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“I showed you, didn’t I?”
“Did Han Dokyeom-ssi show proper sincerity that day?”
“Oh dear, so you want to treat a patient like this.”
Dokyeom knew he hadn’t tied up the loose ends of that clumsy act at the hospital.
Every time he faced Taeseongyeon, he felt a sense of doubt.
It started with wariness, then became sly and bewildering, and now it was hardening into a decision to trust.
He didn’t think it was such a grand emotion yet. But sometimes, something deep in his chest stirred like a tremor. A strange sensation, like indigestion or falling from a great height.
Something he had never experienced, never thought he would.
“Taeseongyeon-ssi.”
Taeseongyeon met his eyes readily. Dokyeom raised his arm and took Taeseongyeon’s hand.
“If you’re playing games with me, you’ll really die.”
Before coming here, Dokyeom had always run alone without ever walking hand in hand with anyone.
So he didn’t really know. Whether this was the distance he intended, or the relationship he desired. So he decided to check. To see what kind of person he wanted to be to Taeseongyeon.
“I’m telling you, if you’re messing with me, you’ll die.”
“Han Dokyeom-ssi worries for no reason.”
He smiled like that, and Dokyeom wanted to believe him. But above all, to do that…
“Whether it’s worry or not, we’ll know later. Right now, I’m drained of energy, so show me Han Yuseong-ssi before the medicine wears off. I need to go get herbal medicine and then head to the guild this afternoon.”
He had to survive. For everyone’s sake.
His arm was still rotting, and Dokyeom suppressed the pain by regularly visiting the hospital to get narcotic painkillers.
Even that, this morning, unable to bear the pain, he had taken several days’ worth of medicine at once, so the one he took in the morning was an over-the-counter painkiller from the pharmacy.
That was probably why the medicine didn’t work.
Taeseongyeon turned silently at the door. Dokyeom followed his receding back, stepping into the dim room covered by blackout curtains. But as soon as he took a step, he stiffened.
‘…A skill?’
The air in the room was excessively cold and dry, unlike the humid outside. The flow of mana in the air was faintly readable. Dokyeom slowly surveyed the empty room. The only thing in it was a pure white bed in the center.
Han Yuseong lay there peacefully.
His complexion even had color, making him look as if he had fallen into a deep sleep. He was in the neat, upright appearance Dokyeom had seen when they last parted, even wearing the same Sihyeon Guild hunter outfit he favored.
He was fine. No wounds, no flaws anywhere, so intact that Dokyeom felt almost embarrassed for worrying.
No. Some Chinese hunter had gouged out Yuseong’s eyes, so even if he looked fine, his eyes might be damaged.
Dokyeom relaxed his stiff body, approached Yuseong, stood beside him, and looked down at him blankly. He took in every feature of Yuseong’s face, tracing his neat hair with his eyes as if stroking it.
Then he sat down in front of him and grasped his pale hand. It was lifeless, like a piece of ice.
“I suppressed the decay with a skill, so it should be okay for now. As long as it’s not exposed to sunlight, it can be preserved for a few months. Proceed as you see fit, Han Dokyeom-ssi.”
Dokyeom listened quietly to the composed voice. For two days, while searching the news, he had persistently looked for news of Han Yuseong. And finally, yesterday morning, Taeseongyeon officially announced that the report of ‘Han Yuseong’s’ death was false.
A statement was released saying that the guild’s hunter, who had been declared dead, was only in a vegetative state, not dead, and they would do their best for his recovery.
The Sihyeon Guild officially corrected the misinformation, apologized for causing concern with the recent incident, and promised a swift resolution.
The comments sparked a debate, but most were supportive messages hoping for Yuseong’s recovery. By now, Yuseong’s family had likely seen the news.
“What about Han Yuseong-ssi’s family? Did you contact them? I think they would have at least requested a visit.”
Dokyeom stroked Yuseong’s hair and waited for an answer. When no answer came for a long time, he turned his head to face Taeseongyeon, but Taeseongyeon just leaned against the wall with a peculiar expression, keeping his mouth shut.
Just as Dokyeom was about to speak on that subtle silence.
