OL Ch 13

Chapter 13

“That bastard kept staring at you all the time. How dare he.”

The relaxed expression on Mookyeong’s face twisted. Hayun caught the contempt flashing through his eyes and promptly lay back down. In that moment, Mookyeong turned his body to rest his head not on Hayun’s thigh but his abdomen instead.

“You’re heavy. Move over.”

“Nope.”

“Is this your stomach now? It’s mine.”

“Then I’ll claim yours too.”

“What nonsense. Stop being so stubborn.” Despite Hayun’s scolding, Mookyeong couldn’t help but chuckle. After blinking thoughtfully for a moment, he spoke again:

“…I feel like someone is watching out for him.”

“Huh?” Caught off guard by the unexpected statement, Hayun inadvertently raised his voice. Mookyeong quickly placed a finger to his lips, urging him to lower his tone. Then, mimicking Seo Iju’s earlier gestures, he furrowed his brow.

“He hasn’t left Korea yet.”

Although there was no subject mentioned, Hayun understood who he referred to. Someone was watching over Geppetto Kim Deokchul, preventing him from leaving Korea yet.

“Then where could he be?”

In response to Hayun’s question, Mookyeong tapped his stomach. Hayun instinctively placed his hand on his own belly, only to realize that Mookyeong’s head was resting there. Caught off guard, he accidentally hit his head, causing him to feign pain before turning away. He then lifted Hayun’s shirt, revealing his bare skin, and pretended to bite down with an open mouth.

“N-No, stop! Don’t bite me!”

Mookyeong burst out laughing, gently nibbling on his flesh without causing any pain before letting go and exhaling deeply. Startled by the sound, Hayun quickly turned sideways but was swiftly caught by Mookyeong.

Mookyeong wrapped his arms around Hayun from behind and whispered softly, “Don’t be too curious about it. It will only make you anxious, and there’s nothing you can do to resolve the issue anyway.”

“…..”

“The fact that they speak like this emphasizes how crucial secrecy is. Don’t try to find out more; you might inadvertently get involved and put yourself in danger.”

Mookyeong’s breath tickled Hayun’s ear, causing him to inhale sharply and instinctively pull away.

“I don’t care what happens to others as long as you’re safe. So, avoid taking unnecessary risks. Instead, focus your attention on me.”

Hayun found Mookyeong’s words chillingly intense. He decided to change the subject rather than delve deeper, conveniently ignoring the part about directing his interest towards Mookyeong.

“How did you figure it out?”

“They claim it’s their internal matter, but there are still established rules. How could I not notice after observing them for seventeen years straight? And they were planning to do something at the edge.”

“…..”

Hayun silently bit his lip, realizing he had failed to recognize these patterns despite constant exposure. Sensing Hayun’s silence, Mookyeong shifted positions slightly.

“Stop overthinking and go to sleep. It’s past bedtime.” Using his psychic powers, Mookyeong turned off the lights. The blanket that had fallen off the bed during their playful tussle now floated back up and covered their stomachs.

Hayun gently placed his hand on top of Mookyeong’s, which was resting across his abdomen. He found it puzzling what he meant by pointing towards his belly lastly, but sensed he wouldn’t elaborate further even if asked.

‘If he planned to explain, he would have done so already.’

As his fingers fidgeted over his hand, Mookyeong whispered, “You’re even ticklish. Didn’t you know? I told you not to whisper near my neck.”

“When did you first tell me that?”

“Since long ago.”

“No, you didn’t!”

Hayun found it annoying how he insisted on such nonsense. It also slightly hurt knowing their secret code without Seo Iju’s knowledge. He lifted Mookyeong’s hand and playfully bit his palm. Mookyeong kept offering his hand, urging for more bites. When Hayun dramatically spat out his bite, he responded by inserting a finger into his mouth. Though tempted to bite again, he pretended to fall asleep, resisting his coaxing. However, after a brief moment, he opened his eyes once more. Turning onto his back, Hayun stared at the ceiling.

His unease persisted, though he couldn’t pinpoint its cause. The unsettling feeling from waking up crying still lingered.

“…..”

As if sensing his unease, Mookyeong pulled Hayun tightly against him. He kissed his forehead and gently stroked his back.

“Want me to hold you until you fall asleep?”

Hayun stared at Mookyeong. Though he couldn’t clearly see his face due to the darkness, he felt his affection enveloping him. He drew his head closer as he replied:

“No.”

At his response, their lips met softly. Hayun took a gentle breath before sucking on Mookyeong’s lower lip. After briefly parting, their tongues delicately touched when he moved to kiss him again. The light contact sent a tingling sensation through his heart.

Mookyeong subtly rubbed his fingertips, hinting at something, but Hayun decided to feign ignorance. With mischief brewing within him, sleep finally began to wash over him. Willingly, he closed his heavy eyelids.

Despite being fast asleep, Hayun had a dream.

Something enormous was approaching him.

Scraaatch!

The sound of something scraping against and crumbling walls followed. Hayun swallowed nervously. It felt like standing on subway tracks, waiting for the train to arrive. Alternatively, it could be likened to a massive oil tanker heading towards him in the middle of the ocean.

However, all he could see was darkness. Alert, Hayun scanned his surroundings until finally determining which direction to take and sprinting away from it.

