Delusive Fate

#104

“You’re back? What are you doing escorting that troublemaker? She’s not a princess.”

When Choi Tae-hyuk returned home, the sound of video games echoed throughout the house. Taking off the jacket he had hastily thrown on before rushing out, Choi Tae-hyuk sighed heavily as if frustrated. He headed straight to the living room.

“Choi Tae-hyuk, is this really the time to be playing games?”

Choi Tae-hyuk was completely absorbed in his console game, acting as if nothing had happened. His arrogant posture, half-sprawled on the sofa with a colorful controller in hand, was infuriatingly shameless.

After causing such a commotion just moments ago. Unusually irritated, Choi Tae-hyun addressed his brother by his full name in a stern tone. Choi Tae-hyuk merely snorted in response, pretending not to care about his brother’s displeasure.

“Choi Tae-hyuk, why did you treat Han-sol like that?”

“Where’d you sell the dog and come back alone? Don’t tell me you left a speechless animal with that violent guy?”

“Ppomi is with Han-sol. Don’t worry about that and just answer me, Choi Tae-hyuk. Why did you do that? Showing up suddenly without warning and picking a fight with Han-sol who wasn’t doing anything wrong.”

“‘Han-sol,’ huh? You’re calling him so affectionately that even I’m falling in love listening to it.”

“Stop being sarcastic. If you caused that scene, you should at least explain why you did it. What did Han-sol ever do to hurt you like that?”

“Hurt?”

Choi Tae-hyuk raised his eyebrows as if this was the most ridiculous thing he’d ever heard. Choi Tae-hyun glared at him with disapproval. It wasn’t something he could just let slide as usual—he couldn’t stop thinking about Lee Han-sol, who had turned away clutching Ppomi tightly in front of the house.

Just earlier, Lee Han-sol had looked like an angry child with a nasty expression, yet somehow also terrified; walking straight but seeming to stagger at the same time. Choi Tae-hyun doesn’t know how anxious he felt taking Lee Han-sol home. Han-sol had seemed so precarious that Choi Tae-hyun, who had initially only intended to walk him to the building, ended up following him all the way to his apartment door. He had even impulsively placed Ppomi into Han-sol’s arms, feeling he shouldn’t be left alone.

Choi Tae-hyun pressed his brother.

“I’m really upset with you right now. Stop playing and talk to me. Now.”

Choi Tae-hyuk didn’t respond immediately, continuing to press buttons on his controller with an indifferent expression. Shortly after, sounds of “K.O.” and “You win” played in succession, and only then did he throw the controller aside and look at Choi Tae-hyun.

“So the waste-tier is saying he’s hurt?”

“Stop calling him that waste-tier thing. How could he not be hurt when you refer to someone that way?”

“That bastard knows he’s waste-tier himself, so he’s keeping his mouth shut. Why are you making such a fuss? You’re being such a pushover. That’s why trash like him clings to you and pretends to be hurt for sympathy. Didn’t you see him glaring and charging at me just now? What hurt feelings… if anything, I’m the one who got physically hurt by him.”

“What sympathy? Han-sol isn’t that kind of person. Besides, of course he’s hurt. In fact, Han-sol is… Sigh, anyway. Where did you hear such strange things to act like this?”

Recalling the commotion that had just occurred between Lee Han-sol and Choi Tae-hyuk, Choi Tae-hyun rubbed between his eyebrows. In his opinion, this was entirely the fault of his beloved brother, Choi Tae-hyuk.

What happened between them? Why was Han-sol, clearly a C-rank hunter, associated with famous hunters like Ki Baek-woo and Jung Yi-dam? How did he know his high-ranking brother? Where did they meet? Why did they meet? What kind of relationship did they have?

Newly realizing he knew nothing about Lee Han-sol, Choi Tae-hyun couldn’t intervene recklessly between him and his brother. As he was watching the situation helplessly, unable to decide what to do, what he’d feared finally happened. Han-sol, who had been strangely quiet, finally exploded in anger. He growled.

