FLIA 26

***

“Ah! An apple!”

Yohan raised his hand high and shouted with joy. In his hand was a fairly large apple.

With Lee Hyunmook back in his frenzied state and the risk of Yoon Seungryong bursting out of the cave, Yohan had decided to keep some distance from it. He somehow managed to find his way back to the stump they had used as a temporary shelter.

But that was it, he didn’t know the way forward or back, and to make matters worse, they had run out of emergency rations. After going hungry for about half a day, Yohan spotted a strange tree bearing human-faced fruit. Taking a chance, he fought off his disgust and purified one. It turned into a perfectly red apple.

“…Why is the expression still there?”

Even after purification, the screaming human-like expression remained. Yohan frowned. It was deeply unsettling. Just in case, he sliced off the face portion with a knife, cut the apple in half, and held one out to Lee Hyunmook.

“You must be hungry. Here, have an apple. If that’s not enough, I’ll purify another one.”

Though Yohan had been purifying him in intervals, Lee Hyunmook was still in a frenzied state even after half a day. Still, he took the apple slice. As always, his chewing was slow and deliberate, each bite crisp. But strangely, while Yohan quickly devoured his half, Lee Hyunmook barely took a bite before handing his back.

“Huh? You’re not going to eat it? It’s sweet and delicious…”

Yohan tried not to think too deeply about why an apple grown without any visible fertilizer was so sweet. He thought as he bit into the apple that Lee Hyunmook had returned to him.

‘Did he do that because he thought the portion was too small to share?’

Would he like to have two more if I purify them and give them to him?As he absentmindedly licked the juice running down his hand, something wet brushed his lips. Lee Hyunmook had leaned in and licked the apple juice off Yohan’s mouth.

“Uh…”

Startled, Yohan dropped his apple. Just as he was about to speak, Lee Hyunmook took the chance to slip his tongue into Yohan’s mouth.

“Lee Hyun- mmph!”

Yohan’s mind went blank. That thick tongue pushed its way in, licking up the saliva that had pooled from eating the sweet fruit. Once he regained his senses, Yohan tried to push him away, but it was no easy task to shove back a high-level awakener damage dealer.

“S-Stop!”

Even when he turned his head side to side, Lee Hyunmook followed him relentlessly, licking every trace of lingering apple and spit. Overwhelmed and pinned down by force, Yohan eventually gave up and stared blankly.

‘Is… is this what a kiss is like?’

In his 23 years of life, Yohan had only shared a single innocent peck with a girlfriend he dated for a month. This was a shocking escalation. But looking closely, it felt more like Lee Hyunmook was licking something delicious than sharing a romantic kiss.

…But still, it didn’t feel that bad. In a way, it was kind of dog-like… and maybe it even felt a little good. That thought jolted Yohan awake. No! Isn’t it inappropriate to feel this way when the other person isn’t even in their right mind?

…But technically, I’m the one being acted on, right?

Yohan’s hand moved unconsciously, he wasn’t even sure if he was pushing Lee Hyunmook away or pulling him closer. Just as his fingers brushed Lee Hyunmook’s shoulder, the madman suddenly paused. He lifted his head from Yohan’s lips, where he’d been sucking insistently. The red glint in his eyes was gone. He murmured:

“…Yohan?”

“AHHH!”

Yohan shrieked and tried to push him off, but only managed to knock himself off balance. He nearly tumbled off the stump, and Lee Hyunmook quickly caught him. Once he was safely seated again, Yohan stammered terribly.

“S-s-sorry!”

“I really don’t think you have anything to apologize for,” Lee Hyunmook said, assessing the situation as he glanced at Yohan’s swollen lips. Yohan, face bright red, tried to explain.

“U-um, I-I mean… maybe you just wanted to eat the apple, right?”

Not very convincing.

“You don’t need to make excuses for me…”

“W-well, you can’t drink blood to recover, but if it’s bodily fluid, maybe it still works… or something…?”

“Yohan, breathe.”

