Vampire Royalty [Season 2]
48.
Sabak -
김태형 (25)
"Hmm."
As if awakened by a rustling sound in his sleep, Taehyung stirred and got up. Feeling the slightly lower temperature, he took off his clothes and covered Eunbi with them. He then sat quietly, staring at the campfire.
I was at a loss.
From the beginning, when Hoseok hyung said he wanted to be the scapegoat, I should have told him outright that he couldn't do it, and I should have dealt with Seungwoo, who had been crawling up to me for a long time, without delay.
As I sat there quietly watching the campfire, it felt like several years had passed, even though it wasn't that long ago, just before winter ended.
Taehyung felt bad because it felt like everything started with him. It was the first time he and Seokjin had ever been so estranged, so he felt even more lost.
김태형 (25)
"... under."
Taehyung, unable to even breathe deeply due to his heavy heart, coughed briefly, his breath coming out in a choked gasp. Then, quietly, he stroked Eunbi's hair, his hands incredibly gentle.
At that moment, Taehyung felt someone sitting next to him.
"Why are you doing that?"
Stand tall -
Taehyung's hand, which had been gathering dry straw from around him, suddenly stopped.
"Why are you doing that?"
There was a moment of silence. Taehyung knew tears were welling up in his eyes, but he didn't have the presence of mind to wipe them away.
김태형 (25)
"...hyung...hyung?"
Swish -
정호석 (27)
"Why are you crying again? Were you that scared?"
김태형 (25)
"...Brother... is saying that now!!"
Taehyung finally burst into tears when Hoseok raised his hand and wiped his tears away. The voice he heard, the smile he saw, the feel of his skin—everything was his brother. It was all Hoseok.
김태형 (25)
"How much!!! What the!!! What am I going to do if I go to sleep alone like that!!"
Everyone who was in a light sleep slowly awoke to Taehyung's voice, which was so muffled that he couldn't even speak properly. Everyone who had been staring at Taehyung naturally looked at the person next to him, and their eyes widened at the gentle smile.
Among them, Seokjin's reaction wasn't much different from Taehyung's. Seokjin, who had also shed tears, finally calmed down and caught his breath when Hoseok hugged him and soothed him.
정호석 (27)
"Kim Seokjin, did you know how to cry this much?"
김석진 (27)
"Shut up, hit me!! You little shit!!!"
정호석 (27)
"..."
김남준 (27)
"You... But how did you... come back like this? Are you feeling better?"
전정국 (22)
"If you're hurt, let's get you treated quickly. I can't just leave you like this because you're so anxious."
정호석 (27)
"Hey, Jeon Jungkook, what's wrong with your body?"
전정국 (22)
"... We'll talk about this later, but in fact, everything we do begins and ends with you, hyung. So, first, are you hurt?"
정호석 (27)
"No. When I opened my eyes, there was a kid shivering in front of me, so I helped him. The last thing I remember before I lost consciousness was Jeonghan playing with me in the valley."
김태형 (25)
"When did you take the sample of the Bletta bottle and eat it?"
정호석 (27)
"Oh, it's just... I don't know, I just felt like it had to be that way."
Hug -
문 빈 (23)
"Don't do that."
정호석 (27)
"Huh? Why is he like this?"
문 빈 (23)
"Just... don't do that. Just stay with us from now on. We were all really scared."
정호석 (27)
"No, what is it... Okay, I get it, so get away from me. It's disgusting. But why isn't our Jeonghan saying anything? Aren't you happy to see me, mister?"
윤정한 (14)
"..."
Jeonghan, who had already transformed into a human, smiled at Hoseok and slowly turned his head toward Eunbi.
Eunbi, exhaling heavily and nodding in understanding, stroked Jeonghan's head once before reaching into her pocket. A piece of paper was then pulled from her pocket, and Eunbi began to read it.
황은비 (23)
"I believe everyone had a rough idea, but I think this is the first time I've said it directly and officially. First, I'd like to say hello to you and your sisters. This is Jeonghan."
김남준 (27)
"what?"
황은비 (23)
"First of all, please raise your hand if you have heard my voice in the past few days."
Stop -
Namjoon, about to ask again, stopped dead in his tracks. The others seemed to be pondering the matter. And as they pondered the matter, their faces darkened.
Eunbi waited a moment and continued reading the paper with a trembling voice.
황은비 (23)
"You probably won't have any."
김태형 (25)
"Jeonghan... Now that I think about it, you've been only moving your head when you talk lately, or writing something short down somewhere. What's that?"
황은비 (23)
"I was left speechless."
김남준 (27)
"... what?"
