Chapter 115

After setting Cheong-ra down in the bathroom, Dang Ran-yeong leaned his body against his shoulder and inserted his finger into the swollen entrance. Despite Cheong-ra's tense flinch, it was an action to spread his rear and remove the semen. Only then did Cheong-ra realize that the long act had finally ended, and he relaxed his body. Fortunately, Dang Ran-yeong seemed to only intend to wash him.

In fact, he could have washed himself if he wanted to. It wasn't as if he had been tortured; he had merely received passion while lying down. Although various parts of his body ached and his energy was drained as if he had undergone some intense treatment, he could move if he tried. Still, he let Dang Ran-yeong handle him as he pleased. It was because he secretly enjoyed it.

Hot water poured over his body, washing away the sweat. Surprisingly, even his hair was washed, which inwardly surprised Cheong-ra. It was the first time since childhood that someone had washed him like this. After rinsing Cheong-ra roughly, Dang Ran-yeong immersed him in a wooden tub filled with hot water.

"Haah..."

A languid sigh escaped involuntarily, finally feeling like he might live. Who had prepared this water when there was no one else here... Just as he was thinking this, Dang Ran-yeong also entered the tub. His face became as languid as Cheong-ra's from the hot bath.

On his arms and body, which were without even scars, there were several scratch marks. These were traces of Cheong-ra's occasional desperate resistance. For a while, only silence flowed between the two. Cheong-ra tried not to fall asleep. Looking up at the ceiling blankly, lost in thought, Cheong-ra opened his mouth.

"...Why did your attitude suddenly change?"

After asking this, Cheong-ra voiced the thoughts he had been pondering.

"Our first meeting at Full Moon Lake wasn't a coincidence, but Young Master Dang's intention, right? You probably approached me from the beginning, thinking I fit the conditions for the Blood Cult's sacrifice. You must have manipulated the situation to draw out my agreement to cooperate."

"An interesting opinion. Go on."

Dang Ran-yeong looked at Cheong-ra with eyes as calm as the rippling water in the tub as he spoke. Cheong-ra found it strange and unfamiliar to see a hint of generosity in the eyes of the one who had been so rough and fierce for three days and nights.

"Don't pretend it's not true. I understand everything now. What I didn't understand was..."

Those deep, meaningful glances he occasionally sent him. Yet, when Cheong-ra tried to approach, he put up a wall and pushed him away. Clearly, up to a certain point, Dang Ran-yeong had tried not to let Cheong-ra become one of his people. However, after the first clash with the Blood Cult executive last time, that attitude had changed.

Suddenly breaking down the wall he had erected, he had brought Cheong-ra into his domain without asking for his opinion or permission.

Cheong-ra recalled anew that terribly sharp killing intent from the day they encountered the Blood Cult executive. What special impression had that killing intent, which had made even Cheong-ra think he was facing death for a moment, given to Dang Ran-yeong?

He thought that perhaps Dang Ran-yeong had realized he would be quite regretful and disappointed if he lost him. Thinking this, Cheong-ra felt his chest swell with an indescribable emotion.

"What I am to Young Master Dang..."

He wanted to know clearly what kind of existence he was and what meaning he held. Friendship, camaraderie? It was clearly far from such things. But it was also far from emotions like love or affection. After all, here, Dang Ran-yeong had forcibly violated Cheong-ra, and Cheong-ra had found it rapturous. What friends or lovers would have such a relationship?

It couldn't be called an affectionate act by any measure. Yet, Cheong-ra had writhed in intense ecstasy, clearly imprinting the other on his body and mind. Truly, wasn't it an irredeemable, base nature... As Cheong-ra's eyes clouded with such thoughts, Dang Ran-yeong spoke as if reading his mind.

"You're not regretting it now, are you?"

"I..."

Cheong-ra thought that regret was a word appropriate only when one had a choice. To him, Dang Ran-yeong was like an inevitable fate. Before he could even say that he felt he had done something foolish, Dang Ran-yeong leaned forward and looked him straight in the eyes. Even though they were both naked, the pressure weighed down on Cheong-ra.

