Dirty Sweet Baby Chapter 123

The object, emitting an eerie wave, was ominous enough for any Awakened with a core in their heart to perceive. A mysterious sphere that tore through space to open a Gate, birthed countless creatures, and maintained a separate dimension cut off from the outside world. Its structure and logic were still shrouded in mystery, and humanity had yet to understand even a few percent of what Gates or Gate cores were.

‘Should I shoot it?’

If he shot, the mission would be a failure.

But if he didn’t…

‘…’

In that brief moment, his life flashed before his eyes. Cha Moogyul came to mind.

If he went back, if he was reunited with him, he would run to him, embrace him, and kiss him. He would drag him to bed and lay him down. And he would confess everything—how he felt every time he looked into his eyes, how deeply his smile moved him, how his heart ached wherever they touched.

He loved his hair. Among his perfect body, the only part that was soft, curving, and swept back—his black hair.

He loved his languid laugh. Every time he heard it, his chest tickled and fluttered, and he wished that Moogyul would spend his whole life smiling at him.

His sleeping face was precious, and he loved the moments when the flawless man became defenseless. He hoped Moogyul would show him more of that defenseless side from now on.

He hoped Moogyul would complain when he was disappointed. He hoped he would cling to him when he was jealous. He hoped he would tell him if he wanted to lock Heeheon up.

He hoped they would fight together, share responsibility, and then love together again.

Just as Cha Moogyul was single-minded, Baek Heeheon was perhaps even more obsessive and stubborn. Just as Cha Moogyul was crazy for Baek Heeheon, Baek Heeheon was just as crazy for him.

That was why he was so looking forward to the coming winter.

He would see the white snow with Cha Moogyul. He would hold him under the heavy snowfall that painted the whole world white. He would lean into his embrace and look at the sky, look at the ground, and then look at Cha Moogyul.

He would engrave the fact that only Baek Heeheon was in his eyes every day, and let him know every day that only he was in his own eyes.

So they wouldn’t be anxious.

So that neither Cha Moogyul nor Baek Heeheon would be shaken anymore.

He would let it all go and just focus on pure love.

‘We should go on dates. And go on trips. And give gifts. I could pick out things like ties for him…’

There were countless things he wanted to do.

He wanted to drink with him, get drunk with him, go to the sea, go swimming, and he wondered what it would be like to buy something like a strawberry lollipop that kids would eat and stick it in Cha Moogyul’s mouth. He wanted to stop being so shy and just roll around calling him darling and honey.

He wanted to massage his shoulders when he was tired from work, he wanted to lather up shampoo and wash Cha Moogyul’s hair at least once, and he wanted to lean against him in the living room all night, chatting about nothing in particular, and watch the morning sunrise together.

He would spend the years with him, grow old with him, and die with him.

The α-creature spread its torso wide and leaped.

And then, a pure white light covered his vision.

An earth-shaking thunderbolt pierced the creature’s body with perfect accuracy, then ran it through as if to erase it from the world. No, as if that weren’t enough, the overflowing power crushed the creature’s corpse and completely obliterated the shed membrane left behind.

The α-creature died without letting out a single scream and was annihilated on the spot.

Heeheon whipped his head around.

There, standing in that spot, was the face he had pictured until the very end.

“How.”

How was Cha Moogyul here.

Even before that thought, he saw the red blood flowing from Cha Moogyul’s eyes. Bloody tears were streaming from him, who had unleashed his power beyond its limits.

A battered Heeheon limped toward him.

Cha Moogyul didn’t move, just stood there. No, it looked like he was in a state where he couldn’t take another step.

As he got closer, his alarming face became clear. Cha Moogyul was pale, and blood was seeping not only from his eyes but from his lips as well. His arms and neck were trembling finely, and his breathing was strange.

“Why are you, why are you like this.”

Heeheon grabbed and supported him. Only then did Cha Moogyul collapse into Heeheon’s arms.

“Hah… Guess I overdid it a little.”

His voice, as he muttered dejectedly, was terribly hoarse. Horrifyingly, there were black spots on the nape of Cha Moogyul’s neck.

It was evidence of excessive power usage, and a sign of an Esper’s rampage.

“Cha Moogyul!”

Even in the urgent situation, Cha Moogyul just leaned on Heeheon and muttered calmly.

“The core was in the clone. I captured it, and it’s been transferred to the researchers. The mission was a success.”

“You… you’re in danger. We need to call a guide right now.”

“The special task force headed to Residential District 2, so that side should be fine. No need to worry.”

