One Day, a Dark Shadow Fell on My Closet

13

“Hey, you bastard, are you not letting go?!”

Nam Jeong-hwan had been the type to show off his strength since middle school, exercising just to brag to others. However, no matter how much he was showing off, Yeon Ji-ho could not overcome the grip of someone who had been working out for so long.

On top of that, he was completely drunk. Being pulled along by Nam Jeong-hwan, Yeon Ji-ho stumbled into the pension.

The scene in the living room was a mess. As Yeon Ji-ho was forcibly dragged in, he opened his mouth in shock at the sight of the chaos that was not just messy but utterly disastrous. It was not a drinking party; it was a disaster zone.

Most of the women were nearly undressed, and Kim Seong-min was sprawled on the floor, clutching a bottle of alcohol, having apparently fallen off a half-broken sofa. Turning his head to the loud music that echoed through the house, he noticed an expensive speaker blaring from somewhere, the source of which he could not identify.

“You, I’m going to claim damages for all this.”

“Ha, haha! Hey, hey. Yeon Ji-ho. Yeah, I’ll cover everything. Damn, I just caught a real sucker this time and made a ton of money, so you think I can’t do this one thing for you?”

The problem was that he had accepted them out of fear of running away. Yeon Ji-ho pressed his forehead, thinking that he should have avoided them not out of fear but because it was disgusting.

The thought of having to clean all this up in the morning made his head ache. But that was not the end of the bastard Nam Jeong-hwan.

“I’ll give you all the money, so come on. Let’s have some fun.”

“What, ugh!”

It seemed that Nam Jeong-hwan had sobered up a bit after bringing Yeon Ji-ho inside, but suddenly he charged at him with his whole body. Thud. With a loud noise, Yeon Ji-ho fell backward.

Just like in high school, Nam Jeong-hwan climbed on top of Yeon Ji-ho, using his legs to pin him down so he couldn’t resist. It was just like when he had once made a fuss about wanting to learn wrestling and had used Yeon Ji-ho as a test subject to show off his techniques.

But there was one difference: the look in his eyes was unsettling. Nam Jeong-hwan began to move his hands while pinning Yeon Ji-ho down.

“What, what are you doing? Are you crazy?”

“No, damn it, I’m going to pay, so let’s have some fun.”

Caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, Yeon Ji-ho was so flustered he could hardly breathe.

During their school days, Nam Jeong-hwan had beaten Yeon Ji-ho mercilessly, but he had never sexually harassed him. In fact, he had often punched those who looked at Yeon Ji-ho with disdain, as if he hated omegas.

So, for him to suddenly act inappropriately now was something Yeon Ji-ho had never anticipated. From that moment on, Yeon Ji-ho began to resist with all his might.

“Get off, you bastard! Are you not getting off? I said get off!”

“Ha, Yeon Ji-ho, you little bastard. You’ve always annoyed me. Every time you look at me like that, don’t you want to torment me?”

It was then that Nam Jeong-hwan raised his hand while looking at Yeon Ji-ho squirming beneath him. He clenched his fist tightly and brought it down hard on Yeon Ji-ho’s left cheek. Thwack. His head turned.

“Damn it, omegas are all just male prostitutes. The reason I’m acting like this is all because of you, what’s it called? Pheromones. Got it?”

“What the hell are you talking about!”

After being hit once, instead of feeling defeated, Yeon Ji-ho’s resistance intensified. Even though he had been much smaller than Nam Jeong-hwan back in school, now they were about the same height. Yeon Ji-ho squirmed desperately to escape this humiliating situation.

“Ugh, you’re such a pain.”

Nam Jeong-hwan clicked his tongue at Yeon Ji-ho’s struggles. Then, he suddenly reached to the side and pulled something over. In the darkness, it appeared to be a white blouse that a woman had been wearing.

Nam Jeong-hwan used it to bind Yeon Ji-ho’s wrists tightly. His wrists began to ache.

“Now you’re finally being quiet. Hey, I’m going to make you feel good too, you know? You should be grateful if I take care of you, you little bastard.”

Nam Jeong-hwan’s cold fingers slipped under Yeon Ji-ho’s shirt. The sensation felt like a bug crawling, and Yeon Ji-ho’s eyes rolled back. If he let this bastard have his way, he would really, really die…

Thwack.

As Yeon Ji-ho tightly shut his eyes, the weight pressing down on him suddenly disappeared, leaving him bewildered. Slowly opening his eyes, he saw a pair of strikingly bright odd-colored eyes shining even in the darkness.

Set.

His sharp gaze was directed at the Nam Jeong-hwan who lay unconscious on the floor. When Yeon Ji-ho was too shocked to say anything, Set approached him.

“Ji-ho.”

Set swiftly untied the blouse that had tightly bound Yeon Ji-ho’s wrists. To be precise, it was more like he tore it apart. His large, calloused hands had no trouble ripping through mere clothing.

With those hands, he struck Nam Jeong-hwan from behind, and it was no surprise that Nam Jeong-hwan, who had been pinned down, lost consciousness. While Yeon Ji-ho was still in shock, Set wrapped his arms around him and carefully pulled him close.

“…Did I get hit?”

