ETHTKE chapter 30

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“Baek Yigang… Get away from me right now! No, move! I’m leaving!”

“My head hurts. Be quiet.”

As I panicked and tried to escape, Baek Yigang grabbed me by the waist with one hand and pulled me back.

He held on so tightly that my ribs hurt.

“Ouch, let go. I’m leaving, I’m going to my room!”

“Oh, by the way, I took one of your ‘gifts’ earlier.”

Hearing that shocking statement, my whole body froze.

Took what?

“Didn’t you burn all of them earlier? I saw you burn them all!”

“After seeing it a few times, it wasn’t so bad. I’m used to it since I see it every day. So I kept one.”

Baek Yigang smiled slyly and spoke kindly.

In the hand not holding onto me, he held the only surviving, large dildo, lonely and alone.

I never thought I’d see that thing again, especially in Baek Yigang’s hand.

Wait… Does he mean that thing resembles his…?

Wow, seriously, in front of me, he dares to…?

“Well, I’m familiar with it too. I see it every day, after all. Of course, the real thing is better.”

Despite my blatant provocation, Baek Yigang said nothing.

Normally, in this kind of situation, the usual flow of conversation would involve some banter.

What’s wrong with him?

This is no fun.

But I should have realized it then.

The way his demon-like smile curled up as if to say, ‘Got you’…

“Really? If you’re that confident, I’m curious to see the real thing.”

“…What?”

Wait, this isn’t what I meant.

---

Cough

“Cheong Dowoon, here’s the warm water you asked for.”

“Oh, thanks… cough.”

My trembling hands took the water cup that Anna handed me, and I slowly sipped it.

Damn you, Baek Yigang…!

“Are you in a lot of pain? Late-summer colds tend to linger… Please call me anytime if you need anything.”

“I’ll stay nearby just in case.”

Anna’s warm, concerned words almost brought me to tears. Asel, too, was quietly taking care of me, worried about my condition.

It’s a mystery why such a kind man still doesn’t have a girlfriend.

“Asel, do you really not have a girlfriend? cough.”

“Why are you asking that all of a sudden?”

“Just… cough… You’re the last person I’d expect to be single.”

Asel, who seemed to be pondering over my words, soon shook his head lightly.

What’s this?

It feels like he’s hiding something.

Asel’s jet-black hair, and those sparkling blue eyes beneath it, combined with his sharp nose, made for quite a handsome appearance, objectively speaking.

He looked like someone straight out of a romantic comic… though technically, he’s a webtoon character.

Different genre, but still.

“Why, uh, what is it? You’re making me curious.”

When I pressed him, noticing his strange expression, a slight crack appeared in Asel’s otherwise stoic demeanor.

Ah, I love it when these emotionless characters finally show some expression.

As I patiently waited for an answer, Asel’s lips finally moved.

“It’s not… a particularly interesting story.”

“I like uninteresting stories.”

“You’ll regret hearing it.”

“I’m talented at regretting things.”

Tsk. No matter what you say, it’s not going to work.

Asel, you might as well just give up and tell me.

After all, I’ve had my fair share of verbal battles with Baek Yigang, that no-good jerk.

“Come on, just tell me, Asel. How many people have you been with so far?”

“…About thirty, I think.”

After relentless prodding, Asel’s heavy silence finally broke. But thirty? And that’s just an approximation?

As far as I know, Asel is the same age as Baek Yigang…?

Thirty partners by the age of twenty-four? This… this is really unfair.

I’m only a year older, but what does that make me?

“Wow, thirty? Asel, what kind of life have you been living?”

“They were all good people.”

Asel’s awkward response, delivered with an embarrassed look in his eyes, was a rare sight.

Asel, who’s known as a killer, has had a love life?

This is honestly fascinating.

There’s nothing more entertaining than someone else’s love life, no matter the world.

And this wasn’t even in the original story.

This is a benefit of being the possessor!

A secret bonus just for me!

“Asel, you’re amazing. It’s not easy to speak kindly of past partners.”

