CH 81

Chapter 81

“……” I felt a bit like fainting right then and there.

However, I felt like I was the only one who took a blow from the corpse-like man’s smiling face; Seo Dawon calmly scanned his face and said, “It’s Koo Hui-seo, alright. But, how is he still alive in this state?”

[I’m in this mess because I’ve stayed alive.]

And, bizarrely, this ‘Koo Hui-seo’ responded in a cheerful tone. I observed Koo Hui-seo’s face and body once more while listening to their conversation.

I wasn’t sure what was happening to the parts of his body consumed by the tree…but the parts of Koo Hui-seo exposed outside were molding blue. No matter where I looked, he was definitely a corpse.

Even the face revealed beneath his hair, which Seo Dawon still held onto, showcased decomposed, foggy wide-open eyes. He looked exactly like some zombie out of a movie–it was hard to believe that he was still alive.

“U-undead…?” I said, unthinking… The two men in front of me began to speak simultaneously.

“He’s not an undead.”

[‘I’ haven’t quite died yet.]

…Then, what on earth are you?

When I stared at the two with a dazed expression, Seo Dawon looked down and lobbed a question at Koo Hui-seo instead of answering me. “Is this your mother’s handicraft?”

[I guess you can say that, just by looking at the result.] Koo Hui-seo gave a vague answer before letting out a deep sigh. The tree trembled and a few hanging black fruits fell with his breath.

A black fruit rolled down my shoulder which was placed near a hanging branch. I casually grabbed it with my hands but frowned when it immediately burst at the slight pressure. The fruit was rotten even though it was ripening on the tree until now.

Perhaps he saw me, Koo Hui-seo talked to me in a very kind tone.

[Would you like to taste one?]

…Though the contents were anything but kind.

“N-not really.” I jumped to retreat a few steps just in case he would recommend once more.

In that period, Seo Dawon carelessly let go of Koo Hui-seo’s head; he slowly walked around the trunk of the thick tree and approached me. “He’s not an undead; he’s a chimera.”

“Huh?”

“This thing. You were wondering what ‘it’ was.”

Of course, I was curious about Koo Hui-seo’s situation. Honestly, wouldn’t everyone, if they came upon this scene, exclaim, “How did you end up like this?”

This guy…I’m not wondering whether or not Koo Hui-seo’s a [Chimera]. I’m wondering how a normal human being was chimerized within the span of a few years!

However Seo Dawon, after answering “chimera,” seemed to think his job was done; he simply crossed his arms and glowered at the tree. He looked lost in thought…I felt that it wasn’t the right time to ask further questions like ‘What exactly is a [Chimera],’ or ‘What did you mean when you mentioned his mother?’

“……” Eventually, though I loathed the idea of getting closer, I took a few careful steps and stood in front of Koo Hui-seo’s face. I glanced at Seo Dawon but seeing as he made no moves to restrain me, I must not have been in great danger.

I drew courage from his calm attitude. I squatted from my position without grabbing onto Koo Hui-seo’s hair; from there, I looked at where I thought his eyes may be.

I could see his upturned eyes between the strands of his hair, but I wasn’t all that scared–the thin hair barrier emboldened me, and the initial shock had disappeared.

So, though I trembled slightly, I gathered the courage to ask Koo Hui-seo a question. “Excuse me…… How did you end up like this?”

[You mean, how I look right now?] Koo Hui-seo replied softly.

“Yes…”

[…Mmm, Where should I start.] Koo Hui-seo said, shaking his head here and there while contemplating his answer. [Hui-seo was such a kind boy.]

“….?” Why was he speaking in the third person? Isn’t he Koo Hui-seo? Why would you call out your name in a story about yourself?

[To give you an example of his kindness, he took care of the son his father had out of wedlock as if he were his full-blooded brother. Later, he personally added that brother to the family register.]

I couldn’t interrupt to inquire about his weird way of speaking–it seemed as if the ensuing story was not easy to tell.

