IBPC | Chapter 8.2

The men paused their actions and exchanged wary glances. “Is Eumin really a thing?”

“If so… shouldn’t we be selling this one for a high price somewhere, instead of messing with him?”

Among the murmurs, one man looked suddenly worried. “Wait. If he’s an Eumin, what happens then?”

“What do you mean?”

“If he’s an Eumin, wouldn’t his master come looking for him? Would they really just let a rare Eumin be?”

“True. They only told us he was a worn-out brothel boy.”

While the men hesitated, one of them pushed through the crowd and spread Seoyul’s legs. “Whether he’s an Eumin or not, what does it matter? If he’s been used up, what’s the harm in us having a go?”

The man grinned lecherously as he positioned himself between Seoyul’s legs. “I hear being with an Eumin is quite the experience…”

Just as he was about to enter Seoyul, a quiet, non-metallic sound rang out.

“…Huh?”

The men, likely unaware of the significance, would never guess that this was the sound of Jinha Kingdom’s Third Prince’s sword—a blade passed down through the royal lineage, said to be infused with a living soul and known as “Hongeom.”

Thus, the man didn’t realize the soft slicing noise was his body being penetrated by the blade until he looked down in shock to see the deadly sharp edge protruding from his chest. Before he could scream, the blade twisted and withdrew, and he fell slowly to his side.

The gathered men gasped in horror.

“Uh… Ugh….”

As the man’s blood dripped from the sword, Tae Heegon appeared, face splattered with blood. The brief silence was shattered by screams as the men scrambled in panic, falling to the floor or dashing towards the door.

“…”

But the door slammed shut, and Pacheon blocked their escape. The men, unable to flee, hid in corners, screaming.

Amid the chaos, Heegon’s gaze lowered to the man he had skewered, pushing his lifeless body aside with his foot, revealing Seoyul lying beneath, nearly naked.

“…Hah.”

Heegon exhaled, a breath filled with restrained fury and pain. The brief moment he had taken his eyes off Seoyul had led to this catastrophe. Only after making Galjae confess had he understood—blinded by greed, Galjae had sold Seoyul to a brothel.

It was almost unfathomable how easily Seoyul had been taken from him. Despite the chaos, Heegon’s mind had been singularly focused on finding Seoyul. The journey here, following Seoyul’s scent to this room, and then witnessing the horrific scene—his entire being felt chillingly cold.

Seoyul, marked by the men’s hands, lay there soaked and vulnerable. But what struck Heegon first were Seoyul’s lips, bloodied and swollen from the beatings, his face so puffed he could barely open his eyes. Amidst the turmoil, Seoyul couldn’t even hold his head up, only managing to draw ragged breaths, his body curled up tightly.

“…”

Clutching his sword tightly, Heegon felt a cold rage spread from his feet upwards, making his head spin with a fury unlike any rut-induced frenzy.

He steeled himself against the urge to vomit from overwhelming rage, covering his trembling mouth with his other hand.

“Sigh…” Collecting himself, Heegon knelt down beside Seoyul, who looked up at him, trembling.

“…Huh… Huh…”

Unable to speak, Seoyul burst into tears at the sight of Heegon, his body shaking uncontrollably with relief, injustice, and pain.

Gently, Heegon cradled Seoyul’s face. Even though it was clearly Heegon’s hand, Seoyul flinched back in fear.

Biting back his anger, Heegon asked, “What did they give you?”

The men cowered, their faces nearly touching the ground. “We… We gave him powdered Chi flower…”

Recognizing it as a common aphrodisiac used in brothels, Heegon withdrew his hand from Seoyul’s face and removed his outer garment to cover Seoyul’s exposed body. The men, noticing Heegon’s scrutinizing gaze, shrunk back even further.

“Please, spare us! We didn’t know he was a precious Eumin!”

“We thought he was just a common brothel boy!”

“We wouldn’t have touched him if we knew he was an Eumin!”

As they tried to appease Heegon’s wrath, Pacheon covered his face, knowing what was likely to come next.

True to Pacheon’s anticipation, Heegon rose to his feet and approached the nearest man.

