Free Web Novel—No! Don’t! Don’tdon’tdon’tdon’t... I won’t forgive you!
A flickering, static-wreathed silhouette chewed its fingertips until they bled as it gave the warning. But Hyunmook, without the slightest hesitation, turned his gaze away and smashed and burned the next piece in the collection. Seungryong let out a low whistle, grinning.
“Wow. That’s cold.”
Joo Hoyoung stamped his feet as he watched the treasures he had painstakingly collected get destroyed. He screamed, and at last, unable to restrain himself, charged. Hyunmook’s lightning struck without mercy.
—Kyaaaaak!
Shocked and scorched, Hoyoung screamed and fled—only to reappear a moment later when Hyunmook went for another piece, clearly torn between hiding and saving his most precious possessions. Several times he dashed in to try to rescue a bizarre, favorite doll, only to flee again in despair. After they’d destroyed an entire floor, they moved down to the next, and Hoyoung began hurling himself bodily into Hyunmook’s attacks, determined to save his treasures even at the cost of his own body.
“Uh, wait! Just—just wait a second...”
Yohan, who had been growing increasingly anxious watching Seungryong spectate without lifting a finger and Hyunmook fry Hoyoung without a blink, finally stepped in. He couldn’t stand the pity he felt. As soon as the assault paused, a blackened, trembling Hoyoung scrambled to gather his toys, trying to move them somewhere safe. freeωebnovēl.c૦m
“Yohan, this way is better for him too,” Hyunmook said mildly.
“It’s just... this feels too much. We’ve got plenty of time—can’t we at least try something else, just once?”
Hoyoung’s glare burned with hatred, the sound of his grinding teeth growing louder. Seungryong shrugged as he dug at his ear.
“I mean, I think we could catch him in another hour.”
“An hour more?!”
Yohan stared in horror. These cruel people... That was just an hour of electrocuting Hoyoung straight.
“Hyunmook...”
A good idea had just struck him, and Yohan gave Hyunmook an imploring look. Seeing Hoyoung’s suffering was making him ache inside. Hyunmook seemed hesitant, so Yohan quietly added,
“Hyunmook-hyung...”
Hyunmook twitched at that. Noticing his reaction, Yohan glanced at Hoyoung, then pleaded,
“Just one try. If it doesn’t work, I’ll give up.”
“Well, since it’s you asking like this, Yohan...”
Hyunmook’s smile was warm as he brushed the back of his hand against Yohan’s cheek.
“How could I say no?”
Yohan’s head swam for a moment. He was supposed to be earning Hyunmook’s affection, but somehow it just kept deepening on his end instead. Clearing his throat, he ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) laid out his plan, and both Hyunmook and Seungryong looked intrigued.
“Not bad. Doesn’t sound too hard.”
“Right? Seems worth a try.”
The plan was simple and intuitive: purify and repair one of the game machines to lure Hoyoung in. Given how obsessed he was with toys and games, he wouldn’t be able to resist.
“Do you know what kind of games Hoyoung likes?”
“Uh... not exactly, but I’d know it if I saw it.”
Luckily, the building was full of things Hoyoung had collected over time, many in decent condition. Under Hoyoung’s simmering glare, they sorted through the machines to find the ones in the best shape, and Yohan purified them. The abundance of duplicates meant they could salvage plenty of working parts.
After days of scouring through piles of components, they had two or three handheld consoles and one arcade cabinet that seemed serviceable. Yohan clenched his fist and looked at Hyunmook with shining eyes.
“Now it’s all up to you!”
Hoyoung’s murderous glare—already fierce from watching them dismantle his machines—now looked sharp enough to kill by sight alone. While Yohan glanced at him with some guilt, Hyunmook only shrugged and picked up a length of wire.
Electricity was essential for these machines, and no matter how many Hoyoung had hoarded, he’d never been able to power them up—until now. Because now, there was a human generator here, one who could freely control the voltage.
Hyunmook sent power through the wires, slowly raising the output. The first machine didn’t respond. Neither did the second. But on the third try, the arcade cabinet lit up. Yohan bounced on his toes.
“It’s working! It’s on!”
Bright lights flashed on the screen, and upbeat Japanese music and effects played. When Yohan looked to see Hoyoung’s reaction, the ghostly silhouette was staring, entranced, at the cabinet. The red glow in his eyes reflected the flashing graphics. Even after Hyunmook cut the power, Hoyoung stood motionless, gaze fixed on the machine.
“Does this one work too?”
Yohan handed over a handheld console Hoyoung was said to have especially liked—one that had been a real headache to fix. Hyunmook wordlessly sent power through it, and moments later the screen lit up with a cheerful pop as a character appeared. Yohan jumped again in delight.
“Wow! This one works too!”
Hoyoung’s gaze burned as he leaned forward, but he still didn’t approach, fear outweighing desire. He’d need more tempting.
“Anyone want to play a round?” Yohan asked.
A moment later, he found himself sitting in front of the powered-up arcade game.
“I’m not very good at games,” he admitted.
“That’s fine. You’re an Awakener now,” Seungryong said cheerfully—then leaned in to whisper in Yohan’s ear, “And being bad is actually better.”
Why would being bad be better? Yohan didn’t get it, but decided to follow his advice. He took the joystick carefully, trying not to break it with his enhanced strength, and fed in a handful of salvaged coins.
With his improved reflexes and reaction time, the game wasn’t actually hard. It was fun after so long, but he followed Seungryong’s advice: skipping items in plain sight, wandering aimlessly. Before long, Hoyoung was grinding his teeth again, this time in frustration.
—Idiot! Moron! Half-wit!
Ah. That’s why. Realizing instantly, Yohan leaned into it, deliberately passing by items in his peripheral vision. Hoyoung started hopping mad.
—That’s not how you do it! No! Ah! Aaaagh!
He twisted and writhed, cursing furiously. Yohan pretended not to hear and, just before defeating the boss, deliberately let his character die with the boss’s health hanging by a sliver. Shrugging, he got up. Hoyoung collapsed to the ground, pounding the floor in fury.
“Guess I’ll play something else.”
Ignoring Hoyoung completely, Yohan picked up a handheld Hyunmook had charged and started playing. Hoyoung let out a heartbroken wail.
—Aaaaah...
Pacing and fidgeting, Hoyoung finally began inching closer. Yohan kept his eyes elsewhere. Even while eyeing Hyunmook warily, Hoyoung couldn’t tear his gaze from the screen. Eventually, drawn in, he sat down on a stool-shaped seat. His form flickered with static as Yohan, for the first time, got a good look at him up close.
Blue-tinged skin stretched over a gaunt, mummified frame; eyes dark and blood-red; his already strange body made worse by the burns Hyunmook had given him. Even seated, he didn’t dare touch the game, staring instead at his soot-blackened hands, as if worried about dirtying it.
Watching from a short distance, Yohan sent a small pulse of light toward him. The sparkling motes settled on Hoyoung’s hands, and the soot vanished, leaving them clean. Only then did Hoyoung finally lift his gaze from the game to Yohan, staring in a daze.
Then, with trembling hands, he reached for the controls. When the screen responded to his movements, he flinched, gasped for breath—and then locked in on the game.
—It’s fun.
Even just moving through menus and options, he played with the joystick a few times and murmured again,
—Fun. Fun. So much fun.
He started the game, and the protagonist appeared on the vividly rendered screen. From then on, he didn’t leave the seat, playing for hours.
While Hoyoung was absorbed, Yohan poured his purification power into him. Gradually, the red faded from Hoyoung’s eyes, the soot vanished from his body, and the blue tinge left his skin. Finally, what remained was simply the form of an extremely thin man.
