Chapter 40 – ​The ​Price ​of ​Misjudgment

It ​was ​that ​fucking ​dream again.

His father’s urn ​was ​shattering and exploding ​right before his ​eyes.

Yoon ​Ki-hyun ​watched ​the ​scene ​blankly. He knew ​it ​was ​a dream, but ​his body wouldn’t move. ​There was ​nothing he ​could do ​except wait ​in ​silence ​for the dream ​to end.

Among ​the broken ceramic shards, ​his father’s ashes were ​clumped together, soaked in ​water. It ​looked ​like dough for hand-torn noodle soup, ​or perhaps like trash.

Traces ​of ​the ​father ​who ​had tormented him ​before dying ​were ​visible elsewhere as ​well. ​Fragments of the shattered urn ​lay scattered ​across ​the floor.

As he ​stared ​intently ​at ​the ​Chinese characters ​denoting ​the deceased, ​he felt as if his vision was ​flipping or as ​if the floor ​was suddenly dropping away.

Ah, ​this feels ​fucking awful.

Yoon Ki-hyun ​muttered ​a curse and ​inhaled sharply. Soon, ​he heard ​a ​faint voice ​calling ​him. It ​was ​a sign ​that ​he ​was about to ​wake ​up.

“……Mr. Ki-hyun.”

“…….”

“Mr. ​Yoon ​Ki-hyun!”

When ​he ​opened his eyes, he saw Jeong Si-jun. He was leaning in so close that their lips would have touched if Ki-hyun had just turned his head slightly.

‘Why is his face so close?’

Startled, Yoon Ki-hyun pushed him away, prompting Jeong Si-jun to click his tongue and ask.

He had been worried because Ki-hyun was moaning in his sleep, unauthorized copy-->stolen content-->so what was this reaction—pushing him away in horror the moment he woke up?

“I woke you because it looked like you were having a nightmare. Are you okay?”

Instead of answering, Yoon Ki-hyun simply nodded.

It was because the words “I’m okay” didn’t come easily in response to the question. Still, given time, the unsettling feeling would subside. As it always had.

‘Should I go to a psychiatrist?’

He had no clue what the problem was that caused him to keep having these dreams.

He agreed that he was feeling psychological instability, but he didn’t want to seek psychiatric help easily. He already had several medications to take every day; he couldn’t just add psychiatric drugs to that list.

“Do you want some water?”

“I’d appreciate that.”

As if he had been waiting for the answer, a glass of water appeared. It seemed he had already poured it before asking. Drinking the cold water made him feel like he was regaining his senses. After taking the glass back, Jeong Si-jun asked cautiously.

“Did you have a nightmare?”

“Yes. I’ve been having strange dreams lately.”

Yoon Ki-hyun muttered, rubbing the stiffness in the back of his neck.

“What kind of strange dreams?”

“A dream where my father’s urn shatters?”

At the content that clashed so sharply with his indifferent tone, Jeong Si-jun’s lips merely quirked, as if he were speechless.

Seeing him moan, he had vaguely assumed it was a nightmare, but the [visit [Read on Read BL Novels]our site]visit our site -->content was brutal. They say dreams usually don’t have a middle ground, but this was particularly grim.

“Did you look up the dream interpretation?”

“You look like the type who wouldn’t believe in that stuff, so why the dream interpretation?”

“My grandmother was a shaman. She always told me I had to kill my foul temper to find a partner, but anyway….”

I’ve learned another piece of information I didn’t want to know.

Yoon Ki-hyun blinked, hiding his reluctant expression.

Regardless, dream interpretation. He had only felt uneasy about the grim content of the dream; he had never thought about looking up its meaning.

Wasn’t that just superstition anyway?

As Yoon Ki-hyun continued to blink, Jeong Si-jun [stolen content]aria-label="visit our site">visit our sitechecked his phone and showed him a blog post. Yoon Ki-hyun’s gaze shifted to the text.

‘No, what the hell is this….’

Every single interpretation was negative. Some suggested guilt toward family, others that there might be a problem with a family member’s health. There was even a part stating that there might actually be a problem at the columbarium.

‘Damn it, why did this guy bring up dream interpretations all of a sudden? Now I feel uneasy….’

Since he didn’t have a single living family member, he could ignore the parts about health, but a problem at the columbarium? That last item weighed heavily on his mind.

“The interpretation is a bit… something,” Yoon Ki-hyun muttered reluctantly, and Jeong Si-jun scratched the back of his head vigorously. As if trying to clumsily fix the situation belatedly, he offered an awkward consolation.

“Surely nothing would happen to a proper facility. Even if there were a problem, they’d contact you first. These days.”

