Chapter 114 – GOY 114
#114
Joo Seung-hyuk stared at me silently for a moment, then bit the nape of my neck.
“You’re staying still today.”
“Bite me.”
“Pardon?”
“If you want to bite, you can bite as much as you want. I’m sorry that I’m a Beta and can’t bond with you…”
Joo Seung-hyuk was talking about the bonding between an Esper and a Guide. However, I subtly shifted the topic to the bonding of Alphas and Omegas.
I was a Beta. Even if bonding occurred by biting the neck like in the movies, it didn’t apply to me. Therefore, I could give up the nape of my neck as much as he wanted.
Without a word, Joo Seung-hyuk slowly rubbed the spot where he had bitten my neck with his thumb. Did he think I was hurt?
He stroked my face and spoke in a tender voice.
“Hyung, shall we have some snacks?”
“Yeah. Let’s do that.”
We left the library and went down to the first floor.
As we were heading toward the dining area, Joo Seung-hyuk took my hand.
“The weather is nice today, so let’s eat in the garden.”
“The garden…?”
“Yes. Do you dislike it?”
“Ah, no! It’s not that. Am I… allowed to go outside…?”
Fearing I might have misunderstood something, I asked cautiously. Joo Seung-hyuk let out a short laugh and lightly ruffled my hair.
“Let’s go.”
“Okay.”
We went out into the garden.
Intense sunlight poured down, and the scent of grass was thick in the air. With every step, the plush feeling of the lawn transmitted through my entire body.
I don’t know how long it’s been since I last went outside.
I usually didn’t like going out in the summer, but today, even the scorching sun and hot wind felt precious beyond measure.
“Do you like it?”
“Yeah.”
I answered honestly. No matter how much I was trying to put Joo Seung-hyuk at ease while looking for a chance to escape, it would be strange to say I hated it after being outside for the first time in so long.
“From now on, let’s come out for a walk every day.”
“Is that okay?”
“Yes. But don’t just walk; we’ll work out in the weight room too.”
He’s allowing me to walk because he’s worried about my pathetic stamina…
We worked out in the weight room every morning. However, since I usually collapsed before even twenty minutes had passed, he must have been concerned.
“But don’t go outside the estate. It’s dangerous.”
“Dangerous?”
“Yes. There are landmines everywhere.”
He smiled brightly.
I couldn’t tell if he meant it was actually dangerous or if it was a warning not to run away.
Regardless, there was only one thing I could say in this situation.
“I understand. I won’t go out.”
I gave a gentle smile. Joo Seung-hyuk stroked my face and gripped my hand tightly.
“Come here.”
“Okay.”
We walked toward the gazebo installed in the center of the garden.
Fitting the atmosphere of the estate, the gazebo was incredibly ornate. This was likely Ju Gyeong-chan’s taste as well.
Inside the gazebo were a table and chairs boasting an antique elegance. The design blended perfectly, as if they were made as a set for the gazebo.
Sandwiches and tea had been prepared in advance on the table.
“Please, eat.”
“Yeah. Looks delicious. You eat too.”
“Yes.”
As I ate the sandwich, I looked at the estate. Although I had stayed here for over fifteen days, this was the first time I had seen the exterior of the house.
It looked much larger than I had imagined. Was this what the great mansions of medieval nobles looked like? Perhaps he really had purchased a noble’s estate.
“It’s beautiful.”
“You think so?”
“Where is the cauldron?”
“Over there.”
Following Joo Seung-hyuk’s gesture, I looked toward the right corner and saw the cauldron. I thought it would look incredibly out of place in person, but the combination of the European-style mansion and the cauldron was surprisingly decent, despite being unbalanced. Moreover, the building next to the cauldron caught my attention more than the cauldron itself.
“Seung-hyuk-ah, what is that place over there?”
It was a small, shabby building that didn’t fit with the elegant mansion.
“A warehouse,” he said indifferently while drinking coffee.
“I see.”
Indeed, it looked like a building with no purpose other than being a warehouse.
“Seung-hyuk-ah, you said you spent your childhood here, right?”
“Yes.”
“Did you come here every vacation?”
“No. I lived here all along and then went to Korea after my Awakening.”
“Ah, I see…”
So he hadn’t grown up in Korea?
His expression seemed somewhat dark. Since he didn’t seem to want to talk about his childhood, I quickly changed the subject.
“By the way, Seung-hyuk-ah, do you have Rut Cycles too?”
“Yes.”
“What is your cycle like?”
“About twice a year.”
Usually, Alphas or Omegas have a cycle once or twice a year. Occasionally, there are people whose cycles occur once a month or once every few years, but those were very rare cases.
Twice a year was quite ordinary.
“What do you do when your Rut comes?”
