S Chapter 67

It was while he was engrossed in these thoughts alone that he suddenly met Shin Jukyeong’s gaze.

“U-dam?”

It was because Shin Jukyeong had suddenly made eye contact. Having let his guard down, U-dam couldn’t avoid it. He flinched. Was he staring too much? He felt inexplicably embarrassed. It was too awkward to pretend he hadn’t been looking now.

U-dam moved stiffly, like a broken robot. He managed to roll his eyes away, avoiding the gaze. Perhaps it was the gentle breeze, but his skin felt tingly, so he unnecessarily pressed his cheek.

“Your face is red. Are you cold?”

“…No.”

“Look at me, brother.”

“…”

Why should he look? He grumbled inwardly, yet he shifted his gaze back to Shin Jukyeong. The other looked at him with worried eyes.

“Are you really not cold?”

U-dam didn’t answer the repeated question. Then, Shin Jukyeong tried to take off his jacket. Is he crazy? U-dam frowned, telling him not to overdo it.

‘Crazy fool, isn’t he cold? Giving his clothes to someone else in this weather? Doesn’t he like me a little too much?’

U-dam unnecessarily wiggled his fingers. It was because his fingertips and toes were tingling unusually. This was a new sensation. So, U-dam attributed it all to the cold wind.

“Sorry. Did I treat you too much like a child?”

Shin Jukyeong lowered his eyebrows and offered a gentle smile. U-dam couldn’t tear his eyes away from the softened expression.

Shin Jukyeong, in particular, was the type whose impression changed dramatically with just a smile. Usually, he was cold, but when he smiled like that, he seemed like a different person. Like winter departing and spring arriving.

“U-dam. Congratulations today, truly.”

At that moment, U-dam felt another tingle.

The party successfully concluded. However, Jukyeong couldn’t rest. After everyone had left, he was called by his father and was on his way to the study. It was already past two in the morning. If he had anything to say, he could have said it at the party, but he always had to be an afterthought.

‘He didn’t even glance at me there.’

Judging by the fact that he was specifically called, it seemed like he was going to be reprimanded. He was tired; couldn’t they do it tomorrow? Jukyeong pressed his eyelids as he opened the study door. His father was sitting in a chair, sipping whiskey.

Jukyeong bowed and greeted him, but as expected, there was no reply.

‘If he’s going to treat me like air, why call me?’

He couldn’t shake the feeling of being a stress-relief doll.

Tick-tock-tick-tock! Only the sound of the clock’s second hand could be heard. It had been 20 minutes already. Jukyeong remained standing in the same spot.

‘He’s making me stand in punishment.’

He sighed inwardly. He had thought he would just get a few nagging words and be done, but the atmosphere suggested he was in for a serious scolding. The prolonged silence from his father implicitly meant that his anger gauge was steadily rising.

Would his calves be struck? Just as he was calculating various possibilities in his mind, his father finally rose from his chair. Despite having drunk several glasses of strong whiskey, he seemed perfectly fine. However, a strong, undeniable scent of alcohol wafted from him as he approached.

Just then.

“…Ugh!”

He grabbed Jukyeong’s cheek with one hand. A groan involuntarily escaped him at the rough touch. This violent, almost brutal, action was distinctly different from his demeanor at the party. But he didn’t stop. He simply scrutinized his son with a cold, indifferent gaze, as if appraising an object. It was definitely not the look of a father at his child.

“What exactly is wrong with this…?”

His voice was deeply hoarse.

“The one I wanted failed, and a useless object crawled out into the world.”

A useless object. Jukyeong immediately knew who he was referring to.

‘If he hates him this much, why keep him around?’

Jukyeong couldn’t understand his father. Usually, even if a person picks up a single stone, they grow fond of it after living with it for several years.

‘And this is a person, no less…’

Therefore, he gradually became certain of one thing. There was something, a secret he didn’t know, between his father and his younger brothers.

Jukyeong thought of his younger brother who believed their deceased parents were alive and tried to find them.

‘I don’t know what connection that might have either. I need to dig deeper.’

It was about time to use the monster fanatic chance. He would have to contact them as soon as he returned to his room. He calmly formulated his plan, maintaining a remorseful attitude outwardly. His submissive appearance might at least help calm his father’s anger.

Fortunately, Jukyeong’s efforts seemed to work to some extent, as the firm grip on his face soon disappeared.

‘My cheek is throbbing.’

Jukyeong frowned.

“Shin Jukyeong.”

“…Yes.”

His father walked towards a glass cabinet and said,

“That object is going to enroll in the Hunter Academy. You’ve lost the spot that was originally yours. Aren’t you angry? You idiot… Tsk.”

Then, he picked up a wooden stick placed on the very top of the cabinet. It looked thick at a glance.

