The Unbelievers

Chapter 48

“If you press this, all the CCTV camera positions will change at once. And if you press back like this, it returns to the previous screen.”

As Director Nam approached Yoo Siwoon, who was sitting in front of the monitor, and pressed the keyboard, the angle being recorded in real-time by the cameras changed. Multiple cameras were showing different angles of the penthouse where Eunseong would be living from now on.

Yoo Siwoon, resting his chin on the desk, pressed the arrow keys Director Nam had shown him with disinterested fingers. Each time he did, the screen flickered as if refreshing, though nothing much had changed.

With one of his handsome cheeks scrunched up, Yoo Siwoon kept pressing the keys to change the screen. Then he covered his face with both hands and let out a deep sigh.

“You still have the duplicate phone for Eunseong that I gave you last time, right?”

When they made Eunseong’s new phone, they also made a duplicate. It was meant to prevent any potential runaway attempts. Director Nam had clearly handed it over to him, but he had never seen Yoo Siwoon take out that duplicate phone.

Yoo Siwoon nodded, saying he had received it and was just keeping it.

“Since he has to go abroad next year anyway, is there really a need to move him now? There’s the security issue, and it’s also difficult for me to take care of both you and Eunseong at the same time, CEO.”

Director Nam quietly asked Yoo Siwoon, who looked somewhat uneasy, not understanding why he suddenly wanted to move Eunseong to the penthouse.

Yoo Siwoon, who had been rubbing his face, suddenly grabbed his hair as if going crazy. His face turned red where his palm had rubbed, then quickly returned to its normal color.

“Your prediction was right, Director.”

“What do you mean?”

“Eunseong said he likes me.”

“…Pardon?”

“He said he likes me.”

“Did Eunseong say that directly?”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure you didn’t mishear?”

“Haa.”

Yoo Siwoon sighed deeply again, as if he wished that were the case, and pressed his fingertips against his sunken eyes, which were dark from lack of sleep.

“My feeling was right then.”

“I thought he was having a nightmare and approached to wake him up, but he kissed me in his half-asleep state.”

“Eunseong did?”

“He seemed to be dreaming about me.”

“Actually, I thought something was off even when he said he disliked you before. Usually, people don’t openly say they dislike someone like that.”

Director Nam nodded, recalling that time and confirming his suspicion was correct. Yoo Siwoon leaned back in his chair, resting his head on the backrest with a thud.

After pondering for a while, Director Nam asked with a concerned expression.

“Could it possibly be a resonance?”

“That’s nonsense. Such things don’t exist, and even if it were a resonance, he wouldn’t have confessed like that.”

To Yoo Siwoon, who didn’t believe in prophecies, even such a hypothesis was preposterous. Nevertheless, some part of him felt uneasy and unsettled.

“If we consider how resonance manifests, nobody really knows. It could be the feeling of liking itself.”

“Do you believe in that nonsense?”

Yoo Siwoon asked as if questioning whether Director Nam was siding with the absurd claims of the cult members.

“This isn’t a matter to be dismissed so simply. Why do you think Seo Jeong-gi lived as a fugitive, abandoning his family for so long? Wouldn’t he have had some kind of conviction? Haven’t you thought about that?”

“It’s because he’s a coward. Eunseong’s parents died because of Jeong-gi hyung. Moreover, whether it’s true or not, if Eunseong has the mark, who knows what might happen to him. He must have been scared.”

Yoo Siwoon sighed as he answered. While his words had some logic, Director Nam couldn’t overlook even the smallest possibility.

“Still, you need to consider the unlikely possibility. What if Eunseong really is the ‘Great Rift’… if all those prophecies are true.”

“If that’s true…”

“…”

Yoo Siwoon, who had been slouching, turned only his eyes to stare at Director Nam. Faced with his cold, direct gaze, Director Nam bowed his head apologetically. In his lowered view, he could see Yoo Siwoon’s leg shaking. Even he, who was certain that Eunseong couldn’t be the prophesied one, was anxious.

If Eunseong really was the ‘Great Rift’ and had resonated with Yoo Siwoon, Yoo Siwoon would likely have a similar reaction. After all, he was also of the Seongha bloodline, one of the few ‘Seers’, and qualified as a breeder.

Just as Director Nam couldn’t completely dismiss his doubts despite believing such things impossible, Yoo Siwoon was exhibiting behavior he had never shown before. He was shaking his leg, rubbing his face and neck raw, and pulling his hair so hard it must have hurt his scalp.

Yesterday, the security team had reported that Yoo Siwoon was running as if he was in a marathon, which had puzzled Director Nam. Now he understood why.

