ANTITOXIN Chapter 19

Seolwon flusteredly picked one of the choices. It was because he felt that if he left it alone, an even worse option would come out.

The man nodded, letting out an “Ah-ha.”

“So that’s what it was. I was number 2, you know. I was like, ‘Wow, I see this guy here again?’”

Though the reason was subtly different, at any rate, he too showed a look of surprise at the current reunion. It meant it wasn’t an intended meeting.

Separately, the man’s reaction brought a feeling of wonder to Seolwon. Because it seemed like he regarded this meeting quite welcomely. Unlike himself, who was merely thoroughly flustered.

That the feeling wasn’t a trick of his mind was confirmed by the man with his next words.

“Actually, I wished we would meet again.”

“…Me?”

“Yeah.”

A desire always has a purpose. There was no way the man would have wished for a reunion for no reason. However, Seolwon could not guess the reason for it. Therefore, he could not help but ask.

“Why… me?”

“Because I wanted to meet you.”

The immediately returning answer was extraordinarily simple, and at the same time, it was clear to the point where he couldn’t counter it in any way.

Also.

“You kept coming to my mind, you see.”

…It was also filled with deep meaning.

The man added while pointing at Seolwon’s eyes with his finger.

“Especially those eyes.”

Eyes? My eyes? What’s with my eyes?

Seolwon inadvertently fumbled around his eye area. He could not understand at all what part of his eyes, which looked no different from anyone else’s, had caught the man’s interest.

“They’re moist, yet on the other hand, they’re dry. Like saying, ‘I have a lot of history—’. Is it sandpaper? If one gets scratched, it’ll probably hurt like hell.”

He giggled while playfully wagging the hand that pointed at his eyes.

“Maybe that’s why. The more I look, the more I want to make you cry. Because I think it’d be prettier if they got wet. Though it’s already to my taste right now.”

Without even being able to think of talking back in any way, Seolwon merely swallowed dry saliva. Because the words he spat out with a light tone and even a laugh felt all too abnormal to him. It even gave him goosebumps in the aspect that it appeared to be entirely sincere.

The next moment, the man placed his elbow on top of his knee and rested his chin on his clenched hand. Only then did Seolwon notice that he was sitting with his knees bent just like him. That posture also seemed to play a part in the fact that a rowdy streak, which hadn’t been felt at the art museum, was wafting quite a bit right now.

“So, what brings you here?”

Before Seolwon could even fully escape from the confusion caused by the words whose meaning he couldn’t grasp, the man switched the topic.

Seolwon countered inadvertently.

“Ah, because of work…”

“Ah-ha, work. What work?”

It was difficult to explain in detail. Honestly, he had no obligation to answer either. So, after hesitating, Seolwon glossed over it roughly.

“Company work.”

Though he didn’t actually attend one, since he participated under the justification of belonging to a company, it wasn’t an entirely incorrect remark.

“Company work… interesting, yeah.”

The man whispered in a subtle tone.

But, what was?

At what part of the answer that he came for company work did he feel interest. Seolwon could not know. It wasn’t just that which he couldn’t know. Everything about the man was just like that. It meant there was nothing being read. Neither thoughts, emotions, energy, nor smell…

To Seolwon, who possessed spiritual energy, it was a bizarre case. Even though he was looking this closely and right in front of him, it was the first time he encountered an opponent where nothing was read and only doubts floated up.

Wait, nothing is being read?

Suddenly, Seolwon recalled. The deadly aura that was attached to the man’s watch. It had been a deadly aura so terrible that it was utterly impossible to ignore. Yet right now, neither the smell nor the energy was felt.

Belatedly lowering his gaze, he checked the man’s left wrist. The watch… was fastened, to be sure. Though he didn’t know if it was the same watch as back then. At any rate, the deadly aura was not visible for now.

“Ah, the watch?”

The man, who noticed what Seolwon was looking at, raised his left arm. And then, shaking it back and forth, he spoke.

“I changed it. To the exact same one. I listen well, right?”

It was a different watch.

Seolwon felt relieved.

“Then did you throw away that watch?”

“Yeah. Since you told me to throw it away.”

He had been worried in case he still had it, so it was a relief. Separately, Seolwon was inwardly surprised by the fact that he had faithfully followed his advice. Because although he had ended up interfering as he couldn’t pass it by, he hadn’t expected at all that he would believe his words.

Anyway, it was a good thing. If he had kept holding onto that watch with the curse attached, trouble would have broken out someday. Judging by how he was this perfectly fine, it seemed nothing much had happened in the meantime either.

