Chapter 34: The Aftermath

“…Hahaha, ha, ha…”

f*ck. Someone get me a lawsuit form. Is this even possible? I’d have been surprised if the doorknob was torn off—but they knocked down the entire door. So right now, the hinges that held the door in place were ripped off by human strength? I thought only the Hulk could tear a door off, but I guess not.

I backed away from the fallen door, pressing my back flat against the wall. I followed the shadow looming over the door frame and raised my gaze.

I’ve never watched a zombie movie because I’m a bit squeamish, but now I think I understand how the protagonist must feel. Approaching me from less than a meter away with those sinister expressions—it was terrifying as hell.

F—… f*ck! I still don’t understand what I did wrong to deserve this. I tried to press myself even closer to the wall, shuffling away on my butt—but in this tiny bathroom, running was pointless.

If I’d known this would happen, I’d have at least wrapped a towel around myself—I’m still naked. I must truly be the world’s biggest idiot. Whether to intimidate me, the bastards walked agonizingly slowly before finally stopping close enough that their toes touched mine.

Even curled up as small as possible to cover myself, the intimidating presence of these tall bastards looking down at me was no joke.

Choi Taehyuk! You’re late, you f*cking bastard!

In an instant, the twins grabbed both my arms.

“You had the nerve to hit me, huh…?”

“Ah, no. That was—”

“Hahaha—. Hu, at least you didn’t get a bump. Hahahahaha!”

“Wai—… wait! Hyung!”

I got a bump too!

“Let go for a second! Let go and talk!”

No matter how much I yelled, they didn’t even pretend to listen—they dragged me out by both arms. I’d always thought of myself as a fairly sturdy guy, but getting dragged this easily—I don’t know if I’m lighter than I thought or their strength is just insane.

The twins even showed off their superhuman strength by lifting me over the fallen door, eventually dragging me out of the bathroom. I struggled with all my might. Even while being dragged, they kept laughing awkwardly and spouting nonsense that made my ears rot—and I couldn’t help but react that way because they were genuinely terrifying.

The twins said things like they’d make my nipples stick out as much as the bumps on their foreheads, or that in return for me kicking their stomachs, they’d dig into my asshole with their dicks—just crazy bullshit.

They must have been out of their minds too, since I was in a panic. No, they have to be out of their minds. The only people who say those things with a straight face are psychopaths.

Hoping with all my heart that these two holding my wrists until they were about to break were actually sane, I finally arrived in front of the bedroom. The moment I saw the disheveled bed through the wide-open door, that humiliating moment replayed vividly. I started thrashing and screaming like a madman. I resisted so frantically that Choi Taehyuk, who’d come to rescue me, ended up saving the twins instead.

“Ah shit, my pants are covered in spit.”

“Same for my sleeves. Ugh— it’s all wet! So annoying!”

Hmph, that’s such great news. As the one who made it happen, I feel very accomplished. I glared at them fiercely.

The twins were now kneeling in front of Choi Taehyuk. The atmosphere made me feel like I should be kneeling too—but I sat firmly on the sofa. After all, I hadn’t done anything wrong.

The bite marks on their calves and arms, and the bruises on their feet—all self-defense. That’s what they get for dragging a naked man to bed while saying such vile things. I have a temper too, you know. I don’t see the world through rose-colored glasses like some people, and I don’t feel obligated to be good. I’ve just been suppressing my anger all this time because I wanted to live quietly without making waves.

I stuck my tongue out at Hu and Ho, who were still glaring at me even while kneeling, and pressed closer to Choi Taehyuk. I’d put on clothes the moment Choi Taehyuk rescued me from the twins. …Hmm. Let’s just say he rescued me. Saying it that way makes it sound like I did something wrong. Right.

A long silence followed. I gripped the blanket the twins had wrapped around me earlier, hoping Choi Taehyuk would give them a proper scolding. Occasionally the twins muttered something in a complaining tone, but neither I nor Choi Taehyuk acknowledged them.

Honestly, I was a bit disappointed—I’d hoped Choi Taehyuk would give them a harsh talking-to—but when he met my eyes and asked, I shook my head.

“What? Still not satisfied? Want me to break their wrists for you?”

It wasn’t that bad. And hey, he was probably joking, right? I let Choi Taehyuk’s words—”tell me whenever you want”—go in one ear and out the other as he patted my head.

Not long after, Min Seonwoo appeared with a bizarre expression, only his mouth smiling.

One thing that must be clarified: my house still uses keys, and I’ve never given a key to anyone here. In fact, I don’t even have that many spare keys.

So normally, all these people should have rung the doorbell and waited for me to open it—but I have no memory of opening the door for anyone, and the doorbell certainly didn’t ring.

Feeling my condition worsening, I looked at Min Seonwoo, who’d come for some unknown reason. The moment he entered the living room and spotted the kneeling twins, he hardened his expression and said very clearly:

“Trash.”

