“Your eye color turning black again... is it related to Kim Hyun-Sung?” Rafael asked with a worried face.
“...”
Of course...
‘Of course, it's because of that bastard.’
I was the one who messed around with the Regressor’s Instruction Manual, but since Kim Hyun-Sung was the one who originally brought it up, it was only right for me to say that it was his fault.
Even though he had plenty of time to fix it, he hadn't done anything to fix it, which made me wonder if this is actually what he wanted all along.
He ought to have crawled over here by now, begging and crying to explain what had happened and why our connection was fading, but Kim Hyun-Sung remained indifferent.
“I was just wondering... if it had something to do with the fight you had,” Rafael added.
‘I don’t even know who Kim Hyun-Sung is anymore. Damn it. I don’t even know if he’s the same Hyu-Sung I used to know.’
The Hyun-Sung I knew used to panic if the connection was severed even for a second, but now, all that was left was this rude, unrecognizable version of him. Of course, the Regressor’s Instruction Manual was still connected to him.
Turning it off right after our fight was no different from saying that I could switch it on and off whenever I wanted, so I left only the faintest thread alive, letting it slowly die.
Honestly, I thought that alone would be enough. After all, losing the golden eye that had become the very symbol of the Regressor’s Instruction Manual was a huge loss.
However, the bastard remained silent. Perhaps that was his way of saying he wouldn’t yield this time, but unfortunately for him, I had no intention of backing down, either.
No, I felt like he was even enjoying this situation.
The fact that he hadn't sent a single message was proof that he welcomed it.
It seemed that he no longer needed the Regressor’s Instruction Manual or any of that anymore.
'Good for you, Mr. Kim Hyun-Sung. Damn it. Go ahead and enjoy your little treatment session. I’ve got plenty of people who like me, too. Damn it.’
I had no idea if it was because I had been thinking too much, but a heavy silence settled on the room. I noticed Rafael quietly glancing at me. His eyes were filled with worry.
I thought he’d be thrilled, even ready to dance, upon realizing that the connection between Kim Hyun-Sung and me was starting to shatter. Instead, he looked even gloomier. His reaction was completely different from what I expected.
His face twisted slightly, showing how conflicted he was inside.
“No, it’s not Mr. Hyun-Sung’s fault. There must be something wrong with me. I must’ve failed to understand how he truly felt...” I said.
“Don’t say it’s your fault, hyung. That doesn’t make any sense... it can’t be,” Rafael mumbled.
‘That’s right. It’s not my fault. It’s that jerk’s fault.’
It was all that jerk’s fault.
“What exactly happened? No, hyung, are you really okay like this?” Rafael asked.
“Yes,” I answered.
“Are you really... okay?” Rafael asked again.
‘I’m fine. He said he’s done with me, so what can I do? I’m not going to care about him anymore. I’ve got you now. That’s why we ate together today...’
'Why else do you think I agreed to meet you?'
“Yes. I’m fine, Mr. Rafael. So you don’t need to worry. I don’t know if our souls are really drifting apart, or if there’s a problem with the bond or trust between Mr. Hyun-Sung and me. I also don't know if there’s another reason, but this seems like a temporary thing... No, it has to be something temporary,” I answered.
“...”
“More importantly, it’s not urgent. Compared to what’s happening across the continent, this is trivial. If I talk to Mr. Hyun-Sung calmly later, it’ll be fine—”
“It can’t be fine, hyung. Your souls were connected, and now, they’re drifting apart... How could that ever be okay?” Rafael interrupted me.
“Pardon?” I questioned.
“I-I’m not stupid. I know what it means... and I know how important it is to you right now. Sharing a soul... it means something, doesn’t it?” Rafael asked.
“...”
“It must be that jerk's fault, right? Is this really just temporary? If he doesn’t come back... what will you—what will you do? Can you bear it?” Rafael asked.
“That won’t happen. I’m sure of it,” I answered.
“But there’s always a chance he won’t come back. Can you really say you can endure that sense of loss?” Rafael asked.
“What? I...” I paused.
“Can you really say with confidence... that it wouldn’t affect you at all?” Rafael questioned.
I felt like I had exaggerated my gloom too much. His face was far more serious than I expected. Being the subject of pity felt strangely good, but his level of worry had risen far higher than I anticipated.
For a moment, I had wondered if I could use him as a substitute for Hyun-Sung, but that thought quickly became meaningless. Regardless, he was starting to let his imagination run wild.
Rafael muttered, “Hyung... you might not have realized it, but... I still hate Kim Hyun-Sung.”
‘I knew that. How could I not? Anyone can see that you hate him...’
“I can’t understand him. He’s violent and self-centered. He’s the devil. And he did terrible things to you. But aside from all that, I think I can understand how much you trust, rely on, and lean on him. I think he feels the same. His way of showing it might be flawed, but at least I think it's genuine...” Rafael explained.
‘Damn it, I said I’m fine, so why is he acting like this?’
“I didn’t want to admit it, but I thought your bond together was what was keeping you going. I thought it was protecting your soul from wearing down, the reason you're still breathing and alive. But... was I mistaken? Was I wrong to think that way?” he asked.
He was worked up, completely agitated. It was hard to believe that just a few minutes ago, we had been calmly talking about Marian. I had no idea why this guy suddenly lost it, gnashing his teeth like that. His trembling fists were almost comical.
