Hero’s Child C35

Chapter 35

Uichan came rushing out of the room again, breathless. He was limping on one leg, clutching an old box tightly in his arms. Seeing him approach in such haste, Hyde rose from his seat.

Clatter—

“Hyde.”

Uichan flung open the veranda door and burst out as though being chased. His face was pale, his expression twisted with urgency. He opened his mouth as if to explain, then shut it tight again. Instead, he thrust the box in his arms toward Hyde.

Inside lay a shriveled lump of flesh. Hyde exhaled softly through his lips as he looked down at the withered thing. No matter how one looked at it, it was the severed ear of a yokai.

From it emanated a chill so biting it felt as though one’s throat might close, a sinister and wicked aura that made Uichan’s pallor understandable. The intertwining of malice and death energy that poured from it was—

“Podo’s stolen something quite rare.”

—identical to that grotesque and wicked aura they had experienced during the Seolhyang Village Tragedy, the kind that seemed to peel skin from bone.

—I’ll take this with me. I’ll need to run some tests.

Before leaving, Hyde pressed a handful of burn ointment into Uichan’s palm. The way he casually pulled it out from his breast pocket made it seem as though he had prepared it in advance. The fact that he had come carrying such things suggested that he already knew about the confrontation between La Épée and Uichan. Yet even so, Hyde had waited until Uichan called for him.

‘He’s impossible to read… really.’

Even the kiss had been like that—he’d called it a “seal,” but wasn’t it just a way to toy with him?

Lying on the bed, lost in thought, Uichan glanced toward the sound of Park Rion’s snoring. Sprawled flat across the bedding, Rion slept soundly, mouth hanging open. Gazing at his friend’s oblivious face, Uichan felt a pang of hunger and shifted sluggishly.

…Maybe just a little snack before bed?

Come to think of it, he hadn’t eaten anything at the right time today. Though he tried to ignore it, the thought of the yogurt waiting in the fridge made his mouth water.

In the end, he couldn’t resist. Uichan rose quietly and slipped into the living room, heading straight for the refrigerator. He pulled out a cup of fruit-flavored yogurt, peeled off the peach-patterned lid, and spooned it into his mouth several times. But the hunger didn’t fade, so he unwrapped a few of the children’s sausages that had been delivered a few days ago.

After filling his stomach, his body grew drowsy. Sitting at the dining table with his knees drawn up, Uichan absentmindedly rubbed his plump lips.

“…It did feel familiar.”

Why did the heat of that kiss still linger so vividly? Uichan shook his head quickly, as if to cast it off. But no matter how hard he tried, the memory of Hyde’s tongue entwining with his own refused to fade. It had been strange—sticky, unsettling—but also, in a way, disarmingly familiar.

Ha… this is insane.

Uichan’s life had always been unlucky, but to think his first time would involve three different men. Then, to make matters worse, he had ended up pregnant—and with triplets, no less. Still, the children were a blessing to him.

He poked a straw into an apple juice box and drank. His belly had been quiet for a while now—maybe the babies were hiding from Hyde out of fear. Or perhaps they’d simply eaten their fill and were now sleeping soundly.

“…I really should tell them.”

He rested his chin on his hand, recalling the doctor’s words—that he needed to find the children’s third father and establish a connection. Thinking over the three possible men, he tried to decide who would be the most reasonable to approach. Probably… Noatis.

—All I know is that the children’s genetic codes differ. Even if you bring the fathers in, we can’t identify which belongs to which child. Think of it in terms of color—each has a distinct hue, but so subtle and intricate that it’s impossible to determine without scientific testing.

The doctor had said that each child had their own unique color—different not only from their fathers, but from Uichan himself. Uichan’s genes were described as resembling a rainbow, while his children’s were “dark,” “bright,” and “misty.”

So, to find their fathers, he would need to inform them and run multiple tests.

Whatever it took, Uichan was determined to protect his three children. During the Seolhyang Village Tragedy, he had lost too much—his family, his friends, his neighbors, his hometown.

He would never go through that again. Nor would he let his children experience such grief. And yet, the same malevolent aura from that day—the one he had just sensed from the object Podo had stolen—could not be ignored. Could the tragedy of Seolhyang Village have been connected to that very thing? Was there some immense truth hidden behind it all—something even he did not yet know?

If the Seolhyang Village Tragedy were to happen again… my children would have nowhere left to live.

