Jeong Tae-ui scratched his head irritably. Ilay’s cold gaze silently pierced Tae-ui’s face, then shifted away.

“…ㅡ?”

Tae-ui expected him to say something, but unexpectedly, Ilay turned his gaze without a word. Tae-ui looked at him suspiciously but couldn’t ask, “Why aren’t you picking a fight?” so he stayed silent. It wasn’t exactly surprising. From the moment their eyes met in the forest, Tae-ui had steeled himself for anything to happen. That resolve only grew darker as no harsh consequences came quickly, but the creeping anxiety quietly clouding his chest was agonizing. If he wasn’t going to kill me outright, it’d be better to just do it fast.

Tae-ui stared at him briefly. Maybe it was better to ask straightforwardly.

“Ilay.”

Ilay answered only with his gaze.

“I’ve been curious too. What do you want to do with me?”

When Tae-ui added, “Do you think it’d be better to tear me apart like you said?” Ilay faintly frowned, then, as if lost in thought, narrowed his eyes and looked at Tae-ui. After a moment, he whispered slowly,

“Well… I’m thinking about that too. What should I do.”

Tae-ui made a face like he had a mouthful of bugs.

“If you’re going to kill me, at least do it quickly.” Muttering inside, Tae-ui grimaced unhappily. Suddenly Ilay smiled crookedly.

“But roughly, didn’t I say back then? I won’t let you die easily. I want you to live horrifically until you die.”

Tae-ui erased all expression from his face and glared coldly at Ilay.

Suddenly, Ilay looked annoyed. He stood from his chair and walked toward Tae-ui, step by step, slowly, muttering as if talking to himself.

“Honestly, I planned to kill you when I met you. I thought about cutting off your limbs one by one while you were still alive, or pulling out your eyeballs and tongue first. I thought of all sorts of things. I was extremely――angry.”

“……”

“Then I finally saw you. At that lodge. No matter the distance, I recognized you at a glance.”

Ilay suddenly laughed. There was something chilling in that laughter.

“At that moment, I decided to postpone killing you. I can kill you anytime. But no, I haven’t thought of any other way yet. What should I do……”

Tae-ui glared at Ilay. Ilay was now right in front of him. Suddenly, he closed his mouth. His expression vanished like it was washed away. Expressionless like a doll, he lowered his gaze chillingly. Meeting that gaze, Tae-ui felt a chill in his chest.

Suddenly, Ilay raised his hands. With both hands, he cupped Tae-ui’s cheeks. Their faces were so close they nearly touched. Ilay’s eyes looked like glass — black, opaque glass that hid whatever was inside.

That glass seemed to flash for a moment.

“I think I’m crazy.”

A low whisper slipped out. Tae-ui swallowed at the breath touching his lips.

“I said I think I’m crazy. I keep doing inexplicable things. Why, huh?”

Tae-ui didn’t know how to respond to the flood of words. He couldn’t grasp this man’s heart.

“You’ve been crazy from the start,” the words tried to slip past his lips but he swallowed them back.

Tae-ui silently met the gaze of the man who scrutinized him like a strange creature with those slick, gleaming eyes. He really looked mad. That thought crossed Tae-ui’s mind when he saw those reddened, shining glass-like eyes.

“How would I know that…”

Tae-ui replied quietly, not avoiding the gaze but shaking his head.

He didn’t know what had happened to this man while they hadn’t seen each other. What was certain was that he had become incomparable unstable and rough. Even without hearing from Morrow, just watching him made that clear.

His gaze and expression flickered unsteadily.

“……”

But after a moment, Tae-ui shook his head. No, not necessarily. Ilay’s attitude toward others hadn’t changed. As before—or even more—he was fierce, violent, and cruel. As Tae-ui finished, Ilay lost his words like being doused with cold water.

His gaze never left Tae-ui. Then he smiled very slowly, twisting his lips.

“Yeah. …Yeah. You wouldn’t know.”

The hands that cupped Tae-ui’s cheeks fell away. The still white, beautiful hands slowly withdrew.

Tae-ui felt a brief pang of regret. It resembled a feeling he’d once had. At some point in the past, he thought that touch was regrettable. It seemed so long ago. Tae-ui clicked his tongue and pushed him aside. Then he limped over to the chair where he had been sitting moments before and sat down. So. What now? Where to go, what to do next? What would this man do?

Damn, he muttered inside.

The original plan was ruined. Once this ankle healed, he planned to find his brother and wander aimlessly again, but now, stuck with bad luck, he’d have to live worrying about his life all day.

…Maybe find a chance to run again.

Tae-ui thought hard about the future in his head. But thinking about it, Ilay would have no choice but to return to Hong Kong. Even if he quit UNHRDO, he had the family business there.

What was he planning? Would he drag him there to torment him?

In truth, dragging someone along indefinitely was difficult. Without the other’s consent, it was nearly impossible. Unless he cut ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) off some limbs, there were still chances to run or escape.

