It wasn’t that he was frightened by the semi-nude of a handsome man who was incomparable to his skinny self. No, that was surprising enough. It wasn’t because he trained at the gym, but because his muscles were not heavy, and he was as elegant and handsome as a statue. Even the large and small scars left all over the body are not unsightly and look great like a tattoo.
However, what surprised In Yoo-shin even more than that was the two letters engraved on Hyeon Gyu-ha’s left chest, where the heart would be.
Yoo-shin唯信. (the Chinese characters are 한자, they're read the korean way. So you have 唯 who's called 오직 (=meaning) 유 (=pronunciation) and 信 who's called 믿을 신. Since a same word can have multiple meanings, Korean sometimes refer to the 한자 version to make sure which one it is. For example you have 통화 (通貨) meaning currency and 통화 (通話) meaning phone call lol. You can still find them in law texts or scientific text where there should be no doubt about the meaning. -- from the comment section, credits to an anonymous person who helped me. )
Even if he closed his eyes and opened them again, rubbing them and looking at them again, it was clearly his name. He was afraid that he might be mistaken for someone with the same name, so it was even written down the Chinese characters kindly.
“Ho-ho-how could my name get there…….?”
“Don’t point at people.”
In Yoo-shin was startled and hurriedly lowered his pointing hand, which had come up without even realizing it.
“Ho-how did this happen?”
“I came home the day I saw you at the bank and it looked like this.”
“It’s not like it’s a tattoo or sticker, is it?
In Yoo-shin, who fell into a panic, didn’t realize that Hyeon Gyu-ha remembered briefly meeting him at the bank. Hyeon Gyu-ha’s eyes narrowed.
“Are you saying that I put a tattoo with your name on purpose and then swear at you? Why would I do that?”
“I-I guess?”
Hyeon Gyu-ha, who briefly looked at In Yoo-shin, who spit out anything in embarrassment, grabbed his wrist.
“Then touch it.”
He didn’t even have time to understand what it meant. In the blink of an eye, In Yoo-shin’s palm was touching the tattoo. So, a tattoo on the bare chest of a man.
[Current Status: Murderous. Petulance.]
“Ahh...”
Just before he could scream at the feel of his firm chest against his palms, the door burst open.
“It’s better to smoke on the roof than in the smoking room, but coming up is annoying...……… gasp!”
“Why did you suddenly……hiik.”
Hyeon Gyu-ha calmly said to them, wide-eyed at the sight of ‘another man touching the chest of a man standing half-nude.’
“I’m a bit busy.”
“Sorry to interrupt! Hunter-nim!”
“Have a good time!”
People hurriedly slammed the doors and fled from the rooftops. Interrupt………….what did it mean to interrupt...………. What was having a good time means again...………. Tears welled up in Yoo-shin’s eyes.
“Can I take my hands off now……………?”
“I hope you understand that it is not a tattoo.”
“I understood.......”
When Hyeon Gyu-ha let go of his wrist, In Yoo-shin, who quickly removed his hand, looked tearful. The feeling left on his palm was so vivid. It felt as if he had touched steel, not a human body, but his skin was exceptionally smooth.
‘Calm down, you madman! What’s important about the feeling of someone else’s chest!’
In Yoo-shin desperately tried to distract himself from the feel of his chest. It was the first time that the owner’s name was engraved on the opponent’s body during taming.
Although it’s absurd to be able to tame people in the first place.
Hyeon Gyu-ha, who was fully clothed, watched the face of In Yoo-shin, who changed every moment according to his inner voice, and then moved his lips.
“First, let me explain my situation. Ever since I was at the bank that day, I felt like someone was calling me.”
“......”
He called him. 7-seya, 7-seya, and so on.
In Yoo-shin recalled how Hyeon Gyu-ha had repeatedly looked back at him and wanted to slap his mouth.
“……”
“Even after I handed over the robbery to the detectives, I continued to feel strange. It’s hard to express exactly, but just being away from something makes you feel uneasy, nervous, and feeling like your consciousness is buried because you can’t stop thinking about it?”
“......”
“In a word, I felt separation anxiety like a dog that was tamed by its owner.”
“......”
“I suffered from uneasiness all day for no reason, and when I came home, I saw the word engraved here. Just like a person’s name.”
No words for excuses. Even if you have a mouth, it’s useless, so you have no choice but to shut up.
Hyeon Gyu-ha put his hand in his pants pocket and continued his words as usual.
“At first, I didn’t even think of it as a human name. Think about it. What kind of lunatic is not a stalker and just carves his name on someone else’s body? That to me too? Don’t you think so?”
“......”
“Don’t you think so?”
“We-well, that’s fair reason.”
In Yoo-shin, who had been beaten by his reminiscence, shrank even more. It wasn’t intentional, but it was definitely his fault for not checking closely.
Each time the flashbacks continued; the surrounding air dropped by 1 degree.
