Chapter 354

When Koo Kyungman returned to his senses and screamed, Koo Hui-seo entered the operating room. After he appeared, the TV screen turned off. It was a relief that I didn’t have to close my eyes for a long while due to that, but…

“……”

Even though I strained my ears, there was only profound silence. There was neither joy nor happiness on the servant’s faces even after completing their vengeance.

Kim Sangyoon also seemed calm, but his complexion wasn’t good. However, it seemed that he made a firm decision to accept all that happened without making a fuss. The other servants were also lost in thought, quietly standing in place.

And, finally…

“I think it’s finished.” Accompanying Kim Olim’s words, the TV turned on again. A clean, organized operating room was displayed on the screen.

* * *

“According to the doctors, Kyungman-ie won’t make it through today.”

“……”

“If there’s anything you’d like to do, you’d better do it now,” Koo Hui-seo, who returned from the operating room, calmly said with an incomprehensible expression on his face.

I looked closely at Koo Hui-seo–I thought he might feel a bit melancholic or hesitant. No matter how much he hated his brother, the man was bound to feel somewhat complicated after seeing something be born from his brother’s stomach…

“He’s conscious and able to listen. I didn’t show him the child, but he’s aware that he gave birth… But, he kept trying to bite his tongue, so I left a bit in his mouth.” Koo Hui-seo was calm, as if he were explaining about a prey he had caught.

Looking at his cold demeanor, I couldn’t tell if I should be relieved or cautious. Nonetheless, it was clear that Koo Kyungman would suffer until the very end.

Choi Kyung-sik smiled. “I want to watch over him until he passes.”

“I can’t be bothered.”

“Shall we leave? Hmm… Though, if he’s struggling and crying, maybe I want to watch.”

“Jung Garam-kun’s taste is so vulgar…”

“Am I as bad as you?”

“You might as well be insulting yourself.”

“What bullshit.”

Although Bang Eunji and Jung Garam quarreled, it seems that Eunji decided to go kyungman-watch as well. 1 Eunji’s interest leaned more towards pure “curiosity” rather than hatred or anger, and I found her innocent tone more frightening than anything else.

“Hoo… I think I’ll be fine with not looking.” After listening to Koo Hui-seo, Kim Sangyoon shook his head. He and I shared similar thoughts about this event, so I didn’t want to insist on his participation.

However, most of the other servants seemed like they wanted to appreciate Koo Kyungman’s last moments. I wanted to leave, but I wondered if I should stay with them.

At that moment, Seo Dawon asked Koo Hui-seo, “What about the child?”

The room’s buzzing settled down at that question. Koo Hui-seo’s cheeks flushed red, and his eyes shone, “So cute…”

“……”

“Does Lee-kyung-ssi also want to see?”

Looking at Koo Hui-seo’s excited expression, I asked bluntly, “…I’m sorry to ask, but… Is it a real child?”

“Of course! They’re incredibly small…”

“……”

I looked at the Mage briefly before deciding that it would be better to see this ‘child’ rather than Koo Kyungman.

Perhaps he had read my thoughts, Dawon nodded without objecting.

“Show me. I have something I need to check as well.” I said.

“Great…”

Therefore, Seo Dawon, Kim Sangyoon, and I moved to another place–the room that was supposed to hold the baby.

Kim Sangyoon couldn’t hear the Mage’s voice, but he perceived that Seo Dawon was nearby through Koo Hui-seo’s attitude. However, he didn’t tremble or show any signs of fear. He merely continued to look around near me, examining the innocent, empty air with a suspicious expression.

Seo Dawon looked at Kim Sangyoon and clicked his tongue. “It seems like he can’t hide his anxiety.”

“Excuse me, Sangyoon-ssi… Seo Dawon is at my left right now.”

“Hnnghrk! Yes!” His unseemly restless attitude improved a little after I informed him of the Mage’s exact location.

Koo Hui-seo strode forward to the baby’s room without hesitation or responding to the disturbance behind him. He opened the door at the end of the hallway.