“……”

He had useless thoughts. Remembering the idea of cutting off limbs, Tae-ui rubbed his forearm with a creepy face. That man could easily do it.

Ilay had been silent for a while, standing a few steps away, just watching Tae-ui.

Standing like that, he was impossible to ignore.

“Your body… seems somewhat livable now.”

Flinch.

While lost in thought, Ilay suddenly spoke, making Tae-ui shrink. Then he looked at him with slight surprise.

Out of nowhere, talking about his body.

Tae-ui met his gaze and paused in thought. It was hard to say he was really concerned about his body. If he truly cared, he would’ve noticed the limping already. Tae-ui frowned and shook his casted leg.

“Ah, yeah, it’s livable now. I think I could even run out of that burning forest.”

“Good. …That’s good.”

The brief reply came. Tae-ui, lowering his leg while thinking the cast was heavy, looked at him suspiciously. But before he knew it, his vision was blocked. Ilay had come right up in front of him.

“…ㅡ!”

Before he could understand the situation, Ilay’s lips bit his neck. Like a beast biting prey, or a strong beast dominating a weaker one. The hard teeth sank in. Tae-ui felt the sharp sensation of fangs touching him.

“Ilay!”

Tae-ui frowned and shouted.

It was just like a vampire. Especially with the large full-length mirror right in front of him, the feeling was stronger.

Their reflection appeared in the mirror. Tae-ui was trapped by a large man sitting in a chair, his neck bitten. The white teeth biting his neck briefly reflected in the mirror. It was eerie.

“Hey, why are you biting my neck! What, you think you’re a vampire?”

“If not the neck, then where do you like?”

But the answer to Tae-ui’s shout was very unexpected. Tae-ui stared at Ilay in the mirror with a dumbfounded face and clicked his tongue.

“I never said I like necks.”

“No, I mean I do.”

Ilay smiled with his lips on Tae-ui’s neck, then immediately bit down, drawing blood.

“…ㅡ!”

A short groan escaped Tae-ui’s mouth.

His heart jolted. The moment his neck was bitten, instinctive terror rushed in. It was the fear of someone else holding the thread of his life.

“Hey, hey! Why are you doing this all of a sudden!”

Tae-ui shouted desperately.

He wasn’t startled that Ilay attacked, it was something he was used to. He was shocked because Ilay really bit his neck.

“…ㅡ! Ilay! Ilay! Stop!”

Tae-ui’s face stiffened. It was chilling. Thin drops of blood seeped from the slightly broken skin, and Ilay was sucking it.

“Is this bastard crazy……! Hey!”

The sensation of blood being sucked down his neck sent a shudder down Tae-ui’s spine.

It was pure instinctive fear.

Without thinking, Tae-ui reflexively struck Ilay’s head.

“Ahh…!”

Ilay’s head came off his neck but still bit, tearing his skin more. The mirror showed blood droplets bubbling on his neck. Tae-ui stared in shock. This was beyond madness. Though he’d never been sane, this was not normal.

“Ilay. …Get a grip.”

Tae-ui said seriously.

But surprisingly, Ilay looked quite normal. He smiled faintly and looked down at Tae-ui with a face no different than usual. The way he nonchalantly wiped the blood from his lips was even more grotesque.

Though not an absolute believer in science, Tae-ui didn’t think a vampire had appeared in front of him. This man was someone Tae-ui already knew. Instinctively, Tae-ui grabbed the man’s wrist as if to stop him from leaving. Then stared deeply.

It wasn’t a question of whether to run or not now. This man seriously needed a mental hospital.

Tae-ui was so disturbed he began to feel faint worry.

“You… let’s go to the hospital for a bit.”

Tae-ui said seriously. He wasn’t joking.

Although he always kept in mind that he might have to run from this man at any time, he couldn’t just ignore someone with such a serious abnormality. Ilay’s expression watching him suddenly turned strange. Then, at some point, he burst out laughing.

It wasn’t a big laugh.

Starting with a deep breathy sound, the laugh was low but lasted quite a while.

“Hospital… If it’s to stop the bleeding on your neck, I’ll go with you.”

Ilay said with laughter still in his voice. Tae-ui looked at him suspiciously.

The low voice was no different than usual.

“Tae-ui.”

Ilay suddenly lowered his voice. The smile on his lips deepened.

“Have you heard of the story about imprinting to show ownership?”

Tae-ui silently watched the calmly smiling Ilay.

He knew plenty of similar stories. Vampires supposedly did that, and beasts bit necks to distinguish hierarchy—or even during sex.

Thinking of the last case, Tae-ui silently shook his head. Not something he wanted to remember.

“That doesn’t apply to humans, and besides, I’m not a possession.”

Tae-ui sighed and muttered. He seemed to vaguely understand what Ilay was trying to say.

Ilay looked at Tae-ui with a faint smile and whispered.