‘Shut up.’

Pretending to be pretty, using that to exploit others and ruin their lives, a C-rank trash who’s A-rank at seducing idiots… These were the kinds of one-sided accusations that Choi Tae-hyuk, who had suddenly barged into the house, had hurled at Lee Han-sol. For Choi Tae-hyun, they were bizarre criticisms he couldn’t possibly relate to.

Han-sol trying to seduce someone by pleasing them…? That’s impossible.

Adjusting your behavior to someone else’s preferences for a purpose requires highly developed social skills. And the Lee Han-sol that Choi Tae-hyun knew was someone who didn’t possess such skills. Han-sol, who often narrowed his eyes into triangles, sometimes seemed not just unsociable but completely unsocialized. That’s why Choi Tae-hyun had been anxious throughout Choi Tae-hyuk’s appearance. He was afraid Han-sol would clench his fist and charge at Choi Tae-hyuk as he usually would.

But surprisingly, Han-sol was unusually docile that day. A man who would immediately throw a spinning kick at a stranger just for smoking on the street was being this quiet. It seemed like he was avoiding any interaction with Choi Tae-hyuk, not wanting to get involved with him. His expression, with tightly sealed lips, looked weary. He appeared determined not to respond at all. He only started reacting after the name Ki Baek-woo came out of Choi Tae-hyuk’s mouth.

Ki Baek-woo.

The person who had locked himself away without eating or drinking and was dramatically rescued. The person who would lie limp like a soulless doll but then suddenly harm himself as if having a seizure. The person who, after being saved with difficulty, now purposely pushed himself to the limit, moving from gate to gate without rest, as if to prove something.

‘Do you know how many times he almost died? Actually, if it had been anyone else, they would have self-destructed and turned to dust long ago. It’s a secret, but I’ve developed something like faith lately. Want to know why?’

‘…’

‘Ki Baek-woo, that bastard, still having his limbs intact—if that’s not a miracle, it doesn’t make sense. I guess there is a God after all. Though not everything is intact, and his mind has probably been broken for a while… Probably because of you, waste-tier.’

Choi Tae-hyuk sneered, tapping his temple with his index finger. Lee Han-sol’s expression gradually distorted. Finding this change amusing, Choi Tae-hyuk’s eyes narrowed.

‘The Hunter Management Team was in an uproar for a while. Everything went to hell internally and externally because of Ki Baek-woo, so they must have gotten a serious beating from above. But then there was this stupid-looking guy, Jang Eun-jun or whatever, who kept insisting that bringing in C-rank trash would put out the urgent fires. The funny thing is, they all started fighting among themselves over it.’

‘…’

‘I heard you changed your phone number and address. You even filed a request to block access to your personal information. They say you blocked all S-rank hunters including Ki Baek-woo, but why am I included? Do you think I’d ever look up the contact information of someone as low-quality as you? If you really thought that, it’s a serious mental disorder. You should get it fixed. Anyway, in the Management Team… whether you want your information blocked or not, they need to contact you to take care of Ki Baek-woo, but no, procedures are procedures and must be followed. They fought among themselves until it all fell apart, with some quitting and others getting disciplined. It’s a complete mess. Do you even know that?’

The Hunter Management Team is in shambles, Ki Baek-woo is desperate to destroy his body, and the healer Jung Yi-dam is suffering trying to care for such a person. Can you believe all this happened because of one human trash like you? It happened because you’re a heartless bastard who plays with people like they’re worth ten cents and then throws them away. How are you going to take responsibility for this?

At that moment, Lee Han-sol, who had been chewing his lip with a distorted expression, said through gritted teeth:

‘Shut up.’

‘While Ki Baek-woo is over there on the verge of death, you’re here rubbing up against my brother. Is it because you’re C-rank? Your worthless ass seems to be as lightweight as your pathetic ability? Like the human trash you are?’

‘I said shut up.’

‘Must be nice living such an easy life, waste-tier.’

