Chapter 133
Joo Yi-Gyeol couldn't say anything as he looked up at Seth, who was looking down at him.
Did Seth know what his own expression looked like right now? His face, desperately trying to suppress feelings that seemed about to explode, looked pitiful as it kept threatening to crumble.
Joo Yi-Gyeol felt like he might cry. He had ended up painfully tearing open and ravaging the heart of the person he never wanted to hurt. That fact felt like it was slashing his own heart as well.
He raised his hand to gently caress Seth's face.
"I went back to the world I was in."
Seth's eyes were wavering as much as Joo Yi-Gyeol's trembling voice. Joo Yi-Gyeol couldn't take his eyes off Seth's anxious gaze, mixed with disbelief and unease.
"Two and a half years had passed, but my physical body was still alive... and unlike before I came here, my family had become affectionate, cherishing my shell-like self to the point of heartache."
The faces of his family members flickered before his eyes.
His father, with his gruff but warm and benevolent touch; his mother, who cared for him more than anyone else; his younger sister, who loved her brother so much that it changed the path he would take.
He was grateful to all of them. To the point where he thought he wanted to stay by their side again.
"Don't worry about others, don't apologize, and be selfish if you want. I just want you to smile because you're truly happy."
His younger sister's words were still shaking Joo Yi-Gyeol's heart.
"But it's funny, you know."
Joo Yi-Gyeol smiled self-deprecatingly as his eyes trembled.
"Even with the scene I had longed for right before my eyes, all I could think about was... you."
Seth's face flickered in his mind, memories with him surged, and he heard his plaintive voice.
-Come back, Joo Yi-Gyeol.
He wanted to answer Seth's wish.
Even though his family now cherished him like before and no longer thought of him as a burden, still, he wanted to be by Seth's side. Just this once, he wished he could be selfish too.
Joo Yi-Gyeol's fingertips caressed the corner of Seth's eyes. The trembling in those emerald eyes had changed from anxiety to something else.
"I won't run away anymore. You're all I have."
The only person he couldn't help but love.
You are everything that remains for me.
"You can confine me as much as you want."
Whether you restrain me with handcuffs and shackles so I can't go anywhere, or put a collar on me to make even breathing difficult, it's fine.
"I... am yours."
His selfishness, raised with sincerity, walked into the most solid and beautiful trap in the world of its own accord. It didn't matter if he could never escape again. He thought it wouldn't be so bad if he could just stay by Seth's side.
He should have realized it earlier.
That just as Seth did, he too was in love with him.
---
"I can't measure the exact amount of lifespan, but with this much, you should easily last about 60 years. Until then, since you already have an established lifespan, you'll only need to absorb vitality to move your physical body."
Roa, who had removed his hand from the left side of Joo Yi-Gyeol's chest as he sat in the chair, smiled kindly.
"Then, when the lifespan runs out, will this body age or die?"
"No. When your lifespan runs out, you'll continue to live by sharing His Majesty's lifespan through the vitality supplied afterwards. You won't age or die."
Joo Yi-Gyeol smiled bitterly and lowered his eyes at Roa's answer.
Even though he had his own lifespan, after consuming it all, he would have to live on Sethian's lifespan whether he liked it or not.
But he didn't intend to despair or feel guilty about it just yet.
"The day your breath stops, I too will cut my own throat without regret. So if you want me to live long, you'll have to live, even if it means stealing my lifespan."
Remembering Sethian, who had uttered such terrifying words so casually, Joo Yi-Gyeol's heart trembled anew at his affection. Who else could give away their own lifespan so freely?
Roa, who had been quietly observing Joo Yi-Gyeol with his wistful eyes, looked over his body with a serious expression.
Joo Yi-Gyeol, in his naked state, was covered in love bites to an extent that would startle anyone who saw. There were even clear bite marks that seemed painful, and even in places too embarrassing to look at, there were red marks that seemed about to burst. It was clear how rough the sex had been over the past few days.
However, more than these vivid marks, Roa was most concerned about something else.
