DAH Ch 16
by soapaStruggling and resisting with all his might, Jungjoon was cornered against the wall. With a thud, his face slammed into the wall, and once again, his vision flashed. Experiencing such rough treatment for the first time in his life, Jungjoon felt the world he had lived in until now—the common sense that underpinned it—crumbling all at once.
The hands of someone accustomed to violence and crime, hands from the underworld, were single-handedly stripping away the power of every social contract and rule he had believed in until this moment.
“Ha…”
An excited breath brushed against his ear. It was palpable that Yoonhae was aroused. Every movement—pushing, constricting, crushing—was laced with anger.
“Ah… Delicious.”
As if he’d been waiting for it, an erect slab of flesh rubbed against Jungjoon’s tightly clenched buttocks. Yoonhae’s wet penis prodded and slid against Jungjoon’s rear repeatedly. Then, slipping into the crevice, the rhythmic rubbing mimicked the act of intercourse.
Yoonhae grabbed Jungjoon’s hair again. Gazing as if savoring the sight of Jungjoon’s pain-distorted face, the blood rushing to his forehead with veins bulging, he extended his tongue and licked Jungjoon’s cheek. Tap, tap, he collided his lower body against Jungjoon’s, grinding as he muttered in a voice steeped in perverse indulgence.
“This too… is delicious.”
I wanted to do it gently at first… His murmured voice dispersed eerily. He bit down on Jungjoon’s earlobe as if to tear it off, gnawing at it with his teeth.
“This too… surprisingly has a taste worth devouring, hyung.”
He spoke in a polite tone.
“Being a beta… isn’t bad. Or maybe it’s a relief that you’re a beta.”
“…”
“It’s really cute how you walk around with my pheromones all over you, with that innocent face.”
Hearing his lowered voice, Jungjoon’s bound hands flinched with tension.
“Since you’re a beta, no matter how much I pour into you, it fades quickly… But every time you’re marked with a scent no different from semen, oblivious to it all, you’re so adorable it makes my dick ache.”
A subtle confession followed, as if he were thrilled to death.
“Every time we’re alone, I want to fuck you… huh? Your chest, your dick, your ass… Even when I blatantly tease and defile you with my pheromones, you don’t know a thing—it’s so lovable, you know?”
His shoulders shook as if he genuinely couldn’t contain his amusement.
“Every time you cook for me, slathered in my scent, my dick gets so hard I can’t stand it, hyung.”
A joyful monologue, a lunatic’s confession—just listening to this nauseating harassment made Jungjoon’s upper body tremble uncontrollably, his insides twisting.
“My pheromones touched you before I did. Your nipples, your navel, your ass, your anus… They pierced through your insides, your cells, tasting and unloading before I even could… Ah… Now that I think about it, that pisses me off.”
I haven’t even properly tasted your insides yet. His rambling voice drove Jungjoon to the brink of insanity.
“You filthy, subhuman bastard…! You disgusting psychopath…! I shouldn’t have let you in, I shouldn’t have trusted you…!”
Jungjoon quaked with a sense of betrayal. The memories of their time together flashed by like a reel, fueling his uncontrollable rage.
Holding down the wildly thrashing Jungjoon, driven by indescribable fury, Yoonhae next attempted penetration. As he tried to force his penis into Jungjoon’s ass while standing, Jungjoon flailed like a mad horse.
“You bastard, let go…! I said let go…! I’ll fucking kill you…!!”
Curses he’d never uttered to anyone before burst out without passing through his brain. In his frenzy, Jungjoon jerked his head back, landing a thud as he smashed Yoonhae’s nose with the back of his skull. Blood streamed from Yoonhae’s nose; he wiped it with one hand and roughly yanked Jungjoon’s body toward him.
He forced Jungjoon to his knees on the cold hallway floor. Not satisfied with that, he pressed him down flat and mounted him. Jungjoon instantly became like a squashed insect. A chilling shiver ran down his spine from his nape, caused by the sensation of flesh mercilessly burrowing between his buttocks.
The glans forcibly pried at his anus. Unable to enter properly, Yoonhae’s hands spread Jungjoon’s legs. Lifting one leg and bending it, he shoved his rigid weapon into the widened opening. With a ripping sound, the sensation of flesh tearing and guts splitting followed, and Jungjoon’s head snapped up.
“Guh…!”
He swallowed a scream of agony. Cold air pierced his throat. Below, a hot, repulsive foreign object invaded deep inside. Tears flowed, snot dripped, and he felt an illusion as if even his brain fluid was leaking. The penis slowly withdrew, then thud, thrust back in. His pupils dilated, his mouth gaped, every hole in his body stretched wide open.
“…St… Stop…”
The pain was so intense it was a wonder he hadn’t died.
“Stop…”
His vision collapsed and blurred. He felt his body dying, his mind dying. Ignoring Jungjoon’s pain and shock completely, Yoonhae moved his hips. The penis slid in and out of the bleeding spot. Shake, shake, the prone body moved solely for one person’s sexual gratification. The shock of realizing his body was being used for the physical pleasure of the human he despised most consumed him.
Then something strange happened. A sense of detachment, as if separated from his body, washed over him. It was as though his soul had left his flesh and was looking down from above at himself and Yoonhae. Yoonhae’s frenzied, savage movements and his own corpse-like form pinned beneath him—he couldn’t tell if this was an illusion or reality.
After that bizarre mental disconnection, he fainted. When he opened his eyes again, he’d been dragged back to Yoonhae’s spacious office room, being violated on the floor. On the carpet, with only his buttocks exposed, stripped of even his shirt and socks, he was taking Yoonhae’s penis naked.
Something had changed—the lights were off. In the dark office, only the light seeping through the large window from the night streets illuminated the interior.
“Ha…”
As their position shifted, their faces drew unbearably close. Yoonhae’s breath brushed against Jungjoon’s face as he regained consciousness and opened his eyes. The moment he thought he’d be kissed, lips descended.
A suffocating kiss followed. After a barrage of excited, one-sided saliva, more one-sided, excited caresses ensued.
Moving to the sofa, Yoonhae entered the slicked-up passage more gently than before. The indescribable foreign sensation and pain persisted, but it wasn’t enough to make him pass out again.
“Ah…! Ah…!”
Thud, thud, with each thrust of the penis inside, Yoonhae’s moans escalated. Following the heavy, massive body’s movements, Jungjoon’s limp form rocked—creak, creak—along with the leather sofa’s groans. He had no strength left to resist. His hands were already unbound, but his will-less body was nothing more than a rag doll pierced and swaying.
“Urgh…!”
