Chapter 56: Back to the Cage

Perhaps because of that, unless the situation was severe enough to qualify as a national-level disaster or personally interested him, Kwon Yiyul ignored everything else no matter how many casualties it caused.

It didn’t matter what the center director nagged him about from the sidelines, nor what orders came down from the military.

Kwon Yiyul always acted according to his own mood.

It would be more accurate to say he simply had no interest in trivial matters.

‘Who knows. Guess you could call it luck.’

And yet, that same man claimed he searched the entire area because a mere wildfire caught his attention and happened to find me there.

Something about that explanation didn’t add up.

‘I’d been going around that area often looking for you, and just as expected, those idiots happened to be setting the mountain on fire.’

Kwon Yiyul said he had frequently searched the area looking for me.

Which meant that despite constantly belittling me and degrading my worth, he had still come all the way out to some remote backwater in the middle of his busy schedule just to track me down.

Was I simply being overly self-conscious?

Or were Kwon Yiyul’s own words contradictory?

At this point, I wondered whether he even realized what he was saying.

“So what, you think I mobilized every possible method just to find you? Yoon-ah, don’t flatter yourself. You’re useful, sure, but not valuable enough for that.”

“……”

“And I already told you earlier, didn’t I? I came after you because I was pissed that you left the center without my permission. Besides, thinking about Siram recklessly overworking himself because of you, I had even more reason to drag you back. Learn your place.”

“…Right. That sounds more normal.”

“…What?”

“No, it’s nothing. Just random thoughts. I was talking nonsense, so you can ignore it.”

Mockery curled faintly at the corners of Kwon Yiyul’s lips as he firmly denied my assumptions.

I stopped pressing him and quietly closed my eyes.

Honestly, I was confused.

But at this point, what did any of it matter anymore?

Truthfully, I didn’t care.

I didn’t want to know.

I didn’t want to dig any deeper.

I just needed to continue guiding quietly until I died.

That was my ultimate goal now.

Nothing else mattered.

Vrrrr—

“We will be landing on the center rooftop helipad in five minutes. The aircraft may experience turbulence, so please remain seated with your seatbelts fastened and follow instructions during disembarkation.”

Far in the distance, towering above the forest of buildings, stood a solitary skyscraper.

It wasn’t as though the surrounding buildings were small either, but the center itself was so enormous it swallowed everything else from view.

Lights illuminated all two hundred floors of the structure, dazzling enough to resemble fireworks.

The helicopter circled the building several times, following the red warning lights installed around its exterior before gradually preparing to land.

Just as warned, the aircraft shook violently, making my stomach churn.

Clunk—

“Get out.”

Kwon Yiyul unfastened his belt first and stepped onto the helipad before turning back and extending a hand toward me.

I lowered my gaze to the floor and hesitated for a long time over whether or not to take it.

Eventually, losing patience, Kwon Yiyul grabbed my hand first and pulled me outside.

The moment I stepped back into the center I had desperately wanted to escape, my breathing instinctively tightened.

It felt as though some invisible creature was crushing my shoulders while dragging me into a pitch-black pit.

Step. Step. Step.

Whoosh—

“Han Jaeyoon, you bastard!”

Suddenly, someone grabbed my collar.

Buttons from the worn shirt already ruined by Kwon Yiyul earlier tore off instantly.

Ignoring the raindrops beginning to fall one by one, the person clutching my collar was Park Suchang.

The one person I wanted to see second least after Kwon Yiyul himself.

I felt like spitting directly in his face.

“Suchang-ah, what are you doing? The kid’s already been through enough.”

“The hell with that. I don’t give a damn right now, so try stopping me if you want.”

Park Suchang raised his hand high above my face.

For someone supposedly intelligent, his behavior patterns were astonishingly primitive.

He got angry.

Someone tried to stop him.

Then he tried hitting me.

Every single time, the same repetitive cycle.

Just like his own empty head.

“If you’re going to hit me, then hit me. Otherwise move. My head’s spinning, and I want to go inside and rest.”

“What?”

“…If you didn’t hear me, then just punch me already and get it over with.”

I was tired of relying on teammates to step between us every time.

With complete indifference, I tilted one side of my face toward him as if daring him to strike.

Unexpectedly, Park Suchang looked far more unsettled than anticipated.

“Y-you…!”

I thought he’d enjoy this.

