10.1 All Equal Humans
Leaving the city and speeding down a quiet road with few buildings, the car entered a residential complex. After passing a large stone statue engraved with the words ‘Gimun’ at the entrance, elegantly built houses began to unfold in a row on both sides. It seemed people lived there, as cars were parked and dim lights were on in the yards.
The car came to a stop at the house at the very end of the complex. Chu Gi-oh picked me up—smelly and damp—as if it were nothing, and walked straight into the place where only darkness lay, unlike the surrounding houses where at least one light was on.
The inside of the house was chilly. As Du-jik followed him in, trying to turn on the lights, Chu Gi-oh spoke urgently.
“You, go to the house next door and ask if they have any Cheongsimhwan. If they do, take them all and bring them here. That human might follow us, so whatever you do, don’t tell them why.”
“Yes, Hyung.”
As Du-jik turned around immediately upon receiving the order, Chu Gi-oh suddenly shouted.
“If they’re really curious, tell ’em to call me!”
It seemed he didn’t just cut off ankles, but also maintained some level Read on Read BL Novelsof social exchange with his neighbors. To visit someone in the middle [visit our site]of the night to borrow Cheongsimhwan—it wasn’t something you’d do unless you were unusually close. Even while my heart was pounding in my chest, the thought was so absurd that I let out a small, involuntary chuckle.
Chu Gi-oh, who was rushing inside, suddenly stopped. He looked down at my face in his arms and tapped my cheek roughly, as if waking a sleeper. His gaze was far too serious. He seemed to think I had completely lost my mind.
“I-I’m sorry.”
Fearing the misunderstanding would deepen, I quickly shut my mouth and tried to act normal. At that, he chewed out a curse even more fiercely than before. “I’m gonna lose my mind, fuck!” he yelled, before resuming his frantic pace.
Chu Gi-oh passed through what looked like a bedroom and entered the bathroom, where he set me down. He stripped off his own clothes first, becoming naked, and then rushed to strip me. Since the urine-soaked jeans clung to my skin and wouldn’t slide off, he ripped them apart to remove them. After removing my underwear and socks, he tossed them into a corner of the bathroom along with his own blood-stained clothes. Then, he turned on the shower, letting hot water flow.
As my body warmed up and the blood began to circulate, I finally felt like I could breathe. When I let out a long sigh, he paused from washing me to pat my body as if telling me I’d done well. However, the moment he started washing me, I felt suffocated again. It was because of the vivid blood flowing down my body. The showerhead in his hand almost looked like the axe that had carved up Kang Moon-soo’s body.
I shrank away from him as he scrubbed his own body roughly, standing politely with my hands gathered in front of my crotch. The blood mixed with the hot water gave off a strong, fishy smell. Barely suppressing another surge of nausea, I spoke to him as he wiped the water from his face with his hand.
“CEO, I… I will definitely p-pay the money back. I don’t know how long it will take, but… I will pay it back no matter what. I’m not just saying this; I k-know very well how scary other people’s money can be.”
Perhaps he hadn’t heard [visit our site]me properly [Read on Read BL Novels]over the sound of the water. He [Read on Read BL Novels]frowned and turned off the faucet.
“What do you know?”
The sound of water stopped abruptly, and silence instantly filled the space. My shoulders flinched at the sound of irregular droplets dripping.
“I-I mean… your money, I’ll n-never cheat you out of it…”
“What money.”
“The m-money you paid back to Kim Jeong-suk.”
“…”
“E-eighty-five million.”
It happened in the next instant. A shout of “You fuck, shut the [visit our site]hell up!” echoed through the bathroom, and he slammed the showerhead unauthorized copydown. His fierce body pinned me against the wall, and he grabbed my chin.
My back hit the cold wall, and I flinched instinctively. He seemed to react to it, his shoulders trembling as he hurriedly let go of my chin.
“Eighty-five million.”
He murmured, closing his eyes for a long moment. When he opened them, he continued, sounding as if he were barely suppressing his rage.
“Do you think I went through all that crazy shit today just to hear that kind of talk from you? What, pay the money back?”