Only when Lee Hyunmook firmly grasped his shoulders did Yohan finally stop rambling. He took three deep breaths and muttered in a tiny voice,

“I’ve calmed down…”

“I’m really sorry. Seems like my frenzied self is… quite drawn to you. I can’t promise it won’t happen again. If it does, feel free to poke my eyes out or punch me.”

He bowed his head in apology, his voice low. Yohan couldn’t tear his eyes away from that unfairly handsome face. He murmured without thinking:

“It wasn’t… that unpleasant. So if… if it helps you snap out of it faster, I-I don’t really mind cooperating a little…”

Still flushed bright red, Yohan did his best to reassure him. After a moment of silence, Lee Hyunmook muttered,

“You’re so young, I feel a little guilty…”

“Huh? I’m an adult! I’m twenty-three. I’ve got my ID on me if you want to see it.”

Yohan frowned. He’d kept his ID safe in his backpack ever since entering the rift. But Lee Hyunmook’s expression grew a little more conflicted.

“Twenty-three… hmm.”

He stared into space for a moment and repeated the number. Yohan, suddenly recalling the ten-year age gap, jumped in.

“And ten years is close enough for me to call you ‘hyung,’ right?”

“…What if it’s not ten years?”

Now Yohan was confused. Lee Hyunmook’s profile clearly stated he was thirty-three. Had he lied? Was he older than he let on?

“…Hyung-nim?”

That made Lee Hyunmook laugh. He patted Yohan’s head affectionately, leaving Yohan flustered and secretly relieved that the atmosphere hadn’t turned awkward. Just in case things started to veer back to what happened earlier, Yohan quickly changed the subject.

“Um, what did you do in that cave? How did it end up like that?”

Just thinking about that dark, bottomless cavity gave him the chills. What had he done in there to cause such destruction, and what had made him go mad again?

“You don’t have a second ability since you’re a high-level, right? Did you use your spear somehow…?”

Unlike low- and mid-level awakeners who might have secondary skills, high-level only had a single ability. Yohan had wondered why, until becoming one himself. Now he understood: a single source of power took up all the space. There was no room for anything else.

Just like him, Lee Hyunmook only had Lightning. His skill with the spear was purely self-taught.

“It’s a dangerous ability I gained through corruption. There’s not much good in you knowing about it, so I’d rather not say. Sorry.”

“O-oh, that’s okay!”

The mood clearly said don’t ask, so Yohan nodded like he understood. Then he quickly switched topics again.

“Are you going back into the cave?”

“No. It’s too dangerous. If I were alone, maybe, but I can’t protect you and fight at the same time. That’s Yoon Seungryong’s domain. It’s a maze, and too cramped to fight properly. We’ll go back to the shelter and come up with a new plan.”

So I’m a burden after all, Yohan thought. Guilt weighed on him. They couldn’t bring Seungryong out because of him.

“Then… can’t we draw him out of the cave?”

“That guy’s gluttonous, but also lazy. He’s probably holed up there because it’s comfortable and food comes to him. He won’t come out on his own.”

So he’s living on that swamp water? That filthy, disgusting stuff? Yohan felt a surge of pity, and nausea. There had to be some way…He clutched his head in frustration. Then a thought flickered through his mind.

“Um, I’m not sure if I remember correctly, but… doesn’t Yoon Seungryong really like pork belly?”

He vaguely remembered an interview in one of the documentaries where Yoon Seungryong said he ate pork belly two or three times a week. Lee Hyunmook tilted his head, thinking. Then nodded.

“Oh, right. He did say that.”

“Then maybe he still likes it? You know how there are pigs underground here? If we cook pork belly near the cave entrance, maybe the smell will lure him out…?”

Even as he spoke, Yohan scratched his neck sheepishly. It felt far-fetched, would a glutton really come out for just that? Surprisingly, Lee Hyunmook looked intrigued by the idea.

“…That might work.”

“Wait, really? You think he’d come out just for pork belly?”

“Yohan, I don’t think you understand just how powerful corruption-induced obsessions can be.”

Lee Hyunmook smiled gently at Yohan’s still doubtful face. Deep in his eyes, a faint red glow flickered. Even though it was a normal conversation, Yohan felt himself tense without realizing it.

“They’re far more intense than anything you could ever imagine.”