Unmasking the Void

‘Why is he suddenly doing this!’

It was completely out of nowhere. If someone acted out like this, there had to be a reason. But Seohan couldn’t find a single explanation for Dohun’s erratic behavior.

“You finally came.”

“……Why are you doing this?”

“Because you never come to see me unless it’s mealtime. I didn’t have the confidence to wait until morning.”

Seohan was left speechless. So, to put it simply…….

“You’re saying… you smashed the furniture just to see me?”

“I am.”

“……You could have just asked someone else to call me down.”

“If I did that, you wouldn’t have come.”

……He caught on. Seohan had to swallow hard in silence.

It was true that whenever he wasn’t “Baek Seohan,” he did his absolute best to avoid coming down to this basement. Setting Jin Yeon-oh aside, Lee Dohun was also someone Seohan wanted to avoid.

The only time Seohan ever came down was during meals, and since that time had already passed, his next visit would have been tomorrow morning, just as Dohun said.

No, but still, this is way too extreme.

Though the look in Dohun’s eyes was unusual, Seohan thought they could still resolve this with words. One step, two steps. Seohan slowly walked toward Lee Dohun. It was a cautious pace, prepared for any sudden movements, but Lee Dohun merely stood still and watched Seohan’s approach.

“So, you wanted me to come see you…….”

He was definitely planning to ask for the reason behind that desire.

“Ah, is it that? Are you throwing a tantrum?”

‘…….’

His mouth blurted out an entirely different set of words on its own. Seohan, who had to surrender control of his body before he could finish his thought, couldn’t say a word. It wasn’t even funny anymore.

‘You’re really doing the absolute most.’

Now you’re hijacking the body right in the middle of a sentence?

Even at “Baek Seohan’s” remark, Lee Dohun said nothing. His dark eyebrows twitched slightly, but that was all. The gaze directed at him held neither resentment nor anger. Those eyes, stripped of even a single grain of emotion, were clearly observing “Baek Seohan.”

A chill ran down his spine. Those calm eyes felt like they were piercing through everything.

“However, Dohun-ssi.”

The body that had been maintaining a proper distance shattered the tension in an instant. “Baek Seohan” closed the gap without hesitation, seemingly utterly indifferent to the fact that Lee Dohun was the very person who had turned the basement into a total wreck.

The gentle voice echoed to both of them—or rather, to the Seohan trapped inside “Baek Seohan.” He only felt incredibly anxious at “Baek Seohan’s” dangerous tenderness.

“You should know when to stop throwing tantrums.”

“Baek Seohan’s” hand began to toy with the neckline of Lee Dohun’s exposed throat. He dug his fingernails in lightly, scratching softly as if he might apply pressure and leave a scar at any moment. It was a precarious movement, but Lee Dohun didn’t give it a single glance.

“What about you.”

Instead, he let out a low voice. As if displeased by that behavior, “Baek Seohan’s” face contorted subtly.

“You lock me up here and enjoy yourself playing around with Jin Yeon-oh outside?”

‘……What is he talking about?’

Playing around? Who with whom?

Lee Dohun didn’t have a phone to contact the outside world, but he did have a TV to watch the news. It was a small consideration to let him know how the world was turning. As for how a man without a phone knew this factual detail…… Seohan stopped trying to deduce the reason. He really didn’t want to think about it anymore. Truly.

Something flared up deep inside his chest. Seohan thought it must be a mix of unfairness and irritation. All because he had accommodated Jin Yeon-oh’s absurd proposal—no, threat—and now he had to deal with this mess.

“Ugh!”

However, the moment “Baek Seohan’s” hand clamped firmly around Lee Dohun’s neck, that assumption collapsed instantly.

“Ha.”

A short breath escaped “Baek Seohan’s” lips. Seohan only then realized that the intense emotion churning in his chest was actually the original owner’s fury.

“Baek Seohan” was furious.

‘I’m screwed.’

He could guess the reason. The mention of Jin Yeon-oh by Lee Dohun must have been the trigger. As if he wanted to snap the neck right in front of him this very second, his tense fingertips turned white and trembled occasionally.

“Did you want…… to be punished that badly?”

“…….”

“If not, what is your reason? Why do you keep scratching at me like this? I tried my best to dote on you, but you keep…… acting so offensive to my eyes.”

The hand applying firm pressure shoved Lee Dohun, causing his body to fall back onto the bed behind him. But to Seohan, that action looked incredibly unnatural. He couldn’t shake the suspicion that Lee Dohun could have easily resisted, yet chose to submissively yield to “Baek Seohan’s” strength and fall back. Even though that shouldn’t be possible, he couldn’t erase the thought.

