Sun Hee and Ji Ho were also getting ready to leave.Joon Hyunk started going upstairs towards his room.Yeo Jun's room was right next to his. Before entering his own room, Joon Hyunk opened Yeo Jun's door and looked inside. The light in the room was still on. Today, Joon Hyunk had scared him so much that he was afraid to even turn off the light and sleep in the dark.So for this reason, today he had kept the lights on and had gathered all the pillows and cushions around himself on the bed, just like he always did when he was very scared and completely alone. Yeo Jun was sleeping in the middle of so many pillows on the bed. He had pulled the blanket all the way up to his face, and had placed a big pillow over the blanket on his face.
Joon Hyunk moved forward and took that big pillow off his face and lowered the blanket a little from his face so he could breathe. He noticed the small hairs that always rested on his forehead perfectly were now a little messy. Because the blanket was fully covering his face, a little sweat had appeared on his face. Joon Hyunk smiled seeing him like this.
Joon Hyunk stood there for quite a while just watching him.
(Joon Hyunk found himself drifting back to the first time he had ever seen Yeo Jun.It was in a quiet café, on a rainy afternoon.
Yeo Jun was sitting alone, tucked away at a table in the far corner, his head slightly bowed, sketching something in a worn notebook. He seemed completely apart from the world around him—like the noise, the people, and the laughter of the café couldn't touch him.
The very first thing Joon Hyunk noticed were the faint scars on his face. They weren't the kind left by an ordinary accident; no, they were the kind made by someone who truly understood how to inflict pain. Scars that told silent stories of cruelty.
Joon Hyunk had seen marks like those before… but he couldn't remember when or where. And yet, on Yeo Jun, they struck him differently. They didn't just speak of suffering—they pulled at something deep inside him.
He wondered who could have done such things to someone so quietly beautiful.Someone who looked as if the world had already pushed him away.
From that moment, that fleeting glimpse of Yeo Jun had taken hold of Joon Hyunk's heart and mind.The very scars that had distanced him from everyone else… were the ones that had drawn him closer to the beast within Joon Hyunk.)
Yeo Jun looked so cute sleeping among so many pillows, like a little bunny. Joon Hyunk thought keeping the lights on would not let Yeo Jun sleep properly, the light might cause his eyes to open during the night. So Joon Hyunk turned off the lights in his room and removed the mountain of pillows from him so he could rest properly on the bed.
Then Joon Hyunk went into his own room.Not long after he left, Yeo Jun's eyes opened slightly. He tried to change his side while sleeping, but when he saw complete darkness in the room, he felt his breathing tighten. His eyes were spinning as if someone had tied him with ropes again. He remembered that old dark room. Suddenly, a sharp wave of pain surged through his head; he felt like his brain was going to explode. He reached toward the lamp on the side table near the bed to turn it on, but his hands were shaking badly.
The glass on the table fell and broke without him touching it.When the lamp didn't light up, everything remained dark. His breathing started to stop, he couldn't breathe at all. His mind was spinning and he started choking. He was unable to breathe.
He felt as if the man with the black eyes was standing right next to him in the dark. Summoning all his strength, he tried to call out loudly for help.This had happened to him many times before even at Mr. Hunwoo's house, but nobody cared there. No one ever came to help. Sometimes servants came but even they couldn't manage him. He used to slowly calm down by himself.
But today, because Joon Hyunk had scared him this badly, the fear had settled deeply in his mind, causing him to see everything again in the dark.
He was trying to sit up but couldn't. After many attempts, when he tried to get out of bed, he fell down. He was shouting for help, "H-h-hey, h-help me, k-kk, k-kk.. s-someone, a-anyone, hhhh... h... p-please, p-please, hhh... h-help me, s-save me from th-this man..."
He had fallen on the floor, lying there, holding his head tightly with both hands. His voice wasn't loud enough to reach outside the room. At that moment, he had lost control over his body; he was just screaming because the pain in his head had become unbearable. A black shadow was visible around him.
Just then, Joon Hyunk came out from the bathroom. As he was passing by Yeo Jun's room, he heard some faint sounds coming from inside. Hearing those sounds, Joon Hyunk rushed quickly towards his room.
Just then, Joon Hyunk came out from the bathroom fresh After taking a shower". As he was passing by Yeo Jun's room, he heard some faint sounds coming from inside. Hearing those sounds, Joon Hyunk rushed quickly towards his room.
He was so scared because of the darkness that he panicked badly. When Joon Hyunk entered the room, he could see on joon hyunk 's face the reflection of that man with the ring.
Seeing him, tears started forming in yeo jun's eyes.
