I Possessed a Terminally Ill Omega - Episode 196
I Possessed a Terminally Ill Omega – Episode 196
As it was well past midnight, the car moved without any traffic. Soon, Seo I-kyung saw familiar surroundings. His pale face reflected in the car window. Shortly after, the sedan slowed down and stopped.
Secretary Park got out of the passenger seat and opened the back door. Han Seung-jae stepped out and looked back. On the opposite side, the driver was holding the door.
Despite this, Seo I-kyung didn’t immediately get out of the car, scanning the surroundings with his eyes. Then, the sound of steady footsteps was heard. He felt with his whole body, not just his ears, that Han Seung-jae was approaching. Seo I-kyung slowly got out of the car.
Seo I-kyung felt as if he was returning home after a very long time. Passing through the open iron gate, the garden where he used to walk and paint came into view at once. The garden, where soft lights along the stone steps looked like embroidery, was filled with only tranquility.
“Young master.”
Seo I-kyung, who had entered the house, flinched. Butler Do was quickly walking over from a distance. Everything was exactly the same as when Seo I-kyung had left this house. Butler Do, who had come close, examined Seo I-kyung’s appearance with worried eyes. Butler Do was hiding his right hand behind his back, but Seo I-kyung didn’t have time to notice that.
Butler Do had received treatment on a different floor of the same hospital where Seo I-kyung was. He frequently checked if Seo I-kyung was alright, but didn’t attempt to visit him. Seo I-kyung might not have recovered from the shock of that day yet. Moreover, Butler Do’s right hand still bore the scars from that day.
Despite Secretary Park’s suggestion to stay longer at the hospital for treatment, he had returned home and was doing his duties. As if preparing for Seo I-kyung to be able to rest comfortably whenever he returned. And finally, Seo I-kyung had come back. Butler Do had made all preparations after receiving a call from Secretary Park just moments ago.
“Are you feeling alright?”
Those were the exact words Seo I-kyung had been about to say. But with Butler Do saying them first, Seo I-kyung was visibly struggling with what to say. As Seo I-kyung examined Butler Do for any injuries, the image of Butler Do rushing at Seo Dong-hu in that moment replayed in his mind several times.
Although Seo I-kyung pretended to be fine on the outside, in reality, it was so horrific that he didn’t want to remember it again. He didn’t want to recall such memories of the sword blade grazing his chest.
“Your arm…”
Butler Do trailed off, looking at the cast on Seo I-kyung’s left hand.
“Can’t you read the situation?”
At Han Seung-jae’s words, Butler Do stepped back quickly. He had heard from Secretary Park that Butler Do had been injured while protecting Seo I-kyung, so he had overlooked his previous deception. But that was only once.
“I apologize.”
Seo I-kyung followed Han Seung-jae through the living room.
Suddenly, Seo I-kyung noticed that the sofa and table that had occupied a part of the living room were missing. The image of Min Ra-hyun drinking coffee there was still clear in his mind. However, that area was now conspicuously empty. It was as if it had been cut out with a knife. But Seo I-kyung couldn’t dwell on it and continued walking.
Butler Do, seeming to have come to his senses, walked across in front of them and pressed the elevator button. Seo I-kyung didn’t look well, and he had just returned home from the hospital. So he wanted to let him go up to the bedroom on the second floor to rest quickly.
As Butler Do pressed the button, the elevator door that had been stopped on the first floor opened. Han Seung-jae entered first, and as Seo I-kyung was about to follow, he stopped.
Butler Do seemed puzzled, but Han Seung-jae seemed to know why Seo I-kyung couldn’t cross that one step.
Han Seung-jae coldly parted his lips.
“Call Min Ra-hyun.”
“…!”
Just Han Seung-jae calling for him made Seo I-kyung’s spine stiffen. Han Seung-jae was looking at Seo I-kyung, but his words were directed at Butler Do. Butler Do asked in surprise:
“What do you mean? Hasn’t he already left?”
At Han Seung-jae’s behavior of looking for someone who wasn’t even in the house, Butler Do tried to confirm if he had heard wrong.
Seo I-kyung stared blankly at Butler Do. There was no trace of lies on Butler Do’s face. He had never tried to deceive Seo I-kyung. Moreover, Butler Do couldn’t skillfully hide his expressions like Han Seung-jae. He was genuinely perplexed by Han Seung-jae’s words.
