Chapter 233: Baek Hangyul and Kim Hanbyul
Chapter 233: Baek Hangyul and Kim Hanbyul
“I-I’m sorry! Pl-please, forgive me!”
“‘Sorry’ isn’t going to cut it.”
“Agh! D-don’t worry! On graduation day! I’ll definitely! Bring! Him! Ahhh!”
“Cha Yuna. Can you take responsibility for those words? Don’t you think that bastard’s been acting strange lately?”
Cha Yuna, propped up on her hands and feet with her body stretched out, shook her head frantically. Her braided pigtails swayed from side to side. After a brief pause, Park Hwanhee resumed moving his hips, and her sharp scream pierced the air. Barely catching her breath, Cha Yuna answered in a voice that trembled back and forth.
“H-he said… we should go to the Mercenary Clan together…”
The man’s movements stopped for a moment. He let out a hollow laugh and asked her again.
“So?”
“I-I told him to stop talking nonsense. I said that if he kept saying things like that, we should just break up and never see each other again…”
“Good. But what are you going to do if you actually break up?”
Park Hwanhee thrust his hips forward again. Cha Yuna let out a pleasurable moan and began to respond to his rhythm.
“D-don’t worry. Hangyul… he’ll definitely… follow me. There’s no way… that boy… would betray me.”
“You’re awfully confident. I don’t think I can trust you. Yuna. I think we might need to reconsider our relationship.”
“N-no! I can do it! I really can! Before… before graduation, I’ll definitely… Aah!”
“Heh heh. I wonder if Hangyul would still trust you if he saw you like this.”
Park Hwanhee sneered mockingly. But Cha Yuna’s reaction was completely different from before. The sharp glare she used to give him was nowhere to be found. Now, she was nothing more than a bitch in heat, letting out vulgar cries every time their flesh slapped together.
“N-no. I’m just doing this for Hangyul….”
“Whoa, whoa. Alright, I get it. You’re only doing this for Hangyul. So just make him obedient and bring him quietly into my arms. And stop avoiding me so much. Understand?”
“Yes, yes! I understand!”
“Good. Very good.”
Park Hwanhee chuckled at her answer, but his face was full of mockery. He seemed to find catharsis in witnessing the height of her absurd self-justification.
After the two continued having sex for a while, the man’s body shuddered and the woman went limp, bringing them to a temporary lull.
And then, a woman—no, a man who looked like a woman—who had been watching the entire scene with bated breath, collapsed to the ground. He had worn a look of disbelief the entire time he watched the scene unfold. But the moment the woman’s body went slack, he collapsed at the same moment, his expression utterly vacant.
His raised right arm simply flailed through the empty air, and his bloodless lips could only tremble.
*
I had to work hard to calm Baek Hangyul down. I kept circulating mana through his body to soothe him, then forced him to eat the calming snacks I had brought just in case. Only then did he finally stop crying.
When I then gently prompted him to tell me what had happened, his words began to pour out like a waterfall. He must have been suffering immensely, unable to tell anyone. Baek Hangyul’s words were closer to a wail.
In short, Baek Hangyul said he had kept trying to change Cha Yuna’s mind, just as I’d told him to. But she wouldn’t budge. He had even told her he’d managed to secure a chance to join the Mercenary Clan, but that apparently had no effect. He kept trying to contact her, only to end up banned from entering the women’s dormitory, a grievance he poured out bitterly.
Then one day, while loitering in front of the women’s dormitory in the hopes of seeing Cha Yuna, Baek Hangyul saw her leaving the building alone. Fearing she would avoid him again if he approached her recklessly, he quietly followed her. She walked toward a secluded area, eventually entering a place thick with trees and bushes.
At that, I instinctively recalled the Easter egg. I had once witnessed Park Hwanhee and Cha Yuna’s secret meeting there. As expected, Baek Hangyul said that when he cautiously went inside, he saw Cha Yuna standing with Park Hwanhee. And after that… what I had long suspected had happened inside.
Baek Hangyul couldn’t clearly explain the process of Cha Yuna’s betrayal. He was so overwhelmed with emotion that his words were often unintelligible, but I could still grasp the general situation. To be honest, I’d had a feeling this was happening ever since I saw the two of them before.
After pouring out everything he had kept bottled up in his heart, Baek Hangyul looked relieved for a moment. But it was only for a moment. He soon collapsed in front of me and began to cry again, tears streaming down his face. Witnessing the betrayal of the girlfriend he had trusted and relied on, and by pure chance at that, had clearly been a massive shock.
“Hangyul, don’t cry. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Nuna… Nuna is so pitiful… sob…”
“Ha. You think Cha Yuna is pitiful? What’s pitiful about her?”
“The way she was being treated like that, yet still begging Park Hwanhee for forgiveness… hic, I can’t believe it… Nuna, who was so kind and strong… Why… Whyyyyyy!”
Seeing Baek Hangyul’s confused state, I felt a sense of familiarity. At the same time, something began to boil deep inside my chest. I didn’t know why, but I quickly suppressed the feeling and gazed at him with a steady look.
This might actually be for the best. For me, and for Hangyul.
