Daddy – Food.
The child whom his heart had given birth to, called him. He was asking for food. Until recently, he had been cuddling and asking for food regardless of time and space so he had to teach the child to be patient.
BM pulled the long sleeves that were covering his wrist. The arm which had been bitten three to four times a day for the last three weeks, had several reddish black scars that had yet to close up.
The child rolled his clothes up. The skin near his heart started to open vertically and revealed a purple ‘mouth’. Since he was still young, he had to take in a lot of nutrition and nothing was better than the flesh and mana of BM who had the heart of the S+ ranked monster, ‘Seven-headed Troll’.
“Ahjussi. Does he really have to be disposed of?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I told you it’s dangerous.”
“I don’t understand. What’s the problem?”
“Just wait at home. Don’t worry about it.”
“He’s just a little kid.”
“…”
“He’s just a kid that doesn’t know shit. Why do you have to kill him.”
“Was my explanation not enough?”
“No, I, just… can’t understand.”
Hmm…
BM groaned. The teeth dug very deep. 4 rows of sharp teeth like that of a shark’s shredded through BM’s skin, muscle and bones and erupted every vein on his arm. After that, the purple chunk of flesh throbbed as it started absorbing his blood. It wasn’t a big deal since it was what they had been doing the whole time. Although it was slightly burdensome, it wasn’t a problem as long as BM replenished enough nutrition and there was nothing more important than the child growing up without a problem.
“He’s different from those chimera rats right…? Since his vitality didn’t show up in a weird way?”
“Right. And that’s why I had to observe it for a while.”
“What exactly were you observing…?”
“Do you want to know? Why human-type chimeras are dangerous?”
“Ah… nn.”
“Let me tell you then… Mana is the manifestation of will. Every living and breathing thing has its own ‘will’. However, every creature resembling humans including primates, beastpeople, and other races have a ‘special power’. It is very special, and at the same time is very dangerous. Do you know what that is?”
“No…”
“These species can see what they cannot see, and hear what they haven’t heard before. They can feel what they haven’t felt before and fantasise about nonexistent things as if they existed. To understand incomprehensible things like the sun, day and night, they can give it meaning. Like a Sun God; a chariot pulling the Sun behind its back to light the day, or the Queen of Night. Such things don’t actually exist but a human will can present such things as if they truly exist.”
“…”
“Do you know what that is?”
Is it nice? He asked. Nn. The child replied with a bright smile. But for some reason, it felt like the child was absorbing a little bit more blood than usual. Well, it was understandable since he was growing taller and getting bigger. He should be eating more. BM stopped worrying and decided to throw away all the calculative thoughts that were on his mind. He’s the son of his two best friends, and he’s now my son, right?
“No…”
“They can write novels, draw pictures and make music. Do you still not understand what this ‘special power’ is?”
“…”
“It is also the power that creates religions and nations. Do you get it now?”
“Creativity…?”
“That’s right.”
“…”
“That stupid creativity is what makes a human-type chimera dangerous.”
Taebaek, my son. When BM called him, the child returned a bright smile that washed away all his fatigue. For around 3 months, he had gone around dozens of locked S ranked dungeons and above. Sometimes, his limbs were cut off and there was also a time when he had been bitten by a monster from his ear to his nose. He also despaired at losing some chimeras that were unable to be retrieved but BM was okay with all that.
As long as he could see this child smile—
“Why? What’s wrong with creativity…?”
“When creativity meets the unique vitality of a chimera, unimaginable things happen from then.”
“…”
“Can you come up with any examples.”
“I don’t know…”
“Think about what I told you.”
“See what they cannot see, and hear what they can’t? Ah… fuck…”
But on second thought, he really was absorbing an unusually large amount, so BM asked if he was very hungry. The child replied yes and vacantly muttered, ‘I can remember my mum…’. BM widened his eyes under his sunglasses. Taebaek had been saying it from a few days ago, that he could remember his father and mother. He described how his mother had red hair…
After Arandot met its apocalypse and BM returned to Earth, there was a subconscious side of him that missed that world. Although he had desperately wanted to escape it back then, he was reminiscing about those old memories. So when he realised that the child was sharing the same memories as himself, BM unknowingly felt like he was about to burst into tears.
Right. Who cares if he eats a bit more than usual. It’s better for me to die than you suffering from hunger. Discarding the thought that it was excessive, BM patted the child on his head and welcomed it.
“Do you get it now.”
“…”
“That, is not Taebaek.”
Taebaek. Do you remember your daddy as well? BM asked and the child soon replied. Nn.
“That’s just a different human-type chimera.”
“What makes you so certain…?”
“I’ve been observing it for the last three weeks. The entity had a disgustingly intense will and vitality. It collected data from the surroundings. It heard of the concept of a mother and father from BM, and realised that it also had parents after digging deeper into the existences. By hearing more about parents from Ha Saetbyul, it gathered knowledge on genetics”
“Are you crazy…? Are you telling me to believe that…? He, he just…”
“Do you still think that’s a young human?”
“…”
“Yeorum. Wake up. It’s not a human, and it’s not young either.”