“…”
“I told you I’d never go crazy over money! Why the fuck are you bringing up something that’s already settled!”
“I-I’m sorry. I just… I thought I should…”
The words leaving my mouth were imprecise due to severe trembling. My body was shaking as if I had been splashed Read on Read BL Novelswith visit our siteice water. Chu Gi-oh grit his teeth as he looked at me. He closed and opened his eyes slowly again, as if trying to control his emotions.
“I’m sorry for shouting, Min-jo. I’m not that much of a piece of trash. Did you think I’d ask you to pay the money back? Just because I swung an axe at that bastard Kang Moon-soo?”
“…No. I’m sorry. I think I s-said something stupid.”
“…”
“…”
After a long silence, he let out a sigh. He breathed heavily, as if frustrated.
“No, no. I’m the one who’s sorry. It was my fault for going wild without thinking straight; what fault could you possibly have? Come here. Let me hold you.”
Saying so, he pulled me into his embrace and rubbed my chilled back with his palms.
“I’ll never show you that side of me Read on Read BL Novelsagain. I can promise it if you want. I’ll write any pledge you want me to write.”
“…”
He held my cheeks with both hands. He scanned my face meticulously with eyes full of worry and asked softly.
“If I tell you to forget it, can you forget?”
“…”
When I couldn’t answer, he pressed his forehead against mine.
“Forget it. Please, really, forget it. Okay?”
“…”
“If it’s yes, say yes; if not, [stolen content]say no. Just give me some kind of answer. Don’t just stay quiet. Okay?”
“…”
“Ugh, fuck, Min-jo.”
The voice calling my name through gritted teeth was excessively anxious. He was so uneasy that he felt like someone other than Chu Gi-oh—like something terrified of being abandoned.
I had no choice but to say I understood. Even without his coercion, I wanted to forget.
“…Yes,” I answered, and he hugged me so tightly it felt like I might be crushed.
“I don’t know if you’ll believe me, but I’m not a person who goes crazy like that every day. I’m human too; how could I live seeing blood every day? If I lived like that, I’d have ended up in a mental hospital long ago.”
“…”
“Now I know you hate that kind of thing, and I’ll never—really, never—act like that in front [unauthorized copy]of you again. I’ll [unauthorized copy]shout less, and that… that axe thing, I’ll swing it less. There are human ways [unauthorized copy]to solve things, like through conversation. I’ll try to live like that too! Really, I mean it!”
“…”
Chu Gi-oh held me and pleaded until my body cooled and my jaw trembled.
“No matter what happens, do you really think I’d do that to you? Even if it kills me, I will never do that to you. If I ever do, fuck, I’ll just kill myself! I’ll leave this world without a second thought, really!”
No, this wasn’t a request; it was a plea. Thanks to Chu Gi-oh, I realized that such pleas existed in the world.
“Don’t be afraid of me. I’m begging you, Min-jo. I hate that more than seeing you cry. It feels like my heart is ripping apart and I can’t breathe. Okay? Okay?”
Only after I said “Yes” as many times as he shouted “Okay?” was I finally able to leave the bathroom and lie on the bed. As soon as I covered myself with the blanket, I heard a knock on the door followed by Du-jik’s voice.
“Hyung, I brought it.”
Chu Gi-oh, still naked, went to the door and took visit our sitestolen contentthe Cheongsimhwan. He whispered something to Du-jik, closed the door, and returned to my side.
“Open.”
Immediately, a Cheongsimhwan pill was placed in my mouth.
“Chew it thoroughly. Take this and sleep today, and tomorrow I’ll prick your finger for you. That’ll make it a bit better.”
“P-prick my…?”
He gave a short nod and urged me to eat the pill first. I thought people only pricked their fingers when they had indigestion, but it seemed they did it when they were severely shocked as well.
I chewed and swallowed the medicine as instructed. The smell of herbal medicine filled my mouth. My mother used to split a pill into quarters because it was expensive, but thanks to Chu Gi-oh, I ate a whole one. I wondered if, from my mother’s perspective, this meant I had become successful and climbed the social ladder. Even without the Cheongsimhwan, if she heard through Kim Jeong-suk that I had paid off all his debts, she would surely…
“Is your mouth dry? Want me to get you a glass of water?”