Koo Hui-seo’s brother…isn’t that Koo Kyungman? To think he was an illegitimate child.

[However, that decision became like poison to Koo Hui-seo. ‘Father’ didn’t care for Hui-seo’s personality. When he was young, he was tortured for hours trying to fix that personality…]

“T-that’s…”

[But, Koo Kyungman took after his father. Additionally, ‘father’ loved Koo Kyungman’s mother more than ‘mother.’ I guess you could say this was a tragedy that everyone could predict.]

So, to recap, Koo Hui-seo’s biological mother was the official wife, but the father loved the son that resulted from his affair more? Is that the gist of the matter? However, it was Koo Hui-seo who legally added Koo Kyungman to the household…

Everything up to this point was easy to understand–a cliche soap opera.

I was more preoccupied with Koo Hui-seo’s strange attitude. It was rather strange to speak about your family history in a detached manner.

The corpse-like man gently continued. [I wish Hui-seo listened to me then…I told him to kill his brother or inflict total-body-paralysis on him. However, Hui-seo wouldn’t listen.]

That, right there, was really weird.

He’s Koo Hui-seo, right? Why is he speaking as if he’s someone else?

Perplexed, I was cut through his story with a question. “E-excuse me… But… Aren’t you Koo Hui-seo?”

[Hm? Well, we’re a bit mixed together…I guess, technically, a part of me is Koo Hui-seo…]

What on earth is he talking about?

Fortunately, he seemed to quickly notice my utter confusion.

[Hmm…] Koo Hui-seo said, before quickly rushing into a short explanation. [I am Koo-Hui-seo’s dregs–what remains of him. Hui-seo’s sorrow, his loneliness, his pain…all of that was given to me. I grew by feeding on those things…]

…What did I just hear?

Koo Hui-seo’s explanation was still disconcerting me, but Seo Dawon, from behind, lightly pressed on my shoulders and whispered into my ear, “He’s talking about multiple personalities.”

“What?”

Multiple personalities?

[Ah, but ‘I’m’ the only one left. The other personalities couldn’t withstand our ‘current state.’ Unfortunately, Koo Hui-seo couldn’t endure either.]

I could do nothing but blink–it felt as if too much information was revealed, overloading my brain.

However, Koo Hui-seo was not yet finished.

[As Hui-seo gradually broke down, a couple of the more violent personalities fought for dominance several times. Except for Hui-seo, most of us wanted to murder his brother…After returning to his senses, Hui-seo would begin to self-harm. It was a vicious cycle.]

“So that’s why you handed over [Red Dragon] to your brother and left?” Unlike my dazed self, Seo Dawon quickly pinpointed and asked some keen questions.

[It was neatly packaged that he had willingly left to outsiders… But, in reality, he was kicked out.] Koo Hui-seo answered. [After all, I’ve stabbed him several times.]

At this point, my breaths became agitated, but Seo Dawon pressed on. “Your mother wasn’t involved?”

[In the beginning, she devised many ways to pause or slow down the degradation, but Hui-seo and ‘Mother’ quarreled a lot after adding Kyungman to the family register. Since then, she hasn’t been involved with us much.]

After hearing those words, Seo Dawon stroked his chin and was silent for a moment. Then, he asked in a tone that more suited a casual and friendly conversation, “We already know that Koo Hui-seo was under threat from countless assassination attempts after leaving [Red Dragon]. Consequently, I heard your mother protected you with a curse.”

Koo Hui-seo giggled as if he had heard a particularly funny story. Seo Dawon said nothing as the other continued to laugh; a heavy bleakness settled in the air.

[Well, I guess ‘mother’ saved our lives…Though I look like this now, I am indeed alive. Would you like me to thank her for that?]

Koo Hui-seo laughed again, and the huge tree began to shake with the sound of his laughter. Black fruits poured down from above like raindrops.

TL: Anyone wanna try one of those fruits?

I posted this chap early since I was pretty awake~ But I’m still taking my time in uploading this week especially since I’ve been TL’ing slower~