On the night road lit by streetlights, a tall man dressed in black could be seen carrying another person on his back. Strolling through the peaceful quietness of the night, the neighborhood was rather silent even though it wasn't that late yet. However, occasionally some noises coming from stray animals could be heard around the deserted streets.
Kim Dokja's slender arms wrapped gently around Yoo Jonghyuk's strong neck, the teen was quite reluctant for troubling the latter, but at the same time, he was rather hesitant to let go. From time to time, Yoo Jonghyuk's soft raven hair would brush against his face, giving him this ticklish sensation on his cheeks.
The comfortable warmth coming from the older man's back had a very reassuring allure, allowing him to lean on it while making all worries disappear for that magical moment. However, Kim Dokja couldn't help but think about the fact that he had been carried for over an hour. He couldn't help but worry for the regressor.
"Hyung... The doctor said that it was just a sprained ankle, maybe I can walk on my own-"
"You keep hurting yourself every day. I guess this is a habit you'll take with you even in the future as well."
Yoo Jonghyuk wrinkled his brows as he subconsciously spat out some cynical commentary. Kim Dokja's body was light, too light. He didn't like how he kept smiling even though he should be crying. What are you keeping a strong farce for? Just rely on me you stubborn brat.
From afar, a silhouette could be seen standing under the streetlight, but unfortunately, the yellow light illuminating that figure was too dim to grant us enough clarity for identifying the unknown individual. As a matter of fact, the person who stood in front of Kim Dokja's home seemed to be waiting for someone.
They could only make a rough outline, but as they came closer, that person began waving her hand in a cheerful greeting.
"Dokja-hyung!"
The mysterious figure revealed itself to be no other than Kim Dokja's newly acquaintanced cousin, Kim Sunri. She began jogging her way towards them with a smile blooming on her pretty little face.
Surprised by the sudden appearance of the incoming girl, Kim Dokja wore a baffled expression while Yoo Jonghyuk's face darkened. The regressor remembered very clearly what he heard that day. She doesn't have any good intentions towards his innocent companion.
"Kim Sunri? What are you doing here?"
The girl answered dejectedly when she heard the question. "I wanted to spend more time with Dokja-hyung, but you weren't at home..."
Yoo Jonghyuk didn't have the slightest intention to interact with the little girl in front of him. With his usual indifferent attitude, he directly walked past her without sparing a single glance back.
Kim Sunri was too focused on her mission to curry some favor with the teen that she didn't notice the man who was carrying her cousin on his back. One glance had been enough to stun her, but she recovered immediately after a short while and began chasing after them again.
"Wait! That was rude! I wanted to talk to Dokja-hyung!"
Kim Sunri wanted to stop them and so she ran past them and blocked their path by spreading her arms wide open. "Hey!"
The surrounding temperature seemed to drop many degrees further as the expression on the regressor's face turned more frosty than the frigid ice of a thousand year permafrost. Looking at the annoying antics of the yapping girl before him, Yoo Jonghyuk clicked his tongue in clear displeasure.
"So noisy."
"Wha- How dare you! Who are you to Dokja-hyung even!?" Kim Sunri was stuttering in disbelief at the simple but rude remark.
"That's none of your concern."
The answer she received was filled with some murderous intent, but she did not realize it and kept bravely standing up against them. However, wavering the firm stance of that airhead was the pair of chillingly cold eyes staring right back at her.
The situation in front of him was escalating very quickly, their small dispute was on the verge of exploding form all the gunpowder in the tense air surrounding them. Kim Dokja had to intervene as the mediator between the two arguing parties. But in all honesty, after such a tiring day, he really had no more energy and patience left to deal with her. He really just wanted to go back and sleep...
"We shouldn't fight, the ruckus is going to wake the entire neighborhood up. I'm sorry I had plans today and you had to wait in vain. Sunri, how about you come tomorrow?"
Pouting her cheeks, Kim Sunri shot a glare at the unperturbed regressor before waving goodbye at her cousin. "Fine."
The teen subconsciously let a relieved sigh escape his mouth. Just about when the regressor was about to proceed forward, the warm breath ticking his neck started the older man and subconsciously made his entire body stiff, causing him to abruptly stop on his tracks.
"Hyung?"
Although he maintained his calm coolness outside, the slight stammering in his voice betrayed him. "N- Nothing!"
***
Time passed in a blink of an eye as Kim Sunri kept visiting Kim Dokja's house for the past few days. Her presence was clearly unwelcomed by a certain someone. She was lucky for being able to use the excuse to help Kim Dokja while he was on sick leave from school because of his injury. But unfortunately for her, she was still very green in this work field and couldn't manage to get any useful information regarding the inheritance.
