IBPC | Chapter 13.1

“Seoyul-nim, this is really serious. Please, just have a spoonful.” Dubo was practically pleading as he offered Seoyul some porridge. But Seoyul just sat leaning against the bed, staring out the window.

Seoyul had noticeably lost weight in just a few days. Ever since the imprinting with Heegon, Seoyul hadn’t eaten anything, not even a sip of water. His daily routine consisted of staring blankly out the window until he was exhausted enough to fall asleep.

“At least have some water… please?” Dubo wiped Seoyul’s dry lips with a water-soaked cloth. But Seoyul didn’t move, only blinking weakly.

“Are you still like this?” Heegon’s voice came down on Seoyul as he entered the room. Seoyul flinched at the sound, but his eyes remained fixed on the empty space by the window.

“……”

Heegon looked at Seoyul sitting on the bed. Dubo, at a loss, held the untouched porridge. Heegon approached Seoyul silently and gestured to Dubo.

“Give it to me.”

Dubo handed over the porridge at Heegon’s gesture. Heegon brought the lukewarm porridge to Seoyul.

“Eat. How long do you plan to starve yourself?”

But Seoyul turned his gaze away from what Heegon offered, refusing to look at it.

“……”

Seoyul’s collarbone, now thin and protruding, was visible. Heegon stood there for a moment, then turned to Dubo, who was bowing his head.

“Hold him.”

At Heegon’s nod, the eunuchs approached Dubo and held him. Dubo, eyes wide with confusion, looked at Heegon, who gave a chilling order to Seoyul.

“Every time you skip a meal, I’ll cut off one of his fingers. Once all the fingers are gone, I’ll move on to his ears, then his eyes, and then I’ll skin him.”

“―?!”

“Shall we start with a finger?”

At Heegon’s gesture, one of the eunuchs drew a dagger. Dubo turned pale, trembling silently.

“……”

Finally, Seoyul looked up at Heegon. His eyes, dark and lifeless, were filled with resentment as he glared at Heegon.

Seoyul exhaled slowly, glaring at Heegon, then gritted his teeth. He raised his hand to take the porridge from Heegon. Ignoring the spoon prepared by the court lady, Seoyul brought the bowl directly to his mouth.

Rather than eating, it was more like pouring it into his mouth. Seoyul stuffed the porridge into his mouth and swallowed it. Without chewing properly, he forced it down and then tossed the empty bowl to the floor where Heegon stood. The bowl clattered with a dull sound, and the court lady hurried to clean it up.

Seoyul wiped the porridge that had dripped messily down his chin with his sleeve and looked up at Heegon as if to ask if he was satisfied.

“……”

Seeing this, Heegon signaled the eunuchs to release Dubo. But at that moment.

“Ugh―”

Seoyul covered his mouth and vomited the porridge he had just swallowed onto the floor. The forced intake caused a reaction, and he retched, clutching his chest in pain as the food barely stayed in his stomach.

“Seoyul-nim!”

Dubo, on the verge of tears, rushed to support Seoyul. Heegon bit his lip as he looked at the vomited porridge at his feet, then turned to the court ladies.

“Bring it again.”

He said, still looking down at Seoyul.

“Keep bringing it until he eats without vomiting, no matter how many times it takes.”

At Heegon’s cold command, the court ladies exchanged glances and withdrew. Heegon watched Seoyul, limp in Dubo’s arms, then resolutely turned and left the room.

“……”

Standing at the door with a grim expression was Pacheon. Heegon passed him with a cold gaze. Pacheon followed, showing a look of concern.

“Why did you handle it this way? At this rate, you’ll have a corpse to deal with.”

“……”

“What is an imprint worth…?”

At Pacheon’s sigh-like words, Heegon gritted his teeth and turned around. He reached out, grabbing Pacheon’s collar roughly.

“Did you know about the imprint?”

“I didn’t know either. But… from what I’ve heard, you forced something that didn’t need to be done―”

“This is all because you gave that child false hope. I have no intention of letting him go, so who are you to promise to send him back?”

“Your Highness, that child―”

Pacheon tried to speak, but Heegon’s fierce gaze silenced him. He lowered his head before Heegon.

“…I overstepped. Forgive me.”

“Remember this. Without my permission, that child won’t leave this place, not even a hair. Do you understand?”

“……”

“Answer me.”

“I will do so.”

Only after hearing Pacheon’s answer did Heegon release him. He turned again and headed towards his room.

After a few more bouts of vomiting, Seoyul finally managed to swallow about half of the porridge before falling asleep. Heegon carefully sat at the edge of the bed, looking down at the still struggling Seoyul.

The room was filled with the faint sound of Seoyul’s breathing as he slept. Heegon reached out and gently brushed Seoyul’s hair away from his eyes.

Since the imprinting, Seoyul had been losing his vitality. It wasn’t just because he wasn’t eating properly; his eyes held no emotion.

Every time he saw those empty eyes, he realized that Seoyul’s gaze had once held trust and a sliver of hope towards him. If that hope was based on the belief that he would be sent back, it meant nothing. But why…?

Is this really what I wanted?

Heegon paused, his hand still on Seoyul’s hair. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Seoyul’s shoulders and lowered his head.

