BRH 34

Moon Tae-yi liked him because he perceived Ha Do-heon as a good person. But what if Ha Do-heon wasn’t the good person he defined? What would happen to their relationship? His treatment and actions towards Ha Do-heon.

“Well. Hmm… shall we try an example?”

Moon Tae-yi raised his eyes to look at the empty air. His eyelashes fluttered each time he slowly blinked. Even that looked strangely beautiful and languid.

“Imagine I kill people for no reason. Would Do-heon-ssi like that?”

“That’s a bit…”

“Me too. I wouldn’t like it if Do-heon-ssi committed evil deeds or murder for no reason.”

His eyes met Ha Do-heon’s again, staring straight at him. As if seeing through him, he reached out and brushed the hair stuck to his forehead.

“You can’t justify sin. But that’s me. Every sin in the world has a price. Maybe that’s why I’m quite lenient with murder that has a reason.”

“Like the purges Tae-yi-ssi does?”

“That’s right. Me killing heinous criminals can be murder with a reason. The world is terribly complex, but I believe that with a desperate reason, murder becomes salvation. The problem is that it’s usually others who decide that validity.”

It was a subjective and even religious statement. Do-heon suddenly had that thought. Did Moon Tae-yi believe in religion? Is that why he so blindly purged evil?

“There are many people in the world who are wronged and resentful. I can’t save them all, but I think I can mourn them. And I want to.”

“So Tae-yi-ssi distinguishes people by their sins.”

“Haha, Do-heon-ssi says something unique? Yes, a person’s value or status doesn’t matter. What matters is what they did. There’s no need to distinguish between the sins committed by an A-class Hunter and the sins committed by an ordinary person. What I distinguish is the basis and the factors. Everyone wants to kill someone, but not everyone commits a sin.”

Ha Do-heon suddenly thought of the heinous criminals Moon Tae-yi killed. They were mostly villains who had committed serious crimes, with two or more murders, criminals who couldn’t be redeemed. Moon Tae-yi was quite lenient with first-time offenders.

“Murder without a cause or sacrifice, violence. Committing sins that are just tall tales… then you should think that you want to die.”

Moon Tae-yi, who had been brushing his hair back, ran his fingertips over the faint scar at the end of Ha Do-heon’s eyebrow. When he was young, he had an accident falling from a slide while playing at the orphanage. That was the scar from then.

“It’s not like I kill every villain. When they cross the rules of society, when someone is harmed by it, when murder becomes a means.”

“…….”

“That’s when I move. I don’t know how Do-heon-ssi sees me.”

His softly curving eyes were lightly tinged by the sunlight. It didn’t seem like a lie. Ha Do-heon pondered his words and slowly nodded. If everyone has their own beliefs, then the justice that fills Moon Tae-yi’s heart is ultimately a distinction about ‘sin’.

“But, um… I’m also impulsive sometimes, so there are times when I can’t resist seeing something that interests me. Then I catch them and do whatever I want. I wanted to do that with the Magical beast Intruder?”

…Right. He couldn’t stand seeing that bastard running around causing a mess in that state as a man. He fully understood Moon Tae-yi’s feelings. Ha Do-heon, feeling guilty, subtly rolled his eyes to the side.

“Do you dislike this side of me?”

“No, it’s not that I dislike it…”

Moon Tae-yi, smiling brightly and leaning closer, seemed more clingy than usual, and it seemed like he had an ulterior motive. As soon as Do-heon realized that Moon Tae-yi was slowly reaching out to the kimchi container he was hugging tightly, he twisted his lips.

Not a chance.

And he snatched the kimchi container away.

“I can’t give you the kimchi, even if it’s Tae-yi-ssi.”

“Ahaha. Do you like it that much? More than me?”

“There’s no comparison. This was given to me by a very skilled kimchi master, so skilled that even the best would give up.”

The legendary kimchi that nine out of ten people who ate it would die without knowing. In his past life, whenever Song Woo-yeop made kimchi, dozens of people would gather like zombies, reaching out to scoop up even the broth.

Could this kimchi taste really come from the hands of a 20-year-old? Maybe this guy had a natural talent for cooking? Every time, Ha Do-heon regretted it. He didn’t know why he awakened as a Hunter and went through this hardship. He would have been very successful if he had opened a side dish store.

“Anyway, this is not allowed.”

“Um… well, okay. I’ll have to concede this one. It becomes Do-heon-ssi’s bones and flesh.”

Unexpectedly, Moon Tae-yi gave up easily. But Ha Do-heon, who had secured the kimchi container, didn’t know that another threat was waiting for him.

“But Do-heon-ssi.”

“Yes?”