On Joo Yi-Gyeol's right ankle was a black shackle with a long chain attached. The end of the chain, long enough to allow movement anywhere in the room, was firmly tied to the bedpost. Thanks to the use of high-quality metal that wasn't as heavy as it looked, the weight probably wasn't too great, but no matter how one looked at it, it wasn't a normal situation, and Roa couldn't help but feel worried.
Unable to hold back any longer, Roa carefully asked as he draped a white shirt over Joo Yi-Gyeol's shoulders.
"Are you... really alright?"
Joo Yi-Gyeol, raising his head, noticed Roa's gaze on his ankle and chuckled softly.
"Of course. There's no need to worry."
"But..."
"I'm really fine."
As Roa hesitated at Joo Yi-Gyeol's assurance, Joo Yi-Gyeol stood up from the chair while putting on the shirt.
"Ugh!"
The motion of trying to stand up by putting strength in his legs sent a jolt through Joo Yi-Gyeol's lower back and spine. If Roa hadn't quickly supported him, he would have collapsed back into the chair.
Thanks to the abundance of vitality, his overall condition was good, but his waist and lower parts, abused by days of rough sex, were so painful that even a slight wrong movement made him catch his breath. Roa had guessed this too, which only increased his sympathetic gaze.
It was when Joo Yi-Gyeol, having fully put on his upper garment, picked up his underwear. Roa, watching this, had an obvious question.
When Roa had visited the room, Joo Yi-Gyeol, alone in the bedroom, was undressing for the examination. It seemed he had just taken off his pants and underwear, and his shirt was almost completely unbuttoned. So Roa hadn't noticed it at first.
'How did he take them off while wearing an ankle shackle with a chain?'
He wouldn't be able to put them on or take them off alone with the chain in the way.
That question was soon answered.
Joo Yi-Gyeol picked up a black key that was hanging on his pants' belt. It turned out to be none other than the key that could unlock his shackle.
Calmly meeting Roa's bewildered gaze, Joo Yi-Gyeol unlocked the shackle and put on his underwear and pants, enduring the dull pain in his waist. Then, as if it were the most natural thing, he put the shackle back on and locked it with the key.
"What are you... doing now...?"
Roa was so dumbfounded he couldn't finish his sentence.
Joo Yi-Gyeol, alternately looking at Roa and the shackle on his ankle at the end of Roa's gaze, smiled broadly.
"Self-confinement...?"
"Pardon?"
Roa, not understanding the meaning, opened his eyes wide as if demanding an explanation.
"It's all I can do for him right now."
As Joo Yi-Gyeol was scratching his cheek in embarrassment, the sound of footsteps, serving as a knock, was heard from the doorway. Then, Sethian opened the door and walked in.
"Is it all over?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"I'll hear the status report in an hour. Now, it's time for a meal first."
When Sethian nodded to Renoc standing behind him, Renoc in turn gave a silent signal with his eyes to the servants. Led by the servant at the front, four men and women entered pulling trays and quickly set the table for a meal.
Although it wasn't lunchtime or dinnertime, for Sethian, who aimed to feed Joo Yi-Gyeol five meals a day, 3 PM was just the right time. This was the time that had been allocated to fatten Joo Yi-Gyeol up right after creating his physical body, and it had now resumed after a long time.
"I'm still not done digesting..."
Joo Yi-Gyeol, looking at the table quickly filled with warm dishes, made a nauseated face and hesitantly took a step back. It was his fault for saying he was starving to death after not eating for days. Who would have thought that after eating a hearty breakfast and lunch, they would set another table instead of having tea time? It was even more daunting knowing that after eating all this, a full set of desserts would be brought out.
While Joo Yi-Gyeol was hesitating, Sethian sent everyone out, including the servants, Renoc, and even Roa. Roa, pushed outside, looked at the firmly closed door with an unsettled expression. Then he chuckled.
"It's all I can do for him right now."
He thought he understood what Joo Yi-Gyeol's words meant. He was probably trying in his own way to ensure the emperor, who had belatedly learned various emotions, wouldn't be afraid.
Stepping away from the door, Roa told Renoc, who was guarding the front, that he would be in the lounge downstairs and to call him in an hour.
Walking down the corridor towards the lounge, Roa was recalling Sethian's recent behavior.
