cheolsoo • The Society of The Shadow / Eng ver.

11. in the midst of silence

Seungcheol headed to the front door of the Warrior's dorm with a blank expression, his maroon coat fluttering with each step he took. The sun shone down on the green yard on both sides as he walked along the grey, stony path leading to the library. Life felt peaceful, yet it still ached since Joshua refused to be anywhere near him. He didn't want to rush up and force a conversation, but the long wait bothered him. He hated waiting like this, knowing that Joshua was full of anger and emotionally hurt. He worried, of course. He thought about Joshua in the dead of night, wondering how he could fix things without making Joshua loathe him more.

Love was still alive, he believed so. It couldn't die that quickly. Mingyu clearly noticed their strange behavior, yet the prince remained calm and didn't question Seungcheol about it. Jeonghan, on the other hand, glared at Seungcheol with bullets in his eyes. It was hard to say whether Joshua had told his best friend about the auction—probably not; but Joshua avoiding Seungcheol was reason enough for Jeonghan to hate him.

Unexpectedly, Jeonghan took the opportunity to follow Seungcheol discreetly, puzzling the man.

"Can you stop following me? I've known you were behind me the whole time. It's really weird," Seungcheol said, turning around with a slight frown.

"If you're uncomfortable, that means I've succeeded," Jeonghan grinned. Then he added, "Joshua's been holed up in his room like an introvert all week."

Seungcheol could feel Jeonghan's eyes wandering and examining him, taking note of every expression.

"What do you want me to say?" Seungcheol tried to walk faster, as if he could escape from Jeonghan, who was also an amazing warrior. The only thing that might cause Jeonghan to lose a battle was his limited opportunity to learn spells in school, whereas Seungcheol had access to all the dark spells due to his privileged family.

"The truth, of course. That's why I'm here, you idiot."

Seungcheol kept a straight face, making no mistake that Jeonghan stood close enough to read his expression. He responded, "Why should I?" then added, "If Joshua didn't tell you, I don't think I'm allowed to either."

Jeonghan let out a sigh, speaking in a light tone with a devilish undertone. "If you hurt my best friend, I'll make you suffer for the rest of your life."

Hearing those words, Seungcheol finally stopped walking and took a moment to glance at Jeonghan. Guilt arose within him, forcing him to speak out loud. "If you do, I won't protest a bit."

Seungcheol did believe he deserved punishment.

"You clearly did something wrong, and I have to know." Jeonghan understood what Seungcheol meant. "Why don't you tell me the whole story already so we don't waste our time?"

Seungcheol shrugged and walked past him. "How about you stay back because this is none of your business?"

Jeonghan didn't chase after him. He let Seungcheol go his way, leaving the truth hanging heavy in the air. Knowing that Seungcheol admitted his fault and was willing to pay the price made Jeonghan feel better. At least, he could think about what to do next while his friend was still in the doldrums. Or so he thought...

-

Joshua's friends might have thought he was going through a phase of teenage petulance—becoming rebellious, getting mad at his boyfriend, avoiding deep conversations, and preferring solitude. People might have believed Joshua needed saving or that he required their help, but Joshua thought otherwise. He neither had the time nor the desire to explain himself. He was focused on his mission to return to the middle dimension.

All he needed was time alone to devise a solid plan, and he was determined to go alone. If he revealed his intentions, anyone in the secret group might protest and try to impede him, eventually stopping him from pursuing this idea. But Joshua forgot about Mingyu, the only person who knew about Joshua's vision and his need for the hidden library.