“Stop talking. My goggles are dead, so you… no, give me your goggles.”

Heeheon ripped the goggles from his head and threw them down. He took Cha Moogyul’s, put them on instead, and contacted headquarters.

On the screen, he could see the terrain information of the path he had taken.

It looked like he had blasted his way through everything that blocked his path. Everything in sight. Whether it was β-creatures or whatever, he had forcibly cleared a path with his power and blindly pursued the α-creature that had taken Heeheon.

A large warning window appeared, along with his imbalance level.

The rampage stage had been passed long ago.

Cha Moogyul knew he was going berserk, yet he had continued to use his power to come all this way.

“…”

Seeing that screen, he was at a loss for words.

Why so inefficiently and impulsively, so unlike Cha Moogyul…

“You… you right now, are you trying to die?”

Why so thoughtlessly. Without looking before you leap. Why like that.

His black eyes stared at Heeheon. Those eyes were trembling, and so was the body that held onto Heeheon. He gripped Heeheon tightly with his trembling arms.

And he whispered emptily.

“You scared me. You said you’d be careful… You almost died if I hadn’t come.”

“…”

“I wasn’t too late. Barely.”

Cha Moogyul’s breathing was ragged.

The blood flowing from his eyes stained his chin and dripped down. He let out a few dry coughs, and then another gush of blood burst forth.

Heeheon felt as if his heart was being torn into a thousand pieces. His mind went completely blank, and he couldn’t utter a single word. His eyes reddened, his breath caught, and his chest felt like it was being ripped apart.

The black spots covering Cha Moogyul’s neck spread in an instant, already covering half his face.

This level, it was a clear rampage.

A stage that could not be reversed even with guiding.

Cha Moogyul must have known. He must have seen the screen the entire time he was searching for Heeheon, and he must have used his power knowing that.

“You should leave, hyung.”

“…”

“If I go berserk inside a Gate, no one will get caught in it. Baek Heeheon just has to find his way out. Simple. You can just go back the way I came.”

“…”

“And. I was sorry.”

Cha Moogyul raised his fingertips and used his power again.

A small, bead-like blue light floated up and touched the Gate core suspended in the air.

The Gate core crumbled all too easily, and the space began to disappear. Heeheon felt like he was about to lose his mind.

‘Cha Moogyul.’

Cha Moogyul.

He had gone berserk chasing Baek Heeheon all the way here, and now he was going to die just like this…?

‘What does that even mean.’

He simply couldn’t accept this reality.

‘What the hell does that mean.’

Heeheon, losing his senses, shook his head slowly. His hot eyes were filling with tears.

“No.”

“Hyung.”

“Please. No.”

Overcome with emotion, Heeheon sobbed as if begging him.

“I, I can’t leave you. You can’t do this.”

Cha Moogyul chuckled, as if he didn’t understand Heeheon.

“Get out and live as you please. You can just forget about a bastard like me.”

“What are you saying. Why are you doing this… Why should I do that.”

“Do as I say. Get out, erase your memory, and go meet some guy like Sung Ahwon.”

“You…”

“It’s a good thing we failed to imprint.”

Heeheon’s entire body trembled like a leaf. He lost his reason watching Cha Moogyul’s face get covered in black. He couldn’t forgive him. To push Heeheon this far, to push himself this far, and then to say it was the end.

“You, you son of a bitch, are you kidding me?”

In this moment, Heeheon hated him so much he thought he would die.

He loathed Cha Moogyul. He was just as terrified.

“Don’t say things you don’t mean! Do you think I’ll be grateful if you act like that?”

He didn’t have the confidence to let him go.

It couldn’t be like this.

This was really not it.

“Hahh, I’d rather kill you with my own two hands.”

At last, hot tears fell. Once they started, they flowed without stopping. Heeheon, his face soaked in tears, cupped Cha Moogyul’s blackened face and pressed his lips against his.

“If you were going to do this, you shouldn’t have even started. You should have just let me live on, having given up on you completely. Do you know how hard I’ve tried all this time? I endured, and endured again, I fought like hell just to try not to love you, you of all people.”

He didn’t want to leave the Gate.

He didn’t want to leave Cha Moogyul here alone and run away to save only himself.

They were two people who were going to imprint anyway. Would it matter so much if they died together?

“You didn’t read the letter… Do you know what I wrote in there? Huh? You have to read that.”

The tears wouldn’t stop and kept falling.

Heeheon cried as if it were the end of the world and kissed his cheek again.

“You were my first love.”

His stiff face was cold.