INV 18

“Was it good?”

“Yes, it was good enough to peel the skin off my cock.”

Kwon Yihyeon answered Chacha’s post-sex question for the first time. He had simply snapped back out of annoyance, wondering how long he would have to tremble like a virgin with pity every time he heard that same old “Was it good?” line.

Chacha blinked his eyelids as if surprised, then narrowed the skin beneath his eyes into a curve, followed by a low chuckle.

For some reason, he seemed to quite like Kwon Yihyeon’s indifferent retort.

“I see. Since you are human, I suppose that could happen if you overexert yourself.”

“Yes. So please restrain yourself from now on.”

Chacha blinked in an utterly bewildered tone.

“Restrain? Did you just tell me to do that?”

“My cock stands because you keep seducing me, does it not? I am merely advising you to stop being so erotic. Personally.”

“You seem to be mistaken… if I had actually set my mind to bewitching you, it wouldn’t have ended at that level…”

“I almost got a hard-on just now. As expected, please restrain yourself.”

Even though the conversation since morning seemed rife with lewd and profligate talk, the atmosphere between the two was strangely clean.

Chacha was looking at Kwon Yihyeon while covered in a fresh white blanket, his body like a cleanly polished sculpture, while Kwon Yihyeon was dressed in ironed white shirt and charcoal-colored suit trousers featuring faint white stripes, tying a black necktie.

It was, literally, preparation for a “work look.”

If they had sex at this hour, he would be 100% late. Kwon Yihyeon had no intention of doing that, not even by a speck of dust. He didn’t know what Chacha was thinking, but since the man had given tacit permission, he believed he would let him go to work. It felt pathetic to think there could be such a foolish statement as “trusting the Jae Angshin.”

The current trend was said to be long hems on trousers, but since trends change over time anyway, Kwon Yihyeon followed the principle that “classic is best” and purchased a length that fell exactly at the ankle bone. Since the already well-built and well-proportioned Kwon Yihyeon had even picked out a decent suit jacket to wear, his aura appeared considerably dignified.

If there was anything regrettable, it was that very fact of “looking dignified.”

“Do I look a bit like a playboy?”

“Hmm.”

An answer did not come, but Kwon Yihyeon intuitively noticed that his reflection in the mirror stood out more than expected. It was far too elegant to be called “playboy,” but that was exactly the problem. A suit and stripes are a common combination that would pass anywhere, but it looked particularly sharp because Kwon Yihyeon was wearing it. He was on his way to be treated poorly from now on, so that wouldn’t do. He didn’t want to pour oil on a burning house, so to speak.

Quick-witted as he was, he had long been aware of what he had and what he lacked, and he used to let go of what he possessed to avoid jealousy. Of course, it was a slightly strange context to apply to the current situation. Normally, if a new employee shows up for work dressed like an actor, they are liable to get cursed out. Even more so if they are a “parachute” hire who got in through a recommendation letter rather than open recruitment.

A crazy bastard who claims to be the groom of the atrocious Jae Angshin and the rising star of the shamanic world who made the Jae Angshin stay perfectly quiet! Someone suspicious, dangerous, and repulsive, whose true motive for lifting the Jae Angshin’s seal is unknown! If such a person appeared flaunting a “look at how great I am” appearance, wouldn’t it be like providing an infinite refill of reasons to be hated?

Not that it wouldn’t be a problem if he went on a runway naked or wearing rags like a beggar.

In other words, he wanted to maintain TPO. If a member of society should dress according to time, place, and occasion, the suit he was currently wearing emphasized only his strengths far too much for the situation.

Kwon Yihyeon’s characteristic cold expression and sharp impression were brought to life as an urban image, to the point of giving off a professional vibe.

‘What kind of expert am I, anyway?’

Kwon Yihyeon is not an expert in any field. He isn’t a major. He’s just a student on leave who finished his military service. He’s still a college student, mind you.

Perhaps the appearance expected of a college intern is not something like this. Would it be better to change into slacks, a shirt, and a knit vest to suit his age more? No, a knit vest might make him look like a brat. Should he wear a suit vest? But if he dressed up too plausibly, he might look arrogant. If he had known it would be like this, he should have bought a “dad-fit” suit instead.

‘To look like a timely idiot.’

While he was lost in all sorts of thoughts like that, tap. His brow was touched.

When he raised his gaze, Chacha was close. Close enough for his body scent to reach the tip of his nose. Close enough for a cool fingertip to curve and tap between his eyebrows.

When did he approach?

“…You look wonderful.”

“Ah.”

Chacha slowly scanned Kwon Yihyeon’s entire body with his red eyes. The gaze climbing from bottom to top was so hot that saliva pooled in his mouth.

He feels it every time he sees Chacha—that a gaze can be suggestive. He feels both hatred and longing for him as he subtly reveals what he desires through a dim gaze, as if hiding it yet not, and then silently adjusts the angle of the shirt collar with his fingertips. He feels like he could do anything if he were told to. No, dammit. What am I saying? You crazy bastard. I have to go to the office. Are you joking? I can’t be late from the first day…

“Go like this.”