Numerous death row inmates had died after terrible torture, and soon even prisoners who had committed serious and minor crimes were about to be covered in blood. Not only that, but Sethian's brothers, First Prince Mendel and Third Prince Remines, were almost turned into unsightly corpses with their vitality drained while still alive. All because of his obsessive fixation on reclaiming Joo Yi-Gyeol.
And that madness was instantly contained when Joo Yi-Gyeol returned. The ominous underground prison of the stone tower returned to its original state, and Mendel and Remines, who had been trembling in fear of what might happen to them, also returned to the imperial palace.
But that didn't mean they could relax. Even though Sethian had just reclaimed Joo Yi-Gyeol, Roa, who knew well what Sethian had done to find him, couldn't help but feel anxious. It seemed that if even a small crack formed in Sethian's obsessive heart towards Joo Yi-Gyeol, his madness might flow out again.
Did Joo Yi-Gyeol, who didn't know the detailed inside story, instinctively know this?
Even though he could unlock it anytime since he had the key, Joo Yi-Gyeol put the shackle on himself. As if trying to reassure Sethian by showing him that he was Sethian's.
Strange behavior. Strange idea.
Although it was difficult for Roa to understand readily, perhaps there was nothing better for the twisted Sethian.
'Thank you for coming back.'
How much blood would have had to be spilled if Joo Yi-Gyeol hadn't returned?
He could newly realize how much influence Joo Yi-Gyeol's existence had on the young emperor, and by extension, on this empire. He could only hope and pray that Joo Yi-Gyeol would be able to love that emperor for a long time.
—What are you thinking about so deeply?
Roa, who had been walking down the corridor thinking about Joo Yi-Gyeol and Sethian, raised his head at the voice of a young boy penetrating his mind. Before he knew it, a white soul butterfly was floating freely in front of him.
Roa, looking at the butterfly, reached out and gently stroked its body. There was no solid feeling like an object, but he could feel the warm and cozy energy unique to souls.
"You know that Joo Yi-Gyeol has returned, right? Why don't you go and meet him?"
—Meet? When were we ever close?
The white butterfly, speaking crookedly, flew around the corridor in circles.
—I told you, didn't I? That he would come back on his own. How could he forget when he's so infatuated with the emperor that he'd give up anything for him?
The end of the young boy's voice sounded somewhat bitter.
—I heard earlier. You're resting for an hour, right? Then tell me some stories about when Zair was young.
"Again?"
—You said you'd tell me all about it in exchange for cooperating with the research!
"That's true, but I want to rest a bit too..."
—I won't bother you when you sleep at night, so hurry up-!
"Haah..."
Roa, sighing at the soul butterfly's urging, followed it towards the lounge. Which anecdote about young Zair should he tell this time that would please the butterfly?
Meanwhile, in the bedroom where only the two remained, an untimely kiss was in full swing.
"Mmph, hmm..."
Joo Yi-Gyeol, seated in the chair, was being deeply kissed by Sethian, his chin held in Sethian's hand. Then Joo Yi-Gyeol's Adam's apple moved greatly once with a gulp.
"Ha, mm, wait a moment..."
Joo Yi-Gyeol, pushing Sethian away, tried to wipe the saliva and sauce smeared on his mouth with the back of his hand. Sethian insisted on meticulously cleaning it with the tip of his tongue.
Joo Yi-Gyeol, catching his breath, looked at the table still full of food and asked with a sigh-like tone.
"Can we eat it all within an hour?"
"Plenty of time. Whether it's the upper or lower part, if you keep eating without rest."
Joo Yi-Gyeol, shrinking his shoulders as Sethian's lips tickled his mouth and cheeks, chuckled and wrapped his arms around Sethian's neck.
"That sounds a bit scary."
Sethian, slightly curling the corners of his eyes, pressed his lips against Joo Yi-Gyeol's and lightly lifted him up.
Clink-
The cold sound of chains was heard, but both of them paid no attention to it, as if it were natural.
The sound of the shackle's chain, which Joo Yi-Gyeol wore as naturally as if it were part of his body even though he could unlock it himself, began to fill the bedroom like a pleasant melody.
