CHAPTER 396: STAY AWAY FROM ME

My hands began to tremble.

What was this?

Why was I here and... The chair fell from my hand and hit Min-Cheol’s back as it fell.

"Ngh,"

As soon as I heard his grunt, I turned, terrified.

What really was going on?

"Little Min, I..." I couldn’t even apologize because of my terrified state.

Things didn’t feel right. No matter how I looked at it, I couldn’t understand this situation at all.

I looked around.

The maids were terrified at the door, expressions I had never seen before, the same with Jie-Yu on the floor.

Was this another dream?

A trick in my mind?

I’m scared.

I’m really scared.

Due to that, I decided to do the only thing I knew how to do.

I turned and ran, heading for the door.

"Hyung!" Min-Cheol called out but I didn’t listen.

The maids naturally cleared the road as they saw me headed for the door and I bolted past them, my heartbeat drumming so loudly it drowned out everything else.

The hallway stretched endlessly as I ran, as if I wouldn’t be able to escape but I didn’t even think, I just ran.

"Hyung! Wait—hyung!"

Min-Cheol’s voice echoed behind me, sharp with panic, but I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t even look back.

I finally got to the stairs and rushed down. My feet hit the stairs so fast that you wouldn’t be able to keep up with my movement.

I missed one step, then another, but I was still able to keep running down. But my luck ran out as I missed one more and lost my balance. My body lurched forward and I rolled down, scraping my elbow, my chin, and hitting my side hard against the banister.

"Ugh," I groaned as pain shot through me, but it didn’t matter.

I just wanted to keep running.

I wanted to hide.

My heart was ripped to pieces as I tried to push out the realization of what I had done.

I forced myself up, stumbling, using the wall for support. I had to get away.

Those were the only thoughts that stirred around in my head as the confusion ripped into my very soul.

"Hyung, stop! You’re bleeding!" Min-Cheol called out but I didn’t listen. I couldn’t.

My body was moving on its own, fueled by the fear I was feeling.

As I ran towards the door, everything just felt so wrong. The walls looked like they were closing in, twisting, watching, and mocking me.

I couldn’t take it.

When I reached the entrance, the guards turned at once, looking at me with the stern expression they kept on their faces.

But that didn’t come to mind. What I thought was... Why did their eyes look so cold when looking at me?

Why did they look like villains from some nightmare story? Were they judging me?

My chest tightened.

"Stay away from me..." I muttered, but even my voice sounded strange to my own ears.

They tried to speak... maybe to ask if something was wrong... but all I heard was noise, and all I saw were dark silhouettes reaching for me.

So I ran again.

Past them.

Out the door and in the direction of the garden.

I couldn’t breathe properly. My lungs burned. My legs ached...So many parts of my body ache, but I didn’t even stop to tend to them.

I didn’t know what I was running from anymore.

Was it the dream?

The realization I came to?

The fear?

Taking responsibility?

Or myself?

I didn’t know. I couldn’t tell what it was but one thing was for sure... I was scared.

I wanted to just disappear and assume that none of this had happened.

And then I slipped, my leg caught by a branch in the floor, and I fell, face flat on the floor, and then tears began to roll down from my eyes, dropping on the dry soil.

I was so scared.

"Hyung," Min-Cheol called, his breathing ragged as he finally caught up to me.

I didn’t have the strength to run anymore, so I just lay there, crying.

I cried so hard and loud that the sight of it broke Min-Cheol’s heart. He didn’t know what he could do. He didn’t know how to calm me down.

So, he just stood there, letting me cry till my heart was a little bit at ease.

While I cried, we heard honking in the distance and the big gates opened up, letting a troop of cars in but I didn’t even think of that as I kept crying my heart out.

****

The cars rolled to a stop at the entrance of the mansion.

Ki-Hoon stepped out first, loosening his glove a bit as he glanced toward the entrance. He was glad he was able to come back home today.

It’s been a while since he saw Jo-Pil and spent time together with him, and he wondered if he should ask him out on a date the next day.

