Boy Monster Chapter 64

‘Hwonwoo must be late. He probably left without an umbrella.’

Jang Hwonwoo had left the house early at dawn today without a special word about where he was going. Meanwhile, the rain gradually grew stronger and began to beat hard against the mountain. Though worried about Jang Hwonwoo getting caught in the rain, Jae Eunho had to answer the summons quickly.

The light on the forehead of a rickshaw puller running from afar grew closer. Jae Eunho, dressed in a Western-style suit and holding an umbrella, waved a handkerchief at the rickshaw puller.

As Jae Eunho prepared to get into the rickshaw, a bodyguard escorting the mansion and sixteen-year-old Yeonri approached. The girl, holding a large umbrella in her hand, chattered.

“Mr. Hwonwoo said he was going hiking today and would be late for work, so I didn’t give him an umbrella. I’m worried because it’s raining. He sent a telegram saying he’ll be at the mansion soon, so I’m just going to take an umbrella to the front of the alley.”

Hearing that she had received a telegram from Jang Hwonwoo, Eunho asked in an indifferent voice.

“A telegram? Did you get it with my telegram from earlier?”

“Yes. Once in the morning, and once just now. He always sends a telegram at least once a day.”

“……”

“Especially on days like today when his duties are outside the garrison headquarters, sometimes three telegrams arrive… Look at this, it’s the telegram he sent while going to the mountain this morning. Isn’t it fun…!”

The telegram the girl held out had Jang Hwonwoo’s handsome handwriting, along with a spring flower petal that looked like it had been picked from the mountain.

So they’ve already reached the point of exchanging telegrams detailing their daily routines. Even while busy with the secret grand undertaking, the kid was steadily building his romance.

It seems he’s now planning to properly court and win this child. Eunho crumpled the head of the family’s handwritten telegram in his hand and smiled at the girl.

“Don’t go too far, it’s dark. Be careful.”

“Yes, Teacher! Have a safe trip.”

The rickshaw started off in the heavy rain with a great lurch. Jae Eunho, having lowered the curtain, closed his eyes in the darkness. Every time the curtain flapped with the rickshaw puller’s running, he could see outside through the gap.

The streets of Gyeongseong, bustling and unrecognizable from 10 years ago, were filled with brilliant lights. Japanese clogs and Western-style shoes hurried past the gap in the curtain. The world outside the black curtain was the era and the streets that Jae Eunho had to live through. This place… this era, like the darkness hidden by the curtain, was impossible to see even one step ahead. The era and fate that had befallen Jae Eunho were cold and indifferent.

Jae Eunho sorted out his thoughts about Jang Hwonwoo, who now felt completely distant.

Yes, it’s time to let him go. If so, this is the only fact that is meaningful to me.

There is not much time left to use him.

He was still on Jae Eunho’s side, but there was no knowing how long his tamed cause would last. The revenge must be finished before the kid marries Yeonri for Jae Eunho to safely achieve the goal he had harbored his entire life.

The anticipation of completing the revenge he had been grinding his teeth for his whole life, the tension of facing danger, and an impatient heart intersected greatly, leading to this thought.

Then what’s next?

Kill the head of the family and erase our existence from people’s minds.

Then what?

Congratulate Jang Hwonwoo on taking and possessing Yeonri, and

what about me?

Jae Eunho let out a long sigh and leaned his head against the side of the rickshaw. It felt like his chest was being shattered into large pieces. A chilling rainstorm blew into the empty, shattered space. Inside the swaying rickshaw, Jae Eunho covered his face with both hands.

What was I so blind to that I grew so attached to that child?

Why did I push him into the danger of the Korean independence movement and incite him to act as a spy? Why did I spend the most time with that child….

I should have just used him moderately, but I gave him my heart. It was an uncalculated mistake. I anxiously waited whenever he was away from home for a long time on a mission, and I cherished the time we spent laughing and chatting about our days.

Because I didn’t know it would be like this.

Eunho stared blankly at the rain pouring onto the dirt road, blaming himself to his heart’s content. So, what is it that I ‘didn’t know would be like this’? he asked himself.

I didn’t know I would come to ‘rely’ on him like this.

That he would come to rely so deeply on a person fourteen years his junior.

When he started the lessons with the intention of using the boy, he had never imagined it would turn out this way. But now, for Jae Eunho, there was only Jang Hwonwoo.

