MDOF | Chapter 2.3

The heat of August fully announced itself, heating up the ground. The sticky heat made sweat trickle from Seonwoo’s temples to his cheeks the moment they stepped out of the office-tel.

To combat the dreadful heat, Seonwoo rubbed his neck with his cold arm, leading the sluggish Yeon to their usual café. Seonwoo’s face was serious, determined to get answers today. Yeon, as always, looked uninterested with his half-opened eyes.

“Welcome…!”

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Seonwoo familiarly ordered two ice chocolates, adding that they would drink it there this time. Noticing the flush on the face of the part-time worker who followed Yeon in, Seonwoo thought it was a mild reaction for someone seeing such a face.

Despite saying he didn’t want to go out because of the heat, Yeon hadn’t shed a single drop of sweat, tilting his head. After scanning the store, he sat next to Seonwoo.

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“…? Why sit here?”

Yeon, staring blankly, was pushed away, but his thigh stubbornly stuck close. It seemed like he liked the plush sofa. Sighing lightly, Seonwoo moved to the seat opposite.

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Yeon seemed to enjoy the spot where the air conditioner blew strongly, closing his eyes slightly to feel the cold air. Sitting in the small neighborhood café, he looked like a model posing for a photoshoot, and Seonwoo leisurely admired him.

His long, thick eyelashes, though pale, exuded a strong presence. His red lips were appropriately full, and even when not intentionally smiling, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned, giving the impression of a smile. His smooth jawline was sharp enough to appear feminine, and his eyelids, slightly folded, drew a fine arc. His black pupils were so dark, layered with shadows, that you couldn’t distinguish the pupils from the irises.

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“Your drinks are ready.”

Ah, right. If he had ears, they would have perked up now. That’s something only Seonwoo knows.

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Yeon’s tail would be swaying like a spring breeze while carefully sipping his drink. After taking a few sips and eating some cream, Seonwoo also put the straw in his mouth. Since he ordered the large size on purpose, he needed to settle this in between.

“Hey.”

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“Yeah.”

“Do you really want to eat me?”

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The voice was deliberately lowered because of the part-time worker glancing at them. Anyway, it sounded weird.

“That’s why I’m here in the living world.”

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“But why haven’t you?”

“I told you, it’s not time yet.”

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“So when will it be?”

“I don’t know. What about you?”

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Yeon licked the cream off his lips. His bright red tongue flicking out seemed teasing, making Seonwoo’s lower lip puff out.

“Why are you so eager to not get eaten by me?”

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Fortunately, Yeon’s voice was low, and he spoke quietly. The fox seemed composed after uttering a sentence that could be easily misunderstood by anyone listening.

Seonwoo chose his words carefully, not wanting to sound childish or impulsive. After all, at just 19, saying such things might seem like youthful folly. However, what came out was a simple, one-dimensional answer:

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“I don’t need you.”

“…What?”

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A lifetime, a moment to some. Infinitely glorious yet utterly trivial. Trivial to me. Could it be because I grew up without parental love? Does the subconscious lack reveal itself like a fingerprint?

The memory from long ago started with a high, long stone wall.

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Walking along an endless wall, touching the glossy stones with handprints. The gate of a hanok made from fine pine remained firmly shut. The locked gate fit the closed-off atmosphere of the house, never opening easily. The columns supporting the house, made from centuries-old pine dried to perfection, connected to the smooth stone thresholds. The rafters, divided into three levels, and the raindrops hanging from the elegantly extended eaves formed a regular circle on the dirt floor.

“Want to go out?”

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A child with clear eyes asked in a bright voice.

“…”

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“You can go through the back garden.”

The child with sparkling eyes wore a neat private elementary school uniform with well-combed hair. In contrast, the child looking up at the gate latch wore faded t-shirts with messy hair, gazing back with unusually subdued eyes.

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“There’s no one in the back garden. My mother will go out with me.”

The child in uniform held an umbrella despite the drizzle that wet their shoulders, while the child a step away from the latch had hair split by the rain.

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You shouldn’t believe that whisper. Instinct whispered, but the child, after hesitation, stepped toward the back garden.

I want to get out of this house. Even if it rains, it’s fine. Even if it gets dark, it’s fine. This isn’t where I belong.

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That’s probably what he thought as a child. And what happened when he grabbed the back garden door… He couldn’t leave that house. The modern alarm system, unbefitting the antique hanok, blared loudly, and he was caught by the scruff of his neck, paralyzed with fear. He wasn’t beaten, but he was locked in a musty room without light for three days, or so he thought. Hence, even now, he hates darkness. He always hated being alone too. But they say you can’t avoid what you hate.

He chose death to escape the time he was alone. Now, he dislikes even the pretense of welcome, which is contradictory. What do I really want then?