It seemed like he ran only briefly, but his breathing sounded labored as if he’d been running for hours. The amplified panting made his heart race, yet the noise persisted unabated. Gradually, his body began to weaken. Hayun decided to glance back, hoping to gauge how close the threat might have become.

He felt slightly better once he checked how close it was to him. As soon as Hayun turned around, the darkness behind him transformed into golden light, revealing what had been chasing him.

It was a large black door.

His heart clenched at the sight of it. Every fiber of his being warned him of impending danger.

‘What is this thing?’

Hayun scanned the gold-lit space. He realized that this was the realm he himself had constructed. However, he had never seen such doors here before.

He looked back again. The door continued its relentless pursuit with no signs of stopping. If he stayed put, it would surely consume him. At that moment, Hayun spotted shattered remnants of other doors scattered about.

Blood was flowing from the awakened doors. The blood had already pooled on the ground, rising rapidly until it reached Hayun’s knees. His legs felt increasingly heavy and sluggish, unable to move quickly. Eventually, after not getting far, Hayun stumbled and fell. Although the blood level barely reached his knees, when he lost his balance, it felt like falling into the ocean as his feet couldn’t touch the bottom. Struggling for some time, blood filled his mouth and nose.

With almost a sobbing effort, Hayun finally managed to lift his head, only to find his knees unexpectedly touching the ground again, as if by magic. He suppressed the tears threatening to spill forth. Gasping with erratic breaths, he slowly raised his upper body. Despite not wanting to look back, his body and head turned involuntarily, as if someone had grabbed him by the neck. Hayun bit his lip tightly.

The black door remained behind him, but it had stopped chasing him and started vibrating instead. Waves began emanating from its surface, growing stronger until they rippled through the space created by other doors. Suddenly, the waves ceased, replaced by a sense that the door was about to open imminently. Hayun bowed his head, feeling compelled to unlock it. Yet, he didn’t want to; his mind was filled with the thought that opening it would be disastrous.

“You mustn’t open that door. If you do…”

Unfamiliar characters flickered across the black door’s surface, but they were too blurry to discern. Even if it was clearer, the script seemed alien, which was unreadable for Hayun. As he stared at the writing, he gasped sharply and woke up from his dream.

“……”

Even awake, it felt surreal. Hayun rubbed his face and abruptly sat up. He wanted to speak, hoping that would ground him in reality, but no sound emerged from his throat. As he struggled to vocalize, Mookyeong stirred beside him and opened his eyes.

“What’s wrong? Did you have another dream?”

‘Another dream?’

When had he experienced this dream before? Shaking his head, Hayun crawled onto Mookyeong’s lap as he remained seated. Mookyeong gently stroked Hayun’s back.

The moment Hayun felt Mookyeong’s warmth, a wave of relief washed over him. Slowly exhaling, he called out softly:

“Mookyeong.”

“Yes?”

Hayun nuzzled his face against Mookyeong’s shoulder. Suddenly, he heard the sound of heavy rain that wasn’t present earlier. The pitter-patter was loud and insistent. Hayun paused, alerting his senses. Amidst the torrential downpour, he detected something unusual.

“Mookyeong, do you hear that?”

“What sound? The rain?”

“No, not that.”

Hayun abruptly stood up. As he attempted to leave the room, Mookyeong quickly grabbed his hand.

“Why, going for some water?”

Hayun shook his head, too focused to address his question. Despite his reluctance, when Hayun resolutely moved forward, Mookyeong eventually followed him.

Hayun descended to the living room on the first floor, signaling Mookyeong to be quiet when questioned. As Hayun stood frozen in the middle of the room, Mookyeong began scanning their surroundings but couldn’t detect anything unusual.

“I hear something.” Hayun whispered as softly as possible. However, Mookyeong still sensed nothing. Seeing him shake his head, Hayun tightened his grip on his hand.

The sound was faint amidst the rain, yet unmistakably present. It seemed distant, and Hayun realized it must have originated from outside. Otherwise, Mookyeong with his keen senses would’ve heard it too.

Reluctantly avoiding looking outwards, Hayun cautiously opened the door connecting to Seo Iju’s bedroom.

“…Teacher.” His voice trembled slightly.

Hayun’s voice trembled. At that moment, Mookyeong shielded Hayun behind him and moved the curtain slightly. From the living room window with its clear view of the garden, they could also glimpse the entrance area. Mookyeong carefully adjusted their position to remain unseen, at least ensuring Hayun was hidden.

The already heavy rain intensified further, making the dark outdoors appear hazy.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

Ding-dong, ding-dong.

Both Hayun and Mookyeong simultaneously looked at the intercom screen. There, a girl around six years old grinned widely, her face pressed close to the camera.

Hayun recalled the height of the doorbell button. It wasn’t positioned where such a young child could easily reach it alone. When he glanced at Mookyeong, he shook his head as if he had the same thought.

Ding-dong, ding-dong.

The doorbell continued to ring without any response. Unable to bear it, Mookyeong moved towards the intercom system. Startled, Hayun clung onto his arm.

“Don’t go.”

“They won’t leave if we ignore them.”

“Still, don’t go.”

At that moment, Seo Iju’s bedroom door opened. Unlike Hayun and Mookyeong, who were clad in nightwear, Seo Iju and his husband were armed with basic weapons. Seo Iju strode out, frowning as she glanced at the intercom screen. Just as she was about to speak, a voice unexpectedly came from the inactive intercom.