2.2 Trajectory of Light (1)
“Wow… Gwak Chun-young is a total fucking pervert, isn’t he?”
A short while later, meeting again at the entrance of the village, Yoo Jeong-ham clicked his tongue as he examined the object Gye Do-hyeop had handed him.
Yoo Jeong-ham had let out a cheer the moment he heard the ledger had been found. He was thrilled at the prospect of escaping the grueling bullshit he had to endure under No Pil-gyu, but Gye Do-hyeop had shot him a look of disdain and snapped at him to stop acting out. Until then, he had dismissed it as his boss’s usual temper, but now that he actually held the object, he realized it wasn’t something to be so giddy about.
“Hmm…”
Yoo Jeong-ham let out a long sigh. The object Geum Seoul had found in the shower was barely half the size of an index finger. It was a thin rectangular block with a circular hole in the center, and a piece of transparent glass was fitted into that hole.
“It’s designed so it can’t be opened easily, right?”
“Yeah. Find out what kind of device it is.”
Indeed, a man like Gwak Chun-young wouldn’t just leave an visit our siteimportant ledger lying around carelessly. Since they couldn’t even guess how to open it, they had to unauthorized copytake it back to headquarters to investigate further. For now, they had to be satisfied with the fact that it was in their hands.
“If you’re heading straight back to headquarters, I’ll report it.”
Gye Do-hyeop nodded and slipped the ledger into his pocket. He picked up the helmet resting on his bike and turned around, only to see Geum Seoul standing a few paces away, rummaging through a pocket. After watching him stand there instead of coming over, Gye Do-hyeop widened his stride and stepped in front of him.
“What. Did you bring something?”
“Ah, yes.”
As soon as Geum Seoul had washed his hands and left the shower, he had headed back to the room under the stairs where he had been staying. The blanket, which looked clean as if others had already used it, was covered in mysterious stains. Despite that, Geum Seoul had diligently lifted the mattress and rummaged underneath it.
“This.”
The closed fist Geum Seoul held out to Gye Do-hyeop opened. Money lay upon it. Three banknotes. A handful of coins of various denominations. It was a pittance—the kind of change one might find by scraping the bottom of a vending machine—but it was likely Geum Seoul’s entire life savings. That must have been why he had curled up like a hamster to search under the mattress.
“Are you bragging about your fortune?”
It was cute. The fact that he was showing this off as something he had saved. Gye Do-hyeop let out a short laugh, but Geum Seoul’s brown eyes rolled roundly, as if that hadn’t been his intention. Then, with a very quiet gesture, he took Gye Do-hyeop’s hand and placed the money on it. The coins were quite heavy, but on Gye Do-hyeop’s large palm, they didn’t even amount to a full handful.
“This is for the makeup you gave me, and the clothes. And the sneakers…”
As he began to speak, Gye Do-hyeop’s eyebrows twitched and froze. He grasped the intention behind Geum Seoul’s words.
“And for the food you gave me while I was there. I can’t give you everything, but this is all I’ve saved…”
The warmth vanished instantly from the face that had been smiling ever since Gye Do-hyeop had seen him today. Watching his boss from slightly behind, Yoo Jeong-ham barely managed to close his gaping mouth and turned away. He realized that this was the reason for the anxiety Geum Seoul had shown on the way here.
Glancing at Gye Do-hyeop, Geum Seoul was also aware of his stiff expression. Intimidated by the cold look, his voice trailed off and he cautiously gauged the reaction, but he had to say what he wanted to say. Because this would likely be the last moment he would see the man.
“Thank you. Goodbye.”
He really wanted to say goodbye. When the man had left the neighborhood before, it had been so sudden that he couldn’t say goodbye, and he had thought about it [visit our site]from time to time. So, he had vowed that this time, he would definitely say goodbye when they parted after arriving here. Geum Seoul gathered his [unauthorized copy]courage and clenched his fists. He peeked. One corner of the man’s mouth curled up. But it wasn’t a light smile like before. He scratched his eyebrow with his index finger, as if he found the situation absurd.
“Ah. So you’re saying you’ll stay here?”