황은비 (23)
"Mr. Namjoon, you probably didn't notice it the least. It's because I hid it more openly. I'm sorry, I should have told you first, but it seems I'm the last."
황은비 (23)
"I think it was just simple shock. You may not know this, but during my brief time in the human world, I was practically treated as if I were dead. It was all new to me, and I couldn't adjust to it."
황은비 (23)
"So I was counting the days until Uncle Namjoon would come pick me up again. But... I saw Uncle Namjoon at the apartment entrance on my way home from school, and I got scolded a bit."
황은비 (23)
"I haven't been able to speak since then. I think it's just simple fear or something. Don't worry too much. You've been doing fine without saying anything during this mess. It will continue to be that way, so don't worry too much because of me."
황은비 (23)
"I just want to thank you all for being there for me. I really do."
Eunbi put the paper down, as if she'd finished reading. Even though it wasn't that long, everyone else was staring blankly at Jeonghan.
The most surprised of all was, without a doubt, Namjoon. He was telling me that he was this child's guardian, yet he hadn't been able to catch even one thing, hadn't been able to help him even once.
Feeling a surge of guilt, Namjoon lowered his head, unable to look Jeonghan in the eye. The tears that fell as he lowered his head were visible to everyone.
김남준 (27)
"Jeonghan... I'm sorry... I'm sorry... Really."
At that moment, Namjoon smiled brightly and slowly approached Hoseok. Jeonghan, who had been sitting on Jungkook's leg after hearing Jungkook's words to sit on his lap, raised his hand and took Hoseok's hand. His actions were to convey his intentions with just a smile and the shape of his lips.
Everyone couldn't breathe. Seeing it happen so vividly, it felt like a terrifying reality hit them. The person involved was trying hard to make sure Hoseok understood, but the rest were just dumbfounded.
Namjoon finally shed tears as he watched Jeonghan attempt to communicate with Hoseok. Thinking about how much that young child must have suffered alone, how much emotional distress and shock he must have felt, he felt like he was a man who would die without words.
정호석 (27)
"...The man I saw when I opened my eyes? There were two of them. Oh, is there a man who came here with me? Yeah. He was a nice guy. Where did he go? I don't know. But he didn't go back the way he came."
Hoseok seemed to understand Jeonghan's words, spitting out answers one after another. But then, foolishly, Hoseok's answers automatically became Jeonghan's problem to be solved later. Namjoon, finally raising his head, concentrated on explaining the situation as best he could.
정호석 (27)
"So, I have to find that guy?"
김태형 (25)
"He's obviously going to try to carry it all on his own. We have to stop that."
Jeonghan nodded with a faint smile. Perhaps he understood what I was trying to convey. Namjoon, who had been aware of Baekhyun's disappearance for some time, found the child both admirable and heartbreaking.
김석진 (27)
"Let's go, now."
문 빈 (23)
"But you set off without any idea where you're going. Shouldn't you at least have a simple plan?"
김예원 (23)
"If we go now, there's a high chance we'll get pushed back. Everyone, watch your health."
김태형 (25)
"..."
김태형 (25)
"There is a way."
김석진 (27)
"What method?"
김태형 (25)
"Hyung Namjoon, is there anything special between you and your Rahwarang siblings? Like being able to send and receive signals, or something that comes up in an emergency."
김남준 (27)
"...I don't think there's anything like that."
김태형 (25)
"Then is there any other information? Baekhyun is a member of the Rahwarang tribe. And he is Eunbi's younger brother."
황은비 (23)
"uh?"
김태형 (25)
"They say humans don't have memories. It's a bit complicated, but it happened. So you don't remember Baekhyun, but Baekhyun was always trying to protect you."
황은비 (23)
"What is that?"
김태형 (25)
"Brother... isn't there some way?"
김남준 (27)
"..."
김남준 (27)
"Let's just throw everything away and go to Han Seung-woo's house first. We'll probably find some answers if we get there. If we keep looking, we'll probably stumble upon something."
김석진 (27)
"...there might not be much time."
김남준 (27)
"So we need to move as quickly as possible. Jeon Jungkook, are you feeling okay?"
전정국 (22)
"I'm fine."
김태형 (25)
"Then let's go."
"Let's go, find it, and definitely save it."
Taehyung's eyes were filled with all his sorrow as he stood, firmly grasping Eunbi's hand. "May this be our last suffering. May everything return to normal once we save Baekhyun."
And at the moment when Taehyung stood up and said let's go and everyone jumped up and made a resolution, Jeonghan prayed quietly.
Please don't let anyone get hurt.
Please don't let anyone get hurt.
Please let me be happy.
If I were to beat up all the mangles in the world... I think it would be my writing... What the...