His gentle voice broke my train of thought. Escaping the dirty reflections, I answered quickly.
“P-please do.”
“…”
I knew why he was silent. It was likely because of my stiff tone. Moreover, I was stuttering.
“…Wait here.”
There were nightstands on both sides of the bed, and there were two lamps following them. Chu Gi-oh turned on the lamp on my side, turned off the main light in the room, and stepped out.
As the darkness settled softly, I felt my heart calm down a bit. It might have been the effect of the medicine.
After a while, he returned with water, lifted me up, and held the cup to my lips. I felt like a patient with a terminal illness. When I tried to take the cup and drink, he told me to stay still, saying he would do it. The man who had been so terrifying was now tending to me with an almost burdensome level of kindness.
Only after finishing the water did the thought cross my mind visit our sitethat he might have mixed something in. As I Read on Read BL Novelsglanced at the bottom of the cup on the nightstand, he noticed my thoughts as if he were a ghost and spoke from beside me.
“Nothing’s in it.”
“…Ah.”
“I didn’t have anything at home to mix in, but should I tell him to bring some if you want? Want a drink before you sleep?”
“N-no. I’m fine.”
“…”
Standing beside me and staring down at me, he finally turned away after a long time. He didn’t leave the room but circled the bed and lay down beside me. I was immediately pulled into a pillow-arm, embraced by Chu Gi-oh’s chest, which felt as wide as the bed we were lying on.
“Sleep. I’ll lull you to sleep.”
I could hear his heart beating loudly. Embraced by him, I repeatedly blinked my eyes open and shut. [unauthorized copy]Time flowed quietly and slowly.
I didn’t know how I fell asleep. When I jolted awake, the warm glow of the bulb was gone, and the room had turned bluish, as it does just before dawn. I was still in Chu Gi-oh’s arms. When I looked up, he was staring down at me. I thought he was asleep, but meeting his wide-open eyes surprised me, and my body flinched again. It was a miracle I didn’t scream.
“Why… why aren’t you s-sleeping…?”
“I did. I just woke up right after you.”
“…”
“I said I slept.”
Liar. Those were not the eyes of someone who had just woken up.
Having gone through that ordeal, there was no way I had slept peacefully; I must have groaned or flinched like before. Because of me, he probably couldn’t sleep even if he wanted to.
“I guess I can’t even lie to you anymore.”
He said with a smirk.
“I liked looking at your face more than sleeping, so I stayed awake. That’s my joy. My joy. What’s the big deal if I miss one night of sleep? It’s not like I’ll die.”
“…”
“Alright, I’ll sleep. You sleep more too.”
Following a soft sigh, the arms holding me tightened. He practically shoved me into his chest and suddenly leaned down to kiss me. He parted my lips, pushed his tongue in, and pressed his lower body against mine, rubbing roughly. He pressed his engorged member against my body.
Barely pulling my lips away, I managed to say, “C-CEO,” and he panted.
“I won’t. I’ll just do it for a bit, then I’ll stop on my own. I definitely won’t put it in.”
Despite his words, he tapped his erect member against my crotch.
Through the explicit action, his heat naturally transferred to my body. My own member, which had been limp, gradually began to harden. Separate from the fact that he felt terrifying, my lower half grew relentlessly.
“Hng…”
“Fuck…”
I felt my face grow hot with embarrassment at the blatant physical reaction. Until a moment ago, I had been trembling in shock, but now my dick was standing as soon as he touched me; even I found myself absurd.
Noticing that I had an erection, he stopped his movements. He buried his nose in the crown of my head and laughed softly. It was a laugh that sounded somewhat relieved. He must have thought that because of the shock from earlier, I wouldn’t be able to get hard for him.
“Alright, I’ll stop.”
He rubbed his face against the top of my head. “Let’s sleep, let’s sleep,” he murmured, pressing his erect member firmly against my body and letting out a groan like a growling tiger. After a while, there was no movement, only the sound of heavy breathing.
Judging by the violent beating of his heart, he wouldn’t be able to fall asleep [stolen content]this [stolen content]time either. Perhaps I wouldn’t either.
