S Chapter 6

‘Wow, Big Brother got it right.’

I distinctly heard the muttering, almost inaudible words.

It was such a strange feeling. More overwhelming than when he single-handedly stopped an S-grade dungeon, more than when he rose to a director position at the Hunter Association, more than when he was cheered by many people… Shin Jukyeong finally felt like he had found the place he wanted. His brother’s place, that is.

‘Actually, Big Brother told me this, you know?’

Kkuku, no, Shin Jukyeong, loved the soft, whispering childish voice so much. Yes, he loved it. But…

‘I don’t want to eat anymore…’

He also had to pay his karma. It seemed Eun intended to feed him for all the emotional distress he caused, continuously bringing snacks without a break. Bread, fruit, cookies, etc. Thanks to this, Shin Jukyeong had to chew and swallow about twenty soggy cookies, something he never thought he’d do.

If he hesitated even a little, Eun’s eyebrows would droop, so he performed a splashing show in a state of ecstasy. He wasn’t particularly fond of sweets to begin with, and eating them soggy was truly awful.

‘Ugh…’

Today, as usual, on his way back to his room, clutching his churning stomach, unsure if it was due to the snacks or the water. Shin Jukyeong caught a metallic scent.

‘The smell of blood!’

The chubby, pear-shaped furball, waddling with a furrowed brow, suddenly had its eyes glow.

Pat-pat-pat!

The place he ran to, following the smell, was the mansion’s main gate. He was anxious, wondering if it was a terrorist targeting his father. He didn’t know what audacious punk it was, but he offered his condolences in advance. Unfortunately, a twisted filial son, a hidden strong man in the house, and a chain smoker trying to quit were coiled up here.

Pat-pat-pat-pat!

Thinking he’d get some action after a long time, he hurried along, his tongue practically flapping… Dangle-dangle. Suddenly, he was grabbed by the scruff of his neck and lifted. How utterly spectacular. He hadn’t expected to be hunted.

“You’re oddly shaped.”

A familiar yet unfamiliar voice… Huh? Shin Jukyeong’s eyes widened. It was someone he hadn’t expected to meet in this form. It was Yang U-dam, the second son of this household and Shin Jukyeong’s first younger brother.

“Is it a dog? A stray?”

It’s a Rakun. It seems U-dam, not just Eun, also needs a Children’s Animal Encyclopedia.

“Look at this fat.”

Squish-squish-squish-squish.

“…!”

There was a sudden touch on his lower belly. Startled, Shin Jukyeong thrashed his legs. It was understandable coming from Eun, who was a baby… but U-dam was different. This kind of skinship with someone of the same gender only caused revulsion.

“You don’t like being touched. I’ll just keep that in mind.”

This guy? Wrinkles formed on Shin Jukyeong’s nose bridge. Just as he was debating whether to hit him on the head out of sheer frustration, his body was lifted even higher.

“It’s a male.”

“…”

“It’s small.”

“…!”

Three skull bombs exploded above Shin Jukyeong’s head.

“Squeak-waah, eeh, ehh!” (I’m not small! Look again when I’m in my original body, am I small?!)

This was an insult that no Korean man could tolerate.

“It looks clean, so is it a pet dog? What’s its name?”

“…”

“When an adult asks you something, you should answer, you rude brat. What did your mom and dad teach you?”

With a white smile, he unilaterally trash-talked a speechless animal. This was an unfair fight. Shin Jukyeong was a little concerned about his brother’s personality. But whatever Shin Jukyeong thought, U-dam seemed very amused.

“I’ll name you instead, Hyung. You’re cute, so… how about Sukja? Like, a homeless person.”

He folded his arms in displeasure at the name that emphasized his street origins. He heard the comment, ‘A dog can fold its arms?’, and chewed on it.

“You don’t like the surname Noh? You’re really picky, aren’t you? Alright. Well, these days, unisex names are in style, so… how about Bang? Isn’t that cool? It’s hip and good. Oh, and the surname is Georeong, Korean style.”

U-dam chuckled briefly, saying ‘Georeongbang~’.

A beggar… Shin Jukyeong, his eyes cold, suddenly noticed U-dam’s unusual appearance. His hair was disheveled, his pale face covered in scratches. Furthermore, he wasn’t wearing his school uniform, and he was returning home late. Did he fight with a friend? Was he picked on? It was hard to see it as a simple dispute.

‘Could it be… I hate to even think about it…’

One “what if” after another, and the scale grows. The sensation of all the blood draining from his body. His fingertips and toes turned cold.

‘Is he being bullied at school?’