“He’s a child who grew up being abused by his father. He’s mistaking the attention I show him for affection.”

“He’s not at an age to make such a mistake, is he? He’ll be twenty next year.”

Director Nam argued that Eunseong wasn’t that young.

“He grew up without ever receiving proper protection, so he’s misunderstanding my obligatory actions. Before things get difficult for both of us, we should send him to an English-speaking country. Please prepare what we discussed before right away.”

“…Understood.”

“Quickly, as fast as possible.”

“Are you alright, CEO?”

“Me?”

Yoo Siwoon asked, puzzled by Director Nam’s question.

“…I mean, are you okay with this?”

“What are you thinking?”

Yoo Siwoon frowned unpleasantly.

Director Nam was considering the possibility, however slight, that Eunseong might be the ‘Great Rift’. Eunseong saying he liked Yoo Siwoon might not be an expression of emotion, but an instinctive resonance between the prophesied being and the Seongha bloodline.

“Are you asking if I feel sexual desire for the child?”

Yoo Siwoon furrowed his brow, asking if that’s what Director Nam was trying to say. Director Nam immediately bowed his head in apology.

“…What a terrible thing to say.”

“That couldn’t be possible, could it?”

Yoo Siwoon was adamant, as if telling him never to bring up such a thing again.

He had thought about wanting to touch Eunseong. It felt good when they did touch. But that didn’t translate into sexual desire. Whether it was his subconscious suppressing it due to his strong self-control, which could be called puritanical, or his reason holding it back, he wasn’t sure. But he didn’t have the clear feeling of liking someone as Eunseong did.

It was a ridiculous sentiment, but when he looked at Eunseong, he felt he could understand Oscar Wilde’s statement that aesthetics takes precedence over morality, and he felt a desire to keep Eunseong by his side for a long time.

His feelings for Eunseong… no, in fact, it was hard to express it as mere feelings, but Yoo Siwoon coldly cut off his own emotions.

“It’s nonsense, but even if such a thing were to happen, I’m prepared for chemical castration.”

Director Nam was startled by Yoo Siwoon’s grave words.

“No, why would you go that far?”

“Because I must.”

Yoo Siwoon was more adamant than ever. Director Nam didn’t doubt his sincerity. He knew that Yoo Siwoon had been careful to prevent such things from happening. It was Yoo Siwoon who had decided to bring Eunseong into his home, a private space, only after much deliberation.

“It must be harder for him because he thinks of you as his cousin uncle. Isn’t that why he ran away back then?”

“It seems so. He even asked why I came to get him, saying if I had left him alone, this wouldn’t have happened.”

As Eunseong claimed, all of this was Yoo Siwoon’s fault, and he was the root cause. Yoo Siwoon felt he understood why Eunseong was blaming him like that.

“Should we keep it a secret that we’re not blood-related?”

“…That’s currently the biggest reason for rejection, so he absolutely must not know. That Eunseong is not Jeong-gi hyung’s biological son.”

Yoo Siwoon let out a deep sigh.

“CEO…”

“Don’t.”

As Director Nam hesitated and opened his mouth as if to mention something difficult, Yoo Siwoon cut him off sharply. Nevertheless, Director Nam spoke up.

“I’m sorry for bringing this up again, but I don’t understand why you keep choosing the difficult path when there’s an easier one.”

“An easier path? You think taking advantage of a child is the easy path?”

Yoo Siwoon’s face contorted with disgust. Director Nam waved his hands, saying that wasn’t what he meant at all.

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Whether that’s what you meant or not, aren’t you suggesting we use Eunseong in the end?”

“Use him? Eunseong likes you, doesn’t he? If we could at least get recognition from the Council of Elders…”

“And then what? Do you think the Council will just sit back and watch? Do you think Chairman Yoo will just do nothing?”

It was equally painful for Director Nam to say these things, but it was a matter that needed to be considered rationally. All premises began with the belief that Eunseong was that being.

“If we can just confirm that Eunseong is the real deal, you might be recognized as the heir, and it might even help in dealing with Chairman Yoo.”

“There’s no way he could be real.”

“In any case, it’s true that he has the mark, isn’t it? Whether it’s real or just a misunderstanding, that’s something we can’t know.”

“In the end, you’re suggesting we expose Eunseong to that side, but I can’t do something so dangerous.”

Yoo Siwoon was genuinely angry. Director Nam hadn’t meant it that way, but Yoo Siwoon’s fiery anger prevented him from adding anything more.

“Don’t ever bring this up again.”

At Yoo Siwoon’s sharp command, Director Nam bowed his head, saying he would comply.