“No, they were really good people. It’s just that I…”

Hmm, so the reason they broke up was because of Asel?

Out of thirty, surely one or two could have been a good match?

Considering Asel’s seemingly gentle nature, it’s hard to imagine him treating a partner badly.

I wonder what caused the breakups?

“I’m not attracted to slender figures, so it turned out that way.”

“…Huh? Why would that be?”

His tastes are a bit unique, but it’s understandable.

Some people prefer shorter individuals, while others might like slimmer ones.

“I like people with more flesh. A bigger build… So I kept feeding them to match my ideal type, and eventually, they got fed up and left me.”

Whoa, just how much did you feed them?

That’s definitely unusual.

So, Asel likes people with a bit more bulk.

His taste in partners is more specific than I expected.

“A bigger build? Ah, like me? Then Asel must like me, right?”

“Yes, I do.”

…Huh.

For a moment, a strange silence settled between us.

Asel had responded so quickly and firmly…

“Well… that’s good to hear. I like you too, Asel.”

“Indeed.”

Asel, who had been staring blankly, quickly left the room, saying my glass was empty.

Why’s he reacting like that? Makes me want to tease him.

“I want to escape, but I’ll probably get caught soon.”

Last night, after being tormented by Baek Yigang, I ended up catching a cold.

No, it turns out it wasn’t just a cold, or even the flu.

It was the damn flu! Curse you, Baek Yigang!

And there was a reason Baek Yigang passed his illness onto me.

I only realized this a little while ago, just as morning arrived.

‘You can’t.’

‘Huh? What…? I was just planning to visit the magic department.’

Everything started when I was stopped by Asel, Baek Yigang’s shadow and my bodyguard, early in the morning.

Despite it being early, Baek Yigang was nowhere to be found.

Thanks to him passing the cold onto me, that annoying guy recovered his health so quickly that my worries felt pointless.

Left alone in the large bedroom, I was planning to go to the magic department and look through the visitor list to find out who had sent me the gift.

‘His Highness ordered that I ensure Cheong Dowoon remains in bed and cared for.’

It seemed like he almost said “watched.”

I don’t think it was just my imagination.

‘Asel, you were about to say ‘watched,’ weren’t you?’

‘No.’

‘Pretty sure you were.’

‘…Yes, you’re right.’

Only after much prodding did Asel quietly admit the truth.

Asel was becoming more and more vulnerable to me, which was definitely a welcome change.

‘Another confinement, just like before. It’s so unfair, I’m about to cry… What do you think about this, Asel? Do you know anything?’

At this point, it’s a widely accepted theory that Baek Yigang has a confinement fetish.

‘I’m just following orders. You’re sick, so you should minimize movement.’

Anyway, Baek Yigang deliberately gave me the flu.

The reason?

To confine me to my room.

Unfortunately, I still don’t know his exact motive.

“Cheong Dowoon, I’ve brought some warm water.”

When Asel returned to the room, he wasn’t just holding water—he had a bunch of snacks as well.

“Hm? What’s all this? You said you were just bringing water.”

“I thought you might be hungry.”

Wow, Asel was serious about what he said earlier.

I’m too sick to have an appetite, yet he brought so much.

Why are you treating me like one of your exes?

“Asel.”

“Yes.”

“I really dislike your lord.”

“…I’m sorry.”

Asel immediately bowed his head in apology, even though I didn’t say it to get an apology.

“It’s not something you need to apologize for; I was just saying.”

The fact that there’s a madman who would deliberately pass the flu to someone just to keep them confined, knowing full well how deadly it could be, is frightening.

This world is different from Korea.

Naturally, its medical practices are far behind.

Unlike in Korea, where you just get a shot and recover from the flu, things are different here.

“His Highness wouldn’t do this without reason.”

“Yeah, I’m sure.”

“It’s true. The Second Prince’s movements have been unusual lately.”

“…The Second Prince?”

Why?

It’s not time for him to make a move yet, is it?

Seeing my puzzled expression, Asel seemed to be debating whether to say more.

But after a moment, his blue eyes darkened as if he had made up his mind.

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