Uichan came rushing out of the room again, limping on one leg and clutching an old box tightly to his chest. Seeing his frantic movement, Hyde also rose to his feet.Click—“Hyde.”Uichan slid open the balcony door and stepped out as if being chased. His face was pale, drawn tight with panic. He opened his mouth to explain but then clamped it shut again. Instead, he thrust the box in his arms toward Hyde.Inside was a shriveled lump of flesh.As Hyde looked down at the withered thing, air slipped out between his lips. No matter how he looked at it, it ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) was the severed ear of a monster.A chilling, sinister energy rolled out from it so strongly that it felt like it could choke someone. No wonder Uichan had gone white. The mingled aura of killing intent and yin energy was—“Podo stole something very rare.”It was the same gruesome, skin-peeling malevolence Hyde had felt during the Seolhyang Village tragedy.***—I’ll take this. I need to investigate it.Before leaving, Hyde stuffed Uichan’s hands full of burn ointment. The way he so casually pulled it out of his front pocket made it look like he’d come prepared. The fact that he’d brought it at all meant he already knew about Uichan’s confrontation with La Épée. Yet he had waited until Uichan called him.‘He’s impossible to figure out.’Just like that kiss. He called it silencing me, but wasn’t he just toying with me?Lying on the bed, lost in thought, Uichan glanced sideways toward the sound of Park Rion snoring. Sprawled out on top of the bedding, Rion slept with his mouth open, blissfully unaware of anything that had happened outside. Looking quietly at his friend’s face, Uichan’s stomach growled.…Maybe just a little snack before sleeping?Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t eaten properly today. Even trying to sleep, he kept thinking about the yogurt in the fridge until his mouth watered.Finally giving in, Uichan slipped out of bed and padded to the living room, heading straight for the refrigerator. He opened it, grabbed a fruit-flavored yogurt, and peeled back the lid with the peach on it. After a few spoonfuls, his hunger still wasn’t satisfied, so he tore open a few packs of the children’s sausages delivered earlier that week.Once he’d filled his stomach, a drowsy warmth crept over him. Sitting on a chair by the dining table with his knees drawn up, Uichan absent-mindedly rubbed his thick lower lip.“…It did feel familiar.”Why was the sensation of those hot lips still so vivid? He shook his head quickly, trying to brush the memory away. But no matter how he tried, the feeling of that tongue twisting with his wouldn’t fade. Strange, sticky, uncomfortably intimate—yet somehow familiar.Ha… I’m going crazy.Ha Uichan’s life had always been twisted, but to think his first time would be with three people. And then—he’d ended up pregnant. With triplets, no less. Still, to him, the babies were a blessing.He stuck a straw into an apple-flavored juice box and drank slowly. His stomach had been quiet so far—maybe the babies were hiding, scared of Hyde. Or maybe they were full and curled up asleep together.“…I really do have to tell them.”He propped his chin on his hand, recalling the doctor’s recommendation that he should contact the third father and establish a connection. He thought through the three men one by one, trying to choose who might actually listen. Maybe… Noatis.—I only know that each child’s genetic makeup is different. Even if you bring the fathers in, I can’t determine which of them is the parent. Think of it like colors—each one has its own shade. But those shades are so subtle that you can’t be sure without scientific testing.The doctor had said that each child carried a distinct “color,” different not only from each father’s but from Uichan’s own. Uichan’s genes, he said, were close to a rainbow, while the children’s were described only as dark, bright, and cloudy.So to find the father, he’d need to tell each man the truth and perform several tests.Uichan wanted to protect the three babies no matter what. In the Seolhyang Village tragedy, he had lost too much—family, friends, neighbors, his home.He didn’t ever want to experience that again, nor let it happen. Yet the sinister energy emanating from the thing Podo had stolen was the same as what he had felt that day. Could the Seolhyang Village tragedy be connected to this? Or was there some enormous truth behind it that he still didn’t know?