Yeo Jun sat on the floor and started shouting while stepping back. His breathing was still irregular; he was struggling to breathe in and out
"N-n-no, n-no, p-please d-d-don't c-c-come c-c-close to me, s-s-stay a-a-away, p-please."p-please s-stop pppp, p-please, p-please..."
Even in the AC, his whole body was drenched in sweat because of fear.
Yeo Jun was trying to come back to his senses but felt like that man with a knife was watching him. The voice echoed in his ears, and in fear, he squeezed his eyes tightly shut.
"Open your eyes, Yeo Jun," Joon Hyunk said as he sat beside him, but he didn't touch him. He didn't want Yeo Jun to lose control even more, so he just stayed quiet next to him without touching him. But Yeo Jun wasn't listening. He kept screaming.
Yeo Jun shouted, "... l-let me g-go... l-le-let me g-go, p-please..."
He was cutting his face with a sharp knief,
and in his eyes was the fear of what was happening. At that moment, he felt the burning hand of that man on his face, the scorching hand was burning his skin.
"N-n-no... n-n-no..."Yeo Jun kept screaming, but the man didn't care. It felt like the burning hand was about to burn his face. He cried and begged for forgiveness, begging him to let him go.
Suddenly, the black eyes changed into dark brown eyes, and the burning, scorching hand became cold.
At that moment, Yeo Jun's head was resting in Joon Hyunk's lap.
Joon Hyunk gently held Yeo Jun's face with his hands,
calling out to him softly. "Yeo Jun, calm down, okay?" With one hand, he tenderly stroked Yeo Jun's shoulder. "Calm down. I won't do anything to you. You don't need to be afraid of me. I promise, I won't hurt you. Just relax."
He was trying to bring him back to consciousness with so much care and love.
Yeo Jun still rested his head on Joon Hyunk's lap, his eyes fixed on Joon Hyunk's face. Meanwhile, Joon Hyunk reached over to the nearby table and picked up a box of tissues. His own hands were gentle as he wiped the sweat off Yeo Jun's forehead, neck, and entire face, which was drenched.
Even though Yeo Jun hadn't come fully back to himself yet, he had stopped crying out. He lay there quietly, breathing slowly and shallowly, eyes half-closed, looking only at Joon Hyunk's face. Joon Hyunk continued softly caressing his shoulder.
After a few minutes passed like this, Joon Hyunk quietly asked, "Are you okay?"
Yeo Jun didn't answer. When there was no response, Joon Hyunk asked again, "Do you want some water?"
Gradually, Yeo Jun started understanding what Joon Hyunk was asking him. He could only manage a faint "Hmmmm" in reply.
Joon Hyunk helped Yeo Jun sit up and then opened a water bottle on the table, gently offering it to him. After Yeo Jun drank some water, Joon Hyunk asked again, "Are you okay?"
Yeo Jun tried to tell him something but struggled to form words. "Nnn, n-n-no... w-w-w-w... the man with the black... eyes... th-the man..."
He was trying to explain that a man had been hurting his face, but the words wouldn't come out clearly. Instead, Yeo Jun pointed weakly towards the door. In the darkness, Joon Hyunk looked but saw no one.
"There's no one there," he said, stroking Yeo Jun's shoulder gently. "You don't need to be scared. This is my home. No one here can hurt you."
After enduring such a severe panic attack, Yeo Jun's body had no strength left to speak or move more. A slight headache still lingered in his mind. Without warning, he rested his head against Joon Hyunk's shoulder. Joon Hyunk held him close, soothing him with gentle strokes.
This was exactly what Yeo Jun needed. All his life, no one had cared for him with such tenderness. The gentle touch brought him a rare peace. His breathing was still very faint.
Joon Hyunk whispered softly while stroking him, "Are you okay?"
As far as Joon Hyunk remembered, Yeo Jun couldn't stand being touched by anyone. Yet now, he rested his head on Joon Hyunk's shoulder like this. Joon Hyunk suspected he was still scared.
When Joon Hyunk asked again if he was alright, Yeo Jun answered in a barely audible voice, "N-no... n-no... my... h-head... it... hurts... a lot... b-but... please... don't... give me... an... electric... shock..."
Joon Hyunk was completely puzzled by this. Why would anyone give Yeo Jun an electric shock? What did he mean?
At Mr. Hyunwoo's house, after the accident, Yeo Jun's panic attacks were even worse. Often, no one was around to comfort him. When things became unbearable, the private nurse and doctor Mr. Hyunwoo had hired for Yeo Jun would sometimes give him electric shocks to calm him down.