They had already set the stage for the cooperation, and he had to call Seo-Jun at the last minute to put in the finishing touches for the presentation, so he had a lot of time left to spend with Jo-Pil.

The thought alone got him elated. So much that he hadn’t eaten dinner just so he could eat with the little glutton.

Seo-Jun came out of the other car. He saw the invincible glee in Ki-hoon’s face and tittered.

"Seems you’ve missed him quite a bit." He said and Ki-hoon turned to him, trying to calm his expression since it gave him away so easily.

But he did not deny it.

"Yes," he said. "I’ve missed Jo-Pil so much."

"Hm," Seo-Jun nodded and then looked away.

He would’ve missed him if he had spent that much time away so he understood.

But then he wondered, when did it start?

When did he center everything he did around Jo-Pil? As if Jo-Pil had always been in his life.

He thought of this for a few seconds but then shrugged.

’Doesn’t matter. What’s important is that it’s made my life feel so much more wholesome.’ he thought, rubbing his chin in satisfaction.

"What are you thinking?" Ki-hoon asked as they headed for the entrance.

"Well, wondering what kind of messed-up life I’d keep living if I hadn’t met Jo-Pil." He casually said and Ki-hoon went silent. "What?"

"Ah, it’s just that I’m surprised you know you’ve been living a messed-up life till now."

Seo-Jun snapped. He didn’t realize he casually said his mind when Ki-hoon asked what was on his mind. How did he manage to let it slip?

He was being so unnecessarily honest.

He had been stressing out about how he had to leave without informing Jo-Pil who was sleeping. He wondered if they had decided to start without him. It would make him feel so jealous that Jo-Pil decided to give out the reward while he was away.

’He won’t, right?’

As they approached the door, they found the guards on standby next to the entrance looking rather tense.

Usually, they held no expressions, standing like statues, and then bowed, welcoming them back and nothing more.

But this time was different, as if something bad had happened.

"What’s wrong?" Seo-Jun asked.

"Master," they bowed as one of them spoke urgently, "There’s... there’s something wrong with Hwang Jo-Pil."

Both men froze.

"What?!" They exclaimed, alarmed.

Seo-Jun’s brows knitted.

"What do you mean by that? What’s wrong with Jo-Pil?"

"He ran out a while ago. He looked... disturbed and hurt." He said and then another guard added, his tone uneasy,

"His chin and elbows were bleeding but he still kept running. He went toward the garden."

The words were disturbing. What was going on?

Why would Jo-Pil...?

If they wanted to know, they’d have to go to the garden.

"Master Min-Cheol went after him but there’s been no word from them."

The moment the words left his mouth, Seo-Jun didn’t wait another second.

He was already moving. Ki-hoon followed right after him, their footsteps fast and heavy against the floor as they headed for the garden.

Seo-Jun could not wrap his head around what was going on. He didn’t even know if this was a prank those two were playing but what if it wasn’t a prank? What if Jo-Pil really was hurt? And what if this was Min-Cheol’s doing?

He didn’t know what to think but there was definitely something burning inside him. He wanted to get to the bottom of this and he would definitely hurt back anyone who hurt Jo-Pil.

Ki-hoon’s thoughts were similar along that line.

He was worried, anxious, with his heart thumping heavily.

Why would Jo-Pil run?

Why did Min-Cheol go after him?

These thoughts stirred in his heart, brewing rage and discomfort. Who was hurting Jo-Pil in his absence?

The garden lights glowed faintly, outlining the path ahead.

That was when they saw it.

Min-Cheol stood a few meters away, frozen in place, biting his bottom and his eyes filled with pain and concern as he stared down.

Down at someone lying in the dirt.

Collapsed on the ground, his hands clutching the dirt, his body trembling violently as heavy sobs echoed from his lips with his face buried against the soil.

Even without seeing who it was, it was clear who that was. The one they couldn’t wait to see so badly.

Jo-Pil.