IBPC | Chapter 13.4

Seeing the glimmer of hope in Seoyul’s eyes, Pacheon wiped the smile from his face, looking serious.

And for a long time, he remained silent, seemingly wrestling with something internally.

⊹₊⟡⋆

Seoyul looked at the bag placed in front of him. He hadn’t really believed it was lost and couldn’t be found. Still, facing it now didn’t feel particularly good, but that wasn’t the important thing at the moment.

As soon as he saw his bag again, Seoyul’s heart started to race strangely. Even though it was something he carried with him every day, it felt oddly unfamiliar. It was a stark contrast to this world.

Seoyul examined the bag for a while, feeling a sense of nostalgia. He opened the front pocket where he always kept his medicine and pulled out a few pills.

The first thing that caught his eye was the omega heat suppressants.

“……”

Seoyul carefully handled the medicine, then clicked and separated one pill. He handed it to Pacheon, who was standing nearby.

“Since the princess is still young… give her only half of this pill. It will bring down the fever immediately.”

“……”

Pacheon looked at what Seoyul was offering and fell into thought.

A strange item he didn’t know or couldn’t guarantee.

Giving this to Heerang carried significant meaning. He had heard that Seoyul had prevented Heerang from taking Eunmul. If he gave her this unknown substance afterward…

If it brought down the fever and the princess was safe, that would be fortunate. But if the situation worsened or didn’t improve, it would be a big problem. Seoyul would be blamed for Heerang’s condition, and it would become a stain on Heegon.

Seoyul seemed aware of this. He seemed to understand the situation to some extent, yet he insisted on giving this to Pacheon… perhaps because he knew.

Seoyul knew that the princess wouldn’t survive this emergence.

So… it had to be done discreetly above all.

Pacheon took the suppressant from Seoyul and held it in his hand. He looked between the bag and Seoyul, hesitated, and spoke.

“And… I’m sorry for hiding this. At the time, it seemed best for me to keep it―”

Pacheon seemed ready to offer an excuse, but Seoyul firmly rejected it.

“It’s fine. I don’t intend to argue about it now. …But it’s my belonging, so can I keep it now?”

Seoyul hugged the bag and looked up at Pacheon with a cold gaze. Pacheon, feeling awkward, averted his eyes.

“Do as you wish.”

Even though Seoyul gave Pacheon the suppressant, he felt worried afterward. The medicine was safe enough for those over eight years old, but there was no guarantee it would work well for Tae Heerang, who lived in this era.

Moreover, he had prevented her from taking mercury, which was considered a panacea here, and given her an unknown medicine. He couldn’t help but wonder if all the blame would fall on him.

But knowing she would die, he couldn’t just stand by helplessly.

Seoyul anxiously awaited the results.

Fortunately, before half a day passed, Dubo brought news. Heerang’s fever had gradually subsided, and she had briefly regained consciousness before falling asleep.

Only after hearing that news could Seoyul finally relax. His body, tense with anxiety, felt warm, and he lay on the bed for a while to catch his breath.

That night, Seoyul brought out his bag again and began to examine it. These were the only items from his world that he had seen in months.

Seoyul felt both relief and comfort. It felt like a link to the possibility of returning.

“…Oh, this was here too.”

As Seoyul took out the items from his bag, he found things he had forgotten about.

The notebook he carried all semester for taking notes, two textbooks needed for his field study. A pencil case, earphones, a camera, and other miscellaneous items.

Among them, Seoyul took out the camera and, just in case, tried turning it on. It didn’t respond, whether because it had crossed time and space or because the battery was dead. Seoyul, feeling disappointed, checked the other items.

It felt strange. The world he originally lived in felt so distant. It seemed like a dream that he used to carry this bag to school.

“……?”

Lost in thought while looking at his belongings, Seoyul suddenly sensed a presence outside and looked up. Turning around, he saw Heegon entering through the open door.

He had heard that Heerang’s condition had improved since earlier, but it seemed Heegon had stayed by her side until now. Seoyul stood up and observed Heegon.

Even though it had only been half a day, Heegon looked quite haggard. However, the intense emotions from earlier were no longer visible on his face. Just from his expression, Seoyul could tell that Heerang’s condition had improved, and he sighed in relief once more.

“Is the princess okay?”

Seoyul cautiously inquired about Heerang’s well-being. Heegon covered his eyes with his hand for a moment before sitting down at the table.

“Yes, it seems the emergence is passing safely.”

“…That’s a relief.”

Seoyul awkwardly sat across from Heegon.

It felt like it had been a long time. A conversation between Heegon and himself without sharp emotions exchanged.

After a while of silence, Heegon looked at Seoyul with deepened eyes.

“I gave what Pacheon passed on to me to Heerang. I don’t know what you gave, but after taking it, her fever gradually subsided.”

“That’s… medicine from the world I come from. I was worried it might not work well, but… I’m glad it did.”

“Thanks to you―”

Heegon was about to say something to Seoyul. But his gaze fell on the items on the table before he could finish.

“……”

Heegon paused, staring at Seoyul’s belongings on the table.