“Are you going to keep standing there?”
“But…”
Butler Do was confused about how to call someone who wasn’t even there.
Seo I-kyung took a step forward. As the elevator door closed, Han Seung-jae’s head turned sideways. Seo I-kyung felt Han Seung-jae’s gaze looking down at him.
If Han Seung-jae hadn’t been beside him, Seo I-kyung would have asked Butler Do for the reason why this was happening. But with Han Seung-jae there, there was no chance to say such things. If Han Seung-jae went into the study, should he go back down to the first floor to meet Butler Do?
However, Han Seung-jae, who had come out of the elevator, entered the bathroom attached to the bedroom.
“…”
Seo I-kyung, left standing alone, looked around. The room was filled with an even stronger scent of white wood than the hospital. It couldn’t be helped since this was where Han Seung-jae stayed.
Seo I-kyung took off the jacket draped over his shoulders and placed it on a chair. Then he stared at the pajamas on the bed before turning his head towards the closed door.
***
Seo I-kyung took the elevator down to the first floor. Unlike before, there was no sign of Butler Do to greet him. As he walked along the familiar path he had traversed many times, Seo I-kyung’s heart beat rapidly.
Seo I-kyung reached out towards the doorknob. He hesitated several times, feeling like Min Ra-hyun would turn his head if he opened this door. He lowered his hand as if withdrawing it, then raised it again hesitantly.
Finally, he carefully opened the door with a click. Seo I-kyung’s long shadow stretched out ahead. The dark room was only lit by light seeping in from the living room.
What greeted him was an empty bed.
‘Min Ra-hyun is gone.’
Seo I-kyung turned on the light and walked into the room, examining it carefully. But there was no sign of life anywhere.
Had he moved to another room? Seo I-kyung’s thoughts were wandering to strange places. His hand paused as he opened a nearby door. For a moment, he realized what he was doing. If he opened all the doors in this house, it would take all night and more.
Seo I-kyung closed the door and got on the elevator.
He walked down the second-floor corridor with a sunken expression. As he slowly opened the bedroom door, Han Seung-jae, wearing a bathrobe, turned to look at him.
“It seems I was so untrustworthy to you.”
Seo I-kyung entered, leaving the bedroom door slightly open. However, Han Seung-jae walked over and closed the door, reaching over Seo I-kyung’s shoulder.
It was as if he was trying to eliminate any chance of escape from this room.
“Min Ra-hyun wasn’t in his room.”
Seo I-kyung’s voice came out softly. Han Seung-jae removed his hand from the door and looked down at Seo I-kyung.
“Didn’t you hear what Butler Do said earlier?”
Han Seung-jae had called for Min Ra-hyun to make Seo I-kyung hear that he wasn’t in this house.
“He left.”
Despite this, Han Seung-jae kindly answered Seo I-kyung’s attempt to confirm. At this, Seo I-kyung’s lips trembled. But the words broke on his tongue before becoming sound. Left? Where had Min Ra-hyun gone?
Did Han Seung-jae’s words mean that Min Ra-hyun had returned home? But Min Ra-hyun had been staying here because he didn’t want to get married. So he couldn’t have gone back. Wasn’t Han Seung-jae the person Min Ra-hyun liked? And Han Seung-jae likewise…
At that moment, Han Seung-jae pulled Seo I-kyung’s arm with his wet hand. Seo I-kyung moved to the bed as if being led. Han Seung-jae suddenly grabbed the knit sweater Seo I-kyung was wearing.
It was the moment Seo I-kyung looked up at him. The knit sweater that had brushed his thin hair was stripped off and fell to the floor. The bandages wrapped from Seo I-kyung’s shoulder to his chest were revealed.
Seo I-kyung was about to step back. However, Han Seung-jae wasn’t soft enough to just let Seo I-kyung go. Seo I-kyung heard a cold voice above his head.
“Don’t provoke me.”
Seo I-kyung tried not to let his knees buckle, putting strength into his heels that had retreated. Han Seung-jae picked up the folded pajamas on the bed and wrapped them around Seo I-kyung’s shoulders. The fabric, different from the hospital gown, ticklishly wrapped around his thin back and flowed down.