Listening to his intense heartbeat, which felt like it was racing in my own ear, I closed my eyes and thought. The one who ran wild with an axe was Chu Gi-oh, and the one holding me while suppressing his excitement was also Chu Gi-oh. He had never been different from the start. Therefore, I just had to see him as he was.
When I opened my eyes late, I could hear voices coming from somewhere. They were coming from beyond the slightly open bedroom door.
“I came to see if something happened, and I see a g-ood sight. Did you take the Cheongsimhwan just to do that? Waking people up from their sleep?”
It was a woman’s voice. At the same time I was surprised, Chu Gi-oh’s low, flat voice followed quietly.
“Didn’t I tell you to call me if you’re curious! What do you mean, just bursting through the bedroom door like that? Huh?”
“Who is it? Let me see the face.”
“What for? Noona, just go back to your own house!”
“What do you mean what for! I’m gonna grab them and make you marry!”
“I’ll handle that myself, so where are you going now? Get back here!”
As soon as Chu Gi-oh finished speaking, the door burst open and someone stormed in. Through the gap in the blanket, I saw a woman. She had a short cut tucked behind her ears and a build like a volleyball player; she looked to be about 180cm tall. Her thick eyebrows and fierce, wide eyes immediately reminded me of Chu Gi-oh. Just as I wondered, the blanket covering me was suddenly ripped away.
“What is this?”
…Oh no.
A chill blew in as my naked body was completely exposed. The woman, who had boldly pulled back the blanket, froze for a moment upon seeing my flat chest. Lying there, I awkwardly smiled while covering only my center. “H-hello…” At that moment, Chu Gi-oh’s shout roared like thunder.
“Has this woman gone senile! What are you doing to someone else’s wife!”
With that, Chu Gi-oh hurriedly grabbed the blanket and covered my body. He pulled the woman behind him and looked at me with a troubled face.
“You just stay lying down. I’ll handle everything.”
The woman murmured from behind Chu Gi-oh, “What, wife?” And in the next moment, she used her hip to push Chu Gi-oh away violently and stood right in front of me, as if she were about to jump onto the bed. The way she scanned my face looked like someone who had just heard something incredibly absurd. Well, it was understandable, since a man, not a woman, was lying flat on the bed.
Suddenly, the woman’s expression turned vicious. She must be conservative. I prepared myself to be grabbed by the hair, expecting to lose some patches of scalp, but then a scene unfolded that I couldn’t believe even with my own eyes. The woman turned and grabbed Chu Gi-oh’s neck with one hand, shoving him brutally against the wall.
“What’s wrong with you? Hey, what’s wrong with you?”
Surprisingly, Chu Gi-oh was being pushed helplessly, his neck held by the woman. He shouted low, glancing at me.
“He’s watching! Have some fucking shame!”
Regardless, the woman pressed her face close to him, as if she were about to dive through his mouth. Not stopping there, she grabbed the lamp from the nightstand and held it up beside her head.
“I won’t ask twice. If you don’t speak clearly, your skull is getting cracked right now. Now, how old are you?”
“Coming in since early morning, really, this…!”
“Are you not going to answer!”
“Huu. Fuck.”
His neck still held, Chu Gi-oh roughly swept back his hair. He let out a breath like he was spitting out phlegm and replied to the woman with a ‘here we go again’ expression.
“I’ve eaten enough of that. I’m not a kid.”
“If you don’t tell me, I’m cutting off your dick!”
“Hey now, what are you talking about! What’s a dick to a grown brother! I’m already forty, forty! Please, let’s just live with some mutual respect, okay?”
Chu Gi-oh shouted in frustration and then stole another glance at me. The corners of his eyes were slightly red. He seemed embarrassed that the man who had been causing a chaotic scene with an axe until yesterday was now being held by the neck by a woman smaller than himself.
I slowly pulled the blanket over my head. I felt like I had seen something I wasn’t Read on Read BL Novelssupposed to. [unauthorized copy]Every single day of my life felt like a movie.
“You’re acting like this because you’ve eaten forty years! Have you no conscience?”
