By Zephyria Lee Hyun-muk immediately stepped on Yoon Seung-ryong’s neck and subdued him without mercy. Yohan, who let out a silent scream, frantically began purification. If they were to alleviate Yoon Seung-ryong’s pain even a little, rapid purification was the best option.
Yohan carefully placed his hands on Yoon Seung-ryong’s body. A dazzling corona of white light flickered and seeped out, flowing into Yoon Seung-ryong. Yoon Seung-ryong’s body, which had been writhing and growling ferociously without reason, stiffened.
As the light seeped in, his skin, which had turned black, gradually regained its natural color. The incomprehensible, rough monstrous roars slowly returned to human-like voices. The hard centipede armor gradually receded and fell off with a clatter, and the burns caused by the high-voltage current began to heal. These were signs of his regenerative abilities returning.
“Ugh….”
Yohan gasped for breath. It was difficult. When he had purified Lee Hyun-muk, it happened so suddenly that he hadn’t realized how hard it was, but this time he could feel it. Sweat gradually appeared on Yohan’s forehead as he poured purification, and his breathing grew rougher. However, he was so happy to see Yoon Seung-ryong’s body transforming back into a human that he pushed himself a little harder.
“Ah, aah, aaaah…!”
Was the purification painful? At some point, Yoon Seung-ryong began to scream. He flailed his arms and scratched his own body wildly. But even those screams were now so human-like. The scratches even healed quickly. This meant his contamination level was dropping. Then, his venomous fangs fell out, and the whites of his eyes, which had been stained black, fully returned, and Yoon Seung-ryong’s screams stopped.
Haa…….
He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly with an expression of utter relief. Lee Hyun-muk removed his foot from where he had been stepping on Yoon Seung-ryong.
In that spot, the horrific appearance was gone, replaced by a young man with a solid, muscular build, breathing heavily as he slept. Seeing that his purification had effectively worked on Yoon Seung-ryong, Yohan, overjoyed, stretched both his arms up high and shouted.
“Done! It’s a success, Lee Hyun-muk!”
When Yohan turned around, Lee Hyun-muk was silently looking down at Yoon Seung-ryong, who had returned to normal. His gaze, fixed on the face and body of his teammate who had returned unharmed, flickered with complex emotions. Suddenly, a faint sigh, tinged with deep regret, escaped his lips. Yohan couldn’t even begin to fathom his feelings.
“Thank you, Yohan.”
A simple but heavy expression of gratitude came from Lee Hyun-muk. Yohan, his face covered in sweat, looked up at Lee Hyun-muk and didn’t offer any platitudes like “it’s nothing” or “I just did what I had to do.” Instead, he gave a bright smile and then collapsed backward.
“Oh dear.”
Lee Hyun-muk quickly reached out and caught Yohan before the exhausted man could completely fall. His face was weary, his body limp from exerting his abilities to the fullest. From him, too, came soft, sleepy breaths, much like Yoon Seung-ryong’s. Lee Hyun-muk quickly scooped Yohan up and held him close, ensuring he wouldn’t get wet from the acidic swamp. However, his treatment of Yoon Seung-ryong was comparatively rough.
He dismantled the makeshift platform they had created and used his spear to quickly cut through it, making a raft capable of carrying one person. Then, scratching his chest vigorously, he placed the sleeping Yoon Seung-ryong onto it like a piece of cargo. After that, he turned his back on the cave, which was beginning to decay after losing its master, and started heading back the way they came.
‘Wow, this looks delicious!’
Yohan exclaimed, his eyes sparkling. In front of him lay a buffet spread filled with all sorts of mouth-watering food. Famished, he rushed forward to grab a plate and start filling it when suddenly, Yoon Seung-ryong burst through the door.
‘My food! Mine! I’m hungry!’
‘Uh, uh!’
It was Yoon Seung-ryong of the sunrise! Startled by the celebrity’s appearance, he snatched the marinated crab that Yohan had been eyeing. In an instant, he slurped it down right there, then proceeded to drink the sweet and sour pork that Yohan had been aiming for next.
‘My, my sweet and sour pork….’
Next, he devoured fried food, cold buckwheat noodles, bulgogi, galbitang, and kimchi, leaving no trace behind. In the end, Yohan couldn’t get anything. Overcome with sorrow, he was about to cry when he suddenly woke up from his dream.
…What kind of messed-up dream was that. Yohan scowled as soon as he woke up, then belatedly felt the heavy, humid weight covering his body. He looked around and froze when he saw a familiar face.
Lee Hyun-muk was sleeping very close by. His chest rising and falling rhythmically, his eyelids completely closed, his slow, even breaths barely audible—it was an unfamiliar sight. He didn’t know why they were sleeping in the same bed, but Lee Hyun-muk’s arm was draped across his chest as if he had pulled Yohan into an embrace in his sleep. Yohan stared, mesmerized, at Lee Hyun-muk’s sleeping face for the first time.
‘He’s so handsome….’
His forehead and brow were straight, his nose bridge sharp and refined. The shape of his slightly parted lips was pleasing, and even his slightly messy white hair on his forehead looked like a photoshoot. Even the shadows pooling between his eyelids and the bridge of his nose made him look handsome. If he hadn’t needed to pee, he would have continued watching Lee Hyun-muk indefinitely until he woke up.