“Please, Lord! The Eumin is—”

Before the man could finish, Heegon gripped his jaw with a strength that seemed superhuman, threatening to crush it. The man turned pale, unable to speak, as Heegon reached into his mouth and pulled out his tongue, looking him in the eye.

“Eumin? This child is not an Eumin.”

“Uh… Uh…”

Before the man could comprehend the words, Heegon sliced off his tongue with a swift motion of his blade. There was no soft slicing sound this time; blood sprayed from the man’s mouth, coating Heegon’s face.

“Neither here nor anywhere does an Eumin exist.”

With that, Pacheon, understanding Heegon’s intent, pulled out a dagger and proceeded to silence the screaming men by cutting out their tongues.

After observing the carnage, Heegon lifted Seoyul into his arms and left the blood-drenched hell behind.

Compared to the depth of Heegon’s emotions, the violence he had unleashed was almost merciful.

⊹₊⟡⋆

Seoyul gasped for air, his own breath echoing loudly in his ears. Everything else sounded distant, as if coming from far away.

“Are you conscious?” The voice seemed to come from nowhere, and the blinding lights made it difficult for Seoyul to see anything clearly. His heart raced, and his breaths came fast, making it hard to focus.

“Try to drink this; it should neutralize the effects of the Chi flower pollen.”

Held in someone’s arms, half-lying on the bed, Seoyul recoiled as something touched his lips. He flailed his arms and legs, struggling, causing the medicine brought near him to spill, soaking the blanket.

“Ugh—” He exhaled painfully. As Seoyul tried to get up, the eunuchs at his side hurried to restrain him, but the person holding him, Heegon, shouted sharply.

“Don’t touch him!”

At Heegon’s command, the eunuchs hesitated and stepped back. Heegon, his face flushed with fever, reached out his hand toward the court ladies.

“Bring more medicine, quickly!”

Responding to his command, the court ladies rushed out with the empty medicine bowl. Heegon watched them leave, then looked down and held Seoyul even tighter.

“Calm down, can you hear me?” Heegon spoke as calmly as he could, but Seoyul seemed not to hear him. Seoyul grabbed at Heegon’s arms, scratching and thrashing, continuously trying to rise. With his eyes half-open, he stared into space and let out weak moans.

It hurts—so much…

Stretching his legs, he kicked the blanket away and sobbed quietly.

“Ha… Ugh… …want… to go… back…”

With his face swollen from crying, tears streamed down his reddened cheeks.

“I want to go… home… hah…”

In Heegon’s arms, Seoyul sobbed like a child.

“…Mommy… Grandma… I miss them…”

His cries filled the room, mournfully echoing.

“I miss… Grandma…”

His fingernails left clear marks on Heegon’s wrist, but Heegon did not let go. Instead, he furrowed his brow and held onto the feverish body more tightly.

Heegon exhaled slowly and extended his arm further, pulling Seoyul into his embrace.

“Shh—calm down.”

He wrapped his hand around Seoyul’s head, pressing it against him, and closed his eyes. He whispered quietly, releasing his pheromones to envelop Seoyul.

“Huh… Huh…”

Seoyul sobbed uncontrollably in Heegon’s embrace, overwhelmed. As Heegon’s pheromones deeply permeated his skin, Seoyul gradually quieted down, though his body still shook.

“The medicine has been brought.”

At that moment, a court lady burst in and brought the new batch of medicine. Heegon nodded for her to set it down nearby.

“Everyone leave.”

After sending everyone out, he just held Seoyul for a while. As the room quieted down, only Seoyul’s wrenching sobs filled the air.

When Seoyul’s crying finally began to subside, Heegon relaxed his grip. He took the medicine into his mouth and, as Seoyul tried to get up again, Heegon pulled him close and tilted his head down.

“Yes…”

He gently opened Seoyul’s lips and passed the medicine from his mouth to Seoyul’s. He held Seoyul firmly as he shivered, repeatedly administering the medicine.

After ensuring all the medicine was taken, Seoyul continued to struggle for a while but eventually slumped weakly, still hiccuping from his tears.

“…”

Heegon hugged Seoyul again and sighed deeply. Looking down, he saw his hands around Seoyul, now stained with dried, dark blood.

“At least this is better.”

