PITBABE - ENGLISH - Chapter 40: Chapter 40

There are two cups of Americanos on the table now. There was only one cup where the amount of coffee gradually decreased while the other cup remained as full as before. The amount also seems to increase due to the ice slowly melting in the glass.
"Why should I believe what you say?"
That was the first question Babe asked after listening to what Way wanted to tell him so he had to come all the way here. Of course, what others say makes sense,, and has some interesting parts. But he couldn't be blamed for feeling incredulous after that unforgettable incident.
"Because I lied to you about everything... except about me loving you."
"Don't say you love me, otherwise... I'll vomit," Babe said quietly, while Way just lowered his head and accepted his fate without being able to argue anything. This is what he deserves because he did something dirty. He shouldn't have expected Babe's friendly reaction like before. Just for him to agree to sit at the same table with his like this was truly beyond belief.
"Okay, I know saying this makes you feel bad. You can see it however you like. But I just want you to trust me once. Just this once," Way calmly coaxed, trying not to ignore Babe's hostile glare. "At least if you don't want to seem like I did it out of love, you can assume I did it out of guilt. Because I really do feel guilty for what I did to you."
"I'm not talking about this because I want you to see me better or forgive me. I know that's impossible."
"That's good to know," Babe answered gruffly. "Because if you still dare to apologize to me again. This time, I will hit harder than last time."
"Because I know, I didn't." Way said with a guilty expression because Babe didn't want to analyze what Ways true feelings were or just actions like before. "You don't have to forgive me for anything. This time I only did it because I felt bad for doing that to you."
"After this matter is over, I promise I won't bother you anymore. I will disappear from your life. Don't worry."
Now Babe is scared. He was afraid that the fake friendship he had maintained for ten years would distract him. He didn't want to be soft-hearted just because his attitude was so sincere, because he had known Way all this time. He always believed in that straightforward attitude, to the point where sincerity was defeated by selfishness. Everything has turned upside down.
And knowing that, would he still give this person a chance to come back and hurt him again?
Is Pit Babe really that stupid?
But if he was honest, if he didn't count the problem he didn't trust Way, what he said was quite interesting. Way said that Pa was making serious preparations regarding Charlie's problem at the moment, because after hearing his story, Pa didn't think there was enough time to hold on any longer. Moreover, now his main goal has completely changed from him to Charlie. What the bastard will do next is try to take Charlie back while threatening him.
Way says he doesn't know the details of the plan, because Pa doesn't trust him as much as before. So he didn't say much about his plans. But what Way knows is that Pa intends to attack Charlie in the same way he did to him, so that he immediately realizes that this is a threat. The trick is to play dirty while Charlie races.
And it made him realize that Pa didn't care about him as much as he thought. He thought that the man would not dare to do anything to him for fear that he would be disabled or die and not be able to use any abilities anymore. But that bastard was even more reckless than he thought.
Pa sent someone to tamper with his car's systems to cause an accident, because he thought it would scare him into disobeying orders. And if he gets injured and can't race again, that makes the evil plan even easier.
But after turning away from him and towards Charlie, things became more difficult because the kid had more abilities than him, making him many times harder to catch. Therefore, the man thought of using the same but harsher method to make Charlie disabled or unable to fully use his special abilities, and at the same time, Charlie's injury also seemed to threaten him.
He said that if I thought to interfere, next time it wouldn't be like this. And it might not just happen to Charlie. But perhaps many people around him must also be caught in the crossfire of this vicious circle.
That was the man's plan. But in reality, the plan failed.
Rather than just wanting to scare and hurt, Charlie's accident turns out to be bigger than that, causing the unexpected loss of his goal. Now Pa is very upset because he lost his source of power and can't get it back. As a result, the situation in the house is now chaotic to the point that his subordinates have to be followed by each other.
But in the great loss for him, there was also luck that possessed him. This means that Pa doesn't know about the return of his abilities. Because if Pa finds out that Charlie's death caused all the abilities to be returned to their original owners, the man will definitely hunt down everyone to get those abilities. And because he knew that, Babe chose to keep his mouth shut. He just listened silently to what Way said, without responding or saying anything other than a few hints and sarcasm.
Way's main goal today was to tell him that the situation at home was getting worse. So this might be a good opportunity for him to gather all the evidence and think of a way to get rid of that bastard. Of course, if it were just him and Way, there would only be two people. This guy definitely wouldn't risk coming to his aid. But now that Way was able to contact someone who had the power to take action against him, other people rushed over and made him offers.
