Chapter 351

Seo Yuseong speaks in nothing but the truth.

“No matter what I do, you can’t hate me, can you, hyung? You won’t be able to abandon me either.”

If someone like Choi Jeokhyeon had said something like that, it would’ve been worth reconsidering at least once. He had a way of manipulating people with his tendency to speak so cleverly that, even if the other person had never intended anything of the sort, it would seem as if he’d seen straight through to inner feelings they hadn’t even realized themselves. As a result, he often steered the situation in the direction he wanted. You could almost call it a kind of gaslighting.

But Seo Yuseong wasn’t capable of such cunning schemes, so what he said could only be seen as a pure, uncalculated, and absolute kind of belief with no ulterior motive. It was his firm conviction, built through the years we’d spent together, that I would never, ever abandon him.

And in truth, he wasn’t wrong.

I could never hate Seo Yuseong.

From the very beginning, leaving him of my own will had never even been an option for me.

“…….”

When I couldn’t bring myself to argue back and dropped my gaze, Seo Yuseong laughed like a child, as if something had genuinely delighted him. He was someone who never so much as cracked a smile no matter how hard I tried to make him laugh, so seeing him like that felt entirely surreal, like a dream.

“Come to your senses. This is no different from saying you’re going to kill Han Seungbeom. What if you’re mistaken? If there’s still any possibility of saving him, then this would be murder!”

“How is that any different from clinging to someone in a vegetative state? Are you really going to waste your life holding on to some ridiculous hope that he might still be alive somewhere? Just because you feel guilty?”

“…….”

“…I shouldn’t have told you anything about Han Seungbeom.”

He didn’t tell me Han Seungbeom’s final words out of some sense of basic decency toward the one who had helped him. It was because he didn’t know what those words would truly mean to me. Because he couldn’t judge whether they would stand in the way of what he was trying to achieve.

When I felt guilty thinking about Han Seungbeom, Seo Yuseong looked as if he regretted it. Then, in an even firmer tone, he declared to me, “I’ll do whatever it takes to save you, hyung, and I don’t care who dies in the process.”

“…….”

“Why is that so hard to believe? Hyung, you just have no idea how far I’m willing to go, or what I’ve done up until now. And just so you know, I’m not acting this way because I don’t understand that it might be wrong. So, you’d better not waste your time trying to talk me out of it.”

‘ You have no idea what I’ve done up until now ‘. Those words felt like a blade driving straight into my chest.

How on earth was I supposed to persuade Seo Yuseong? If I’m being honest, it felt like nothing I did would ever make him change his mind.

A dull, throbbing pain started to build in my head.

“ Cough !”

As I let out a deep sigh and drew in another breath, a rush of cold air suddenly filled my lungs, triggering a cough.

“That’s enough. Let’s stop talking about this.”

Then, all of a sudden, Seo Yuseong grabbed my wrist and started striding forward. I tilted my head in confusion, but I obediently followed him, and after we’d walked about a hundred meters, he abruptly shoved me into the passenger seat of a black car parked nearby.

Wait, did I really just get into a car driven by Seo Yuseong without putting up any resistance?

The moment that ominous thought crossed my mind, Seo Yuseong got into the driver’s seat.

‘Are you crazy?’

The moment I saw his action, I hurriedly reached for the door and tried to get out of the car, but the door was immediately locked from the driver’s seat, and I couldn’t move an inch. Letting out a hollow laugh, my face pale, I turned to him and asked, “Where are we going?”

“Let’s go home first. That body is weak.”

“Yeah, but whose home…? I’m staying at Choi Jeokhyeon’s house right now…….”

“I know. I don’t like that, so we’re going to my house.”

My hesitant words were met with an immediate reply that he already knew .

He did say he was always watching me, and now it really felt like he knew everything: who I talked to, what conversations I had, and how I lived my life. As that sank in, memories came flooding back, like the times I’d been in such bad shape I crawled around on the floor like a salamander, or the times I did all sorts of absurd things while wearing those ridiculous animal ears.

‘Ha, f**k…….’

I wanted to slam my head against the wall, but I had some dignity to maintain, so I just bit my tongue instead. At this point, I didn’t care anymore about Seo Yuseong’s maniac-style driving.

“It must be uncomfortable for you too, hyung, staying at that guy’s house. He’s not even family.”

“No, we’ve lived together ever since we were young. I don’t really mind…….”

As soon as I said that, a flash of insolence briefly crossed Seo Yuseong’s eyes. Wait, what did I even say? Did I say something weird? I couldn’t begin to guess. While I tilted my head in confusion, Seo Yuseong returned to his usual blank expression and picked the conversation back up.