How surprising.

“Suchang-ah, he told you to move. Shut up and do it.”

“…f*ck.”

“Seokhwan’s still in the recovery ward, right? Suchan probably left for support duty at the northern center this morning. Oh right, where’s Siram right now?”

Hearing Choi Siram’s name once again dominate the conversation felt oddly distant.

Right.

That person existed too.

That was about the extent of my feelings.

The jealousy and envy I once felt had faded into something as dull as reading an old diary written by a stranger on yellowed paper.

I remembered every emotion vividly.

But somehow, none of it stirred me anymore.

“…He’ll be here soon. He got word that Han Jaeyoon came back.”

I was exhausted.

I wanted to rest.

I wanted to wash up and collapse into bed for a long uninterrupted sleep.

My mind was already crowded with worries — whether the shelter residents received proper treatment, whether Lee Shinwoo and Song Ahyoung had regained consciousness.

More than anything, I desperately needed time alone.

“Sorry, but… may I go back to my quarters and rest now?”

“Ah, right. I actually have good news for you, Yoon-ah. Want to hear it? Or would you rather see for yourself?”

“…What is it?”

“Your quarters. Remember when I mentioned the contract renewal? I told you I’d separate your room from Siram’s. Everything you need has already been prepared, so you can move in immediately.”

That was genuinely welcome news.

I removed the rough hand still gripping my collar and walked past the men standing on either side before opening the rooftop door.

Lights flickered on throughout the dark hallway, and the center’s state-of-the-art sensors slowly scanned me as I entered.

For a moment I worried, since I no longer had the chip in my body.

But somehow preparations had already been made.

No warning alarms sounded.

Behind me, Kwon Yiyul smiled faintly.

“But Yoon-ah, what’s in that bag you’ve been clutching so tightly this whole time?”

“…Nothing important. Don’t worry about it.”

“Nothing important? Then why are you guarding it like a sacred treasure?”

“I only packed some necessities while escaping. Don’t overthink it.”

I openly pushed away Kwon Yiyul’s hand as he tried reaching for the bag.

I knew I shouldn’t show nervousness.

But the thought of him taking away the medicine inside made it impossible to control my reaction.

“Fine. If you say so.”

Maybe because he thought someone like me — who would never recklessly endanger the shelter residents — was unlikely to smuggle anything dangerous into the center, Kwon Yiyul stopped questioning me.

After all, the bag itself was just some shabby thing worth barely a few thousand won from a marketplace.

Ding—

“…Oh my god, Jaeyoon-ssi!”

While riding the elevator, it stopped midway and someone unexpected stepped inside.

Choi Siram.

He looked noticeably thinner than before.

The moment he saw me, he rushed forward and wrapped me tightly in his arms.

Without realizing it, I hugged him back.

Perhaps because his frame was already slender to begin with, Siram’s waist fit entirely within one arm.

The anxiety he must have suffered while having no idea where I’d disappeared to came through painfully clearly.

Tears hanging from the corners of his large eyes finally spilled down his cheeks.

“Where have you been all this time? Are you hurt anywhere? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, so don’t worry, Choi Siram-ssi.”

“What do you mean fine? You look terrible. And why are your lips so pale? Are you really okay?”

The flood of questions immediately made my head ache again.

When he pointed out my blue lips, I flinched, afraid my illness might be exposed.

I brushed it off by saying it was because of the rain.

At this point, I’d probably need to buy cherry-colored lip balm from a nearby store after getting some sleep.

As the illness worsened, not only my complexion but my entire physical condition would deteriorate further.

I needed to at least pretend I looked normal while I still could.

“Siram-ah, I think Jaeyoon’s really exhausted. Why don’t we save the reunion for later and let him rest?”

“…Ah, right. We should. Jaeyoon-ssi, I heard from Yiyul that your quarters were separated from mine. It must’ve been uncomfortable living together all this time, so go get some proper rest.”

Whatever excuse Kwon Yiyul had fed him, Choi Siram didn’t suspect me at all for disappearing and being dragged back.

Instead, he treated me like fragile glass that could shatter at any moment.

Honestly, that was probably for the best.

Siram was soft-hearted.

If he learned I vanished because of internal team affairs, it would definitely hurt him deeply.

And rather than enduring those pitying eyes filled with tears all over again, I preferred letting him misunderstand things instead.

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