It was a sorry thing to think about Baek Hangyul, but in a way, this was a good thing. Honestly, I hadn’t liked Cha Yuna either. This incident created an opportunity to change Baek Hangyul’s mind and drive a wedge between them. And while it wasn’t an issue now, it would be a problem if he continued to rely on his girlfriend even after joining my clan.
“Hoo. Hangyul.”
I let out a deep sigh and called his name. It seemed he had cried his heart out, as no more tears fell from his eyes. However, the sound of his choked sobs still lingered.
Silence fell for a while. Just as the sobbing gradually subsided, I looked at Baek Hangyul leaning against me and finally spoke.
“I’m sorry.”
“…What?”
“I shouldn’t have left you alone… I should have paid more attention.”
“N-no… hic. Actually… I thought about coming to find you, Hyung. But you seemed really busy lately….”
Ugh. So cringey.
But the User before me was none other than the future 〈Aegis〉. To win him over, I could endure this much cringe. I forced my curling fingers to straighten and stroked his hair. Baek Hangyul closed his eyes, then opened his mouth, his voice slightly calmer than before, but still hollow.
“Hyung…”
“Yeah.”
“Did Nuna… abandon me?”
“I suppose so. If what you saw and heard is true.”
“Then what should I do now?”
‘You should join my clan.’ Of course, I wasn’t thoughtless enough to blurt that out immediately. I had to phrase it indirectly, as if I were speaking purely for his sake. While I considered how to put it, I sensed several people coming up from the first floor. They were probably returning from dinner. I spoke at once.
“Like I’ve said before, that’s something you have to think about and decide for yourself.”
“Right now, I can’t decide for myself. And I can at least ask for some advice… I don’t know….”
Baek Hangyul had just lost the person he relied on most and was surely drowning in a sense of loss. I organized my thoughts, considering his psychological state, and then continued slowly.
“Have you had any contact with Cha Yuna since then?”
“No. I don’t know. I don’t even remember how I got back to the dorm after that. I just spent every day crying….”
“I see. In that case, I think it would be best to sort out your relationship with Cha Yuna. I believe that’s the best course of action.”
“And after that?”
“That’s what I’m telling you to decide. I think I’ve already said everything there is to say about Park Hwanhee and Cha Yuna. Do you remember what I told you before? In the dorm, and outside.”
“Yes. That there’s nothing that can be done now….”
Baek Hangyul nodded his head. After confirming his reaction, I slowly stood up. He quickly grabbed my hand, his eyes like those of a wounded puppy, silently asking where I was going. But I gently removed his hand and gave him a kind smile.
“D-don’t go. Hyung, please don’t go. Please don’t abandon me.”
“I won’t abandon you.”
“Then…!”
“Hangyul. Just once, please think it over carefully by yourself. Think about whether your girlfriend is really doing this for you or not. Erase all the memories you’ve had with her until now and judge based only on reality.”
“……”
“I think you already know the truth deep down. But you don’t want to admit it. And you want to turn away from reality.”
I could see Baek Hangyul flinch as my words hit home. The boisterous chatter of the new arrivals was getting closer. Baek Hangyul must have heard it too, as he glanced at the hallway before turning his gaze back to me. I decided to play my card now.
“The Academy training ends next week. After that, the Users who received offers will be taken in by their clans, and those who didn’t will have to venture out on their own.”
“Y-yes?”
“And as I told you before, I plan to stand before you on the day you graduate from the Academy—if your heart still hasn’t changed. When that day comes, I want to see you alive and well, with all your relationships settled and your mind made up.”
As I said my prepared words, I saw Baek Hangyul’s eyes waver, if only for a moment. I smiled inwardly in triumph and turned my body. I had left a lingering impression; now all I had to do was wait for him to take the bait. And then.
“Hyung, Hyung! Wait a moment. Please, please just answer this one thing. Hyung, why are you being so good to me? When you think about it, you and I are nothing to each other, right? So why….”
He took the bait immediately. I recalled the words I had exchanged with Kim Hanbyul before. Baek Hangyul must have heard us from outside the door back then.
‘Because you’re a Secret Class. No, that’s not it. What did I tell Hanbyul back then?’
After scratching my head for a moment, I looked up at the empty air and answered.
“Well. To be honest, I’ve had a similar experience to yours. So maybe that’s why I can relate to what you just told me.”
“Y-you too, Hyung? Really?”
“Yeah. And another reason is… when I went through the Rite of Passage, there was a kid who was very similar to you. Of course, she’s still with me now, but she was the type you couldn’t leave alone for even a moment. Anyway, I guess you could say you remind me of her? Hahaha.”
I deliberately mumbled my words awkwardly. My demeanor seemed to be a refreshing change for him, as a bit of life began to return to Baek Hangyul’s expression. Since I was already on a roll, I decided to add one more thing.
“The new Users are coming, so I should get going. I’m sorry I can’t listen to you more. But I fully understand your situation, and I hope you’ll cheer up.”
“Hyung.”
“Ah. I’ll leave that here. Eat it and take care of your health. And since you missed this week’s training, make sure to attend the extra weekend session. Go back to your old self. Wallowing in misery by yourself here won’t change a thing.”