Honestly, considering what Min Seonwoo had done to me, it was like the pot calling the kettle black—but the comment was satisfying enough that I didn’t object. The twins, however, felt differently.

“Ha, coming from anyone else I’d take it—but from you, that’s rich.”

Curious about Min Seonwoo’s reaction, I whipped my head around—and suddenly my head thudded. Huh, why’s this happening all of a sudden?

“All three of you are the same—just talk.”

“Don’t pretend to be so innocent. You think I don’t know you didn’t do anything while you were living here?”

I placed my hand on my dizzy head and looked up at Choi Taehyuk beside me. Right, I don’t know about them, but you’re not exactly in a position to be so high and mighty either.

But since I wasn’t about to tell them with my own mouth that Choi Taehyuk had touched my junk, I could only watch as he scoffed. Ugh, so annoying.

I was surprised to feel my head, which I’d lifted to look at Choi Taehyuk, slowly falling back limply—so I strained my neck. I quickly lowered my head and pressed my hand to my forehead.

Ah, my head’s hurting more and more. I tilted my heavy head and leaned it against Choi Taehyuk’s shoulder. But I must have been weaker than I thought—I crumpled forward and unintentionally collapsed onto his lap. Just as my consciousness was fading further, Choi Taehyuk urgently carried the barely conscious me to the bedroom.

“Jinho-ssi, are you alright?”

Ah, this is so f*cking annoying. I’m in pain and barely conscious—one bastard keeps asking if I’m okay, two are fussing about something, and the other keeps fidgeting with his hands.

I don’t have the strength to push them away or even speak, so I just let them be—but honestly, I want to shove them off. I’m so annoyed I’m about to cry. My fever must be rising again—my face is burning. Especially my eyes, they’re uselessly blurry and I can barely see. Closing my eyes helps a little, but the light still hurts.

“Please… turn off the light.”

I squeezed out my last bit of strength to say that, then shut my mouth. The noisy bastards around me quieted down as the light went out. Someone tucked my hand under the blanket, and soon I felt the weight of a patting hand above the blanket and fingers stroking my hair. After that, I drifted in and out of sleep several times.

What surprised me was that the four of them, who I’d expected to leave the moment I fell asleep, took pretty good care of me.

They changed the towel on my forehead before it got lukewarm, brought whatever seemed needed before I could even ask, and whenever I dozed off and seemed to be having unpleasant dreams, they all worked together to annoy me.

Having someone by my side when I’m sick was a first—it was incredibly awkward and annoying—but it was still better than being completely alone and out of control like usual.

Later, they must have taken shifts—every time I woke up, a different one was there. I was so out of it I couldn’t tell dream from reality, but thankfully, I never woke up in a hospital.

Choi Taehyuk stroked my cheek, saying it was okay and I’d get better soon. Namgung Hu, making sure I’d recognize him, said he was Hu and blew on the bland porridge before feeding me. When I woke next, Min Seonwoo gave me medicine, then patted my chest warmly and said I’d taken it well. Namgung Ho, like his brother, first identified himself as Ho, then spoke to me gently while brushing back my hair.

Later, I think I cried a little—afraid this annoying situation might just be a fever dream. Fortunately, they stayed by my side until I was fully recovered, and they ended up emptying my rice jar before leaving. The moment I sent the four of them off, I called a locksmith.

But the one who arrived before the locksmith was someone I hadn’t seen in a very long time—my friend Chae Yeryeong.

“Long time no see!”

I came out of the bathroom to find Chae Yeryeong sitting in the living room after such a long time. He was even casually drinking coffee as if it were his own house. Since I’d given him a key myself, I had no complaints and sat down as he called me over.

Chae Yeryeong turned sideways to face me on the sofa, still as radiant as ever. His flowing dark brown hair, clear brown eyes, straight nose, dark lips, and slender face shape.

Because he was looking down at me from a slightly higher angle, his features stood out more than usual. The face I’d always envied… I started busying myself with other things. If I looked any longer, I might have to stomp on him—a wicked impulse.

“Why are you here?”

“Just. Felt like I hadn’t seen you in a while.”

That was true. Even counting before the regression, I’d never gone this long without seeing him. He probably felt it more than I did—since he was usually the one to reach out or come find me first.

The reason I’d only recently noticed the four of them had been breaking in was precisely because Chae Yeryeong dropped by so often like this. I glanced around my unremarkable house and muttered that he was being silly. It’s not that I wasn’t happy to see a friend—but oddly, I wasn’t purely happy either. A strange feeling. Like, comfortable but not entirely comfortable… That kind of strange feeling.

Sorry to him, but this subtle discomfort will probably never go away.

“Ah, I ran into Hu sunbae yesterday on my way home. He said he was heading to your place?”

[TL Note: Sunbae- A person who is senior to you in terms of profession/work]

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