The woman tightened her grip and pushed Chu Gi-oh further against the wall. She handled him casually and shouted, as if the Chu Gi-oh that others trembled in fear of was nothing more than a toddler in a diaper.
“Why the hell are you bringing a brat like a middle-schooler to fuck with? Huh! Did you hear that taking cheongsimhwan(calming pill) makes your dick younger? You idiot, just take some viagra and do it according to your age! Stop trying weird things!”
“Ugh, Noona, please, just stop!”
I had been so preoccupied watching the two of them clash that I realized a crucial fact too late: the woman wasn’t questioning my gender, but my age. From her appearance to the way she thought, she was clearly the sibling of the man. If she weren’t, it would be a miracle of cosmic proportions.
Suddenly, the woman began to sniff the air. She set down the lamp she was holding and walked toward the bathroom, sniffing as if something were attached to her nose. A moment later, she emerged from the bathroom holding Chu Gi-oh’s blood-stained clothes. She slammed the dripping garments onto the floor and shouted.
“I knew it. You crazy bastard! Who the hell did you slice up yesterday? The smell of blood is vibrating through the whole damn place!”
“Don’t worry about it. Since when did I ever stop slicing people?”
Despite his nonchalant reply, Chu Gi-oh nodded toward me—where I was hiding under the blanket with only my eyes peeking out—trying to reassure me.
The woman let out a sharp breath and glared at Chu Gi-oh.
“You.”
Her long index finger, painted with black polish, jabbed hard into Chu Gi-oh’s chest.
“You used an axe in front of that kid, didn’t you? Is that why you took the calming pills—to give to a frightened child?”
“You know me well. Just keep thinking that.”
“Are you insane? Did your hobbies change?”
“It just happened that way. I didn’t intend to scare him, and I regret it a lot now. [unauthorized copy]Don’t say anything if you don’t know how I feel.”
Chu Gi-oh’s anger vanished for a moment as he answered seriously. Then, as if remembering something, he whipped his head toward me.
“Oh, right! Noona, since you’re here, make some porridge and prick some needles in his fingertips before you go. The kid saw so much blood that he was having convulsions at dawn. I couldn’t sleep a wink, thinking he was going to pass out.”
“You lunatic, why me? Take care of your own!”
“I know you came because you were worried. You’re going to get in a lot of trouble later, so please just do this for me. Huh? When do I ever ask my Noona for a favor like this?”
Though he didn’t actually bow, Chu Gi-oh was practically groveling. The woman brushed back her bangs with a hand stained by blood. She let out a sigh and, as if resigned, suppressed her temper.
Tsk-tsking, she turned toward me.
“My heart aches just looking at you. How did you end up worse than our Mu-gang?”
“Don’t compare me to that piece of [Read on Read BL Novels]human trash. That brat needs to be [stolen content]hit hard one of these days.”
“Stop talking nonsense. A uncle who calls his nephew human trash, and a son who’s constantly being interrogated because of his bad habits—they’re all the same in my eyes. Ugh, damn bastards. I can’t wait for them to die so I can stop seeing this mess.”
“Don’t be so harsh. I’m living with a clear head now.”
Chu Gi-oh replied to the fierce woman and flashed me a grin. It felt as if he were saying, ‘See, I get scolded a lot too.’ It was a very strange feeling. The terrifying man who sliced people with an axe had vanished, and in his place stood someone who looked like a mere teenager in my eyes.
Finally, the woman stood close to me. It was certain she was Chu Gi-oh’s sister, and it felt rude to keep hiding. I carefully stood up, covering my naked body with the blanket, and gave a polite bow.
“A-ah, hello.”
Her sharp impression made my heart thumping. It felt like a repeat of the day I first met Chu Gi-oh.
I expected her to keep scowling at me, but she didn’t. As soon as our eyes met, her harsh expression softened, and she even gave me a bright smile, revealing neat teeth.
“You were surprised because I just barged in, right?”
“…Pardon?”
A hand larger than mine gently lifted my chin.
“I never dreamed such a pretty thing would be inside this blanket. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have acted so recklessly. My temper is always the problem. Still, I wasn’t yelling at our cutie, so don’t mind what I said. That was all for that beast-like fellow behind me.”