“…”
“You were deceived. No, it would be correct to say that it even deceived you.”
Daddy must have been handsome like me. BM laughed hearing the response. In fact, his friend was indeed the best-looking guy in Taebaek’s private superhuman school. It was almost 50 years ago now. How jealous was he back then, seeing his friend being popular with girls?
“Whether you believe it or not, that’s the reality. That human-type chimera started acting like the real child of BM’s two friends that died in Arandot. And BM… that smart and collected friend was buried in his own emotions.”
“Stop. Please stop.”
“…”
“I don’t feel good…”
But, I have daddy now, so I won’t think about that daddy. The child said. Despite feeling an extremely large sense of guilt, BM nodded. Right, I’ll try my best to be your real dad as well.
Nn. Can I please ask for one favour then? The child asked.
“It won’t take long. So wait at home.”
“……What are you going to do. Dispose? You mean you’ll be killing him right.”
“Yeah.”
“…”
“Why. Anything to say?”
“I was just… wondering if you could let him live.”
“Why are you being empathetic of that entity.”
“No, I’m not… I just, just……”
Right. What sort of favour is it? BM asked and the child replied with a smile. I’m super hungry today, can I eat a bit more? In that instant, BM heard the chimeras inside his body screaming out, that they will also be devoured if he continued absorbing more. However, BM cut off their noise.
My child is saying that he’s hungry…
At this point, BM was half out of his mind but he himself did not realise it. Feeling slightly fatigued, he lowered his head and scratched the back of his head. A glaring smirk flashed passed the child’s lips, but BM did not catch that either.
***
Yeorum was silent for a long time. She hesitated and muttered for words. Her eyes were fixated on the ground without even daring to look into his eyes. She pondered, looked for the right words, and pondered again before finally opening her mouth.
“Why didn’t you dispose of him straight away? Were you going to do it after taking me back home?”
“Yeah.”
“By disposing, you mean killing that child right?”
“Killing that entity, yes.”
“What about the child? What about the rest of the body that’s not the heart, that was made by the remaining strand of hair?”
“He’ll die.”
Yu Jitae’s words were like the declaration of an executioner. If he so wished, that would definitely be the case. Knowing that, Yeorum became even more depressed.
“You know, I’m sorry for being stubborn all the time.”
He quietly listened to her words.
“Not listening to your words. Annoying you and getting angry… I’m sorry for all that.”
“What are you trying to say.”
“But, since I’m always stubborn anyway, I want to do it one last time. Can you please save his body?”
“No.”
No – Yu Jitae was saying that he didn’t want to do it.
“Why? If it’s you, you, you can do it right?”
“No. It wastes too much time for no reason.”
“How much?”
“If I were to focus on it in full, at least a month.”
“A month? Only a month? BM did a lot of things for us. If it’s just one month, can’t you help him out… once…?”
Yeorum slurred her words. Yu Jitae’s expression was turning into a frightening look in real time.
However, she didn’t want to give up. She didn’t want to be the same person as her resentful parents who half gave up on her for being useless.
She clenched her teeth and took a step forward.
“Please help. I’m begging you.”
“No.”
“Even if you stayed with us for a month, you only waste time lying down on a sofa and eating meals…”
“No.”
“Why? Like, why? How can you be like that? It’s only a month? BM, he helped us out a lot! How can you be so cruel. How!”
The Regressor tilted his head and crookedly gazed down at the child who didn’t even reach his chin. Since she was ignorant of everything, the child was saying it all as if it wasn’t a big deal.
“Yeorum.”
“Nn…?”
“Don’t misunderstand.”
Yu Jitae abruptly took a step forward. Startled, she took a step back, but the walls of the dark shallows of the abyss touched her back. When he was right in front of her, Yu Jitae bent his back towards the child.
After closing in until their noses could touch, he opened his mouth.
“I’m only living for the sake of you all.”
The Regressor found the need to draw a clear line.
“To protect the daily life of you guys, I am here alive and breathing. Nothing matters apart from that. Someone dying? Someone that has to live? I should save them because I have the power to do so? Nonsense.”
“…”
“As long as you guys are living fine, I will not move even if half of humanity dies out.”
Seeing a side of Yu Jitae she had never seen before, Yeorum felt fear crawling up.
“That’s the kind of human I am. And that’s what you guys are to me.”
“B, but… it’s just a month…”
“Focusing entirely for a month means one full month of 24 hours a day. If I were to match this to your daily lives, it would be once a week and would take at least one year. In that time, I won’t be able to protect you guys.”
“…”
“If you get it, go back. It’ll be done soon. After we’re back we’ll have dinner–”
“Don’t want to…”
It was then. Yeorum interjected with her head lowered and walked up. She pushed her forehead into his chest.
“I don’t want to… I, I, don’t understand.”
“Was my explanation not enough?”
“No, it’s enough so stop with that stupid explanation. Fuck… You’re going to scare me again with your explanation crap…”
Scare her? Only then did the Regressor’s head which had been muddled with irritation, become clear again.
She was gasping for breath. After a sigh, she melancholically whispered with a soft voice as if she was throwing out everything that was on her mind.
“Can’t you, just, help them out once…?”