IRNH C75

Chapter 75

“You do understand, don’t you?
Should I say it again in a way that’s easier to grasp?”

Sensing the faintest presence on the empty street, Taewoon snapped his hand upward, unleashing a rough wave of qi as he spoke quickly.
His usually lukewarm red eyes sparked as though ignited.
Sihyeon knew exactly what that meant.

“No. Stop.”

The air seemed to freeze.
A cold frost settled—sharp enough to pierce anything that dared move.

“You’re misunderstanding.”

Sihyeon raised a hand, cutting Taewoon off.
He finally began saying the words he had postponed for so long.
His solar plexus throbbed, his throat burned as though swollen—
but this was something he had to say.

“Taewoon, think carefully.
It’s the kind of feeling you’d have for a parent… or a really close friend.
Even I, when I was young, hated being away from my parents and always slept next to them.”

More than anything, he feared destroying the perfect balance they had maintained.
What was the hardest yet strongest relationship a human could form?
To Sihyeon, that answer was family.
Even if you grew apart, you remained bound for life.

“…A misunderstanding…?”

“Yeah. Of course I get it.
I carried you around and raised you for ten years.
Of course you’d be attached.”

Though honestly, he hadn’t literally carried him all the time—and he received more care from Taewoon than he ever gave.
But still, he had been Taewoon’s guardian.

“And I’m older, and I’m a man—doesn’t that tell you something?”

Taewoon’s expression twisted… strangely.

“That’s your answer?”

“How is that not enough?!”

Sihyeon was flustered.
Taewoon ignored every reason he presented.

And somewhere in that panic, a strange, indescribable emotion flickered through him.
His thoughts tangled, his heart thrashed.
He stepped back, shaking his head as Taewoon’s aura sharpened unnervingly.

“Then teach me, Master.
What is the emotion that makes you want to kiss, touch, and never let someone go—
whether they’re a parent or a man?
What is that, since you say it isn’t what I think it is?”

“W-what?”

Tilting his head beautifully, lashes catching the light, Taewoon spoke in a voice dripping with sorrow.
He lifted a hand—slowly enough to be caught, yet too swift to intercept—and caressed Sihyeon’s cheek.

“I’ve always known.
Knew you saw me as something like… a child of your own.
Knew you were a man, and my master… but even so.”

Everything Sihyeon had tried to explain burned away in an instant.
His body froze, his mind wiped blank.
Even the faint brush of fingers on his lips didn’t register at first.

Those red eyes were swallowing him whole.

“Am I strange?
Am I… bad?
Tell me.”

Sihyeon couldn’t answer.
Strange? Bad?
None of it applied—not in the way Taewoon meant.

“Do you… hate me now?”

“No—when did I ever say I hated you?!
That’s not wh—mph!”

Before he finished speaking, something soft pressed against his lips.
He had no time to react.
No chance to process.

Of course—Taewoon was far above him in skill.

His overloaded brain stopped dead.
And before he could restart it, something pried his lips open and slipped inside.

W–what—
What is—

If his mind were a physical landscape, it would’ve been erupting—earth splitting, lava spewing everywhere.
The shock was catastrophic.

While Sihyeon stood frozen and useless, Taewoon angled his head deeper, sealing their mouths together.

“Mmm!! St—!”

A sharp jolt of pleasure shot from somewhere deep inside, spreading through his nerves.
He was horrified by his body’s reaction and snapped out of his daze—
grabbing Taewoon’s wrists as they trapped his arms.

Just as he tried to shove him away—
Taewoon twisted the movement, circled around, and pinned his arms again.

Their lips parted with a soft, wet sound.

“Yeon Taewoon. You—”

“You like it, don’t you.”

“I—what are y—”

Their mouths collided again.

He didn’t mean this!
He only meant he didn’t hate Taewoon—
not that this was okay!!

Sihyeon struggled, bracing his feet, twisting his torso—
but Taewoon used flawless joint manipulation, refusing to let go.

When that soft, wet heat pressed into his mouth again,
Sihyeon’s limbs went weak.
His brain melted like wax.
Only the obscene sound of slick lips brushing rang in his ears like thunder.

‘Get a grip, Jeong Sihyeon. You insane bastard!!!’

He forced himself to regain some semblance of control and staggered backward.
But Taewoon shadowed him instantly—
until Sihyeon’s back hit the wall, trapping him.