Uichan would never let his future children bear such sorrow. That was why he had given the box to Hyde. If anyone could stand against the Aengak, it was him—Hyde, who would surely join forces with his brothers to resolve the matter.

The real problem lay elsewhere—with the little ones.

“…Should I… ask Noah about it?”

Uichan fiddled with his fingers, then finally bowed his head low. The sleepless night dragged on.

Early the next morning, Uichan rose with diligence, ate breakfast, and prepared to go out. Park Rion, who had cooked and waited on him, still lingered nearby with an apron on, fidgeting behind him.

“U-Uichan! Should I just go and talk to them for you? Your leg’s hurt, and your belly’s heavy! Just stay home, okay? I’ll go explain everything.”

“I told you, no. How could I entrust this kind of thing to someone else? And what do you mean heavy? It hasn’t even started showing yet. I’ll be quick. It’ll make more sense if I talk to the commander face-to-face.”

“B-but… what if you stumble into the road and a car hits you? What then?”

“I’ve managed just fine till now. Don’t worry about it.”

Tightening his shoelaces, Uichan steadied himself against the wall and stood slowly. The burn wounds still throbbed painfully after a day’s rest. The hospital had given him painkillers, but with the third child still at risk, he didn’t want to take any medicine unless absolutely necessary.

“I’ll stop by the hospital on the way, so go ahead and eat lunch without me.”

“N-no, wait! Then maybe I’ll come with you? I can’t just let you go alone!”

“I said I’ll be fine.”

Uichan tapped the floor with the toe of his shoe, adjusted his hat, and left the house after warning Rion not to follow him. The sun was bright, and cool shadows pooled under every tree along the street. Choosing to walk only within the shaded paths, Uichan stopped at a crosswalk.

Glancing at his wristwatch, he wondered how he should start the conversation with Song Ojun, the commander of Nonhier. His plan was to report his injuries and request a month’s leave. Once recovered, he would quietly return to work, earning just enough to live until his belly grew.

He was halfway across the crosswalk when a commotion erupted. Someone sprinted from the other side and suddenly leapt into the air.

“Huh? Huh?! It’s Noatis!”

Before the pointing finger even lowered, everyone on the crosswalk turned their heads upward. Noatis—wearing jeans and a flight jacket—soared into the sky, hair whipping in the wind, and snatched something midair.

Landing lightly on the ground, he dashed toward a crying child and handed it over.

“Here you go! Don’t cry, big brother caught your balloon. Take it, and smile, okay?”

“My balloon! It—it really flew away?”

“Why? Do you wanna fly too? Wanna ride an airplane?”

“Yes! I wanna fly!”

Noatis grabbed the child by the armpits, lifted him up, and spun him around in circles, pretending to be an airplane. The child’s laughter rang through the street, and smiles bloomed on the faces of passing pedestrians. After waving goodbye to the child, Noa hurried off again.

“Ma’am! Let me carry that for you!”

He hoisted an elderly woman’s heavy bags and escorted her to where her grandchild waited. Then, he separated two fighting dogs, straightened a broken tree branch, and scolded a group of students jaywalking across the street.

“Noa’s busy again today.”

“Yeah. Nowadays, heroes don’t lift a finger unless it’s a villain to catch.”

“Well, that’s where the money is.”

Crossing the street, Uichan overheard snippets of conversation. Noatis always dashed toward those in need, smiling as warmly as sunlight. And then—perhaps sensing a gaze—he suddenly turned around. Their eyes met; Uichan stood beneath the tree’s shadow at the edge of the crossing.

Would it be too much to say Noa’s eyes widened like a startled rabbit? But soon, his expression softened into a gentle smile—one that fluttered like a breeze, tender and easy.

“Wow… I can see you even from here. Did I win the lottery today or something?”

Watching him approach so quickly, Uichan couldn’t help scratching the bridge of his nose. Honestly… with his hair flying and that bright grin, he really did look like a golden retriever running toward its owner with a beach ball in its mouth.

“I was just on my way to Nonhier too. Talk about fate, huh? Don’t you think so, Uichan-hyung?”

The young man, now standing before him, asked with a radiant smile. Uichan tilted his head up to meet his gaze under the shade. Dappled sunlight filtered through the leaves, scattering white spots across Noa’s face.

Something about that sight stirred a faint tickle in his chest, and for a long moment, Uichan simply looked at him before finally nodding.