He carefully crawled out from under Lee Hyun-muk’s arm, trying not to disturb his deep sleep. As he headed towards the bathroom, he tried to recall his last memory. He must have passed out from exhaustion right there after purifying Yoon Seung-ryong. Thinking about Lee Hyun-muk carrying both him and Yoon Seung-ryong back, he felt apologetic.
‘Whatever happens, I guess I’m destined to be carried around like cargo.’
Thinking this, Yohan looked at the stream of urine with a troubled expression. That’s right…. It was indeed a stream of water.
Ever since he awakened his purification ability, Yohan couldn’t shake the feeling that he was urinating purified, a kind of… filtered water every time he went to the bathroom. No, it didn’t seem like just a feeling. The stream of water hitting the toilet was incredibly clear. It was good that he didn’t have to flush away precious water after relieving himself, though.
‘First, a human air purifier, and now, a human water filter….’
What’s more, these days, he didn’t even have large bowel movements, but it didn’t seem like he was constipated either…. If purification leaves only pure nutrients, is it reabsorbed? Do other High-level Awakeners experience this too? What is my body turning into? Since he couldn’t get it checked anywhere, Yohan finished his business, feeling somewhat troubled, and came out.
Confirming that Lee Hyun-muk was still sleeping soundly, Yohan opened the bedroom door and stepped out. He cautiously poked his head out and discovered Yoon Seung-ryong sleeping sprawled out in the living room. The man, who looked like a delinquent, was sleeping with an incredibly peaceful expression, even snoring softly. The blanket, carelessly thrown over him, barely covered his lower body, making him look exactly like a drunkard passed out after a heavy night.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve seen a teammate, and his treatment seems a bit too harsh….’
Still, they could have at least put pants on him. Yohan’s own outer clothes had even been neatly changed. Feeling a bit sorry for Yoon Seung-ryong, Yohan fetched a blanket from another room. He spread it out wide to cover him, but Yoon Seung-ryong, who had been sleeping soundly, suddenly opened his eyes. Yohan’s heart nearly stopped when their eyes met.
Yoon Seung-ryong, his eyes half-open and hazy, looked at Yohan with an unfathomably dark gaze. It was an abyss-like look, similar to what Yohan had seen in Lee Hyun-muk. As Yohan tensed up, the blank stare gradually faded, and his eyes closed again. He rolled over once and then went back to sleep. Clutching his pounding heart, Yohan glared slightly at Yoon Seung-ryong.
“…Pig.”
Yohan grumbled softly, remembering how all the buffet food had been taken from him in his dream, and headed towards the room used as a storage. Although the convenience store food was gone, the provisions he had diligently gathered from the supermarket were piled up.
“Since there are three men, I should prepare enough for four servings.”
He packed three cans of food and, with great resolve, the precious stir-fried kimchi. He also tucked in the remaining onions harvested from the field and some green onions, then headed to the kitchen. He popped open a can of ham. Ham is delicious eaten as is, but this time he wanted to try cooking it. The problem was that he had never cooked before.
After some thought, he clumsily sliced the ham and onions and dumped them all into a frying pan. He lit the burner and began to stir-fry them. Yoon Seung-ryong, who had seemed to be asleep, suddenly sat bolt upright. Startled, Yohan nearly knocked over the frying pan. His heart pounded wildly. Yoon Seung-ryong, staring blankly at Yohan and the frying pan, mumbled dazedly.
“…Huh?”
“Good morning?”
Yohan awkwardly greeted him, but Yoon Seung-ryong offered no reply. With his mouth agape, he looked around the interior of the house and at Yohan cooking.
“What am I looking at.”
He muttered blankly, then blinked. Yoon Seung-ryong rubbed his eyes vigorously and then stared blankly at Yohan again. Sensing the mood, Yohan slowly resumed stir-frying, worried about the precious food burning.
“…A person?”
Muttering blankly, Yoon Seung-ryong suddenly raised his fist and repeatedly smacked himself on the head with a loud thwack. Startled, Yohan’s mouth fell open. Yoon Seung-ryong, who was self-harming without seeming to feel pain, suddenly stopped and looked down at his hands.
“Huh…?”
He stared intently at his hands, opening and closing them a few times, then abruptly stood up and began to grope his naked body. He unceremoniously grabbed his crotch, and Yohan squeezed his eyes shut, unable to watch. Finally, after his examination, Yoon Seung-ryong tilted his head repeatedly, then turned his gaze back to Yohan.
“Who are you? Am I dreaming? Is this an illusion?”
By then, a frightened Yohan was frantically turning off the heat and running towards the bedroom where Lee Hyun-muk was sleeping. He flung the door open and rushed inside, Yoon Seung-ryong following slowly behind him. Or so he thought, but suddenly Yoon Seung-ryong grabbed Yohan by the scruff of his neck with brute force, his eyes gleaming as he stared intently.
“I asked who you are!”
“Aah! Lee Hyun-muk!”
Terrified, Yohan struggled and screamed to wake the deeply sleeping Lee Hyun-muk. It was then. In the blink of an eye, with a sharp thwack*, the hand gripping his neck was gone. Turning around, he saw Yoon Seung-ryong sprawled in the living room, clutching his head and letting out a silent scream. It was a similar state to what he had seen once before in the black forest.