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“Why don’t you need me?”

Drawn back to reality by the flat voice, Seonwoo slowly closed and then opened his brown eyes.

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Yeon finished off the remaining drink with a slurping sound.

“Why, if I say I need you, won’t you eat me?”

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Seonwoo deliberately smirked. He has no attachment to life. So believe me, his smile seemed to say.

“Everyone feels fear before death.”

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“Isn’t it different for yokai…?”

“I don’t understand why you’d offer yourself.”

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It’s a good proposal. Then I could fill my stomach without any trouble. If I forcibly consumed someone who resisted, would someone descend? Would they let it slide because it’s just one or two, or would they see it as an opportunity for the blue serpent head to descend again?

“I told you, I don’t need you…”

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“So, why.”

Do you need a reason even if you’re not needed?

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Seonwoo, who had been pressing his lips together, flinched and looked up. Yeon’s cold finger touched his bitten lip briefly and moved away. Just that was enough to make the tension in his lip muscles loosen.

“Do you hate living?”

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“That is….”

His brown eyes, pierced sharply at the core, rolled aimlessly. Yeon, with his chin propped up, confirmed Seonwoo, who had his head deeply bowed and nodded shortly. His tightly clenched hands were trembling finely. The sincerity he had hidden so thoroughly seemed insignificant upon revealing, causing his face to turn red with embarrassment.

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Seonwoo hadn’t expected Yeon to persistently question him. As he racked his brain for what more to say, he fiddled with the trembling tips of his nails. Then Yeon’s reply came easily.

“I get it. But you have to wait. Not yet.”

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“How long….”

I wouldn’t know, when the fruit will ripen. Yeon tilted his head to one side, shrugging his shoulders. The way his slender fingers tapped the table seemed bored, so Seonwoo pushed the rest of his drink down his throat. It had been a while since he felt the sugar high.

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“Anyway, I have no intention of giving you up…. Seems like there’s something about you.”

“What are you talking about?”

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As they walked a short distance out of the cafe, Yeon, who had made a comment that was hard to decipher, looked back.

“Hm.”

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So, even such minor spirits get tangled up, huh. If Seonwoo weren’t so overly sensitive to smells, this wouldn’t have happened.

Since encountering the dusk, the creature caught in Yeon’s expanded domain was a puppet ghost. Commonly referred to as a maiden ghost. From a distance invisible to human eyes, the puppet ghost was pinned down by Yeon’s aura, unable to move an inch.

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‘There’s no need to deal with this….’

This would definitely give me stomach upset. Easily chasing away the puppet ghost, Yeon leaned his chin on Seonwoo’s shoulder, who had stopped in his tracks. Seonwoo naturally had the soft scent of a child’s skin. Moving down from his shoulders, the scent turned sweet and mouth-watering.

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“Seonwoo.”

“Yeah?”

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“Are you scared of ghosts?”

“…No?”

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“You are scared.”

“No, I’m not.”

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“Got it.”

It’s annoying, but I need to mark him. To prevent all sorts of trivial spirits from trying to take a seat at someone else’s table. Yeon had no intention of sharing Seonwoo, yet there were too many minor spirits getting tangled up.

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“Really, I’m not.”

Yeah, right. This scent is mine alone.

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“I said I got it.”

Seonwoo’s ears turned red, perhaps from the heat, as he removed Yeon who was clinging to his shoulder. Yeon impulsively reached out to touch his earlobe but lowered his hand, knowing it would make Seonwoo jump again if he touched him.

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It would be better to cuddle up as a fox. He wanted to curl up and take a nap while feeling the rise and fall of the breathing chest.

***

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“Kiiing….”

“Just stay still for a moment.”

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The living room light scattered as it hit the cold metal. Between the pieces of metal, Yeon’s white fur was caught in abundance.

“Meow!”

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“I said it’s almost over, right? Oh, come on!”

Kicked harshly by Yeon with his hind legs, Seonwoo escaped from his grasp and shook his body briskly.

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“Let’s just do a little more brushing, okay? Oh, okay, okay, I won’t do it.”

After throwing a handful of white fur into the trash can and tidying up the surroundings, Seonwoo, who had lain down on the bed, rubbed his tired eyes. Slowly, Yeon, who had been sulking from the long brushing session, climbed onto Seonwoo’s stomach as if he had been waiting.

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“You’re heavy… I feel like my insides are going to burst.”

While grumbling, Seonwoo gently rubbed the sharp snout of the fox that was rubbing its face against his chest and let out a slow breath. With Yeon’s consent, the tension from the past few days melted away. Although his remaining life had been extended beyond expectation, the fulfillment of being needed by someone at the end was enough. When the short summer vacation ended and he returned to the classroom, he felt he wouldn’t be as lonely as before.

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