By Zephyria 
‘It’s foolish to get angry just to vent my feelings.’
Ahn Seo-myeong gathered his patience and suppressed his boiling emotions. ‘Okay, let’s not think about anything else. I just need to focus on Jae-eon right now.’
That was the right thing to do if he considered the priorities.
It was when Ahn Seo-myeong, who had regained his composure, was kneeling on one knee and concentrating on wiping his lower body.
“……Mi, I’m sorry.”
An unexpected apology was heard.
“I cou, couldn’t keep my promise.”
Ahn Seo-myeong’s busy hands stopped abruptly. He doubted his ears for a moment. What did he just say? What promise…… Ah? Ah, no way.
Ahn Seo-myeong’s lips trembled, then twisted crookedly. ‘Wow, hyung is really-. What am I to you, no, what kind of thought process is this?’ He wanted to grab him by the collar and yell at him to take care of his body instead of worrying about that damn promise, but Ahn Seo-myeong could only run his dry lips over his mouth and let out a weak laugh.
‘That damn promise.’
What was so great and important about that damn outing promise that you’re apologizing even in this situation? And why do I hate it so much, why am I so angry?
“Your body temperature is dropping, take off your clothes.”
Pretending not to hear him, Ahn Seo-myeong finally finished wiping his entire body and was about to get up. Just then, a drop of water flowed down Ki Jae-eon’s loose pants again. Ahn Seo-myeong frowned and muttered, “What?” He wiped it off again. But it flowed down again.
“……?”
Something was wrong.
‘Why only on the right leg?’
“…….”
Ahn Seo-myeong raised his head with a question.
At that moment, their eyes met, and when Ki Jae-eon flinched and slightly pulled his leg back.
Ahn Seo-myeong’s eyes changed.
“Wait a minute.”
“Ah, no-.”
“Wait. Don’t move!”
“Do, don’t…!”
Despite Ki Jae-eon’s protests, Ahn Seo-myeong moved. He threw the towel away roughly and groped Ki Jae-eon’s right leg. Ki Jae-eon was terrified as his white fingers touched the wet clothes here and there, and he struggled to pull his leg away. But it was no use. The strong touch was full of determination to find out. Eventually, the two men’s confrontation, which had turned into a physical fight, ended when Ki Jae-eon fell to the floor and Ahn Seo-myeong grabbed his leg. Heo- heok. Rough breaths mingled together.
“If I misunderstood, hit me. I’ll take it.”
Ahn Seo-myeong sat between Ki Jae-eon’s legs and reached for his waist. If this hadn’t happened, he wouldn’t have even dreamed of doing this.
“……Ha.”
Ahn Seo-myeong gritted his teeth at the touch that kept slipping because the clothes were wet or because he was trembling.
“Le, let go.”
Ki Jae-eon added weakly, struggling. It was a half-hearted voice. No, he seemed exhausted. Ahn Seo-myeong was convinced that his condition was not normal.
“I’m going to undress you now, don’t be hurt.”
“……!”
It was when he finally pulled down his pants as he intended.
‘What… is this.’
A crack appeared on Ahn Seo-myeong’s youthful face. His stern expression twisted as if he couldn’t believe it, denying reality.
Mutilation.
That was the right way to describe the wounds on his thigh.
Ahn Seo-myeong held his breath and carefully scanned the bumpy wounds. His thin fingers traced the wounds as if he were redrawing them.
‘He wasn’t attacked by a specter.’
He knew because he was an Exorcist too.
‘Who on earth…!’
The naturally angry heart suddenly faltered.
Because… it was Ki Jae-eon.
Who would dare to leave such wounds on his body?
To the man who was favored by God, the masterpiece of the Gi Clan.
‘There’s only one person who can do it.’
Ahn Seo-myeong creaked and raised his head.
‘The only person who can touch him.’
But that was too…….
‘Isn’t it cruel?’
Ahn Seo-myeong’s pupils shook violently.
But no matter how hard he racked his brain, that was the only answer in the circumstances.
Why.
Why on earth.
What drove him to this point?
“……It’s, it’s nothing.”
After a moment of silence, Ki Jae-eon pushed Ahn Seo-myeong away and got up, gathering himself.
