Chapter Text
Recite your timetables now!.
Yohan’s voice rolled through his head. And spurred by the tension straining Yohan’s muscles under his grip, Gaon did as was told, not a word of protest falling from his lips.
Was this the third or fourth time he had commanded so? Each time asking for a different set of timetables. And as Gaon struggled to recall the answers while saying them out loud, Yohan was working hard to protect him from what he couldn’t see.
Even with his eyes open, the blindfold had done a good job, reducing his world to one of darkness. And the only clue he got that something was going on was in the way that Yohan breathed.
A sharp intake meant something unexpected had happened. And his quickened breathing and muttered grunts were signs of the effort Yohan was putting in. Once, a curse had slipped out, soft and frustrated, and Gaon had heard it only because of their close proximity.
Both of them had their arms linked like a couple out on a stroll. But theirs was out of necessity – Yohan needing his two hands to utilise his powers, and Gaon could stay in contact without hindering his movements.
They weren’t like this at the start. Yohan was holding his hand when they crossed over to what Gaon presumed was the other side. He could hear the wind howling and the rain splattering on different surfaces from where they had stepped from. But Gaon wasn’t feeling any of it – not a drop of wetness on his skin nor the pull of the wind through his clothing and his hair.
Then they were gone as if a soundproof door had shut to block them out. And what was left was a sense of vast emptiness stretching everywhere.
That too was cut off when something sprung up to envelop them. And Gaon knew because a hollowly echo was in the background which wasn’t there before. It wouldn’t have been noticeable if there were other noises to overwhelm it. But out here where there wasn’t even a rustle to distract him, Gaon heard it, and it reminded him of the sound from inside a thermos flask when held up to the ear.
“Let’s hope only the low-graders will come and bother us,” Yohan murmured, more like he was speaking to himself than sharing it with anyone.
And curiosity piqued, Gaon asked him what did he mean.
“There are different sorts and types,” Yohan gave a gentle tug to Gaon’s hand so as to get them moving.
“And not all are equal in terms of the powers they possessed.”
Listening in fascination as Yohan went on to explain the hierarchy that existed – his description like an almanac of creatures gathered from folktales, myths and novels. And Gaon wondered where in it would Yohan be placed.
Didn’t he say he was half-born?
If so, were his parents a mix then...
The impact of having bumped his shoulder against something yielding on the surface but hard underneath, and Gaon frowned at the suddenness of the incident. He was about to make a remark when Yohan yanked him forward, startling a gasp out of him.
“Don’t let go.”
Yohan tucked Gaon’s arm underneath his just as a loud smack resounded from some feet before them. That had Gaon jerking, his heart pounding at the unknown factor which had come into play. And clinging onto Yohan as more thwacks and smacks came at once from different directions (how many were there?!), the first thought in his head was a movie he had seen with Soohyun. In it, zombies were throwing themselves at the plexiglass of a car which the protagonist was trapped in. And the sounds bouncing off what must be the defensive ward Yohan had erected, were eerily similar to that in the movie.
“Ghouls,” Yohan uttered in disgust and his right arm which Gaon was clutching, moved.
A surge of something burst across the perimeter which had enclosed the two of them. It felt familiar like when Mr Ko was channelling his powers to undo the ward he had placed on Gaon. But unlike Mr Ko’s where there was a gradual build-up, a measured pace to how he made use of his powers. Yohan’s, in contrast, was raw and unadulterated.
His arm moved and Yohan went from zero to powerful just like that. There was barely any pause in between each release of his powers. And there didn’t seem to be a need for him to chant anything in order to gain access to his.
Gaon was still trying to absorb all that was happening when the assault was over in what felt like a blink of an eye. Yohan’s breathing wasn’t even ruffled, and his body (Gaon was suddenly aware of how pressed together they were), was relaxed as if it had been a piece of cake.
A thought came popping up then, and Gaon looked at Yohan even though he couldn’t see him through the blindfold.
“The ward...it block out sounds as well?”
Cause Gaon hadn’t heard a thing, not a whine nor a growl, except when the flesh-eating ghouls had collided with the ward.
“I can’t have your ears stuffed and still be able to give you instructions,” Yohan got them moving again, their arms still locked together.
“And you don’t seem to like hearing my voice in here,” something brushed Gaon’s forehead, flipping back an errant lock of hair.
“So I’m keeping it to the minimum.”
Gaon’s heart fluttered, struck by the consideration Yohan was showing him. Their relationship (if you could call it one) was so imbalanced – Gaon, an equivalent of a jinx, bringing nothing but trouble. And Yohan had gone all out to help him, even though the troubles were not of his own doing.
