Chapter 9 (1/2)

Myohan’s cat-like eyes were closed. His long eyelashes were of a light color, just like his hair. Was it because of his clear skin that showed his veins? His closed eyelids looked so thin. The man knew how the eyes underneath them glittered like gems. He traced Myohan’s face with his gaze, and then he stopped at the lips. The delicate lips quivered.

“I’m glad you’re alive.”

That was all the man could say, literally. He pressed his hoarse neck and smiled bitterly, just like he had done when he told Myohan about the twelve zodiac animals.

Down at the school yard, Sinsul was playing soccer with some friends. There was a student running along the running track around the field, another student eating chips on the stairs. One student was coming only now, and there was another leaving early, limping.

The man looked around to see all of it. Then he stood up, looking back.

“There you are.”

He was looking at the back door of the classroom. The boy who had been standing there without making a sound looked surprised, but only for a split second.

Narrow eyes, small pupils, and hissing sound. Sajun went inside and smiled.

“Nice…”

But he couldn’t finish his greetings. The man was standing in front of him in no time and looked down at him.

“They say what you say might bring your doom.”

Sajun couldn’t move at all because of the pressure he could feel. The man’s glistening, angry eyes made him forget how to breathe. He was clearly enraged. His eyes had rage and the will to kill.

But why was that? Sajun tried moistening his lips, but he couldn’t calm down.

After looking into each other’s eyes like that for some time, Myohan woke up. He looked at the two, still half asleep, but then he realized the visitor was Sajun and jumped to his feet. The heavy sound of his chair falling down let Sajun get away from the man. The man also took a step away from him.

“Why are you here?”

The moment Myohan yelled so, they could hear collective footsteps in the hallway. Students were coming back after having lunch. Sajun looked at Myohan, and then at the man, and he frowned. So that was what this was about.

“There will be no mercy the second time.”

The man warned in tiny voice so that Myohan wouldn’t be able to hear. He was standing in front of Myohan protectively, and his nametag read ‘O Shin’. That name really doesn’t match him, Sajun thought.

“You don’t look so childish, but your words are.”

Now that he knew what was going on, regaining his confidence was easy. He put up a sly smile and returned to his usual self.

However, what the man said right afterwards made him freeze once again.

“I’ll make snake wine with you.”

The man smiled softly, a lot like what Myohan had done before he kicked Sajun’s balls.

“After freezing you hard.”

The battle of gazes lasted for a long time, but Sajun left as soon as the students came back.

On the other hand, Myohan was angry to see Sajun again, and then he felt despair as he realized that he had to see ‘that bastard’ turn into a snake. Really, it was driving him crazy.

***

“Well, then.”

There were only but a few people in the library. It was located in a desolate place, and since the afterschool independent study sessions were banned for safety reasons, few students stayed at school after classes.

Except for the cat who was sentenced to cleaning punishment for playing with water at the taps, and the rat whose hobby was reading, although it didn’t match him at all, no one would go there.

“Let’s start the meeting for finding solutions.”

As usual, Jagyeom was reading alone in the library. Then Myohan came in to clean. Jagyeom looked up, wondering if it was already time for Myohan to start cleaning, but Myohan wasn’t alone.

He looked extremely bothered, and behind him stood an extremely familiar man. Jagyeom was surprised to see the familiar face wearing their school uniform, but the man just ignored his shock and sat down on his table.

“First, as about the snake…”

“Be quiet in the library,” Myohan warned as he grabbed a handful of books. Jagyeom glanced at them, getting a little afraid.

“We must find out how to capture him.”

“Oh, who removed this book’s cover?”

“Anyone have a good opinion?”

The man folded his hands on the desk. He was quite serious, but unfortunately, he was joined by no one.

“And why is the first book of this series is missing?”

Awkward silence fell. It looked like Myohan wasn’t going to talk to him at all. And as Jagyeom didn’t even know who the snake was, he had nothing to say. So he just gulped hard and decided to ask what he was curious about.

“Hey…”

The man looked at him. Jagyeom asked, looking at those calm, mysterious eyes.