Han-sol suddenly pushed the table aside as if unable to bear it anymore and grabbed Choi Tae-hyuk by the collar. Tension instantly expanded and engulfed the living room. Ppomi ran around frantically, barking loudly. Choi Tae-hyun belatedly embraced Han-sol. Han-sol kept shouting for Tae-hyuk to shut up while tenaciously gripping his collar.

‘Han-sol, wait…! Just calm down for a moment…!’

‘Hey, if you won’t shut up, then die. Just die. Don’t pretend to know when you don’t know shit, just die!’

Han-sol threw a punch toward Choi Tae-hyuk’s face below him. Choi Tae-hyuk barely blocked it and sneered in disgust.

‘How pathetic. Brother, did you see that? He’s a complete thug. I guess he sticks well to various places because his packaging looks decent, but that shouldn’t be my brother. Know your place and find someone like yourself, waste-tier.’

‘Choi Tae-hyuk, stop it! What nonsense are you spouting? Stop it and apologize to Han-sol, quickly!’

With his face flushed bright red, Han-sol shouted.

‘You son of a bitch, what do you know! I’ll kill you! Just die. If you’re going to run your mouth when you don’t know shit, just die right here! I hate you too. I’ve been really holding back from smashing your head in every time I see you. If we’re counting, I’ve let you off twenty times. You know that, you fucking bastard? Just die here. I can kill you a hundred or a thousand times. Have you ever killed someone? I have, you fucking bastard!’

Han-sol kept swinging his fists at Choi Tae-hyuk, pushing away Choi Tae-hyun who kept trying to hold him back. He was too violent for Choi Tae-hyun to handle. Choi Tae-hyuk watched Han-sol rage like he was watching a monkey, until he finally got hit once and became irritated.

‘I live easily? I live easily? I live easily? I live easily? Hey, say it again. I live easily? I kill Ki Baek-woo? Me? Hey, tell me. What did I do to Ki Baek-woo? Do you know? You fucking bastard, tell me. What do you know to come all the way here making a scene!’

I told you to shut up. Who asked you to talk about Ki Baek-woo? I live easily? Hey, did I ask you about Ki Baek-woo? Fuck, let go of this! Hey, what gives you the right to talk about Ki Baek-woo in front of me? Why are you acting crazy? Did I call you to come? You fucking bastard, you came here yourself. I came all the way here, huh? Let go of this, fuck! Choi Tae-hyuk, you fucking bastard. You’re not even anything to me, so why did you come all the way here? Do I have to suffer from you too? Who are you? Huh? You’re nothing, you fucking sewer waste pile of a bastard. Even Ki Baek-woo and Jung Yi-dam alone, fuck, they’ve ruined my entire life! You say I live easily, huh, I do live easily. Yeah. I live so fucking easily. I live easily by killing bastards like you. You fucking bastard, it’s so easy. Am I easy? Hey, am I easy? Do I seem like nothing to you? Hey, come on. I can chop up someone like you into pieces. You think I can’t? I’m going to kill you right now, so come on!

Han-sol’s voice, continuing like a tantrum, trembled finely. Whether from excitement or from crying, it was impossible to tell. Choi Tae-hyun suddenly remembered Han-sol crying heavily while drunk a few days ago. He felt something uncomfortable settle in his solar plexus. Surely he wouldn’t cry like that again? Choi Tae-hyun hoped not, and feeling somewhat urgent, he used all his strength to tightly embrace Han-sol. He wrapped around the flailing body with his arms and legs and toppled sideways.

‘What are you doing, let go! Hey! You want to die too? Let go, I said let go!’

Han-sol struggled for a while like a freshly caught fish, but his momentum didn’t last long since Choi Tae-hyun wouldn’t let go. Choi Tae-hyun made a shushing sound and rubbed Han-sol’s back. A bony back where the shape of the spine could be felt. He came to his senses when Choi Tae-hyuk kicked his forearm.

‘How long are you two going to roll around like that?’