“About that, let’s wait until Hunter Han Yuseong returns for you to hear directly. All I can say is that there was no one to contact around Hunter Han Yuseong. Also, privacy policy.”
“Huh?”
No one?
For a moment, Dokyeom’s heart grew cold. He briefly understood what ‘no one’ meant. Far away, or somewhere unreachable, or… simply nonexistent.
What if… Han Yuseong was like Geon Ita, having lost his family to a disaster and being left alone in the world. If that was his position. Maybe Taeseongyeon’s words implied that.
“…….”
Did Yuseong have any belongings?
Perhaps the guild was keeping his phone or personal items. Deciding to check later at the guild, Dokyeom withdrew his hand with a shallow sigh. For now, dealing with the reason he came was the priority.
So he stood up, approached Taeseongyeon, and pointed to the door with a benevolent smile.
“Taeseongyeon-ssi, please step outside for a moment.”
“Why are you being so cold again, Han Dokyeom-ssi?”
“Cold or not, ah, just go out. About five minutes, no, ten minutes. Just stand outside. I’ll finish as quickly as possible, so stay about three meters away from the door.”
Dokyeom grabbed Taeseongyeon’s body leaning against the wall, pushed his back, and guided him to the door. Then he added like a threat.
“If you even think about eavesdropping, you’ll get hit.”
He quickly pushed Taeseongyeon out and slammed the door shut.
As long as Taeseongyeon was around, ‘Orias’ would never appear.
That demon bastard had been nervously coughing and glancing at him for the past few days, as if feeling guilty. He acted like he wanted Dokyeom to let go of his anger and call him first, but with Taeseongyeon present, no amount of coaxing would bring him out.
As the sound of footsteps faded beyond the door, Dokyeom felt the surroundings turn pitch black. Except for the thin line of light through the gap in the blackout curtains, there was no proper lighting anywhere in the room.
It was a perfect environment for someone to appear. Especially for summoning something like a demon.
Tap,
“Orias.”
Dokyeom’s voice quietly echoed in the soundless space. A faint chill swept through.
Even if Taeseongyeon had a skill to keep Yuseong’s body from decaying, it wouldn’t be safe unless it could be maintained while he was away. Also, if Dokyeom wanted to reclaim Yuseong’s body at any time, the body couldn’t remain here now.
So this was the best method for now.
“Orias.”
Entrusting Yuseong to Orias. More precisely, moving Yuseong’s body to the ‘Hell’ where Orias lived to prevent decay. That was the choice Dokyeom had agonized over.
“I won’t interrogate you, so come out.”
He thought it would take a while to coax him out, but Orias appeared without warning, apparently having some sense.
[The demon ‘Orias’ of the ‘Lemegeton’ clears his throat and pokes his face out.]
A demon who had been hiding finally emerged with a reluctant air.
Had it been about half a month since they last talked?
Considering he had disappeared since they entered the gate, there was a common thread in all his actions so far.
–There was definitely a condition for Orias’s disappearance.,
He usually vanished like holding his breath whenever Dokyeom faced danger or at crucial moments. The former was more frequent, and Dokyeom suspected he might be leaving to inform someone.
For example, to pass on the situation to ‘Taeseongyeon.’
The problem was that whenever Dokyeom tried to question him, Orias would disappear, and Taeseongyeon, as if in cahoots, would keep his mouth shut.
“You usually show up brazenly, but this time you’ve been so guilty you didn’t even show your face. Am I going to eat you? Don’t you care about me anymore?”
[The demon ‘Orias’ of the ‘Lemegeton’ wrinkles his nose, saying this looks like an interrogation to him.]
“If you don’t want to hear it, make a deal with me.”
[The demon ‘Orias’ of the ‘Lemegeton’ makes a sour face.]
Naturally, he wouldn’t want to.
At this point, Orias had too much to lose to rashly accept a deal. Moreover, a deal with a demon was a very dangerous spell that required putting one’s own life on the line. Demons who valued pleasure would bet their lives on entertainment? That was impossible.
You think this chapter was thrilling? Wait until you read Illusionary Dream! Click here to discover the next big twist!
Read : Illusionary Dream
