Healer - Chapter 15.3

Before going to work, Kang Giha’s subordinates returned the confiscated cell phones to the singers and even unexpectedly apologized. It was Kang Giha’s own way of consolation. Kang Giha acted like a dog when it came to the eunuch singers, but sometimes he did stuff like this. The eunuch singers, who were moved by that grace, partially eased up and prepared to go to work.

They knew from experience that they couldn’t endure it here any longer. Bloodstains of Methadone still remain on the walls and crevices of furniture. Hashish and other eunuchs were shaken up, but will be saved by Cocaine and will recover soon. Apparently, the thug who stabbed Hashish in the neck was still in a coma. The singers all prayed in unison for the gangster to die.

As the effect of the drug was about to go away, Yaba poured another two pills into his mouth. All of the medicine Kang Giha had given him was running out. Then a loud sound of footsteps came into the room. As soon as the door opened, a huge dog that seemed to be welcomed in a bosintang restaurant1 walked in. Yaba smiled faintly. Finally, it had come. Rather than killing him by pressing the remote control, Kang Giha wanted to release the dog and kill him without mice or birds knowing. It was time consuming and agonizing. The black dog came inside and barked.

“Why aren’t you answering the boss’s phone? Do you know how many times I have called you?”

Yaba looked at the unknown dog with indifferent eyes.

“Noisy. Don’t bark and get out.”

“Get up quickly. Director Cha is in front of the dorm now.”

A single word could be heard clearly, whether the dog spoke human speech or whether he had acquired the ability to understand the dog’s speech. But Yaba laughed with the tip of his nose.

“Don’t be silly. You don’t think I don’t know you’re trying to lure me out? Go away. Before I send you to a bosintang restaurant.”

The black dog let out a sigh. The large dog abruptly grabbed Yaba’s neck, and led him to the living room. He grabbed both sides of Yaba’s head with his front paws and fixed his gaze somewhere. At that moment, the pupil constricted enough to pull the optic nerve.

A silver car was standing in a dark alley. A car that absorbed the light of street lamps with its sleek body and didn’t suit this alley at all… He couldn’t see the inside because of the tinting, but it was definitely Cha Yiseok’s car. Not far away, the eunuchs on their way to work were boarding the van.

Cocaine was also seen carrying luggage in both hands. Yaba rolled his eyes, alternating between silver car and Cocaine. Maybe Cocaine and Cha Yiseok will run into each other. Cha Yiseok was in danger of discovering how beautiful Cocaine’s face was without a mask. Cha Yiseok will also smell the soapy scent on Cocaine’s collar. His head went cold. Yaba shoved his dog’s paw off. He moved his limp legs and walked away. The dog barked from behind.

“Where are you going?”

“Going to get dressed.”

He sat down in front of the full-length mirror, contemplating whether to shower or not. The first thing that caught his eye were bruises stained around the eyes and cheekbones. On the back of his neck, the marks left by Cha Yiseok’s lips and Kang Giha’s handprints were clearly visible. All of his clothes were either black or gray. Yaba put on a gray polar knit and black trousers and pulled out a mask.

His hand was numb. At the same time, the beating of a busy heart enveloped the energy of the drug. He conscientiously contemplated a mask that would cover as much of his face as he could, then picked up a silver mask that covered everything but his lips. The silver mask, which was rich in feathers, had cubic zirconia embedded around his eyes, and red feathers were plentiful. It was perfect for distracting attention. Yaba tied the ribbons tightly and went outside.

It was at that moment he went down to the first floor porch. In front of the van, Hashish stared at something with terrifying eyes. There was a silver car in the corner of his gaze, and in front of it, Cocaine was facing Cha Yiseok in the car with his waist bowed. Yaba’s steps gradually slowed down.

Breaths from the pink lips of Cocaine scattered across Cha Yiseok’s forehead. His bright smile was as dazzling as the moment when the sunlight breaks on the dew. Cha Yiseok had in his eyes the color of Cocaine’s pretty lips, eyes, clean skin, and colors that could not be compared to those exchanged with a phone. Was there still a picture of Cocaine on Cha Yiseok’s phone? Sharp emotions cut through Yaba’s heart. Life was like this. No matter how hard you try to stop it, they will meet the person they will meet like that… From the beginning, the main character was decided.

———

“It’s been a while. Executive Director.”

The cold wind gently shook Cocaine’s hair. Cha Yiseok looked at the person in front of him expressionlessly. He looked at him for a while, then his dark eyes lit up teasingly.

“Who are you? Do you know me?”

