Hero’s Child C49

Chapter 49

The children, unaware of the consequences of their own powers, tore at each other with feral brutality.

Uichan snatched a nearby stone and threw it toward them. The children, who had been locked in their vicious struggle, all turned their heads at once. The moment their eyes met his—

—the ground shuddered violently.

A suffocating pressure seized his chest as darkness swept over his vision. The floor beneath his feet gave way, and he felt the disorienting plunge of falling off a cliff. The sensation of sinking—of being swallowed whole—lingered even as consciousness slipped away.

And when he opened his eyes again—

“Haah—!”

Uichan lay flat on his back, staring up at an unfamiliar ceiling. The room was still and hushed. His breath came rough and uneven, and his fingers clenched instinctively around the soft fabric beneath him. It was a thin, white bedsheet. Somewhere nearby, the quiet hum of an air purifier filled the air.

Curtains hung drawn across the window, and from the narrow crack of an open door, faint voices trickled through.

“From the looks of it, they’re planning a celebration in a couple of days. Quite the grand affair. It would be a shame if the great Phantom Thief Kill didn’t make an appearance. There should be something worth stealing, I hope…”

“Be careful, Kill. You’ll get caught one of these days.”

“Ah, but that’s the thrill, isn’t it? It’s been difficult lately. Joker’s not smiling anymore, which means I’ll have to risk my neck this time. Still, since what Hyde’s after happens to be there, I suppose I can’t just pass it up.”

“Do what you want. Like I told you before, I don’t care how you get results—just bring them to me.”

“—Bawk! That’s easy for you to say! We’re the ones doing the grunt work! If we’re stealing a performance, it ought to end with an even grander finale! Do you know how much work that takes?! You’ve got no conscience! Bawk—!”

A small finger puppet perched on Kill’s shoulder flapped its felt beak furiously.

“My, my. Kkomi’s in a mood again.” Kill clicked his tongue softly. “Hush, darling. We mustn’t raise our voices.”

“—Bawk! Don’t ‘darling’ me! Give us a vacation! A proper one! Everyone, look! Hyde’s been working us like cattle! Are we thieves or livestock, huh?!”

“Livestock? That’s harsh,” Kill said with a wounded sigh. “We’re thieves, not beasts of burden.”

The Phantom Thief stroked the puppet’s head with exaggerated gentleness, like a father soothing a spoiled child. Across from him, Hyde rested his chin on his hand, lips curving in quiet amusement.

“Haha… So that’s your complaint, is it? A vacation, then. Fine. Finish the job properly, and I’ll grant you one.”

“Bawk! Deal! A vacation! A real one! Kill, let’s go somewhere far—somewhere Hyde can’t find us! Maybe an island getaway! And we’ll take the youngest with us, too!”

Kill pressed the puppet’s head down with a faint smile.

“Wonderful idea. Then I’ll have to send a most extravagant invitation. Please, keep this a secret from the others.”

“No need to worry,” Hyde replied, rising from his seat. “The others already have their own assignments.”

At that moment, a sound—something falling—came from the adjoining room. Both men turned sharply toward the door. Hyde stood, the air shifting around him.

“Go on, Kill. I’ve got something to take care of. Don’t contact me again until your work is done.”

Kill narrowed his eyes, gaze fixed on the door where the noise had come from. Through the small gap, only darkness was visible. He seemed about to speak, but instead, he exhaled softly and flicked a card between his fingers.

“…May your night and day cradle you like a lullaby.”

A swirl of glowing petals scattered across the air, and Kill vanished without a trace.

When the silence settled again, Hyde reached for the door handle and opened it. Light spilled into the dim room.

At the far end of that light lay a body, curled on the floor. Bare except for a thin shirt, the figure trembled as it struggled for air.

“Haa… huff…”

“Why are you lying there like that?”

The voice cut through the air.

Uichan’s eyes fluttered open at the sound. He had denied it, over and over—even after what happened last night. He had told himself it couldn’t be true.

But it was.

The man he had slept with was Hyde.

He gasped, seeing footsteps approach. Hyde knelt beside him and reached out to help him up, but Uichan’s hand shot forward first.