“I was going to change…”

“Go, like this. Because I like it.”

And then Chacha buried his lips in the jacket. It amounted to burying his face in Kwon Yihyeon’s chest. Kwon Yihyeon bit his lip and held his breath. He felt as if his fragrance was rushing in like a wave to kill him.

Only when Kwon Yihyeon’s face turned beet red from holding his breath did Chacha pull his lips away and raise his head. And then he smiled.

“Good boy, right?”

⋆˙⟡

He can’t forget that goddamn smile. Kwon Yihyeon walked sluggishly to the meeting place in a half-dazed state. Since Kwon Yihyeon was an intern and had no authority to enter the Underworld, Reaper Gwak had decided to take the trouble of helping him commute until a mentor was assigned.

Reaper Gwak is a person who appears and disappears mysteriously. Which means one never knows when he might appear and start making “slackers these days” jokes. He had to maintain a sharp posture. But, crazy, that fox-like thing…

“Did he even take the position of Jae Angshin through his bewitchery…”

“What kind of crazy talk is that?”

“Dammit.”

Kwon Yihyeon squeezed his eyes shut in despair. An internal scream clamored. He wished he would just pretend not to know, but Reaper Gwak, who poked his head out over Kwon Yihyeon’s shoulder, was glaring at him with eyes that seemed to despise an extreme couple, clicking his tongue.

“What is with you? Just when I think you’re normal, you’re turned around, and just when I think you’re a crazy bastard, you turn into a total nutcase.”

“Please, just… please…”

Since he couldn’t bring himself to tell his boss to shut up, Kwon Yihyeon broke into a cold sweat for a long while.

While Kwon Yihyeon suffered, wiping his face with his large palms, Reaper Gwak, who had checked something, gave a smirk with a heavy gaze.

“Have you snapped out of being bewitched a bit?”

‘…Huh?’

It was a word with a strange nuance.

He felt he should think more about that, but in the next moment, Reaper Gwak, dressed in a proper suit, pulled out a horse-gate pass.

‘I saw this in a drama.’

The very horse-gate pass one thrusts forward when shouting, “The Royal Secret Inspector is here!”

“That… is it real? From which era is that artifact?”

“21st century. It’s factory-made from China.”

“…”

Kwon Yihyeon felt his fantasies about the Underworld shattering more and more. Regardless, Reaper Gwak glanced at Kwon Yihyeon’s chest, shook his head, and tapped his shoulder with his fist.

Then he stared straight and directly into Kwon Yihyeon’s eyes.

“Get your head on straight. There is no one who will welcome you.”

No one could possibly see through a person in that way.

“Who are you? You are Kwon Yihyeon. But the people you will see from now on do not know Kwon Yihyeon. They only know the contractor of the Jae Angshin. They only know the madman who woke the sleeping Jae Angshin and even held a wedding; they have no interest in Kwon Yihyeon.”

“…Yes.”

It was something he had prepared for. Still, hearing it again didn’t feel good. Just as he was trying to force himself to hold back his darkening emotions, Reaper Gwak spoke.

“Then what should you do?”

“Yes?”

“Man, you’re frustrating. You have to make ‘Kwon Yihyeon’ known!”

At the sharp scolding, his sizzling, shriveled brain woke up.

Kwon Yihyeon straightened his posture without realizing it, and Reaper Gwak’s tirade continued.

“No one will help you. They cannot help you! Understanding who you are and what you think is entirely the responsibility of other people. It might be that nothing changes even after months pass. But do not be anxious because it’s delayed. Do not be impatient either! Because it’s useless if you do. Because it has zero value! There will be people who won’t accept you until the end, and if your heart is the type to break because it’s taking longer than expected, then just give up now. Just live comfortably. Live your whole life being put on a pedestal by those who will flip over on their backs and wag their tails for the Contractor of the Jae Angshin. Is that what you want? Did you crawl all the way up to this spot because you wanted to live like that?”

“…No.”

Kwon Yihyeon answered almost immediately. Because he had reflexively realized the reason for the “strange nuance” he felt earlier. That is to say, Reaper Gwak “knew.” He knew it wasn’t a wedding Kwon Yihyeon wanted.

Perhaps most people knew that fact. But Reaper Gwak gave advice instead of asking for an explanation.

‘Prove yourself.’

‘Show the world why you are standing here, and who you are.’

Perhaps it was the most necessary advice at this moment. Because the reason a person trusts another is through actions, not words.

No one knows what Chacha is thinking. One must not dare to dig for the truth from him and pluck the whiskers of a sleeping lion. If so, the fate of the world might depend on Kwon Yihyeon. Kwon Yihyeon did not want the peaceful lives of his family to be shattered. He became the Jae Angshin’s groom for that, and now that he had decided to be an intern for the Afterlife Company. His heart, which had been swaying after losing its center of gravity, settled down calmly and hardened its resolve.

Reaper Gwak looked down at him without any emotion, then let out a pfft, a sound of escaping air, and wore his characteristic smirk-like smile.

“…Now you finally look like a human.”

Before he knew it, Kwon Yihyeon wore a serene expression. With a fire hidden within.