By Zephyria 
The Aberrations trembled visibly whenever Jeil Heon passed by. He tried to translate last night’s events into a human scenario. A mass murderer suddenly appears in a peaceful neighborhood, slaughters the residents, and then walks the streets drenched in their blood… Well, it’s only natural for them to be terrified.
“I’d like to change my clothes, even if I have to wash up at the lodging tonight.”
“I heard that if you turn on the water at the lodging, things happen that’ll make you lose your mind.”
“I don’t mind.”
True enough… Yoo Jiha nodded. There was no need to be surprised. Fortunately, after walking for a bit, they found a clothing store in the middle of the desolate street.
「Welcoooome…」
Although the owner entity couldn’t even make eye contact, the stock of clothes was plentiful. There were modern styles, traditional attire, and even furs that looked like something primitives would have worn. The problem was that it was difficult to find clothes that fit Jeil Heon, who was nearly 2 meters tall and solidly built. After rummaging for a while, he found something resembling a military uniform. For some reason, the design looked like the uniforms US soldiers wore during the Korean War.
“Is there a fitting room?”
「What kind of traditional market do you think this is? Of course there is a fitting rooom¡」
“A towel and water to wipe my body as well.”
「Yes sir¡」
The owner entity gave them a small room that looked like a private inner chamber as the fitting room. As soon as Jeil Heon entered the room, he tried to pull off his T-shirt immediately. Witnessing the bare skin of his waist, Yoo Jiha’s face turned red and he covered his eyes.
“A-A-Ahjussi! How can you just take off your clothes so carelessly in front of another man!”
“…Huh?”
Quite frankly, of all the expressions Jeil Heon had worn, he had never looked as blank as he did now.
“Are you… sorry?”
“You can’t just do that without saying anything, seriously! I’m a man too!”
“Oh, um.”
Shouldn’t he have been given time to prepare himself? Having been scolded for stripping in front of another man, Jeil Heon rolled his eyes and asked cautiously.
“Then how should I ask for permission to change my clothes?”
“Ahem, ahem. You can take them off now.”
“Thanks.”
Jeil Heon tilted his head repeatedly as he finished removing his T-shirt and innerwear. Yoo Jiha, who had barely managed to compose his flushed face, felt the blood rush back to his cheeks upon seeing the man’s fully exposed upper body. The lean, elastic lines of his muscles stood out clearly even under the dim sunlight of the Aberrant Realm. From the broad shoulders and back down to the narrow waist, the sleek lines held an intense dynamism. And the line of his body leading from the waist to the hips, hidden by his trousers…
For the sake of his mental health, Yoo Jiha decided to stop his delusions there. He then dampened a towel and began wiping the man’s back, where his own hand couldn’t reach, but then he paused. He hadn’t noticed because of the blood and bodily fluids when the skin was bare, but as he wiped, he saw an old scar on the right flank. It was a gruesome mark, as if a beast like a bear or tiger had relentlessly clawed and gouged out the flesh. It looked as though it had specifically targeted the liver.
“Ah, that scar?”
Noticing the hesitant hand, Jeil Heon explained as usual while wiping his arm with the wet towel.
“I hunted an Aberration back when I was your height. Injuries from childhood don’t seem to regenerate.”
“Did it hurt a lot?”
“Not at all. Because of the adrenaline, I didn’t feel a thing until I passed out.”
The fact that there were no other scars wasn’t proof that he had never been injured, but rather that his body recovered quickly. A heavy sigh of frustration escaped Jiha’s lips.
“…If you had been wearing the field jacket that got ruined because of me, you would have been less hurt last night, right?”
He wasn’t sure of the jacket’s exact purpose, but since it had prevented him from being dragged away by Contamination, it must have had some defensive capability against anomalies. He wondered if it also blocked physical strikes from Aberrations to some extent, and as expected, Jeil Heon did not deny it.
“You didn’t ruin it. Tools eventually reach the end of their usefulness. The person who performed the blessing on the jacket would be satisfied that it was used well until the end.”
“If they performed a blessing, were they a shaman?”
“A great Mansin from Hwanghae Province. She was so spiritually powerful that you couldn’t meet her unless you were introduced, but I used a personal connection. The Mansin was my Hubae’s mother and mother-in-law.”
“Mother and mother-in-law?”
“Because an Enforcement Division Hubae and a school Hubae married each other.”
“Aha.”