Eunho was shocked by this newfound realization. He clutched his shirt and mulled it over. Knowing that I will remain as Sa Yeonri even after the rebellion, why did I give my affection to that boy and come to rely on him so much? I should have opened up another way to live.

“Whoa!”

Suddenly, the rickshaw tilted and slammed hard onto the ground. The sound of a whistle and the rough shouts of a Japanese policeman seemed to draw closer, followed by the roar of rioters and the sound of gunfire. The terrified rickshaw puller threw open the curtain and shouted.

“It looks like a riot! Run, sir! What if you get shot staying here!”

The rickshaw puller, who looked back and let out a frightened sound, also ran off into the rain. Jae Eunho, in the midst of the chaos, also got up from his fallen position and exited the rickshaw. Since the rickshaw had been on a wide street, the only nearby place to hide was an alley lined with small shops.

Jae Eunho ducked and ran, hiding himself next to a gramophone record shop.

“Get him! Catch that bastard and kill him!”

“Stop right there! All of you, stop fighting and get on the ground!”

The rioters running across the street were carrying fearsome swords and blunt weapons. Taking a closer look, the blood-soaked men were Japanese hooligans.

They were a gang of thugs famous for threatening Koreans and extorting money. It seemed a knife fight had broken out among them, and they were being chased by the police while engaged in a bloody brawl.

Despite the policeman’s warning shots, the hooligans were entangled in a melee, chasing and stabbing their fleeing opponents with swords. Blood splattered in the downpour.

Jae Eunho quickly scanned his surroundings. It seemed the rioters who had passed the main street would soon enter the alley. As he tiptoed backward into a deep alley, clack! he bumped into a bicycle.

“Hph.”

Jae Eunho covered his mouth. At the sound of the bicycle crashing down, the rioters who had been chasing the fugitive began to swarm in. A large man, who had knocked down a pursuing policeman and was chasing an opposing rōnin, revealed himself through the record shop window.

Jae Eunho climbed up to the second-floor window. Grabbing the drainpipe, he lightly hoisted himself up and pressed against the wall. The big man ran to the front of the bicycle and looked around. Eunho, quietly supporting himself by placing a hand on the building’s rooftop, held his breath.

“What? Didn’t he run this way?”

Just as the big man was about to look up, a powerful strike hit the very center of his forehead. The man fell backward, his eyes wide open. Stuck in his forehead was a shuriken used by Japanese rōnin.

“Come up.”

Jae Eunho felt his feet lift off the ground. His body, floating lightly into the air, ascended to the top of the building regardless of Eunho’s will. Flustered by the unfamiliar experience of flying, he flailed his arms, but a strong telekinetic force twisted Eunho’s body, immobilizing him. Eunho was gently pulled up, hovering in a prone position a few dozen centimeters from the rooftop. Soon, a familiar body heat embraced his arm, and as he raised his head, he saw a familiar gaze before him. The man with the rain at his back was dressed as a Japanese thug, but his voice and face were Jang Hwonwoo’s.

“You…”

“Shh.”

Jang Hwonwoo pulled Jae Eunho, who had just set foot on the roof, into one arm and placed a hand over his mouth. Jang Hwonwoo’s fingers touched his lips.

“Don’t worry. I instigated this riot.”

Jang Hwonwoo whispered softly. Eunho pushed Jang Hwonwoo’s wrist away and quieted his breathing. He could feel Jang Hwonwoo waver at the gesture, but he forced his attention toward the noisy street.

The gangsters who had scattered into the alley were being subdued by the police one by one. After waiting for the street to quiet down, a silent Jang Hwonwoo stood up and descended from the roof first. When Jae Eunho came down along the wall, Jang Hwonwoo took his hand and led him somewhere.

“This way.”

The two entered a secluded alley where the streetlights were not on. It was a narrow alley where their bodies brushed against each other. Jang Hwonwoo opened the back door of a movie theater and pushed Jae Eunho inside.

The place they hid in was a storeroom filled with piles of film. Jang Hwonwoo silently locked the door, undid his disguise, and approached.

His form as a Japanese rōnin changed into that of an Imperial Guard. It seemed he had disguised himself as a guard after returning from his hike today. Jang Hwonwoo, dressed in a guard’s uniform, was about to undo the rest of his disguise when he snatched Jae Eunho’s hand.