‘If that tragedy happens again… there’ll be nowhere left for the babies to live.’Uichan couldn’t bear the thought of letting his children inherit such despair. That was why he had shown the box to Hyde—because if anyone could counter Aengak, it would be him and his “siblings.” They would find a way.The problem now was the little ones.“…Maybe I should ask Mr. Noa about it.”He fiddled with his fingers, then finally dropped his head. Another sleepless night passed.***Early the next morning, Uichan got up busily, ate breakfast, and got ready to go out. Park Rion, still wearing an apron from cooking and helping him, lingered behind with obvious worry.“U-Uichan. Should I just go talk to them for you? Your leg hurts, and your belly’s heavy! Let’s just stay home, okay? I’ll go instead.”“No. Who else could I trust with this kind of thing? And my belly’s not even showing yet. I’ll be quick. The chief will only believe it if I tell him in person.”“B-but what if you trip and fall into the street? What if someone hits your belly by accident? What then?”“I’ve been getting around fine so far, what’s the problem? Enough already.”Tying his shoelaces tight, Uichan used the wall for support as he stood. The burn wound flared painfully now that a day had passed. The hospital had given him painkillers, but with the third baby in a delicate condition, he didn’t want to risk taking them.“I’ll stop by the hospital on the way back. You eat lunch without me.”“D-don’t do that… how about I come with you instead? I can’t just let you go alone!”“I’ll be fine.”Tapping his shoe against the floor, Uichan adjusted his cap and left the house, reminding Rion not to follow. The sun was bright, and long, cool shadows stretched beneath the roadside trees. Uichan walked only through the shade and stopped in front of a crosswalk.Checking his wristwatch, he considered how to start the conversation with Song Ojun, the Non-Hero team leader. He planned to take a short leave, explaining that his leg and hand were injured. Maybe a month of rest, then back to work until his belly grew too big—long enough to earn a bit more for living expenses.He was deep in thought when the signal changed and he stepped onto the crosswalk—just as someone on the opposite side leaped into the air with a burst of wind.“Huh? Hey, it’s Noatis!”The moment someone pointed, everyone crossing stopped and looked up. Wearing jeans and a flight jacket, Noatis shot upward, his hair whipping, and snatched something from the air.Landing lightly, he hurried over and placed it in a child’s hands.“There, there. Don’t cry. I got your balloon back. Take it and smile, okay?”“M-my balloon! I-it really flew away?”“Why, you want to fly too? Should I give you a plane ride?”“Yes! I wanna fly!”Laughing, Noatis lifted the child by the armpits and spun him around in the air. The child’s laughter rang out so brightly that even passersby couldn’t help but smile. After saying goodbye, Noa quickly rushed off again.“Oh, ma’am! Let me carry that for you.”He lifted an old woman’s heavy bags and escorted her all the way to her grandchild. Then he separated fighting dogs, cleaned up a broken branch, and scolded students crossing against the light.“Noa’s busy as always.”“These days heroes won’t even look at anything that doesn’t involve villains.”“Well, it’s what makes them money.”As Uichan crossed, he caught bits of conversation around him. Noa ran to anyone who needed help, his bright face like sunlight. Then, perhaps sensing a gaze, he turned sharply. Their eyes met—Uichan standing in the shade after crossing.Would it be too much to say Noa’s eyes widened like a startled rabbit? But soon, his face softened into a warm smile, gentle as the wind.“Wow… I can see you from here. Must be my lucky day.”Watching him approach at that speed, Uichan scratched the bridge of his nose. Honestly… the way his hair streamed behind him made him look like a golden retriever running toward its owner with a beach ball in its mouth.“I was just on my way to Non-Hero, actually. What a coincidence. Don’t you think so, Uichan-hyung?”The young man’s bright smile made Uichan tilt his head up to look at him properly under the shade. Through the shifting gaps in the leaves, sunlight scattered white spots across Noa’s face.Something about that sight made Uichan’s chest itch faintly. He stared for a long time before finally nodding.

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