“….”
“Anyway, I apologize. Sorry for being so aggressive, okay?”
“….”
Uh… I couldn’t answer. No words came out of my mouth. I could almost see a halo, the kind only a Buddha would have, behind her head.
The woman’s smile was incredibly cool. Despite her haphazardly thrown-on clothes and a completely bare face without a hint [stolen content]of makeup, she was so stunning that I felt like I could just stolen contentstand there with my mouth open and drool. I was momentarily smitten, and it took a while for me to regain my senses and respond.
“N-no, not at all. I’m the one who’s sorry.”
“Sorry for what?”
“….”
Chu Gi-oh watched us and rubbed his face with his hands in frustration. Now that I noticed, he seemed to have been in a rush, as he was wearing nothing but underwear. I could picture the scene when the woman had burst through the bedroom door. Chu Gi-oh must have been shocked to see her—who was essentially an intruder—but he likely moved quietly to avoid waking me.
The woman flashed another smile that could make anyone fall for her. Then, she placed her palm on my forehead and asked softly.
“How old are you? Tell me honestly. I won’t say a word.”
“I told you he’s a kid! Stop looking at him like he’s trash. I live by the rules too.”
Chu Gi-oh spoke with a scowl, but the woman ignored him completely, staring only at me. I grew anxious, fearing a fight might break out. [stolen content]The woman seemed to have a stronger personality than [stolen content]Chu Gi-oh, and I thought they would be evenly matched if they clashed, but still, she was a woman. I quickly stepped in and answered clearly so she wouldn’t have to ask twice.
“I am twenty-three. I’ve completed my mandatory military service. You don’t have to worry.”
Perhaps pleased by my polite answer, the woman raised an eyebrow slightly.
“Is that so?”
“Yes!”
“Well, let’s set the age aside then.”
This time, the woman placed her hand on the nape of my neck and asked.
“Are you and that guy close?”
“Pardon?”
“I’m asking if you and him are dating.”
“Uh… yes. I-I guess so…?”
At my words “I guess so,” Chu Gi-oh’s face crumpled. His expression said, ‘We promised to marry this autumn, and you say “I guess so”? Does this woman want to die?’ For a moment, the image of him holding an axe overlapped, and I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again. My heart sank.
“N-no, that’s not it. Not “I guess so,” but we are, we are dating. We see each other often. No, we see each other every day.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
“Then he must treat you well?”
“Y-yes. He treats me very well. He, he spends money on me, hugs me every day, and uh, also… his expressions of affection are so much that I can’t even keep up…. Yes.”
As I stammered out the words, Chu Gi-oh’s face instantly brightened with emotion. His expression shifted from ‘this damn woman’ to ‘fuck yes, that’s my wife.’
“I see….”
The woman wore a peculiar expression at my words. She looked skeptical, but she didn’t seem offended or displeased. On the contrary, she was smiling.
Nodding in acceptance, she removed her hand from me and straightened her posture.
“I was making such a racket that I’m late with my introductions. I’m Chu Gi-ok, Gi-oh’s Noona. Chu Gi-ok. What’s our cutie’s name?”
Was it the second day I met Chu Gi-oh? He had introduced himself in a similar way and asked for my name.
‘I’m Chu Gi-oh. This Gimun is my father’s name. Chu Gimun. What’s your name?’
Not only did they look identical, but even their way of speaking was the same. [stolen content]No matter how closely related they were by blood, could they really be this similar? If they had been the same gender, it would have been understandable, but since they were brother and sister, it was simply fascinating. Perhaps that was why my answer came out just as it had that day.
“M-my name is Min-jo. Woo Min-jo.”
“Min-jo. Woo Min-jo. The name rolls off the tongue, it’s a great name. I’ll be sure to remember it.”
Chu Gi-ok smiled as she spoke. Truly, it was a smile that could make a person’s heart race and then kill them in the end.
“So that means there’s a seventeen-year difference between you and our Gi-oh?”
“…That is correct.”
