The Two Rabbits for a Tired Man
He leaned his back against the wall with a thud as he returned home, then swept his hand over his face.
Sweat poured down his face like rain, and his expression was filled with pain.
“Fuck… this feeling is just goddamn horrible.”
He had cut Nepira’s throat to confirm her resurrection with Imir.
His beloved daughter, who looked nothing like the girl he remembered, had overlapped in his mind with every detail of the scene where he severed Nepira’s head, sending his emotions tumbling like a snowball of regret.
It was as if he had personally killed Hana.
His hand trembled violently, and sweat continued to pour like rain, soaking his clothes.
“Stop… stop it.”
Clench—!
He clenched his fist hard to stop the trembling hand and muttered to himself, but the shaking in his body showed no sign of stopping.
“Fuck… you said stop… Nepira was supposed to be the one I kill anyway.”
He had entrusted Nepira to Imir because he had no way to kill her.
He knew he had to kill Nepira to reduce even a little of the threat to his precious people, but despite knowing she wouldn’t die, he was this shaken up by the simple act of killing her.
“I… I shouldn’t protect a whore like her… I said it’s not a whore!!”
His nails dug deep into his skin from how tightly he gripped his fist, blood oozing and drying in thin streaks.
“Cheon Seong… Cheon Seong, you mustn’t… you absolutely mustn’t do this… you’re a fool who can’t protect anyone. You can’t allow yourself this much pain…”
In his previous life, he had struggled to survive and finally gained strength, yet he had failed to protect even one person.
He had stepped on the floor of sacrifice named “people weaker than me, more precious than myself,” and here he stood now.
“I… I don’t deserve to suffer… so… so I mustn’t do this.”
He had to become a solid wall. He had to become the solid wall that would firmly protect his precious people.
Walls easily crumbled with the smallest crack, and if the wall collapsed, all the threats that had been blocked would flood inside.
Standing on the floor of lives, he had been given another chance, but he had to become the solid wall that wouldn’t collapse, that would protect his precious people—no matter what, he had to remain unyielding.
Even if his mind died and he became someone else, even if he became the common enemy of the world.
“I absolutely must not fall.”
That was the only reason he was living this life now.
.
.
.
.
.
Warm water washed away the dirty blood covering his entire body.
He ran his fingers through his stiff hair, washing away the dried blood, and scrubbed the dirt from his body with soap.
‘This is too luxurious.’
After his shower, he dressed and stepped into his room.
“Oh, right.”
The moment he entered the room, there was the breathtakingly beautiful goddess on the bed.
“I see. Beatrice was sleeping in my room.”
His beloved lover, his only teacher he respected. And the one who had given him another chance.
The benefactor who had granted him another chance despite standing precariously on the floor of sacrifice named “people’s sacrifices” and waiting for his inevitable fall on the broken ground.
He approached Beatrice like he was in a trance, bowed at the waist, gently took a strand of her silk-smooth hair that an artisan had painstakingly woven, and kissed it softly.
Smack.
“I love you, Beatrice. And thank you.”
For giving me another chance to become a wall.
.
.
.
.
.
“Then sleep well, Beatrice. Dream sweetly.”
Smack.
A rough yet gentle touch and a loving warmth reached his forehead.
Click.
The bedroom door closed, and silence filled the room.
Within that silence, a pair of golden eyes gently opened.
Slither.
[… Idiot. Of course the mistress knows you came.]
Beatrice rose from Cheon Seong’s bed, where the blanket slid off, and murmured while stroking the place still warm from his body.
Even if she had weakened, even as a Celestial, even if she had weakened, Beatrice was the kind of person whose fingertips couldn’t even brush against hundreds or thousands of people charging at Cheon Seong if she used her full power.
Cheon Seong knew this very well, which was why he had usually considered that Beatrice would be awake.
But the current Cheon Seong was mentally shaken by Nepira, so he hadn’t considered it.
All spaces in the house were already within Beatrice’s senses, so she had known everything, including Cheon Seong’s self-blame, even before he entered the room.
Beatrice, who had risen and approached the deeply sleeping Cheon Seong who had left the other room, stroked his cheek so white it was almost pale and said, “Cheon Seong-ah, you’re doing enough. Don’t overdo it. I want you to cherish yourself. And…”
Smack.
[I’m really grateful to have you as my disciple. I love you too.]
***
It had been a week since he had raided VC Pharmaceuticals and taken Nepira out.
During those seven days, the society had been in great turmoil.
Someone had exposed all the dark research and incidents of VC Pharmaceuticals on every broadcast station the day after he visited them, and the news was reported widely.
Countless people learned about the bio-experiments of VC Pharmaceuticals and called the terror incident at Korea’s largest pharmaceutical company a hero’s act of slaying evil, saying it was a good thing.
The government investigated VC Pharmaceuticals and began investigating those involved in the bio-experiments and other matters, but the CEO was still at large.
By the way, many people asked who had reported VC Pharmaceuticals’ information to the broadcast stations, but all the stations could say was that it had come from someone named “Mir.”
In truth, they couldn’t say anything more because that was all they knew.
Many experts had tried desperately to uncover Mir’s identity, but no one could identify who Mir was.
Well, I could tell from “Mir,” and it was obvious that someone like Imir, who was skilled at hacking and such, would have been found already.
But right now, that didn’t matter.
“Hana, are you ready?”
“U-um… yeah. I’ll try my best.”
When he asked Hana if she was ready while holding her hand, she nodded with a tense voice.
