“...Did you disappear because you didn’t want to exercise?”
“I decided to eat tteokbokki just for today and work hard tomorrow.”
“Ah……”
His eyes slowly blinked, his expression slowly returned to his cold, indifferent face.
[Current status: Murderous intent.]
Hyeon Gyu-ha looked back in silence and faced countless eyes staring at them. He sighed briefly, took off his jacket, covered In Yoo-shin's face, held him in his arms, and flew up to the back of the barracks.
Only then did a murmur erupt among the people who were free from the emotional pressure caused by Hyeon Gyu-ha. Although the broadcasting department came to its senses belatedly and stopped broadcasting, the live video that day recorded the highest number of viewers.
***
The pouring breath was hot.
Even though he was having the rare experience of sitting in the silence of the sky, he could only feel the presence of Hyeon Gyu-ha hugging him from behind. Even after he found out that he hadn't abandoned him, Hyeon Gyu-ha could hardly loosen his hold on him.
“……”
In the silence, where only the sound of heavy breathing could be heard, In Yoo-shin sat still, trapped between his arms and legs. Until his breathing gradually subsides and the heartbeat he felt in his back slows down to a similar speed.
“Did you hate working out that much?”
Hearing his voice return slowly, In Yoo-shin glanced at the status window and responded.
[Current status: Murderous intent.]
“It’s not that I don’t like it that much... It’s hard, but I felt a little better when my friend told me that my body was looking better. There’s no harm in exercising.”
“If you miss this exam, you will have to take it half a year later, and I guess I was too impatient because I felt that I couldn’t be away from Yoo-shin until then. I won’t pick you up anymore.”
“Then what do you plan on doing about the dungeon?”
“You don’t have to go.”
Hyeon Gyu-ha answered easily, but In Yoo-shin, listening, felt a little complicated. At most, he signed a contract with the ministry of public safety and didn't work properly, but just had a romantic relationship in the office...?
No matter what was said outside, Hyeon Gyu-ha would ignore him, and even if he sabotaged his work, there was no one who could criticize him or pressure him into position. The higher-ups will think that if the pressure is wrong, Hyeon Gyu-ha may take In Yoo-shin and terminate the contract, so he won't be able to go out too hard. Probably a middle management position or something.
His anxiety grew as he thought about Manager Kim, who was innocently caught in the middle and going through all sorts of hardships.
'When he introduced me, he seemed like a nice person... When I talked to the manager in charge, he said that unlike Team Leader Hong, he has a good reputation in the department...'
He also heard that his husband was hospitalized and was struggling as a single income earner for a while. Compared to that, he felt that his situation of whining because exercise was difficult and was also luxurious.
“...I’m going to exercise.”
"Really?"
“I think I have no choice but to pass if I don’t want to become a salaried Lupin for half a year. But please be a little gentle.”
"Sure. I will do just enough so that Master will never think of abandoning me again.”
Hyeon Gyu-ha’s voice had a faint hint of anger. Is it that good? However, it was a slightly different direction from what he had imagined.
“It’s easier to take a physical fitness test than to take a written test.”
“...I will do my best to prevent Gyu-ha-ssi from committing any illegal activities.”
Hyeon Gyu-ha’s trick to threaten the supervisor and secretly change the grade report that was below the mark to a passing grade, had to be prevented.
“But Yoo-shin-ssi.”
Still hugging him, Hyeon Gyu-ha placed his chin on the top of his head.
“Can you stay with me today? I’ll buy you tteokbokki.”
“Pizza, not tteokbokki.”
"Okay."
He felt a grin behind his back. It was a pretty smile even if he couldn't see it.
Hyeon Gyu-ha crossed over Seoul while holding In Yoo-shin in his arms.
“Aren’t you coming to my house?”
“Yoo-shin’s house is nice, but the mattress there is for one person.”
Does this mean you want to go to sleep? Since Park Seung-gi was a dormitory student, In Yoo-shin, who had never stayed at a friend's house before, was a little excited.
And when he arrived at Hyeon Gyu-ha's officetel, he was surprised again and again.
First, it was because of the wonderful view of the Han River seen through the wide window, and then because of the extremely dry interior.
Even if minimalism was pursued, traces of Master were bound to remain in the living space. Although In Yoo-shin barely survives on minimum wage, he also raises hamsters and succulent plants. There were also books that had been borrowed from the library.
There was nothing like that in Hyeon Gyu-ha’s officetel.
The basic interior was very clean and luxurious, but that was all. In the space maintained like a model house, there were no traces of the individual ‘Hyeon Gyu-ha’ anywhere.
If it were a hunter's house, there would at least be a few spare weapons.
“Uh... I guess you don’t watch TV? Well, there are a lot of houses without TVs these days.”
As soon as he could say something out of embarrassment, Hyeon Gyu-ha touched his cell phone.
"What are you doing?"
“I want to buy a TV. I’ll have it delivered right away. The bigger the TV screen, the better, right?”
