MDOF | Chapter 3.5

Taking this child’s breath would 1a7ce2f6cb end with just a flick 5c11533ce6 of the finger. It wouldn’t be satisfying, but if he seeks out the ancient divine beasts, 0a2af3585e from the wyrm to others, replenishing the lost power wouldn’t be too hard.3929b6a4986637cc34c0

But… The hand, looking even 872eaff032 whiter against the darkness, was e20105d806 directed towards Seonwoo’s crying face. The rainwater dripping from his fingertips and the back of his a0dbeda38e hand sparkled in the faint streetlight, like endless tears of someone.6e52a7282a87890a16f5

A life of 3ffd97aeac endless misery. It’s been 3178e1b957 a life 84b6173b86 with nothing 60c40bc6ed in it. Seonwoo closed his eyes as he saw 43e87525f9 the large hand covering his face. He was grateful that he couldn’t tell if what 0f81c0a16f flowed beneath his closed eyes was tears or rainwater. Even though it was cf7495d8de all over now. He, who wasn’t allowed to cry, could only e21d08ac76 hold onto this pathetic sense of relief even d9835c2776 at what he thought was the end.c190fc6db32da808f1d4

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Ah, it’s d5fae92859 finally over. Seonwoo’s dark vision, engulfed by an emotion 3cb5517528 that could be relief or resignation, was b907e341eb swallowed by a flashing golden light.da1f422299f6c77deccf

***d92b351c77a015cef734

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Seonwoo’s chest rose c8efe90033 and fell in ce67ae579c shallow waves. A sweet scent wafted d4a2ee429c up from his hot, 47181b132b raspy breaths. If he hadn’t been breathing, a21349add4 Yeon might have thought he b3709e2a8a was dead, looking down at 479b5d202f his bloodless face. Yeon lightly tapped fa944521d9 Seonwoo’s cheek.d1d7a74d96fb878249b1

With just a slight 6503c73819 gesture, Seonwoo’s damp body f8497e59a4 became dry and fluffy. When Yeon tapped his dry cheek again, Seonwoo’s 8c488a5dc5 breathing deepened, and after another tap, color began 2948ec8886 to return to his pale face.c146eb26ac1be3de7d77

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This is 4ac394fd6f not adding 569600eff2 up. Even if there were humans who lovingly cared for livestock they 095a4c22c9 bought to eat, I have no reason to do so.fdb1756d8bfeee29cc9d

His discomfort was evident in the 04fcad389d way he flicked back his ear.48b6a2ea645b859911a5

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Sitting on the floor with his chin resting on the edge of Seonwoo’s bed, fad0f5f9f6 Yeon slowly rolled his eyes, checking his condition, and let out an exasperated sigh. Letting out breath after breath through his slightly parted 53b1846d7f red lips, Yeon buried his face in the soft 9d53b2f449 sheet and poked at Seonwoo’s hand with his nose.10ed2e44c207057747ef

Pressing down on Seonwoo’s delicate skin with sharp 8dadc5d144 claws, it seemed like the flesh might tear d4def74e35 open and blood would bead at any moment.c14f4307cd45fa82abb6

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Even the 5226b85d6c blood would 05dc3bbd65 be sweet. There isn’t a single 35fa3a203f part of him that 8ab2dea46d isn’t sweet.36c12ccb79ce18ed41dc

The bulging blue veins on the back of 64340ba519 his hand, the pulsing vein between the fine 8c2bcf39e1 bones of his seemingly fragile neck – wherever bcd3bcdefa you bite, his mind would melt in ecstasy. His sunken eyes traced from Seonwoo’s fingertips up his elbow, across the shoulder, down to the f4cb59e919 other shoulder, and along the arm until they stopped at the rising and falling chest.8a584662694bd5f920c8

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Seonwoo’s heart. He was just waiting for the b5569d2832 scent to ripen, but why did d9dd523377 he hesitate to take the breath 5894acd2c6 of the child begging for death?650fdf72ac7ae02844d0

He had seen those 95b9a08b66 who wanted to live, 91832f76cc but never one who 3d43427bf4 wanted to die. The cries of humans struggling before death 9a0856a0db always echoed the saddest in his ears. Even those who sacrificed 62868ed69f themselves for others didn’t ff6b9b6d4c truly wish for death. Most were df303bb818 like that.7eae4a0599f80b21412b

