned.

“Kim Daon, I haven’t had a drink today, right?”

“Nope. Why? Want one?”

“…I think I need one.”

He decided—he needed alcohol.

If he didn’t drink, he wasn’t sure he could shake off this weird feeling about Yoon Noah.

‘Why am I like this? Tonight was supposed to be about confessing to Kim Daon, not thinking about Yoon Noah.’

In this state, he couldn’t confess.

Not when his mind kept drifting back to Noah.

Before he even realized it, his eyes were following him again.

He watched as Noah made his way up to the second floor.

And as if pulled by some invisible force, Dowoong began walking up the stairs after him.

---

Meanwhile, Nahyuk was still unable to find Lee Kangil.

No matter where he looked, Kangil was nowhere to be seen.

He wasn’t answering his phone either.

Yet, Nahyuk couldn’t even bring himself to be mad.

Because the man who held his life in his hands was none other than Lee Kangil.

With no other choice, Nahyuk headed up to the second floor, searching for him.

And soon enough—

He finally spotted Kangil, casually leaning against the balcony railing.

He was partially hidden behind a large pillar.

“Lee Kangil! Do you have any idea how long I’ve been looking for you?”

But Kangil barely reacted to his frustration, leisurely sipping his wine instead.

“Wow. The wildcat actually ignored Seo Dowoong.”

So, he had been watching the whole time.

From his vantage point on the second floor, he had been observing their entire confrontation.

Had Kangil orchestrated that three-way encounter?

Most likely.

But that didn’t matter anymore.

Nahyuk didn’t even feel like questioning him about it.

The past was the past.

And what’s done is done.

The only thing Nahyuk cared about now—

Was the drug.

“I didn’t come here to see Dowoong.”

“Then does that mean… you wanted to see me the most?”

“For now?”

At that moment, Kangil’s eyes gleamed—like a predator who had just spotted prey.

The intensity in his gaze made Nahyuk instinctively step back.

And in that exact moment—

Kangil moved.

His long legs shifted forward, and his arm wrapped firmly around Nahyuk’s waist.

“You said you wanted to see me. You shouldn’t be stepping away.”

His voice carried an unmistakable hint of amusement.

Like a snake constricting its prey, Kangil pulled him even closer—securing him in his arms.

“You… You’re too close.”

“See these dark circles?”

Kangil’s voice lowered, soft and teasing.

“This is your fault. You kept me up all night.”

He was probably talking about his late nights working on the drug.

Nahyuk understood the meaning but didn’t feel the need to clarify.

Especially since Kangil’s eyes truly did look exhausted.

His pale skin only emphasized the dark hollows beneath his gaze—

Yet, for some reason, his pupils still burned with an eerie intensity.

Like a mad scientist.

A crazy scientist, whose obsession hadn’t faded in the slightest.

“So… what were the results?”

Instead of answering, Lee Kangil glanced past Nahyuk, his expression gleaming with dangerous amusement.

And then—his grip on Nahyuk’s waist disappeared instantly.

As if he had only been holding onto him to put on a show for someone.

As if that person had finally left.

“Pfft—hahaha.”

Kangil suddenly burst into laughter, like a madman who had just pulled off the most satisfying trick.

Nahyuk stared at him, bewildered.

Kangil looked both thrilled and oddly… empty.

Curious, Nahyuk turned around—

And there he was.

Seo Dowoong.

Walking away.

‘That line about keeping him up all night… was it for Dowoong to hear?’

Did Kangil want Dowoong to misunderstand?

To make it seem like they had spent the night doing something indecent?

But what was the point?

“Lee Kangil. Do you have some kind of inferiority complex with Dowoong?”

He sounded just like a petty, jealous child.

Of course, Nahyuk hadn’t said it to defend Dowoong.

He was simply curious about the truth.

But Kangil’s laughter immediately disappeared.

His entire expression darkened.

“Dowoong? Are you finally dropping the act? Planning to give up on the drug and run back to Seo Dowoong?”

Shit.

He had let his guard down.

Without realizing it, he had called him too familiarly.

“That’s not it. I just want to understand. You enjoyed seeing his reaction when I ignored him, didn’t you? Why?”

“Are you asking because you already know? Or because you’re actually clueless?”

Kangil’s expression turned cold.

There was clearly something deeper at play—something that hadn’t been mentioned in ‘Even in Ruins, Flowers Bloom’.

Something Nahyuk had no knowledge of.

“I…”

He couldn’t recklessly push the subject further.

If he wasn’t careful, he could destroy his relationship with Kangil entirely.

And if that happened—he might never get the drug.

Sure, the drug would eventually go public, but would his body hold out until then?

He needed it now.

While he was still healthy enough to take it.