"This is innate, Beauty. You and I were born to be like this. It can't be fixed, nor will it change."

A water droplet slowly rolled down Dang Ran-yeong's straight forehead. As if pierced by his brightly shining eyes, Cheong-ra could do nothing. He just clenched his teeth, tensing his body.

"Let me say it clearly once more. I like you, Beauty. I have from the beginning. But back then, I didn't care either way and was going to leave you be, whether you died somewhere or not."

Cheong-ra wasn't greatly shocked by these words. He had noticed that Dang Ran-yeong liked him to some extent. At the same time, he knew that he was being treated as a pawn that could be used and discarded. Rather, the following words were more surprising.

"I don't carelessly handle someone I have to take responsibility for. It's a very troublesome and demanding task. But it seemed clear that if I left you as you were, the regret would outweigh the trouble, so I decided not to leave you alone anymore."

"...So the result is confining me in a place like this?"

"From now on, I've decided to take responsibility. Because you're mine."

It was an attitude so honest and confident it bordered on arrogance. Cheong-ra couldn't understand how confinement and taking responsibility could have the same meaning. Perhaps it meant that the Phoenix-Qilin-Iris-Orchid Contest hosted by the Blood Cult would be that dangerous. Thinking that this was Dang Ran-yeong's way of trying to protect him, Cheong-ra's feelings became very strange.

Even if he wasn't treated as a lover but more like a plaything that was pleasant to toy with, it still meant he didn't want to lose him, right?

In any case, everything was for Dang Ran-yeong's self-satisfaction. After all, confining him, forcibly violating him, and tormenting him - none of these seemed to stem from pure protective intentions. The intention to enjoy while protecting was clear, so how extremely selfish and self-centered this man was.

'Where on earth is my life heading...'

Cheong-ra sighed long in lamentation, but Dang Ran-yeong paid no heed. Instead, he rested his chin on his hand and stared intently. Cheong-ra stared back, not backing down, but what soon came out of the other's mouth was unexpected.

"You know, I don't believe in things like fate. Yet, there are times when I feel that you and I are connected by some powerful link."

As his greenish eyes sank into a dark light, Cheong-ra looked at him with slightly surprised eyes. It was a feeling he had experienced once too. However, he decided to just agree rather than honestly reveal his inner thoughts to Dang Ran-yeong.

"That doesn't sound like you, Young Master Dang. Talking about fate."

At Cheong-ra's words, a smile also appeared on Dang Ran-yeong's lips. Soon, he spoke in a calm tone.

"Well, that's true. Fate and such... such things are nothing."

***

Cheong-ra didn't take Dang Ran-yeong's words about "taking responsibility" seriously. He truly felt the meaning of those words the next morning after sleeping soundly.

A martial artist's body recovers quickly, so even the state that had seemed on the verge of collapse recovered enough to move around after a good night's sleep. When Cheong-ra woke up after the morning sun had risen, he examined his stiff body.

'The Tang Clan's ointment is certainly effective.'

Thanks to the ointment Dang Ran-yeong had applied before bed last night, the swelling in his lower entrance, which had been badly puffed up, had subsided considerably. Cheong-ra could tell that the other had shown him some consideration in his own way. If Dang Ran-yeong had wanted to, he could have cruelly torn his rear entrance. Then he would have been bedridden for days.

'I don't like pain...'

Thinking this, Cheong-ra sluggishly raised his languid body. After carefully examining the remaining marks on his naked body once more, he looked for clothes to wear.

Although he knew that only Dang Ran-yeong and himself were in this place, Cheong-ra couldn't bring himself to walk around naked, so he wrapped a blanket around his body. Fortunately, the dressing room was right next door.

'That outfit made of blue-green fabric looked really nice.'

Although he had become able to move, his body condition wasn't good, so he slowly made his way to the dressing room. Cheong-ra paused.

A red silk garment was spread out on the table. Its glossy appearance was clearly luxurious, and it was even embroidered with gold thread. It was a placement that strongly suggested he should wear this.