By Zephyria 
“Then would you mind taking the young master back now?”
“It’ll be quite troublesome since the guy you’re escorting ended up in that state.”
“Isn’t there a need for someone to take responsibility for what has already happened? That is my responsibility. Oh, here is the young master’s phone.”
Taking my phone from Choi Jae-kyung, Kwon Yi-kang pulled out his own phone and handed it over.
“Leave the broker’s name and contact info. And your contact info too. Things are a bit hectic now, so I’ll contact you in about a month.”
“What are you planning?”
“I’m not the type to leave loose ends. There must be no trace of my lover found here. And Soo-kyung’s name must not be mentioned in connection with today’s events. I’ll leave this place to you, and I’ll handle the broker.”
Choi Jae-kyung stared at Kwon Yi-kang’s face, thought for a long while, and then wrote something on the phone Kwon Yi-kang had handed him. Kwon Yi-kang took the returned phone and slipped it into his pocket.
“See you next time.”
“Please… take care of the young master.”
At Choi Jae-kyung’s parting words, Kwon Yi-kang burst into a pleasant laugh. As Kwon Yi-kang turned and walked away, I looked at Choi Jae-kyung from the safety of his arms. He was smiling at me, as if telling me not to worry.
∞ ∞ ∞
He didn’t say a word until we arrived at Kwon Yi-kang’s house. I also kept my mouth shut, fixing a vacant gaze on the dark window.
After parking the car to one side, Kwon Yi-kang pulled my body down and held me in his arms again. Even though I could walk on my own, he was infinitely careful, as if moving a fragile piece of glass art.
With trembling arms, I hugged Kwon Yi-kang’s neck and buried my face there, inhaling his scent deeply. As I rubbed my cheek against his nape like a spoiled child, the hand wrapping around my back patted me gently.
After taking the elevator up and entering the house, he quietly laid me down on the bedroom bed. Wrapping his arm around my slumped shoulder, Kwon Yi-kang gazed intently into my face and lowered his lips to kiss my eyes.
“Your eyes are swollen from how much you cried.”
“…I was sad.”
“You must have been shocked too. Let’s get you washed and then take a nap. You’ll be tired, but that’s the only way your body will relax. Understand?”
I nodded reflexively, and after raising the room temperature, Kwon Yi-kang went into the bathroom to fill the tub.
“Is your body warming up a bit?”
He pressed his lips to my fingertips to check my temperature and let out a small hum. Compared to the air in the room, which had warmed up quickly, the warmth had not yet returned to my chilled fingertips. A faint wrinkle formed between his brows as he felt my hands and feet, which were as cold as if I had frostbite.
He lifted my unclothed body and carried me into the bathroom, sitting me on the edge of the tub. He dipped his hand in to check the water temperature, and deciding it was just right, he slowly eased me into the tub starting from my toes.
Sitting behind me, he pulled me back so I could lean against his chest. As I stared blankly at the surface of the water where fluffy bubbles from the bath salts floated, Kwon Yi-kang gently rubbed my body with his hands.
“Soo-kyung, relax your body and lean back.”
He massaged my stiff shoulders in circular motions, and his hand slid down my spine to wrap around my waist. He traced up and down playfully before moving forward to cover my stomach. His large hand covered my belly protectively and stroked it slowly.
Leaning back into his secure embrace, I let out a low moan at the warmth transferring through our touching skin. Rubbing the back of my head against Kwon Yi-kang’s shoulder, I parted my lips weakly.
“It feels like a dream.”
Everything that happened today didn’t feel real. Even when I looked back at what had occurred, I couldn’t accept that it was reality.
“Seeing a dead person before your eyes isn’t very realistic, is it?”
Kwon Yi-kang whispered in a soothing voice, rubbing his lips against my wet cheek.
No, I was used to seeing dead people. When I was in the back alleys, many people died for various reasons. Two or three people a week were carried out as corpses.
Some starved to death, some were beaten to death, some died from drugs, some were stabbed, some killed themselves, and some even died while having sex. They died for all sorts of trivial reasons. Death was nothing special there.
I was so accustomed to death that I felt no sadness or pity even when facing a corpse. It was no different when facing my own death. Even if I had become Cha Soo-kyung, there was no reason to be newly shocked.
The reason I was so confused and drained right now was that the person who died before my eyes was Cha Dong-hu.
“I thought you hated your brothers. I guess you feel differently in the face of death.”
“Driver Choi thought so too. He had a look of worry, wondering if I’d collapse from shock and sadness.”
