The Unbelievers Chapter 54

Even after resonating with Eunseong, Yoo Siun did not appear to have changed much on the outside. He himself had only heard about resonance in words; experiencing it in reality was a first.

It was not the way he had imagined. It was quite different from his expectations.

He had assumed there would only be an instinctive rut no different from that of a beast, but in reality, it was closer to a resonance of emotions.

He even wondered if Eunseong was under the illusion that he liked him because of the resonance.

Of course, Eunseong had liked him since before the full-scale resonance began, but regardless, Yoo Siun was of the Seongha bloodline and was one of the few breeders, and Eunseong was the reality of the Great Rift. If so, it was inevitable that they would be instinctively drawn to each other as beings meant to produce seed. He had kept such a distance precisely because he worried about that. He had tried not to go near him, even to the point of inflicting wounds.

That was why Yoo Siun was even more confused. He was at a point where he was muddled as to whether this was the resonance he had heard about, or if he liked Eunseong as one human to another.

Yoo Siun often recalled Eunseong’s face before going to sleep. Looking back, Eunseong had a quick-tempered nature. If there was something he disliked, he did not endure it. His way of expressing emotions was fundamentally different from Yoo Siun, who had lived only by enduring while hiding himself in the thicket. If Eunseong had something to say, he said it. He did not hide his feelings of liking him, and he looked at Yoo Siun with eyes that craved affection.

“Whew…”

Without realizing that Manager Nam was watching him, Yoo Siun let out a sigh.

Resonance was close to a heart-wrenching sorrow—wanting to see but being unable to, wanting to touch but being unable to.

He had to make Eunseong escape to a foreign country as quickly as possible. Yoo Siun was not the only one in the family who could resonate with the being of the prophecy. There was no telling when the “Great Rift” might be discovered, and he could not be certain that it would remain undiscovered forever.

Yoo Siun was one thing, but because securing the “Great Rift” meant possessing the qualification to inherit the entire group, his cousins monitored one another. If necessary, they even used tricks to disturb the others. Just as Yoo Siun was currently hiding Eunseong in his penthouse. They too might be hiding targets, or they might be tracking someone who was being hidden.

When he thought of them, who went as far as committing the murder of Great Rift candidates, Yoo Siun felt a chill down his spine. Just half a year ago, he had to dispose of a corpse that Yoo Seongil had kidnapped and killed after mistaking the person for a target. The mere imagination of Eunseong suffering such a thing made his heart drop.

If Eunseong were not the target, Yoo Siun would have blocked it and protected him somehow, but now the situation itself had changed. What he had only suspected was revealed to be true, and those with open spirit eyes would recognize Eunseong no matter who they were. At that point, not even Yoo Siun could be certain of protecting Eunseong.

He could not believe his own behavior—lingering even though he knew he could no longer delay sending Eunseong abroad.

Now that you’ve confirmed it, you should put it into action; why are you lingering?

Just what on earth do you want to do with that boy?

“CEO, are you listening to me?”

“Yes? Ah, I was just thinking about something else for a moment. What did you say?”

Yoo Siun avoided his gaze slightly, as if Manager Nam’s questioning look was piercing through the rebellious thoughts in his head.

“Executive Director Kwon Junho said he would contact you separately soon. It seems the behind-the-scenes work with the executives who will lend their strength is almost finished. Get acquainted with them first at the Seongha gathering, and I will try to arrange a secret meeting next time.”

“Let’s do that. That way, we can end this madness quickly.”

Whichever way it went, it had to end quickly so that Yoo Siun could also settle his heart. Yoo Siun nodded at Manager Nam’s words.

On the day Eunseong returned from taking the college entrance exam, Manager Nam came to pick him up. The eyes that had been subtly glad to see the car turned visibly sullen upon realizing there was no one but Manager Nam inside. Pouting with a sulky mouth, Eunseong just stared blankly out the car window at the streets entering winter.

“Did you do well on the exam?”

“I just guessed mostly.”

“The CEO told me to buy you something delicious today. What should we do?”

“I don’t want to eat with you, Manager. I called a friend over to the house. I’m going to play with my friend.”

“You mean that friend from before, right?”

“I don’t have any friends other than him. Why do you ask when you already know?”

A bit of irritation rose toward Manager Nam, who meddled in his every move. Today was the day of the college entrance exam. He had believed that Yoo Siun would show up today, and Manager Nam had also said that since today was a special day, Yoo Siun might stop by.

He didn’t know if Manager Nam was lying to comfort him or if Yoo Siun was lying, but he disliked both. They had gotten Eunseong’s hopes up and were now talking nonsense about him having dinner with them today.

