Chapter 2.1

Won observed the entrance, which was nothing more than a black sign.

It was a city that he didn't even know was located in the neighborhood because it was so secluded.

As he entered the bar, a staff member greeted him with a nod.

He didn't even have the presence of mind to respond to the simple greeting.

Won's gaze darted around.

The eyes that were moving calmly suddenly stopped.

Woo-jae, who was sitting at a table, smoking a cigarette, was caught in his line of sight.

He took a deep breath.

As he approached, Woo-jae lightly raised his eyelids.

A glimmer appeared in his relaxed pupils.

Consciously swallowing his saliva, Won sat across from Woo-jae.

Woo-jae silently poured whiskey into an old-fashioned glass.

The ice cubes in the old-fashioned glass, which seemed to have been pre-ordered, clinked.

The ice, which showed a faint shimmer on the surface of the alcohol, sparkled in various shapes.

The inside of the bar was evenly illuminated by a soft light.

"You came sooner than I thought."

Woo-jae laughed without any meaning.

Won carefully observed each of Woo-jae's actions.

His right hand lightly lifted the top of the glass, his left hand held the cigarette, and his lips leisurely exhaled smoke.

The smoke, filled with a heavy current, quickly spewed out.

Woo-jae tilted his wrist and took a sip of whiskey.

His Adam's apple moved very slowly.

"I didn't expect you to come so willingly."

'Sometimes, you know there are things that can't be controlled, right?'

That was what Won wanted to say.

Kwon Woo-jae couldn't control anything.

Even the phone call that ended with just mentioning the name of the bar was the same.

Woo-jae was the person monitoring Won.

He observed each of Won's actions and moved accordingly when necessary.

He had a vague sense that it would be like that.

The reason he responded without any noise to the phone call that could have ended if Won ignored it was because of that.

However, Woo-jae current behavior was too casual.

There was no sense of tension at all.

His eyes, which contained no emotions, seemed unusually calm.

Won's gaze was quite persistent.

Woo-jae who noticed this, chuckled softly.

It was still a light laughter.

"Why?"

The flow of air suddenly twisted strangely.

The low voice that came out of Won's mouth seemed to be longing for something.

"Did you find out something?"

The corners of the eyes of the circle narrowed.

Woo-jae easily grasped the inner thoughts of the other person.

It was because the emotions of the circle, which were chaotic, anxious, and even tormented, were revealed on their face.

Originally, the circle was not inclined to reveal their inner thoughts.

They had to hide and suppress them as much as possible.

Only then could their guard be lowered and they could escape.

It could even be the case that it was not Woo-jae, who seemed careless, but the circle.

This place was a thoroughly deceptive space.

There was no trace of Woo-jae and the circle observing each other's movements anywhere around them.

The circle relaxed the tension that had been binding them and leaned their body against the backrest.

They were thirsty.

They raised the glass of Ondorak to their lips and took a small sip.

Even though it was diluted by the cold and ice, the smell of alcohol was still strong.

Since the amount they drank was so small and their saliva mixed in, the scent quickly became faint.

"Don't act so pathetic."

The circle, who had been keeping their mouth shut all along, barely managed to squeeze out their voice.

It was a muttering-like murmur.

Woo-jae brought the glass to their lips with a natural gesture.

"Like a puppet show."

Woo-jae blinked their eyes slowly.

The poem that had been skillfully lingering around their lips momentarily paused, following Woo-jae's movement.

And soon, in no time at all, the poem landed on the edge of Woo-jae's lips.

Woo-jae's head tilted slightly to the right.

Their eyes showed a look of not understanding English.

A faint smoke scattered boldly through their lips.

"Puppet show?"

"Don't want to admit it?"

The circle laughed at Woo-jae with contempt.

It seemed as if one corner of their mouth, which had risen sharply, was causing a convulsion.

They were still not relaxed.

The circle quickly erased their laughter, afraid that Woo-jae might notice their state of mind.

"Anyway, even if it's a bastard, it's still a child, right?"

Woo-jae, who had been staring at the circle with a deep gaze, furrowed their brows.

