By Zephyria A moment later, they were sitting across the table from each other. The only difference from before was that Lee Sa-young had taken the seat Cluck had been in, and Cluck was sitting next to Cha Eui-jae. Sa-young, with one arm propped behind him, was slowly rubbing the rim of the glass with his other index finger.
“…So. To summarize.”
He gulped. His finger stopped. A languid voice murmured.
“Hyung also noticed that there’s another guy inside me.”
“Yeah.”
“I came to find Hong Ye-seong to find out what the hell is going on….”
His black finger pointed directly at Cluck.
“That chicken crazy brat is Hong….”
“Wait, wait.”
Eui-jae, who had half risen, hurriedly reached out and grabbed Sa-young’s jaw to shut his mouth. Violet eyes narrowed. Eui-jae raised his index finger to his lips with his other hand. Shh, he said.
“You can’t say that out loud. There’s still a lot to hear.”
He hadn’t heard how to resolve this situation. He couldn’t just send Hong Ye-seong from another world away like this.
At that moment, a black finger gripped Eui-jae’s wrist tightly. It was quite a strong grip, enough to surprise Eui-jae. Their eyes met. His eyes were full of displeasure. Sa-young, who had removed the hand blocking his mouth, snapped sharply.
“Don’t do that.”
“What? …Blocking your mouth?”
The words Bae Won-woo had told him suddenly came to mind at the sharp reaction. He had said that he hated being controlled by something. Eui-jae shrank back the hand that had been blocking his mouth. But Sa-young gestured with his other hand.
“The shushing.”
It was an unexpected answer. Eui-jae tilted his head in confusion and wiggled the index finger he had put to his lips.
“This? Why?”
“…Just, don’t do it.”
Sa-young, who had replied gruffly, closed his mouth and eyes. He looked exhausted. He was already moody, sensitive, and hard to please. Was it because he had only opened his eyes after three months? It seemed worse than before. Eui-jae clicked his tongue.
‘Yeah, it’s understandable that he’s unstable….’
It was like having two Lee Sa-youngs in one body. One was already overwhelming, but now there were two. Eui-jae rubbed the back of his neck for no reason. The intuition that had sustained him for so long was warning him.
‘Lee Sa-young is Lee Sa-young, but….’
The fingers that had lightly scratched his palm, the mirror-like eyes that contained only Cha Eui-jae. The ‘Lee Sa-young’ who exuded an atmosphere that was so worn out that he seemed inhuman.
And.
Eui-jae glanced up at Lee Sa-young. Sa-young, who was pressing his fingers against his eyes, blinked as if he felt his gaze. Eui-jae turned his gaze away. Then, the energy on the opposite side surged ominously. It was such a fierce force that an ordinary person would have fainted long ago. Damn it, now he couldn’t even look at him for no reason. Anyway, he was his ‘only’.
Eui-jae fiddled with the seams of the cushion and thought.
‘It’s going to be tiring for a while….’
He had a feeling that neither of them would be easy to deal with. And that he, caught in the middle, would be more tired than anyone else. At that moment, Cluck, who was crouching on top of the cushion tower, opened its beak.
“Can I even talk about this body now?”
“If it’s related to Lee Sa-young’s condition.”
“Of course, it’s about that. Anyway, for some reason, the two Souls haven’t merged.”
Sa-young, who swept back his hair, asked.
“What’s the reason?”
“…….”
“…….”
An ambiguous silence flowed. Sa-young raised his eyebrows. Cluck glanced at Eui-jae. Eui-jae, without changing his expression, deftly poked Cluck’s side with his finger. Cluck, feeling a tingling threat to its life spreading from its side, mechanically replied.
“It’s literally for some reason. A kind of mishap. An external factor intervened…. I don’t know the details either!”
He knows the details.
“Hey, skip it if you don’t know. You won’t get anything out of wrestling with a reason you don’t know.”
He will get something out of it.
“…….”
Sa-young glared at him with suspicious eyes, but Eui-jae deliberately smiled brightly. He thought that even if it was Lee Sa-young, he wouldn’t spit on a smiling face.
Fortunately, the tactic worked. Sa-young stared at Eui-jae’s face for a long time before sighing and turning his head. Eui-jae didn’t miss the opportunity and poked Cluck’s side. The porcelain chicken spewed out words like an answering machine.
“In fact, there’s no proper solution in the current situation. It’s not like ‘touch it and it’ll explode’ like before, but it’s still unstable. The System is also watching.”
“Do you think I came all the way here to hear that?”
“But it’s the truth. How about you?”
Cluck turned its head towards Sa-young.
“How’s your body now? Do you see anything strange? Or have any problems with your memory?”
“…….”
Sa-young kept his mouth shut. The scabbed lips were cracking again, tinged with blood. One person and one bird waited patiently for the words to continue. Eventually, Sa-young pressed his temples and slowly opened his mouth.
“…It’s all mixed up. The memories. My memories and other memories are mixed up.”