For a moment, he thought this was actually helpful advice, but then a realization suddenly hit him.

‘…I didn’t update my number at the columbarium.’

He had already changed his number once when he left the Center. Since then, he had only updated his phone number at a few institutions, including his bank, so only a handful of people knew his current contact information.

Having spent his time busily, he hadn’t even thought about updating the contact information for the columbarium of his father, who had died leaving only debt. Therefore, if there really were a problem at the columbarium, there was no way for him to know.

And of all things, he had been having dreams about his father’s urn for several days straight.

Because he didn’t seriously believe in shamanism or superstitions, the very fact that the dream’s content was bothering him was a significant source of stress.

‘Ah, why the fuck did he bring up dream interpretations. Shit.’

Jeong Si-jun muttered a curse while observing Yoon Ki-hyun’s rapidly souring expression. His grandmother, the elder of the house, had been a shaman for a long time. Because of that, he had naturally known many everyday superstitions since childhood.

“I just said it because you said your dreams were unsettling. Don’t let it get to you. Who seriously believes in dream interpretations in this day and age?”

Despite the words, Yoon Ki-hyun’s complexion showed [Read Read on Read BL Novels[stolen content]on Read BL Novels]no sign of improving. The thought occurred to him that the reason he had looked so tired lately might have been because of the nightmares.

He didn’t know the exact name of the illness, but he was suffering from a disease that required expensive treatment, and since returning as a personal Guide after leaving his job, he had been the subject of various rumors, making it an inevitable situation for him to be stressed.

Moreover, since the place he called home to rest was a mere goshiwon, he wondered if he was even getting proper rest after work.

An awkward silence descended upon the guiding room for a while. Yoon Ki-hyun, who had a dream that was either a nightmare or an omen, remained pale, and Jeong Si-jun also stayed quiet, blaming his own mouth for bringing up the dream interpretation.

It was Jeong Si-jun who broke the uncomfortable silence first.

“If it’s bothering you that much, why not just go and check once? Wouldn’t you feel more relieved if you just went and checked rather than leaving it to feel uneasy?”

He hadn’t suggested it expecting Yoon Ki-hyun to agree. Anyone could see that Yoon Ki-hyun was the type to be far removed from shamanism and superstition. He wasn’t the type to take such things at face value.

He had only said it because he was worried about how Ki-hyun’s already pale complexion was turning blue, but surprisingly, Yoon Ki-hyun looked conflicted for a moment and then slowly nodded.

“Then, would it be okay if I leave work early today?”

“Of course. Would you like me to give you a ride?”

Yoon Ki-hyun hesitated for a moment at Jeong Si-jun’s offer. Moving by car would certainly be more comfortable than squeezing into crowded public transportation. Without thinking deeply, there was only one right answer.

“The distance to that place is… a bit far. Is that okay?”

Jeong Si-jun looked down quietly at Yoon Ki-hyun, who was looking up at him.

He had meant offering a ride home, but judging by the nuance, it seemed Ki-hyun actually intended to go to the columbarium to check. Even if he had misunderstood the intent, it wasn’t bad since he was still giving him a ride.

“Where is it located?”

When he asked casually, an address in the outskirts of the city came up instead of the address written in the contract. It seemed Yoon Ki-hyun intended to visit the columbarium.

“I think it won’t take long by car, so get your things ready. visit our siteI’ll put [visit our site]in for a half-day off and come back. Let’s go together when I return.”

The kindness of Jeong Si-jun using a half-day off to give him a ride was burdensome, but Yoon Ki-hyun couldn’t refuse. The reason was unclear.

However, it wasn’t for a pathetic reason like trying to save on taxi fare to the columbarium. Perhaps he simply wanted to accept that kindness as it was, without distorting it.

He had just had an unsettling dream, and strangely, his heart had been very troubled lately. Yes. That was why he was acting this way. Because he couldn’t properly settle that troubled heart.

“Drink this while I’m gone.”

Jeong Si-jun pressed a warm mug into his hand. The way the warm water and citron syrup were separated because it hadn’t been stirred properly was incredibly clumsy. But strangely, his heart fluttered.

“Okay.”

“I’ll be right back.”

Jeong Si-jun gazed intently at [unauthorized stolen visit our sitecontentcopy]Yoon Ki-hyun’s face before leaving the guiding room with long strides.

The distinct scent of body wash floating in the air and the refreshing smell of citron rising from his hand seemed to calm his churning stomach.

‘It’s funny that I’m acting like this just because I had some strange dreams for a few days… Ah, I don’t know.’

Yoon Ki-hyun closed his eyes, taking a sip of the citron tea. The inside of his eyes stung.