TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 191
30 minutes ago.
Dragging a fallen Teddy Bear across the floor, Mikhail was wiping his nose.
“Sniff… I’m such a fool.”
He wasn’t feeling good.
Because he had said something too harsh. Even if it was a joke, he had said something he never should have, and Mikhail hated his own mouth for it.
-You don’t even know what Mother looks like!
It was a remark born out of overly intense emotions.
Everyone else’s parents had come to see them, but he had been left all alone, which made him feel bitter and angry, so he had thrown a tantrum. It was a thoughtless slip of the tongue that didn’t consider the listener’s feelings.
If only he had been a little more mature.
If he had considered the listener’s feelings.
He wouldn’t have made such a mistake.
Mikhail had carelessly touched and torn at his pain.
He knew full well that the secret he had confided wasn’t meant to invite such verbal abuse. Maybe he had wanted comfort, and perhaps he had shared his pain to receive solace. But foolishly, at that time, Mikhail had prioritized his stubbornness over empathy, acting as a selfish child who only wanted his own feelings to be understood.
And so, he mocked the secret he had been told, as if he had found a weakness.
Mikhail regretted it.
Writhing in guilt, he kept walking, wishing he could turn back time to before he had said those words.
Endlessly, that is.
When he came to his senses, he was standing in a familiar place. It was almost laughable, as if he had been drawn there like a magnet. He had shouted that he wouldn’t come, but ironically, there he was, standing Underneath the Bridge.
“He’s not here…”
Hugging the Teddy Bear tightly, Mikhail muttered softly at the absence of The Boy. He thought The Boy might have come first, but the emptiness of the place made his chest ache.
Was he too angry?
No, of course he’d be angry.
If it were me, I wouldn’t even want to see my face after hearing those words.
With a heavy heart, Mikhail crouched down, leaning against the Pillar. His clothes were soaked from the falling rain, and he was cold, but there wasn’t much else he could do.
Without The Boy, he was just a fool who couldn’t do anything.
The weather was gloomy too.
His heart was restless from the Goodbye.
The guilt from saying such harsh words created a gloomy feeling that wouldn’t easily lift.
The longer he was alone, the deeper Mikhail’s mood sank into the Darkness.
Mikhail practiced how to apologize.
Because he wanted to apologize as soon as The Boy returned.
“I said something too harsh… I mean, I’m just Minhyuk… no, a fool…”
Even his name was so difficult that Mikhail couldn’t even curse him properly. Complaining for no reason, Mikhail grumbled about why The Boy’s name had to be so hard to pronounce.
‘Fool.’
Mikhail had relied on The Boy a lot.
Mentally.
Physically.
He had depended on him a lot.
Because he was his Savior of Life and the first Friend he had ever made, he couldn’t help but rely on him.
A Hero who appeared like a Prince from a Fairy Tale. A Friend who came close to listen whenever he was struggling. Maybe it was because he felt so comfortable. He seemed to have been too intoxicated by the small happiness.
He always listened to my stories without getting angry.
He thought that this time, too, The Boy would listen to his story. Minhyuk always listened to him no matter what he said. He thought it would be the same this time.
Even though he’s just a Little Kid like me.
Had time passed while he lamented like that?
As Mikhail crouched, he began to hear the unfamiliar sound of Footsteps approaching.
Mikhail jumped up from his spot.
“He’s here…!”
Because he had decided to apologize.
He thought he had to apologize before it was too late. He wanted to apologize for saying something too harsh, for being a fool who had made another Slip of the Tongue.
That he shouldn’t have done it.
That his endless waiting must have hurt him even more, and that he, knowing nothing and having only ever received help from him, had made such a huge mistake. He wanted to apologize for it.
Without even raising his head, Mikhail ran toward the source of the Footsteps and shouted.
“I’m sorry…!”
“…”
“I’m… sorry. I said something too harsh, I didn’t understand your feelings, and I only said Bad Words. I’m sorry.”
“…”
“I was just so upset earlier… You must have been too, and your heart must have hurt even more than mine…”
“…”
“I’m sorry for being a fool. I won’t do it again. I really won’t. So, will you forgive me…!?”
Silence descended.
The unbroken Silence brushed against Mikhail’s skin.
“Heh heh…”
A chill ran through Mikhail’s Entire Body.
“Heh heh heh…”
Like a Middle-Aged Man who had found an interesting toy, a sinister laugh echoed. Slowly, Mikhail raised his head.
Curious about who the Unwelcome Guest in their Our Secret Place was.
“Who…”
Slowly, the face of the Unwelcome Guest came into view.
Dark skin.
A face full of blemishes.
And the grotesque expression of The Man, covering his mouth with his Palm while his shoulders shook, entered Mikhail’s sight.
“Are you…?”
The Man replied with a fishy smile.
“Me?”
As Mikhail nodded hesitantly, The Man spoke.
“The Person Who Brings Happiness.”
It was bizarre. Everything about The Man—the words he spoke, the faint Foul Odor emanating from his body—was bizarre.
Swallowing hard, Mikhail asked.
“Are you a good person…?”
“Hmm…?”
“Then are you a Bad Person?”
“Hmm…”
The Man answered with a faint Smile.
“You’ll find out if you experience it yourself, won’t you?”
The Man slowly began to reach out toward Mikhail. Just as his Giant Hand was about to touch Mikhail’s shoulder, Mikhail instinctively stepped back.
Because there was a strange smell.
A stench so intense it made him frown, a reek of blood emanating from The Man’s hand. Mikhail flinched his shoulder and furrowed his brows.
He knew it was a rude thing to do, but if he hadn’t avoided it, he might have thrown up.
“Cough… Ugh…”
With trembling eyes, Mikhail looked up at The Man. Wondering if his actions might have hurt The Man.