He could have walked away cause there wasn’t any obligation between the two of them. But he didn’t and Gaon was deeply moved as shame rushed up to colour his cheeks pink.
Didn’t he doubt him before coming here? Didn’t he thought that Yohan had saved him from the kidnapper with other motives in mind, and not because of the goodness in his heart?
Yet, here he was, being like his guardian angel, keeping him safe without a grumble or a complaint. And Gaon wanted to be as honest as possible to reciprocate his thoughtfulness.
“It’s not that I don’t like it...”
Gaon bit his lip, wondering how he should put it across – that when Yohan was in his head, it was like he had an all-access pass to every inch of him. And that was just too much for him to take in.
“I always have this line and no one gets to cross it.”
Not even his parents nor Soohyun or Jinjoo, and they were the people dearest to him.
“For the longest time, I thought maybe I have a problem,” Gaon tapped the side of his head, “A chemical imbalance or lack of something in my brains. But when I got back my memories, I think it was the kidnapping.”
Placing a hand on his chest, over where his heart was, Gaon let out a shaky breath. All these, he hadn’t told anyone. And by deciding to tell Yohan, it was a huge leap for him.
“I think it left a scar. And when you’re in my head...you’re just too close and it frightens me.”
The last few words had come out at a near whisper cause it was so lame and he sounded so weak. That he, a grown man of almost 30, had a phobia of anyone getting too close to him. And that he had ended up like this cause he got himself kidnapped when he was five (Gaon remembered wandering out of the car park instead of staying by his parents’ side).
Bracing himself for a response that would either be dismissive (it was so many years ago and how could that be when you still got family and friends). Or some sort of lip service (so sorry to hear about it and I hope that you can overcome it).
But Yohan’s reply surprised him.
“Understood.”
And that was it.
No overwhelming concern as if Gaon was frail and needed careful handling. And no eager advice nor suggestions or recommendations to help fix him.
Yohan had listened and then accepted his situation without imposing his thoughts on him. And his one word was way more consoling than if a ton of sympathy had been poured on him.
Overwhelming gratitude had Gaon eager to thank him. But before he had a chance, the sharp intake of Yohan’s breath was all the warning he got.
Something or somethings, Gaon couldn’t tell, was trying to break through Yohan’s defensive barrier. And even though there wasn’t any sound, Gaon knew because his hair was standing on ends and he was recoiling in revulsion.
There seemed to be an oozing foulness clinging onto the perimeter with a tenacity of a leech. And shuddering, Gaon asked, “What is it?”
“Sirens. Persistent as hell, especially when there is a human male they love to feed on.”
Gaon’s fear spiked not because in this alternate world he had stepped into, he was merely a piece of food. It was the tightness in Yohan’s voice which wasn’t there earlier when facing the ghouls.
Back then, Yohan was more like – damn it, a cockroach to deal with. But now he gave Gaon the impression that he got more pesky pests to handle – the type that could turn dangerous if he wasn’t careful.
True enough, the power that went blazing through Yohan’s ward was unlike their earlier encounter. If Gaon was to compare, it was as if Yohan was using a flame-thrower when previously, he had been getting by with a lighter. And Gaon could feel its intensity, much like standing too near a bonfire and feeling the heat uncomfortably hot against him.
Wherever Yohan’s powers clashed with that clammy rottenness that tainted the very space they were in – there was a sizzling crackle like fire meeting water. The impact made their opponent ‘shrink’, Gaon feeling less of its toxicity. But then it would come surging back in full force and Yohan would let loose another volley.
Back and forth they went, Yohan’s breathing becoming faster as he battled on. And swallowing hard, Gaon listened to it all while trying not to be Yohan’s stumbling block.
A buzzing slipped into his notice then just at the edge of his hearing. There seemed to be words but Gaon couldn’t make them out. And there was such a sad poignancy to its undertones that Gaon yearned to hear even more.
Shifting forward, straining to hear better, Gaon was thrown off course when Yohan’s voice roared through his head, jarring and shocking the wits out of him.
Don’t listen!
The loud volume tore Gaon’s attention from the buzzing. And like he was waking up from a trance, he turned pale at what he had done.
Gaon had let go of Yohan. If not for the tight grip on Gaon’s wrist which had held him back, Gaon would have walked right out of the ward which was meant to protect him.
Don’t listen to them!
Yohan’s voice boomed in his head again, blocking out the buzzing which had renewed in ferocity. At the same time, the sickly foulness had increased in strength, taking advantage of Yohan’s diminished powers – a result of him having to grab hold of Gaon and so, unable to use his left hand.