“……”

Surprisingly, the servants who attended and served meals to Chairwoman Shin when she was still alive were gathered in the room. They saw us entering, but they moved like ghosts, reacting very little to our presence. They divided, creating a path between us and the crib.

I briefly questioned whether it was alright for a newborn baby to be in such an ordinary room without any medical equipment, but honestly, I didn’t expect this child to be normal either. So, I dismissed my doubts and followed Koo Hui-seo.

And, at last, I laid eyes on the tiny baby, no bigger than a fist, sleeping peacefully on its bed.

“Cute, right?” As soon as I peered into the bed, Koo Hui-seo asked in a proud voice.

“……” I was shocked to see that the baby’s body, below the neck, was covered with intertwined tentacles, like an egg. Only the face was that of a human child–the body was all covered. Could we really call this a human being?

However, when Koo Hui-seo brought his finger near, the tentacles unraveled, revealing the delicate and slender body of the baby nestled inside, reminiscent of an unwrapped gift box.

Only then did I realize that it looked like a replica of Koo Hui-seo. Looking at the child’s reddened skin and thin frame, I felt that it looked more pitiable more than cute. Like its father, the child was adept at making me feel sympathy.

However, Koo Hui-seo simply lightly rubbed the baby’s belly with his delighted thumb. The baby’s chest swelled up as it took a forceful breath, and then it exhaled heavily; the baby repeated this cycle so intensely that it seemed like something might be wrong.

I couldn’t bear to touch the child when it felt like it would crumble at the lightest touch. So, I cautiously said, “…Congratulations.”

Koo Hui-seo smiled large enough to show his teeth–a rare sight–and turned to me, “What should we name them?”

I was greatly flustered by his question. The ex-chimera spoke as if he had no doubt that I would name his child.

Setting aside my immediate repulsion of his baby, I had never successfully named anything. Even now, I sighed when I looked over to see Lackey hanging onto the crib, peering inside. Why did I name my skeleton like that…

“…W-Well. To be honest, I’m not confident in my naming abilities…”

I tried to politely refuse, but Koo Hui-seo started to openly pester me, “I would like it if Lee-kyung-ssi named them… Or, can I take one character from Lee-kyung-ssi’s name?”

“Sure, let’s discuss this before Kyungman-ie dies.” Of course, there was no way that Seo Dawon would stand by and let this slide. The mage threatened Koo Hui-seo, stabbing him in the chest with his finger, “Why do you want to attach my Lee-kyung-ie’s name to your and Koo Kyungman’s child? Hm?”

“Because Lee-kyung-ssi’s name is pretty…”

“If Lee-kyung-ie and I have a child, I’ll have to use that name. Stop being so clingy.”

“What…?” I opened my eyes wide at Seo Dawon’s last words. No way…did Seo Dawon also become interested in having a child after seeing Koo Hui-seo’s bizarre method of childbirth?

Dawon-ie stopped talking, as if he were a bit embarrassed, when he saw my shocked face. “Lee-kyung-ah, do you really think I would ever make you do something like this?

“No, right?… Still, I was startled…”

“It’s just that…he was so obviously trying to attach your name to this unrelated child…”

Koo Hui-seo rolled his eyes and pretended that he was unable to hear our conversation.

However, just then—

“You look so strangely cute…” Though the disgust did not fully vanish from his face, Kim Sangyoon reached into the crib as if he saw something fascinating.

The tentacles that had been docile when Koo Hui-seo touched them suddenly lashed out and wrapped themselves around Kim Sangyoon’s fingers.

Cr-r-r-r-ack–!

“Arghh!”

In an instant, I heard bones crack. Astonished, I pulled Kim Sangyoon back. The Warrior turned pale and gasped.

Koo Hui-seo was not surprised in the slightest and simply turned towards the bed. Eyebrows gathered and lips pouting, he affectionately scolded the baby, “Baby~… That’s dirty. Gross. You can’t eat that.”