My Bloody Valentine - 113

Chapter 113

“…What?”

Han looked up at Taeshin, whose hand was gripping his wrist.

“You’re not the kind, kind-hearted ten-year-old anymore. Not anymore.”

“…”

“You’re not the kid who promised to protect me, either.”

Only then did Han begin to understand a little of what Taeshin was saying. Taeshin, still holding his wrist, continued speaking while looking at Han.

“Go back to where you belong. Go back to your mom, who’s probably waiting for you. She’ll probably try to give you everything she couldn’t give you before. It’s late, but live well from now on.”

“…”

“Do what you want, meet someone who’s successful, smart, and has a bright future. Someone better than a bastard like me.”

Tears filled Han’s eyes as he looked at Taeshin’s face. It seemed that Taeshin himself was more hurt by the words he was saying.

“Whether it’s a woman or a man, it doesn’t matter. Whoever you meet will be better than me. I’ll do a background check if you want. You know I’m good at that kind of thing.”

Taeshin released Han’s wrist and, with a bitter look on his face as if chewing bile, said,

“So… go. I’m not the person you knew anymore. I remember, but it’s a long time ago.”

“…”

“I…”

Han, as if unable to listen any longer, hugged Taeshin tightly. Pressing his forehead against the hard chest like a stone, he said,

“I don’t care who you are anymore.”

“…”

“Whether it’s in America or anywhere else… I won’t go anywhere… I’ll be by your side.”

Han, wrapping his arms around Taeshin’s sturdy waist, nuzzled his forehead against his chest as if whining.

“Why did you do this to me… Why were you so cruel?”

Taeshin turned his head and looked out the window. The dark clouds filled the sky, as dark as his heart.

A voice, as painful as it was boiling, came from Taeshin’s lips.

“Without knowing your place… I liked you. I wanted you so badly, no matter what.”

“…”

“But… I’m broken.”

Suddenly, Han recalled something that had been said before.

‘Maybe because it was raining heavily the day of the accident, or maybe it’s like the principle with old people who have arthritis. Taeshin says his head, the site of his surgery, hurts on rainy days. It’s unbearable.’

Han hugged Taeshin tightly. His naturally strong body was large and well-built, but inside, it was falling apart.

Han gently cupped Taeshin’s cheek and made him look at him.

At times, when those deep eyes, like a black hole that devours everything, looked at him, Han was afraid. But now, he felt nothing.

“I’m not going anywhere. So… don’t let me go either.”

Taeshin’s dark eyes flickered. His cunning inner voice constantly whispered to take advantage of Han’s sympathy.

Taeshin clenched his teeth as if holding back suppressed anger.

He pulled Han’s hands, which were holding his face, away and turned his head to look out the window again. Then, in a low voice, like a loan shark threatening a debtor, he spoke.

“I’ll become obsessed with you again. I’ll hurt you, and I might not even feel guilty about it.”

It was a warning, saying this might be the only chance to escape. But Han shook his head.

“I don’t care. I still…”

When he thought about it, the happiest and the unhappiest memories of his life all came from Taeshin.

Once, he had hated him terribly. Sometimes, he even wished there were no memories of him from his childhood. He wanted to erase him as if Taeshin had erased him.

But even in those moments of hatred, he realized he was still thinking about him.

Han cupped Taeshin’s face with both hands again, making him look at him, and then, staring into his eyes, said,

“I love you.”

The power of words was frightening. The moment they were spoken, they gained substance.

Taeshin looked as if he had been caught off guard, his face stunned. It was an emotion rarely seen in him, who was usually so calm.

Han lifted his heels as high as he could. Then, gently holding Taeshin’s shoulders, she placed her lips softly on his. It was a kiss like a sacred ritual.

Taeshin’s lips were soft and warm. A new kind of trembling spread, captivating Han’s whole body.

Han’s closed eyes, with long lashes, flickered in front of Taeshin’s eyes. His gaze gradually became firmer.

As their lips parted, Taeshin once again made a threatening remark.

“I warned you. If you don’t run now, you’ll never leave. Even if you die, you’ll die in front of me, and even after death, I’ll keep you in my arms.”

Instead of answering, Han chuckled softly. Now, his threats didn’t scare her at all.