‘It’s nothing?’ Ahn Seo-myeong let out a sigh of disbelief at Ki Jae-eon’s seemingly nonchalant appearance. How could this be nothing? He had literally mutilated his own body! Ahn Seo-myeong’s lips trembled. He had a lot to say, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it. He was afraid of hurting him for no reason. No, he was afraid of saying something he shouldn’t.
“…….”
Ahn Seo-myeong took a deep breath with his head turned. He pressed the inside of his cheek hard with his tongue and tried to regain his composure as much as possible. ‘Okay, let’s not get angry. Let’s understand. I don’t know how hyung felt when he did this kind of crazy thing. I don’t know. I can’t rashly-.’
“It’s, it’s okay-.”
“It’s not okay. It’s completely festered. Hyung, you didn’t even disinfect it properly, did you?”
Ah, I have to hold back.
The words came out.
“No, haa-.”
Ahn Seo-myeong fidgeted, repeatedly raising and lowering his hands meaninglessly.
“Hyung, right now, really…….”
‘This is really not okay.’ Ahn Seo-myeong swallowed the words that had risen to the tip of his throat and washed his face. The gesture of roughly rubbing his face was nothing but annoying. He was trying to forcibly resolve the negative emotions that needed to be released outside, so he naturally acted roughly.
‘I feel like I’m going crazy.’
He was confused whether the buzzing in his head was due to anger or sadness.
An unfamiliar sense of powerlessness brushed past his heart.
It wasn’t this bad with Bulgoechulsa or Poor little cutie. It was the first time he had ever felt so incompetent.
‘There’s nothing I can do.’
That was the most painful thing. The person he liked was in so much pain, but he didn’t have the power to solve it.
He felt like the sky was falling as he realized the reality in real time.
“I’ll go out and get so… ointment, no. Teacher, I’ll go get Teacher.”
Ki Jae-eon grabbed him as he turned to get help from a third party. But despite his urgent protests, Ahn Seo-myeong was persistent. ‘Don’t try to gloss over it. You need to get proper treatment.’
“Really… Ah, you don’t have to go. This much is fi, fine.”
“What do you mean it’s fine? No way. At least some anti-inflammatory-.”
“I said I don’t need it!”
Unexpectedly sharp and heavy bass cut through the air.
“……Hyung?”
Ahn Seo-myeong’s eyes widened at Ki Jae-eon’s shout. He looked like a child who was being scolded for the first time in his life.
It was surprising.
Ki Jae-eon rarely got angry.
He was a person who was seemingly kind but cold, seemingly soft but rational.
Of course, he sometimes showed extreme emotional instability, but that was only limited to specters.
“Why wo, won’t you listen? I, I said I’m fine, why… why do you keep, heok, why…… Just, just…….”
“Hyung?”
“Do, don’t mind me. What if you di, die? I, I said I’ll take care of e, everything! Just stay, stay still. Please, please!”
Ki Jae-eon shouted like he was having a seizure. He even tore at his hair and rolled his eyes, not knowing what to do.
He was in a complete panic.
“Haa, heok-!”
Judging from the fact that he was gasping for breath more and more as time went by, he seemed to be hyperventilating. Ahn Seo-myeong quickly came to his senses at the sight of his pale face. He shook off the hand that was holding his wrist and quickly grabbed Ki Jae-eon’s head. His face was wet with a liquid that was either water or sweat. He shouted, ‘Hyung, hyung!’ but Ki Jae-eon didn’t understand. He was trembling and had already lost his mind. It was because all the stress and emotions had overheated and devoured him. Like children who cry and cry- and can’t control their crying and end up almost running out of breath.
‘He’s…… suffocating!’
Ahn Seo-myeong rolled his eyes and looked around. But there were no empty bags.
There was no time to gather his hands and regulate his breathing.
It was truly a desperate situation.
‘Shit, what do I do? What do I do.’
It was at that moment that his heart became more urgent.
The moment he met those black eyes that seemed to have given up everything.
‘There’s only me.’
Only that thought dominated his mind.
Only he could save him.
“……Eup!”
Ahn Seo-myeong stood on tiptoe and pressed his lips against Ki Jae-eon’s.