“Ah, no! I’m not watching either!”
In Yoo-shin quickly grabbed Hyeon Gyu-ha’s hand.
“I was just curious about what Gyu-ha usually does to spend time since there is nothing to play with at home.”
“I’m not thinking about anything, I’m just lying down.”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯Without any thoughts?”
"yes."
Hyeon Gyu-ha thought while tapping his chin and then revised his words.
“Not these days I guess. I'm thinking of Yoo-shin. Sometimes I think of ways to kill you without using my own hands. Ah, I decided not to talk about this anymore.”
As he said that, Hyeon Gyu-ha quickly grabbed his hand. Like he’s afraid of missing out again.
In Yoo-shin thought about the difference between the hand he felt at the festival booth and the hand holding him now. The hand, which had no warmth like a corpse, is filled with a gentle vitality just by staying by one's side.
“Gyu-ha-ssi, don’t you have any hobbies?”
“Well... hobbies are something only people who can afford have, right?”
Holding his hand tightly, Hyeon Gyu-ha led him to the sofa and sat him down. The sofa had the unique smooth sheen of leather and was as clean as if no one had ever sat on it.
“Um, how should I explain it?”
Hyeon Gyu-ha continued speaking slowly, pondering as if this was his first time talking about this.
“Let’s say you run a 100 meter race. Running 100 meters is different from long-distance running, so you have to sprint as hard as you can. I don’t want to run, but there is a very important prize at stake, so I have to take first place.”
“Do you mean you have to force it?”
“To put it simply, yes. You can think of it as a situation where you are forced onto the track to run at full speed to the finish line. But..."
Hyeon Gyu-ha moved with the index fingers of each hand held one by one. His left finger was the runner, and his right finger was the goalkeeper.
“If you run 10 meters this much, the goal point will be 9 meters away. If you run 20 meters, you move 18 meters away. As a result, we get closer, but we keep moving further apart. I want to give up because I can't do anything else but run, but there's no way. You have to come in first place and win a prize.”
“…….”
“This is me.”
Hyeon Gyu-ha waved the index finger of his left hand. It was the same mischievous smile as usual, but In Yoo-shin couldn't help but smile.
“After doing this for about 20 years, I can’t do anything, there’s nothing I can do, and there’s nothing I can think of other than running.”
“...Wasn’t it hard?”
That was all he could say. A shallow worry that barely scratches the surface of the past life he has walked.
“I don’t even know what it means to be difficult. I guess I should say that I feel helpless because I can't reach the goal no matter how much I run. So, I assisted in passive suicide. Even if I don’t intentionally jump into the road, I feel like I don’t have the will to avoid a car that’s charging at me.”
Hyeon Gyu-ha, who saw In YOOO-shin’s expression, finished his speech with a smile.
“I no longer feel like abetting suicide. Because you are here.”
There is not a single shadow in the eyes as he lowers his head to make eye contact and smiles gently. Just like he always did when he captured himself in his eyes.
So In Yu-shin realized his extreme boredom.
“------!”
The fragments of a degraded god cry out. God, who has lost his sense, stretches out the frog's arm, not realizing that no matter how much he stretches, he cannot reach it. Step up. Jump up. He screams. The shadow fragments become tired from repeated senseless attacks.
The man is just looking down with an infinitely bored gaze.
It's a game of chicken. Is the fragment's stamina exhausted or the man's mana exhausted? The death of the one who reaches the limit first.
The gray brain cells, finally overloaded by the ability to maintain mana by constantly consuming it, scream.
Aah.
Was it me who reached the end first?
The body that was roaming freely in the sky falls as if the thread has been suddenly cut. The upside-down vision flows quickly like a flash, and the exhausted fragments cry out.
A hand covered in a huge film blocking the sun flies out. The man blinked slowly, his vision darkened by dark shadows.
It's great.
It was a feeling of freedom.
“Yoo-shin, wake up. You have to brush your teeth before going to bed.”
“......Umm.”
“I understand that means you can wake me up with a kiss.”
HM: I love how HGH was like ‘Let me buy a TV real quick’ …. Like he was like money doesn’t matter. Bigger the TV, the better the view. Wwwww I heard from someone that there’s +19 side stories. Wwwwww 0w0
------
Credits:
Translator: Hoshi Miya
Editor/Proofreader:
This chapter is unedited. and I've not been able to get in contact with the editor. So, if anyone likes to join as the editor, please check out our discord server. The release of this novel will be irregular due to some issues in real life as well. The chapters of TGITG and MYBIAH are prepared so we shouldn't have issues with that.
HM: I love how HGH was like ‘Let me buy a TV real quick’ …. Like he was like money doesn’t matter. Bigger the TV, the better the view. Wwwww I heard from someone that there’s +19 side stories. Wwwwww 0w0
This chapter is for the person, who supported on KoFi. I only have 1 chapter left to post. TwT.... I got too busy lately. So, I hope I will be able to store more chapters in advance from next month onwards.
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