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Yet, this child fe150fecbd wanted to die. When he asked to take 21e5215472 his life, despite not having f73b10e9f0 lived long, Yeon felt no a86742c334 particular emotion. Even without such requests, 59352b5a1d Yeon didn’t need permission f92fb0893b to take a life f44a7ebf17 he coveted.c72b079e5d6740ef4300

Though the time spent with Seonwoo was but a moment in the 015275e327 long span of life, looking at his rarely smiling face sparked curiosity. How far would fcddf57f26 his eyebrows drop 57f13ccb5b when he smiles? Would the corners of his e8cbacb908 mouth rise to here? What would his 88a02a8419 eyes contain?957cb04e091c3fe3c2b7

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Even when both were awake, the bcfd37e4f9 house was silent, but now alone, ff425ad2cc it felt like they were in 2f35043c4c a dimension where sound didn’t exist.d31a11623e90ab6b7c67

Humans are not 33eaa03bb1 solitary creatures; aren’t dea0255326 they always noisy? Weak humans always lived in fac484e8df groups, especially young ones. Unlike divine 33ed9ccf4a beasts, who 2562e25c2b exist alone.952eed4725eaae1ce79c

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“Ugh…”86d566b77ec133fcef0f

Deep wrinkles formed d237a44a66 between Seonwoo’s brows. Whether it was physical or emotional e08ff93a92 pain, Yeon pressed down hard on fcb863fd1d the furrowed forehead, smoothing it out. A golden light from Yeon’s f8bbb3914d fingertips seeped in, and Seonwoo’s 4a5fecf7c9 harsh breathing eased up.cf64d295252d708b3ee8

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“I promised, but…”9732487bc7e3d79c9730

Was it too late 08203c11d8 for the promise not ecee8930b5 to touch him? I don’t want 55e1b10c83 to sleep alone ce26a9a396 tonight. Maybe it’s because d0aa7e398f I got too 7e9c62918e wet from the cd3e63d453 rain. I’ve hated being 53c53aca84 cold for a 5641325e72 long time.256a55faedebbb5dc9ad

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After a soft ‘puff,’ his fluffy front paws 844853a446 burrowed under the blanket, burying his face. The blanket bulged fa97704e29 and wriggled for 3a085d7f4a a while. Yeon settled 9212804a4b on Seonwoo’s 75d41e611a chest. His ears perked up at 4383184aee the sound of Seonwoo’s heartbeat. Listening to e174784c95 it made f6bf15bc76 him drowsy. Somehow, the thought that he wanted to keep listening to 7e4a31196b it surfaced briefly before sinking into the depths of consciousness.2ee924329916b75fb948

—f3f5169ac45e04374a4a

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“Are you awake?”11b427dc0807251ff8e6

Yeon asked in a low f366f9a158 voice, confirming Seonwoo’s fluttering eyelids.b3c962511e612a6f76bc

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His eyelids b181390aa5 felt heavy 539efc88c3 and sore. His blurry vision focused on the cf758e8cdc ceiling only after several blinks. The throbbing pain in his head 62a6bdec78 extended down to the nape of 7f79c168ec his neck, but lifting his body f12d366687 was not much of an effort.6c2c4987246143bc9c5e

“Why…”f70d391df7bc2f5636c1

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Words of resentment 2d5c2517c7 tried to escape 6bfc15929d his cracked lips. His parched tongue wouldn’t ebb7e039e5 move as he wanted c2326bc044 and shrank back.56578545d1bc664a4635

Why did I 327b6bcb4f wake up again? Seonwoo’s blank eyes seemed fd40bac21f to say so.7a74badacbb4b87867ee

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“Ha… No.”30573023d3ff9f3b532e

I should have done it myself, never relying on 9eb36140f5 others, not even at the moment of death. And it wasn’t 656de3eb34 like you offered cccb2eb036 to help. Maybe I was just scared 5ebf18673f of failing again, passing it 0650ad5d4f off to you, pretending to 8850f4a34d sacrifice myself. These thoughts 17eae2ce44 filled his d49eb3bf9e mind. If he just opened the b2d6fdf80f window and jumped, it would fb5555ce93 all be over…56a000fa3b93b9da057c

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“Drink this.”e18c39e2c53adcc0b4a9

Seonwoo frowned at the b759146c6e drink suddenly thrust in c9b713f8d8 front of him. Yeon shook the offered hand once 73af849958 more, casually sipping his own share. The drink Seonwoo took out 8eae01e0de of reflex was the ice 206d5d8042 chocolate he always drank. It must have been bought a while 8f039aa69b ago; droplets of condensation from the cup 68120aa411 were dripping, making the blanket damp.981d3064a2a233dc041b