Yoonhae soon climaxed. His body, heated and drenched in sweat, enveloped Jungjoon. Thump… thump… The heavy heartbeat pressed down on Jungjoon.
“…You asked how I fixed it, right?”
“…”
At his low, quiet words, Jungjoon blinked his hazy eyes. It didn’t take long to realize what he meant.
“I begged. To God.”
“…”
“I thought you abandoned me because I was a fuck-up.”
Sweat and moisture seeped through their overlapping skin. He’d briefly thought it was a relief the lights were off, but his eyes adjusted to the dark, and the light filtering through the large window illuminated everything too clearly. The contours and muscles of the body atop him, the glistening sweat crystals on his back, and the vast, unfamiliar office ceiling—all were vivid.
After a pause, Yoonhae, who’d been silent, spoke again.
“In juvie…”
The unexpected word made Jungjoon hold his breath.
“Some guy said you hated me more than bugs… That’s why you ran away. That I’d never see you again. In that cell, after stabbing the bastard who said that…”
“…”
“One day, some guy showed up with a container. Said if I ate it, my tongue would heal.”
Guess what it was?
Excitement tinged his questioning voice.
“Bugs. The bugs you absolutely despise.”
He added that a dozen or so were crawling alive inside the container, and Jungjoon frowned. The mere thought sent shivers and disgust coursing through his body.
“Did I eat it?”
Jungjoon didn’t want to hear the answer. But Yoonhae revealed it immediately.
“Yeah. I ate it. Crunch, crunch, chewed and swallowed it all.”
So tight… He let out a dry laugh as Jungjoon’s insides reflexively clenched.
“It was more edible than I thought. I later found out it didn’t work and got revenge, but when I had hope, it was bearable. Thinking I’d be cured if I just ate it made it no big deal.”
Hives rose on Jungjoon’s nape from the horrific tale. Discovering them, Yoonhae lowered his head, sucking the rash into his mouth. He sucked hard, gnawing with his teeth as if to leave a vulgar mark.
“What? Grossed out? Feel like bugs are crawling all over you?”
Yoonhae was laughing. Then he roughly grabbed Jungjoon’s trembling jaw and kissed him. Overwhelmed by inescapable horror, Jungjoon shed tears. It truly felt like his body was swarming with bugs. Like he was being swallowed by something larger and more repulsive than anything else.
“Why are you crying?”
“…”
“Because I’m worse than bugs?”
Out of nowhere, he buried his face in Jungjoon’s and burst into laughter. The clear, gleeful laugh sounded all the more bizarre. After laughing for a while, he abruptly stopped. When he lifted his head to speak again, his voice was steeped in gloom.
“Hey.”
“…”
“Remember that gray striped pillow you used?”
Jungjoon’s shoulders stiffened.
“Did you know I hugged it every night?”
Another unwanted story spilled from his lips.
“Eventually, your scent faded, and it only smelled of my stale sweat, but I couldn’t throw it away because it was the only thing you left behind.”
“…”
“I rubbed my cheeks on it, my dick on it, hugged it every night crying, thinking it was you. I needed something tangible to feel you. I couldn’t see you when I wanted to, and it drove me insane. I felt like I’d wither and die—I missed you so much I scribbled your name, three letters, on paper like a madman. Every day, I filled a notebook with your name like a lunatic. Later, just seeing ‘Seo Jungjoon’ got me hard. It felt like you. I turned into a freak who got erect and came just from letters.”
He didn’t want to hear it. He wanted to block his ears. It was like a curse. An endless curse. A punishment worse than any curse.
“…”
Finishing his reverie, staring blankly into space, Yoonhae suddenly stood as if he had work to do. He pulled his long, thick penis out of Jungjoon’s body. The unfamiliar sensation of it dragging out with his flesh made Jungjoon’s hips tremble.
“Spread your legs.”
He grabbed Jungjoon’s thighs, parting them, his tone dry and businesslike.
“I said spread.”
“…”
Unable to keep up with his rapidly shifting emotions, Jungjoon, overwhelmed by the oppressive command, parted his thighs.
“Wider.”
“…”
“Spread them wide on both sides and hold them so they don’t drop.”
Following the order, Jungjoon assumed a humiliating pose. Forcing his legs apart, he hooked his hands under his knees to hold them. Good… A satisfied murmur came as if he were finally pleased.
“That’s it. You’ve got to reward me too, hyung.”
“…”
“I’ve lived waiting for this moment.”
Yoonhae gripped his large, grotesque penis and aimed it downward. The sight of the blood-and-semen-smeared flesh burrowing into the gaping hole entered Jungjoon’s vision. The stretched opening swallowed it with chilling ease compared to before.
Ahh…
If this wasn’t punishment, then what was it?
Pushed into a cascade of despair, Jungjoon squeezed his eyes shut. He swallowed his sorrow as the living hell began anew.
And so, the act continued endlessly, as if it had just begun.
So good…
Only you, hyung…
I only love you…
Amid the sloppy kisses and wet confessions, through every position change, that confession remained constant. Shaken in the infantile, autistic declarations of love, Jungjoon longed only for the escape of unconsciousness. And at some point, after Yoonhae’s countless climaxes, as he wished, he blacked out.
⟡˖ ࣪
He spent a full day bedridden. Unable to pick up his child from his grandparents’ house, he had no choice but to take a day off from work.
Everything was the worst. His body and mind felt like mutilated meat, the state persisting relentlessly. Yoonhae volunteered to play caregiver, but Jungjoon couldn’t bear it. Only after hysterically begging to be left alone for a few days did he finally get solitude.
Every trip to the bathroom revealed blood. Forcing down food only led to vomiting shortly after. He drank water with difficulty, passing out and waking in cycles.
Waking from nightmares, he impulsively changed the front door’s passcode and locked it with the deadbolt. He feared Yoonhae might barge in again at any moment to rape him.
No matter how ruthless a demon, they wouldn’t do it again in this state—or so he thought. Yet, unable to shake his suspicion and anxiety, he trembled in bed like a sick man for a long while.
Nightmares, then more nightmares. An endless cycle of pain blurred the line between dream and reality. High fever, chills, and muscle aches delivered suffering akin to teetering on the edge of death.
Had the flu he caught in his early twenties, just starting construction work, been this brutal? The desperate loneliness and pain of clinging to a blanket on a cold floor to survive threatened Jungjoon once more.
What made it harder to endure now was the collapse of the pillar called “trust.” Trust in himself. Trust in others. Trust in the world. None of it remained intact.
He was no longer the person he once was, nor were the world or its people. He was certain he no longer had the courage to live with any trust, hope, or belief. To a human whose body, mind, and soul had been torn apart, all that seemed to remain was endless darkness.