…So, he was going to be hit after all.

Jukyeong, intuiting the future, instinctively flinched. His fists clenched involuntarily. It was laughable that he was more afraid of such a mere cane than of breaking a bone while rolling around in a dungeon.

“You continue to disappoint me more and more.”

“…I apologize.”

His father took off his glasses and rolled up his sleeves. The air became heavy. Tick, tick—the clock’s second hand sounded unusually loud. Or was it his own heartbeat? Either way, it was just unpleasant.

“Shin Jukyeong.”

And soon, the words he hated to hear most flowed from his mouth.

“Take it off.”

…It had come.

Jukyeong could only escape his father after his calves were covered in blood. The beating was worse than usual. His torn skin smarted, and he limped back to his room.

“Haa… I’m tired.”

He slumped onto the bed and dry-washed his face. It was fortunate it was 새벽 (dawn). If Kang Seo-oh had seen him, he would have made a fuss again and been upset.

‘Should I heal you?’

‘It’s okay. Don’t waste magic unnecessarily.’

The wounds would be fine in a few days. He couldn’t waste magic on such minor things. That would only hasten the day he had to feed Eve.

Jukyeong picked up his stiff body and found his cellphone. Then, he searched for ‘Debt’ in his contact list.

Alright, shall I collect some accumulated debt?

[Hello. This is Shin Jukyeong. I apologize for the late hour. I have an urgent matter, so I am contacting you. I need the monster we discussed before. Can you lend it…]

‘Does this sound too old?’

Jukyeong deleted the message he had written and re-entered it.

[Can I borrow a monster lol]

…Hmm. This looks too frivolous. Jukyeong thought for a moment and changed the latter part.

[Can I borrow a monster haha lol]

Perfect.

Tap, tap—only after typing and sending the message could Jukyeong finally conclude his long day.

Time had passed, and the day Jukyeong was to leave Hanguk High School was approaching.

A thrilling moment, like a beautiful butterfly being reborn from a cocoon! The age where he could freely access legal drinking and happy self-destructive items he had waited so long for! The twenty he had so desperately desired!

In short, yes. That’s right. It was graduation. Well, technically he had already become an adult, but he had patiently endured, thinking he should at least take off his school uniform before indulging. Today was the day to break the seal.

‘Wait for me, X-Dew. Wait for me, Menthol…!’

I will not leave you alone today!

‘I’ll make short work of you all.’

Jukyeong was chuckling to himself, excited for the upcoming happy time, when he heard a noisy conversation beside him.

“Congratulations.”

“You worked hard.”

“Don’t forget, this is just the beginning. Going out into society means…”

Only then did Jukyeong regain his senses and look around. Each student held colorful flower bouquets and chatted with their families. Jukyeong, on the other hand, was an isolated island.

He scratched his cheek for a moment and blew a puff of breath into the air. A white mist spread across the blue sky. Hmm, it had already gotten this cold.

‘The day is clear, though.’

The clouds were pretty, and the sun sparkled. Jukyeong stared blankly up at the sky.

‘Come to think of it, Father couldn’t come to my graduation in the past either.’

He understood, as his work was busy. However, back then, he had sent his secretary with a flower bouquet, but now there wasn’t even that.

Well, given his personality, was it natural? Hmm. No. In a way, it could be considered a good sign. It also meant he was that disappointed. Jukyeong spun his positive thinking circuits and stretched leisurely.

‘I’m hungry, should I get some black bean noodles on the way?’

Suddenly, a movie he had seen in the past came to mind. A B-grade family movie, nothing particularly special. Honestly, it was so boring that the plot was hazy. The only scene he remembered was a boxer father and his teenage son going to eat black bean noodles together on graduation day.

He didn’t know why he was thinking of it now, but… his mouth watered. Savory and sweet black bean noodles with sour pickled radish. Not bad. Jukyeong licked his lips. It was lunchtime, and he was perfectly peckish.

‘The area around the school will be crowded, so should I go downtown?’

While he was contemplating what to do, Eve suddenly started singing.

‘When you’re annoyed, black bean noodles~ When you’re down, clear noodle soup~ When it’s complicated, fried rice~ Tang-tang-tang-tang sweet and sour pork~’

‘Where did you learn a song like that?’

‘Eve knows everything (ノ^∇^)!’

He smiled thanks to Eve.

‘Let’s go get black bean noodles.’

‘Eve likes Sichuan black bean noodles.’

‘You can’t eat it.’

‘Eve… can’t eat it?! Σ( ˙꒳˙ )’

Just as he was bickering briefly with Eve and about to exit the main gate, two flower bouquets were suddenly thrust in front of his face. It was so instantaneous that he almost reflexively swung at them but barely managed to stop.