Cocaine glared at him, biting his smiling lips. This isn’t the first time he’s shown his bare face, but seeing it in front of his eyes was unfamiliar. He knew he was a careless person, but he never thought that he would come to the dorm like this. This may be a violation of the rules, but it was just surprising and surprising to be able to see him in spare time. Cocaine said calmly, with a raised voice.

“You look tired. You must have been very busy.”

“Are you sad that I didn’t come?”

Cocaine laughed bitterly. He still remembers the bloodstains of Methadone in the living room. Yesterday, his fingers were at a loss trying to hold back calling Cha Yiseok. He thought he would be able to breathe if he just heard his voice. Cocaine glanced at the thug looking this way in front of the van.

“But how did you find out about this place? You can’t come to the dorm like this…”

Cha Yiseok raised the tail of his eyebrows lightly. Then he smiled coyly.

“I have something to ask you. Can you cure an alcoholic?”

“I’ve done it a few times. But what is the state…”

“She’s been in and out of psychiatric hospitals and nursing homes for over five years, and they all failed. You should try it.”

“Excuse me, may I ask who?”

“I will tell you the details tomorrow. I want to get started as soon as possible.”

Cocaine put his fist up to the corner of his smiling mouth and coughed.

“For free?”

Cha Yiseok raised one eyebrow with a smile on his lips. At that moment, a cat was caught in Cha Yiseok’s field of vision. Cocaine straightened his back and followed Cha Yiseok’s gaze. Standing in front of the van, Yaba was wearing a silver mask and a sweater that covered his chin. This time, it was twice the size of my body. A cool breeze engulfed Yaba’s fabric, revealing a decadent silhouette. Cha Yiseok put his hand on his head and muttered.

“That guy. Does he really like clothes like that?”

“Yes?”

Cocaine asked. Yaba stood there as if he would break in the cold wind if left alone. Unexpectedly, there was a sudden rush of heat on Cha Yiseok’s lower body when he saw such a Yaba. The empty scrotum was a shock. It had been a series of shocks since he met him. Han Sungjae was right. It was not unreasonable to say that all singers, including Yaba, were castrated.

Cha Yiseok stretched his arm out the window and flicked his finger at Yaba. Yaba looked this way absentmindedly, then turned around and ran away. Cha Yiseok jumped out of the car without a care for his surroundings. He grabbed the arm of the guy going up the stairs.

“Hey, where are you running to? Haven’t you been contacted?”

“Let go. I won’t go.”

“Why are you throwing a tantrum again? Didn’t you come down to see me?”

“I was on my way for a walk.”

“Wearing this mask?”

His persistent grip on Yaba’s wrist did not come off. Their gazes overlapped when the gazes with Cha Yiseok, who were several steps below, were on the same level as him. Cha Yiseok didn’t remember what happened last night. The shrunken scrotum was erased from his head. And the lullaby… Yaba pushed him away and went up the stairs. Cha Yiseok grabbed Yaba’s waist from behind and strode cleanly. The sound of Cha Yiseok’s breath pierced the top of his head and spread heat to his eardrums.

“Let go! I’m not going! I’m not going!”

A sharp voice echoed through the alley. His stomach and abdomen were sore after being hit by Kang Giha. Yaba wiggled his foot and kicked Cha Yiseok’s leg, but he gracefully avoided it and walked over to the car. With every step, his belt rubbed hard against Yaba’s buttocks. And below it… Cha Yiseok pulled the ribbon from the back into his mouth and tightened it. He whispered in his ear with a muffled voice.

“You should be quiet, butterfly.”

Yaba’s movements stopped for a moment. It was because of the words he uttered rather than the lips pulling the ribbon. Cha Yiseok laughed into his neck.

“It almost died in the vegetable box. Be thankful it’s a cold-blooded animal.”

That treacherous thing was tenacious. Yaba vowed to put it in the freezer next time. He will never go back to that house, though. The eunuchs in the van looked at them with their eyes wide open. The thugs also wrinkled their harsh faces, but they couldn’t do anything about it because he was the most VIP in Paradiso. The cold face of Cocaine passed like a slow film.

Cha Yiseok crumpled Yaba into the passenger seat and nimbly tied him up with the seat belt. He immediately returned to a large stride and climbed into the driver’s seat. He threw his gaze at Cocaine standing on the side of the alley and started the engine. The car had long departed by the time Yaba finally came to his senses.

Cha Yiseok pulled out of the alley and parked his car on the side of the road. He leaned his chin on his hand on his steering wheel and looked at Yaba. The languid eyes were like a cloudy atmosphere at the end of the dry season. Yaba’s throat tightened at the strange gaze. He remembered everything about last night. All of it. Yaba rolled his eyes around anxiously and scratched the cheek where the worm was wriggling.