“I stayed alone. I’m a believer in premarital chastity.”
I had asked out of pure curiosity, but I had unintentionally ended up conducting an interrogative lead. And as if he had anticipated such a question, Joo Seung-hyuk dodged it skillfully.
“Haha. Right… You’re a believer in premarital chastity…”
“Yes.”
Joo Seung-hyuk nodded with an innocent face. His ears were red, making him look almost shy.
Surely he isn’t actually feeling shy…?
“Has your Rut ever come since we met?”
“Why? Do you want to do it with an Alpha in Rut?”
“Huh?”
As I became flustered, a suggestive smile played on his lips.
“Can you handle it? Won’t you cry and cry, saying it’s too hard, and then run away?”
“Is… is it that intense?”
Joo Seung-hyuk was an Insatiable Madman, and there had been more than a few times where things felt overwhelming and taxing. stolen contentHowever, Joo Seung-hyuk had never warned me in such a manner before.
If so, it must be so difficult that it surpasses everything we’ve done so far…
Seeing me turn pale, Joo Seung-hyuk gave a mischievous smile.
“Well, I don’t know because I’ve never spent a Rut with anyone else. I’ll definitely be with you during my next Rut.”
“…Okay.”
I might actually die when that day comes. That’s one more reason to escape.
The fear of the approaching future made me lose my appetite. As I put down the sandwich, Joo Seung-hyuk’s phone rang.
“One moment.”
“Okay.”
He pressed the call button immediately.
“Yeah. Why? Yeah. I got it.”
Since the answers were short, I couldn’t tell the content of the conversation. However, seeing Joo Seung-hyuk’s expression harden rapidly as the call continued, it seemed something bad had happened.
To avoid looking like I was eavesdropping, I pretended to sip my tea while gazing at the mansion.
Then, having finished the short call, Joo Seung-hyuk stood up abruptly.
“Hyung, I have to go somewhere for a bit.”
“Where?”
“…It’ll take a few days. I’ll be back soon.”
“Okay.”
“If there’s anything you want to eat, tell Yoon Jeong-yeon.”
“Okay. I will.”
Joo Seung-hyuk gave me a light kiss and left.
I blankly watched Joo Seung-hyuk’s retreating figure as he exited the estate.
Joo Seung-hyuk really didn’t return. Not that day, nor the next.
“Yeon-soo nim, what menu would you like for today?”
He must have left in a great hurry.
Since he hadn’t decided on my meal menu, Yoon Jeong-yeon came by every time to ask.
“Anything is fine.”
“That is a very difficult request,” she replied with a stolen contenttroubled look. Indeed, if I asked someone something and they [unauthorized copy]replied with ‘anything,’ I would suddenly find myself overthinking.
“I’m sorry. Then I’d like an omelet; could you make one for me?”
“I shall prepare it.”
She always spoke only the necessary words.
“Wait a moment!”
I urgently called out to Yoon Jeong-yeon as she bowed lightly and turned to leave.
“What is it?”
“Ms. Jeong-yeon, are you from ‘this village’?”
I was curious about the location of this estate.
First of all, it was certain that this wasn’t a deserted island. Setting aside what [Read on Read BL Novels]Joo Seung-hyuk had said, the possibility that Ju Gyeong-chan would build such a mansion on a deserted island where no one lived was slim.
Furthermore, I had a rough idea of where this was.
In the corners of the books and reports in the library, there were notes left by Ju Gyeong-chan. They were mostly notes regarding Red Rune Transformation Research, but occasionally there were details that allowed me to infer the location.
‘Limit reached because experiments are only on foreigners. Lack of Korean data.’
‘Annoying that reports are slow. Should have built the facility near the house. 30 minutes is too far. Should I move it now?’
‘Complaints about pollution and noise every chance they get. Do they see me as a cash cow? Foreigners have the same beggar mentality. Should I just kick out all those vermin and make a Koreatown?’
‘Replacing subordinates. A bit more comfortable now that I’ve filled it with Koreans. I felt a bit uneasy about hiring employees’ families, but it was a pointless worry.’
Ju Gyeong-chan had built Seong Han Pharmaceuticals’ research facility 20 minutes away from this estate and conducted experiments related to Red Rune Transformation.
Judging by the research data, it seemed he had committed unethical acts such as human experimentation. Since conducting such research in Korea would have involved many restrictions, he likely built the facility secretly abroad. Of course, being abroad didn’t mean human experimentation was permitted. It just meant it was easier to carry out secretly than in Korea.
Ju Gyeong-chan also conducted legally appearing research on the [Read on Read BL Novels]surface. Most employees were unaware of the human experiments, and some had even brought their families along.