Geum Seoul, his focus drifting in the air, nodded. In truth, he didn’t understand why the man was asking back like that. This was where he had originally lived, and while he had lived there for a while with the man’s help, he couldn’t rely on him for the rest of his life. Park Gil-pyeong was no longer in this neighborhood, and the man had found what he wanted. There was nothing left to be uneasy about. Of course, he felt a sense of regret. But that wasn’t a reason to stay with the man.
“Ha.”
Gye Do-hyeop let out a scoff.
“You’ll stay here… You’re going to crawl back into that piece of shit building that smells like food waste and attracts flies, so you’re telling me to fuck off alone right now.”
This little shit. As if he couldn’t believe Geum Seoul’s words, Gye Do-hyeop kept muttering with a hollow laugh. He felt as if his head was throbbing from the sheer absurdity of it. He scanned him to see if the kid was playing with him, but the face—trembling with fear and fidgeting with fingers—was purely innocent, devoid of any ulterior motive. Gye Do-hyeop stood askew with his arms crossed, scanning the purely audacious brat before him. This kid is basically telling me to eat him and throw him away.
If he asked, ‘Why do you want to stay here?’, he felt that the plump, erotic lips would simply flip the question back with something like, ‘Because this is where I lived?’ If he could give a lecture to the people who tried so hard to get under his skin, he could make a fortune. He was so bewildered that all sorts of thoughts crossed his mind.
“Ah, I’m planning to go somewhere else too. Since there are no people here, [visit our site]maybe the next neighborhood over…”
Look at this. He babbles on, thinking he’s worrying about his own future without even knowing what’s going through the man’s head. Gye Do-hyeop’s thick eyebrows slanted.
He had never met this type of person in his life, so he didn’t even know where or how to begin dealing with him. There were plenty of kids who would understand and fuck off if he just slapped them or spat out some abuse, but Geum Seoul was too tightly wound for that to work. Even now, he was rolling his tongue in his mouth, carefully choosing his words. Gye Do-hyeop worried that if he spat out a curse, those shoulders would shrink even further.
“Let’s say it takes a week to get to the next neighborhood. What are you going to do there?”
That was the best he could do. Gye Do-hyeop barely managed a soothing tone. Usually, when persuading a terrorist who had taken hostages, Gye Do-hyeop’s voice was much softer and more excellent. But now, that polished voice wouldn’t come out. It was an output error.
“…….”
Geum Seoul fell silent. It was true that the future was bleak. When he first settled here, his mother had been with him. This meant it was his first time trying to establish himself alone somewhere. But it was something he had to do anyway. He could sleep in one of the many abandoned houses that was decent enough to lie down in and do errands every day. A day or two would soon become ten days, then a month, and he could just live like he was doing now. That was what Geum Seoul was thinking.
Gye Do-hyeop, who seemed to read right through his thoughts, let out a sigh. In a neighborhood where everyone already knew his face, a life with a backer like Park Gil-pyeong—as shitty as it was—was actually less risky. To move to a new neighborhood now… who knows what kind of crazy bastard might come at him with eyes wide open.
“If you’re going to go somewhere else to do errands, do them at my house.”
“…What?”
Geum Seoul’s eyes widened.
“What’s the current market price for that body of yours?”
Swallowing a curse, Gye Do-hyeop pulled Geum Seoul’s wrist again. He forced the white palm open and poured the meager change back into it.
“Down payment.”
“…….”
Seeing him hand over this tiny amount as his entire fortune, it seemed the electronic wallet Gye Do-hyeop had put the errand money into wasn’t in his possession. Where the fuck do I even start teaching this kid? Enduring a bitter patience he had never felt before, Gye Do-hyeop held out the helmet.
“Are you coming or not?”
If Geum Seoul said he wouldn’t come. Then would I just have to leave him here? A brief thought flashed. It wasn’t something to be forced. It’s not like he was going to lock him in a room and make him live as a cum-dumpster, just fucking him endlessly.
Wait, why wouldn’t that work? He’d probably end up as a male whore taking dicks in some other neighborhood anyway. It’d be better if I fucked him hundreds, thousands of times. Just as a dark thought began to creep through the gaps in Gye Do-hyeop’s ribs, his mood twisting.
