Chapter 52: 24 hours handcuffed challenge?

Another victim from Cheon Areum’s closet. He rarely wore the same clothes again, but he would just donate the once-worn clothes and buy more. With this, though, it was just ruining clothes—they couldn’t be worn again. Sitting butt naked on the floor of their bedroom, he cut into a white, soft sleeveless shirt, one of his favorites, but he wanted to wear this with his black overalls, so nothing could be done.

“Seoyul.”

After making two large vertical cuts on the back of the top, he handed it out to Yoon Seoyul, who was sitting on the bed, ignoring his phone that was ringing beside him and attentively watching him. Catching the signal immediately, he grabbed the shirt and got up to put it on him. As Yoon Seoyul stood behind him, Cheon Areum tried to squeeze his wings as small as he could, lining them together so Yoon Seoyul could slide the shirt onto them, down to Cheon Areum’s upper body.

“Hands.”

Cheon Areum put up his hands in fists next to his face as Yoon Seoyul slid his head and hands into the shirt too and rolled it down to his abdomen. Since Cheon Areum couldn’t even dissolve his wings right now due to a strict order from the doctor not to use his energy for the next few days, he had no choice but to live with his wings and wait for his body to recover until he could cut off his wings, which made him lose blood too, despite having a healer that would heal him instantly.

Getting the rest of his clothes, Yoon Seoyul quietly put them on Cheon Areum. Fresh from the shower, he had washed away all of the pheromones on him; that’s why Yoon Seoyul filled the room again to soak him in his pheromones while Cheon Areum obediently followed every word that came out of Yoon Seoyul’s mouth in fear that he might spark the anger that Yoon Seoyul had yet to show him.

Kissing his cheek tenderly, Yoon Seoyul even tied his hair half up in a ponytail for him and then sat in front of him, grabbing his feet and putting white socks on them.

“Are you mad at me?”

“I have already told you, Areum. I’m not mad at you.”

That’s what he had been saying ever since yesterday.

“What about Kakta then? Why are you not picking up his calls? He’s been calling nonstop.”

“You didn’t beat him up because he pushed me inside the gate, right? I told you it was that new awakener who was controlling him!”

Cheon Areum spoke out uneasily, unconsciously holding his breath as he raised his face to Yoon Seoyul’s eye level.

“I didn’t.”

Judging from the instant reply, it did seem like Yoon Seoyul didn’t. Maybe it’s just Cheon Areum who likes to get physical whenever there’s a dispute….

“Where are you going?”

As soon as Yoon Seoyul made a movement to get up, Cheon Areum reached out to grab his arm. Seeing him for a second, Yoon Seoyul calmly spoke to him.

“Your wings are a bit wet. I don’t want you to catch a cold.”

“Oh… I don’t feel cold, though. They’re more like an inanimate object.”

Saying that, when Yoon Seoyul gripped his wings as he dried them with a towel, Cheon Areum instinctively began to squirm in place. They were still connected to his nerves, so the touches could be felt in his back.

“Areum.”

Yoon Seoyul called out suddenly, making him think he was moving too much.

“Okay, I won’t move now!”

“Should I leave the guild for the time being?”

“Huh? To who? You don’t even have a vice guild master.”

The question surprised him, to be honest. It came out of nowhere. He was aware of how much Yoon Seoyul dreamed of having his own guild. All he ever cared about was his guild and his guild members in the book. He took pride in his profession; he was a natural at being heroic and taking the most burdensome tasks so others wouldn’t suffer. The reason he acted out destructively would also be only when it acted in the favor of others. Yoon Seoyul built his own guild after seeing the conditions the other guilds at that time put their members through, but the hunters had no choice—being in a guild was still the most profitable way for most of them. Unless the hunters were on his level, they could rarely work safely as freelancers.

Although it was a bit gratifying to hear that Yoon Seoyul could do that for him, he didn’t like it. He didn’t want to take away anything from Yoon Seoyul and selfishly confine him to himself. The fact that he might have potentially weakened Yoon Seoyul was already eating away at him.

“I can give up everything I have for you. Nothing is more important to me than you, Areum.”

Hearing that response, Cheon Areum’s face visibly darkened, a deep frown forming on his head.

“Did I tell you to do that for me? Unless I say so, you don’t have to give up on anything.”

“Just for a few years, until I feel comfortable leaving you alone.”

“No. Don’t even bring it up. I will take over your guild if you try to hand it over to anyone!”

“…”

*

Rian stared at the bowl of seaweed soup for a long time. Cheon Areum, sitting opposite him at the dining table, couldn’t help asking if something was amiss.

“Seaweed soup again… I don’t think I will even want it on my birthday now.”

Saying that, Rian passed the bowl and began munching on a boiled egg instead, holding it with both hands as he bit off the top of the egg.

“You should have told me earlier. You will be late to school. If I cook something else for you now, what do you want to eat?”

“I will just have this and go to school.”

Rian mumbled out and focused on eating the boiled eggs, devouring a plate of them. Rian’s personal favorites were boiled eggs or fried chicken—the only dishes he liked more than Cheon Areum.

Cheon Areum had morning sickness, so he only had five bowls of seaweed soup and a few pieces of fried tofu. Sitting in the car with Yoon Seoyul, he rubbed his belly.

“I’m not starving the baby, right? What if it comes out the size of my hands because I don’t eat enough?!”

Completely serious, Cheon Areum spoke anxiously to Yoon Seoyul, to which he didn’t get a serious response. Yoon Seoyul was determined to have him in his sight 24/7, and that’s why Cheon Areum had to come to the guild with him too.

Taking him everywhere with him, when Yoon Seoyul came to his office to get some paperwork done, he suddenly pulled out handcuffs from his inventory and put them on his right wrist and Cheon Areum’s left wrist. Cheon Areum blinked, glanced at their cuffed hands, and then up at Yoon Seoyul, but couldn’t say anything. In the end, he had no choice but to sit on Yoon Seoyul’s lap behind his desk as he continued working casually.

“Is this really necessary?”

“I’m afraid I will blink or even turn my head and see you gone in that split second. With this, I can at least tell when you make a move.”

“But where would I go now? I’m not going to randomly fly away for no reason.”

“Anything can happen. A reason can be formed too. For the time being, just give yourself a break. You were told to rest, remember?”

“Hmm…”

Cheon Areum reclined back into Yoon Seoyul’s hold, pouting but not complaining as his left hand was dragged on the desk, with Yoon Seoyul’s right hand doing the work and signing the documents.

“I once read in a book that if we’re kind and polite, the world will be alright. I really liked that quote.”

He murmured in a low voice. That was how he got into a rabbit hole of reading book after book with the kindest main characters, to know how to be kind, since he wasn’t sure how he could do that too. That was when he came across Yoon Seoyul, the kindest protagonist he had ever read about.

“Is that why you want to be kind?”

“Yes. I’m learning from you and everyone, but I don’t think I can ever truly become someone kind and polite…”

He fits the role of a villain more than a kind protagonist.

“True kindness shows itself when everyone is struggling and you still choose to stand at the front of it all. You’re already kind enough, Cheon Areum.”

“…”

Easily flustered, Cheon Areum hid his burning face in Yoon Seoyul’s clothes, smiling like a fool as Yoon Seoyul continued.

“I get angry too. Everyone you consider kind gets angry too. They just choose not to let those emotions hurt others or themselves. Instead of ignoring those emotions, try to pause and not choose cruelty. Only you can truly control those negative emotions that come with your strength.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep