CH 27.4

On the way, Kang Giha dropped off Yaba at a temporary shelter and went to the store. It was just after sunset when he got home. It was quiet in the house. Yaba went to his room and put on his pants roughly. He wanted to wash his body that was sticky with seawater. When he went to the bathroom, he was startled.

In the dark yard, Cocaine was sitting on a bench. When he came in, he didn’t look at him. He pretended to be ignorant even though he saw someone coming. Yaba admitted to himself Cocaine was a person who scratched his nerves without doing anything special. If it wasn’t for his hair fluttering in the wind, Cocaine was so still, without blinking, so much so that Yaba almost suspected he was a corpse. It was a strange air, a strange night.

He was staring at the water tap. Drops of water dripping from the faucet gnawed at the flesh of the soil. Even if it was a small drop of water, if it attacked only one spot, it would eventually create a hole larger than its own body. Yaba had no doubt that one day he would reap great rewards, just as he poisoned himself with Cocaine day after day.

“Why is it so quiet?”

It was not because he was curious about the whereabouts of the eunuchs, but rather to check whether Cocaine was dead or alive. He opened his mouth slowly.

“We’re moving to a new dorm tomorrow, so they went to buy all the necessities. Sejun hyung also went with them.”

“Why didn’t you go?”

“Because it’s uncomfortable.”

Yaba clicked his tongue. Seeing him once rule like a god and then relegated to a human form, he felt that a friendship like never before welled up. It would have been nice if it had been like that earlier. But it was too late. Now that Cocaine was confirmed to be alive, he was about to go on his way.

“Where did you go with Cha Yiseok-ssi? Did you sing to him?”

It was a way of speaking in which he questioned his lover and the person he had an affair with. Yaba’s eyes grew cold.

“Why? Can’t I sing for him?”

Cocaine eventually turned his head towards him. His expression was neither bright nor dark.

“You’d better stop doing the useless work. Otherwise, you will end up crying.”

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

“Well, we’ll find out later whether that’s nonsense… or not…”

Yaba was about to retort something, but he stopped. Cocaine’s face, exposed by the light, was white and covered with cold sweat. The dangerous appearance caught his attention. Cocaine coughed, contracting his shoulders. At that moment, he collapsed forward and tumbled across the yard. He tried to push himself up, but fell helplessly. Only mucus flowed from his gasping lips. And an amazing thing happened.

“Urgh… ! Mmph… !”

Cocaine spewed something out of his mouth as he collapsed. If his own eyes weren’t wrong, it was definitely blood. Blood… Yaba covered his mouth and suppressed his bursting exclamation. His heart jumped wildly. Blood dripped from Cocaine’s lips to his chin and onto the floor. He collapsed and rose again. Its appearance was neat and wonderful, like a butterfly caught in a spider’s web. At last he cocked his head and looked at Yaba.

Help me.

The eyes were a desperate cry. Yaba quickly looked at the gate. The shadows of the thugs shimmered beneath the cracks in the closed gates. They spit and chatted, but seemed completely unaware of the situation inside. How long would it take for people to come back? If they come a little late, please wait a little longer until Cocaine was no more… ! Yaba landed a few feet away from him. He rubbed his knees and bit his nails. He savored the magnificent view of him dying without missing a moment. Yaba was calm and cold.

“What’s the matter? Are you in pain?”

But this was nothing compared to the pain he suffered. Cocaine’s body shivered under the incandescent light. Blood-soaked lips opened and closed. The wheezing sound was as desperate as the flapping of wings reaching the end of his life. Yaba opened his eyes wide and listened to his death. Would people come soon? Everyone would weep at the death of God, right? Just imagining how crazy Kang Giha would be after losing the treasure of Paradiso made his stomach shudder. Cocaine appeared to struggle to the death before finally turning over the whites of his eyes and then finally closing them.

The sound of breathing, the struggle for life, and all movement ceased. Every…

“…”

Yaba carefully moved his body. He tapped the shoulder of Cocaine’s slack corpse with his foot and placed his finger under his sharp nose. The body didn’t let out a single breath. Yaba then tidied his sweaty hair.

“I feel sorry for you. Don’t be too upset. I will follow soon.”

My dear friend, the friend I wanted to kill so much.

The blood that soaked Cocaine’s face and clothes was more sacred than holy water. His pale skin looked like a fairy tale character who had fallen asleep after eating a poisoned apple. It was the last consideration that kept his most beautiful days forever. It’s a little earlier than Yaba thought, and it’s a pity that it’s such a shabby stage, but it didn’t matter. After coming here, he was burned to death every day by the light he emitted.

In this place of only ashes, hatred overtook guilt. For a long time, even if it was a thorny path that no one knew about, he finally completed the work he had been longing for his whole life. The one who couldn’t even keep up with his heels! Bacteria with no name have taken down the mighty nature! Salieri will rise from his grave and shake hands!

For sincere malice is purer than forced forgiveness, and holy anger is deeper than religion. In front of the fall of the god, his whole body heated up with joy. Yaba giggled, covering his mouth. Tears flowed down the back of his hand. Instead of the dazzling light, only the poor incandescent light illuminated him.

.

.

.

“As expected, you wanted me to be like this, did you want me to die?”

“…!!”

Yaba fell backwards and fell on the floor. He was so shocked that he couldn’t even scream. He thought he heard a hallucination. Cocaine’s eyelids, which seemed like they wouldn’t open forever, opened slightly. The red ripe whites appeared. The skin twitched. He rose from his seat like a god resurrected from the grave. He wiped his bloody mouth and furrowed his brow.

“Sweet. I shouldn’t have done it with starch syrup.”

The whistling sound of the wind came through the cracks in the cracked walls. Among it, Cocaine watched Yaba tranquilly matched exquisitely with the scenery. No sound was heard. He poured his energy into his death and had no more strength left. Cocaine looked at Yaba, who was overwhelmed with astonishment.

“So it was poison, right?”

How… ? How… ?!

Yaba’s lips only trembled. Cocaine glazed his eyes as if he had only waited for this moment.

“How did I survive? Because there is no reason to die. More people than you thought saw you put poison in the water purifier. The day I caught you, even Hashish witnessed it the day before, so why do you think they left you alone?”

He brushed back his hair and smiled. The smile was fierce enough to be cruel.

“Because they couldn’t see it.”

Yaba stopped breathing. His vision distorted, the scenery that contained him and yet Cocaine’s voice flowed:

“Because only I can see the poison you were holding.”