Ian…
Ian…
Ian…
He called his child’s name with a parched throat.
Help Daddy…
He thought of the only hope left in the world.
Ian…
He pictured the only beauty left in the world.
While desperately envisioning that beloved face, the pain dulled. The ceaseless trembling slowly subsided. Feeling his wife’s warm embrace for the last time, Jungjoon slipped into a deep sleep.
Sunlight peeked through the blackout curtain’s gap. Barely opening his eyes, he groped around. His body still felt heavy, and a headache gnawed at his brain.
Groaning, he sat up. Reaching for his phone, he belatedly noticed an IV needle in his arm. Looking up at the IV bag on its stand, Jungjoon froze. It was the same nutrient drip Yoonhae had given him when he was sick before.
Realizing the bedding, sheets, and even his clothes had been changed, a chill ran down his spine.
“…”
Momentarily confused, he soon recalled clearly. Even in his sickness, he’d changed the lock’s passcode and secured the deadbolt meticulously.
His body tensed reflexively. Tilting his head to peer out the open door, he saw nothing. The dim house felt devoid of any presence.
Picking up his phone with a sense of unease, Jungjoon felt his blood run cold. His eyes fixed on the screen flooded with missed calls and the clock centered on it.
Assuming it was dawn or early morning since he hadn’t heard the alarm, he was stunned to see it was 12:23 p.m.—and even more shocking, an entire day had vanished.
No way…
He’d slept straight through from the day he took off to the next. Faced with the unprecedented situation of an unexcused absence, Jungjoon’s vision darkened. Ripping out the IV needle, he stumbled out of bed and frantically began preparing for work.
Rushing around the room, he felt panic and self-loathing simultaneously. Having already inconvenienced others with a sudden leave, an unexcused absence on top of it was indefensible—the worst.
Since he was already late, a shower might’ve been wise, but too frazzled for that, Jungjoon wiped himself with tissues, changed into a suit, and left. Spraying fabric deodorizer from the car all over himself and gripping the wheel, his head throbbed, and his limbs felt limp. From the unspoken pain to the backache from lying too long, his entire body was a wreck.
“Phew…”
As the car stopped at a signal, Jungjoon leaned his heavy head back. Rubbing his face with the hand that released the wheel, he groaned. Then, suddenly remembering the pile of missed calls, he snapped his head up.
“…”
Opening his phone was like detonating a bomb. Each message he checked made his head spin. Calls from clients, his mother-in-law, and a barrage of missed calls and texts from work…
Finally, Yoonhae’s message caught his eye.
I put in an IV since you were suffering so much.
I left some porridge, so eat it. I’ll come by tonight.
Reading it, he recalled a bag left on the dining table.
“…”
Overwhelmed by indescribable emotions, Jungjoon turned his head, pressing his eyes and mouth as if suppressing something unseen. Unaware the light had changed, he sat frozen like a statue until a harsh honk jolted him into starting the car.
Before reaching the office, he made brief calls with a few clients. Thankfully, they weren’t urgent, but with performance critical to his job, missing two days wasn’t trivial. If he lost contracts to colleagues like this, it’d be a devastating blow.
“With that look, you’re meeting clients? Just rest today, Seo Jungjoon.”
And his fears became reality.
“…Yes. I’m sorry.”
His sickly appearance made explanations unnecessary. But meeting clients and securing deals was out of the question. The company cared only about results, not personal circumstances—Jungjoon’s damage, whatever the reason, wasn’t excusable. Mistakes and failures came with responsibility and cleanup.
“…”
Sitting at his desk, Jungjoon stared blankly at the computer screen. Remembering he hadn’t replied to his mother-in-law, he hurriedly pulled out his phone. Explaining his absence, he apologized and promised to pick up Ian that evening.
“Ha…”
Sighing for the umpteenth time, he bowed his head. The worst. That was all he could think. He felt incapable of doing anything right, a powerless human unable to manage alone.
With a slap, he covered his face to halt his thoughts. Times like this demanded focus. He had to steel himself, sharpen his mind. He couldn’t collapse—especially not because of the person dragging him down. Thinking of all he’d overcome, this was nothing, he told himself, steadying his resolve.
Grabbing a quick coffee from the break room, he returned and dove into work. With fieldwork as his main task, there wasn’t much to do after losing it, but he needed to create busywork to drown out the noise in his head.
For about two hours, he handled miscellaneous tasks at his desk. His boss gave him an errand just as drowsiness from his poor condition began clouding his focus.
“Jungjoon-ssi, can you copy this?”
“…Oh, yes, I’ll do it.”
Taking the file, Jungjoon stood abruptly. Dizziness hit simultaneously. Clunk, his balance faltered, knocking into the chair.
“…”
A cold premonition trickled from his crown down his spine. Turning, he looked down behind him. His pants were soaked dark red. The entire seat area was drenched in blood. How he’d only noticed now baffled him—it had spread widely, already staining the chair’s cushion with a large mark.
He couldn’t leave his spot, feeling his boss’s gaze. The office fell silent, every stare piercingly vivid with shock. The quiet, explosive attention paralyzed the air.
His boss looked away first. One by one, eyes averted, and Jungjoon finally moved his stiffened legs. He tried wiping the chair’s bloodstain, but even alcohol couldn’t clean it fully, deepening his despair. A nearby female coworker handed him a towel. Realizing it was to cover himself, he murmured gratitude.
“…Thank you.”
He didn’t know what expression he wore as he thanked her. Hastily covering himself with it, he fled the office like a hunted animal.
Hiding in the bathroom, he checked his reflection in the full mirror, grasping the situation’s gravity more clearly. As expected, it was beyond salvaging. The thought of people seeing him in this bizarre, horrific state sent cold sweat down his spine.
Unable to find a fix, he left the building. Buying supplies at a pharmacy, he treated the wound alone in a restroom, then purchased new underwear and pants at a nearby megastore before barely returning to the office.
“…”
Ignoring the trailing stares, Jungjoon sat at his desk with a blank face. The stagnant office air tightened his chest, and a sharp headache struck. Exhausted from running around, he consciously straightened his aching back. Pretending to focus on work, he followed the screen’s blurry text.
“Jungjoon-ssi, let’s talk for a sec.”
The team leader’s quiet request for a meeting came softly.
“…”
Watching his boss head to an empty meeting room, Jungjoon swallowed his tension—likely about the earlier incident—and stood.
Entering and closing the door, he sat across from his boss at the long table. A deep ha… sigh escaped the man’s serious face. Rubbing his face with a troubled look, every nonverbal cue foreshadowed bad news.