They landed a blow.

The circle took a deep breath through their slightly parted lips.

Only then did they feel like their insides were being pierced.

Woo-jae wanted to savor that expression on their face for a long time, but Woo-jae quickly turned their face as if they had even noticed the circle's heart.

Soon, a smile appeared on Woo-jae's face.

"And.."

Woo-jae looked at the circle with an interested expression.

And?

As if urging them to continue, Woo-jae waited for the next line with a quite joyful face.

They seemed momentarily surprised, but they didn't receive any significant blow.

They acted as if the fact that they were a bastard didn't matter to them at all.

Woo-jae had a response that they absolutely wanted to hear.

The meaningless laughter blooming on their face proved it.

What could it be?

No matter how much they tried to guess, there was no way to know.

Did Woo-jae follow the circle all the way to college to monitor it?

How did he manage to keep an eye on the circle?

In the end, the circle showed a flaw to Woo-jae.

However, for several days after that, no entity came to find him.

That meant Woo-jae had not yet revealed the circle's weakness.

Or maybe Representative Kwon had started to observe the circle in earnest.

Woo-jae knew that the entity he marked on the circle was a leopard.

If that fact had been conveyed to Representative Kwon, it would not pass smoothly.

If the story got out, even Eun-pyo's household would not be safe.

The current situation was what the circle hoped for.

Regardless of the circumstances, Eun-pyo was the only entity that remained by the circle's side.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

The more Woo-jae's laughter blossomed as the circle's lips trembled, the more the circle could only furrow its brow.

"Are you trying to blackmail me with that?"

"..."

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

"..."

Woo-jae's laughter gradually subsided.

The circle clenched its fist tightly.

Seeing his indifferent face, a belated anger surged within it.

"Go and tell the old man."

"..."

"I'm grateful for saving me. I have no intention of rebelling against those people because I'm different from them."

The end of the voice trembled faintly.

Woo-jae, who had erased all traces of laughter, let out a short breath.

The posture leaning against the backrest still looked relaxed.

"So don't give up for no reason."

Even though it had been eight years since leaving the center, thinking about that place made it hard to breathe.

Whether it was a mistake or intentional, the reality that with one word from Kwon Woo-jae, I could be back in that hellish place every day made it feel suffocating.

The molars ground together.

Throughout the time spent at the center, the circle had to suspect every insignificant action.

It was the same even if it hadn't inherited the family register of parents who died while plotting a rebellion.

From the moment of birth, it was a hidden child, and even while growing up, it had to hide its origins.

That's why it had been able to survive until now.

There were a few entities who knew the circle's true identity, but most did not.

Even the circle only found out by chance when it was eight years old.

Since then, it had become aware of the true nature of the gazes it often felt.

It was not protection, but surveillance.

That was when it first realized that Representative Kwon, who followed him like his father, was actually observing and protecting him.

After becoming independent, they could still feel their gaze occasionally.

But that was mostly when Won had a private place.

After breaking up with Eun-pyo, Won finally felt that he had escaped from his cage.

But was that really the case?

Was he being watched even at school?

It felt strange.

It felt suspicious. Was there no escape?

Damn it..

Unable to control his anger, he stood up and left his seat.

"Senior."

Won quickly left his seat.

Woo-jae's voice followed behind him.

Won pretended not to hear Woo-jae's voice.

Anger swelled up like a snowball.

He tightened his throat, fearing that he might vomit.

Won opened the door.

It felt suffocating in the underground location where the poetry bar was.

Won's unstable gaze followed the light beyond the stairs.

Just as Won was about to step on the stairs without hesitation, his body suddenly turned around.

"Salvation."

Again.

He couldn't sense Woo-jae's presence.

Damn beast.

Won cursed silently at Woo-jae.

"Breathe."

Woo-jae roughly grabbed Won's chin.

The lower jaw, held tightly by his strong grip, hurt.

"Relax."

Ah, was he not even able to breathe properly?

Won took a deep breath as if Woo-jae's words were a stimulant.

His chest expanded for a moment and then quickly sank.