However, despite the facility being problematic-free externally, it seemed the local residents protested frequently. Perhaps the trouble with them was severe, as Ju Gyeong-chan initially hired locals as estate employees but then replaced them all with Koreans. Some of them seemed to be families of the laboratory staff.
Additionally, Ju Gyeong-chan had considered kicking out the original residents and creating a Koreatown. I couldn’t tell if he wrote that in a fit of rage or if he was serious, but for him to say such things, there must have been a considerable number of Korean employees residing here.
Of course, these were records from when Ju Gyeong-chan was alive. Since it was a long time ago, before I was even born, the situation now would be very different.
Moreover, many things had happened since then.
Ju Gyeong-chan died, and the Red Rune Transformation Research failed. Since the owner committed suicide, it would have been difficult for the laboratory to be maintained. Nevertheless, these records were meaningful.
There is a Seong Han Pharmaceuticals laboratory about 20 minutes away from this estate, and residents live around it.
If there were employees who remained here even after the Red Rune Transformation Research fizzled out, a village where Koreans live might have naturally formed.
“Pardon?”
Yoon Jeong-yeon asked back, as if she didn’t quite understand my question.
“Your Korean is very fluent, so I was wondering if you were from ‘this village.’ I heard from Seung-hyeok that there’s a Koreatown nearby.”
“No. I am not from this village.”
She answered briefly. Her response was so devoid of fluff that it felt empty.
Yoon Jeong-yeon neither confirmed nor denied the existence of the Koreatown. I couldn’t tell if what she was referring to was the village where the original residents lived or the Koreatown.
If both the original residents’ village and the Koreatown existed nearby, which one would be better to flee to?
There was a high possibility that people in the Koreatown would recognize me. We would be able to communicate. However, they were people associated with Seong Han, and there might be estate employees among them. If I wasn’t careful, I’d be caught as soon as I escaped.
That said, going to the original residents’ village wasn’t the answer either. I didn’t know what country this was or what language they spoke.
The only foreign language I could speak was English. If it was a region where English wasn’t well-understood, I’d be in trouble.
“Is something the matter?”
While I was contemplating, Yoon Jeong-yeon asked with a suspicious look. I must not forget that she, too, was one of Joo Seung-hyuk’s people.
I laughed lightly as if it were nothing.
“I just wanted some Korean snacks.”
“What kind of snacks?”
“’Onion Honey’ ones.”
“I shall prepare them shortly.”
“Okay…”
Seeing her say she’d prepare Korean snacks quickly, does a Koreatown actually exist?
According to Ju Gyeong-chan’s records, there was a residents’ village 30 minutes [Read on Read BL Novels]away from the mansion. However, it wasn’t clear whether those 30 minutes referred to walking or driving distance. Furthermore, I didn’t know in which direction from the estate it was located.
“Um…”
“Do you have anything else to say?”
The suspicion in Yoon Jeong-yeon’s eyes deepened. It was dangerous to ask her any more.
“Ah, I just wanted to know how long it would take.”
“Would you like them before your meal?”
“Is that okay? I do want to eat them right now…”
“It will take about 30 minutes; is that acceptable?”
“Yes.”
30 minutes… Was that the round-trip [Read on Read BL Novels]time to buy the snacks? Or [visit our site]was it the time it would take for an employee already near the visit our sitevillage to buy and bring them back?
I wanted to ask in more detail, but Yoon Jeong-yeon bowed and left the room.
I almost stopped her but kept my mouth shut. It really was dangerous to ask more. She might contact Joo Seung-hyuk.
First, I stepped out of the room. Then, I headed toward the garden at a pace that was neither too fast nor too slow.
I had taken a walk yesterday as well, but to avoid looking like I was trying to escape, I had just circled around the gazebo. But today, I summoned a bit more courage.
I walked past the gazebo and went near the main gate, but no one stopped me.
This estate had few employees relative to its size. I thought there might be someone specifically monitoring me, but it seemed that was a needless worry.
After scanning the surroundings, I quickened my pace. Finally, I stood before the massive main gate. It was decorated with gold ornaments on a pure white background, but its beauty was of no interest to me.
Inside the estate, nothing was visible except for the sea and the vast garden. Moreover, the walls were high and the gate was a sturdy iron structure, so no view of the outside was visible even from the front of the gate.
What kind of scenery would unfold once I stepped outside this estate?
A rough picture had been drawn through the words of Joo Seung-hyuk and Yoon Jeong-yeon, and the notes left by Ju Gyeong-chan, but nothing was certain.
What should I do? Should I just run away now? Or should I move after finding out more for sure? What if I ruin everything by rushing? But if Joo Seung-hyuk returns…
Amidst my confused thoughts, I gripped the door handle.
Perhaps today is the last chance I have to escape from Joo Seung-hyuk. I cannot let this opportunity slip away.
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