I Became the Lousy Side Top - Chap 13

Does Mujin have a fetish for breaking things? Why would you destroy a perfectly good phone? Jaewoo wanted to slap Mujin on the back and lecture him about valuing other people’s property, but in the end, all he could do was fantasize about it.

Mujin was incredibly dangerous. There’s no way he’d take being beaten and scolded lying down.

“Now you can’t call anyone.”

Since Mujin had told him not to, Jaewoo hadn’t been planning on calling anyone anyway! Jaewoo nearly growled in frustration.

After destroying the phone, Mujin’s head slowly lowered again. His eyes closed, and he didn’t respond even after a long time had passed.

“Hey?”

Embarrassed, Jaewoo called out to him, but there was no answer.

‘Should I escape now?’

Jaewoo paced back and forth, thinking about it, but in the end, Jaewoo couldn’t bring himself to leave. Mujin’s condition seemed serious.

‘I’ve already come this far!’

Not that this would really happen, but if the male lead were to die, it would be a big deal. Jaewoo slowly approached Mujin, feeling like he was walking into a lion’s den1. Due to the environment he lived in, Mujin had keen senses. It’s said that he would become aggressive whenever someone approached him. However, right now, there was no response from him, even once Jaewoo reached the point where he could touch him with an outstretched arm.

Jaewoo slowly brushed away his black hair that covered his eyes. Then he was able to see the sweat beading on Mujin’s straight, handsome forehead. Jaewoo placed his hand on it boldly and felt the heat.

‘Crazy!’

The fever was too high, and moreover, Mujin was unconscious. Someone had to get him to a hospital right away. Shocked, Jaewoo rummaged through his pockets.

His phone was toast. Mujin had thrown it against the wall so hard it had shattered and Jaewoo doubted it would ever work again.

Now that he thought about it, would a hospital even be safe for Mujin? He’d been awake when Jaewoo tried to call 119 earlier, but now he was completely unconscious. It was possible that whoever had stabbed him would come back to finish the job.

In that case, there was only one option left. Jaewoo took a deep breath and moved closer to Mujin. Then he put his hands beneath his armpits and tried to get him up.

“Let’s go!”

First try. Mujin didn’t even budge.

“Jeeze!”

Second try. Jaewoo managed to get Mujin’s arm over his shoulder. But taking a step forward was absolutely impossible.

“What do I do…”

Jaewoo bit his fingernails and fidgeted as he looked around the area. No one was around to help, and Hyunjin wouldn’t get off work until much later. He was pretty sure Mujin would die if they left it until then.

“Uuugh…”

Just then, as Jaewoo spun around in distress, something caught his eye.

‘There!’

A must-have for the elderly, it was effective at carrying heavy weights, and even had a magical ability to provide a place to sit! A simple chair shopping cart2!

Gulp.

Jaewoo swallowed and compared the weight of Mujin versus the weight of an elderly grandmother. Mujin was nearly twice as heavy, but the cart would probably hold up? Jaewoo decided to give it a try. First, he took a closer look at the abandoned cart. It was old and the paint was peeling off, but the rest of it seemed to be intact.

“Woo-hoo!”

Jaewoo managed to roll Mujin over and sit him on top of the cart. It was uncomfortable for his back, but he was able to move it.

‘Is it okay to do this to a patient?’

Jaewoo was embarrassed, but there wasn’t any other way. He couldn’t carry him on his own. Mujin’s legs were so long, they dragged on the ground as Jaewoo pulled the cart. Jaewoo tried to fold them somehow, but it was impossible.

‘I think it’ll be okay, since he’s wearing shoes.’

The shoes would be ruined, but his feet would be fine. Jaewoo pushed the cart with all his strength.

‘It’s working!’

It’d be hard, but Jaewoo felt like they could make it to his house like this. Although he was worried about how they’d look to anyone else they passed on the way home.

Fortunately, unlike usual, there were few people around to spot them on their trip. The few that spotted them showed absolutely no urge to approach the two of them. They must have made for a peculiar sight. Jaewoo understood, and used all his strength to drag the cart up the steep slope3.

If his grip on the cart weakened, it’d be disastrous. Mujin would roll down the hill and smash to bits at the bottom. He couldn’t afford to relax his grip for a moment.

When they arrived home, Jaewoo felt as weak as a kitten.

‘I think I’m about to pass out.’

Jaewoo opened the gate and brought the cart inside. Fortunately, the kids hadn’t yet returned from school.

Jaewoo mustered the last of his strength and slowly laid Mujin down in his room. After removing Mujin’s shoes, Jaewoo was completely exhausted, but he still couldn’t rest yet. Since Mujin’s fever was so high, Jaewoo thought that he should do what he could to make him more comfortable. He crawled back to his feet and managed to remove Mujin’s suit jacket as well as unbutton his shirt. But when he placed his hand on Mujin’s belt buckle in order to loosen it, Mujin opened his eyes.

Dull eyes stared at Jaewoo. Mujin’s eyes were incredibly dark, giving the impression that they were peering into his soul. Jaewoo froze. Then, slowly, Mujin’s eyes closed shut as he lapsed into unconsciousness again. Only then could Jaewoo bring himself to move once more.

“Wow, what a presence4!”

Jaewoo unfastened Mujin’s belt, then brought out the medicine kit. He’d start with the fever reducers first. Since Mujin was unconscious, there was no way for him to swallow it on his own, but Jaewoo knew of a way around that.

He’d trickle a little bit in Mujin’s mouth and then cover his nose. Mujin would open his mouth naturally to breathe, and be forced to swallow it! Or that’s how it should have gone.

‘How long can this man hold his breath for?’