“I feel like I’ve given you a lot of time… when are you going to give me an answer?”

“What ans…”

Ha Do-heon, who had said that far, closed his mouth when he saw Moon Tae-yi’s eyes, which were smiling bitterly as if he was disappointed. Cold sweat flowed down his back like rain. He had completely forgotten.

About the answer to Moon Tae-yi’s confession attack…

“…….”

“You didn’t forget, did you?”

“How could I possibly forget that? No, I was just trying to clear my head… I was going to contact you today and tell you.”

“Really? That’s strange. Today, Ha Do-heon-ssi went to Hoehyeon-dong as soon as he opened his eyes and came back after being rejected for a job. But after receiving a call, he went to Song Woo-yeop Hunter to receive kimchi and came to the Hunter Management Bureau holding hands affectionately. Ah, did you think of me while you were getting a drink?”

“…….”

He’s stalking me like he’s eating rice now. Do-heon, who swallowed the rising sigh by pressing his molars, slyly held out the kimchi container.

“The kimchi is… I was going to eat it with Tae-yi-ssi when it was well fermented.”

The words were a bit twisted in the middle, but this was perfect.

Moon Tae-yi, who had been staring at Do-heon, suddenly started laughing as if he had heard an unexpected answer. The sound of him laughing, shaking his shoulders, was enough to shake the rooftop. He covered his mouth as if he couldn’t control himself, and the corners of his eyes turned red.

Seeing Moon Tae-yi laughing so openly made his insides tingle strangely. Because it wasn’t a fabricated smile. Because he could feel that it was a truly sincere emotion. Do-heon’s earlobes turned red, and he fiddled with his ear.

Is the Someone blinded by looks raising its head again? At this rate, I’m afraid I’ll be consumed by the Someone blinded by looks and I’ll be the one to pounce first…

Only then did Moon Tae-yi look down at Ha Do-heon gently and say.

“That’s not the answer I wanted.”

“…That’s right. It wouldn’t be.”

Ha Do-heon rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. He glanced at Moon Tae-yi, sighed, and threw his gaze out of the rooftop. The scenery of the street was visible in detail. A summer midday in Seoul’s downtown was a procession of terribly busy people.

“I’ve… thought about it in many ways.”

“Yes.”

“I haven’t known Tae-yi-ssi for long, but I know you’re a good person. But how should I put it… I think we don’t know each other very well yet.”

“Oh dear, that’s disappointing.”

He said that without looking disappointed at all, which was even annoying. Moon Tae-yi’s gaze also reached the place Do-heon was looking at. His languidly lowered eyes pondered the world. The world reflected in his eyes was definitely different from what Ha Do-heon saw.

It would be richer and more beautiful. He knew the warm colors that came to Moon Tae-yi’s eyes when he looked at the world. Do-heon really liked that. Then and now.

“So… what I’m thinking is.”

“Yes.”

“How about starting from being close friends?”

Moon Tae-yi didn’t say anything. He was just staring blankly at the place where his gaze had stopped. His breathing was calm, and the energy surrounding him was also quiet.

“A stage where we get to know each other. Even now, we can gradually get to know each other and I can watch what kind of person Tae-yi-ssi is by my side, and Tae-yi-ssi can get to know me. That’s what I want.”

“I guess that’s a rejection in conclusion.”

“That’s not it.”

Ha Do-heon smiled and turned his head towards Moon Tae-yi. He smiled as if wrinkling his nose and spat out the words smoothly.

“We’re getting to know each other and matching each other, and then we’re gauging whether we’re people who can be together, so how is that a rejection? Celebrities say that all the time. A stage of getting to know each other. What is it?”

“I see… what is it.”

“It’s the stage before dating. If it develops from here, we date, and if we don’t match at all, we back off. Isn’t that what it is.”

Ha Do-heon isn’t a particularly beautiful person. But his finger joints, wrists, and the joints connecting to his body were straight and pretty, so they were neat. The line from his neckline to his back was elegant and unique, with a posture that fell straight without any curves.

The curves were so graceful that he felt so delicate that it was dizzying to touch him carelessly. His skin was clear, and his eyes were deep, so they had the power to draw attention. If the world was made of lines, Ha Do-heon’s body would be smooth and beautiful without any rough parts.

For Moon Tae-yi, the person who existed as the most beautiful form in the world was him. Every part of his eyes, nose, and mouth was harmonious and perfect, and yet, because he was a living, breathing creature.

When he looked at him with a calm expression, his eyes were filled with light.

“So how about we start from the stage of getting to know each other, Tae-yi-ssi.”

How could he be so lovely? A person, a creature, a form, alone in this crude world.