Magic on the Dead Chapter 130

For days, he had been in a constant state of tension, and his sleep had been drastically reduced, causing fatigue to wash over him like a wave. Hajin stared at Eden’s large back through his hazy vision.

Each time he slapped his own cheek, wondering if it was a dream, he would glance over at him with a look that said, “I’ve seen all sorts of crazy people.” Although he thought the look of contempt was a bit much, Hajin had no choice but to humbly accept his reaction after accidentally catching his own reflection in a car window.

His hair, matted with dust, was a tangled mess, making him look like a mad scientist. The dark blood smeared mercilessly around his eyes and on his cheeks had dried and cracked like parched earth. His T-shirt and pants, which he hadn’t changed in days, seemed to give off a musty smell.

‘At this point, I couldn’t complain if a zombie wanted to be friends….’

Literally, he looked closer to a zombie than a person.

It felt all the more amazing how Eden had the stomach to gently stroke his face as soon as they met, even after seeing him in this state. Hajin had a serious moment of reflection, realizing deep in his heart that he truly cared for him.

Whether his feeling of relief at their reunion was selfishly conceived or not, he should have clearly checked on his lover’s well-being first. It was a moment of sincere regret for not only swinging a fist at someone who had risked his life to follow him, but also for failing to offer a single kind word.

Hajin was disappointed and utterly ashamed of himself for acting like a novice in love. Even as they entered a private house to avoid zombies, he was constantly looking for the right moment to apologize to Eden. But whenever their eyes met, it was as if his mouth was glued shut, and he couldn’t utter a single word.

In the meantime, Eden had found a suitable resting place and led Hajin there. Today’s final destination was an old public bathhouse with a worn-out sign. Standing in front of the glass door with a rusted lock, Eden easily picked the lock with a thin wire he had picked up from a hardware store.

In the process, as if he remembered Hajin once asking him to teach him how to pick locks, he suddenly turned around and asked.

“Should I teach you how to pick a lock?”

Hajin thought for a moment, then slowly shook his head.

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because from now on, you can do it for me, Mr. Jung Taegeon… right?”

It was his own way of making a gesture of reconciliation, but Eden grabbed the doorknob nonchalantly, as if he didn’t understand. Clatter—the rusted chain fell to the floor, and the door opened. At the same time, the metallic smell of water stimulated their sense of smell.

After confirming Pai’s calm reaction, the two men turned on their flashlights and climbed the dark stairs. They passed the counter and entered the locker room, which was filled with a musty smell of dust. Unlike the entrance, the inside was quite bright. Hajin took in the afternoon sunlight streaming through the gaps in the opaque windows and looked around.

The bathhouse exuded a nostalgic atmosphere, as if it had popped out of a 1990s drama. In front of the lockers, there was a single wooden bench, and next to the glass door of the bath, which was covered in water stains, stood a large mirror and a green vanity.

After meticulously checking even the small room and storage area that must have been used as the manager’s rest space, Eden walked to the bath first.

“I’ll go check the condition inside.”

While he was inspecting the bath, Hajin grabbed a few towels and disposable toiletries from the counter. Soon after, the sound of water pouring came from inside.

Hajin, with the disposables in his hand, led Pai inside. The strong, distinctive smell of a public bath was quite nostalgic. Two hot tubs, one cold tub that looked like it could barely fit a single child, and seated shower stalls caught his eye.

Eden was holding a shower head, letting the rusty water run out.

“The water is coming out a bit cleaner now. Let’s just shower here and avoid going into the tubs if possible.”

“Sounds good.”

Life returned to Hajin’s eyes, which had been steeped in fatigue. At that moment, Pai quickly ran into a hot tub. Splash—! A loud spray of water erupted, and Pai, with only his head peeking out, began to doggy paddle energetically.

“When you’re done playing, come over here. I’ll wash you.”

Hajin nagged like a parent and approached Eden’s side. Eden, who had already taken a seat on a plastic stool, unhesitatingly threw off his shirt. Hajin, who was furtively glancing at him, also immediately took off his clothes.

Hajin was busy filling a basin with fresh water, as if it were a waste of the water stream that could stop at any moment.

“Sputter, sputter—!”

Then, he worked up a rich lather with disposable body wash and noisily washed his body and face. This time, as he was shampooing his hair, he heard a low laugh.

Puzzled, he turned his head and saw Eden putting a green exfoliating towel on his hand.

“Did you bring that hoping I’d scrub you?”

At the smiling question, Hajin quickly affirmed.

“It would be nice to get a good scrub since we’re here anyway.”