Even so, she tried to probe into the identity of this mysterious handsome man and the relationship he has with Kim Dokja. Although, even there, she failed. Not only her research turned out fruitless, but even all the information she got about their interactions were too ambiguous and baseless to solidify any kind of theory.
Maybe it was because the old fox was beginning to become increasingly suspicious and anxious about the presence of this unknown man next to Kim Dokja. Kim Sungwoo was very aware that it was only a matter of time before other people would also start openly participating in this hunt for the inheritance, competing among themselves for the prize. All he could do now is to order Kim Sunri to do something a little bit more extreme to drive the regressor away. It wasn't much, but at least he could get rid of one of the biggest threat without spilling any unnecessary blood. Lately all his daily activities were put under surveillance, apparently, the police had already begun to suspect one of his hidden money laundering activities and that's the reason he cannot afford to do anything too flashy because it would only bring him more problems.
While on the other side, for the regressor, there was something else that was bothering his mind. It was very unusual for him to allow himself to get easily sidetracked so many times. If it wasn't for the system timely reminder, he would have kept pushing the matter further inside the back of his mind. The time limit for the scenario was almost up and for the first time in his life, he didn't know what to do.
+
[Side quest #3 - Compliments are good for the health.]
Category: Side
Difficulty: ???
Clear conditions: 85/100
Side effect: Indirect inclination towards the character 'Kim Dokja'. *Warning: Random activation.
Time-limit: 2 days
Compensation: ???
Failure: ㅡ
*There are additional clear conditions.
*No constellation interference allowed.
+
During these days Kim Dokja seemed quite anxious, often lowering his head to look at the screen of his phone while trying not to be too obvious while trying to steal some glances at Yoo Jonghyuk's handsome side profile. The teen's gaze was a strange mixture of seriousness and restlessness and sometimes, he would also wear a sad look on his face. In the end, it was unsure what he was thinking.
But the peaceful days always didn't last long. Tragedy may suddenly befall as dark clouds could suddenly cover the blue sky. A bad omen, a grim premonition of an unforeseen tempest.
And it sure did.
Everything was normal until a scream echoed from the living room, disrupting the peaceful atmosphere in the house. There was a disheveled looking Kim Sunri on the floor and standing in front of her, was the regressor wearing an ice-cold expression. And as soon as she saw Kim Dokja coming this way, Kim Sunri immediately ran over to hide behind his back while pointing her trembling finger at the scoffing man.
She was accusing him of sexual assault.
「 Bullsh*t. 」
Was what Yoo Jonghyuk immediately thought about her accusations. It was a mocking insult towards him and his standards, does she think she's worthy? Not at all. Not even the slightest bit.
But to his surprise. The companion he began to trust seemed to challenge his trust again.
Kim Dokja used his body to shield the quivering girl, extending an arm to push her further back while his eyes showed a glint of distrust in them. Kim Sunri kept shaking, but she didn't hide the victorious grin spreading through her face. Her smiling face seemed to say 'See? I told you.', an expression really deserving for a beating from the crowd.
Yoo Jonghyuk's heart stilled as it slowly started to turn cold. The bitter taste he was feeling, he did not like it at all. Perhaps if he had restrained himself from speaking, no one could have heard the slight trembling in his voice.
"You... Trust her?"
Kim Sunri's sly smile immediately transformed as she wore a pitiful expression while tugging the hem of Kim Dokja's shirt. With her trembling fingers, she began wiping away the tears from her weeping face.
"He obviously does! You have never been someone important to him anyway!"
Feeling an oppressing feeling looming over his heart as if a sharp claw was clenching it within a merciless grip, the regressor breath hastened. An interceptable dull pain began afflicting his chest, slowly spreading through his entire body like poison.
"Is this... What you always thought?"
Not answering the question, Kim Dokja turned his head to the side, avoiding the betrayed look in those deep dark brown eyes. It wasn't easy. It wasn't easy at all. But for his hyung, he must do it.
Strengthen the resolution in his heart, Kim Dokja firmly looked at the regressor and asked him to leave.
The pure disbelief in Yoo Jonghyuk's eyes was replaced by a look filled with mockery, leaving him with only resentment and anger.
"Yes... Yes. That's right." He started chuckling while covering his eyes with the big palm of his callous hand. His voice was filled with bitterness and sad realization.
"Why would you trust a stranger you just met a few days ago instead of a relative."
「 Companion...! 」
「 What companionship! From the very beginning, did you even consider me one?! 」
「 Or was it one-sided all along? 」
"That's right. No one would."