Did Seth know what his own expression looked like right now? His face, desperately trying to suppress feelings that seemed about to explode, looked pitiful as it kept threatening to crumble.
Joo Yi-Gyeol felt like he might cry. He had ended up painfully tearing open and ravaging the heart of the person he never wanted to hurt. That fact felt like it was slashing his own heart as well.
He raised his hand to gently caress Seth's face.
"I went back to the world I was in."
Seth's eyes were wavering as much as Joo Yi-Gyeol's trembling voice. Joo Yi-Gyeol couldn't take his eyes off Seth's anxious gaze, mixed with disbelief and unease.
"Two and a half years had passed, but my physical body was still alive... and unlike before I came here, my family had become affectionate, cherishing my shell-like self to the point of heartache."
The faces of his family members flickered before his eyes.
His father, with his gruff but warm and benevolent touch; his mother, who cared for him more than anyone else; his younger sister, who loved her brother so much that it changed the path he would take.
He was grateful to all of them. To the point where he thought he wanted to stay by their side again.
"Don't worry about others, don't apologize, and be selfish if you want. I just want you to smile because you're truly happy."
His younger sister's words were still shaking Joo Yi-Gyeol's heart.
"But it's funny, you know."
Joo Yi-Gyeol smiled self-deprecatingly as his eyes trembled.
"Even with the scene I had longed for right before my eyes, all I could think about was... you."
Seth's face flickered in his mind, memories with him surged, and he heard his plaintive voice.
-Come back, Joo Yi-Gyeol.
He wanted to answer Seth's wish.
Even though his family now cherished him like before and no longer thought of him as a burden, still, he wanted to be by Seth's side. Just this once, he wished he could be selfish too.
Joo Yi-Gyeol's fingertips caressed the corner of Seth's eyes. The trembling in those emerald eyes had changed from anxiety to something else.
"I won't run away anymore. You're all I have."
The only person he couldn't help but love.
You are everything that remains for me.
"You can confine me as much as you want."
Whether you restrain me with handcuffs and shackles so I can't go anywhere, or put a collar on me to make even breathing difficult, it's fine.
"I... am yours."
His selfishness, raised with sincerity, walked into the most solid and beautiful trap in the world of its own accord. It didn't matter if he could never escape again. He thought it wouldn't be so bad if he could just stay by Seth's side.
He should have realized it earlier.
That just as Seth did, he too was in love with him.
---
"I can't measure the exact amount of lifespan, but with this much, you should easily last about 60 years. Until then, since you already have an established lifespan, you'll only need to absorb vitality to move your physical body."
Roa, who had removed his hand from the left side of Joo Yi-Gyeol's chest as he sat in the chair, smiled kindly.
"Then, when the lifespan runs out, will this body age or die?"
"No. When your lifespan runs out, you'll continue to live by sharing His Majesty's lifespan through the vitality supplied afterwards. You won't age or die."
Joo Yi-Gyeol smiled bitterly and lowered his eyes at Roa's answer.
Even though he had his own lifespan, after consuming it all, he would have to live on Sethian's lifespan whether he liked it or not.
But he didn't intend to despair or feel guilty about it just yet.
"The day your breath stops, I too will cut my own throat without regret. So if you want me to live long, you'll have to live, even if it means stealing my lifespan."
Remembering Sethian, who had uttered such terrifying words so casually, Joo Yi-Gyeol's heart trembled anew at his affection. Who else could give away their own lifespan so freely?
Roa, who had been quietly observing Joo Yi-Gyeol with his wistful eyes, looked over his body with a serious expression.
Joo Yi-Gyeol, in his naked state, was covered in love bites to an extent that would startle anyone who saw. There were even clear bite marks that seemed painful, and even in places too embarrassing to look at, there were red marks that seemed about to burst. It was clear how rough the sex had been over the past few days.
However, more than these vivid marks, Roa was most concerned about something else.
On Joo Yi-Gyeol's right ankle was a black shackle with a long chain attached. The end of the chain, long enough to allow movement anywhere in the room, was firmly tied to the bedpost. Thanks to the use of high-quality metal that wasn't as heavy as it looked, the weight probably wasn't too great, but no matter how one looked at it, it wasn't a normal situation, and Roa couldn't help but feel worried.