“Jungjoon-ssi.”
“…Yes, Team Leader.”
“You know your attendance has been a mess lately, right?”
“…Yes.”
Jungjoon lowered his eyes in response. With a heavy phew, his boss added gravely,
“I get that your health’s bad… But this job’s about dealing with clients. Self-care’s arguably the most important part. Can you counsel clients like this? If I’d let you go today, they’d have seen you like that. Am I wrong?”
“…”
Jungjoon’s eyelids trembled.
“…Today was truly my fault, and I have no excuses. I’m really sorry. From now on, I’ll really…”
Cutting off Jungjoon’s bowed apology, his boss snapped irritably,
“Your performance keeps slipping. Last month, you were second from the bottom. This month, what—hitting rock bottom? Can you handle it getting worse? Maybe you can, but the company can’t. You know better than anyone how bad things have been since last year.”
“…”
“Jungjoon-ssi, it feels like you’ve been running full speed ahead for too long. Isn’t it time to rest? You look unwell physically and seem mentally strained. Take this chance to get treated and rest properly.”
It didn’t sound temporary—it felt like a permanent dismissal.
“…What do you mean…”
Seeing his boss avoid eye contact, Jungjoon’s stomach sank.
“I… I’ve never had this happen in all my years here. This time, it was really an unavoidable circumstance…”
Again, his boss interrupted.
“I know you’ve been diligent, Jungjoon-ssi. An unexcused absence usually wouldn’t fly, but… I’ll make an exception and process it as a recommended resignation. You worked hard.”
He pulled a paper from a file and handed it over. It was a resignation form, already filled out with “recommended resignation” as the reason.
“…”
Staring at it, Jungjoon realized. The notice came today, but this had been decided long before. The unexcused absence merely hastened it. No matter what he did, the decision wouldn’t change.
Dazed, he accepted the form he’d have to sign and stood.
“But Jungjoon-ssi, are you an omega?”
His steps halted as he turned to leave.
“…What…?”
What’s that supposed to mean… As Jungjoon questioned, his boss clicked his tongue softly and replied,
“No.”
“…”
“Leave the resignation on my desk. It’ll be processed right away, so you don’t need to come in tomorrow… I’ll send any documents you need by email. You really worked hard.”
With nothing more to say, Jungjoon left the meeting room and returned to his desk. Staring blankly at the monitor, he finally picked up a pen with resolve and began filling out the form. Signing it, he folded it into an envelope and placed it on the team leader’s desk as instructed.
Then, abruptly leaving the office, he stepped outside again. At a nearby department store, he bought a luxurious towel set and a dessert young people might like. Stopping at a café for drinks, he returned to the office, handing out coffee to everyone. The gift from the store went to the coworker who’d lent him the towel. With that brief, bland farewell, he packed his things and left the company for good.
Standing dazed amid the bustling forest, he slumped onto a bench.
…Just like that, huh.
He couldn’t believe that a company he’d been loyal to for years ended overnight. A place as familiar as home had become irrelevant to him in an instant.
It felt cruel, yet gratitude lingered nonetheless. This company had supported and grown him through tough times. Working here, Jungjoon had first gained financial stability, married the love of his life, and managed his role as a father feeding and clothing his child.
…Right. Maybe it’s for the best.
Initially despairing, rational thoughts soon emerged. In hindsight, this was inevitable. To escape Yoonhae, he’d have had to quit this job Yoonhae knew about anyway.
…Yeah, it’s good. It’s a good thing.
Without the difficulty of leaving this company, he might’ve never broken free from Yoonhae. For someone like him—without roots, never belonging anywhere—leaving a place voluntarily before being cast out was nearly impossible.
“…Ha…”
It felt like the heavens were pushing him to flee. Letting out a dry laugh, Jungjoon stood with a lighter heart.
Buying bread and cake at a famous nearby bakery, he drove straight to his mother-in-law’s, where Ian was. Arriving early with treats Ian loved, he’d probably jump for joy.
The cake was a reward for his struggles and a gift to celebrate a new start. Imagining Ian’s delighted face while surrounded by sweets, warmth finally seeped into his bleak chest.
Soon arriving at his in-laws’, Jungjoon rode the elevator with cake and bags. Realizing he hadn’t called ahead, he pocketed his phone, already there and eager to surprise them.
Reaching the door, he rang the bell. Muffled voices stirred inside, and as he thought he heard an unfamiliar one, the door opened.
“Oh… How’d you get here so early?”
“…Oh, work wrapped up quick…”
He sensed something off in his flustered father-in-law’s demeanor. That unease exploded into something uncontrollable the moment he peered inside for Ian.
“…”
In the slightly visible living room, Ian was cradled in a man’s arms. The man’s face was so familiar, so recognizable, that Jungjoon couldn’t help but push past his father-in-law to step inside. No… Wait… The troubled voice of his father-in-law scattered behind him.
“Hey, it’s Daddy—!”
Shouting, Ian wriggled out of the man’s arms and ran toward Jungjoon. Setting down the items in his hands, Jungjoon scooped up the child and stood. He hugged Ian tightly, inhaling his scent, then looked at the man with wary eyes, his grip tightening until his veins bulged.
Watching this with a sly smile, the man rose from the sofa and faced Jungjoon.
“It’s been a while.”
That same overwhelmingly confident expression and voice. In that instant, forgotten memories and sensations surged back into Jungjoon all at once.
“Yeah. It has.”
Jungjoon’s stiff reply sounded stern on the surface, but he couldn’t hide the tremor within it from himself.
The man tugged his lips into a smirk.
“We’ve got a lot to catch up on, don’t we?”
“…”
“How about… we step outside to talk? I don’t mind here either, though.”
The casual way he handed over the choice made Jungjoon’s stomach turn.
Now that he looked, the area around the living room table was piled with various gift sets. Scanning the expensive items—likely brought by the man—Jungjoon glanced at his mother-in-law, who sat uncomfortably, her eyes cast down with a troubled expression.
Grasping the situation to some extent, Jungjoon swallowed hard, pressing down his shaking Adam’s apple, and replied.
“…Let’s talk outside.”
They relocated to a nearby large café. On the second floor, in a corner with sparse customers and a constant hum of moderate noise, the two sat facing each other. The spot was shielded by tall indoor plants and wooden partitions acting as a screen.
In front of Jungjoon sat a warm tea, untouched, while the man had a cold coffee, which he lifted several times, the ice clinking as he drank.
After an exchange of meaningless glances and a tense standoff as if pushing the air into each other’s territory, it was Jungjoon who spoke first.
“…Since when?”