“…….”
“Why, should I be more honest?”
Violet eyes, shining strangely, burned as if to swallow Eui-jae. Lee Sa-young, leaning forward on the table, whispered as if spitting out the words.
“I thought Hyung was dead earlier.”
“…….”
“Because blood was streaming down his head and mouth…. Ha, shit. I thought I was crazy.”
At that moment, Eui-jae remembered. Lee Sa-young, who he had faced in front of the memorial stone. He had felt Eui-jae’s head and temples with a face as if he had seen a ghost….
Sa-young, exhaling a short breath, covered his face with his hands.
“It’s a little better when I realize that this is reality…. The problem is right after I wake up.”
A shadow fell over his pale face. Sa-young touched the area near his heart with his hand.
“I keep feeling another guy inside me, but it’s not unfamiliar…. It’s like he’s claiming to be me. The texture is similar.”
His red lips twisted.
“It feels so fucking….”
“…….”
“Hey….”
Sa-young slowly got up from his seat. Then, he put his hands in the pockets of his black leather coat, tilted his head, and looked down at Cluck.
“Are you satisfied now? Hong Ye-seong.”
At that moment, the flow of the surrounding air stopped abruptly. Then, a strong wind blew. Woo-oong, a pure white window appeared before everyone’s eyes. Cluck, with wide eyes, hurriedly opened its beak.
“Wait, did you even listen to me? If you specify it like that, I’ll be kicked out―”
“I know.”
Lee Sa-young twisted the corners of his lips.
“I did it on purpose. To get you out of here.”
“Hey, you ungrateful bastard!”
Hong Ye-seong flapped its wings in anger, but Sa-young only looked down with cold eyes.
“I don’t need your help. Because I know best.”
“What, you punk?”
Lee Sa-young grabbed his own neck as if to strangle it.
“I know best what this crazy brat wants….”
“…….”
“So get out.”
Hong Ye-seong looked back at Eui-jae with resentful eyes.
“Friend, how did you raise this crazy brat?”
Eui-jae, who was suddenly cursed at, was also taken aback.
“Why are you suddenly cursing at me?”
“The guy I knew wasn’t so rude!”
Cha Eui-jae had nothing to say to this. Because he knew of the existence of Lee Sa-young, who wore an apron, greeted him upon returning home, and rolled egg rolls. Perhaps the Lee Sa-young that Hong Ye-seong knew was also that Lee Sa-young. At this point, Eui-jae was also dizzy.
‘Did he become like this because he was separated from me?’
Then, a sweet scent wafted, and a ticklish breath touched his ear. Sa-young, who had already approached Eui-jae, leaned down and whispered.
“That’s not it.”
“…….”
“I was originally rude….”
“…….”
“I guess I was pretending to be polite.”
His low voice tickled his ear. He felt a spine-chilling twist. The moment Eui-jae shrank his neck, Hong Ye-seong shouted.
“That’s it! I’m leaving on my own before I get kicked out!”
A pure white light burst out from Cluck in an instant. After the light subsided, Eui-jae hurriedly picked up Cluck. Cluck blinked its black eyes. The intelligence that had resided in its black bean-like eyes had disappeared. All that was in front of him was a sleek porcelain chicken. Not Hong Ye-seong, but the real Cluck.
“Cluck?”
‘Damn it, he left me behind!’
Cha Eui-jae trembled with a thrilling sense of betrayal. He thought they were friends. He left me next to the rude Lee Sa-young and ran away!
Cluck flapped its wings and escaped from Eui-jae’s hand. And disappeared to Hong Ye-seong, who was lying in the inner room covering himself with a blanket. Finally, only the two of them were left. Sa-young called out in a soft voice.
“Hyung.”
Eui-jae didn’t answer and lowered his head. He was feeling down. Sa-young, unconcerned, stroked the exposed straight nape of his neck with his fingertips.
“Your hair color….”
A black finger, the size of a finger joint, brushed through the gray hair. His head twitched slightly at the ticklish sensation. Sa-young, who was fiddling with his short hair, murmured.
“It’s gotten whiter.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah….”
Sa-young dragged out the end of his words. Eui-jae raised his head to check his hair color, and met the violet eyes looking at him.
“Then… Hyung.”
“…….”
Sa-young knelt down in front of Eui-jae. A hand that slowly approached covered Eui-jae’s eyes. Darkness fell. Eui-jae opened his mouth slightly. He heard a small laugh as if he had done well. Something lukewarm and rough brushed against his lips. There was a sweet taste amidst the fishy taste of blood.
A low laugh mingled between the touching lips.
“Ah, I see….”
“…….”
Sa-young, who had slightly parted his lips, lightly bit his lower lip.
“You kissed me, didn’t you? While I was asleep.”
Ah, shit.
“I can tell now that I’ve tried it.”
Before Eui-jae could say anything, a soft mass forced its way between his lips. The answer melted away between the entangled tongues. Eui-jae squeezed his eyes shut.