NTH 42

“Think what you will. What’s important is that this long cycle ends here. If necessary, I intend to strike first to prevent Nana from being devoured by you.”

“It won’t be easy.”

“If you don’t want to see a nasty sight, don’t loiter around Nana again. If you value your life, either leave this country altogether or find another host.”

As if reacting to the word ‘host,’ Cheon Sagang did not answer right away. He took a deep drag from the cigarette that had only its butt left and then exhaled.

“Have you ever flayed a person’s skin like fish fillet?”

“I don’t know why I have to listen to such disgusting words.”

“You thinly slice it with a sashimi knife. If you sprinkle salt on the flayed part, the reaction is quite a sight to see.”

“…”

“If that still doesn’t satisfy you, you pull out the fingernails one by one. No matter how much they thrashed, they become docile right away after you take out just two out of the ten.”

To Jeha, who was making a scornful face at the words not even worth a reply, Cheon Sagang brought his face up close.

“I’m warning you, if you wave your dick around Nana carelessly, you’ll be begging me to just kill you quickly.”

“Then let me give you a warning too. Never appear in front of Nana again. If you don’t want to be annihilated.”

“Annihilated? Fuck, what kind of bullshit is that. It seems you’ve never felt what it’s like to fear for your life.”

“If you’re asking if I’ve ever felt the shame of fearing a creature that is not even human, then I have no choice but to say yes.”

Cheon Sagang made a sound like air escaping, then flicked the cigarette butt to the ground and crushed it with the heel of his shoe.

“I thought you knew something, but for a shaman, you’re too clumsy.”

“When did I ever say I was a shaman?”

“You’re pretending to be smart, but you’re as foolish as they come, so I’ll do you a special favor. There are two things you need to keep in mind. First, killing my physical body does not annihilate my existence itself. I will simply change bodies and reappear.”

“Shut that mouth and get lost right now.”

“And second, if I am truly annihilated, all of Nana’s soul that I have absorbed until now will also disappear.”

Jeha’s brow furrowed deeply. It was the first time he had heard of this.

“What did you say?”

Cheon Sagang answered in a slick tone.

“Inside me, I have accumulated several times more of that bastard’s energy than what Nana currently possesses. A shaman should know, shouldn’t he? Why his presence is so faint and his body is so pathetically weak.”

Leaving a powerful blow to Jeha, who had turned pale and could not utter a single reply, Cheon Sagang turned his back and leisurely walked away.

“If you annihilate me, the Nana inside me will also disappear. Because I am Nana.”

“How is it? Is it okay?”

Nana, holding a spoon tightly in his hand, had sparkling eyes. Jeha, who had been chewing the food without much thought, looked surprised.

“It’s very delicious.”

“Really?”

“Yes. The egg is incredibly soft and the rice is seasoned just right.”

“Is it? It’s a success! The chef mister on YoutTube said that was the key!”

“It’s really delicious, so don’t worry and you should eat quickly too.”

“Okay!”

Nana smiled brightly and began to eat his share of the omelet rice.

These days, Nana cooked at least once a day. It was food for Jeha. They were mostly single-dish meals like rice bowls, fried rice, or stews, which didn’t require many other side dishes. It was something he had noticed since they started procuring foods that didn’t need cooking, but Nana was quite quick-witted and smart.

Because Jeha nagged so much and checked on him constantly, Nana ate his meals at regular times, even if in small amounts, and consistently took his herbal medicine. Thanks to that, his health was much better than when he had lived alone.

He had also become much more accustomed to housework. In truth, there wasn’t much for Nana to do. Jeha was a person who rarely made a mess, so a robot vacuum cleaner was sufficient for cleaning, and simple laundry and dishwashing could be easily handled using the latest home appliances.

Jeha, who had become even more anxious since Cheon Sagang’s visit to the university, did not even allow Nana to go to the laundry center within the apartment complex. So, Chief Jeong, who came two or three times a week to deliver groceries and daily necessities, also took care of dropping off and picking up the laundry.

After dinner, Jeha prepared warm tea and fruit. Nana, who was chattering about what he had seen on TV today while sitting side by side on the sofa, spoke as if he had suddenly remembered something.

“You know, I think I’m completely better now.”

“No.”

“You didn’t even listen, so what do you mean no!”

“You want to go outside, don’t you.”

“How did you know? No, why on earth can’t I?”

“Because it’s dangerous.”

“Does that make sense? I rarely had any dangerous incidents even when I was living as a wanderer without a home, so what’s so dangerous about going out for a short while during the day in a rich neighborhood like this. It’s not like I’m the youngest daughter of a conglomerate family.”

Nana grumbled in a disgruntled tone. For him, it was natural not to understand Jeha’s overprotectiveness. Until now, there had been the excuse that he was not well, but it was unreasonable to keep him confined to the house continuously in the future.

