RB 116

“Where is he?”

As soon as Yeorok got home, he asked for Eunho out of habit.

“He is in the library.”

The answer was short. Since a new guard had been assigned, the existing guards had barely been able to do their jobs. That was largely because Eunho had kept them from coming anywhere near him.

By using the new guard as a shield, slipping away at every turn, and even locking his door completely, Eunho left the old guards with nothing more than the ability to keep track of where Sim Eunho was. They said they couldn’t tell what he was actually doing. Even when listening to such a ridiculous report, Choi Yeorok had to be satisfied with the fact that the day had passed without a major incident.

Yeorok quietly crossed the corridor. His smooth face was filled with fatigue. If it had been Eunho from before, he might have felt sorry seeing him like this.

Lately, he’s been finding himself reminiscing about the past. He was feeling, with his whole body, just how precious the affection he once enjoyed had been. That realization only made him more worn down and drained.

Yeorok forced himself to calm down as he walked. Ever since he got home, his already sensitive nerves were on edge. He took a deep breath, lest his anger spill over onto Eunho.

He raised his hand to knock, then simply turned the doorknob instead. The door opened slightly, and a distinctive smell of old books wafted out. And then a familiar groan reached his ears.

“Mmngh….”

The voice that was so pleasant to the ear was definitely Eunho’s. So were the fingers clutching someone else’s shoulder and the softly fluttering hair.

Yeorok stared ahead, frozen. His train of thought came to a complete halt, leaving him unable to do anything. All he could do was look at the scene in front of him.

Eunho clung to the man, panting, his cheeks flushed red. The shirt he had been wearing barely covered his shoulders, and a dark head of hair was pressed against his fully exposed chest.

The bodyguard in a suit sucked on his nipple, making dirty, wet sounds. Eunho bit his lip at the repeated tongue play. His hips jerked up and down.

Yeorok new that expression. It was so familiar, it was something he had thought only he could see. That all crumbled in an instant. Eunho, who had always been afraid of anyone but him, was willingly offering his body for cheap.

Legs that had been rooted to the floor suddenly moved. Without a second thought, Yeorok walked toward the sofa and grabbed the man by the collar. His fist flew out of its own accord. His mind, devoid of reason, was filled with violence.

“How dare you touch him?”

A barrage of punches rained down. With his eyes burning with rage, Yeorok unleashed his fury onto the man. The bodyguard instinctively took a defensive stance in the face of the merciless violence. As expected from someone who had boxed, his skills were solid.

“Urgh! S-stop. I-I’m sorry. I was wrong!”

Defense alone had its limits. A punch slipped through an opening and turned the guard’s face into a bloody mess. Because his opponent was Choi Yeorok, he couldn’t even attempt to fight back.

Each heavy blow snapped the man’s head to the side. Eventually, bloody foam bubbled from his mouth. But Yeorok didn’t stop.

Blood gushed from the bodyguard’s broken nose. With each punch, it splattered onto Yeorok’s face. The sight of the blood streaking his pale cheeks was so deranged that it was hard to believe it was Choi Yeorok. His gaze was also abnormal.

“Pfft!”

Suddenly, a burst of laughter erupted. Yeorok’s head turned in the direction of the sound. Eunho was laughing, clutching his stomach.

“Ah, this is hilarious. I never thought I’d live to see Choi Yeorok throwing punches. You’ve really gone off the rails now.”

“……”

“You used to say beating people was something only trash did. Who was it that said that to me?”

After laughing for a long while, Eunho leaned back lazily against the sofa. His shoulders continued to tremble, as if the laughter hadn’t yet subsided. His eyes, gazing at Yeorok, shone like jade.

“See. I told you. The real lunatic is you.”

But Eunho’s smile soon disappeared from his face as he quietly stared at Yeorok. Yeorok’s clenched hand slowly loosened. His chest, which had been heaving rapidly, gradually calmed.

“……”

His left hand was covered in blood. Even his refined face was stained with blood. Yeorok had always controlled himself. Never in his life had he displayed such violent tendencies.

He couldn’t deny that this was his true nature. Even now, he didn’t feel guilt for beating another person. He had only felt anger and excitement, and there was no real difference between how he felt before and after the violence.

In the end, he was nothing more than another madman, just like Choi Yoonho. Realizing that anew made him laugh.

Yeorok moved forward slowly. He stopped in front of Eunho and fastened the shirt himself. His face was expressionless. Choi Yeorok was now so numb it was almost eerie.

“…What do you want?”