The sensation of the cumulus cloud-like foam trickling down his temples was delightful. After meticulously finishing with a rinse, Hajin, with a much fresher face, snatched the exfoliating towel from Eden’s hand.

“Turn around. I’ll do it for you first.”

“I’m fine. My skin is surprisingly delicate.”

“Oh… is it?”

“You turn around, Mr. Do Hajin. I’ll do it for you.”

Hajin, taken aback, handed the exfoliating towel back to him. As he dragged a plastic stool and hesitantly turned around, he caught sight of Eden’s erect penis and squeezed his eyes shut. It was only natural for the back of his neck to flush hot.

He felt the rough texture of the exfoliating towel on his back. A nervous cough burst out due to the sudden wave of tension.

Hajin consciously cast his gaze towards Pai, who was playing and splashing happily. Just as he was calming his excitement, taking solace in the bright and innocent sight, a hot touch landed on his side. Hajin’s body flinched and stiffened.

Eden firmly squeezed the meager flesh of his side and began to scrub near his shoulder with his other hand. Hajin, with his head bowed, stared at his own half-erect penis, following Eden’s lead. The more his back tingled, the more his chest area grew ticklishly hot.

“Why were you like that earlier?”

Hajin felt the breath on the back of his neck and asked back, “What?”

“In front of the corpse, you were spaced out for a long time.”

“Ah….”

As the memory he had tried to forget resurfaced, his heart dropped for a moment. After some hesitation, Hajin replied in a barely audible voice.

“The zombie was talking.”

At those words, the hand moving across his shoulder blade stopped cold.

“I know it sounds ridiculous, but it really did talk. The kid kept looking for its mom.”

“……”

“I thought it might be a person, but when I looked closely, it was a zombie. But after I killed it, I couldn’t tell if I had killed a person or a zombie… I was a little confused. I still wonder if it was a hallucination…”

Then, as if he had been waiting, Eden chimed in on Hajin’s words.

“It probably wasn’t a hallucination. I heard a similar story at the temple. Someone said his girlfriend turned into a zombie and charged at him while calling his name.”

Hajin’s body jolted, and he turned his head to look at him.

“What?! Why are you only telling me this now?”

“Because at the time, I thought it was complete nonsense.”

Eden resumed his gentle scrubbing and continued.

“But after hearing your experience today, Mr. Do Hajin, I feel there’s no need to assign too much meaning to it.”

At his ambiguous words, Hajin blinked with a confused expression.

“…Why?”

“Looking for someone is close to an act of inertia. I’m saying it’s unlikely the zombie is moving its tongue of its own volition.”

“So you’re saying it could just be… like a habit? Not that it has intelligence like a person?”

“I would think they’re probably calling out for someone they often said the name of when they were alive.”

Hajin recalled the child’s face, which had been calling out a single word without any expression, and slowly nodded. Eden’s calm logic was quite comforting in that moment.

“Lift your arms.”

After that, Eden meticulously scrubbed Hajin’s body, his hands moving unreservedly through his shoulder blades, armpits, and chest. Hajin, who was mentally reciting the national anthem, carefully asked.

“Does it hurt a lot where I hit you earlier?”

He had been worried about it ever since he saw Eden wince while brushing his teeth.

“I’m fine.”

“Th-that cheekbone looks bruised, though.”

“I’m fine, so turn around. I’ll scrub your front too.”

Hajin hastily brought his thighs together and shook his head.

“No, the front is fine. I’ll do it myself.”

He quickly snatched the exfoliating towel from Eden and turned around, casually rubbing his chest. The cold water hitting his back belatedly jolted him to his senses.

“Following you here was my choice, so there’s no need for you to feel guilty, Mr. Do Hajin.”

Eden said this as he swept his palm over Hajin’s now-smooth back.

Hajin, thinking the time had finally come to apologize, carefully chose his words. He thought that if he first manfully took a punch, and then added a cheesy confession that he had missed him quite a bit, Jung Taegeon’s heart might soften a little. Having made up his mind, he began with considerable determination.

“You hit me too, Mr. Jung Taegeon. I’m serious about this.”

He had carefully chosen his offer, but there was no reply from behind him. Gulp. Swallowing a nervous saliva, Hajin cleanly rinsed his chest with the water from the basin. As the cold water touched his genitals, his toes curled inward.

“Am I just clueless.”

Just then, he heard a low mumble along with the sound of the faucet being turned off.

“Mr. Do Hajin.”

A deep, cavernous voice echoed throughout the bathhouse.

“By any chance, is getting hit your preference?”

“What?”

“If that’s the case, I can certainly accommodate you. If you’re done washing, follow me out.”

With those final words, Eden left the dumbfounded Hajin behind and strode out of the bath.