Jeha decided to take this opportunity to make Nana understand and propose a compromise.

“Actually, about a week ago, that person called Chairman Cheon came to K University.”

“What? Really?”

“Yes. I don’t know how he found out I had you, but he suddenly told me to hand you over.”

“No way. I’m sorry, you must have been in a difficult situation because of me.”

“It’s not that, but after meeting that man, I’m even more worried about you going out alone. I told Chairman Cheon not to look for you again and chased him away.”

“Did he go quietly? That’s definitely not his personality. Didn’t he swear at you, saying who do you think you are to say such things?”

“I told him you’re my lover now, and I think he gave up.”

“Huh? Did you really say that?”

“Yes.”

Nana laughed awkwardly.

“I’m grateful that you made an excuse for me, but I don’t think Chairman Cheon would have believed that. He probably retreated to come up with another scheme.”

“I didn’t make an excuse. I just told the truth.”

“Huh? The truth? What do you mean…”

To Nana, who was mumbling and trailing off, Jeha said with a calm expression.

“That’s what I thought, but you didn’t?”

“No, how could I dare…, do that. It’s right to think that you gave me a job and took care of me because you felt sorry for me, a person with nowhere to go.”

“It seems that when you feel sorry for someone, you personally bathe them, hold them in your own bed to sleep, kiss them if they ask for a kiss, and then if your body is moved, you rub dicks together with them.”

“No! That’s not it…!”

“I don’t know about other people, but I don’t do such things for the simple reason of pity. If you’re confused because I haven’t said it clearly, I’ll give you a chance to decide now.”

“What kind of decision?”

“I want to date you. I want to officially be your lover. What do you think?”

At Jeha’s words, Nana’s face showed a complex expression, a mixture of joy and worry.

“Of course, I like you too. I like you so much that I’m worried about how I’ll live without you now. But I feel like I’m too lacking to be your lover.”

“What are you lacking.”

“It’s just, you know. You’re so cool and handsome and tall and a professor at a prestigious university, and you have a lot of money and a rich family, and on top of that, you have a mature personality. Anyway, in my eyes, you’re like a top-of-the-line, limited edition imported car with no flaws.”

“And so?”

“Compared to that, I don’t have a family register, I can’t earn money, and I’m not good at anything, so in the old days, it would be no different from a nobleman dating a slave, wouldn’t it?”

“Even if I concede a hundred times and say you’re right, is there a law that says we can’t? I told you I like you even knowing all of your circumstances, and you said you like me too. Then shouldn’t the additional things not matter?”

“But I feel like it somehow doesn’t make sense common sense-wise.”

“Nana, was the weary life you’ve lived all common sense? For someone who has endured a life so full of uncommonly bad things, is it really so absurd that only uncommonly good things happen to you now?”

Nana tilted his head slightly to the right and looked up. It was a habit he always showed when he was lost in thought. Every time he did that, Jeha felt a desire for no one else in this world but himself to know how lovely he was.

It was a truly childish yet heart-fluttering feeling like a spring breeze.

“Umm… I think you’re right. Not that I could win against you in an argument anyway.”

After being silent for a long time, Nana finally opened his mouth, and Jeha urged him on.

“So what’s your answer? I’m sorry to rush you, but despite how I may look, I’m very anxious right now.”

“I thought if I refused, you would just say you understood without batting an eye.”

“Do I look that cold-blooded to you? This is the first time in my life I’ve asked someone to date me, so if I get rejected, I’ll be hurt too.”

“What? The first time? Really?”

“Yes.”

“You’re probably not a relationship virgin, so does that mean until now, all your relationships started with the other person asking you out first?”

“Well, yes.”

“What kind of people were your ex-girlfriends? At what age and how long did you date? I’m curious!”

“I asked first. If you’re curious about such trivial things, answer my question first.”

“Ah, right. Ahem.”

Nana cleared his throat with a dry cough and then spoke as if reading from a textbook.

“I want to date Jeha too. I might be a lacking lover, but I will try my best to become someone who suits you, so please take good care of me from now on.”

After finishing his words, Nana grinned bashfully.

“So, is today our first day?”

Instead of answering, Jeha pulled Nana’s shoulder and kissed him. He felt as if he couldn’t bear it if he wasn’t touching Nana somewhere.

“Umm, hey, there’s something important I need to address.”

Just before the kiss deepened, Nana pulled his lips away. Jeha lifted him lightly and set him on his lap.

“Say it.”

“As you know, because of my situation, I’ve never dated anyone. Let alone dating, there wasn’t even anyone who remembered my face properly.”

Jeha answered while pressing his lips here and there on the nape of Nana’s neck.

“Yes.”

“So, I don’t really know how to do this dating thing. You might get bored of me quickly because I’m no fun.”

“I won’t.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I’m not the type to pursue fun in life. If I liked fun things, would I be a professor?”