“H… Hyde… please…”

His trembling fingers clutched at Hyde’s clothes, knuckles pale. His face had gone completely ashen; his lips were bloodless, almost blue. Sweat drenched his body, his hair clinging to his temples. Droplets ran down his neck, pooling beneath his chin and quivering with every shaky breath.

“P… please, the hospital… hff…”

“…Where does it hurt?” Hyde’s voice softened instantly. His large hand pressed to Uichan’s feverish forehead and cheek. He had expected some exhaustion after what they’d done—but not this. The doctor had told him the pain should subside after sex. So why—?

Uichan winced, clenching his jaw as another wave of agony tore through him. He doubled over, clutching his abdomen.

“My… my stomach… it hurts—like I’m… dying…”

The pain was unbearable—splitting him apart from the inside. Were the children still fighting? Or were the two trying to save the weakest one?

His mind went white. Tears slipped down his cheeks unchecked. He didn’t even realize he was crying until Hyde’s hand lifted his chin. Through his blurred vision, he saw the man’s sharp features swim into view.

Then his eyes rolled back—and everything went black.

His body went limp and collapsed. Hyde caught him before he hit the floor, but Uichan’s head lolled helplessly against his arm. A deadly stillness filled the room.

Then, with a flash of rage, Hyde seized the bedsheet and wrapped it around him. The veins along his arms bulged as he gathered Uichan into his hold.

With one motion, the air warped and split open. Hyde stepped through, and the world swallowed them whole.

All that remained behind was a single dark door, flickering faintly like the last ember of a dying fire.

When Uichan’s consciousness returned, the world felt thin and distant—balanced precariously between life and death.

He was certain his eyes were closed, yet the sounds around him pierced sharply through the haze. Voices. The rustle of sheets. The soft clink of curtain hooks sliding along a rail.

Hyde’s voice came first.

“…This man.”

There was a sharp grind of teeth—the sound of someone struggling to contain fury.

“Do whatever it takes to stabilize him.”

“Wh-what are you saying, sir? This isn’t the ER—wait, is that… Ha Uichan?”

The second voice belonged to Dr. Oh Juhyuk, the obstetrician. The moment he saw Uichan, he rushed to his side, pulling the curtain closed and activating his Clairvoyance ability.

“What is this—? The fetuses are fighting! The patient must be in excruciating pain. I need to administer a painkiller immediately.”

The room filled with hurried movements. Uichan wanted to open his eyes, to speak, but his body wouldn’t obey. He could barely cling to consciousness. All he could do was silently plead—Please, my babies… be good…

He curled inward, arms around his belly in a desperate embrace, humming a lullaby he barely remembered. When he finally managed to open his eyes again, the ceiling above him glowed white and soft—so familiar now it almost felt like home.

He turned his head. The privacy curtain stood closed beside him.

And then—

A man’s angry voice pierced the silence.

“The painkillers aren’t working. La Epee, do you even understand what that means? At this rate, the babies inside Ha Uichan are in danger! Not just them—he could die, too! And you’re saying… one child only? It’s shocking enough that you’re the father, but how could a father say something like that?!”

“Didn’t I already tell you?” The reply was quiet, steady. “I’m not kind enough to raise three.”

Through the curtain, Uichan could see shadows shifting. Footsteps drew nearer—slow, deliberate. Black shoes stopped just beyond the edge of the drape.

“So stop lecturing me,” the man murmured. “Find a solution… before I decide to scramble your brain myself.”

For a heartbeat, everything in Uichan stilled.

He had never—not once—considered that La Epee and Hyde could be the same person. He had met La Epee only a handful of times. Sure, there were moments when he thought they resembled each other, but never that they were one and the same.

But now, it all made sense.

Hyde’s ability—Cognitive Domination—wasn’t limited to others. It could affect himself. He could rewrite his own mind, creating separate personas.

Which meant: Hyde had brainwashed himself into becoming La Epee.

And now, standing on the other side of that curtain, he wasn’t Hyde anymore. He was the hero mask—La Epee.

“Isn’t that right, Uichan?”

Swish.

The curtain was yanked open.

Uichan flinched under the sudden glare of fluorescent light, squinting up.

There he was—tall as a mountain, shadow stretching long across the floor. As Uichan’s gaze lifted, he saw it clearly in those gray eyes: the faint constellation of the Big Dipper shimmered once, then vanished.

The mark of Hyde.

And the mask of La Epee.

They were one.