I barely managed to stop myself from saying I was sorry. The one who should be sorry wasn’t me, but ‘our Gi-oh.’ Because the one without a conscience was ‘our Gi-oh,’ not me.
Chu Gi-ok nodded with a look that suggested she didn’t mind.
“Just like the difference between you two, there’s a big difference between [stolen content]that guy and me. We’re twelve years apart.”
“Pardon? T-there’s that much of a difference…?”
I had thought the difference was at most two or three years, but to find out it was twelve—that meant the woman was over fifty.
“Why? Do I look like I’m lying?”
“It’s not that, it’s just that you—I mean, Ma’am—look so young….”
The flattering words slipped out by habit. Whether she perceived it as flattery or not, Chu Gi-ok laughed out loud. As she scanned my face once more, her gaze seemed to say, ‘Kid, you’re damn good at socializing.’
Chu Gi-oh, who had experienced this side of me many times, tapped Chu Gi-ok’s shoulder from behind and scowled.
“I need to pee. Stop talking and leave if you’re not going to prick his fingers.”
Regardless, Chu Gi-ok [unauthorized copy]focused only on me. She sat on the edge stolen contentof the bed and gripped my hand firmly.
“But you really are incredibly pretty. Looking at you up close, you’re almost like a girl. Are you sure you’re not a sissy?”
As she said this, she glanced down at my chest, which was covered by the blanket. She was likely just joking, but I lowered the blanket slightly to show my flat chest.
“I am sure. I am a man.”
Her eyes, which had been wandering over my chest, gradually moved toward my crotch hidden beneath the blanket. The intention was obvious, but I didn’t feel bad. She was already an ally to me.
Returning her gaze to my face, Chu Gi-ok suddenly let out a sigh. Her bright expression darkened slightly as she looked back at Chu Gi-oh.
“How great would it have been if our Mu-gang were born this pretty. Instead, she popped out a beast, not a human. He’s no different from that guy behind me. At least that one knows how to make money. What on earth should I do with my son, huh?”
Chu Gi-ok spoke loudly so Chu Gi-oh could hear, but when she asked, ‘What on earth should I do, huh?’ she looked at me again. A warm smile accompanied her warm hand as she touched my forehead.
“You said you were scared, and your face is pale [visit our site]as a ghost. You didn’t pee yourself in your sleep, did you? If I saw [visit our site]that, [unauthorized copy]I’d have definitely pissed myself.”
“…Yes, fortunately….”
To tell her the truth—‘Actually, I pissed myself right there on the spot’—would have been too much, as Chu Gi-ok was too cool a woman. Perhaps because I was a man, I didn’t want to show my pathetic side. Strictly speaking, it wasn’t a lie. I had pissed myself on the spot, but I hadn’t had an accident in the blanket while sleeping.
Only now, facing Chu Gi-ok, did I fully realize that, much like Ms. Jin, my ideal type seemed to be women with overwhelming charisma. I felt sorry for Chu Gi-oh, but it was certain, given how my heart raced every time she spoke. The short haircut with bangs precariously covering one eye, the thick eyebrows, the distinct T-zone and high bridge of the nose, and the sharp corners of her eyes that were like blades. Her clear skin and a firm jawline without a hint of sagging. She was so cool that I felt like shouting ‘Kaaa!’ even without drinking soju. In that moment, I felt incredibly envious of this son named Cha Mu-gang, whom I had never met.
Chu Gi-oh chuckled behind me. Since he knew exactly how I had spent yesterday, my words must have sounded ridiculous to him. My face grew hot, and when I looked at him, he suddenly turned serious as if he had never laughed and urged his sister.
“Aren’t you moving?”
Chu Gi-ok ignored her brother’s touch entirely and spoke to me, saying, “That’s a relief.”
“You took the calming pill before you slept, right?”
“Yes. Thanks to you… thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
“….”
The thought that she was so similar to Chu Gi-oh that it felt like I was looking at him wouldn’t leave me. As if reading my mind, she flicked the tip of my nose and laughed shortly. Even the habit of cutting off a laugh was exactly like Chu Gi-oh. No, since she was born first, did Chu Gi-oh take after her?