Why was he feeling all of this? Not even when the old Kim Dokja died he felt this many sour emotions surging out of his heart. Why was he tasting this numbing and bitter flavor on the tip of his tongue?
He hated it. He hated how his heart started crumbling. He hated how his intestines started churning inside. And no matter how much he tried, he absolutely hated how he was unable to hate him.
He really was loathing his behavior right now. Why was he still lingering here? Just go! Go away from there! Why can't he move?!
He shouldn't have grown attached to anyone in the first place. Everything was just wishful thinking from his side. He was alone. Just as it should be.
"Then forget me. Like everyone does in the end."
All the words seemed to cut and slice Kim Dokja's bleeding heart, but he deserved every bit of pain he received. All he could do is stay in silence, enduring the endless barrages of those cynical words directed at him. He hurt his precious hyung. He must not complain... He was already prepared to drown himself in the lake of sorrow alone. However, Yoo Jonghyuk next words still managed to deal a harsh blow on him.
Hearing the regressor's calm and deep voice, which didn't express any ripple of emotions, and yet unable to hide the blatant and utter disappointment oozing out from every single word he spoke. Knowing that he had let down another person dear to him, it was like seeing his entire world shatter into small pieces.
"I should have never trusted you."
"I wish we had never met."
Yoo Jonghyuk unhurriedly opened the door and what greeted him was the image of a setting sun. He raised the palm of his hand against the light seeping through his fingers as if he was half-heartedly trying to block that feeble glow from alleviating the acute numbness he felt inside of him. A ruthless gust of harsh cold winds rushed past him, but compared to the chill he felt inside, this was nothing more than a small breeze. Turning his back towards them, the familiar warmth was already no more, because it had been ruthlessly stripped away, and now the only thing left was just cold estrangement. Without turning back, he stormed outside the house with nothing but coldness in his emotionless eyes.
I'm so sorry I couldn't update!! ㅠㅠㅠㅠ I just got so side-tracked that I was starting to write the ending chapters, forgetting that I still had holes to patch up in the middle ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Still I have the clear idea of an ending. And I also must admit that this chapter was rather hard for me to write, because I hated to make my OTP suffer even the slightest. So that explain if I didn't manage to pull off a good angst on you guys.
Reflected in those sunken eyes was the figure of the regressor's back moving further and further away, a picture that brought a suffocating feeling upon his aching chest as if all of his emotions wanted to forcefully break out from his heart. All he could hear is the heavy thumping of his heart as if the entire world turned silent except for the echo of each beat falling in his ears.
But it was all late...
"Dokja-hyung, may I use the toilet?" Kim Sunri asked while covering her face with her hands, she tried very hard to restrain the gloating smile on her lips.
Kim Dokja weakly nodded while he closed the lids of his lackluster eyes, what had come out as an answer from his mouth was just a vague lugubrious hum.
She didn't mind her cousin dry response and instead, she felt even more gratified inside because of how depressed her cousin must have been feeling. Kim Sunri, for the first time in her life, felt accomplished. It was a bad deed, she knows, but it was still her effort. And now, she hoped to be finally noticed by her father. This is what her uncle promised her after all. The girl's eyes bent in two crescents as she thought about her past exchange with Kim Sungwoo.
"Kim Sunri this is your chance to shine, do you understand? If you manage to get hold of Kim Dokja's inheritance, your parents would be proud of you!"
"They... Would be proud of me?"
"Yes!"
Going upstairs, she felt all giddy inside and couldn't wait to share the good news with her uncle. She thought herself as someone sly, how naïve and ingenious. No matter what, a little cunning ferret can only be a prey for the old sly fox. Kim Sunri had blindly trusted that dim glimmer of hope that her uncle gave her, but unbeknownst to her, she wasn't the on the 'deceiving' party because she had been part of the 'deceived' party all along.
Still standing in front of that door, Kim Dokja slowly shifted his gaze towards a cabinet beside the doorway. He stretched his hand forward to reach for something, and then he lightly gripped the handle before pulling the drawer towards him. Various items were scattered inside, but he knew something was missing inside that chaotic mess. He could hold on the silver hope that someday he would come back. But that was just Kim Dokja's wishful thinking.
In the past, Kim Dokja considered lying a vile action, he didn't like dishonesty and absolutely despised when someone else lied to him. Truthfulness and integrity were two of the virtue that he used to value the most, and yet look at him now, there wasn't even a single day where he didn't spend lying to others or himself. Looking back at what his initial thoughts were, Kim Dokja couldn't help but mockingly laugh at his own pretentiousness back then.
What a hypocrite he was in the past.
But what about now?
Kim Dokja listlessly raised his arm, shifting his gaze down while he watched his hand slowly clenching with hesitance. How utterly laughable he was.