“I wondered if it was a curse, so I mobilized all my connections and visited both the healing and purification magicians. But it’s not a curse. No matter what I did, it wouldn’t work. Do you know what everyone is saying when I talk about its symptoms?”
“.......”
“You should go to a mental hospital.”
“.......”
“How do you think I must have felt when I was suddenly treated like a madman?”
“...I think you must have been very, very frustrated and upset...……….”
“And also?”
“I think you must have been angry...”
“So you know.”
A small smile clung to Hyeon Gyu-ha’s lips, but the rapidly cooled air did not relax at all.
“I thought I met the culprit at the bank. So, after cutting off the robbers one by one, I obtained and looked at the data on the incident that day. What do you think I saw there?”
“My name...?”
“You’re smart because you passed the civil service exam.”
“Well, I’m a contract worker………….”
“Only answer what I say.”
“Yes.”
“Well, whatever, so.”
In Yoo-shin’s shoulders trembled. The amber eyes staring at him while bending his waist were very frightening.
“I came all the way here to find it and tear it to death, since it’s a hunter-related law.”
“Hiik.”
“As soon as I saw you on that side, lightning flashed in my head.”
Ah, that man is my master.
In Yoo-shin, who read a single sentence made by moving his lips without making a sound, was even more terrified. He came desperately to kill the culprit who did not know if it was a curse or stalking, but he even found out that he had been forcibly tamed.
As he remembered how he felt, the shock made him dizzy. He would have wanted to strangle him even if he was in Hyeon Gyu-ha’s position.
And Hyeon Guy-ha has enough ability to kill him, as well as the ability to conceal it.
Hyeon Gyu-ha relaxed and gave a few words to In Yoo-shin, who was now visibly trembling.
“Then you can explain now. If it’s for an acceptable reason, I’ll kill you right away, painlessly, instead of torturing you to death in the dungeon.”
So you were going to torture me to death...…
In Yoo-shin struggled to move his trembling lips.
“I-I’m a tamer. It’s F-class...…………. Somehow, I ended up taming Hunter Hye-hyeon Gyu-ha-nim.”
He explained from the scene where there was an error in the system window. Although he tried hard to express that he had absolutely no intention of taming people, Hyeon Gyu-ha didn’t seem to be listening.
“Hmm, it’s called taming.”
His attention seemed to be focused only on the word ‘taming’.
“It’s the first time I’ve heard that you can tame people, but well, even so. Can you cancel taming? I know it’s not possible.”
There were only two ways to cancel taming. One is the death of the Tamed one. The other is the death of the person who cast taming.
And of course, Hyeon Gyu-ha, who has gone through all the hardships as a hunter, would know. He stroked his chin and narrowed his eyes.
“Have you ever been in the perspective of a tamed one?”
“No.......”
“It’s quite unpleasant. The feeling that my heart doesn’t go the way I want is really fucked up. Even now, just looking at you, I have an instinct to be relieved because I’m talking to you without separation. Can you guess what this feels like?”
“......”
I couldn’t even guess.
How does it feel to be forcibly swayed by others without being able to set one’s will straight? All the more, while being dominated by emotions contrary to the will.
In the past, when he touched the system window without much thought, he felt pathetic and resentful of himself. The system’s pun should not be easily dismissed as an error.
“As expected, this is the only way to cancel taming.”
When he saw the languid smile on Hyeon Gyu-ha’s face glistening in the sunlight, the body of In Yoo-shin was floating in the air. He was caught by the collar. And thrown out over the railing on the roof. Going down, Down. Down.
The moment he realized he was falling, the situation around him was rapidly recognized as if the stopped world was moving.
He was falling.
Earth’s gravity pulls it rapidly. The resistance of the air beats the body fiercely like a headwind. His cheeks felt sore. His hair flutters in a mess. The blue sky with white clouds drifting away quickly. Someone’s astonished gaze passes through the window. People’s screams can be heard in the distance. He kept falling.
•Orphanage, adoption, dissolution. Orphanage again, adoption again. Dissolution again. Orphanage again. This was a near-death experience just before death itself.
Human lives are not equal. There is a difference in the value of life. His own value is at the bottom. Even if Hyeon Gyu-ha kills him, it was reasonable. He would have died 14 years ago anyway. It’s not scary. It’s okay. It’s okay.
In Yoo-shin closed his eyes tightly.
And then.
------
Credits:
Translator: Hoshi Miya
Editor/Proofreader: -
HM: I felt like laughing throughout this chapter…. Until it hit the end. Btw, why were the chinese characters written…. Is there a chance that the MC is a mix….?
And why on earth, is the author stopping on cliffhangers.... jeez.... Btw the schedule of this novel most likely will only be set on a particular day when I have an editor or when I hit 10 chapters. So....... Please.
We are looking for an editor for this novel series. → https://forms.gle/5C3rBo1Wt1TU2mtp8