PAHO 35

With a rough moan, Na Taebeom pushed his hips in hard. The body pinned flat underneath him flinched thinly at the ensuing ejaculation.

“Haah.”

Na Taebeom tilted his chin back and caught his breath. As he pulled his body back, the semen pooled inside came spilling out along with his penis. He glanced at the watch on his wrist; over four hours had passed.

“No wonder I was hungry.”

Na Taebeom, who carelessly swept back his sweat-drenched bangs, licked his lips. He hadn’t eaten anything except for a few bottles of sports drinks to quench his thirst. And yet, to be so engrossed as to not even feel hunger was truly strange. His gaze, as he scratched the back of his neck, suddenly landed on the limply sprawled Nam Gyeonhwa.

“Doggie.”

Na Taebeom, who kept prodding Nam Gyeonhwa with his foot, let out an indifferent sigh. Whether he was unconscious or just pretending to be, he kept his face covered with both arms and didn’t move a muscle even as Na Taebeom rustled and moved around. He had wanted to come on his face for the last one, but it was strangely disappointing that he couldn’t because he kept covering his face.

I’m hungry, so should I grab a quick bite? It was at that moment, as he came to a refreshing conclusion and casually turned his body, that it happened.

“Ah, you scared me.”

Na Taebeom, who paused at the presence that suddenly blocked his path, scowled and looked down. Nam Gyeonhwa, who must have regained consciousness at some point, was clutching his ankle.

“Haejin…”

“What?”

At the faint, metallic whisper that was barely audible, Na Taebeom scowled and asked again. Nam Gyeonhwa, who repeatedly swallowed dryly, opened his mouth.

“Haejin, my little brother… protect him. I’m, asking… you…”

Only after squeezing out the last words did Nam Gyeonhwa finally close his eyes. Na Taebeom, who was looking down at him, limp and still clutching his foot, burst into a hollow laugh as if in disbelief.

At the sound of the cell bars opening, Nam Gyeonhwa, who had been lying face down, shot his head up. The young man entering the visitation room, guided by a prison guard, had an unfamiliar face.

‘What about lawyer Ms. Kim Heeah…?’

At his hesitant question, the man sat down with a good-natured smile.

‘Ms. Kim, the lawyer who was originally in charge of your defense, Mr. Nam Gyeonhwa, has gone abroad.’

‘Abroad? Suddenly?’

‘It seems she had urgent business.’

Nam Gyeonhwa awkwardly chewed on his lip at the brief introduction from the newly assigned public defender. Ms. Kim had been so kind and nice. Every time she came, she would give him a small piece of chocolate, saying she got permission from the guard, and when he saw her last winter, she had even given him a pair of socks, telling him not to catch a cold.

‘Wow, it’s hotter in here than outside. This is no place to be for long. Right?’

The lawyer brashly opened a file folder and held it out.

‘Congratulations, Mr. Nam Gyeonhwa. The plaintiff has shown leniency and is willing to grant you a conditional pardon.’

Congratulations and pardon. The words sounded somewhat unfamiliar, and Nam Gyeonhwa blinked his young eyelids. The content was quite different from what lawyer Kim Heeah had said during their meeting two months ago. She had understood, empathized with, and comforted him about his unfair situation. She had comforted him, saying that since it was violence by state power, she would definitely get him a not-guilty verdict. What had changed in the meantime?

‘You just have to sign your name here at the bottom.’

The lawyer tapped the bottom of the paper. Nam Gyeonhwa’s eyes went to the paragraph above instead of the signature line he was pointing to. The text was long enough to fill an A4 sheet, but the names and words that appeared here and there caught his eye.

Yanggang Parish Priest Nam Gijun, participation in a riot group, evidence for the charge of aiding and abetting discord.

‘Excuse me, the priest, he didn’t commit any crime, so why, is it written here that he participated in discord?’

‘Ah, you don’t have to worry about that part, Mr. Nam Gyeonhwa.’

‘Why? This is all about the priest, I can’t just sign it as I please.’

At his question, the lawyer, who had been fanning himself with the file, slammed it on the table.

‘You orphan bastard, when they say they’ll grant you a pardon, you should just say thank you and sign it nicely. You think you’re in any position to be picky after pulling a knife on a division commander?’

His eyes, as he snapped irritably, were gleaming viciously. At the sight, which was like that of a demon, Nam Gyeonhwa stood up without hesitation. It wasn’t worth reading any further. He would rather spend the rest of his life in prison than acknowledge such unacceptable words.

You stupid bastard! Sign it!

Leaving the shouts behind him, he threw open the cell bars. The lawyer spewing his irritation and the guard tapping the iron bars against the wall were gone. Flames shot up in the darkness that surrounded him. No, stop it, I don’t want to see it. The ground beneath his backward-stepping feet gave way.

Gyeonhwa, run!

A shriek filled with malice. Dozens of bodies pinned down the gasping him, clinging like leeches. If you swallow all the cum, you’ll get pregnant. The cackling laughter was like a barrage of gunfire.

“Heok, heok.”