As Heegon stopped speaking and stared at them, Seoyul noticed and reached out. He gathered the scattered items into the bag and zipped it up. Worried they might be taken away again, Seoyul hugged the bag to his chest.

Heegon watched Seoyul, unable to continue speaking, his lips parting slightly.

Strange items. Oddly shaped, with unknown purposes. Watching Seoyul, who was familiar with organizing these foreign things, Heegon felt a pang in his chest.

Those items seemed to tell him about the world Seoyul came from.

What had been vague now felt utterly distant. The world Seoyul belonged to was so different from this one that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t reach it. It made him realize anew that if Seoyul returned, he might never see him again.

That child returning to his world might mean something akin to death.

“In the place you live, if they manage erotomania with medicine, is there a medicine that allows you to endure being apart from the one you imprinted with?”

Heegon swallowed the words he originally intended to say and asked something else. Seoyul flinched, reacting sensitively. He caressed the bag he was holding and answered.

“I don’t know. It’s a world without Yangin, so I’ve never seen a case of imprinting.”

“Then, as you said, if you return, you might reach death, mightn’t you?”

“……”

Seoyul didn’t answer, and Heegon gave a bitter smile.

“Being by my side is more painful for you than reaching death, isn’t it?”

“……”

At those words, Seoyul’s eyes briefly wavered. But he didn’t show it.

“It’s a place where medicine is advanced, so there might be a way. If I look, there might be a way to break the imprint…”

“Isn’t that something you can’t guarantee?”

That’s why I asked you to avoid imprinting― those words rose to his throat, but Seoyul didn’t say them. It seemed pointless now.

When Seoyul didn’t answer again, Heegon hesitated for a moment before speaking words that trailed off.

“If I asked you not to go back…”

But even that was enough for Seoyul to doubt his ears and ask again.

“You’re not going to change your words again, are you? You promised to let me go once I had the child.”

Seoyul met Heegon’s gaze with eyes filled with unease.

Heegon fell into thought, spending a long silence before speaking.

“If I said I need you more than the child, would you stay?”

“…What?”

Seoyul made a sound as if his voice would break, unable to comprehend.

Just now… what did Tae Heegon say…?

“What do you mean?”

“If I said I want you instead of the child, would you not go back?”

“……”

He hadn’t misheard. Seoyul stared blankly at Heegon, then belatedly came to his senses. He slowly furrowed his brows.

“What are you saying… Didn’t you bring me here to have the child? Why are you saying this now?”

“I need you more than the child now.”

Yes, Heegon had reached that conclusion. The emotions that boiled over when he looked at Seoyul, the selfishness that led him to imprint despite himself. The anxiety that came before the joy of hearing about the child.

Everything converged on that one thing.

To him, Min Seoyul― this presence before him was more important than his own child.

Heegon looked at Seoyul with eyes that finally understood himself.

“……”

But unlike Heegon, Seoyul didn’t know how many times he swallowed his trembling breath. Then, suddenly, the emotions that had settled down surged again.

“From the start, you needed the child… So why now…”

“I needed the child. But now I need you. Not as the Eumin who will bear my child, but as the whole you who will be by my side.”

“……”

Seoyul’s heart wavered for a moment but soon froze over coldly.

“Why, because controlling erotomania is more urgent than having descendants to become the Crown Prince?”

A bitter smile spread across Seoyul’s lips directed at Heegon.

“Ha― Our prince, you’ll be great at politics when you become the Crown Prince. You’re so good at weighing practical benefits.”

“……”

“Since the child is already conceived, and I asked to be sent back, you want to control erotomania too, so you’re trying to coax and hold onto everything you want?”

Seoyul deliberately provoked Heegon. But Heegon continued to look at Seoyul with unwavering eyes.

“Practical benefits? If I wanted to play politics with you, I wouldn’t have done it this way.”

“……?”

“I wouldn’t have promised to send you back, to begin with.”

Heegon slowly stood up. Seoyul’s gaze followed him upward. Heegon brought his face closer to Seoyul.

“I would have chained you to this room, not letting you take a single step outside. If you resisted, I would have tied your hands and spread your legs, forcing myself inside you whenever I wanted, whenever I needed.”

“What kind of…”

“The politics of a prince of Jinha Kingdom is like that. There’s no one to negotiate with under my feet, so why would I make promises?”

“……”

“I don’t do that to you because I value you.”

Heegon’s gaze was calm. Somehow, that made it feel more chilling, and Seoyul slowly swallowed dryly, not letting go of his defiant emotions.

“Did you value me so much that you forcibly imprinted on me?”

“……”

At Seoyul’s retort, Heegon’s eyes wavered. He couldn’t speak for a moment, then clenched his hand resting on the table tightly.

“…Because I didn’t want to send you back.”

The calm eyes from just before were suddenly filled with vulnerability. Seeing that, Seoyul’s heart sank heavily.

This man… I really don’t understand him.

Seoyul bit his trembling lip harshly.

“That’s not valuing me. It’s just your selfishness, Your Highness.”

He tried to deny Heegon’s words, sharpening his tone, but his heart began to race uncontrollably.

Unable to handle it, Seoyul turned his head away from Heegon.

“I want to rest. …Please leave.”