It was because Jae Eunho had grabbed the doorknob, intending to leave. When Eunho turned around, Jang Hwonwoo spoke quietly.

“Teacher. Don’t go there.”

When Eunho looked up, not hiding his puzzlement, Jang Hwonwoo continued without any sign of panic.

“Stay here and then go to the mansion. The head of the family summoned you to the bar, didn’t he? I know.”

“…You know full well what happens if I don’t go, don’t you?”

“I’ll take responsibility. Don’t go. Stay with me.”

While speaking calmly, Jang Hwonwoo kept hold of Eunho’s wrist. It seemed like a gentle force, but it was impossible to break free.

Does this mean he deliberately started a riot to prevent Jae Eunho from answering the family head’s summons? While it was a thankful gesture, the fact that he did this without asking for Eunho’s opinion was not entirely pleasant.

The sense of distance towards Jang Hwonwoo that had been slowly building in his heart had finally formed a hard wall today, and this act felt like it had crossed that wall. Eunho tried to exclude his personal feelings as much as possible and replied.

“…Why did you do something I didn’t ask for?”

“……”

“And how would you take responsibility? It’s my responsibility to bear. Let go. I have to go see the Head of the family, even if I’m late.”

Jang Hwonwoo gently pushed Jae Eunho, who was trying to unlock the door, and blocked his way. The smell of wet rain came from the body that stood before Jae Eunho in the darkness. Jang Hwonwoo spoke, maintaining a smile.

“You don’t have to go to the Head of the family, Teacher.”

“That’s not for you to decide.”

Jae Eunho twisted his arm to break free from Jang Hwonwoo’s grip, which still held his wrist. But contrary to his gentle face, Jang Hwonwoo did not let go. Instead, he tightened his grip even more. His brow furrowed sharply as if holding back the words, ‘You should understand by now,’ but it quickly smoothed out again.

“Why are you trying to go? The real power of Sashimcheon is now with me. You just need to do as I say. Let’s return to the mansion together.”

It was a gentle voice, but the content of his words carried a coercion he had never experienced before. Jae Eunho was about to scold the kid harshly but stopped.

Let’s exclude all personal feelings and think only of the goal. There’s no need to exchange words and fight over this. I just need to keep Jang Hwonwoo’s shell by my side, and I don’t care who he gives his soul and heart to. The shell that helps me is enough. Thinking this, Jae Eunho replied coolly.

“…It would be best to at least show my face, even if I’m late, so let go.”

“I can’t concede any further. Don’t go to that bastard. You said with your own mouth that you didn’t want to be forced into intercourse.”

“……!”

He had said that during the time he was secretly canceling the sexual unions. The meaning behind Jang Hwonwoo’s words, remembering and bringing it up now, was clear.

It was a final notice not to oppose him any longer, while simultaneously reminding Jae Eunho of Jang Hwonwoo’s position, who knew full well what would happen when he went to that place.

“I have no intention of letting you go, so don’t waste your strength.”

When he uttered the last words, Jang Hwonwoo was momentarily chilling. Feeling miserable and angry at the same time, Jae Eunho clenched his teeth hard. After calming his emotions, he shot back.

“I didn’t realize your speech had become so out of line in my absence.”

“…I’m sorry. I misspoke.”

“The reason I confided that in you was because I never thought you would one day use it to threaten me. I hope you feel ashamed of the words you just uttered.”

“I apologize.”

“Now that you’ve become a First Lieutenant at a young age, I suppose I look like a subordinate to you as well.”

“……No. You are mistaken about that.”

The tips of Jang Hwonwoo’s thick eyebrows trembled once, and his gaze, now even deeper, fixed on him. Eunho asked drily.

“Then, what do I look like to you? At the very least, it doesn’t seem to be a teacher.”

“Yes, it’s not.”

“Ha…”

Jae Eunho, finding it absurd, looked to the side and laughed. The moment he raised his head, intending not to speak further, he was met with an unexpected expression. Eunho blinked in surprise. Jang Hwonwoo had a pained look on his face, as if he were forcefully suppressing something. He opened his mouth and let out a dark voice.

“You look like… an obstacle that I just can’t have my way with.”

The tip of his tightly clenched jaw was trembling.

“You look like a wish (願) more difficult to obtain than the position of the family head.”