Staring at those fragile bony hands, Kim Dokja is well aware that this body of his was even more effeminate and willow-like than a woman's. His unhealthy eating habits made him look like this. He never ate for savoring the food, he merely regards it as an essential intake of nutrients he needs to consume daily to keep his body's functions working. Everything that enters his mouth tasted bland anyway. Everything, expect...
Kim Dokja couldn't help a bitter laugh escaping from his jeering mouth. Indeed, it really had been the most delicious food he had ever eaten in his entire life. Although it was most likely that he won't be able to taste it ever again.
This feeble body that had been already covered with countless bruises. There was an emotion which kept gnawing his self-esteem away, it was a certain thought looming over his conscience, a certain realization that he had been always so useless all along. However, each time those dark thoughts managed to reach him, it had been always the same person who unwittingly saved him.
Shaking his head, Kim Dokja softly lifted up the corners of his mouth in a sad smile, while his eyes filled with undisguised yearning. Yes, he was weak but not powerless.
"After all... Weak people have their own way to fight, right?"
After a moment of reminiscence, the teen tightened his grip, digging his nails into the soft pale skin of the palm of his hand. The pain helped him to stay focused on his current objective. Maybe after all this ordeal, he could even try to redeem himself for his wrongdoings.
During the time Kim Sunri had been away, Kim Dokja took advantage of the situation and brought out his phone to inform the person that had influenced his behavior today. The screen lit up and he tapped on the call icon. Kim Dokja doesn't have many contacts saved inside his phone, actually, there were so few numbers saved on his list that it was almost too pitiful to look at it. But this was ought to happen because he hadn't befriended many people in the first place, he wasn't exactly a social butterfly as you can see.
However, the first number appearing up in the log call list was a recent contact he had acquired. And it was no other than the masked individual that Kim Dokja knew but at the same time didn't.
That man revealed himself a few days ago with a message. Moreover, inside the text he sent, there was a file attached containing a 'piece of advice' as he called it.
The information he got with the text was his name, Jun. And the advice was... ostracizing himself from Yoo Jonghyuk.
The file was a report about the recent activities of some people from the Kim family. And to say it more specifically, the main focus of that report was the secret information of a recent reunion they had partaken in. The topic of the meeting was the doubt that had arisen amongst them regarding Yoo Jonghyuk's identity. They began regarding him as Kim Dokja's guardian, a potential threat for them because of their fear that the young teen would give all his inheritance to that man instead of them.
If their target had been only him, then he could have also given himself the privilege to pay no heed to them. As if he was willing to become a mere puppet who does only what they command him to. Instead of wasting his time with them, he would gladly have spoken with his actions and burned the inheritance in front of their protruding eyes if only he had been given the chance to do so naturally.
Nothing can be sure considering the contorted mindset of those greedy bastards, maybe they planned to kidnap or even killing the regressor for their purpose. And all of this mayhem was caused by something that didn't exist in the first place, how ridiculous can this situation even be?
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Kim Dokja wanted to prevent that from happening at any given cost. He was weak and they will definitely underestimate him because of that. However, he will fully take advantage of their carelessness to show them just how deceptive one's appearance can be.
He must admit that he had grown very fond of the older man, each day spent with him always brought sparks of happiness and excitement in his dull existence. But he didn't want to drag his hyung down with him. He had indeed got a valid reason for his choice, this is the right course of actions to take, for sure there were no other options... He had taken the safest alternative for Yoo Jonghyuk's sake.
Words cannot describe how he hated when someone used the 'It's for your own good' excuse to explain their actions. 'I know for sure what's good for me', one would answer like that. Just as he did back then. But now look at him, doing all the things he used to loathe in the past.
He was still as pretentious as ever.
As Kim Dokja was immersed in his train of thoughts, someone on the other line finally picked up the call. It was a slightly coarse but deep voice answering.
-"You have decided?"
"Jun-ssi, hyung is gone. You can proceed with your plan now."
-"You made the right choice. The further he'll be, the safer it is."
"Hmm."
-"Alright, coming up in a few minutes. Try to entertain the girl until I arrive."
"Do I really have to?"
-"Or knock her out. You choose."
"..."
***
Dashing down the stairs cheerfully, Kim Sunri arrived inside the living room and quickly went beside her taciturn cousin whose head hung low. Her eyes were no longer moistened by those big crocodile tears. Looking at the bleak aura in the surroundings and feeling the low morale of the teen, all of this has brought her a twisted sense of achievement.
"Dokja-hyung that man called Yoo Jonghyuk really wasn't a good person. It's a relief that now he's gone, right?"