Tock.
Geum Seoul reached out with both hands and took the helmet. A look of determination appeared on his clear face. Those white and red features carved themselves into Gye Do-hyeop’s dark inner thoughts.
“…I’ll go.”
“As you should.”
As he spoke, he lightly pinched and released Geum Seoul’s soft cheek with his thumb and index finger. Even at such a small touch, Geum Seoul blushed, dropping his mournful eyelashes. Should I just shove this kid in my mouth and chew him up? While thinking such things, Gye Do-hyeop finally leaned down. Geum Seoul, who was tidying the small change into his pants pocket, let out a short “Ah!” because Gye Do-hyeop had suddenly bitten and chewed his shoulder.
“Fuck, I’ll deal with you once we get to Seoul.”
He didn’t bother saying that this absurdity should be paid back with his body later. He thought about how he would strip him naked the moment he got home from work and bite, suck, and lick every toe and finger until he was soaking wet, and sweet saliva pooled in his mouth. What the fuck is happening. Blaming it all on Geum Seoul, he climbed onto the bike.
Following behind, Geum Seoul rubbed his shoulder vigorously and climbed on, wrapping his arms tightly around Gye Do-hyeop’s waist, and the irritation began to melt away damply. The thought of thrusting his tongue into Geum Seoul’s plump hole. Geum Seoul whimpering. Geum Seoul crying and dropping white gemstones.
The bike soon cut through the hot summer air and began to descend along the road. This time, the speed increased significantly. It was a kind of venting of frustration because he was annoyed, but thanks to the arms tightly hugging his waist, the speed slowed down again by the time they arrived. Gye Do-hyeop smiled. The refreshing scent clinging to his face wasn’t coming from the vulture-like hills, but from Geum Seoul right behind his back. He realized that his headache had vanished quite some time ago.
Knock, knock.
At the sound of the knocking, Gye Do-hyeop, who had been sitting crookedly looking at a monitor floating in the air, looked up. It was already nearing evening, but in the windowless office of the deputy director, not a single ray of light entered, making it hard to gauge the time. The person entering was Yoo Jeong-ham. He was only showing his face now because he had been analyzing the ledger immediately after dropping Geum Seoul off at home and coming to work.
“Speak.”
“I think if we try to force it open even a little, all the memory will be wiped.”
“You think?”
“…It will be wiped.”
Gye Do-hyeop, who loathed the use of speculative predicates, withdrew his cold gaze. The square device was closed so precisely that not even a fingernail could fit in the gap. He lightly pressed the circular glass in the center with his thumb. If he applied just a bit of pressure to the fingertip, the glass would break immediately, and the important ledger would be completely wiped.
“The way to open it.”
“That’s, it’s a bit peculiar…”
Gye Do-hyeop didn’t have patience for a second time.
“Aw, fuck, did I hire you to hesitate? Are you a rice cooker?”
Faced with the ruthlessness of a boss who wouldn’t tolerate even this much of an introduction, Yoo Jeong-ham quickly shook his head.
“I’m sorry. There’s a sensor attached to the glass fitted in the center.”
The cold, sunken eyes landed on the thin rectangular block again. The material was like matte stainless steel, but the sensation felt each time he pressed it was slightly different. Seeing as there wasn’t a single scratch, it seemed to be some new material, but even X-ray scans showed only blackness, hiding the interior. What a cunning bastard. Watching with a precarious expression, fearing that Gye Do-hyeop might accidentally apply too much force and crush it all, Yoo Jeong-ham hurried to continue.
“But they say the sensor configuration is similar to a machine that appraises Gem Grades.”
Gye Do-hyeop tilted his chin. His thick eyebrows knit together slightly.
“So you’re saying a specific gemstone has to be placed here to read the ledger.”
“Yes. We need to investigate a bit more to find out exactly what the criteria are.”
It was the kind of idea a gemstone collector would have. Gye Do-hyeop let out a long sigh and handed the device back. Then, lowering his legs from the desk, he stood up. Normally, he would have stayed in the office until the results came out, but today he had to go home and meet his newly hired errand boy.
“Gather the kids who are good at stealing. I need to raid that son of a bitch’s house.”