Would Sim Eunho ever come back? And before that, would he be able to endure without breaking down even further? Yeorok thought about it as he buttoned the last button. He had a feeling it might be difficult.

“What do you want me to do?”

Yeorok adjusted his clothes and slowly straightened his back. Yeorok wiped the blood from his face with the back of his hand. The smell of blood slowly rising was disgusting.

“Do you want me to get treatment?”

“It’s all talk and no action.”

“Say what you want clearly.”

Yeorok spoke in a flat voice. Eunho didn’t avert his gaze.

“Throw me out. I feel like I’m suffocating when I’m with you.”

“……”

“What’s so hard about it? It’s what you’re good at, uncle.”

Overcome with exhaustion, Yeorok closed his eyes. That was one request he couldn’t grant.

Even if what stood before him was only the shell of Sim Eunho, he still couldn’t let Eunho leave his side.

“Get rid of him.”

Yeorok gave a short order. The guards who had been waiting outside the door came in and dragged the bloodied man out.

The door slammed shut, and the sound faded away. “Haa,” Yeorok sighed, barely able to catch his breath, his hands on his hips. His sanity was teetering precariously. He felt like he was about to reach his limit.

“Let me out.”

“I said no.”

“Choi Yeorok, what exactly do you want to do with me in this house? Don’t tell me you want the two of us to live together peacefully?”

Eunho looked up at Yeorok. They held each other’s gaze for a long moment.

“……”

“……”

Yeorok examined Eunho carefully. Sometimes, when Eunho looked at him, a chill ran down his spine.

He couldn’t tear his eyes away, clinging to a fleeting hope. Even while Eunho casually pulled in other men and ruined himself like Choi Yoonho, he desperately searched for traces of Eunho, hidden somewhere.

His hand moved on its own accord. When he brushed the bangs aside, fully exposed brown eyes darted up and down.

Eunho looked at Yeorok’s behavior with eyes full of distrust, then looked at him again for a long time with a calm gaze.

Yeorok didn’t stop. He continued to caress Eunho, keenly observing his every gesture and every breath. This obsessive behavior exposed the impure feelings he had been hiding.

As the standoff dragged on, Eunho’s expression gradually faded. Then, he cautiously reached out and wrapped his hand around Yeorok’s neck.

“If uncle act like this, how do you expect us to live together?”

“……”

“Isn’t wanting to kiss your nephew crossing the line?”

Slender fingertips slowly traced his bare skin. They touched Yeorok’s firm clavicle and earlobe. As if checking something. Continuously. Eunho’s touch was meticulous and persistent, and it felt completely familiar.

That familiarity instantly shattered Yeorok. When their eyes met again, Yeorok couldn’t help but lower his head. He hadn’t even considered the need for instinct to override reason.

As their noses met, Eunho unexpectedly kissed him first. His tongue, soaked in saliva, lapped sweetly, as if granting Yeorok’s impure desires. He rubbed his tongue against Yeorok’s and sucked on his lips.

How could he refuse that? Yeorok completely abandoned his reasoning and pulled Eunho’s head tightly against his. Wet tongues entangled between tightly pressed lips.

The promiscuous tongue play made even his breathing quicken. Eunho’s upper body leaned back. Lying on the sofa, he spread his legs, and Yeorok’s groin was pressed against his. His erect penis was bulging, threatening to poke through his pants. His excitement was quite obvious.

Yeorok sucked Eunho’s lips like a dog that had been starved for days. His heart felt like it was going to burst. He cupped Eunho’s cheeks and relentlessly licked his neck and cheeks as well.

Pfft, that’s when the laughter started.

While Yeorok paused, Eunho sat upright, resting his elbows on the sofa. He tilted his face, glistening with saliva, to the side, and looked at Yeorok.

“You really like it?”

“……”

“I had a feeling, but it’s a bit strange because you’re rushing in too much.”

Eunho wiped his wet lips with his hand. Disgusting… . The sound of his muttering was clear.

“Are you that hungry? Your eyes are rolling like you’re in heat. I’m a sucker for sex, but I’m not that clueless. Sorry, but I can’t get hard for you, uncle.”

Eunho patted Yeorok’s cheek. He wore his usual sly smile.

“Do something about that. How can you get excited over your nephew?”

Eunho nudged Yeorok’s swollen dick with his knee. Then, as if he had finished his business, he stood up and left the library.

“…Haa.”

Left alone, Yeorok collapsed, leaning against the sofa. Self-loathing weighed heavily on his shoulders. He felt so pathetic that his teeth chattered.

The surroundings were a mess, but his appearance was even more of a mess. Yeorok covered his eyes with his palms and let out a weary sigh.