Because it was so dark inside, Set held him close and examined him before realizing that Yeon Ji-ho’s cheek was bright red and swollen. There was a dangerous edge to Set’s voice.

“I hit him too.”

Nam Jeong-hwan, that bastard, seemed so drunk that he didn’t even realize he was being hit, but that was the case. Even while pinned down, he had been hitting Set’s stomach and solar plexus in a futile attempt to resist.

“That’s not what hitting means.”

“What?”

“This is violence.”

Set raised his palm with an indifferent expression. Then, he swiftly brought it down on the cheek of the unconscious Nam Jeong-hwan. Thwack.

It wasn’t just a slap; it was a loud thwack. He had only hit him with his palm.

Nam Jeong-hwan’s left cheek began to swell up, similar to Yeon Ji-ho’s, but even more severely. The unfortunate part was that Nam Jeong-hwan, who had briefly lost consciousness, was now regaining his senses.

“D-Damn! Who the hell are you?! Who’s behind me…?”

“Ji-ho.”

As he regained his senses, Nam Jeong-hwan quickly distanced himself from Set and glared at the two of them. However, Set whispered to Yeon Ji-ho, who was still in his arms, as if he didn’t care about the pathetic bastard at all.

“Should I kill him?”

“What?”

At the sudden whisper, Yeon Ji-ho flinched. He looked at Set in surprise instead of Nam Jeong-hwan, and he could see the sincerity in Set’s eyes. Not only sincerity, but it seemed like he was also somewhat pleased.

“If you want, I can kill him without leaving a trace.”

As Set said this, he extended his empty hand into the air. In the darkness, a blue blade descended gracefully into his hand. It was the sword that Yeon Ji-ho had seen once before.

“Th-That can’t be…”

“Ji-ho. It’s not about dirtying your hands. It’s just adding more filth to my already dirty hands.”

Flash!

At that moment, lightning struck outside. The flash passed over Set’s eyes for a brief moment. Thunder rumbled in Yeon Ji-ho’s ears like an echo.

“I was born a demon. Ji-ho, if you say just one word, I can erase anything you want.”

So, should I kill that bastard?

Set’s whisper tightened around Yeon Ji-ho’s heart. As the lightning struck again, Set’s expression became visible.

He was smiling, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

“Se-Set.”

“Yeah, Ji-ho. If you have a wish, say anything. I will… make it come true.”

“Set.”

With each word Yeon Ji-ho spoke, he felt the sting in his swollen cheek, but he knew he couldn’t just leave Set like this.

“D-Don’t… dirty your hands.”

“What?”

“Set, don’t… dirty your hands.”

What kind of dirty hands could there be when they were already filthy?

He knew that Set was a murderer who had killed many people in his own world. Even if that was just a story to Yeon Ji-ho, Set was someone who had taken lives.

But not here. Set Gorgon, the man known as the ultimate demon, was just “Set” here, someone who was good at wielding a sword and flipping pancakes. He didn’t want to taint that man’s hands with Nam Jeong-hwan.

“…You don’t want it?”

“No. …I don’t want it.”

“But you hated it, didn’t you? Didn’t you think of him as a terrible person? If you want revenge, I…”

“I hate it more that Set’s hands would get dirty because of that bastard.”

“…”

Yeon Ji-ho glanced at Nam Jeong-hwan, whose face was starting to swell seriously. Nam Jeong-hwan, too, seemed to have noticed the sword in Set’s hand and had clamped his mouth shut, looking terrified. Yeon Ji-ho was annoyed that such a bastard had ruined his school days.

And at that moment, Set closed his eyes deeply.

Then, Set suddenly threw the sword he had been holding. The blade flew silently and struck precisely in front of Nam Jeong-hwan’s groin. The collection of blades made no sound even as it embedded itself into the wooden floor.

“Okay.”

“First… let’s go to my house. Ugh, it hurts too much.”

“Let’s do that.”

Set’s expression returned to normal. The one who had been smiling with murderous intent was nowhere to be found.

Yeon Ji-ho thought he would just offer support, but Set suddenly wrapped his arms around Yeon Ji-ho’s back and behind his legs, lifting him up. Surprised, Yeon Ji-ho instinctively wrapped his arms around Set’s neck.

“My legs are fine; I can walk on my own.”

“No, it’s raining outside. Ji-ho, if you walk at your own pace, you’ll get soaked and catch a cold.”

“…What, how much faster can Set walk?”

What he had said was completely canceled about a minute later. Set had reached the front of the house in a single stride, as if he had been holding an umbrella and following Yeon Ji-ho all along, before the raindrops could even wet their clothes.

Is the sword master able to avoid even falling raindrops…?

While Yeon Ji-ho was lost in thought, Set arrived in front of his room. He carefully laid Yeon Ji-ho down on the bed and spoke softly.

“Ji-ho.”

“Yes?”

Set quietly looked down at Yeon Ji-ho’s swollen cheek. It seemed as if he was trying to calm his anger.

“Is it… not okay to kill him?”

“Yes. Not here. Set, if you want to stay here with me for a long time, you can never kill anyone. Do you understand?”

At those words, Set’s previously tense expression softened. He swallowed hard and slowly nodded his head.

Perhaps Yeon Ji-ho didn’t realize it. That he had assumed for the first time that he would “stay here for a long time” with Set.