The Devil Judge [Bl Version] - Chapter 10: Nostalgia\'s Embrace

Ga-on\’s eyes fluttered open, greeted by an unexpected sight. Kang Yo-Han, of all people, was tending to his wounds. His brows furrowed as he tried to process this surreal moment.

\”Yo-Han, what are you doing?\” Ga-on\’s voice held a mix of confusion and amusement.

Kang Yo-Han looked up, his expression a mixture of surprise and mild annoyance. \”I\’m dressing your wounds, obviously.\”

Ga-on blinked, then turned his head slightly, spotting a peculiar mark on his back. \”Wait, is that a tattoo?\”

Kang Yo-Han\’s gaze shifted to Ga-on\’s back, his eyebrow arching as he surveyed the inked design. \”Really, Ga-on? A tattoo? How immature.\”

A smirk tugged at the corner of Ga-on\’s lips. \”Oh come on, Yo-Han. You\’re just jealous because you never had the guts to get one.\”

Kang Yo-Han\’s lips twitched, and before Ga-on knew it, a slap landed on his back. \”You little brat, watch your mouth.\”

Ga-on chuckled, rubbing the spot where he\’d been slapped. \”Well, well, you sound like an old fogey now.\”

Kang Yo-Han leaned in, his voice dropping dangerously low. \”You should watch your attitude, or I might just remind you how things were when I was young.\”

He lifted Ga-on\’s chin slightly, their faces inches apart. Ga-on\’s heart raced for a different reason now, his face heating up at the unexpected proximity. Just as the tension seemed to reach its peak, the door swung open.

A maid entered, her eyes widening as she took in the scene before her—Kang Yo-Han in a rather compromising position, his lips perilously close to Ga-on\’s. She gasped, \”I\’m so sorry!\” and immediately turned to flee, but her haste betrayed her, and she tripped over her own feet, accidentally stumbling forward.

In her rush to exit, her trajectory went slightly off, and before anyone could react, she crashed into the side table, knocking over a vase that sent a spray of water and flower petals into the air.

Ga-on and Kang Yo-Han stared in a mixture of surprise and bewilderment, caught in this bizarre turn of events. As the maid finally managed to extricate herself from the tangle of flower petals, she stuttered an apology, her cheeks flushing a deep shade of red.

Kang Yo-Han cleared his throat, his tone dry as he addressed the awkwardness. \”Perhaps a little more caution around fragile objects.\”

The maid nodded frantically, her face resembling a ripe tomato. \”Yes, yes, I\’m so sorry!\” With a last hurried bow, she made her hasty exit, the door closing behind her.

Ga-on burst into laughter, the absurdity of the situation finally hitting him. \”I never thought I\’d witness something like this.\”

Kang Yo-Han rolled his eyes, a faint flush tinging his cheeks. \”This is all your fault, you know.\”

\”Hey, I didn\’t ask for a vase to be knocked over,\” Ga-on retorted between chuckles.

As their laughter echoed in the room, the tension that had momentarily gripped them melted away. In its place was a shared moment of genuine amusement, a memory that would forever be etched in their minds.

Elijah\’s wheels carried her silently through the corridor, her curiosity piqued by the sound of laughter that had become increasingly rare in the mansion. She arrived at the room\’s entrance, the door ajar, and paused as a flood of memories washed over her.

In her mind\’s eye, she saw herself as a child, a younger version of her present self, her legs still strong, playing in the very room that now resonated with laughter. She saw Yo-Han, a younger man, much different from the stern figure she had come to know, engaging in playful antics with a person who looked uncannily similar to his father, Isaac.

The memory was a haze of joy, laughter, and a warmth that she hadn\’t felt in years. A pang of emotion hit her chest, a longing for those simpler times, a stark contrast to the hardships she had faced since.

As she stood there, lost in the memory, the present returned to focus. Ga-on and Yo-Han were sharing a moment, their laughter echoing through the room. Her eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of annoyance tugging at her lips. It was as if they were intruding upon a sacred memory of her past.

She pushed the door open slightly, her presence announced, though her emotions remained hidden behind a mask of cool detachment. \”Do you mind keeping it down? Some of us are trying to get things done,\” she quipped, her tone laced with annoyance.

Ga-on turned towards her, his smile fading into a bemused expression. \”Sorry, we didn\’t realize we were disturbing anyone.\”

Yo-Han\’s gaze, too, shifted towards Elijah, his eyes holding a mixture of curiosity and something else she couldn\’t quite decipher. \”My apologies, Elijah. We didn\’t mean to disrupt your peace.\”

Elijah\’s lips curled into a wry smile, her posture relaxed, though her heart still bore the weight of the memories she had witnessed. \”Just remember, not everyone\’s here to relive their past,\” she retorted, a hint of a vulnerability hidden beneath her words.

Ga-on\’s mind whirred with thoughts as Elijah\’s words echoed in his mind. He couldn\’t help but wonder why she had been so adamant about not reliving the past, and her cool detachment had left him slightly unsettled.

He glanced at Kang Yo-Han, whose expression had shifted from amusement to a stern resolve. Ga-on could tell that something about Elijah\’s words had triggered a reaction in him, though he couldn\’t quite decipher what it was.

Kang Yo-Han\’s voice, commanding and authoritative, cut through the air. \”Ga-on, you should rest. You\’ve been through a lot.\”

Ga-on\’s gaze shifted from Elijah\’s retreating figure to Kang Yo-Han\’s stern visage. He nodded, though his confusion lingered. \”Sure, I guess I could use some rest.\”

As Kang Yo-Han left the room, Ga-on\’s mind continued to churn. He couldn\’t shake the feeling that there was more to Elijah\’s words than met the eye, something deeper and personal that he hadn\’t yet uncovered.

He settled into a chair, his thoughts a jumble of questions and curiosity. Why was Elijah so guarded about the past? What memories did this mansion hold for her? And why did Kang Yo-Han\’s demeanor change so abruptly at her words?

Elijah entered her room, her gaze fixed on a small drawer that held a cherished memory. Opening it gently, she retrieved a framed photograph, her fingers tracing the edges as she stared at the captured moment— Kang Yo-Han, the person who looked so much like Ga-on, and her, a child full of innocence and wonder.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she clutched the photograph to her chest. \”I miss you.\” she whispered, her voice quivering. Her memories painted a vivid picture of a time when laughter resonated through the mansion\’s walls, and her heart ached for those simpler days.

As she held on to the photograph, a pang of yearning hit her. She wished for the past to become the present, for her father\’s warmth and the joy of those times to fill the mansion once again. \”Why did everything have to change?\” she asked herself softly, a question that held no answer.

To be continued…

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