Though Pacheon had said it was somewhat fortunate, Heegon did not feel it. Even after cutting out the tongues of the others, his anger was not appeased—he had also gouged out their eyes. The one initially pierced by the sword should not have died so easily; he should have mutilated him further, cutting off ears and limbs and throwing him into the pigsty.

Feeling the turmoil within yet again, Heegon gently patted Seoyul’s back, soothing him as he finally began to calm down.

⊹₊⟡⋆

Every part of Seoyul’s body ached, so much so that he could hardly move. He managed only to open his eyes, and even that was painful. Blinking brought sharp pains across his face.

“……”

Seoyul stared blankly ahead, his mind foggy. Yet, the moment he opened his eyes, memories from the previous day flooded in. The vivid recollections stopped at the point where the men had forced him to ingest something unknown. After that, his memories were sporadic and jumbled, and he couldn’t distinguish between what was real and what might have been a dream.

But one thing he remembered clearly…

The sight of Heegon looking down at him. Seeing Heegon’s face amidst those men had plunged him into a mix of relief and sorrow.

Seoyul still harbored those emotions and quietly gazed at Heegon’s face, which was now resting in sleep while holding him close. Clinging to the lingering fear, Seoyul gently burrowed further into Heegon’s embrace, feeling as if he had been thrown into a harsh reality, like surviving a severe bout of measles.

In a world where law did not exist and only status mattered, and notably, in an era without Omegas, Seoyul’s predicament was painfully clear. The sadness welled up in him again, and he tightly grasped Heegon’s shirt.

Yet, despite everything, Heegon’s presence was there. Even though he was the one who had brought Seoyul into this mess, his presence was undeniably the most comforting here. His pheromones had an absolute effect on Seoyul.

“……?”

As Seoyul snuggled closer, Heegon stirred from his sleep and opened his eyes. He shifted his gaze and noticed Seoyul moving, then spoke in a low, sleepy voice.

“…Are you awake?”

It was a simple question, but it was laden with many meanings. Seoyul, with his face buried in Heegon’s chest, just nodded a few times. No words were exchanged, but his actions conveyed many responses.

Heegon gently stroked Seoyul’s back.

It was a particularly long night, and the two spent time together quietly until the late morning, when the sun was already high in the sky.

⊹₊⟡⋆

Pacheon had been investigating recent events and relayed his findings to Tae Heegon, who listened while attending to his administrative duties.

“Galjae, who is still unconscious, does not seem to have acted with the knowledge that the child was an Eumin,” Pacheon reported.

“What about others involved? There were many suspicious elements,” Heegon asked, not looking up from his work.

“So far, there is no evidence of others involved… However, I will continue to investigate.”

“And how have those men been dealt with?”

“They will not set foot in the capital again. They have been rendered incapable of functioning as normal individuals anyway.”

Heegon nodded, finally refocusing entirely on his paperwork.

Pacheon watched him for a moment before cautiously changing the subject. “What about the Eumin?”

“Which one?” Heegon looked up, puzzled.

“The one from the merchant group you acquired. He has been given a place to stay, but what are your plans for him?”

“Ah, that child.” Recognition dawned on Heegon’s face. “Just keep him for now, handle it.”

Heegon seemed reluctant to think further on the matter, his attitude nonchalant. Pacheon couldn’t help but think this was typical. Despite a significant incident, Heegon seemed to overlook the presence of an Eumin he had personally acquired. Normally sensitive to any rumors about Eumins, his disinterest was unusual.

He was frosty when it came to Seoyul, reacting even to a glance, yet indifferent about this Eumin. However, it wasn’t Pacheon’s place to comment further.

“However…” Pacheon began, then hesitated.

“What is it?” Heegon prompted, looking up again.

“It’s nothing.” Pacheon quickly withdrew his query.

Recent rumors suggested that since a secretive journey, Heegon had not sought Seoyul’s company as frequently. While he checked on Seoyul often, he did not share his bed. Instead, it was said that he sometimes spent nights with Jeokbin, one of the concubines.

Heegon was indeed a man whose motives were difficult to decipher.

Pacheon withdrew his inquisitive gaze, reminding himself it wasn’t his place to pry into such matters. He knew his role well.