1440 - Chapter 25

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 25
The man caressed Yeon-su’s head with utmost gentleness, continually brushing his neck and shoulders with his fingertips as though wiping away something unsightly. He was trying to take away the bad things that might have clung to him.
Though Yeon-su did not take hold of himself roughly or transfer his karma onto the man, the man stepped forward willingly to take those bad things upon himself.
Does he do this only for me? Tell me it’s true. That I’m different from those ruffians in the main house. That he’s doing this because he hates to see me suffer.
Yeon-su suddenly recalled the face of a student named Lee Su-gyun—the face of someone who seemed to harbor unrequited feelings, who had spoken of taking on their friend’s affliction.
How unbearably painful must that be? Where does such resolve and courage come from, to see a friend already confined to a sickbed with one’s own eyes and still make such a decision?
And back then—did you not suffer, taking those calamities from me?
Spirits had shown me obsession nearly as fierce as a Vengeful Spirit’s. Because of that, I doubt I could have easily shed all my afflictions. Yet you looked upon me with compassion and readily bore my pain.
24
“I don’t understand why being worried over by you feels so good.”
Yeon-su gently pushed the man’s shoulder. He caught the falling body, laid it softly onto the mat, then nestled against his side.
He tried not to let his gaze linger on the man’s bare skin glimmering in his field of vision, and instead pillowed himself on the man’s arm like a child. The man grew flustered for a moment, then began stroking Yeon-su’s hair once more.
He rubbed the scalp where white strands had appeared, combed through the silken hair, and drew his hand all the way to the nape of the neck. Then his hand drifted downward across the collarbone, spreading warmth like a gentle tickle, before moving on to caress the cheek.
Under that pleasant touch, Yeon-su forgot all that was foul and slowly began to sink into sleep. Even as he felt the man draw the blanket up over them both, he had already slipped away into slumber too quickly to protest.
For this man, I could do anything—even the vilest deed.
Yeon-su thought this as he drifted off, and posed the question to himself: where did such a feeling come from?
Was this not affection far too deep and consuming to attribute merely to gratitude toward the one who had taken away his childhood pain?
Though he recognized the strangeness of it, he could not master this heart. It kept pulling him deeper.
It had been this way since childhood—endlessly dwelling on memories long faded of a person he would never meet again, turning them over in his mind.
From the moment he learned this man was being treated unjustly, he could think of nothing but how to extract him from this house. This man became his only thought.
He had strengthened his body to bear many spirits, trained ceaselessly to attain Divine Spirit and grow strong, and ultimately became a Mutt. He had devised multiple plans and schemes, and returned to this house for one purpose: to save the man and exact vengeance upon the Baek Clan.
Even knowing his own heart was unnatural, returning to his side made it impossible to hold the reins any longer.
Why? Why does it consume me so completely?
Contrary to his heart, now turbulent with conflicting emotions, the man’s touch—felt for the first time in so many years—remained as tender as it had always been.
***
The man’s eyes opened at the sound of Yeon-su rising from beside him. Yeon-su stood in a wrinkled shirt, having just woken, and pushed open the rear door, letting sunlight pour into the room.
The man gazed blankly at his tall silhouette framed in glittering light. Only then did he realize his body held no pain.
Why does nothing hurt? Even though last night had not progressed to full intimacy, he had still caressed Yeon-su’s body with great care to extract his affliction. Yet there was no trace of malevolent influence.
Looking down at his own unblemished skin—no wounds, no rashes, nothing but pristine—he shrank back the moment Yeon-su turned around, suddenly aware of how little his clothing concealed.
Yesterday, urgency had seized him at the thought of claiming the man’s affliction, and he had been ready to shed his clothes himself. But as reason returned, standing before Yeon-su in such a state felt unbearably shameful.
At the rustling sound, Yeon-su turned his head. Bathed in sunlight on his cheeks, his face shone with a brilliant smile, and the man found himself mesmerized once more.
It was a smile he had longed for beyond measure—the very smile he had always hoped to see whenever they met, the smile that made him feel as though he had returned to those long-ago days. His appearance had changed, yet that smile remained untouched.
Yeon-su approached, his features altered but his smile preserved, and brushed back the man’s falling hair. Then, in the bright morning light, his fingertips traced across the man’s face, neck, and the inner side of his wrists, while his eyes took in every detail.
A short breath of relief escaped from Yeon-su’s lips.
“You’re not in any pain, are you? And I didn’t leave your arm numb from using it as a pillow all night?”
Yeon-su’s hand touched lightly upon the man’s left arm. The man followed it with his gaze and shook his head. As he did, his pale, subtly luminescent skin caught the light brilliantly.
The man felt the reflected sunlight scatter across the illuminated skin and moved to lower his hair, trying to veil his face. But Yeon-su was faster.
He cradled the man’s cheek as though holding a precious jewel, his touch impossibly gentle, and tilted his head upward. The man found his gaze meeting Yeon-su’s.
Where did the joy brimming in his eyes originate?
He wondered. Yet it was not unwelcome. Yeon-su’s eyes shone with delight as he spoke with a smile.
“You are beautiful. Don’t hide it. When the light catches your skin like this, it shimmers so gorgeously—I cannot tell you how overjoyed I am to see it healed and radiant.”
At those words, the man thought of In-eum and Yeon-hyung.
Those two, who found his inhuman skin repulsive, who always dimmed the lamps and burned heavy incense as they made him drunk on their presence.
So he could not immediately believe Yeon-su’s words. And yet, at the same time, he wanted to believe them. He wished those eyes regarding him as beautiful spoke truth. Such longing kindled within him.
He had shed desire and emotion centuries ago. He had often been told his nature was indifferent and placid, but since arriving here, he had truly lived that way.
Lived was not even the right word. He merely existed—endlessly yearning for that one person who had once told him, “You are not indifferent; you are passionate.”
Yet now this youth, returning after years, kept stirring in him the emotion of anticipation. Like when he first became aware of Yeon-su’s presence, vain hope filled his heart.
The man tilted his head as if asking whether Yeon-su spoke truly, and Yeon-su, understanding the gesture, nodded.
“I speak from the heart. Not a shred of falsehood—only truth.”
With that, he brushed back the man’s falling hair once more, then draped a thick, long robe over the man’s knees and instructed him to change clothes before leaving the room.
The man quickly shed the uncomfortable, embarrassing garment. When he wrapped himself in the warm, soft fabric Yeon-su had brought, the tension that had coiled through his body released at once.
Through the open door, he saw Yeon-su descending from the second floor. He had expected Yeon-su to have changed into more comfortable clothes after sleeping in his formal attire, but he wore something similar to what he had worn yesterday.
A white shirt and black dress trousers. Come to think of it, that was how he always dressed.
The way his back straightened against the shirt made Yeon-su appear even more upright. As the man watched that back move industriously about, Yeon-su soon returned with the morning meal prepared.
The table bore food for two. Eating together with Yeon-su again, after so many days, brought him joy.
The man descended from the mat and spread out two cushions. Yeon-su thanked him with a bow and set the table between the cushions.
The man blinked in confusion at the sight of the spread.
The array of vegetable side dishes remained as usual, arranged to suit his preferences. But the mountain of meat that always towered on the table was nowhere to be seen today.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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