Even though it was expected, Eunseong was hurt. From the start, there was nothing a first cousin once removed could do for a nephew who liked him. Eunseong didn’t just like him; he liked him as a man, with sexual feelings.

He couldn’t quite distinguish whether the feeling of liking someone naturally made a person feel hurt, or if he was hurt because the person he liked consistently pushed him away. Either way, both made Eunseong feel sorrowful just the same.

“The CEO told me to tell you that you worked hard and went through a lot studying. He also asked me to tell you he’s sorry he couldn’t come because of a business trip.”

“…Don’t lie. That business trip stuff is crap. He isn’t even interested in me.”

“When you say it like that, I’m the one who ends up feeling hurt.”

“Why would you be hurt, Manager?”

“Because I know very well how much the CEO is concerned about you, Eunseong.”

“…”

Eunseong hated that Manager Nam kept talking about Yoo Siun, and he hated him talking as if Siun were concerned about him. Manager Nam knew nothing of the circumstances between the two. Eunseong was not angry with him. He was struggling to grow distant from him and to not acknowledge his own feelings.

The car soon arrived at the penthouse. Having grown accustomed to living alone in the large house, Eunseong found it more uncomfortable that Manager Nam occasionally followed him in to look around.

“What time did your friends say they were coming?”

“They’ll be here soon. They said they’d come right after the exam. You can leave now.”

“You’re disappointed the CEO didn’t come, aren’t you?”

Manager Nam asked Eunseong, who stood in the foyer to see him off after looking around the interior.

“No. We’re strangers anyway, so whatever.”

“The CEO said you don’t necessarily have to go to a domestic university, and to think about going abroad.”

“…What?”

“He means you should consider studying abroad—no, that it would be better to study abroad. Your English is quite lacking, too, Eunseong. It’s better to start and get used to a language as soon as possible.”

“…”

He had come to say this.

Now, after all that, he’s trying to send me overseas.

Yoo Siun considered him a burden. Realizing that fact, Eunseong’s fingertips turned cold. Even so, while he was inside the fence Siun provided, Manager Nam gave him news of him, and he could feel Yoo Siun indirectly. His heart had ached at Manager Nam’s words that Yoo Siun was very concerned about him, but on the other hand, a hot emotion had filled him with pride. Eunseong realized that was all an illusion, and his whole body turned cold.

“Are you telling me to go to a foreign university?”

“There’s no reason to insist on a domestic university, and there are many options. By any chance, is there a country you wanted to go to, or a language you wanted to learn?”

“I’ve never… thought about such things.”

He had never thought about going overseas. Even now, they were apart and Siun wouldn’t even take his calls; this meant he should go somewhere where they couldn’t even see each other by chance anymore.

Eunseong’s throat suddenly grew hot. The breath passing into his respiratory tract made his chest feel so tight that he unconsciously opened his mouth and exhaled sharply.

Despite seeing Eunseong’s panicked reaction, Manager Nam did not change his attitude. Even if Eunseong said he didn’t want to, it was a foregone conclusion that he had to go no matter what.

“Think about it positively. The CEO said it doesn’t matter where it is, as long as it’s a place you want, Eunseong.”

He added that because it was a good opportunity, he shouldn’t miss it.

Eunseong felt as if he had swallowed a fireball.

It was certain that the dream he had on the day he lost consciousness three months ago was not a dream, but reality. Eunseong had wrapped his arms around his neck and, like a beast in heat, pressed his lower abdomen tight against him and rubbed his cheeks and lips frantically against his chest.

He had thought it was like that in a dream. Because he had committed such a crazy act, he now had to be completely separated from Yoo Siun and go to an entirely different country. That was what Yoo Siun wanted. To disappear completely from his sight, from his line of fire. To not be seen. The intention to tell him to go somewhere out of sight and not cause unpleasantness was clear. And he was notifying him in this format as soon as the entrance exam was over, as if he had been waiting for it.

No emotion was visible on Eunseong’s face, which had received a cold shock, making him look like a hollow doll.

“I’ll look into it too. Could you… tell him thank you?”

“Of course. I’ll be going then. Have fun with your friends. You’ve worked hard studying all this time.”

“…Yes. Goodbye.”

Eunseong, having barely managed to say goodbye, staggered inside.

Manager Nam, who had observed Eunseong’s reaction, let out a sigh as he left the house and got into the elevator. He had thought Eunseong had given up his feelings because there hadn’t been much talk about Yoo Siun lately, but it seemed he still liked him. Eunseong was taking the suggestion to study abroad essentially as a notice of severance, a declaration to cut ties.