Isn’t he unconscious? Jaewoo tried to think of another method he could use. Could he pry his mouth open first? He put his hand on Mujin’s lips, thinking it over, when Mujin suddenly opened his eyes. This time his stare wasn’t blank like it was before. His eyes were deathly sharp.

Thud!

In an instant, the positions of Mujin and Jaewoo had changed. Then, a large hand wrapped itself around Jaewoo’s neck.

“Cough, cough!”

Jaewoo scratched desperately at the back of Mujin’s hand, but it was of no use. The leather glove was blocking him. Unable to breathe, Jaewoo’s face began turning red and his eyes started to water.

“What are you after?”

A growling voice was heard.

“Tuh-, tuh-“

‘Let go of my throat if you want me to speak!’

Jaewoo struggled and grabbed Mujin’s arm. Only then did Mujin’s grip loosen slightly. But he didn’t completely let go.

“…To save you…”

Jaewoo rasped out an answer, his voice weak. Mujin laughed in amazement.

“Who? Me?”

Jaewoo blinked his eyes in affirmation. Tears rolled down his cheeks and fell to the floor. Mujin, who was looking at him, smirked and whispered softly.

“That’s bullshit.”

Mujin’s grip became tighter, and he started strangling Jaewoo forcefully once more.

‘It’s the truth!’

Jaewoo started to cry. He couldn’t die like this. He struggled desperately, but his body, weighed down by Mujin, did not budge. It was then that a small sound came from outside.

It was the sound of a door opening. After a while, a small voice was heard. It was Hyunjin’s voice.

“… I’m back.”

Hyunjin had said he wouldn’t be back until evening, so he must have left work early. Jaewoo desperately slapped his palm against the floor.

Taktaktak.

Mujin also seemed to notice that someone had arrived. His hands tightened even further around Jaewoo’s throat. It seemed like his plan was to quickly get rid of Jaewoo and then deal with the people outside. However, Hyunjin was faster than him.

Upon opening the door, Hyunjin froze in shock for barely a moment before rushing forward and punching Mujin away. Then he grabbed hold of Jaewoo and pulled him out from under Mujin’s body.

“Kek, kek!”

Jaewoo coughed violently and breathed heavily.

“Are you okay?”

Hyunjin asked urgently, keeping a wary eye on Mujin. Jaewoo felt ashamed at how his actions had affected Hyunjin, who had been smiling so happily when he left this morning.

“…okay, I’m okay…”

Mujin, who had taken a hard hit from Hyunjin, staggered and got to his knees. Then he smiled crazily at them.

“Good, good.”

Mujin grabbed the wall and tried to stand up, but it wasn’t easy. He had a stab wound in his stomach and a high fever, and while he had managed to come back to his senses for a moment, that was his limit. Eventually, he fell back to the ground.

“Fuck! Fucking dammit!”

A curse came out of Mujin’s mouth. That mouth! Jaewoo wiped his eyes, which were still dripping with tears, with his sleeve. Then he could see clearly again. His throat ached and his body trembled, but he could still move.

Jaewoo crawled up to Mujin and hit him in the mouth with the palm of his hand.

“Do not cuss like that!”

Mujin’s ferocious eyes widened in shock. Because of this change, he seemed a little less terrifying. Jaewoo gathered up his courage and put his hand on his back.

“If you’re sick!”

Smack!

“Or injured!”

Smack!

“Lie down!”

Saying that, Jaewoo pushed Mujin back. Unable to support himself, Mujin landed on the blanket and stayed there, breathing heavily. In the meantime, Jaewoo grabbed the medicine box with a trembling hand. He tried to pick up the bottle of fever reducer from earlier, but his hand was shaking so much he could barely hold it.

Hyunjin, who had been watching Jaewoo quietly, sighed and moved next to him, taking the bottle from his hand.

“This one?”

“Uh? Um. Yes.”

Even without the medicine in his hand, Jaewoo continued to tremble. Hyunjin took the medicine away as if he hadn’t seen it.

“How do I use this?”

“You have to feed it to him.”

“Who?”

“That guy.”

Hyunjin looked at Jaewoo as if he was insane. He wanted to give medicine to someone who had been choking him just a moment ago? If Hyunjin hadn’t happened to arrive home early, Jaewoo might have died. When Hyunjin thought of that, it made his heart ache. Then he got angry.

“Is there any reason for us to save that person?”

From the looks of it, Mujin appeared to be seriously injured. The wet black shirt smelled of blood. Besides, he couldn’t control his body properly and was sweating profusely. Aside from that, Hyunjin had had enough encounters with gangsters that he could recognize the type.

“There is. A reason why he needs to live.”

Jaewoo said while clasping his trembling hands. Because he was Hyunjin’s destiny. If he said something like that, both Hyunjin and Mujin would say he was crazy, so he wasn’t going to say it. But it was true.

Hyunjin’s chest rose and fell heavily. Displeasure was palpable in his furrowed brow and stiff mouth.

Footnotes
재우는 야생의 맹수에게 다가가는 느낌으로 느릿느릿 무진에게 접근했다. – “Jaewoo slowly approached Mujin, feeling like he was approaching a wild beast.” I chose to use the phrase ‘into the lion’s den’ for this.
의자 캐리어 카트 – chair carrier cart. I’m honestly not sure what sort of item they’re referencing here, but I think this metal shopping cart with a seat on top is probably close. The manwha has Jaewoo use a metal hand truck to move him, which was hilarious.
있는 힘, 없는 힘 – “Strength that is, strength that is not” This feels like an idiom to me, but I wasn’t able to confirm it. Basically it’s saying that Jaewoo used every ounce of strength that he could eke out, that he pushed himself to his absolute limits.
와, 카리스마 – “Wow, charisma”. Charisma in English has a more positive connotation than I think this scene implies.