He made the exact same mistake as you. Because he was my brother, he was restless and worried about me, as if I had been deeply devastated by his death.
“I don’t really like it when others worry about my lover.”
Though he replied playfully as if trying to lighten the mood, the hand stroking my hair was full of tenderness. I lowered my eyes at the infinitely careful and soft touch.
“I wanted to kill him. …With my own hands.”
“…….”
“He was someone I had to kill.”
At my words, the hand stroking my head stopped moving. Even noticing this, I didn’t regret what I said. I felt like I would go crazy from the unfairness and frustration if I didn’t tell someone.
“Why did it have to be today? Why right now? When I thought about that, it felt so unfair—I felt like such a fool for just waiting for an opportunity. That’s why I cried. I was so sad that the bastard died, but not because of family love; it was because I was devastated that I couldn’t kill him myself.”
At my gloomy voice, the stopped hand began to move again, patting my head. The hand that had been smoothing my wet hair caressed my cheek and jaw, then moved down my neck to pull me into a tight embrace.
“I saw his face. He looked so peaceful. Whenever I imagined his end, I always pictured a face distorted in pain. But the reality was too peaceful. He’s a bastard who doesn’t deserve to die like that.”
“Soo-kyung.”
“Cha Dong-hu ruined my life.”
Turning my body to face Kwon Yi-kang, I spat out words filled with resentment.
“That bastard destroyed me. But isn’t it too much for him to die without any pain, enjoying all those good things, without even thinking he did wrong or feeling any regret? Then what about me?”
Then it’s too unfair for me. I don’t care about the revenge of dead parents or whatever. Dead people are just dead; what would they know? What would be unfair or sad for them? I didn’t know about anything else; I just felt that my life, having lived like trash for over a decade after losing my parents, was too unfair.
“I… I thought the reason I survived and didn’t die was to make that bastard pay for his sins. But he died before I could do anything. Did they save me just so I could watch that bastard eat well, live well, and die well? To show me that someone like me doesn’t matter at all? To make me miserable?”
Tears that had paused for a moment began to fall again. As I sobbed, biting my trembling lips, Kwon Yi-kang gently wrapped his hand around the back of my neck and pulled me in. His lips fell like petals upon my eyes, my cheeks, the tip of my nose, and my lips.
“So, you cried because it was unfair. To the point where your eyes are this swollen?”
“I’m such a fool.”
“I’m sorry.”
Having kissed my face several times, Kwon Yi-kang whispered in a low voice. I looked at him through my tears at the sudden apology.
“I’m sorry I don’t have the talent for bringing people back to life. If I could, I would have brought him back over and over again so you could kill him until your anger was gone.”
“…….”
A droplet clinging to my eyebrow finally succumbed to gravity and fell. I stared blankly, as this was a bit of an unusual form of comfort from a lover. Come to think of it, I was also rambling about quite gruesome things for a mere complaint to a partner.
“Should I steal the corpse and let you vent your anger? Do you want to slash him to pieces? It’s fine if you want to chop him up and feed him to dogs, pigs, or fish. What should we do to ease my Soo-kyung’s sorrow even a little?”
I looked at the lover who was promising corpse mutilation with a slightly dubious expression, considering I was the one who had cried because I couldn’t kill someone, despite boldly announcing my intent to do so.
“As expected, that’s not enough, right?”
“More than that… it wouldn’t really mean anything.”
“Why? I think it would at least serve as a way to vent.”
I felt the lingering tears vanish. Rubbing my hot eyes against Kwon Yi-kang’s shoulder, I shook my head.
“I feel like there’s nothing I can do.”
“I bet you can do anything.”
“No.”
In the end, I was just Min Jae-hee, who had nothing and could do nothing. Even in Cha Soo-kyung’s body, it was similar to when I was Min Jae-hee. Even if I ate good food, wore good clothes, and slept in a good bed, I couldn’t do the one thing I truly wanted.
“…Why am I alive?”
“For me.”
“Huh?”
“To meet me. Because of me.”
The short answer was almost like a groan, and when I asked “Huh?”, a brazen response came back.
“I don’t have the talent for bringing the dead back to life. But I’ll do everything else for you. I’ll do whatever you want.”
Gently pressing my chin to swallow my parted lips, Kwon Yi-kang whispered in a sweet voice. Don’t cry. Okay? Soo-kyung, don’t cry. The voice spreading in my ears held a soft warmth, and I hugged his back tightly.