“And Choi Jeokhyeon isn’t the only one in that house, is he?”

“……”

“Don’t see that child anymore. Just pretend you don’t know him and go on with your life.”

He was probably talking about Kim Chaeyul. There was a subtle implication that he was uncomfortable with me being around him.

So, Seo Yuseong, just like Jay, seemed to view Kim Chaeyul with the same unkind eyes. Why did all the people close to me try to separate Kim Chaeyul and me like this?

‘Come to think of it, the funeral must be over by now.’

Since the matter between Han Seungbeom and Kang Hyukwoo was drawing intense public attention, attending his funeral would have felt like providing more fodder for gossip, so I chose not to go.

I felt that I should at least check on the child who had gone through such a hard time alone with my own eyes. I avoided the conversation by offering a flimsy excuse like, “It’s just that ……. right now, all my stuff’s still at Choi Jeokhyeon’s house. I think I need to stop by and pick them up.”

At that, Seo Yuseong fell silent for a moment, lost in thought, then pointed at the navigation screen as if telling me to enter the address.

“Then let’s go get it together.”

…Something was definitely wrong. Seriously wrong.

.

.

.

I didn’t actually remember much from the time I was in the car.

You know that feeling when you ride a rollercoaster and everything’s such a blur that you can’t even recall what just happened? It felt kind of like that. Looking back on the hazy memory, I don’t think I let go of the handle even once during the entire drive.

You think I’m exaggerating? I wish I were.

I thought Seo Yuseong was trying to commit suicide with me.

We parked the car in the nearest parking lot to Choi Jeokhyeon’s neighborhood, and the moment I got out of the car, I had a brief wave of nausea.

“…Huh, you, are you seriously going to keep driving like that?”

“I don’t see any problems.”

“…….”

And on the way to Choi Jeokhyeon’s house, Seo Yuseong didn’t wear anything to cover his face, not even a mask or glasses. Even though we passed quite a few people before we nearly reached the house, not a single person recognized him.

‘It must be thanks to Han Seungbeom’s ability.’

It was a cold and empty world.

“…You’ve been living like this the whole time?”

Feeling a bit sorry for him, I asked. He just gave a small nod. This rascal, he never gives a proper answer unless I pry into every detail.

“Without talking to anyone at all?”

“Why do I have to talk to anyone?”

‘ Because humans are social creatures, and you’re a human cub, for goodness sake ‘. Just as I was muttering this thought to myself, he replied with an unbelievably adorable answer, “All I need is you, hyung.”. No, I should’ve scolded him sternly and told him that wasn’t okay, for the sake of rehabilitating my lovely little brother’s ruined social skills. But the corners of my mouth kept twitching upward, and I couldn’t get a word out.

‘Human cub, what a nonsense. He’s my cub.’

I’ll admit it.

I really am a childish and spineless bastard.

“A, ahem.”

Even I was aware of how ridiculous my behavior was. Just as I was clearing my throat—though I wasn’t really choked up or anything—from the wave of sudden embarrassment, Seo Yuseong asked me, “Is Choi Jeokhyeon home?”

“He said he’d be busy with work until late today. He told me to go to bed without waiting for him, so I’m guessing he probably won’t be coming home at all tonight.”

When Choi Jeokhyeon sent a message telling me to go ahead and eat dinner first, it usually meant he’d be delayed by work and get home late. If he told me to go to bed first, it meant he wouldn’t be coming home at all that day. And today was the latter.

‘I figured he’d be home late, so I went out to the sea today…….’

I stood at the front gate, pressed the familiar passcode out of habit and opened the front door without thinking. What greeted me instantly was…….

“Seo Yutae.”

It was Choi Jeokhyeon.

‘Ha, f**k.’

What is this, a horror movie? Why do these bastards all seem to live for scaring the hell out of me? Are they trying to kill me with a heart attack? Stumbling back like I’d just seen a ghost, I pressed down on my pounding heart and forced myself to speak as calmly as I could.

“You should’ve said something if you got home earlier. I thought you’d be late.”

But in stark contrast to me, Choi Jeokhyeon just smiled with his eyes, his face the very picture of calm .

“…I wasn’t in a great mood, that’s why.”

“Is it okay to just leave work whenever you want for that kind of reason?”

“There’s no one who can really say anything about it.”

I honestly didn’t know whether I should be cursing him out as a damn bourgeois bastard or be glad that at least he lets his employees go home early. Just listening to this guy talk gave me a splitting headache.