“……”

Heegon gently embraced Seoyul, as if handling something fragile. Seoyul’s scent faintly reached his nose.

Even as he withered away, Seoyul’s scent remained fragrant. As if it had nothing to do with his own will.

He didn’t understand why he felt such a sense of loss when the scent he needed and wanted was still there.

“What are you…?”

Heegon murmured weakly, holding Seoyul close.

To someone standing at the edge of a cliff, you were a sudden salvation. A hope that pulled me back from a future of falling.

You are certainly such a presence to me, but can I really say it’s right to let you go? I need to hold onto you to survive, but with this desperation… was I unable to imprint on you?

Heegon quietly closed his eyes. He didn’t want to think about anything anymore.

⊹₊⟡⋆

“……?”

Heegon’s body shivered. It was an inexplicable ominous feeling that made his body react. Heegon, who had fallen asleep for a moment, hurriedly got up, feeling around the empty bed. Looking around, he saw Seoyul’s empty bed. Only the quietly burning lantern disturbed the silence in the room.

Min Seoyul…!

Heegon steadied his suddenly sinking heart and quickly got off the bed. Opening the door and stepping outside, he saw the empty hallway. He suddenly remembered that he had dismissed everyone when he came in.

“…Damn it.”

Without even taking the time to compose his disheveled appearance, Heegon scanned the dark surroundings and headed downstairs. There, he saw the eunuchs patrolling late at night. Heegon approached them immediately, stopping their steps.

“Where did that child go?”

“…Pardon?”

“Min Seoyul, where did he go?!”

At Heegon’s shout, the eunuchs exchanged bewildered glances, indicating they didn’t know either. Heegon snatched the lantern from their hands.

“Search the quarters… no, search the entire palace. Find him now!”

Heegon’s voice echoed through the quiet night air. The eunuchs hurriedly scattered to the sides, quickly gathering people. Heegon stood momentarily in the empty hallway before starting to search the surroundings thoroughly.

His room, the office, or the library… finding nothing in the darkness, he eventually went outside. As he stepped into the vast and desolate outdoors, his heart began to race chaotically.

Where could he have gone? With a body too weak to walk properly, where on earth…!

Gripping the lantern tightly, Heegon looked around. But in the pitch-black darkness, he couldn’t discern anything.

Heegon, unsure of where to head, stood hesitantly, then firmly pressed his lips together. He focused all his senses on taking deep breaths, silencing even his own heavy breathing.

Seoyul’s scent.

Perhaps he could catch even a faint trace of it.

But he couldn’t smell anything, not even a little. It wasn’t the time for his pheromones to rise, so it was natural, but the feeling that Seoyul had drifted away from him forever made cold sweat bead on Heegon’s forehead.

He couldn’t sense anything of Seoyul. Just as he was about to decide to go anywhere, he felt it.

“……?”

A breeze blew towards him. It was the cold night air. But at the end of it, there was a very faint but familiar scent. It was so thin and light, yet it passed by Heegon so clearly.

Heegon turned his head towards the pond. And like someone possessed, he began heading there. His slow steps gradually quickened until he was running, abandoning all pretense.

Heegon ran frantically towards the pond. The lanterns hung on the trees provided a bit of light in the surroundings.

Heegon reached the pond, breaking through the dim light. There, he saw the surface of the pond, dark as a mirror swallowing the darkness. Above it, a solitary white moon hung, its light spreading like ripples.

“……?!”

In the middle of it, Seoyul’s body was visible, rising above the pond.

“Min… Seoyul―”

Seoyul was staggering, walking towards the center of the pond. His body was already submerged up to his chest, only his shoulders and back visible.

“Min Seoyul!!”

Heegon roared, calling out to Seoyul. But Seoyul didn’t stop. Heegon widened his eyes, threw the lantern he was holding, and jumped into the pond.

He knew. Even at the deepest part of this pond, it only reached an adult’s chest.

But he had heard that Seoyul had come here through this pond on a crescent moon night. That fact swallowed an unknown ominous feeling, heating his throat.

Heegon frantically swam through the water towards Seoyul. His whole body moved slowly, struggling against the water, making him impatient. But Heegon used all his strength to catch up to Seoyul. As soon as he was within reach, Heegon grabbed Seoyul’s shoulder and turned him around.

“What on earth are you doing!!”

At Heegon’s shout, Seoyul stared blankly ahead. He twisted his body, trying to shake off Heegon’s hand. But Heegon didn’t let go. Seoyul’s body was cold and soaked like ice.

Since when…?

“Come out, what are you trying to do here…!”

Heegon tried to forcibly drag Seoyul out of the pond. But Seoyul resisted with surprising tenacity for someone who hadn’t eaten for days.

The more he resisted, the tighter Heegon’s grip became, and water splashed around them as they struggled. Then Seoyul finally broke free and slapped Heegon’s cheek with his fingertips.

Smack―

The sharp sound of the wet cheek meeting the palm cut through the night air.

“……”

Heegon’s head turned to the side from Seoyul’s slap, then slowly returned to its original position. Heegon looked momentarily stunned, but soon his eyes flashed with anger as he looked down at Seoyul.

“You dare…?”