Resurrection Chapter 103 - Hyung, Get a Grip

Excuse me, but I’m currently at risk of being kidnapped by Yaksha.

I didn’t say that I didn’t have the leisure to be filming something like a Hunter Log. It was better for him to be obsessed with YouVtube or Hunter Logs than to be nagging me about why I wasn’t going to find Lævateinn sooner.

On the other hand, I also felt guilty. It was largely my fault that the Golden Emperor had become something like a half-unemployed person who just stared at his phone in a corner of a room.

After I rescued Heesoo hyung from the demon’s den, there was a period when I neglected hunting to take care of him. Back then, the Golden Emperor, who was nagging me, became annoying, so I told him about the existence of the online world. The Golden Emperor, who had never contracted with a human before me, became completely enamored with the other world that was the internet.

Considering that the gods I had served before the Golden Emperor had never been so enthusiastic about the online world, it seemed it was largely my fault. I decided to be lenient with the Golden Emperor, but I still didn’t say I would film a Hunter Log.

The Golden Emperor lost interest in my lack of response and fell silent. Once I was sure his attention had drifted, I looked down at the person standing blankly under the juniper tree.

At some point, Heesoo hyung had come and stood under the tree. He should have said something if he was here, but he just stood there silently, looking up at me.

Since he had grown so tall, I never had the chance to look down on him like this. Looking down at him from a higher position made him seem somewhat pathetic. My heart was about to soften at his expression, which was like a puppy caught in the rain.

I thought about holding out a little longer, but I just gave up. It was obvious I wouldn’t last long even if I tried. I wasn’t used to situations where I was angry at Heesoo hyung or being apologized to by him. Even if I hadn’t done anything wrong, I felt uncomfortable, so I had no choice but to speak to him.

“Why are you here instead of getting treated?”

At my grumbling, complaining words, Heesoo hyung showed a faint smile with his busted lips. It seems Min Gongchan’s fists got stronger after he became a Royal Vampire. Bruises were starting to form here and there on Heesoo hyung’s face. That bastard, what did he do to that handsome face?

Feeling upset, I raised my voice.

“I don’t want to see you injured. Go get treated and come back.”

“Are you alright, Mr. Yitae?”

“That kind of weak punch, one sip of a potion and it’ll be perfectly fine. I told you to go get treated.”

“Will you forgive me if I come back after getting treated?”

“There’s nothing to forgive or not forgive.”

“Because I did something wrong.”

“Strictly speaking, the person you wronged wasn’t me, it was Min Gongchan, wasn’t it? If you’re going to apologize, you should do it to him.”

At the mention of Min Gongchan, Heesoo hyung’s face darkened. He lowered his head so I couldn’t see his expression and said.

“I don’t want to apologize to him. No matter how I think about it, I cannot condone what he did.”

“Isn’t that my job to deal with? It has nothing to do with you, hyung.”

At my words drawing a line, Heesoo hyung’s shoulders dropped. Seeing him looking uncharacteristically downcast made me feel sorry for no reason. I rambled on with words Heesoo hyung hadn’t even said.

“I know you’re worried about me, hyung, but it’s too much. Ever since Yaksha appeared, your attitude, by anyone’s standards, isn’t like how you treat a partner. You’re treating me like a child you have to cradle in your arms and protect.”

At my指摘, Heesoo hyung, still with his head bowed, said.

“…I’m sorry. I understand why you’re angry, Mr. Yitae. But you are still a child in my heart that I have to protect. The one who cried endlessly while grabbing my hand, asking for help.”

Hearing those words, I was surprised. I jumped down from the tree without realizing it. Then I looked up at Heesoo hyung’s lowered face and said.

“You knew?”

Heesoo hyung slowly nodded his head.

“Yes.”

After I rescued Heesoo hyung from the demon’s den, Heesoo hyung was out of it for a while. He acted like a dazed person, so there was no opportunity to explain our past connection. Even after he came to his senses, I was busy revealing the fact that I had Resurrection and persuading him. So I thought he didn’t know anything about the old days. Was I wrong?

I was happy that he remembered our connection, and a little embarrassed. I scratched my cheek and mumbled.

“I didn’t know you’d remember that. I figured you wouldn’t know, since I’m not the only one who has been indebted to you.”

“I didn’t know at first either. As I spent time with Mr. Yitae, I gradually remembered.”

“Then you should have said so. You were pretending all this time?”

“There was never a chance to bring it up out of the blue.”

“That’s true for me too.”

As I hesitated, I realized this wasn’t the main point. I thought Heesoo hyung was subtly trying to change the subject, so I quickly changed it back.