He was asking how long the man had been coming to that house. Receiving the question, the man stared blatantly at Jungjoon’s face as if inspecting it, then twisted one side of his lips.
“I’m the one who wants to ask. Just how long were you planning to keep it hidden?”
“…”
“You took my woman, and now even my kid… And you still call yourself human?”
A strange excitement laced the man’s mocking tone.
“…‘Took’ doesn’t seem like the right word. Neither Jinah nor my son Ian are your possessions.”
Jungjoon met his gaze with firm eyes. The man tilted his head and let out a ha, a scoff as if he found it absurd.
“Fine… Jinah was just my girlfriend, not my wife or fiancée, so let’s say that’s fair.”
“…”
“But Ian. Can you confidently say he’s your son?”
Jungjoon clenched his fists under the table.
“What are you getting at? If Ian isn’t my son, then what? He was born between Jinah and me, registered under my name—my child. From the moment he was in his mother’s womb, from birth until now, there hasn’t been a single second he wasn’t my son. Why are you suddenly showing up in front of people living perfectly fine and spouting outrageous nonsense?”
The man let out a loud hahaha, laughing as if to ensure Jungjoon heard it.
“I don’t know who’s spouting outrageous nonsense here. Get your facts straight, Seo Jungjoon. Born between you and Jinah? Who was born? You’re not even the biological father, yet you stole someone else’s kid, put him on your registry, and played daddy—what’s there to brag about, raising your voice like that?”
“…”
He’d thought it would never come to light. He’d vaguely assumed so, without any real basis. Standing before this situation with no mental preparation or practical measures, Jungjoon struggled to maintain his composure.
“Thought you’d live happily ever after when you stabbed me in the back and got married, huh?”
A sneering grin spread across the man’s face. Jungjoon felt dizziness and nausea rising together.
“…I didn’t stab you in the back. When I met Jinah, you two had already broken up. You know that better than anyone.”
Seeing one of the man’s eyes narrow with a vile glint, Jungjoon rebuked him.
“You were violent with Jinah. Treated her like an object, controlled her, made her sick. Jinah didn’t love you. She told you to break up multiple times, but you ignored her and tormented her. To Jinah, you, Cha Woohyun, were nothing more or less than a criminal—”
“Shut up.”
A ha, incredulous laugh burst from the man’s mouth.
“Don’t make me laugh. If it weren’t for you, Jinah and I wouldn’t have broken up. I admit I got mad and raised my hand because she cheated with you—we were about to get married. But you ruined it. If it weren’t for you, we’d be—”
His jaw clenched as if he were chewing something.
“…”
Jungjoon didn’t avert his eyes either, silently swallowing his anger. The man’s behavior—distorting the past to his liking—was laughable. Fitting everything to his convenience now felt utterly tiresome.
“…You killed our Jinah.”
The man accused Jungjoon.
“If she hadn’t met you, she wouldn’t have died, and my son wouldn’t have suffered under some irrelevant beggar.”
He blamed Jungjoon for his wife’s death, something he knew nothing about. The moment her death came up, Jungjoon’s insides turned cold.
“You’re an orphan, right?”
Contempt and mockery flickered across the man’s face as he asked.
“I thought you looked pathetic from the first impression, but to think you were some lowlife raised without parents… And you dared to—ha…”
He let out yet another hollow laugh.
“Did you really think a guy like you could properly build a family and play husband?”
“…Watch your mouth.”
“A penniless nobody takes someone else’s woman, makes her suffer until she dies, and then even abuses someone else’s kid on top of it?!”
“Abuse? What are you—!”
Jungjoon’s upper body lurched forward in agitation.
“Leaving the kid at his grandparents’ for days on end without a care, and you still dare call him your son? It’s obvious even without looking. No ability, just full of hot air—probably planning to dump him in an orphanage once raising him got tough, just like your kind.”
Losing his reason, Jungjoon lunged and grabbed the man’s collar. But just as quickly, the man countered, yanking Jungjoon’s body and seizing his collar instead.
“If it were up to me, I’d throw you in prison for any crime I could pin on you and let you rot there until you die. Got it?”
The man’s menacing eyes glinted right in front of Jungjoon’s face.
“They say you can’t steal blood—I knew Ian was mine the moment I saw him, Seo Jungjoon. Still, I’d need proof to take him through a lawsuit, right?”
Shoving Jungjoon back, he released his collar. With a thud, a document envelope landed on the table.
“Get ready to hand my son back nicely.”
He brushed off his collar where Jungjoon’s hands had been and walked away.
It was about an hour later when Jungjoon returned to his in-laws’ house. After the man left, he sat dazed, soul-drained, for a long while. Only after struggling to gather his scattered, stop-and-start thoughts could he finally leave.
His in-laws, restless and at a loss, were waiting for him. Without time to linger, Jungjoon apologized for leaving Ian so long, took the child in his arms, and left. His mother-in-law followed him to the elevator as if seeing him off. She seemed to want to explain, but Jungjoon, with neither mental nor physical energy left, pretended not to notice until the end.
Of course, he wasn’t incapable of understanding their position. With the child’s biological father clearly present, they couldn’t exactly turn him away at the door. He didn’t want to blame them. The problem was that he was so exhausted he wouldn’t be surprised if he collapsed any moment.
“Daddy, why’d you come so late?”
Before buckling Ian into the car, the child asked in a clear voice. Jungjoon apologized for being late, rubbing the back of the child he held close.
“…Ian.”
Calling his name, he paused briefly before asking.
“Did Ian meet that man… often today?”
“Huh? What man?”
“The man… who was holding you at Grandma’s house today.”
Ian rolled his eyes as if thinking, then replied, “Dunno?”
“…How many times have you met him?”
“Um… Twice!”
“…Twice?”
It was far fewer times than he’d expected. Contrary to the familiarity he’d assumed from the scene, it seemed the man had only recently learned of Ian’s existence.
Then how, and through what, had he found out? His mind threatened to tangle again, but Jungjoon boldly shut it down. Since it had already happened, what was the point of nitpicking such trivial details?
“…Was the man nice to Ian?”
Ian nodded eagerly. Seeing the half-hearted gesture, Jungjoon smiled. Despite how comfortably Ian had been held, he now seemed utterly disinterested. Quietly studying Ian’s face and brushing back his soft hair, Jungjoon asked about his recent days.
“Did you have fun at Grandma’s while Daddy was away?”
“Yeah.”
“…Did you miss Daddy?”
At the question, Ian finally nodded vigorously with a beaming face. Then, wrapping his arms tightly around Jungjoon’s neck, he warmed his heart with an adorable gesture.