“Don’t scratch.”

Cha Yiseok took Yaba’s hand and lowered it. Suddenly, he fixed his gaze somewhere on Yaba’s wrist. A sharp glint appeared in his dark eyes and then quickly disappeared. He spoke, burying himself in the seat.

“You put on a coat. You dress so poorly that you get sick.”

“I don’t normally get cold.”

“Your lips are blue. Your shoulders are shaking.”

“When have I?”

“Now.”

When Cha Yiseok pressed the heater button, the heat permeated. Then the van passed by. The back view of Cocaine in the back seat moved away. Yaba said.

“Are you going to come here every day at such an unexpected time? It’s better to set a date and go. I thought you were going to the villa yesterday too.”

It was hell to wait blindly for someone who might come at any time. It seemed that if there was a set day, he would be freed from obsession.

Cha Yiseok said.

“I can’t fit my schedule.”

“Are you the only person in the world? I have plans too. I feel like I was being ridiculed if I didn’t call after waiting all day without doing anything.”

His loosely unraveled eyes glanced at an angle.

“I didn’t know you wanted to go to Cha Myunghwan so much.”

Yaba threw his eyes out the window and muttered.

“Yeah. I wait for that day every day…”

A tight gaze pierced the mask and pressed the cheek. He was a volcano that was now in a dormant period. It was a harsh silence that made his skin tingle. Cha Yiseok started the engine without saying a word. Soon he entered a road full of cars.

“Let’s go to the hospital first. There is an oriental doctor I know well.”

“No. Just go to the villa.”

“You’re sick with a cold, you can’t even sing properly.”

“Better than committing suicide.”

Hm? Cha Yiseok’s eyes questioned what he was talking about.

“If I leave things like a cold to a freshly graduated oriental doctor. Then he will definitely poke in the wrong place, and I will be paralyzed. The settlement money offered by a quack doctor would be between 2,000 and 3,000, but my life can’t be compensated with that money. I will then sue but there’s very little chance of winning in court after a medical accident. After years of wasting time and money, I am pessimistic and will eventually commit suicide. So just go to the villa.”

“…”

Cha Yiseok stared at him with his head resting on his right-angled hands.

“You know? Sometimes when I hear you talk, even I get swept away.”

He added, turning the steering wheel with his other hand.

“Why don’t you get treated by Cocaine? If it was that guy, he would be able to cure a cold at once.”

The person responsible for poisoning Cocaine’s water encouraged him to increase the amount. What would he do if he found out that he poisoned Cocaine every day?

“I don’t get treated because I don’t listen.”

“Why?”

“Miracles don’t happen to everyone.”

Cha Yiseok glanced at him. Car lights wet his forehead and the bridge of his nose. The air in the narrow space cut off from the outside world became even more damp. He slid his fingers through his loosely bitten tie and pulled it out completely. The sound of his cloth and silk tie rubbing against him was like a serpent’s alarm. Cars of various colors moved to one place like a salmon running backwards in time. He looked at the landscape and the stories related to it with numb eyes. In two months, spring will come to this city of pleasure. All of which had nothing to do with him.

The phone on the dashboard vibrated loudly. Cha Yiseok tilted his phone to check the screen and clicked his tongue. The cell phone was thrown into the corner of the dashboard in an indifferent hand. Upon receiving a traffic light at the three-way intersection, the car stopped at a distance from the car in front. Cha Yiseok said, looking somewhere.

“Hm? I think there was an accident?”

“Where?”

Yaba followed Cha Yiseok’s gaze involuntarily. At that moment, the man suddenly reached out and grabbed the ribbon. The silver mask was scattered on the floor in vain. Yaba was caught off guard by the sudden attack, and belatedly raised his arm to cover his face. But the other person grabbed Yaba’s chin first and turned it around. He groaned at the force that seemed to crush his chin. Cha Yiseok searched Yaba’s eyes and cheeks one by one. Then he grabbed Yaba’s wrist and stared at the purple bruises.

“Yeah, there must have been another reason you’re sick.”

The phone rang again. Cha Yiseok released Yaba’s chin and put the receiver to his ear. It was quite a violent movement.

— Where are you? You’re coming-

“I have a place to stop by, so crawl into the blanket for now, older brother.”

Cha Yiseok threw his phone on the dashboard. The car immediately turned its head and made a U-turn. Yaba’s body was swept to the side. A car that was accelerating barely swerved past another car. Sparks flashed in the angry eyes reflected in the light.