The Villain’s Recipe - Chapter 17.1
Baek Seok-gyol grabbed the clothes Min-ha had rolled up and tossed them off in one motion. Because he took off his hoodie, his disheveled hair returned to normal after shaking his head a few times. Thus, Min-ha unexpectedly came to see Baek Seok-gyol’s bare body in its entirety.
Even though they were both men, it gave him a bizarre feeling. Min-ha let out a small dry cough and looked at Baek Seok-gyol’s body, but his expression soon wavered. Baek Seok-gyol’s upper body was densely covered in scars. It did not look like they had happened recently. However, judging by the remaining scars, they must have been quite severe injuries at the time.
Wounds where flesh had split, burst, and been scorched. Min-ha stared at Baek Seok-gyol’s body with endlessly trembling eyes and squeezed his eyes shut. Then he opened them again, but what he saw did not change.
“How did you…”
His throat seemed to choke up. Min-ha was merely a guide who had been sold to the villains by his uncle. Yet, in the short time he had stayed here, he had grown fond of the people he met. Being villains did not mean they were not human. They were not monsters as other people said; rather, they treated him warmly. He thought Baek Seok-gyol was no different in that regard.
“How did you get hurt?”
Min-ha, having spoken that far, realized his mistake. Was it okay to carelessly ask about someone else’s injuries? He quickly shook his head and continued speaking.
“No, if you don’t want to talk about it, don’t say anything! I was rude.”
Baek Seok-gyol, looking at Min-ha as if he found him puzzled, came closer and lowered his head. When they matched eye levels, the purple eyes he always thought were pretty came into view.
“It’s fine. It’s nothing.”
There is no way it is nothing! Min-ha barely managed to swallow the cry he wanted to let out.
“They’re all healed now. More than that, Min-ha.”
Min-ha kept his lips tightly pressed together without saying anything.
“Do you only see my scars?”
“Pardon?”
When Min-ha asked back, not understanding the meaning of the question, Baek Seok-gyol’s hand groped his bare chest.
“I’ve actually heard that I have a pretty good body quite a few times.”
As flesh began to stick to his thin frame, he looked much better. Long fingers with thick knuckles stroked his chest and then descended to his abdomen. Certainly, excluding the scars, Baek Seok-gyol had the best physique among the people Min-ha had ever seen.
Except for the fact that most of those subjects were the grandfather in Gamheung-ri.
“Want to touch?”
His purple eyes curved prettily. Eyes curved like a crescent moon were both beautiful and captivating. Touch him! To make such a suggestion without knowing how scary the world could be!
“You shouldn’t carelessly say things like that to other people!”
“Not other people, but you? My guide.”
At those words, Min-ha’s ears turned crimson red. It looked as if red drops would fall from them right away if poked.
“Guiding has the best effect when you are in contact.”
Saying that, he pulled Min-ha’s hesitating hand and placed it on his own chest. Since that spot happened to be right over his heart, the throbbing was felt completely through his palm. In the vibration that was slightly faster than usual, Min-ha found himself focusing without realizing it.
It definitely felt different from just holding hands. He could not explain it specifically, but he felt that he could guide much more smoothly right now.
“The closer you get to the heart.”
Baek Seok-gyol’s voice sounded as though it were echoing.
“The broader or deeper the contact surface, the better the effect.”
Right, the action he was taking now was purely for the sake of guiding. Thinking that way, the remaining embarrassment melted away smoothly.
‘What on earth was I thinking about?’
If someone had known Min-ha’s thoughts, they might have said the young one was precocious and bold. Recalling the guiding he had learned briefly from Park Jung-woo not long ago, Min-ha slowly infused his power.
As he was guiding like that, Baek Seok-gyol leaned against him once more.
“It’s a bit hard to stand, shall we lie down and do it?”