“Then let’s go in.”
“U-um… yeah.”
He held Hana’s trembling hand tightly and entered, where someone was welcoming them.
“Hello, Father. Is this Hana who’s going to attend kindergarten today?”
“Yes. That’s right. Hana? Say hello to the teacher.”
“U-um… u-uh… h-hello… hello…”
Hana, hiding behind his back, shook her whole body and greeted them, trembling.
“I’m sorry, Teacher. As I told you earlier, Hana is scared of anyone other than family.”
“It’s fine, Father. Hana, if you play with the friends here, it’ll get better. Hana, say hello to the teacher.”
That was right.
Today was Hana’s first day at kindergarten.
Hana had trauma with people themselves, not with others.
She was fine living with me, Yuna, and Beatrice because they received her sincere love, but the fundamental trauma remained.
She had been able to go out until now only because I, Yuna, or Beatrice was with her.
But at kindergarten, I couldn’t be with her.
Hana knew that, which was why she was so scared.
Even though I had to send her, seeing her like this weakened my heart, but for her sake, I had to send her to kindergarten.
“Then, Teacher… please take good care of Hana.”
“Yes, Father. Please come in.”
In the end, I sent the trembling Hana to kindergarten and returned home with a heavy heart.
“Cheon Seong-ah, how was your day? How’s Hana?”
When I returned home, Yuna took my coat and asked about Hana, and I answered that Hana was scared, just like she had guessed.
“That’s why my heart is really frustrated. I know it’s for Hana’s sake, but I guess I can’t help it.”
“Cheon Seong-ah, you really became a dad now? Time flies~ I remember when you were little, it felt like yesterday.”
Yuna said in a playful voice while organizing my coat, noticing my gloomy expression.
I knew it was Yuna’s way of comforting me, and I smiled faintly in thanks to her consideration.
“Yuna, you’re the same age as me, yet—”
“Yeah~? I still remember when you were little and got badly hurt, how you held back your tears and clung to me.”
Blush.
But that smile turned into embarrassment, and her face turned bright red.
Yuna’s words were fact, not an exaggeration.
I didn’t remember much now, but I still remembered clinging to her while holding back tears, the only thing I could remember from when I was little and had no tolerance for pain like I do now.
Yuna laughed “kkiiruk” while arranging the rest of my clothes after seeing my blushing face, and I found her appearance endearing.
I sneaked up behind her and hugged her tightly, then threw myself toward the bed.
“Then, Yuna, just like you said, how about we hug again after a long time?”
“C-Cheon Seong-ah!”
Yuna’s face turned as red as mine when I looked at her with a mischievous smile and said that.
“C-Cheon Seong-ah! I’m sorry for teasing, so let go—kyaa!”
I didn’t listen and pulled Yuna’s soft body even closer, rubbing my face against her chest, and a small, cute sound came from Yuna’s lips.
It was the same warmth and coziness as the blanket dried in the sun.
I found this incredibly good. The coziness I felt when hugging Yuna was too good.
The coziness only Yuna could bring to my tired heart, different from Beatrice and Hana.
“U-um… uuuu…”
Fortunately, Yuna didn’t hate it and let out a groan without pushing me away, so I gently placed my lips on her snow-white neck that was visible while rubbing my face against it.
Kiss.
“Kyaa! C-Cheon Seong-ah…! What are you doing? I haven’t even washed yet, so I’m dirty! Stop already!”
Yuna tried to push me away saying I was dirty, but really, was there any dirty part on Yuna’s body?
Different from my pale skin, Yuna’s body was milky white with a healthy glow, and the fragrant scent of her skin flowed from her.
Clear features and hair like high-quality silk.
Skin so flawless there was no trace of blemishes.
If anyone said Yuna was dirty when she was so white and clean, I would kill them myself.
While Yuna tried to push me away, I answered that I wasn’t dirty at all, rather that I was clean and fragrant, and continued to leave marks on her body… but.
[So, you came to me after going home without saying anything to Yuna?]
Beatrice had witnessed the events on the bed and said that, while Yuna fanned her flushed face with a hand fan to cool it and avoided eye contact.
I was kneeling.
[I don’t mind you being close with Yuna.]
Beatrice looked down at me kneeling and continued speaking while radiating an aura that no one could approach.
[But at least you should have told me you came to me.]
“I-I’m sorry.”
I had no words to say because Beatrice was right.
[Really sorry?]
“Yes…”
[Will you tell me next time?]
“Yes… I will definitely tell you.”
[Then wait in the living room.]
“Yes… uh?”
I was still answering Beatrice’s question when her strangely abrupt words left me startled, and I looked up at her.
“Wait in the living room suddenly? Why?”
[If you wait, you’ll naturally know.]
“No, well… I’ll understand.”
It was such an absurd statement, but I nodded and scratched my head before going outside.
[Ah, Yuna, you stay here.]
“Eh? Me too, Sister?”
Beatrice grabbed Yuna who was about to follow and told her to stay only with me, then closed the door.
I just wondered what the two women had to talk about and headed to the living room without thinking.
Shiver shiver shiver.
But what was this?
Why did I suddenly feel a chill all over my body?
“Well, it’s probably just my mood.”
I sat on the sofa and waited for Beatrice, thinking it was my mood, and it didn’t take long before I realized my thoughts were wrong.
And the chill turned out to be from Beatrice and Yuna coming down to the living room.
I tried to run away quickly, but.
[Where are you going, you?]
I couldn’t escape Beatrice.