“If you want to be doted on, you should act like a dog with an owner. Or is your preference actually receiving punishment?”

The grip tightened further. It was only after Lee Dohun’s face contorted from failing to suppress a reflex cough that a sense of satisfaction bloomed within “Baek Seohan.”

The actions that followed were ruthless. “Baek Seohan” climbed right on top of Lee Dohun’s pinned body. Before Seohan could even process the situation, the positioning of his knees became incredibly awkward.

At first, he didn’t feel much. It was definitely like that, but as time passed, whatever was pressing beneath his knee grew noticeably rigid.

The lion’s share of this inevitable physiological phenomenon was surely due to “Baek Seohan’s” behavior—constantly rubbing his knee against the spot without keeping it still even while choking the man—but to Seohan, who shared the body, it felt like an absolute catastrophe.

“Stop. Don’t do something you’ll regret.”

“Regret?”

Setting aside Seohan’s utter bewilderment, Lee Dohun’s reaction was somewhat strange. Shuttering under occasional dry coughs, his face bore a subtle flush that mixed with shame, but it was fundamentally different from the first time he had been humiliated by “Baek Seohan.”

Those clearly shining eyes were fixed intently on “Baek Seohan.”

“The one who will regret it…… is you, Dohun-ssi. Not me.”

With a twisted smile, “Baek Seohan” lowered his head. Between their faces, positioned so closely they were on the verge of bumping into each other, their breaths mingled clearly. “Baek Seohan’s” slightly parted lips looked ready to tear into Lee Dohun’s lips at any moment.

As always, Seohan watched the action helplessly. Since his body had been stolen, there was nothing he could do. It was far more efficient to worry about how to smooth things over later.

“No, I’m not talking to you.”

Just as he was about to give up, Lee Dohun’s words pierced through his mind. His senses snapped awake. Although “Baek Seohan” raised an eyebrow, indicating he didn’t understand the statement, Seohan was different.

‘……No way.’

Is he talking to me?

Coughing against the hand still tightening around his throat, Lee Dohun resolutely forced his mouth open. His eyes, which remained completely sharp, were no longer looking at “Baek Seohan.”

“Baek Seohan. The one who reduced me to this state, hah…… is you.”

“……What have you been talking about since earlier, Dohun-ssi.”

How annoying.

A small voice muttered those words. “Baek Seohan’s” eyes gleamed with an ominous light, and the strength in his hand increased bit by bit. His sharp fingernails practically dug into the tender flesh of the neck.

Lee Dohun’s face contorted in pain from the sharp ache, but that didn’t stop him from speaking. Even as his face began to turn pale from the lack of oxygen, he pushed through.

“But…… the one who is scared to death of me isn’t you.”

It was a voice on the verge of fading completely, but to Seohan, it sounded louder than anything else. It felt like thunder and lightning crashing inside his head.

“……Who are you?”

It happened at that exact moment.

[For the first time, you have been recognized as ‘someone else’ and not ‘Baek Seohan’!]

[Synchronization Rate has increased by 10%!]

[Synchronization Rate has reached 25% ٩( ᐢ-ᐢ )و!]

The world flashed briefly. A sensation he could never truly get used to, despite experiencing it before, surged up through his body, and his slightly skewed vision snapped back to normal. His slow blinking made it obvious that he couldn’t believe the current situation.

“……Why don’t you, get your hand off me.”

“Ah.”

Only after a strained voice drifted into his ears did the strength drain from his hand. Realizing the reality of the situation in front of him, Seohan moved frantically.

The sequence of actions—repositioning the knee that had been pressing down, releasing the hand from the throat, and scrambling off Lee Dohun—happened incredibly fast. It might have been an action driven purely by survival instinct.

Stealing a quick glance, Lee Dohun’s neck was bright red. It looked like it would be covered in deep purple bruises by tomorrow. A subtle sense of guilt began to prick at his conscience.

“As expected, is it a split personality?”

Clearing his throat once, Lee Dohun spoke in a low voice. His demeanor, acting as if he had known this for quite some time, was even filled with a strange confidence. Seohan simply couldn’t bring himself to deny it in front of him.

‘It’s not like there’s any other way to explain it.’

It was possession rather than a split personality, but how on earth could he explain this bizarre phenomenon? If Seohan hadn’t personally experienced System R, he would have treated anyone spouting nonsense about possession as a total lunatic.

Therefore, he could only nod his head in agreement.