Unable to hold back any longer, Roa carefully asked as he draped a white shirt over Joo Yi-Gyeol's shoulders.
"Are you... really alright?"
Joo Yi-Gyeol, raising his head, noticed Roa's gaze on his ankle and chuckled softly.
"Of course. There's no need to worry."
"But..."
"I'm really fine."
As Roa hesitated at Joo Yi-Gyeol's assurance, Joo Yi-Gyeol stood up from the chair while putting on the shirt.
"Ugh!"
The motion of trying to stand up by putting strength in his legs sent a jolt through Joo Yi-Gyeol's lower back and spine. If Roa hadn't quickly supported him, he would have collapsed back into the chair.
Thanks to the abundance of vitality, his overall condition was good, but his waist and lower parts, abused by days of rough sex, were so painful that even a slight wrong movement made him catch his breath. Roa had guessed this too, which only increased his sympathetic gaze.
It was when Joo Yi-Gyeol, having fully put on his upper garment, picked up his underwear. Roa, watching this, had an obvious question.
When Roa had visited the room, Joo Yi-Gyeol, alone in the bedroom, was undressing for the examination. It seemed he had just taken off his pants and underwear, and his shirt was almost completely unbuttoned. So Roa hadn't noticed it at first.
'How did he take them off while wearing an ankle shackle with a chain?'
He wouldn't be able to put them on or take them off alone with the chain in the way.
That question was soon answered.
Joo Yi-Gyeol picked up a black key that was hanging on his pants' belt. It turned out to be none other than the key that could unlock his shackle.
Calmly meeting Roa's bewildered gaze, Joo Yi-Gyeol unlocked the shackle and put on his underwear and pants, enduring the dull pain in his waist. Then, as if it were the most natural thing, he put the shackle back on and locked it with the key.
"What are you... doing now...?"
Roa was so dumbfounded he couldn't finish his sentence.
Joo Yi-Gyeol, alternately looking at Roa and the shackle on his ankle at the end of Roa's gaze, smiled broadly.
"Self-confinement...?"
"Pardon?"
Roa, not understanding the meaning, opened his eyes wide as if demanding an explanation.
"It's all I can do for him right now."
As Joo Yi-Gyeol was scratching his cheek in embarrassment, the sound of footsteps, serving as a knock, was heard from the doorway. Then, Sethian opened the door and walked in.
"Is it all over?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"I'll hear the status report in an hour. Now, it's time for a meal first."
When Sethian nodded to Renoc standing behind him, Renoc in turn gave a silent signal with his eyes to the servants. Led by the servant at the front, four men and women entered pulling trays and quickly set the table for a meal.
Although it wasn't lunchtime or dinnertime, for Sethian, who aimed to feed Joo Yi-Gyeol five meals a day, 3 PM was just the right time. This was the time that had been allocated to fatten Joo Yi-Gyeol up right after creating his physical body, and it had now resumed after a long time.
"I'm still not done digesting..."
Joo Yi-Gyeol, looking at the table quickly filled with warm dishes, made a nauseated face and hesitantly took a step back. It was his fault for saying he was starving to death after not eating for days. Who would have thought that after eating a hearty breakfast and lunch, they would set another table instead of having tea time? It was even more daunting knowing that after eating all this, a full set of desserts would be brought out.
While Joo Yi-Gyeol was hesitating, Sethian sent everyone out, including the servants, Renoc, and even Roa. Roa, pushed outside, looked at the firmly closed door with an unsettled expression. Then he chuckled.
"It's all I can do for him right now."
He thought he understood what Joo Yi-Gyeol's words meant. He was probably trying in his own way to ensure the emperor, who had belatedly learned various emotions, wouldn't be afraid.
Stepping away from the door, Roa told Renoc, who was guarding the front, that he would be in the lounge downstairs and to call him in an hour.
Walking down the corridor towards the lounge, Roa was recalling Sethian's recent behavior.
