NOVEL ONLINE FREE 54.
54.
Only when a smile appeared on Sehun’s lips did Jian feel somewhat relieved.
After finishing the morning business, he hung a “Break Time” sign on the door.
A group of middle school students still nearby squealed as they saw Sehun coming out with Jian.
Even though it was something that would normally startle a person, Sehun’s expression remained calm. As if he couldn’t hear the commotion directed at him, he only looked at Jian.
“How about we order something to eat at home today, hyung?”
“Shall we?”
If they went to a nearby restaurant now, it seemed the middle school students would follow. Thanks to Sehun’s appearance and the students’ fuss, passersby were also starting to cast curious glances their way.
Jian hurriedly went up to the house with Sehun. Then he ordered pho and side dishes through a delivery app and watched Sehun’s reaction.
It felt strange to leave Sehun behind and go somewhere. He had visited many dungeons while the child was asleep, but this was the first time he had a schedule that might last several days.
Just in case, he had only booked a one-way flight to America. Although he planned to finish the schedule as quickly as possible and return, the pharmaceutical company recently replied that it was difficult to give a definite answer on how long the experiment would take.
Hearing that it could take three days at the fastest, or up to a month at the longest, Jian decided to use teleportation on the way back.
He had thought about taking Sehun along since the schedule might be longer than expected, but gave up when told that no one except Jian himself could enter the research facility.
It was much more comforting to leave Sehun in Korea where Hyunwoo and Hyunsu were, rather than leaving him alone in America where they had no connections.
Hyunwoo had also promised to strengthen the security around Sehun just in case.
“Do you have something to say?”
Noticing the glances Jian had been giving him, Sehun turned his upper body towards Jian.
“How did you know?”
“It’s written all over your face.”
It was both a bit ridiculous and cute that Jian was surprised, even though he had been fidgeting like a puppy needing to pee.
“What is it that you’re hesitating so much to say?”
Sehun grabbed Jian’s hand and met his eyes. There was no way Jian could have noticed that the nest was completed. He felt a bit uneasy about what Jian was trying to say.
“I think I need to go to America for a while.”
“…America?”
At the word “America,” one person’s face immediately came to mind. A fairly handsome face that would change like a teenage boy with a first love fever whenever he saw Jian.
“Why America?”
The voice asking for the reason came out hoarse.
The content of the conversation between Seongjun and Jian came back to mind. Jian had finally decided to detach himself and go to America.
Although he had expected it, the shock was bigger than he thought. He had thought Jian would at least suggest going together. The casual way Jian said he would go alone messed up his thoughts.
“Hyunwoo hyung has a personal request. It might take three days at the fastest, or up to a month at the longest, but I’ll try to finish as quickly as possible and come back.”
He couldn’t breathe if he didn’t see Jian for even a day. But up to a month? Was Jian really trying to kill him?
He couldn’t believe Jian’s reason either. After the kidnapping incident in childhood, Jian hadn’t let Sehun out of his arms for years.
It was unbelievable that he was trying to be apart for such a long time when the people targeting him hadn’t completely disappeared yet.
Was it because Seongjun was in America? Had Jian really become that kind of relationship with Seongjun without him knowing?
Once the imagination started, it swelled up madly. His heart pounded. He felt murderous enough to want to strangle Seongjun if he were in front of him. He barely managed to open his lips.
“I’ll go with you.”
“That’s not possible. Sehun, you’re not a hunter, and it’s almost time for regular college admissions. How about staying at Hyunwoo hyung’s house while I’m gone?”
As Jian continued speaking, Sehun felt a terrible headache. His breathing was also becoming uneven. As he closed his eyes and tried to steady his breath, he heard a panicked voice.
“Sehun, what’s wrong? Does your head hurt again?”
He didn’t want to hear Jian’s voice right now. He was afraid of how much more this voice would hurt him.
Why did hyung keep trying to push him away? Why was he saying he’d go alone to where that bastard was, tormenting him like this?
Every time Jian did this, Sehun felt like the world was collapsing. He only needed Jian, but it seemed Jian didn’t feel the same way, and it hurt his heart so much.
He grabbed Jian’s hand that was touching his forehead and lowered it. When he barely opened his eyes, he saw Jian looking flustered.
At that moment, his heart started beating wildly. It was different from the usual fluttering feeling he got when looking at Jian.
It was much more primal. The pounding sound, as if his heart had escaped his body and was ringing next to his ears, made his vision dizzy.