Quickly dragging Gaon’s arm underneath his again, Yohan commanded in a voice that brook no argument.
Say your eight to twelve timetables now!
With both his hands free, Yohan sent an explosive wave of power surging through the barrier. Beneath the loud hissing crackle as Yohan fought off the attack, Gaon heard screams, furious and distant. And he forced his attention away from them, pouring it into doing what Yohan had ordered.
“One times eight is eight. Two times eight is sixteen...”
Gaon’s voice was tremulous and frightened at first. But as he fell back into the familiar routine his math teacher used to make his class do, his voice steadied, taking on a sing-song quality as he went through his multiplications.
Surprisingly, the simple act decreased his awareness of his surroundings. And even though he knew that the fight was ongoing, it wasn’t taking up a large chunk of his focus and he no longer heard the buzzing which had almost got him killed.
Each time Gaon’s concentration faltered or he was about to run out of timetables, Yohan’s voice would pipe up in his head, demanding yet another set. It became such that Yohan’s voice was Gaon’s ultimate goal. His single-mindedness in obeying his instructions was so that he could hear his voice again – reassuring amidst the frightful stuff that was happening.
Was it the third or fourth time Gaon was reciting his timetables when something pressed against his lips, shocking a cry out of him. Gaon thought that was it – the ward had been breached and he was going to whet some creature’s appetite. But Yohan’s voice broke through his fright, weary but brimming with relief.
“You can stop now.”
it dawned on him then that he could no longer feel the oozing rottenness which had dodged their every step. And it sank in then that the something pressing on his lips was actually Yohan’s finger.
Pulling back so that he could ask Yohan if it was really over, Gaon blinked, bewildered by the sight which had appeared before him.
He was in a cavern-like space whose edges kept slipping out of his gaze – dizzy and disorientating. And Gaon couldn’t tell how deep or wide the place actually was.
Only the furniture stayed put where they were, solid and real-looking. And they were arranged in such a way that even though there weren’t any dividing walls – Gaon could tell what function they would have served in a house.
On his right, the long table and matching chairs re-created a dining room where meals would have been taken. And prominently displayed on the dark wooden shelves lined up behind them, were expensive-looking plates and crockery.
Looking to his left, Gaon saw a basement, gloomy and secretive. Its sliding doors were shut tight but through the transparent glass panels on the upper half, he could make out cupboards in assorted shapes and sizes.
And looming over everything before him – the chandeliers and tall bookcases, the desk and armchairs and leather sofa – was an arched window allowing some sort of glow to come inside.
Something wasn’t right. But Gaon had a hard time figuring out what it was.
There was this overpowering scent which clung onto his every breath. And it crawled up his nose and settled in his brains until Gaon felt that there was nothing but cotton wool stuffed in his head.
Every thought he had, skittered out from his grasp before he could comprehend any of them. And when the woman bent down, her low-cut dress showing off her cleavage, Gaon sat there like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
“My, my, what a pretty one you are.”
Her voice was sweet yet sultry, the type that would make anyone’s wet dreams that much erotic. And her beauty would have been breathtaking if Gaon still had his mind connected to him.
Somehow, his physical self had become detached from his inner one. And even though alarm bells were ringing madly somewhere far far in the haze clouding his mind. Gaon didn’t react, not even when the woman grasped his chin with a strength that belied her dainty appearance.
“No wonder he cares so much,” the woman turned Gaon’s head left and right, admiring him as one would a piece of meat they were about to eat.
“And that makes me want to ruin you even more.”
Do something! – a tiny voice, nearly smothered out by the sluggish clouds in his head, squeaked at him. But Gaon did nothing, not because he didn’t want to. His skin was crawling at the chilly feel of the woman’s fingers which somehow felt reptilian. But his physical body had become a separate entity and it was no longer obeying his commands.
Letting go of his chin, the woman sat on his lap, arranging the folds of her long floral dress which should be elegant and pretty. But on her, it was more suggestive than if she was in some skimpy lingerie. And it clung onto her curves, as revealing as if she was totally naked.
Somewhere in the recesses of Gaon’s mind, there was a dim shout that sounded familiar. But the cloying scent thickened, much too flowery and much too heady, and Gaon couldn’t remember, aware only of the woman and the space he was in.
Satisfied, the woman offered him a smile that would be alluring. But there were too many pointed teeth showing between her red-stained lips.
“Has he enjoyed you yet?”