This is it. Now he had enough. It was as if something inside Kim Dokja's body snapped, like an unstoppable surging wave, releasing all at once the pent up hate and resentment trapped within him. The last straw finally broke and now, he is pissed.
"Who are you trying to trick by using that lousy disguise of yours? What lays underneath that paper-thin mask is as clear as the day for me to see."
Speaking with a spiteful and cynical voice that Kim Dokja had never used in his entire life, he kinda enjoyed the feeling of being able to forthrightly mock and insult someone without any concerns for the repercussions.
The bewildered expression plastered all over Kim Sunri's small lovely face was really a sight to behold. But unfortunately for her, the pure shock she displayed wasn't enough to appease the angry beast inside Kim Dokja. An insatiable feeling of schadenfreude welled up inside his heart. And now that he really wanted to mess with someone, he will not hold back.
The teen may not be adept in the physical department, but to compensate his lack of brute force was his bright and deceitful mind. Psychological onslaughts were one of the hidden trump cards he often used to escape sticky situations. He never actually used it for attacking anyone, so this will be a new experience.
"Trying so hard to pursue that little 'happiness' of yours."
"How did you...!"
"Each time you try to tell yourself everything will be better... Aren't you just reminding yourself of how bad and depressing is your situation?"
Kim Sunri's stumbled as the shock hit her. She couldn't believe that her cover had been blown away this easily. But that didn't mean she will stand here and do nothing against Kim Dokja's verbal assault!
"Then let's get straight to the point. Where's the inheritance?"
Innocently tilting his head sideways, as if he was trying to act cute and dumb. Kim Dokja answered with clear eyes. "What inheritance?"
"Then let me rephrase the question in a better way." Kim Sunri sat in front of the frowning teen and crossed her arms while lifting her chin up before speaking with a condescending tone. "Do you want revenge?"
"The people looking at you like an entertaining freak show while gossiping about you. Don't you hate them all?"
"They are all wary of you, a tad little bit too smart and you'll be a possible psychopath. Wolf in sheep's clothing is what they say."
He inhaled sharply before holding his breath inside. He forgot that his mental fortitude was also slightly unstable. She was right, people always pointed fingers at him for everything. He also wondered how he had survived so long under those distasteful conditions. They say that time heals everything, but that statement wasn't made for someone like Kim Dokja.
"People are quick to judge someone they don't know. What they love the most is to slander and condemn others..."
It was a one-sided barrage of bitter words directed at him. Kim Dokja had thought that at this point he would already start to feel a stifling sensation inside his heart, but to his dismay, what had filled it instead was an odd apathetic sense of loss.
"You are nothing but a son of a drunkard and a criminal. This is who you are and this won't change, ever."
A small voice inside his head kept buzzing his ears together with Kim Sunri. 'Yes, that's right. That's what you are.'
"So why don't you just get rid of everything? What's worth in your life anyway?"
'That's right. Why don't you just give up?'
Kim Sunri's voice kept falling into his ears like a devil's whisper. As if it was tempting him to sin. The voice of his depressed self who just wanted to rest forever pushed him deep inside his thoughts again.
What was time for him? It was just a meaningless handful of sand seeping through his fingers every day. Everybody keeps saying that he will learn and understand when he grows up. But what has he learned those years?
Endurance. That's what he learned.
All those empty words alongside the jeering and mocking became Kim Dokja's familiar background music. A messy orchestra with himself at the center playing a sonata disliked by everyone. A chaotic over-sophisticated symphony used to describe Kim Dokja's somber mundane routine, narrating his disharmonious life filled with pointless struggles.
The only visible changes were the physical ones, time did nothing else but that. Although he seemed to have grown taller. Can anybody tell him why the sky seemed to get further and further away from his reach?
Painstakingly trying, only to be rewarded with another failure. Maybe that's the reason he began reading that novel.
He finally found someone he can relate to.
This was his first thought, but soon he realizes how wrong he was. They were different, completely diverse. Because 'Yoo Jonghyuk' was stronger than him. Watching the regressor growing stronger to overcome his difficulties and even though sometimes he had to use some extreme measures to pass his challenges, that raw suave charisma had awakened a deep-rooted sense of admiration and one-sided companionship towards him.
"Yes... My life was rather meaningless. But I had something that kept me going."
He often imagined what could have changed in his life if he behaved more courageously like 'Yoo Jonghyuk'. But that was all the time he spent daydreaming.
"His name is Yoo Jonghyuk. And even though his personality sucks, he is still my hero."
After this I'm going to drown inside my own anxiety because my test are next week! Ugh! ?? Everybody wish me luck because I will need a lot of it! ?