“Yes. I’ll do that.”
“Ugh, fuck, I hate working.”
He looked like he was bored to death. Regardless, the bastard must have used a gemstone he owned as the key to the ledger. In the worst-case scenario, they would have to force a raid on his house. Since the risk was so high, it would be best if another method appeared before then. But seeing how those thug bastards clung together, a literal ’empty house’ raid was closer to a fantasy; it meant they would have to engage in an all-out war with them. He entered the elevator, looking at the back of Yoo Jeong-ham as he returned to his seat.
“Deputy Director, please go inside.”
“Do I know you? Don’t talk to me.”
Disgusted by the polite greeting from the lobby security team as they opened the building’s entrance, Gye Do-hyeop stepped down the wide stairs leading from the main gate. In the black sedan right in front of him, as always, there was no one to open the door; only the driver’s seat was occupied. As soon as he opened the back door and climbed in, the sedan moved smoothly along the road.
‘Thank you. Goodbye.’
At those words from Geum Seoul, he felt a surge of irritation as if the nape of his neck had been bitten. All alone, so fresh and mournful, under the scorching summer sun.
He knew Geum Seoul wasn’t the type of person who would shamelessly stolen contentnest in [unauthorized copy]his home. Come to think of it, he hadn’t clearly decided that he wanted to keep Geum Seoul living with him. Still, it was absurd that the boy had naturally assumed he would be left behind there.
They say this isn’t an era of weeping over pure love, but still, for Geum Seoul, he had been the first sexual partner. In that case, couldn’t he be a bit more clingy, have more thoughts, and hold some sort of expectation? To quickly take the first Dominant Alpha Pheromones he’d encountered in his life that weren’t repulsive and then immediately wash his hands of it—it gave Gye Do-hyeop a strange feeling of having been the one eaten and thrown away.
Tap. Tap.
The toe of his shoe tapped the front seat twice. It was a sign that he was in a bad mood. In times like this, the correct answer was to drop him off quickly and disappear from sight, so the subordinate holding the steering wheel pushed hard on the pedal. Even so, the heavy chassis, unwavering, cut through the darkness and sped along the wide road.
No Pil-gyu happened to be quiet today. He was the kind of bastard who would stick his nose into what his subordinates were doing the moment he had a bit of leisure, so the fact that he was unusually quiet and not looking for anyone meant he was busy moving on his own. And with a high probability, it meant he was causing some unbelievable accident. It would be great if he just stayed put and enjoyed his power before stepping down, but the problem was that he was uselessly full of strange convictions. He just needed to cut off that head first, and then he could drag out and clear away the other bastards he’d been eyeing.
He had spent months playing it safe and waiting for an opportunity, and after a whole year, he finally held the hilt of the sword. The transaction ledger between Gwak Chun-young and No Pil-gyu. If he could just extract the contents, he could wield it. A light murderous intent flashed in Gye Do-hyeop’s eyes at the thought of pressing the blade against No Pil-gyu’s greasy neck. A smile accompanied it.
Click.
Of course, before that, he intended to enjoy what he could enjoy. The car stopped without any recoil from the brakes. The driver, knowing his personality, kept his mouth shut, omitting even a simple greeting. Anyway, the man usually moved on his own even without being told he had arrived. Gye Do-hyeop’s stride widened slightly as he opened the door and stepped out.
Beep. Beep.
After pressing a few numbers and opening the front door, the faint pheromones spreading in the foyer barely allowed him to gauge a presence.
The living room, lit dimly by auxiliary lights to suit Gye Do-hyeop’s preferred brightness, was empty. Eight-thirty in the evening. The house, with windows covered by pitch-black curtains, was always dark, whether it was morning or night. Gye Do-hyeop took off the windbreaker he wore over his short-sleeved shirt, loosened his holster, and opened the master bedroom door. Empty. He moved further.
“Being a pain in the ass is his specialty.”
He muttered a curse into the air, his eyes narrowing. Geum Seoul was asleep in the bed of the small room. He seemed to have used that room from the first few days he was brought into the house and Gye Do-hyeop had been away. Even though he had been moved to the master bedroom the day after they fucked, he had ghost-like crawled back into the small room.