The woman slid an arm across his shoulders, her cold breath ghosting over the delicate shell of his ear.
“Has he touched you like this?”
And she pinched Gaon’s nipple through his thin T-shirt before her fingers rubbed and toyed with the nub.
Gaon cried out, sweet thrills coursing through his body and pooling in his groin. It shouldn’t be so intense and it shouldn’t be so gratifying. But his body was responding as if it had been deprived and starved. And the terror which should have Gaon throwing the woman off him, was but a sensation bottled up inside, disconnected from how his physical body felt.
“You like it, don’t you?” the woman nuzzled his neck, mouthing and sucking as if enjoying a delicious treat.
“You want more, don’t you?”
And her hand slid over to play with the other nipple, fingernails scratching and fingers pulling, leaving the previous one, hard and aching at the loss.
“Yes! More!” Gaon panted, voice steeped with delight even though deep within, he felt defiled by the act which he hadn’t consented to. And his body continued to relish the molestation, unaffected by how unwilling Gaon was feeling.
With a coquettish and much too predatory smile, the woman straddled him, her long skirt bunching above her knees to reveal legs covered in pale glistening scales. And as she tugged roughly at his nipples, her fork-like tongue darted out to lick her lips – a sight which should have Gaon feeling sick in the stomach.
But he threw his head back instead, chest heaving as he writhed under her ministrations. And when her hands slid down to grope his half-hard erection, Gaon bucked his hips desperately, his moans wanton and debauched.
The more ecstatic Gaon was, the more radiant the woman became, and the colder and emptier his body felt. It was as if she was draining something from Gaon, something vital to his well-being. And buried underneath the sexual pleasure his body was drowning in, Gaon was panicking.
Even then, he couldn’t stop begging, urging her to hurry when she popped open the button on his pants. And as her hand drew down the zipper, making Gaon tremble with anticipation. A vibration rippled through him, spreading out across the cavern-like space much like a stone being thrown into water.
The woman halted her actions, fingers dipping into the waistband of Gaon’s underwear. And her eyes narrowed, sensing a change she hadn’t expected.
The vibration came again, rocking through Gaon at a much stronger pace. And in the wake of it, the dense haziness drugging Gaon’s mind was wiped clean as if a gust of wind had come and blown them away. Clarity returned to him, a first since he landed up in this accursed place, and along with it, Gaon regained control of his body.
With a shout born out of fear and loathing, Gaon pushed the woman off him, putting quite some strength into doing it. He toppled out of the chair he had been sitting on just as the woman fell backwards, landing in an ungainly heap. And even then, Gaon didn’t stop scrambling away, wanting as much distance as possible between him and her.
The woman snarled, expression twisted ugly at having her ‘meal’ disrupted. Then she began to change, limbs melding and body distorting with a fluidity that was unnerving to see. Where the woman was, Gaon was now facing a huge python. And on her skin were the same patterns which was on the woman’s dress just now.
“Yohan!”
Gaon cried out the name he could now remember, the name his entire being had come to associate with safety and protection.
He flung his arms up when the python reared her head, mouth opened wide to sink her fangs into him. And there was a muttered apology in his head before Gaon was jumping out of harm’s way - a dexterity to his body which wasn’t of his own doing.
The python smashed her head against the ground, missing him by inches. And there was a screech, much too high-pitched and hair-raising, and Gaon should be cowering in fear or running away to stay alive.
He did neither, glaring at the python as if wanting to burn holes into her head with his eyes. And when his own voice roared out with a fierceness that was all Yohan’s, Gaon could feel Yohan’s fury like a heatwave on a blazing day. He was once again relegated to the ‘backseat’ of his mind while Yohan took charge of his body. And he should have been terrified at how similar it was to when the woman had manipulated his body.
But Gaon wasn’t because it was Yohan and he trusted him.
“How dare you!” Yohan’s words grated out through Gaon’s clenched teeth, “How dare you lay your hands on him!”
The python whipped her tail so fast that if it was Gaon, he would have been hit and dead from the impact. But his body, under the possession of Yohan, leaped into the air – an impossible height for a human to achieve with its own two feet.
Twisting out of the python’s second swipe of her tail as if he was a born gymnast. He landed on the back of her neck without losing his balance. And power thrummed through Gaon – all Yohan’s doing – an alien sensation that he couldn’t find the words to describe.
A thick strand of red and orange, much like the electrical discharge of lightning, began to form between the palms of his hands. And the python, hissing hatefully at how her attack had been thwarted, twisted her head, trying to snap her jaws shut on him.