Baek Hangyul didn’t answer. No, it looked like he wanted to say something, his mouth moving, but he couldn’t seem to get the words out. I gave him a faint smile and quickly left the room. The footsteps of the new arrivals were getting closer, and I could see his eyes growing hotter. I silently repeated to myself over and over that Baek Hangyul was a man.
After our conversation, I walked down the hallway and descended the stairs, just as the new Users were coming up from below. They glanced at me as I came down, but I ignored their stares and walked out of the dormitory.
Walking, walking, and walking.
Truthfully, while talking with Baek Hangyul earlier, I had felt my insides boil for no reason. I wondered why I was suddenly feeling this way, and the image of Baek Hangyul’s surprised face as he questioned me came to mind.
‘You too, Hyung?’
What I’d said about having a similar experience wasn’t a lie. The reason the feeling had seemed familiar was that I could genuinely empathize with his turmoil. The circumstances were very different, of course, but I too had lost a woman I loved, admired, and cherished.
As I headed to the instructor’s dormitory, various complicated thoughts surfaced in my mind. Park Dayeon, Han Soyoung. Park Dayeon had been violated by Belphegor, became pregnant with a demon’s child, and then took her own life. And Han Soyoung…
“Damn it.”
Recalling the filthy memories I wanted to forget, my insides filled with emotions I hadn’t felt in a long time. The feeling that had been simmering earlier was gradually intensifying. And this feeling clearly contained killing intent.
I stopped walking toward the instructor’s dormitory and changed direction. A murderous impulse suddenly boiled up, so uncontrollable that I needed time to calm down. I thought I had been suppressing it well since the Cave of Screams, but it seemed Baek Hangyul’s words had touched a nerve deep inside me.
Belphegor is dead. Belphegor is dead. Belphegor is dead.
I endlessly recalled the moment I killed Belphegor, trying to compose myself.
Before I knew it, a dim darkness was descending from the sky. I looked around to confirm no one was nearby, then stepped into the shadows and sat cross-legged. Closing my eyes, I slowly began to meditate. I couldn’t enter the dormitory while radiating this much killing intent.
………. ………. ………. ………. ………. ……….
How much time had passed? When I opened my eyes, I saw a world completely dyed in darkness. It seemed to have taken some time to calm down, perhaps because it was the first time my killing intent had flared up in a while.
I came back to change things, yet I’m still tormented by memories of the past. I still have a long way to go.
A sense of helpless self-loathing washed over me at my inability to control a single emotion. I smiled bitterly and stood up. After patting down my pants once or twice, I quickened my pace toward the instructor’s dormitory.
This is the 13th week. Regular training ends next week. And the Academy ends on the 100th day, so…
There was no way the conflict between the two clans would end this week. And I had to abandon any thought of doing something in the 14th week. By then, it would be the very end, and even if I made a move, it would be difficult to deal with unexpected variables. That meant I had to finish most things within this week.
Fortunately, tomorrow was Sunday. Since I had gone out to provide control support for both the Saturday morning and afternoon training sessions, I had no instructor duties scheduled for Sunday. I reviewed my plans for tomorrow, thinking of the people who were probably cooped up after receiving their probation orders.
Lost in thought, I soon saw the main building and quickened my pace, entering swiftly. I turned down the hallway—a hallway I might soon part with, or one that might be destroyed and never seen again—and saw the now-familiar instructor’s dormitory.
Still, it’s a relief I was able to secure Baek Hangyul. After meeting them tomorrow, all I have to do is wait. It was worth all the busy work.
I turned the doorknob, letting out a sigh of relief. But the moment I opened the door and entered the room, a sight I had never anticipated met my eyes, as if mocking my sense of relief. I stopped mid-step, unable to enter.
*
‘Oppa. Do you have any time this weekend?’
‘Y-you’re still going to come back to the dorm… right?’
The words Kim Hanbyul had said to me at dawn while I was lost in thought about the Matriarch’s murder. She had said the weekend, but I hadn’t thought she meant today, and to be honest, I had mostly let her words go in one ear and out the other.
Inside the room, Kim Hanbyul was sitting alone at the table, drinking. I could, at a stretch, understand her drinking. But her attire was markedly different from usual.
To a slightly shocking degree, Kim Hanbyul was wearing revealing clothes that exposed more of her naked skin than necessary. A strange, sensual atmosphere also hung in the air. It was a scene I could never have imagined, considering the usual Kim Hanbyul.
Unable to even think of stepping inside, I called out to her in a daze.
“Hanbyul…?”
“Ah. Oppa. You’re finally here. I was waiting.”
Kim Hanbyul answered in a voice that sounded drunk. When she slowly lifted her head to look at me, I saw a faint blush across her face. It seemed she had been drinking alone because I hadn’t returned until late.
She gave me a captivating smile and gestured toward the space below the table. There was an empty chair right next to her, as if telling me to come closer and sit.
However. At that moment, a faint sense of unease brushed past my mind. There was an unidentifiable awkwardness in Hanbyul’s actions. Instead of taking a step forward at her gesture, I instinctively activated my Third Eye and Sensing.