“Back then, like you said, I might have been a child in need of help, but not anymore. When I asked you to protect me, I meant for you to be by my side, not for you to get angry about every single one of my problems. As partners, we must equally fulfill our roles in our respective positions. If it’s like this, there’s no point in being partners…”

As I continued speaking, I was surprised to see the anguish blooming on Heesoo hyung’s face and shut my mouth. He clouded his smooth forehead like someone in pain and let out a sound close to a groan.

“Have you grown to dislike me?”

I was very flustered and retorted.

“What?”

“Am I restraining you, Mr. Yitae? Is that why you’ve grown to dislike me?”

No, why is the story suddenly going in that direction? I was perplexed that Heesoo hyung was saying the same thing as Ulfheðinn. I also thought he was seriously misunderstanding something, so I hurriedly said.

“Of course not! Dislike you? Not at all.”

“You’re angry at me and want to quit being partners…”

“No! How hard did I work to become Heesoo hyung’s partner! Quit? That’ll never happen!”

Even with my words, Heesoo hyung couldn’t hide his disappointment and anxiety. With a sorrowful and wretched expression, he grabbed my hand and lifted it. Then, as if pleading, he pressed my hand to his cheek and gazed at me intently.

Seeing his wavering pupils, as if shaken by a fierce wind, I could no longer scold him. I vaguely thought that this wasn’t right, but in front of him, I couldn’t help but be endlessly weak. When I came to my senses, I was comforting him with all my heart and soul.

“I’m just worried about you, Heesoo hyung. More difficult things will come our way in the future, and if you get upset over every little thing, there will be no end to it. You’ll get exhausted and give up before you even reach the max level, you know? So have some peace of mind and trust the people around you. Even though Min Gongchan drank my blood, it was unavoidable, and he stopped in time, right?”

At my words, Heesoo hyung’s expression changed completely. He was still holding my hand, but his expression was chilly.

“You’re wrong.”

“Huh?”

I was bewildered, not knowing what he meant by wrong, when he tilted his head slightly. Because of that, his cheek was buried deep in my hand.

He turned his chin a little more and rubbed his lips against my palm. A hot breath like a gust of wind escaped from between his soft lips. I knew my palm was quickly getting damp from his breath, but Heesoo hyung didn’t let go of my hand. Instead, he pulled me even closer and said.

“I wasn’t angry because that man drank your blood, Mr. Yitae.”

“Then?”

I asked, but Heesoo hyung didn’t answer. I was frustrated because I had no idea what he was thinking, but my question didn’t last long. Just as I thought he was lowering his lips from tracing my palm, he suddenly bit my wrist.

“Ouch!”

I cried out in surprise and pulled my arm back. Thanks to Heesoo hyung letting go of my hand, I clutched both hands in front of my chest, my face full of incomprehension. Seeing my eyes wide with question, Heesoo hyung said, as if lamenting.

“And yet you were ready to give that man anything.”

“The situation at that time was unavoidable…”

“If the situation is unavoidable, does it not matter who the other person is?”

Suddenly, Heesoo hyung took a big step closer. I stepped back without realizing it. But the juniper tree was blocking my way behind me.

I bumped my back against the old tree, all of its bark peeled off. With Heesoo hyung standing firm in front of me, I felt like I couldn’t escape anywhere. As if sensing my feelings, Heesoo hyung continued speaking slowly.

“What about now?”

“…”

“Isn’t this an unavoidable situation too?”

I realized that Heesoo hyung was cornering me. He was intimidating me. It was behavior that was incomprehensible, unfamiliar, and even ominous. I was secretly scared, but my instincts, honed from surviving for a long time as an all-purpose jack-of-all-trades character, warned me not to show any weakness at a time like this.

I knew that cowering and pushing him away would only provoke him further. My whole body was on edge with tension, but I forced myself to relax my shoulders and let out a hearty laugh as I said.

“I don’t think so? You can’t beat me, hyung.”

In fact, the one who couldn’t win was me. Physically and psychologically, he overwhelmed and dominated me. But admitting that fact and showing it on the outside were separate issues, so I feigned nonchalance and bluffed.

Heesoo hyung watched me carefully, as if observing me. His gaze was piercing, but I didn’t let my poker face crumble. Rather, to break him with a light provocation, I lightly punched his shoulder.

“See, you can’t win…”

The poker face was good, but the provocation was rash. At the same time my fist made contact, Heesoo hyung snatched my waist and pulled me. As my body staggered and fell backward, he embraced me tightly, leaving no room between us.