But she fell short, unable to reach him at where he was standing. And Gaon’s body, under the command of Yohan, looped that pulsating strand round the python’s neck.
“Should have killed you long ago.”
And he pulled hard with all of Yohan’s might behind it.
An unearthly scream broke free, the python thrashing and flailing, trying to escape her strangulation. And Gaon became alarmed.
He could feel Yohan’s intention as clear as if he had been broadcasting on the biggest billboard available. And in the waves of unyielding determination that Yohan was emitting, Gaon caught glimpses of a village burning, of blood splattering and ashes drifting.
But everything was flashing by much too rapidly for him to make sense of them. And there was something of greater urgency that needed his immediate attention.
No, don’t, please!
Gaon called out in his mind, trying to stop Yohan and his hardened will to deliver death to the woman. But Yohan refuted his plea.
“She hurt you and she don’t deserve your sympathy.”
Tightening the garotte, letting the strand bite deep into her flesh – the python let loose another scream, garbled and choked and not at all pleasant to hear. And Gaon yelled out, his voice frantic.
Don’t make me do what I don’t want!
That had Yohan going still. But his grip had not loosened one bit, keeping her teetering on the edge between life and death.
“Is that really how you feel?”
Something in Yohan’s tone carried a ton of implication that, even though they hadn’t been put into words, Gaon knew exactly what he was getting at.
Yohan would never force him if he wasn’t willing. But if there was the slightest doubt or if Gaon was making his stand based on some moral code he had been conditioned to believe, and not how he truly felt. Yohan wasn’t going to hesitate at all.
It wasn’t just vengeance, making her pay for what she had done to Gaon. She had crossed a line that was Yohan’s tolerance limit. And judging from the grudging-ness Yohan was exuding, he had tolerated her, way too much already.
Gaon was once again, overwhelmed by the consideration Yohan was giving him. And he wondered if maybe, due to the connection they now had, Yohan had sensed that there was a part of him, who would love to see the woman suffer for what she did.
But Gaon also knew that that wasn’t the kind of ending he truly wanted. It was but his coping mechanism – diverting his hurt into rage so that he wouldn’t have to deal with the shame the woman’s violation had made him feel.
What he really wanted, had always been in his thoughts ever since he became lost in the forest. And pouring every ounce of his emotions into it, Gaon told Yohan.
I just want to go home, please.
His words had the unexpected effect of stabbing Yohan like a knife through his heart, And Gaon, reeling from the grief that was tearing through Yohan, cried out at the same time as Yohan was doing so as well.
The strand made up of Yohan’s power, winked out of existence as Yohan lost focus. And seizing the opportunity, the python heaved him off her body just as Gaon heard a girl’s dying breath embedded in the agony of Yohan’s grief.
I want to go home, Samchon.
The python vanished and in her leaving, the entire space shattered apart into shards and smithereens. And Gaon gasped out in terror, not only at how the glittering pieces could shred him into mincemeat. But Yohan was gone too, no longer a constant presence possessing his body.
Feeling bereft as if he had lost a thing that was priceless, Gaon wrapped his arms round his head in a bid to protect himself. And instead of excruciating pain, Gaon fell down and down an abyss – the change so sudden, he didn’t even have time to be shocked. Then solid ground was underneath his feet again. And Gaon could no longer see anything because there was a blindfold tied round his head.
Someone was holding him, an arm round his waist. And Gaon panicked, thinking that the woman had gotten hold of him again.
“No! Let go of me!” Gaon fought back, hands pushing and punching, trying to break free. But two arms came together to lock him into an embrace, rendering his resistance into useless groping of the person’s clothing.
A voice spoke up then, filled with regret and a desperation to comfort him.
“It’s okay, you’re safe and I’m sorry, I’m so sorry! I didn’t know she will work with them. And I didn’t have time to...”
It finally sank in, who the voice belonged to and whose arms he was in. And the terror which had been constricting Gaon was finally stripped away, leaving his heart leaping with a joy that was fierce and utterly relieved.
“Yohan!”
Gaon collapsed into the embrace whose warmth was such a balm after the coldness he had felt at the woman’s hands.
“Yohan!”
Gaon choked out that precious name as an uncontrollable trembling began, exhaustion and the verge of a breakdown weighing heavily on him.
The hug tightened as if Yohan was trying to squeeze every negativity out of Gaon so that he wouldn’t be so anguished. And his voice which Gaon didn’t realise he missed so much – spoke with an assured resolution that showed how determined he was.
"Just a bit more, Gaon-ah. Just a few steps and you’ll be home.”