But.
“Kid, you’ve got great instincts.”
The Man clapped his hands with a bright Smile, as if amused by Mikhail’s reaction.
“Uh… Mister..?”
“What’s wrong, Kid?”
“You smell weird, Mister.”
Hugging the Teddy Bear tightly, Mikhail kept retreating further and further away from The Man, his thorns raised.
One step.
-Plod.
Two Steps.
-Plod.
The farther Mikhail tried to move away, the less The Man waited and kept approaching him.
“What’s wrong? Mister is not a Bad Person.”
“Minhyuk told me not to follow strangers.”
“Who is that Friend?”
Mikhail shook his head.
“I won’t tell you.”
“Why not?”
The Man started rummaging through his Pocket.
With a jingling sound, countless Gold Coins spilled out onto his Palm. Smiling kindly, The Man spoke to Mikhail.
“Mister is someone who gives things like this.”
Mikhail shook his head.
Because he could see Red Marks on the Gold Coins The Man had taken out. He couldn’t be certain what they were, but his instincts screamed that something was wrong, and Mikhail’s pupils began to tremble violently.
‘Blood…’
He was scared.
The situation unfolding before him was terrifying for young Mikhail. It was more frightening than encountering a Delinquent.
In a trembling Voice, Mikhail spoke.
“I don’t need it…”
“Really? Don’t Kids like you usually love these?”
“I do like them, but… I don’t need it.”
“With this, you can buy everything you want and eat everything you desire.”
“We already have plenty of that.”
“Is that so?”
With a fishy Smile, The Man said.
“Did that Friend bring it to you?”
“Huh…?”
“I’m talking about that Minhyuk you mentioned. Is it something that Friend brought to you?”
“N… no?”
“Lie…”
Suppressing his pounding heart, Mikhail desperately tried to figure out a way to escape from this place.
Hugging the Teddy Bear tightly, he looked for an opportunity to get away from The Man. But The Man didn’t easily allow it and asked Mikhail a strange question as he kept closing in.
“Is that Friend the most Precious Person to you?”
“…Huh?”
“Tell me. Is that Friend the most Precious Person to you… someone tied to you by a Precious Memory or an important connection?”
With a fishy Smile, The Man said.
“Then I’ll exchange it for what’s most Precious to you.”
Shaking the Money Pouch with a clinking sound, The Man gestured toward Mikhail. The Devil-like coldness in The Man’s sinister Smile sent shivers down his spine.
Feeling a hunch that he shouldn’t respond to what The Man was saying, Mikhail firmly shut his mouth.
“I don’t need money…”
“Who said it was money? It might not be money, you know.”
The Man’s eerie Smile began to fade gradually.
“Kid, I said it would be what’s most Precious to you. It could be today, or it could be a Happy Memory.”
“I’m leaving… Mother is calling me.”
“Kid, I’m someone who brings happiness.”
“I’m going home.”
“Is that so?”
In an instant, The Man snatched away Mikhail’s Doll. Looking at the Teddy Bear full of Stitched Marks, The Man chuckled softly and began reaching behind his waist.
“Then I’ll just take this.”
“Ah… you can’t…!”
“There’s nothing Mister can’t do.”
With those words, The Man pulled out a Dagger from behind his waist. With a speed too fast to follow, The Man stabbed the Teddy Bear’s belly with the Dagger, licking his lips like someone savoring a Delicious Meal, and let out a satisfied “Mmm.”
Watching The Man with his eyes closed, Mikhail thought.
This was his chance to run away.
When The Man had his eyes closed, this moment was the only opportunity to escape, Mikhail instinctively realized. But his legs wouldn’t move.
Because he couldn’t abandon the Teddy Bear Mother had given him.
Because he couldn’t leave behind the Teddy Bear his Friend had stitched up and Mother had told him to always keep with him, Mikhail hesitated, unable to do anything.
About three minutes passed as Mikhail wavered.
With a fishy Smile, The Man said.
“Kid, run away.”
“…”
“Mister just saw something too Delicious.”
“…”
“If you don’t run away now, I might cause trouble, regardless of the Imperial Army or anything else.”
“…”
Mikhail ran.
He quickly snatched the Teddy Bear from The Man and desperately ran behind The Man’s back.
“Pant… Pant…”
Because he couldn’t afford to get caught.
Because he felt that if he got caught, something terrible would happen.
Mikhail ran desperately.
But.
“Kid, you’re too greedy.”
-Clatter!
The Man’s rapidly approaching hand grabbed Mikhail’s Nape roughly, and the intense impact left Mikhail disoriented. While reaching out for the Teddy Bear that had fallen to the ground, he struggled.
“Let me go…!”
“No.”
“Please let me go…!”
“I said no.”
The Man spoke with a Smile.
“Doesn’t this seem like it’ll be fun?”
As the grip tightened fiercely, Mikhail’s eyes began to fill with tears, Like a Rabbit.
And then.
“I Was Wrong…!”
Overwhelmed by Fear, he began to plead.
It was suffocating.
As The Man’s hand touched his neck, the Foul Odor became even more unbearable. The stench was so intense it felt like it would turn his stomach inside out.
Looking at the struggling Mikhail, The Man said.
“Where is that Kid named Lee Minhyuk?”
“…”
“Ah…”
Then, seeing The Boy running from afar, The Man faintly smiled.
“That’s him, isn’t it?”
The Man smiled as he looked at the Little Kid in front of him.
And the Little Kid.
“Let go.”
With a deadly glare, he revealed his Killing Intent.
It was the first time.
He had ever seen him so angry.
And then.
“I said, let go.”
It was the first time Mikhail had seen such a frightened expression.