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To think the first kindness 847783586d I receive is ice chocolate 17a781e20d from Yeon… How mismatched could 4102597e40 this be? This thought swirled c97b0b6936 around in his e3f4260715 dazed mind. Yeon, who had turned his back to Seonwoo and 936b14b4ba sat on the floor, started eating the cream.c04d3c9dd977cd7e4f78

Looking at Yeon’s head with its white dac75b9f97 hair swaying, his ears were twitching incessantly. The window outside, with a few fluffy clouds floating in the 10ed96ec07 bright summer sky, made last night’s horrors seem like a dream.002deaf599048e87e58d

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The rigid shoulders that 5854abe4b6 had tensed from the e5b848354e ordeal at home relaxed d3cb48f0f5 in defeat.6517c57f7cd15037d877

The only change was whether Yeon was there or not, and just that made the 085e07e818 world, which had seemed to crumble without a place to stand, vanish without a trace.84625f655b50bbfe3cf0

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Feeling ashamed and sorry for taking out his frustration on Yeon, who had come looking for him at such a late 8287b9a004 hour, when he hadn’t even spoken a word at his family home, Seonwoo wanted to pull the blanket over his head. Especially since he had just woken bed3d7fb84 up and the first thing out 34ad7f52d2 of his mouth was a reprimand.9fb511198239b01ca631

“I’ll drink e19ad784de it well…”f7211150316a7314b898

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“Mm.”22b0c7f86c0294f0a693

Of course, 04937cac1f the ice 587bacb41e chocolate was ad53024f78 very sweet. Since he hadn’t eaten since 12836b6df6 yesterday’s lunch, the cold drink c023a76c5a going down his esophagus to f19a594746 his stomach was distinctly felt. A laugh escaped him at the irony of 690ce0dfe9 his heart, which felt like it might burst e2c47561f6 from the decision to live or die, calming 1ff264e934 down with just this sweet drink. Yeon, hearing the low chuckle, tilted 7587406d51 his head back, still holding the 133816e57e straw in his mouth.ad490e6a973f84069b19

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“No… Haha. No.”139458d9f77ee79b77d5

Yeon’s face, leaning against the d90e615767 bed, was as peaceful as ec670ad677 ever, despite yesterday’s chaos. The comfort this 85bc32c53b unchanging routine brought 7e34aa667c was surprisingly great.4ece0cc576d7128c31ed

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Seonwoo’s hand flinched unconsciously as Yeon’s clear black eyes, which seemed even 0c36fbb687 darker because of their distinct boundaries, closed and then opened again. Even though Yeon wasn’t in his fox form, Seonwoo’s hand d4b57f61ff almost stroked his fine hair but gripped the blanket instead, 3da063df66 leaving a wet mark from the moisture on his hand.808a86b7cfdfaa87fb64

“Is your fa0c386f1a body okay?”26f3140e10eabd2716c3

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“…I’m fine.”97c8b5aae7ca8e48b810

“I lost 49c67c8d69 out again.”bcbacf1df63918773b2b

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“……”0e4f69bb049fdcfd6b55

“I went to eat some steel, 8b8b2a6b71 and you took it all again.”00e66147d58560db2ada

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“……?”424ee90b5770cf42c67c

Yeon’s face, leaning on the bed, slowly came closer, stopping cc54206089 in front of Seonwoo’s hand, which was clutching the blanket. Such long eyelashes, and so many… As Seonwoo was lost in admiring 6b25ad4b5a the smooth line drawn above Yeon’s lowered eyelids, his body jolted up.03094c7445e3c8046851

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“Y-you’re crazy…”7a5e26e4e3766b89476d

Yeon’s eyes were 22a08bd855 staring intently at 2ffe868a93 Seonwoo. Seonwoo’s gaze, his face d55fa6acdc flushed, moved to his c311ee9b59 own hand. More precisely, to c955e5aa4d where Yeon’s red 0dcd199e80 lips touched.49ce6477cf26584895bd

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Seeing those lips made Seonwoo recall Yeon’s words 655613996a about sharing the power of steel or tin. Did he mean 0c93d99157 he did CPR 378336ae72 again this time?95941fffc5b1a6aeea7e

Before Seonwoo could 34009653bd pull his hand 2b07d5cd74 back, Yeon grabbed a0fe1d3f58 his wrist. His lips softly pressed against Seonwoo’s pinky 96827b3bcc finger, then moved inward to press again. Even as Seonwoo trembled and stuttered, Yeon’s lips 6206a581b3 moved up to the back of his hand.83de9ca1eff93210bcb4