Until being left with his grandparents, Ian had been somewhat distant. Seeing him cling to him like old times, Jungjoon forgot all his woes and immersed himself in the warmth of his embrace. His tired, sick body felt healed by the contact.
“…Me too. Daddy missed Ian so, so much. So much that I’d call ‘Ian, Ian’ every night before sleeping.”
Ian’s giggles vibrated softly through his body.
“I called Daddy every night before bed too!”
“…Really? Our Ian did that too? Thank you. Thank you, my son…”
They hugged each other, swaying side to side as if dancing. Exchanging kisses, they faced each other and laughed.
“Ian, starting tomorrow, Daddy doesn’t have to go to work for a while. Daddy can stay with Ian all day?”
At the promise of being together all day, Ian squealed with delight. Seeing his joy, Jungjoon crinkled his eyes in a smile. A day he couldn’t endure sober, full of failure and wounds, was finally overturned by pure happiness. For this smile, for this lovely reward, he could endure today’s humiliation thousands of times over.
“Daddy bought Ian’s favorite bread and cake. Wanna go home and eat together?”
“Yes—!”
Ian flailed his arms and legs in excitement. Hugging the thrilled child once more, Jungjoon buckled him into the seat. Watching Ian clutch the bread bag like a precious treasure in the rearview mirror, Jungjoon drove home with a faint smile.
After eating bread with Ian, they had playtime. Immersed in their rare one-on-one time, Jungjoon played with him for a while before slipping into the bathroom due to pain. His body was exhausted, cold sweat seeping out, and a deep ache gnawed within.
To keep Ian from wandering, Jungjoon played a toddler video, then returned to the bathroom with peace of mind. After a quick rinse, he filled the tub for a soak. Stepping into the hot water and letting his body slump, pain flared in various spots.
“Ha…”
Rubbing his face with wet hands, he tilted his head back. Closing his eyes, he relaxed his weary body for the first time that day.
Sadly, while his muscles unwound, his mind tangled in complexity. The day’s events flickered vividly behind his closed eyelids as if etched there.
They say misfortunes come all at once—just when Yoonhae’s mess was about to burst his head, Ian’s biological father appeared too. Yoonhae, the company, the father—relentless dire situations dulled his sense of reality.
Covering his face with both hands, his throat tensed to stifle a strange groan. He’d felt fulfilled holding Ian on the way back, but now a sudden gloom and helplessness overwhelmed him, his emotions spiraling out of control. To avoid drowning in despair, Jungjoon desperately recalled a day from the past.
“…I always hoped our child’s dad would be someone like you, oppa.”
“When I found out I was pregnant, at first, everything went dark. I could endure it somehow, but the thought of my child growing up getting hit by that kind of man… I couldn’t bear it.”
“So I decided to raise him alone, even if it killed me… But then you said that… That you’d be our child’s dad… You have no idea how much that saved me.”
Tracing that precious, old memory, he steeled his resolve to protect Ian no matter what.
He was the father his wife had chosen. The real family who’d shared Ian’s birth and growth, every moment. The man had no claim beyond being Ian’s genetic father. When Jungjoon first met his wife, she’d long since ended things with the man. Their bond had grown from Jungjoon helping her, terrified by the man’s stalking.
A relationship effectively over for months had erupted into chaos when she started dating Jungjoon, fueled by the man’s rage. Escaping his obsession was a ordeal, and the decisive break came when he found a new woman.
Jungjoon had thought that severed their bad tie…
Precious bonds break easily, but toxic ones cling tenaciously—life’s bitter rule, it seemed.
Though it was hard to stay grounded, this was when he needed to be冷静 most. To fight a lawsuit, he’d need preparations—above all, a skilled lawyer.
Money…
That damned money…
He resented these misfortunes piling up now. A jobless, penniless non-biological parent—obviously at a crushing disadvantage in custody and parental rights lawsuits.
The man came from a wealthy family and ran a business. Being the biological father alone might suffice to snatch parental rights.
“Maybe there’s a record somewhere of him being violent with her…”
Proving he was abusive could be a favorable factor. But Jungjoon couldn’t recall her ever reporting him; instead, she’d endured silently out of fear of his family and retaliation.
It was a losing battle no matter how he looked at it. As no sharp solution emerged and suffocation crept in, a noise from outside the bathroom caught his ear.
“…”
A low voice overlapped with Ian’s excited one. Realizing who had entered the house, Jungjoon felt his nerves sharpen with fresh disgust.
Just acknowledging Yoonhae’s presence made his inescapable influence flood back vividly. Like how recalling someone brings their strongest impression, Yoonhae now evoked his repulsive body and the shock it inflicted. Merely thinking of him raised goosebumps across Jungjoon’s skin.
Abruptly standing, Jungjoon scrubbed his body frantically and stepped out of the tub. Even while tidying up, he occasionally squeezed his eyes shut, suppressing the urge to retch. Each time Yoonhae’s voice drifted from beyond the door, it felt like bugs crawled over his skin, through his veins.
“Are you feeling better?”
Emerging, he saw Yoonhae, who’d been playing with Ian, approach and ask. Even while holding Ian, his gaze shamelessly raked over Jungjoon’s chest, exposed by the loose shower robe—revolting. Feeling an allergic wave of disgust, Jungjoon mumbled a reply.
“…Yeah.”
If only he could be alone with Ian today. It had been an excruciatingly long, grueling day. He wanted to end it with family, soothing his weary heart even a little.
In sad, familiar resignation, Jungjoon mechanically prepared dinner for three. Maintaining a superficially peaceful atmosphere, they ate, then shared the cake he’d bought. After Yoonhae played with Ian, the familiar evening routine of bathing the child followed.
Before taking the bathed Ian to the master bedroom, Yoonhae grabbed Jungjoon’s arm and whispered. Wait for me in my room. It sounded like an intimate signal between spouses.
Ordered, Jungjoon was seized by another violent impulse. Too extreme and destructive for an emotion tied to daily life in his own home, he stood still, calming himself lest he vomit again.
An inescapable cycle.
A returned routine.
When Yoonhae intruded, Jungjoon’s role and tasks vanished. Though he resented the sly way it distanced him from Ian, he silently followed the command.
“…”
In a room now filled with Yoonhae’s belongings, Jungjoon sat on the bed’s edge, waiting quietly. While sitting dazed, he sank into a thought, drawn in as if pulled.
In truth, the documents he’d peeked at after returning—out of Ian’s sight—had lingered in his mind. Rustling them open, he’d found, as expected, a DNA test of the man and Ian. The result, one he never wanted to see, was laid out all too plainly.