Han jumped up from her seat, as if trying to leap up, and embraced Taeshin’s neck. She felt Taeshin bend his back gently.

Perhaps, they had lost their way for a moment in the darkness.

The rain clouds outside were slowly disappearing. The clear moon, hidden between the clouds, began to show its face.

❖ ❖ ❖

Light seeped through the curtains. Han couldn’t tell what time it was or even if it was morning or afternoon.

Han, who had woken up first, stared blankly at Taeshin’s sleeping face. His features, which usually gave off a cool and strong impression, were softened in sleep, and Han saw the face of the child he once knew.

Han gently touched the upward-curved seagull-shaped eyebrows with his fingertips.

“Your eyebrows are still the same…”

His eyes were deeply set, giving him a look like someone from a different ethnicity, and the shadow under his eyes, which made him appear decadent, was not visible due to his closed eyelids and long eyelashes.

His nose was sharply raised, almost to the point of being intimidating. Was it always like this? Han thought to himself that growth was truly remarkable.

Han could feel the firm cartilage at the tip of Taeshin’s nose and then, almost instinctively, touched his own nose. It was much smaller and softer. He then poked Taeshin’s nose with his index finger.

“What are you doing?”

Without even opening his eyes, Taeshin spoke.

“Just… looking at you…”

Every feature of his face was made up of sharp lines, as if it were a masterpiece carefully crafted by a sculptor with divine talent.

“You’re handsome.”

“Ha…”

“You’ve really grown up well, Taeshin.”

“You, though. What happened to you? What’s with this height?”

“Well, I did well enough… And what are you to me, huh?”

Taeshin chuckled and opened his eyes, meeting Han’s gaze. A quiet but warm silence filled the space between them.

The silence was first broken by Taeshin.

“Even if my memory has come back, I’ll never call you ‘hyung.’”

“…Tch.”

Taeshin playfully poked Han’s puffed-up cheek with his finger.

“So, since you’ve decided to stay with me… accept it.”

It wasn’t just the term “you” that he meant to accept, but his current self.

It was said that Taeshin’s personality had changed significantly after the accident. Just like a deep scar that never heals, it was irreversible.

“…Okay.”

Han always liked peace and calm. He had avoided challenges and rejected new things, using his fragile health as an excuse. Such a life was calm like a still lake without waves.

But now, the life he would have with Taeshin would likely be more like a raging storm. It would be difficult, surely. There might no longer be any days full of peace in Han’s life.

But strangely, he wasn’t afraid.

Not only was he not afraid, but there was also a strange sense of relief in the fact that this strong man, the one who was always confident in front of anyone, had become his lover.

As Han reflected on everything that had happened since their reunion, he spoke to himself, almost like an afterthought.

“We… really went through a lot.”

“…”

That exaggerated phrase didn’t even come close to expressing how much they had been through. Even if the things from their childhood could be forgiven, just recently, he had been kidnapped, escaped, and fought like a scene from an action movie.

“Ah!”

A sudden thought popped into Han’s head, and he slapped Taeshin’s chest with his palm.

“What?”

“Ah, Taeshin, I… Can I do that?”

“What?”

“The… pillow fight song…”

Taeshin raised an eyebrow at the words Han spoke, which he would never normally say. Before Taeshin could say “no,” Han quickly began to explain.

He had been kidnapped by Oh Seong-jin and locked up, and there had been someone who helped him escape. Han wanted to find that person and help her.

But in reality, Taeshin wasn’t really listening to Han’s words. He was just watching Han’s lips move.

“Huh? Taeshin… you could help, right?”

“Fine, just come here.”

Taeshin wrapped one arm around Han’s waist and pulled him close. Han closed his eyes, feeling the scent of Taeshin’s body surround him.

Taeshin’s steady breathing brushed against Han’s chest. The sensation of being in someone’s embrace was comforting, and Han felt like his heart, which had always been tense, was finally at ease.

After a while, Han opened his eyes just a little and quietly watched Taeshin’s sleeping face.

Your head is broken, and my body isn’t that healthy. But when we’re together, we’re whole.

With his eyes closed again, Han’s face looked peaceful. He fell asleep feeling more complete than ever.