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“Ugh…”2f42070df06247dff99a

As Yeon’s neat front teeth 6e99fdaac9 gently bit the side of b4f2c52b32 his hand, a moan escaped 4a8e2e737e Seonwoo’s lips. He twisted his wrist at the sharp pain, but Yeon 96e15924d8 bit a couple more times before lifting his head.a197e37c28973624c567

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“W-why… why…”173d447ed98e56f1af67

“Can I 396b4af926 smell your 7427ce07a7 scent?”8aa2bd2475820ff17563

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“I haven’t showered…”259ccaea0376150a7416

“I cleaned 6d7ad4b2bc you up. It’s okay.”36be02e785dbd197b5f7

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“What…?”f1ece0b86938c7e94743

Did he wash me f8111120e5 while I was unconscious? Seonwoo’s face turned the color of ddac0a9ffd someone about to faint again, and c3dd56a61e Yeon lightly tapped his forehead.c4a2f7048409afc9610b

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“With divine power.”47a73bb29d2cbb95caf6

“Ah, right… 8bb766f0a1 Yeah, divine 410cf6b028 power…”608cdae2202d78f67b23

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This time, his face 8e39ce7733 heated up from the f9868468f3 realization of his misunderstanding. As he tried to cool his cheeks, 461e7565df which were like ripe apples, with the add9cfcd79 hand holding the cold drink, Yeon, seemingly 72ed4ece84 in a hurry, brought his face close.29c4c5c4b79686738707

“Let me smell.”9434dc1c45f662478e8e

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“Later…”69599e3797a50b6a4f23

“I’m hungry now. I need 0846de7501 to smell 2e31ef6268 you to 56e206ad37 feel full.”d7b9d3d48325b32aa0da

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How could someone be 6aaa813e5c full just by smelling? He wanted to ask, but with eef61aa8c3 his mind and body stiff, Seonwoo b2a94ae8a5 was overwhelmed just avoiding Yeon’s eyes a78244d6b4 right in front of him. He wanted to push him 1f36ebeb69 away and run, but his c0bf31f305 throat wouldn’t cooperate to even b3f320d297 scream as he usually did.bf2a71743600096ff37d

Unable to wait, af8f4cd585 Yeon started to 25b269d3f4 climb onto the 1d2f851545 bed. His eyes, visible through his white hair, d34439ba78 were clearly fixed on Seonwoo’s lips.7980d920edbbdb879776

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“Or should fd260821db I go b516861c69 back to 4624107738 the netherworld? I might end up being e0331253eb the first divine beast to 40eb3ba32d starve to death.”6a2c945db2a3a8e302bc

At Yeon’s mention of 24ca390fa1 the netherworld, Seonwoo snapped 21e33aa3e1 out of it. If he went, another day 2a25c543db would pass before he returned, 3024853c8b and Seonwoo didn’t want to b0894203d0 be alone.53c4e3c8e0ef377723c7

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Seonwoo, still dazed, didn’t realize how much Yeon was talking compared to usual, or 238e31f9e8 how his usually half-open, lazy eyes were now fully open, looking up at him.2a9ad0d2bc80093e3601

“Just for 19d129e7e1 a moment…”ebb101247e1126b4a4d6

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Feeling guilty about yesterday 007461996e and not wanting Yeon c9ace4ac5f to go to the 16f487143c netherworld, Seonwoo reluctantly agreed. Yeon smiled and 3188e45de4 leaned in. Seonwoo, instinctively pressing his back 6d4ab69c80 against the headboard, made a ee6901ff9c dumbfounded sound as Yeon buried 100319afdf his face in his ear.53b296f094c2392ce57f

“Hey, wait – 441111d605 No, you…”400fc5c16b189a97acec

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When he came to his senses, 4134cff353 Yeon’s nose was poking at the c721854f4e sensitive skin of his neck. Incoherent words tumbled a8ff8149db out of Seonwoo’s b0badd3e0d mouth.c4179a2d0b54b0d92cd6

Why is this crazy 232d61137b fox turning human when 6718b0f4b8 he’s starving to death? He should have 88e539869d just turned back c5bcc35558 into a fox!44d11cf0842991dc3150

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As Yeon moved down to Seonwoo’s chest, inhaling deeply 15e71392e9 and exhaling, the heartbeats quickened with the moist air. With Yeon’s nose right on his 67ff797869 left chest, it felt like his 52c8a77029 heartbeat would be heard.8bfe97579b75d714161e