“Anyway, when the Mansin performed the blessing, she told me to use it not just for my own safety, but to help others, so I suppose I’ve followed her words well enough?”
“How can I meet her, by any chance?”
“She passed away 22 years ago.”
Jiha had intended to seek out the Mansin to see if there was a way to receive a new blessing, but that was now impossible. Yoo Jiha swallowed his gloomy feelings.
“I hope you don’t get hurt from now on, Ahjussi.”
“Yeah, I’ll be careful.”
The casual answer paradoxically proved it wasn’t entirely sincere. For Jiha’s sake, he would hesitate not to throw himself into danger again, just like last night. If that were the case, Jiha had to stay sharp to ensure no mistakes were made in the Aberrant Realm.
With renewed determination, he thoroughly wiped every inch of Jeil Heon’s body, which was the immediate task at hand.
“Excuse me. Please give me more towels. And change the water in the basin, too.”
「Yes sir¡」
Yoo Jiha tasted a brief moment of power by proxy before scurrying out before Jeil Heon could take off his trousers.
‘Why the sudden modesty?’
Left alone in the room, Jeil Heon chewed over the unresolved question. Modesty between men… well, that could happen, but if so, how could he stay as a boarder in another man’s house? Is he just exceptionally shy? …Surely he isn’t conscious of it because of that accident.
Regardless, he noted that he should be careful in the future and finished changing.
“Jiha.”
When he stepped outside, he found Yoo Jiha crouching near the clothing racks, nodding off. Having spent the entire night tense and without a wink of sleep, it was only natural that fatigue was hitting him.
Jeil Heon carefully picked the boy up so as not to wake him.
The night of the five-day market returned. Yoo Jiha, who had woken up briefly but remained dazed throughout, collapsed onto the bed and fell fast asleep as soon as they entered the lodging. Having properly washed himself, Jeil Heon shook out his wet hair and went up to the rooftop. Under the moonlight, which possessed the same luminosity as sunlight, he took out a cigarette and exhaled a long stream of white smoke.
“Aren’t you tired of spying all day? Why don’t you come out now?”
「Fufu.」
With a clear laugh, the air shimmered, and a young man appeared wearing a deep black robe that looked as if it were woven from the darkness itself and a black okro-gat. The lips of the youth, who was hauntingly beautiful, curved into a long arc.
「It hath been seventeen years since the time of our parting; as it hath been long, I shall offer my greetings.」
Jeil Heon frowned.
“I’d appreciate it if you stopped acting like an old man and spoke in normal, modern Korean.”
「Dost thou wish to converse in the slang of the MZ generation? To explain to a younger brother who likely only uses his smartphone to check work, it is similar in meaning to the X generation.」
“Just speak normally. Normally.”
“Is the Prince well? By now, he should be roughly ten years of age.”
“He fell back asleep after waking up briefly because of me. More importantly, what are your intentions in closing the exit and bringing about the night?”
「I felt slighted that my younger brother tried to slip away immediately despite knowing that this foolish older brother was here. Well, I was also curious if your skills had rusted in the meantime.」
As he spoke, the youth lightly flickered the fan he was holding. Following the trajectory of the long Seonchu, a liver appeared before Jeil Heon’s eyes, emitting a warmth that could be felt. As he silently stared at the liver, which was dripping red blood as if it had just been excised, the youth gestured with his chin. The rounded paeyeong swayed, and the black pearls made a clear, clinking sound.
「Since thou hast spent the night barehanded without a weapon, thou must be lacking in blood; eat. Liver is useful for supplementing iron. It is a fresh human liver, carefully chosen to suit thy taste.」
“….”
「Tsk. Even for a Bearer, what is that rubbish of a collapsible baton? How canst thou use a thing that will break in less than half a shijin? I must file a complaint with Director Kang of the Bureau.」
Bearer. They were dressed up with a plausible title as those who protect and guard, but in reality, they were merely humans who had become monsters to fight monsters. Because the blood of a Bearer can have a physical effect on anomalies, they can destroy objects in the Aberrant Realm or annihilate Aberrations. Although the development of anti-anomaly weapons is ongoing, they have not yet surpassed the raw blood of a Bearer.
And for every second a Bearer breathes, they are mutating into an Aberration. Eventually, into a monster that will greedily crave human flesh.
Jeil Heon did not respond and stubbed out his cigarette on the liver.
“Tell me your real intention.”
「That would be because of the comfort doll by thy side. Does this foolish older brother not also have the right to watch over that child?」