“…Fine. Then why were you in a bad mood in the first place?”

Choi Jeokhyeon didn’t answer my question right away. Instead, he slowly blinked his eyes, then took a step closer. Seeing that he wasn’t even making a pretense of listening to me, it really did seem like he was in a bad mood. Just as I was thinking that, Choi Jeokhyeon’s chest slightly rose with a subtle intake of breath, as if he were taking a deep inhale.

I was debating whether I should just leave him be, but then I figured that to anyone else, this definitely wouldn’t look normal. So, a bit belatedly, I gave his chest a light shove.

“What? What’s the problem this time?”

Then, Choi Jeokhyeon murmured in a low voice, “If you wanted to see the sea, you should have told me beforehand.”

“…….”

“It’s too dangerous to be going back and forth alone.”

His words, as though he’d seen straight through me and knew everything about where I’d been and what I’d done, ade my breath hitch. I quickly tried to figure out what had given me away, then pulled my sleeve down over my hand and brought it to my nose. Sure enough, there was a faint scent of the sea.

I figured Choi Jeokhyeon had deduced my whereabouts based on the unusually long gap between the end of my schedule and when I got home, the string of incidents I had recently gone through, and the various clues visible from my appearance. As I was brushing a chill off my goosebump-covered arm, Choi Jeokhyeon, unfazed, stared intently at Seo Yuseong standing behind me and asked a question.

“…What is this?”

Even though it was obvious the question was about him, Seo Yuseong didn’t show the slightest reaction. He looked like he had absolutely no intention of engaging in any conversation with Choi Jeokhyeon.

‘Ah, that’s right. Seo Yuseong said that other people, besides me, wouldn’t be able to properly perceive him.’

“Oh, he’s someone I met through work. I just dropped by home briefly because there was something I needed to grab. I’ll head out again in a minute.”

As I stepped in front of Seo Yuseong, as if to shield him, and offered that explanation on his behalf, Choi Jeokhyeon rolled his eyes and looked over at me again. For some reason, his gaze felt unusually cold today. He definitely didn’t look like he was in a good mood. Just as that thought crossed my mind, Choi Jeokhyeon grabbed my arm with a gentle but resolute grip and pushed me to the side.

He kept his gaze firmly on Seo Yuseong’s face for a while, then opened his mouth to speak.

“It’s been a while, Seo Yuseong.”

In that moment, just like last time, a flood of warning windows appeared, completely filling my field of vision.

[Glitch!]

[System error! Abilities usage is restricted.]

The sea of windows reflected in Seo Yuseong’s now-bright red eyes, and for the first time, a trace of bewilderment appeared on his face.

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Translator’s Corner:

I’m laughing a little because if this is a rofan, that’s just an ordinary ML ability…..

I’m still sad about the tree, so I decided to read Kind Leader Idol (I think the title in NU is perfect leader? That’s a little bit mistranslation I guess … the word used in the title basically means kind/amiable/gentle/etc. It’s pretty nuanced. Like, one could argue Cheongryu VTIC is perfect leader, but he’s not kind….. But anyway, everything in that novel is pretty nuanced. My brain hurts) from the start and just finished it few hours ago (There’s 431 chapters. I’m a fast reader … this is why studying is my only talents). I’m not really going to recommend that novel. It’s not a bad novel (I would argue the writing is a little bit charming in its own way), but it’s a very hit or miss. Either you will hate it or like it.

I stayed because I like the MC (and his group members), but the plot is a whole shitshow. It’s really, really confusing. I think someone who likes puzzle like Theorist-san would like it, though …. if you guys going to read it, try to read maybe up to 60-70 chapters (or 100 if you’re being generous). If you don’t feel positive feeling toward it at that point, just stop. Because it’s not going to get better, it’s just going to get worse and worse. Like can you believe I only feel a little bit happiness after 400 chapters later …. and chapter 431 is the ending. But as the author already spoiled it since a long time ago (I seriously think if it’s not for this promise, a lot of readers would already run away), it’s a happy ending. I wish those upcoming side stories are worth it ….

And no, you might see the details on NU and think it’s a psychological-focused novel (like this Yutae one), but personally, I think the right focused genre is horror. You can call it psychological horror + sci-fi … and some part makes me questioning if the author a part of cult (or maybe just some devoted Catholic, but it’s really creepy so it’s giving cult). So, if you don’t like horror genre, I’d rather suggest you not to try.

Thank you Jacqueline Surya for the lightstick!

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