After confirming only the sound of steady breathing, Gye Do-hyeop silently closed the bedroom door. He intended to let him sleep a bit longer until he finished showering. It wouldn’t be too late to press him then. As he entered the bathroom, the warm lights turned on automatically.
While he was showering, a message from Yoo Jeong-ham had arrived. Contact after work was usually regarding something important. Gye Do-hyeop stepped out of the shower naked, a towel draped around his neck. His body cooled rapidly in the chilly air, a stark contrast to the hot steam. He took a bottle of cold water from the refrigerator to quench his thirst.
Plump.
As he sat on the sofa, he rubbed his dripping hair with the towel. He glanced toward the small room for a moment, but there were no signs of the other waking up. He picked up the tablet on the living room table and tapped the screen a visit our sitefew times; a blue [visit our site]and white hologram soon flickered into existence in the air. Yoo Jeong-ham’s voice accompanied it.
“Bring it up.”
The data appeared in an orderly fashion. If he were to suddenly scoop up the sleeping man and carry him into the master bedroom, would Geum Seoul wrap his arms around his neck? Or would he ask where they were going? Or perhaps, half-asleep and unable to fully wake, he wouldn’t even be able to open an eye. Gye Do-hyeop took another sip of water and was about to set the bottle down beside him when he reached further. What was that?
“…….”
A small, round gemstone was wedged in the narrow gap of the leather sofa. Likely a trace of their last sexual encounter. The memory of Geum Seoul’s pale skin, weeping as he cried beneath him, resurfaced, whetting his appetite.
“But.”
Wiping the fleeting smile from his face, Gye Do-hyeop asked as he rolled the gem in his palm.
He gave a vague nod. A gemstone collector’s strange perversion was understandable at that level. Grade A gemstones were treated as national treasures by the state. Since the one currently on display at the museum was a Grade 5, an A-4 was practically unheard of. Gye Do-hyeop leaned back and paused for a moment.
“Tell the technical team to find a way to open it without [visit our site]wiping the data. I’ll pull some strings overseas, so you get ready to ransack [Read on Read BL Novels]Gwak Chun-young’s house. You said the security in the exhibition hall there is fucking airtight.”
There were many countries that did not possess Grade A gemstones. While the probability of possession increased with larger landmasses and populations, such places often suffered from severe wealth inequality, meaning many never knew the grade of their own gemstones until the moment they died. For example, one country possessing three Grade A gemstones ranked among the wealthiest in the world. And currently, South Korea was not a country that possessed any Grade A gemstones.
And yet, Gwak Chun-young had one. Rather than searching for one externally, it was a better method to simply rob Gwak Chun-young and take what was in that house. The risk of searching everywhere for a gem and getting caught by No Pil-gyu was similar to the risk of intentionally raiding Gwak Chun-young.
While organizing his thoughts, Gye Do-hyeop picked up the gemstone he had been rolling in his hand and suddenly frowned. Was Geum Seoul’s gemstone originally this color?
“Hey.”
Stopping Yoo Jeong-ham before he could hang up, Gye Do-hyeop picked up the remote and brightened the living room lights. He hadn’t noticed because it had been too dark, but the gemstone from Geum Seoul in his palm had a faint, strangely pinkish hue. Had it been like that before?
“I’m going to scan a gemstone now, so check the grade.”
Gye Do-hyeop placed the small, grain-like gemstone on the tablet. A shimmering blue light drew a circle beneath it. While the data was being transmitted, Gye Do-hyeop called Yoo Jeong-ham again.
“You have Geum Seoul’s gemstone from back then, right?”
He nodded.
Beep.
A pop-up window appeared over the white hologram.
●
SYSTEM
Gemstone Appraisal Certificate
Appraisal Number:
GSR-079881LQ-P
Transparency:
T-3
Grade Classification:
D-2
Ignoring Yoo Jeong-ham’s question entirely, Gye Do-hyeop found a file and displayed it right next to the result. It was Geum Seoul’s previous gemstone appraisal certificate, which he had picked up in that neighborhood.
●
SYSTEM
Gemstone Appraisal Certificate
Appraisal Number:
GSR-066192LX-J
Transparency:
X-1
Grade Classification:
D-10
“…Now this makes sense.”