Nam Gyeonhwa sat bolt upright, clutching his chest and panting heavily. He’d had that fucking nightmare again. It was a scene he had seen dozens of times, yet the dream was consistently, newly, horrifying and disgusting. He had watched helplessly as the chapel was engulfed in flames and turned to ashes, then fled, only to be caught and raped by beasts. Amidst that series of torments, there was always a face he encountered.

Priest Nam Gijun.

Nam Gyeonhwa, mulling over the heavy name, covered his face powerlessly. To him, who had been left with nowhere to go after his parents, who had been selling water at the border, were arrested, Priest Nam Gijun had been more than a guardian.

‘Here, you see these letters? The first is Gyeon (堅) for firm, and the second is Hwa (和) for harmony. From now on, you’re not a little mutt, you’re Gyeonhwa. Nam Gyeonhwa.’

The benevolent face that had held out a sketchbook with the name written large across it was still vivid. The adult who had been a hope that he could live even with nothing, a guide for the days to come, was no longer by his side.

It was all his fault. It would have been fine if he had just groveled as they wanted, but because he couldn’t stand it, because he thought he was a person with the same rights.

Stop. Nam Gyeonhwa shook his head. Thinking repeatedly about the irreversible past wouldn’t change anything. It was all he could do to take care of the present.

He let out a sigh and slowly looked around. His last memory was of going to a place like a gym in the basement of the Wiyoung Center. The scene before him, however, had the atmosphere of an old study rather than a gym.

“What, when did you wake up?”

A familiar voice suddenly reached the ears of him, who was on high alert and surveying his surroundings. He turned his gaze toward the presence, and someone was standing tall in the arched entrance.

“I was about to leave since you weren’t waking up, but I guess I can’t leave you alone for a second.”

The man’s face, stepping out from the dimness, was revealed in the faint light. It was Na Taebeom.

“What, are you.”

“Can’t you recognize a person just because you woke up from sleep?”

“No, what I mean is… why am I here.”

“That’s obviously because I brought you here?”

Na Taebeom, with his arms crossed, said triumphantly and licked his lips.

“Ah, I shouldn’t have been so honest. Maybe I should have pretended the doggie woke up and walked in here on his own two feet.”

“What…?”

“It’s half-true, isn’t it? I was just sitting here, and you’re the one who came to find me.”

Let’s not even bother. Nam Gyeonhwa, who had sighed, tried to get up without much thought, but he had no choice but to sit back down on the bed before he could even take a step. Every muscle, from his shoulders to his arms and legs, ached, and his lower parts, in particular, were sore as if they had been pierced with an awl.

“Does it hurt a lot?”

After being fucked so brutally, how could it not hurt? Na Taebeom abruptly held out his hand and placed it on Nam Gyeonhwa’s forehead. Before he could even wonder what he was doing, the rough palm was clumsily fumbling his forehead.

“Hmm, doesn’t seem like you have a fever.”

“Get your hand off.”

Nam Gyeonhwa forcefully pushed his arm away and gripped the edge of the bed to force himself up. Though he said it didn’t hurt, a tremor ran down his spine from the pain that felt like his insides were being crushed. It wasn’t a fatal illness, just body aches, so it would probably get better if he took some of the painkillers he carried for emergencies. Na Taebeom, who was watching him take slow, step-by-step movements, suddenly blocked his way.

“Where are you going.”

He didn’t feel like answering, but it was clear he wouldn’t back down.

“The hospital.”

“The hospital? Because you’re sick?”

“…I have to go to Haejin.”

Nam Gyeonhwa answered appropriately and tried to push Na Taebeom aside to pass through the door. Instead of being pushed away docilely, Na Taebeom grabbed Nam Gyeonhwa and pulled him, his eyebrows knitting together.

“What are you going to the kid for?”

“I can’t leave a sick kid alone.”

Nam Gyeonhwa shot back a look that said he was asking the obvious. Even though Yeo Eunjae was there, who else would take care of Haejin if he, his guardian, was not there? Na Taebeom, who let out a small exclamation as if he finally understood, shrugged his shoulders.

“You don’t have to go. I sent Jongdae in your place while you were sound asleep.”

“What?”

“I said I sent Jongdae. You don’t know Gwon Jongdae? You were calling him by name just fine after seeing his face once.”

He wasn’t asking because he didn’t know Gwon Jongdae. Why on earth would he send Gwon Jongdae to Haejin out of the blue?

“You asked me to protect the kid, didn’t you? Wasn’t that your favor?”

“…”

“And what about when you were holding onto me even as I was just going to grab a bite to eat, going on and on about Haejin, Haejin.”

He hadn’t forgotten. He had just surmised, judging from his earlier attitude, that he wouldn’t grant it easily.

“Are you really, going to protect, Haejin?”

“Yeah. I said I would.”

Even after hearing it twice, he couldn’t believe it. Just then, Na Taebeom suddenly thrust his head forward. The breath on his neck was hot.

“Doggie, you fucking reek of my cum.”

Nam Gyeonhwa, who frowned at the outrageous remark, reflexively tried to step back, but Na Taebeom grabbed his arm, stopping him. Finally unable to bear him bringing his nose close to his neck, Nam Gyeonhwa pushed him away in disgust.

“Are you, crazy?”

“Why are you avoiding me? I’m just trying to get a whiff of the doggie’s savory scent.”