“Hyung…”
“Sehun!”
He closed his eyes, weakly calling out to Jian. His body, leaning forward, fell into Jian’s arms. The energy that had been suppressed since escaping from the research facility was exploding out.
It felt like his whole body was boiling. Even as he grabbed his shirt and pulled it down, feeling suffocated, his breathing only became rougher.
He embraced his only sanctuary tightly. He buried his face in Jian’s neck and took a deep breath.
The comfortable scent of skin would calm him for a moment, but then his heart would swell as if it was about to burst out of his chest. Each time, he would pant like a dying animal.
“Sehun, wait…”
As Jian struggled, perhaps feeling suffocated, Sehun restrained him more strongly. He had planned to proceed more slowly, but this was the limit.
He should have just confined Jian as soon as the new year began. If he was going to do it anyway, he should have done it quickly so Jian couldn’t think of anything else.
The lips saying they would go to America without him were cruel. He didn’t care if he was hated now.
There was nothing he wouldn’t do if he could make Jian completely his. Although it was painful enough to want to tear out his heart, strength was building up.
As a power stronger than what he had in the past filled his body, he felt a faint sense of liberation.
Ding―!
A clear notification sound woke his fading consciousness. When he opened his eyes, a translucent window was floating in the air.
<‘Han Sehun’! Do you want to awaken as a hunter?>
His brow furrowed at the familiar words. The window with
He had never particularly thought about awakening as a hunter. Even before becoming a hunter, Sehun had the power to easily subdue B-rank hunters.
The deliberation was brief. Since Jian was a hunter, it would be good for him to become one too. As soon as he chose ‘Yes’, numerous notification windows popped up in front of him.
The first thing that caught his eye among them was the hunter rank. S-rank. It was an incredible feat that would make an ordinary person faint, but he felt no particular excitement. Rather, it felt natural.
What Sehun was curious about was the ability he had gained. He examined the windows one by one. He quickly skipped past mind control, which was an ability he already possessed, and clicked on one of the abilities below it.
‘So it’s the Enticement skill.’
It was a skill that made the target feel attraction towards him, rendering them unable to attack. Sehun blinked slowly.
What would happen if he used it on Jian? Would Jian, who only saw him as a younger brother, change a little if he was enticed by him?
“Sehun…?”
Finding it strange that Sehun was staying still, barely even breathing, Jian loosened the arms that were holding him. Unlike before, Sehun obediently backed away.
“Your eyes…”
Jian’s gaze wandered over Sehun’s face, shaking greatly as if an earthquake had occurred. The blood-red color he had only seen in novels made Sehun’s face look unfamiliar.
Finally, it has come. Jian closed his eyes tightly and opened them again, examining Sehun’s transformed appearance once more.
Although only his hair and eye color had changed, it felt as if Sehun had become a completely different person. He reached out with a trembling hand and touched around Sehun’s eyes.
Sehun, blinking gently, was certainly the child he knew. Who would have thought that his painful struggle just moments ago was the process of awakening as a hunter.
“What’s different?”
Unlike Jian, Sehun hadn’t yet seen his changed appearance. He only felt a sense of liberation, as if the heavy restraints that had always bound his limbs had disappeared.
“…Did you awaken as a hunter?”
He didn’t expect him to awaken so quickly. Was that why he had tried to hurry to America before the awakening?
The hair that fluttered and the irises that shimmered every time Sehun rubbed his cheek against Jian’s palm gave off a beautiful yet eerie atmosphere.
“Yes. I’m the same as you now, hyung. I can protect you too.”
His brightly smiling face, unaware of the turmoil inside Jian, looked decadent. Jian rubbed his face with his palm, feeling dizzy.
Was this really the start of the original story in earnest now? The ability Sehun gained always invited bloodshed.
There were several expressions about how he took people’s lives without a second thought.
“Aren’t you happy, hyung, that I’ve awakened as a hunter?”
Sehun cupped Jian’s face with both hands. Under the slowly curling eyelashes, eyes full of confusion were revealed. Sehun’s head tilted slightly.
Jian’s reaction was as if he knew what Sehun’s ability was. Even though he knew that wasn’t possible, Sehun felt strange about Jian’s frightened face.
“What are you afraid of?”
He was really curious. What exactly was Jian thinking? He hadn’t even mentioned being S-rank yet, but Jian was already reacting like this.
Except for telekinesis, all the abilities he gained upon awakening as a hunter gave an unsettling feeling. The kind that would make people shun him if they knew.