Laughter escaped Gye Do-hyeop’s lips. Of course, there were some fluctuations in gemstone levels unauthorized copydepending on [unauthorized copy]the Omega’s condition, but even then, it usually only fluctuated by about three levels. A jump of eight levels in such a short time was something he had never heard of. Leaving Yoo Jeong-ham still waiting for an explanation, Gye Do-hyeop eventually burst into loud laughter, throwing his head back. As expected, Geum Seoul was entertaining him again today.
“I’ve never been to a hospital before….”
“It’s just a simple examination. We’ll just draw a little blood and take a few photos.”
The next morning, Geum Seoul followed Yoo Jeong-ham into a large hospital. The tension he had subtly shown on the way seemed to vanish the moment he stood before the white, gleaming building; his brown eyes darted around, busy taking in the sights.
The grey ball cap Geum Seoul wore was due to Yoo Jeong-ham’s suggestion that he should at least cover himself, if not in full disguise. Because his face was covered, his field of vision was restricted, forcing Seoul to tilt his chin up occasionally to look around the hospital.
The lobby was crowded. While the size and quality of the building were surprising, the people sitting here and there were even more fascinating. People go to the hospital when they are sick. It was a natural thing, but for Geum Seoul, even visiting a public health center regularly was a luxury. There was no such thing as a health center in the neighborhood where he lived. He occasionally received routine check-ups when volunteers came around, but that usually just meant getting medicine or an injection. Even that happened only once every few years, so he usually had to buy them with money earned from errands and administer them himself.
“This way, please.”
Following Yoo Jeong-ham through a thin, opaque semi-automatic door, he found that there were no people there. Moreover, the atmosphere was different. The lobby had been white and sparkling, but here, there were warm lights, luxurious chestnut-colored sofas, and soft music he had never heard before. Geum Seoul unconsciously hunched his shoulders slightly.
“I heard this music is good for stabilizing pheromones, though you might not recognize it.”
A voice came from one side. Geum Seoul quickly turned his head.
“Welcome. We’ve been expecting you.”
A person in a white coat stood behind the desk, smiling softly. Introducing himself as Oh Ga-on, he said he was the director of this Bio-Medical Center.
“This place is the best in the country for pheromones and trait-related issues.”
Pride filled Oh Ga-on’s face at Yoo Jeong-ham’s explanation. Geum Seoul nodded, feeling he had to respond somehow, but the tension didn’t dissipate. Nevertheless, the director remained consistently kind and provided detailed guidance.
As they walked down the long corridor, the director incessantly listed how deep the hospital’s history was, what state-of-the-art medical equipment they used, and how hard they worked to produce excellent medical staff, finally ending with a “Please take good care of us.” Geum Seoul was bewildered, and Yoo Jeong-ham smiled awkwardly.
First, they entered a nearby room and he lay down on a portable bed. When asked if he could lift his top, he obediently pulled it up to his chin, and a semi-circular tube pressed down on his upper body before lifting away.
“And we’ll draw blood here. Please come this way.”
Geum Seoul tidied his clothes, diligently put his shoes back on, and stepped off the bed. It wasn’t far; it was the room right next door. Since blood is usually drawn from the inside of the arm, he gently pulled back his sleeve and entered the open door. However, Geum Seoul’s eyes widened. In the large room, Gye Do-hyeop was sitting crookedly on a sofa. He had zipped his anorak up to his chin and leaned his upper body far back, almost lying down.
“…Oh? You were here?”
“A while ago. What’s with the hat? It’s eating up your whole face.”
“Ah. I was told to wear this….”
Gye Do-hyeop gave a slight tilt of his head toward Yoo Jeong-ham.
“What the fuck did this bastard say to you?”
“No? It wasn’t ‘the fuck’….”
Unlike Yoo Jeong-ham, whose face [visit our site]looked [visit our site]half-rotten, Geum Seoul’s unauthorized copyface showed signs of gladness as he approached Gye Do-hyeop.