Chu Gi-ok looked intently into my eyes one last time and said, “You aren’t too shaken up.” She seemed to be someone with a lot of experience in this area. Then again, having Chu Gi-oh as a brother, she must have seen countless people collapse in shock or faint.
Getting up from the bed, Chu Gi-ok spoke to her brother.
“I’ll go home for a bit. There are no needles or rice here.”
“Come back quickly. I’m in a hurry.”
“A guy who’s in a hurry [stolen content]is showing off useless things in front of a visit our sitekid. [stolen content]Even if you don’t say it, you’re a Chu, a real Chu. Huh?”
“Can’t I just get scolded all at once later? I’ve already met my sister-in-law, so let’s just let today pass beautifully.”
I almost let out a cough of surprise at the word ‘sister-in-law,’ but Chu Gi-ok didn’t question it at all, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. She even replied, “Alright.” Watching the two of them, I began to wonder about their sense of normalcy, and I felt like I was the one becoming strange.
As she headed for the door, Chu Gi-ok looked back at her brother as if she had something left to say. Stepping toward Chu Gi-oh with her long legs, she thrust her face forward as if about to grab him by the collar.
“He’s even younger than Mu-gang. If I catch you not acting your age, I’ll slice your dick right off!”
“Yes, yes, I’ll give it to you without a word, so just take the balls too.”
Chu Gi-oh replied with a bored expression, as if this were a daily occurrence. Whether it was a family trait of having loud voices, though they might have been whispering, their embarrassing conversation reached my ears clearly. Dicks and balls. Was this truly a conversation between siblings? I couldn’t believe it even as I saw and heard it.
Even if I was the first person Chu Gi-oh had ever brought home, it seemed that treating each other like prey was their daily routine. I felt awkward watching this embarrassing yet entertaining spectacle for free. To think there was someone who could make Chu Gi-oh flounder. If there had been a donation box in front of me, I would have emptied my entire fortune into it.
I wondered if the thugs of Gimun knew what he looked like when he was being dragged around by stolen contentthe collar by his sister. Well, they probably stolen contentdid. A woman like Chu Gi-ok would already be the talk of Mugwang.
The simple fact that Chu Gi-oh had a family made my heart flutter for some reason. It felt as if I had confirmation that he was a human being just like me, and the shock I received yesterday seemed to subside. On the other hand, my body and mind trembled at the woman’s incredible charisma, which looked like it could deflect a cannonball with a bare hand. I even felt resentful that I wasn’t in my forties. Even if I were just in my late thirties. Caught up in such useless thoughts, I only realized later that Chu Gi-ok was a woman who had already married and had children.
After threatening Chu Gi-oh, Chu Gi-ok approached me and whispered in a low voice.
“If that guy hits you or tries to force you to do something, or if he acts like a piece of shit even a little bit, come running to me immediately. I live right across from here.”
“Ah….”
“I run a business, but I don’t have a habit of wandering around like him. I’m home most of the time, so if you feel your safety is threatened, come straight to me. I’ll do my best to protect you. Got it?”
I glanced at Chu Gi-oh, and he gave a slight nod as if telling me to do so.
“Yes. I will, I definitely will. Thank you.”
With Chu Gi-oh’s permission, I intentionally emphasized my answer. I was sincerely grateful [stolen content]that she said [stolen content]such things, and I found myself bowing instinctively.
Once the two of them disappeared from the room, the surroundings became so quiet that my ears felt muffled. Chu Gi-oh alone was enough to make my eardrums throb, but with two people who had swallowed firecrackers, it was a miracle my ears weren’t bleeding.
Now that I was alone, the words “Wow… what was that?” escaped my lips. I felt as if I had had a strange dream and a marvelous experience; my body was trembling, different from yesterday. I even found myself chuckling. I rubbed my eyes and pinched my skin to check if what I saw and heard was real, and since it hurt, it was clearly reality.
“You were really surprised, right? A machine gun from the crack of dawn, ugh. It’s not like we’re on a front line.”
Chu Gi-oh, returning after seeing off Chu Gi-ok, spoke while shaking his head in disgust. As he did, he locked the bedroom door tightly, as if ensuring that no one would ever dare open it again.
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