He had no choice but to throw a punch into Taewoon’s abdomen.
At least that part wouldn’t injure him too badly.

Thud.

…but the rushed punch, thrown with a chaotic heart, did nothing.
Taewoon caught it effortlessly.

Sihyeon jerked back, then tried to strike again—
but this time, Taewoon seized his wrist and pinned it above his head.

“Master, that hurts.”

“Wait!”

“Why?”

Why?
WHY?!

Sihyeon could only gape at his calm tone.

Yes, he had been flustered—
but he never expected to be this powerless.

Stunned, lips throbbing from the kiss, he stared at Taewoon’s equally damp mouth.
Panicking, he drew on his inner energy.

Whump.

Red qi flared around his hand.
This time, the blow landed—
slamming into Taewoon’s abdomen.

“Urghh… Master, are you trying to kill me?”

“W—why didn’t you block that?! You blocked everything else, you idiot!!”

He only wanted Taewoon to move, not take the full impact.
He knew how much qi he had put into that.
Of course he thought Taewoon would dodge.

Seeing Taewoon bent over, clutching his stomach, Sihyeon panicked again and reached toward him.

“…Thinking about it, I might be okay dying if it’s by your hands.
Want to kill me?”

Sihyeon’s face flushed furious red.

Without hesitation, he raised his qi-filled hand again.

“You need a beating. You ungrateful brat.”

But just as he was about to swing—
Taewoon lifted his pale, pretty face…
completely unguarded.

Sihyeon froze.

If he hit him, he would’ve shattered that face.
Bruises, broken teeth—
the whole thing.

He stood there, stunned.

“So… do you still hate me?”

He couldn’t answer.
He couldn’t push him away.
He had no solution.

He spun on his heel, broke through the barrier of qi Taewoon had cast, and bolted out into the night.

He had to escape.

Jeong Sihyeon, you absolute idiot.
Why couldn’t you answer?
Why did you run?

He hadn’t gone far before he crouched atop the tallest building nearby, face shadowed and hollow.

None of this made sense.
He’d opened a lead in his investigation, moving steadily toward his goals.
Everything had been fine this morning.
They had arrived only six hours ago.

The night sky above was clear, full of stars.
Sihyeon bit down hard on his trembling lips.

No—you knew.
You just pretended not to.

Scenes of Taewoon’s past behavior flashed through his mind—
how he had appeared so suddenly in the Gate,
how he knew things Sihyeon never taught him,
how genuinely he expressed his heart as though he’d always done so.

He had ignored all of it—
just to preserve the relationship he was afraid to lose.

“But these feelings… they’ll pass. They have to…”

For a moment, a thought—
that he needed to seriously consider the situation—
flickered.

But he shook it off.

His mind was in ruins, blown apart by a thousand exploding thoughts.
He buried his face against his folded knees.

He couldn’t face Taewoon like this.

Master, does this truly mean nothing to you?
Aren’t you confused?

Those telepathic words clung to him like tar.
Even now, he couldn’t answer them.

Every time he tried to declare “No,”
a voice deep inside whispered,
Really?
And everything fell apart.

You’re obsessively protective of that boy, you know.

Because he treasured him.
Because Taewoon had no one else and knew nothing of the world.

“….”

Sihyeon covered his face and breathed shakily.

“What the hell am I supposed to do…”

Guilt sliced him open from the inside.

Unable to reach a conclusion, he sprang to his feet.

At times like this, meditation was useless.
He needed to burn himself out physically until thought became impossible.

Only after twenty-four hours of tearing up an empty lot with reckless training did he return to the hotel—broken, exhausted, and finally numb.

Tomorrow, I have to meet Black Butterfly.
Need to review everything properly…

Even so, he suppressed his presence to its limit.
He wasn’t ready to face Taewoon.

The massive penthouse had two floors, with bedrooms upstairs.
At this early hour, there was no reason anyone would be downstairs.

Moving like a guilty burglar, Sihyeon quietly turned the doorknob.

Creak—

“You’re late.”

“AAAH—!!!”

Sihyeon shrieked.
Taewoon stood right in front of the door—silent, unmoving—staring straight at him.

“…Why are you only coming back now?
Are you abandoning me again?”

“Huh?! When did I ever abandon you—?!”

Did the kid feel zero shame?!

Sihyeon pounded his chest, trying to calm the suffocating tightness inside.