Honestly, Yoo Jeong-ham liked his job. He felt a sense of accomplishment and believed he had a certain level of talent, though perhaps not as much as his boss. That’s why he quite enjoyed frequent overtime; the biggest condition for that was his boss leaving early. As long as Gye Do-hyeop left on time, he could pull all-nighters for days.
However, last night, the terrifying event occurred where Gye Do-hyeop actually left work and then returned to the office. He then checked how the grade of a gemstone from one person could differ so much, whether there were any such records, and if there were any errors in the two appraisals—the previous one and the current one.
Setting aside how agonizing that dawn was, it was a story Yoo Jeong-ham had also never heard before. Even after bringing both the previous and current gemstones and re-appraising them in the machine, the conclusion was the same. In fact, Yoo Jeong-ham had asked Gye Do-hyeop, ‘Isn’t it possible this gemstone isn’t Geum Seoul’s but someone else’s?’, only to be showered with insulting remarks starting with, ‘Oh, fuck, if you’re going to say something so pathetic, just stay home and—’.
Of course, since the component test verified that both gemstones belonged to one person, it was indeed a stupid question. That was why Yoo Jeong-ham’s face looked particularly exhausted today.
He had checked every case reported to academia up until this morning, but there was no instance of a level change as significant as Geum Seoul’s. A change of up to 3 levels was the most common, and he had found a British topic from about 15 years ago regarding a Jewel Omega whose gemstone rose by 4 levels. That was it.
“Now, may we proceed with the blood test?”
At the director’s words, Gye Do-hyeop nodded, and Geum Seoul sat obediently in the designated spot and extended his arm as instructed. As soon as the director opened the door, a nurse entered as if she had been waiting and sat opposite Geum Seoul.
There was only one person being tested, but there were three people standing behind him. While Geum Seoul glanced [stolen content]back and bit Read on Read BL Novelshis lip, the nurse [stolen content]moved her hands, staring only at the crook of Geum Seoul’s arm. It was as if she had been ordered never to lift her head. Meanwhile, the director, who had moved to the side, asked softly.
“I heard that your only trait examination was via a kit. Is that correct?”
“Yes. A little while ago.”
He thought they would ask something more, but the conversation cut off abruptly. While Geum Seoul was bewildered, the nurse, having filled the collection tube, pressed the inside of his arm to stop the bleeding and quickly left, followed by Yoo Jeong-ham. As soon as the door clicked shut, the director spoke again.
“Then how have you managed your pheromones until now? Injections or medication.”
As he spoke, he pointed to the sofa as if telling him to sit comfortably, while he himself sat on an uncomfortable mobile chair without a backrest. Geum Seoul was momentarily flustered, but Gye Do-hyeop lightly wrapped an arm around his waist and sat him down beside him. He then pressed down on the small, round bandage on the crook of his arm. His brown eyes lingered there for a moment.
“In the neighborhood, there was a man who sold those things. I took medicine, or asked for injections….”
“Hmm. Do you not remember the names of the medicine or the injection fluid?”
“I’m not sure about that….”
Since he had a life with nothing to hide, he just took whatever injections and medicine he was given. He was about to say he didn’t remember, but Gye Do-hyeop’s palm, which had been pressing the crook of his arm, slid down to grip Geum Seoul’s forearm. Their eyes met. He didn’t say it, but he could just tell. He was telling him to try and remember.
Only then did Geum Seoul slowly cast his eyes into the air. The room fell silent for a moment. He fumbled through his memories. White paper and transparent plastic. The injection fluid inside. Blue letters on a white label.
“One of them, I think it said, Ferovan. The injection.”
“Ah. If it’s that, it’s the kind the public health centers distribute for free. The cycle is short, but it’s a safe drug.”
Selling a drug that the health center gives away for free for fucking money? While Gye Do-hyeop swallowed his disgust, the expressionless Geum Seoul mentioned two more drug names. Among them, the only stable one was the Ferovan he had mentioned first. Oh Ga-on tapped his keyboard, saying he had never heard of the other two.
Beep. Beep.
“Ah. It looks like the results are out. I’ll explain after reviewing them.”
When the director pressed the button on the machine in the corner visit our siteof the room to turn it on, a white screen appeared on one [Read on Read BL Novels]wall. Seoul, reading at a slow pace, tilted his head slightly, but it was Gye Do-hyeop whose expression changed first.