While he was hesitating, Kangil grabbed his chin, his grip firm enough to make his jaw ache.

Their eyes locked.

“What’s going on inside that head of yours?”

The madness in his gaze had grown even stronger.

If Nahyuk said the wrong thing, he had no doubt that Kangil would snap.

He needed to be careful.

So he answered calmly—

“…I’m sorry. That was a poor choice of words.”

“Then fix it.”

“……”

“Make Seo Dowoong furious by midnight.”

“…What?”

“That’s your way to fix your mistake. And it’s also your chance to get the drug.”

Kangil’s voice was low and chilling.

If he refused now, he had no doubt that his chances of getting the drug would vanish entirely.

It wasn’t a hunch—it was a certainty.

So—there was only one option.

Nahyuk silently pulled out his phone and hit the record button.

“You promised. If I make Seo Dowoong angry by midnight, you’ll give me the drug.”

“Ha, you’re really recording this?”

Kangil was a side character in ‘Even in Ruins, Flowers Bloom’, but every time he appeared, he was as slippery as a snake.

Always twisting his words, dodging responsibility.

Nahyuk wasn’t going to let him escape this time.

“It’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s that I desperately need the drug.”

“Heh. I like that answer.”

Finally, Kangil’s expression relaxed.

It seemed like he enjoyed seeing that bold, sharp-edged personality.

And honestly—there was no reason for Nahyuk to hold back.

Unlike in his past life, there was nothing stopping him from being audacious now.

“Alright. If you make Seo Dowoong angry by midnight, I’ll give you the drug. Satisfied?”

“Yes. Thank you.”

Nahyuk saved the recording.

Now—everything was set.

He was going to get the drug.

“But wildcat—”

Kangil tilted his head, watching him closely.

“Why do you look so confident? You really think you can make Seo Dowoong angry? That guy furrows his brows a lot, but he never actually loses his temper.”

Nahyuk smirked.

“Kangil, you claim to be his friend, but…”

“But?”

“You don’t know him as well as I do.”

Making Seo Dowoong furious?

If there was one thing Nahyuk—an avid fan of ‘Even in Ruins, Flowers Bloom’—knew how to do better than anyone…

It was that.

If he followed the novel’s script, Seo Dowoong would explode with anger.

This was easier than getting the drug.

“Of course you know him better. You were his stalker, after all.”

“That’s true.”

“Let’s go to their room, then. I can’t wait to see what you’ll do.”

It seemed Kangil had already taken note of where Dowoong and Kim Daon had gone.

Without hesitation, he led Nahyuk toward their room.

Though he knew exactly how to provoke Dowoong, this was the first time he would be acting this way in real life.

For some reason, it made him nervous.

“Here we are. Ready?”

“Yeah.”

Kangil opened the door, gesturing for him to go in first.

Steeling himself, Nahyuk stepped inside.

His gaze swept over the room—and immediately landed on Seo Dowoong and Kim Daon.

Oddly enough, they didn’t seem particularly surprised to see him and Kangil.

Almost as if they had been expecting them.

“If you don’t have anything to say, get lost.”

Seo Dowoong broke the tense silence first.

His face was already smeared with irritation.

For some reason, he looked more annoyed than usual.

‘Alright. Time to begin.’

Nahyuk executed the plan exactly as he had rehearsed.

Step one—

Put on the most nauseatingly sweet smile possible.

Step two—

Call out to him in the most irritatingly cutesy voice.

Just like novel-Yoon Noah would.

“Woo~oong~~!”

‘Holy shit. I want to die.’

A wave of nausea hit him, but he fought it back.

Pushing forward, he moved on to the next step.

With light, bouncing steps, he scurried over and—

Sat directly on Seo Dowoong’s thigh.

“Wooong, were you upset that I was so cold to you? But that’s exactly how you always treat me! So I thought I’d try it too. So you could understand how I feel.”

“……”

“Ooooh~~! Were you sad? Dowoong, you’re so cute when you’re annoyed~!”

‘Damn. I could be an actor.’

Honestly, he was impressed with himself.

This was a flawless recreation of novel-Yoon Noah’s ridiculous antics.

Now—he just had to wait.

In the novel, whenever Yoon Noah pulled stunts like this, Seo Dowoong always lost his temper.

‘Get the fuck off me. You’re disgusting.’

That’s what Seo Dowoong should have said.

In the novel, he would either curse, shove Yoon Noah off, or—if particularly enraged—throw something.

And today?

Nahyuk had pushed it even further—acting even more over-the-top, sitting directly on his lap.

Surely, Dowoong would explode with rage.

But something was wrong.

He wasn’t reacting.

Nahyuk’s gaze flickered up to his face, suddenly uneasy.

And—

“…!”

What the hell?

Why the fuck is he smiling?