The most representative crime among the social issues emerging for teenagers. His younger brother, a victim of school violence? He swallowed hard. It felt like his breath was caught in the center of his chest. His breathing became labored.

‘Calm down.’

He couldn’t be prematurely certain. It was still just a suspicion. So, he had to confirm it properly. If it was true, then…

‘I will punish even their parents under the System of Collective Responsibility.’

Flames erupted in Shin Jukyeong’s eyes. School, a small society. To exaggerate a little, he thought of it as a place where one learns all the fundamentals. A place that greatly influences how a child will grow in the future. If one is subjected to collective ostracism there, they will undoubtedly suffer emotional wounds that won’t easily disappear.

‘Damn it. Aren’t they old enough to tell right from wrong at eighteen? To behave like uneducated brats. One of the reasons U-dam went astray in the future might be found there.’

He needed to stop his School Refusal. He had to go to school starting tomorrow. Having made up his mind, Shin Jukyeong skillfully slipped out of U-dam’s hand.

“Going?”

He didn’t try to catch Shin Jukyeong. For someone who found him cute, he had no lingering attachment. He merely curved his eyes into crescents and waved his hand.

“…Groan.”

“Goodbye, Bang.”

Shin Jukyeong looked back several times before scurrying away, disappearing from view.

‘It’s taking longer than I thought…’

He purposely went around the mansion to avoid running into his brother again. Because of that, he was too late.

Normally, when Shin Jukyeong transformed into Rakun to visit his youngest brother, he would use the excuse of taking a bath to create an alibi that he had been in his room. Today was no different. He had only expected to play with Eun.

Shin Jukyeong urgently climbed the wall and squeezed his body through the bathroom window. Whine-whine-whine. His tail got caught, delaying him. And just as he was almost completely through, he heard strange noises.

“Hurry! I told you to hurry!”

His rounded ears perked up. His ears, which performed better than when he was human, were doing their job.

“The door is locked. I think we’ll have to break it down.”

“Hmph… hurry. By now, he would have finished his bath and more. But it’s still locked. And he’s not answering… He’s been so anxious lately, something must have happened. Please save our young master!”

“Everyone, step aside! One, two—!”

Oh no. He had been away too long and caused a misunderstanding. Realizing the situation, Shin Jukyeong quickly entered the bathroom and reverted from his transformation.

‘It’s okay. I can just say I fell asleep while soaking in the tub.’

As he was choosing an excuse, a sudden chill enveloped him, and his vision swayed violently.

‘Damn it, a side effect…’

The price for using his ability had come due. But he was used to this much. It was a pain he had experienced daily since meeting Eun. He just needed to spit out a mouthful of blood and then go out casually, saying ‘It’s nothing. I just fell asleep’ to calm the situation.

“Ptui! Phew… Ugh?!”

Shin Jukyeong calmly spat out a clot of blood with familiar ease. And as he tried to straighten his back, his legs suddenly buckled. It was no use trying to exert force.

Only then did Shin Jukyeong realize something was seriously wrong. His blurring vision, dizzy head, convulsing body. Blood kept flowing, staining the floor.

‘Is it accumulated fatigue?’

This is quite a variety of things happening. What a fresh experience. Shin Jukyeong sat down and scoffed.

‘I need to increase my workout volume.’

He touched the corner of his mouth, frowning again at the fact that his current physical body’s level was significantly low. Meanwhile, outside, there was incessant pounding on the door, trying to open it. It was the unwelcome enthusiasm of those with thorough professionalism.

‘…Now, excuses and everything else are just annoying. I’ll just let them misunderstand.’

He relaxed his entire body and accepted the loss of consciousness.

Neatly prepared dishes were placed on the dining table. It was so early in the morning that the table legs threatened to break.

‘Fucking hell.’

Yang U-dam swallowed curses instead of rice.

“Listen.”

Who would enthusiastically pick up chopsticks to eat with a semi-psychopath?

‘If you have a brain, use it, damn it. Fuck.’

But a slave who lives off others must chew even rocks if their master commands them to eat.

“Thank you for the meal.”

“Y-yes, thank you for the meal…”

He scanned the other slaves who reluctantly picked up their chopsticks. The slave with a mother. The youngest slave. All of them were chewing food with undisguised rotten expressions. Anyone looking would think there had been a funeral.

U-dam also picked at his food. The glossy white rice was now just rough grains of sand. He was sure that the staple food for the Shin family’s slaves, including himself, wasn’t rice but indigestion medicine. He’d bet his wrist on it.

‘If they had eyes, they’d see it.’

U-dam shook his head and glared at Shin Taekyung.