Thud.
As he stood up, narrowing one eye, Geum Seoul’s head followed, tilting far back. The man’s gaze, scanning the screen quickly, stopped at the listed numbers.
“Dominant?”
“Uh, yes. It seems so.”
“Why didn’t it show up on the kit?”
Geum Seoul, not understanding what was happening, only looked back and forth between the two people having a serious conversation in front of the screen.
“Usually, when dividing into Dominant, Recessive, or Common, we quantify it by taking a weighted average of various indicators such as pheromone secretion index, reaction sensitivity, cycle stability, and genetics.”
“But.”
“Everything else is at a Dominant level, but the pheromone secretion index is remarkably low. 80 or above is Dominant, 30 or below is Recessive, and currently, Mr. Geum Seoul’s index is….”
“4.”
“Yes.”
A flash of interest filled his pitch-black eyes, and his lips curved into an arc.
“Send this to me and destroy everything else.”
“Since it was received separately in the first place, it’s gone once I delete it here.”
“Hmm.”
Now it all started to make sense. The scent of Geum Seoul’s pheromones that only he, a Dominant Alpha, could handle, and Geum Seoul’s reaction of being disgusted by the pheromones of a Common Alpha. As the document disappeared from the screen, Gye Do-hyeop turned around. Geum Seoul was still sitting stiffly, blinking his round eyes [visit our site]with the ball cap serving as an eaves. It was as if he were listening to a story about someone else.
Gye Do-hyeop did not doubt that Geum Seoul knew nothing about himself. Just as the tedious fact that wealth is passed down through bloodlines, poverty was the same. Geum Seoul must have inherited his poverty from his parents, and although they might have gauged his value due to his unusual appearance, they likely never let him receive a proper examination. With a smirk, he approached and sat beside him again. While he admired the obvious tension in Geum Seoul’s posture, which contrasted with his soft cheeks, Oh Ga-on continued.
“As the Deputy Director knows, usually trait values are either all high or all low, so this is the first time I’ve seen a single indicator drop so sharply…. I’ll have to look for any similar cases.”
Having heard the core information, Gye Do-hyeop barely listened to the additional explanation; he simply scratched off the bandage on Geum Seoul’s arm with his fingertip and tucked even that piece of trash into his pocket.
For now, he intended to leave no trace whatsoever regarding Geum Seoul. His plan for today was to collect Geum Seoul’s blood again after the test and, instead, leave Yoo Jeong-ham’s blood in the data here. That was why Yoo Jeong-ham had followed the nurse out earlier. Meanwhile, Oh Ga-on, glancing at the monitor on the desk, frowned slightly.
“Ah. And this is a somewhat delicate matter….”
Gye Do-hyeop, who had been massaging Geum Seoul’s fingers, looked up. Oh Ga-on looked at Geum Seoul with a troubled expression.
“I searched for the drugs you said you took before, and except for Ferovan, they are all discontinued drugs. One was stopped during clinical trials, and another was removed from the market and is no longer distributed due to side effects….”
“Just get to the point.”
“It seems to be the result of taking poor-quality pheromone drugs for a long time.”
Despite being told to get to the point, Oh Ga-on added one more sentence while staring at Geum Seoul. Geum Seoul’s brown eyes wavered slightly, as if anxious. When Gye Do-hyeop furrowed his brows in irritation, the point finally came.
“It appears that pregnancy will be difficult.”
“Are you saying it’s a side effect of the drugs?”
It was Gye Do-hyeop who asked back.
“I can’t say it’s the exact cause, but the probability is high. The receptor response is not just weak; it’s almost non-existent.”
“Hmm.”
Oh Ga-on spoke a bit faster. It was for Geum Seoul’s sake.
“To put it simply, even if he carries an Alpha’s semen, his body won’t react….”
“As long as he’s not dying, it’s fine. Next.”
At Gye Do-hyeop’s shockingly rude words, Oh Ga-on quickly checked on Geum Seoul. However, he only blinked his eyes, showing no sign of being flustered.
“Mr. Seoul, are you alright?”
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