Numerous death row inmates had died after terrible torture, and soon even prisoners who had committed serious and minor crimes were about to be covered in blood. Not only that, but Sethian's brothers, First Prince Mendel and Third Prince Remines, were almost turned into unsightly corpses with their vitality drained while still alive. All because of his obsessive fixation on reclaiming Joo Yi-Gyeol.
And that madness was instantly contained when Joo Yi-Gyeol returned. The ominous underground prison of the stone tower returned to its original state, and Mendel and Remines, who had been trembling in fear of what might happen to them, also returned to the imperial palace.
But that didn't mean they could relax. Even though Sethian had just reclaimed Joo Yi-Gyeol, Roa, who knew well what Sethian had done to find him, couldn't help but feel anxious. It seemed that if even a small crack formed in Sethian's obsessive heart towards Joo Yi-Gyeol, his madness might flow out again.
Did Joo Yi-Gyeol, who didn't know the detailed inside story, instinctively know this?
Even though he could unlock it anytime since he had the key, Joo Yi-Gyeol put the shackle on himself. As if trying to reassure Sethian by showing him that he was Sethian's.
Strange behavior. Strange idea.
Although it was difficult for Roa to understand readily, perhaps there was nothing better for the twisted Sethian.
'Thank you for coming back.'
How much blood would have had to be spilled if Joo Yi-Gyeol hadn't returned?
He could newly realize how much influence Joo Yi-Gyeol's existence had on the young emperor, and by extension, on this empire. He could only hope and pray that Joo Yi-Gyeol would be able to love that emperor for a long time.
—What are you thinking about so deeply?
Roa, who had been walking down the corridor thinking about Joo Yi-Gyeol and Sethian, raised his head at the voice of a young boy penetrating his mind. Before he knew it, a white soul butterfly was floating freely in front of him.
Roa, looking at the butterfly, reached out and gently stroked its body. There was no solid feeling like an object, but he could feel the warm and cozy energy unique to souls.
"You know that Joo Yi-Gyeol has returned, right? Why don't you go and meet him?"
—Meet? When were we ever close?
The white butterfly, speaking crookedly, flew around the corridor in circles.
—I told you, didn't I? That he would come back on his own. How could he forget when he's so infatuated with the emperor that he'd give up anything for him?
The end of the young boy's voice sounded somewhat bitter.
—I heard earlier. You're resting for an hour, right? Then tell me some stories about when Zair was young.
"Again?"
—You said you'd tell me all about it in exchange for cooperating with the research!
"That's true, but I want to rest a bit too..."
—I won't bother you when you sleep at night, so hurry up-!
"Haah..."
Roa, sighing at the soul butterfly's urging, followed it towards the lounge. Which anecdote about young Zair should he tell this time that would please the butterfly?
Meanwhile, in the bedroom where only the two remained, an untimely kiss was in full swing.
"Mmph, hmm..."
Joo Yi-Gyeol, seated in the chair, was being deeply kissed by Sethian, his chin held in Sethian's hand. Then Joo Yi-Gyeol's Adam's apple moved greatly once with a gulp.
"Ha, mm, wait a moment..."
Joo Yi-Gyeol, pushing Sethian away, tried to wipe the saliva and sauce smeared on his mouth with the back of his hand. Sethian insisted on meticulously cleaning it with the tip of his tongue.
Joo Yi-Gyeol, catching his breath, looked at the table still full of food and asked with a sigh-like tone.
"Can we eat it all within an hour?"
"Plenty of time. Whether it's the upper or lower part, if you keep eating without rest."
Joo Yi-Gyeol, shrinking his shoulders as Sethian's lips tickled his mouth and cheeks, chuckled and wrapped his arms around Sethian's neck.
"That sounds a bit scary."
Sethian, slightly curling the corners of his eyes, pressed his lips against Joo Yi-Gyeol's and lightly lifted him up.
Clink-
The cold sound of chains was heard, but both of them paid no attention to it, as if it were natural.
The sound of the shackle's chain, which Joo Yi-Gyeol wore as naturally as if it were part of his body even though he could unlock it himself, began to fill the bedroom like a pleasant melody.
Comments
Post a Comment