Just as Seolwon was feeling inwardly proud, thinking that it was worth opening his mouth.

“But aren’t you going to praise me?”

The man babbled another strange remark.

“What… praise?”

“I listened well, didn’t I? Isn’t it something to receive praise for? Because a person I saw for the first time told me to throw it away, and I went as far as to throw away a watch that costs a staggering amount.”

What? A watch that costs a staggering amount?

…A staggering amount?

At the price of the watch that surpassed imagination, Seolwon’s eyes grew wide. In his eyes, it had merely looked like trash to be thrown away, but to think it would be such an expensive item. But then he says he threw it away just by listening to his words. It was to the extent that although it was correct that he gave help, he felt a feeling exactly like he should say he was sorry instead.

“I, I didn’t know it was that expensive… I am so, sorry.”

For truly a long time, Seolwon revealed his flustered state of mind completely, even to the point of stammering his words. It was an appearance that a person who knew Seolwon’s character, which was calm and detached in every matter, would have been sincerely amazed by. For instance, someone like Park Moonhyuk.

But isn’t it a staggering amount, a staggering amount. Even if it were a few million won it would be a shocking matter, but a staggering amount. It was an amount range capable of causing a huge ripple in the heart of Seolwon, who possessed an ordinary sense of money.

At Seolwon’s apology, the man pulled up one eyebrow and showed an unpleased reaction.

“Instead of ‘I am sorry,’ I told you to say ‘Good job,’ you see?”

It seems he truly wants praise, not as a joke. Even while wondering if his praise was needlessly necessary, Seolwon reluctantly let him hear the words the man desired.

“Ah, yes. That… you did a good job.”

It was correct that it was a good deed. Regardless of the price, it was right to throw away that watch.

At the clumsily extended praise, the man smirked. It looked like a smile built because it was funny rather than because he felt good.

“Come to think of it, did you eat the candy?”

Candy?

…Ah, that candy.

Seolwon quickly recalled the candy he had taken as the divination fee and nodded his head.

“How was it?”

What did he mean how was it. It was just like candy.

“It was sweet.”

“…”

“…”

“Is that all?”

Was there supposed to be something more?

No matter how much he thought, nothing floated up outside of the impression that it was sweet. Furthermore, because he didn’t like sweet things all that much, he had even left it abandoned while eating it…

When Seolwon failed to add another impression, the man wrinkled the bridge of his nose and grumbled.

“I’m disappointed, you know? Because they said it’s a masterpiece that an artisan who makes only chocolates in Italy created with all his heart and soul, so I bought it for as much as 500,000 won and brought it over, you see.”

“Pardon?”

500,000 won? That lollipop?

At the price of the candy, which was more shocking than the watch price that was said to be a staggering amount, Seolwon froze.

“Fi, fi… five hundred thousand won?”

“Yeah. By any chance, do I look like a guy who would shove cheap stuff that costs a thousand or two thousand won at a convenience store into his mouth?”

He wondered what was wrong with eating that. Conversely, buying and eating candy for as much as 500,000 won was a more bizarre deed by Seolwon’s standard. Even so, he says he bought and ate it with his own money, so what could he say. Let alone that it wasn’t a subject to disparage, Seolwon, who ended up feeling a guilt-like emotion in the aspect that he had treated that expensive candy carelessly, responded to the man’s words.

“Ah, no.”

“Right?”

“Yes. …But why did you give something that expensive to me?”

“Well? Because it seems it’s still too early to give a dick-sucking?”

What on earth is this again…

For a moment, Seolwon doubted his ears. However, he didn’t have the courage to ask what on earth he had just said. To be precise, he didn’t have the courage to hear it again. He merely wished to let it pass by, thinking he must have misheard it. He didn’t even want to know whether it was a serious statement or a joke.

The man’s remarks, which truly couldn’t be predicted where they would bounce, led Seolwon into a high intensity of confusion. Seolwon is someone who already finds communication with others difficult as it is. He felt that the limit was gradually approaching. Coming to this point, it was to a stage where a fundamental doubt even arose, wondering why he was doing this here.

The man openly spectated Seolwon, who lost his words and only blinked his eyes.

“…”

“…”

For a short while, silence flowed. However, it did not last long.

“But you see.”

It was thanks to the man breaking it.

“By any chance, do you tend to hear that you’re naive a lot?”

“Pardon?”

“Or else, that you’re lacking up here.”