Test Result
Probability of Paternity: 99.999%
As he mulled over the indelible numbers, the door burst open with a bang, making Jungjoon’s back flinch.
Entering, Yoonhae glanced at him sidelong before approaching the desk. Setting down the towel around his neck, he picked up a bottle of toner from the array of toiletries. Pouring it into his hand, he meticulously spread it over his face and neck. Humming softly, he loosened his shower robe to hang at his waist, applying moisturizer.
Finishing an unwanted striptease, he turned to Jungjoon, sitting gloomily.
“Anything good happen today?”
By all accounts, the good fortune was his, not Jungjoon’s. Unable to discern the intent behind the misplaced question, Jungjoon replied curtly.
“…Why?”
“You bought a cake.”
“…Oh…”
Come to think of it, he had bought a whole cake. They’d eaten it as dessert after dinner, but without Yoonhae, he’d have lit candles, made it a celebration, and spent cozy time with Ian.
Should he say it was to commemorate getting fired?
Pondering listlessly, a sudden doubt crept in. Why ask this? Hadn’t he already noticed and known everything?
It was so absurd he sometimes forgot, but Jungjoon was under Yoonhae’s surveillance. All this time, Yoonhae had people tailing him, watching his every move. There was no reason he wouldn’t have done so today, even if everything was already exposed.
“Just… I’ve been working hard for so long… I wanted to mark the occasion.”
“Mark the occasion?”
“…Didn’t you get a report about what I did today?”
Snapping sharply, Yoonhae lifted his chin. Then, with an ahh… as if just recalling, he spoke glibly.
“Come to think of it, I did hear you left work early today.”
“…”
Crazy bastard.
It was obvious. He’d probably heard all about Jungjoon scurrying in and out of the office in a humiliating state. Realizing even the tiniest details of his private life had been reported filled him with dread and renewed fury.
It was Yoonhae’s fault he’d fallen ill, that his attendance had crumbled lately, leading to an unexcused absence. He wanted to hurl blame at the root of this nightmare, but Jungjoon suppressed his anger, lowering his stinging eyes.
“So… that guy from before, did you fire him?”
He asked, struggling to steady his emotions.
“…That guy from before?”
Yoonhae raised one thick, dense eyebrow, questioning.
“…The team leader we ran into by the elevator.”
After a brief silence, he muttered as if puzzled.
“Why’d you care about that…”
“…”
“It was just a couple of run-ins, right? Remembering his face means he left quite an impression on you… I’m really curious what was so memorable.”
Frowning at the odd insinuation, Jungjoon explained bluntly. Regardless, he’d been forcibly fired today, and that day, that man had come up in the conversation flow after suffering unjust violence because of Yoonhae. He’d asked hoping the man hadn’t unfairly lost his livelihood too—that was the full extent of his intent.
Feeling fed up with the strange scrutiny, Jungjoon laid it out.
“You probably guessed, but I got fired today.”
“…”
“Honestly, getting canned from a company I’d been loyal to felt pretty shitty. Since you manage people too… I just brought it up hoping you’d consider your employees’ perspectives, take care of them, and not fire them carelessly.”
Yoonhae stared silently for a moment before turning his head.
“…Fair enough.”
Surprisingly, his reply was compliant and blunt.
“If that’s what you want… I won’t fire him going forward. He’s been with me a long time too.”
“…Good.”
Though the exchange felt oddly off, it seemed resolved positively, so Jungjoon felt relieved.
It looked like Yoonhae knew about the firing—did he also know about meeting Ian’s biological father? He’d know Jungjoon met someone unfamiliar, but did he know exactly who?
“And… an old acquaintance came to see me today.”
Voicing his branching suspicions, Jungjoon continued.
“Oh?”
“…Ian’s biological father.”
Even revealing who it was, Yoonhae’s expression remained unruffled as he lowered his eyes.
“…Things got… complicated.”
Leaning against the desk as if urging him to go on, Yoonhae looked down at Jungjoon. Clasping his hands, Jungjoon swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple trembling, and continued.
“Ian’s biological father… seems to want to take Ian.”
“…”
“But, as you know, I’ll never let anyone take Ian. No matter what anyone says, he’s my son, and I’ll raise him to the end. No matter what happens…”
His resolute voice briefly softened with caution.
“So… I hate to ask, but I need money. To keep Ian from being taken… I need your help, Yoonhae.”
As he spoke, Jungjoon looked up at Yoonhae. Casting aside the last scraps of pride, he gave a pitiful look. He was begging the man he loathed sharing space with, the man who’d raped him just two days ago.
It was wretched, but he had no choice. After wracking his brain since meeting Ian’s father, this was his only conclusion: use Yoonhae. Having been humiliated by him, Jungjoon rationalized it as fair. Though he knew accepting help would make escaping harder, he also knew it was the only way to keep Ian—his chosen path.
“…I see.”
Yoonhae’s lukewarm response left Jungjoon anxious.
“…Please. I can’t handle this alone… The situation’s too bad…”
Even his faltering pleas only prompted Yoonhae to rub his chin as if mulling it over.
“…You care about Ian a lot too, don’t you, Yoonhae? Or… not?”
“I do.”
After a thoughtful hmm, he straightened his tilted head and said,
“But isn’t it better for a kid to grow up with their biological father?”
His tone was so breezy it felt like a different topic. The paper-light attitude, at odds with the gravity of the matter, left Jungjoon momentarily stunned. Then, with a head blazing with fury, he stood. As he turned to leave, Yoonhae’s hand grabbed him.
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t lend it.”
“…”
“I’m willing to help as far as I can.”
He wanted to shake him off, scream that he didn’t need a thug’s help, but Jungjoon held back and turned. Carefully, he explained what he needed in detail.
“…Money, yes… And a good lawyer. And my job… Being unemployed makes losing the lawsuit more likely… I’d appreciate your help.”
“Coincidentally, those are all things I can provide.”
Yoonhae grabbed his phone and dialed someone immediately. Likely a secretary, he issued concise, commanding requests as soon as the call connected.
“Get in touch with Attorney Park. Tell him I have a special favor to ask. Oh, and this is separate—Seo Jungjoon, I’ll send his details, so put him on as a full-time employee at our company. Yes, please handle it.”
With that single call, two issues were resolved in an instant. Finishing the call and checking work on his phone, Yoonhae left Jungjoon staring in disbelief.
It was absurdly simple. What was a life-shattering ordeal for Jungjoon was a mere phone call for him—a bizarre disparity. Before wealth and power, “same human” felt meaningless.
Yet, in this moment, that gap brought not misery but fierce relief and hope.
“What was the other thing? Oh, money.”