I really wanted to crack open his head just to see what kind of thoughts were running through it.
“Haven’t you ever thought that this relationship is too one-sided? This is not normal. You’ve endured so much on your own in this continent, and yet you’re still worrying about that bastard. Isn’t that strange?
"Is that really how someone who’s supposed to be soul-bound should act? Is that something a friend—or a brother—could do?” Rafael questioned.
“Mr. Rafael... please, calm down for a moment,” I told him.
“How could I calm down?! You’re already struggling so much, and now... there's this pointless nonsense. If he truly cared about you, he wouldn’t act like that. This is wrong, hyung. You need to value yourself more. You deserve to be happy. You can’t keep saying everything is your fault!” Rafael shouted.
“...”
I was completely thrown off by Rafael, who spouted lines that sounded like something a supporting male lead in a romance novel would say.
He even got up, sporting a face I had seen somewhere before.
It was a face I didn’t want to recall, yet I saw a glimpse of Kim Myung-Won, the epitome of youthful passion at the Blue Guild’s Youth Center, on his face.
He looked like he was about to star in some teen drama at any moment.
“It’s unfair. It’s unjust... It's something I can never forgive,” Rafael said.
“What?” I asked.
“I-I’ll be going first,” Rafael said.
‘What the hell? Why is he acting like this?’
“No, Mr. Rafael. Sit down. Surely you’re not—”
“Sorry for suddenly acting like that. I wanted us to talk in a more cheerful mood, but please call me again next time. No, I’ll contact you first, hyung,” Rafael said.
“Mr. Rafael! Mr. Rafael!”
Before I could even finish shouting his name, he walked away and spread his gray wings. Then, he took to the skies in an instant. There was no way I could keep up with him, so I had to track him through my Telescope.
Thanks to the Rafael Party Kidnapping incident, he became a symbol of impulsiveness, but I hadn’t expected him to lose his mind.
He was calm during our conversation earlier, and it made his outburst stand out more.
‘No way, right?’
“...”
‘Right?’
Anyone could see that he was flying toward the Union of Kingdoms. I had no idea if Ahn Ki-Mo had told him where Kim Hyun-Sung was located, but for now, it definitely looked like that was his destination.
"Damn it... why..."
“...”
"Why? How come I.... Damn it..."
He muttered the same thing as he flapped his wings. Moments later, he crashed into the ground with a loud bang.
I thought, 'no way,' but his destination really was Kim Hyun-Sung's cabin.
A familiar scenery came into view. Perhaps he could kill that quack doctor while he was there.
'How about I give him a quest?'
Before I could even decide whether to stop him or not, he made his way to a certain cabin. He didn't even knock on the door and simply kicked the door open, shouting, "Kim Hyun-Sung!"
Kim Hyun-Sung was visibly startled by the sudden visitor.
I had been peeking at him through the Telescope, and it seemed that he’d been going through some things emotionally, even though not much time had passed since then.
He looked as if he’d fallen ill. He also realized that his eye's color hadn't fully returned, and he looked like someone still dwelling on the fight from before, which honestly made the corner of my mouth twitch unconsciously.
‘Yeah. I knew it.’
He looked like a wreck. He looked tired, as if he hadn’t slept, and his lips were chapped. Only a few days had passed, but his skin already looked dry and rough, and the freshness he had when I first saw him was nowhere to be found.
I could say for certain that, in this state, he could never star in a sports drink commercial.
At the very least, I was no longer worried that he could be pretending.
Just then, a new concern surfaced.
What if Rafael ended up spilling everything to him?
‘Maybe not?’
It didn’t look like Rafael went there just to talk to Kim Hyun-Sung. At this point, the two of them in the same room were already awkward.
Kim Hyun-Sung's voice was cold and sharp as he asked, "What are you doing here?"
"Kim Hyun-Sung..."
"..."
"Kim Hyun-Sung. You... bastard."
"..."
He didn’t answer and only stared at Rafael’s face.
Then, Rafael charged at him. With a sharp whoosh, he crashed into Kim Hyun-Sung.
Thankfully, it wasn't really a proper attack, but Rafael had gnashed his teeth and raised his fists. His hands were trembling violently from how tightly he was clenching them, but there was no way Kim Hyun-Sung would actually get hit.
‘Rafael’s really slow, and that's such an obvious move. Who’s actually going to get hit by that? Ah... he still hasn’t learned his lesson despite receiving a beating from Jung Jin-Ho.'
BAM!
Shockingly, one of Rafael’s punches connected squarely with Kim Hyun-Sung’s face.
“Huh?”
Like a puppet whose strings were cut, Kim Hyun-Sung was blasted away from the cabin and out into the open.
Dust flew everywhere in an instant, and when it settled, I saw Rafael breathing heavily and tense.
Kim Hyun-Sung was on the ground, seemingly having completely given up the fight.
Rafael slowly lowered his fists and said, "You’re pathetic."
This was an unscripted situation. The nostalgic summer-youth-drama vibes that reminded me of Kim Myung-Won and the sudden appearance of Crystal Punch gave me goosebumps, but...
‘Man, I feel like I can finally breathe.’
Somehow, the frustration inside me was slightly assuaged.
"You’re a worthless bastard. A piece of trash."
"..."
"That’s all I have to say."
"..."
‘Is Hyun-Sung... coming back to his senses?’
Would the Crystal Punch snap him out of it?