“…….”

Then, suddenly, he lowered his hand. Yeorok slowly sat up. He ran his tongue across the mucous membrane of his mouth, recalling the lingering sensation. His eyebrows furrowed.

The kiss they just shared was clearly the method he had taught Eunho. Choi Yeorok had taught Sim Eunho according to his own tastes. All the physical contact Eunho learned and mastered came from Yeorok.

‘I don’t know if I can act convincingly. I think anyone who’s been with Choi Yoonho might notice I’m a different person.’

It’s obvious. No matter how similar they look, no matter how well he acted, the moment their skin overlapped, it’s obvious that it was Sim Eunho.

For a moment, his spine stiffened. His whole body felt chilled. Yeorok ran out of the library. He ran to the bedroom in one stride and flung open the door.

Eunho, who was inside, furrowed his brow. Like Choi Yoonho, he was letting his irritation run wild. Despite the blatant hostility, Yeorok continued to walk forward. He grabbed Eunho’s arms.

“Sim Eunho.”

“That name again.”

“…….”

“I don’t feel like talking right now. Unless you’ve decided whether or not to let me go, could you leave me alone?”

Eunho twisted his arm. But Yeorok held on tightly. With a pale face, he stared intently at Eunho.

“Sim Eunho-ssi.”

Yeorok called him by the form address he always used.

Then, Eunho’s struggling arm froze. There was no greater certainty. Yeorok’s fingers, holding the back of his arm as if he would never let go, tightened their grip.

“Since when?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Let’s stop acting.”

Yeorok spoke in a strained voice. He couldn’t quite put into words how he was feeling. He wasn’t in a position to judge or measure, so he simply spoke honestly.

“Let’s talk.”

Eunho’s once visible irritation began to slowly fade. Only one expression remained on his pale face, as if all emotion had been burned away.

“…….”

He didn’t even ask how he knew. Eunho just stared at Yeorok silently.

***

His memories began to slowly return about a month after he started taking the medication. It was around the moment he strangled Choi Yeorok.

Every time forgotten facts surfaced, Eunho had to swallow his rage. Blood boiled inside him, and sometimes tears welled up. At those times, he would lock himself in the bathroom and cry quietly before coming out.

His mind gradually became clearer. The more he did, the more Eunho tumbled into the abyss. It was ironic that as the illusion of Choi Yoonho faded away, the hellish reality crept closer.

It was easier to live when he was crazy. But his mind had already returned. Returning to being Sim Eunho meant facing Choi Yeorok again. It meant returning to the hellish reality where he had been used and abandoned.

The memory of loving Yeorok was so vivid. He trusted him, relied on him, and gave him his whole heart. The memory of having waited and dreamed of the day they could be together was now unbearable. It was so painful, he wanted to hide it forever.

So, he chose to become Choi Yoonho with his whole mind.

To become someone who can never love Choi Yeorok.

Because he wanted to hate to his heart’s content.

In the hope that, even if it’s just for a moment, he won’t have to fall in love with him again.

It was fortunate that Choi Yoonho was a person who lived as he pleased.

Eunho used his honed acting skills to vent his anger. However, no matter how cruel his words and actions were toward Choi Yeorok, he didn’t feel as relieved as he’d hoped. In fact, facing him proved difficult.

Choi Yeorok remained selfish to the end. Like someone who only felt satisfied when he held everything in his hands, he tried to keep even Eunho, who was nothing more than a shell, by his side.

He truly only cared about himself. His greed was excessive. Eunho could feel just how possessive Yeorok was towards him.

It hit him then. If he wanted to put this person through the most pain, he had no choice but to live as Choi Yoonho until he died. The proper revenge would be to keep what he could never have by his side.

The time they spent together was suffocatingly painful, but there was a benefit to it. Even though he sometimes inevitably lost his resolve, the moment he saw Yeorok’s face, past experiences came flooding back. Each time, he was able to steel himself .

Choi Yeorok was desperate to bring him back, but Eunho, each time, cleared away even the dregs of his emotions. Honestly, he didn’t even feel betrayed now. Only crumbled ashes remained in Eunho’s heart, ravaged by anger.

It was the same now. Even seeing Yeorok clinging to him didn’t affect him at all. If anything, he only felt sorry for himself, the one who was the captive.

“Let me go.”

Eunho opened his mouth after a long time.

The time has finally come to cut him out of his life, completely.

“I wish you wouldn’t touch me.”

“Sim Eunho-ssi.”

“Chairman, you don’t have the right to do that.”