He exuded confidence, as if he could solve even that with a flick of his finger.
“Well… honestly, giving any amount isn’t hard for me. But…”
Pausing briefly, he tilted his head.
“Don’t I deserve something in return?”
It was a demand for compensation for his material support.
“…As you know, what I can offer you right now…”
“There’s something.”
“…”
Unable to think of anything, Jungjoon fell silent with tension.
“Love.”
“…What?”
“Love me.”
Jungjoon lost his vocabulary and reasoning simultaneously. Love me—an utterly bizarre request in this context. So abstract and conceptual, it sounded vague and eerie, detached from its meaning.
“…What…”
Jungjoon was thrown into confusion.
“Instead of something so vague… Tell me more specifically what I should do…”
“I already told you what I want. Figure out the rest.”
To Jungjoon, whose mind grew chaotic, Yoonhae added as if it were too simple to ponder.
“…If you set your mind to it, isn’t love something you could give right now?”
But that only deepened Jungjoon’s bewilderment.
“…”
Pinned by his intense stare, Jungjoon couldn’t move.
As they both fell silent, quiet descended swiftly. Tick, tick, the loud clock filled the room as Jungjoon stood rigid, grappling with confusion. Bound by an inescapable gaze as if under a spell, it was minutes later when he finally moved his heavy body.
“…”
Approaching while meeting those pulling eyes, Jungjoon felt emotions that shouldn’t emanate from a fellow human just by locking gazes. Forcing those feelings down and holding them in his gut, he drew closer.
And finally, he embraced Yoonhae, who was perched on the desk. Whether that was the right answer, Yoonhae accepted it by quietly letting himself be held. As Jungjoon slowly moved his hands to stroke him, a long, satisfied sigh escaped from the tip of Yoonhae’s nose.
Jungjoon ran his hands over the thick shoulder blades, the protruding spine, and the taut, lean waist in turn. By stroking gently, as he would with Ian, Jungjoon struggled to somehow give form to the act of “giving love.” Unsure of what he was even doing, he touched and observed Yoonhae’s body as if fumbling blindly for a signal.
Whatever it was, he had to express a “love” that the other would accept. Following that unspoken pressure, Jungjoon’s hands moved as if entranced, caressing the back of Yoonhae’s head and neck.
While being touched, Yoonhae rubbed his face against Jungjoon’s nape. When he lifted his head, Jungjoon stroked his jaw, and a pleased, low groan slipped out. The “Mmm…”—so deep and soft—momentarily sounded like an animal’s growl. Jungjoon, tensing his startled waist, resisted the urge to pull away and continued rubbing around Yoonhae’s jawline.
“…”
Surrendering to the touch, Yoonhae lifted his chin and closed his eyes. Jungjoon recognized the gesture as a subtle demand for a kiss.
All that talk of “love” boiled down to this in the end. Expanding and wrapping an act no different from sexual submission in the guise of “love,” it was merely a means to trap someone deeper into a vague, miserable, and degrading cage of obedience.
“…”
Jungjoon forced himself to kiss him. Reluctantly slipping his tongue into the parted lips, he entangled and rubbed against Yoonhae’s.
An unbearable urge to kill surged within him. The cunning of this man—who had so brutally raped him and now used his most precious being as leverage to force him into this act willingly—made Jungjoon’s blood boil. Unable to suppress the impulse, he gripped Yoonhae’s thick neck, and Yoonhae moaned. Mistaking it for affection, he hardened below and shivered.
Yoonhae placed his hands on Jungjoon’s waist, repeating heated caresses. While those filthy hands touched him, Jungjoon substituted his impulses—to tear Yoonhae’s insides apart and rip out his tongue to spit it on the floor—with imagination.
Ending the kiss, fueled by that strange desire, Jungjoon saw Yoonhae’s loosened eyelids. Beneath them, black pupils gazed up at him, brimming with sticky lust.
“…Let’s do more.”
The wet voice was repulsive yet undeniably effective, like a spell. Jungjoon closed his eyes and repeated the kiss, more torturous than any torment. Meanwhile, Yoonhae, as if completely intoxicated, rubbed his aroused body against Jungjoon, revealing his excitement.
“…No need to worry…”
Pulling his lips away, Yoonhae rubbed his damp mouth against Jungjoon’s ear, his voice drunk with ecstasy.
“I’ll take care of everything.”
He whispered hotly, moaning. We just need to get married…
“…What?”
“If you and I get married, it’ll all be solved.”
“…”
“You and Ian just need to come under me. Then no one can interfere with us…”
A chill raced down Jungjoon’s spine as he heard the voice steeped in root-deep satisfaction.
And belatedly, he became aware of the strength of the grip holding him.
The moment he realized something was wrong, a shock hit him like a blunt blow to the back of his head. What Yoonhae wanted. His true goal. The certainty that all of this was a process and a trap leading to “marriage” struck Jungjoon, and he shoved Yoonhae away in a fit.
“…”
Yoonhae’s once-dazed eyes widened. They were the eyes of a snake, displeased at having a pleasant moment interrupted. Standing from his leaning position, he reached for Jungjoon, who stumbled back as if refusing to let him slip away. Before that hand could touch him, Jungjoon swung his fist with all his might.
Thud—!
The heavy blow was strong enough to stagger and topple that large frame.
“…You subhuman bastard…”
His whole body trembled as if seized by chills. His fiercely pumping ventricles felt like they might burst.
The shock and anguish of realizing only now that the mastermind behind all these misfortunes stood before him made it hard to stay sane. And then, a deep self-loathing burned into his soul like a brand. The bitter realization—that he was this foolish, this stupid, always returning to square one no matter how many times he was deceived—mixed with self-mockery and was forced down his throat.
No matter what, he wouldn’t accept this kind of help; he’d never marry a monster like this, even if it killed him… Amid the searing pain, Jungjoon glared at Yoonhae with bloodshot eyes, veins bursting.
In that moment, he unleashed the most powerful, heartfelt curse he could muster.
“…Forever… Forever, no one will ever love something like you.”
“…”
“You’ll die in more pain than anyone…”
“…”
“I sincerely… hope you’re more miserable than anyone.”
As his curse, like an earnest prayer, ended, Yoonhae straightened his tilted body.
“…I see.”
Lowering the hand that had cradled his struck cheek, he smiled.
“I figured as much.”
The unnatural facial muscles, like a powdered clown, stirred discomfort.
“…”
Having faced off against something inhuman, Jungjoon turned away without lingering.
He had no intention of sinking into a swamp and destroying himself. Resolving to protect Ian with his own strength no matter what, he escaped that hellish room.