"Does that person really want to come help?" Babe asked further, not really believing that Way could actually contact that person.
"He said if you really want to take Pa down, he'll help."
"But if he had that much power, why didn't he do it himself from the start? Why are you waiting for me?"
"Because even if he didn't, he wouldn't be in any trouble," explained Way while secretly glancing left and right. It seemed like Pa would send people along the highway, no different from sending people to follow him. As they sat down and chatting in a coffee shop like this, Way looked suspicious the whole time. "Now he has enough information and influence that he won't mess with him. So he doesn't think about wasting his time on Pa."
"But when I told him about this, he said if there were other children who still had to suffer because of Pa, he would be happy to help."
The kind man Way asks for help is actually one of Pa's sons. The first boy to be adopted and the oldest child in the house. The older brother the housekeepers called Khun Yai, who everyone said was Pa's favorite person who was meant to be his right-hand man in the future, before Charlie came to live in the house. But as he grew older, he learned more about the world and saw more and more of the ugliness of the man who had been his helper, causing him to begin to change to the opposite side.
He observed, collected evidence and planned secretly for almost a year until finally obtaining one important piece of evidence as collateral. After that, he ran away from home and joined a group of influential people who had power over Pa. Therefore, Pa would not be able to bring back the traitor or even get rid of him.
The two boys in the other wing of the house were Way and an older brother who Way said was named Pete who were both Enigmas. Both are called Khun Yai because they are both of the same gender, who are stronger and special than the other and are placed to create an heir who still has special abilities. But when they started to get a little older, Pa then separated Way and Pete so that they could develop their abilities further without pressuring each other. And at the same time, Pa brought a new boy into the house. A boy who is just an ordinary alpha. He does not have his own power, but has the ability to steal the power of others.
Yes, that kid is Charlie.
Charlie broke into the house shortly after he ran away from home. That's why they haven't had the chance to meet before. Actually, he wasn't too surprised because his father had raised many children. It wasn't just those in the mansion because many children were still scattered in other places that he never knew about. Therefore, it is not uncommon for him not to know his father's other children even though they live in the same house. When they met outside the house, he never thought about whether they had met somewhere or not before, because he had only met the other person once when he was very young. It was his first time entering the house and he could barely recognize anyone's face.
"I know that right now you are trying to find evidence to deal with Pa. But believe me, you can't do it alone." Way tries to convince Babe to go along with his plan, even though the others don't seem too willing to cooperate with him.
"If I can't handle it, that's my problem. What does this have to do with you?"
"And do you know what would happen if you suddenly entered that place alone?" The tall man spoke up, as if he knew that if he couldn't find any evidence from the outside, Babe would immediately enter the place. "I'm not afraid of you dying like before. Now I don't have anything he wants. Walking slowly will only lead to death."
"But even if I die, it has nothing to do with you."
"And if you die? Who will drag Charlie's case back?"
Way always knew where Babe would be most sensitive. Right now, there was probably nothing more important to Babe than Charlie. Everyone knew that the police and the powerful man were in the same league. Charlie's death could have been cleverly buried with the case for a little money. Therefore, he did not expect to wait for the latest news from the police. Whatever he could do for Charlie right now, he was willing to do it without hesitation.
"Are you really going to let Charlie die while the old man is still eating deliciously?"
Babe looked outside the shop while thinking, he admitted that what Way said was very true. He couldn't let the man live happily when his lover had just died in his hands. He had to do something.
Which might include working with people he hates. And someone he had only met once, 20 years ago.
"If I do, what will happen next?" Babe asked softly after trying to think about it for a while.
"I'll take you to Pete," Way answered eloquently. "Pete now has the evidence in his hands so you might be ready to face him in time."
"Does that mean we have to look for more?"
"If you want to fight without letting go, it has to be like that. If we meet Pete, he will help plan this together. Pete has many subordinates. That way, we can take much smaller risks."
Babe stared blankly at Way's face as if he was deciding for the last time whether or not to take a chance on Way's plan. If this happened, he would be trapped again. He might not have the chance to defeat that person again or he might die. But if this plan works, it means he can restore justice for his dog.
And right now the most important thing is to solve Charlie's problem.
"Okay, that's the deal."
Babe's answer made Way breathe a sigh of relief. He thought that the other party would hate him so much that he would not be willing to accept this plan.
"Thank You. Thank you for trusting me."
"I just wanted to do it for Charlie, that's all," Babe answered quietly. "But once this work is done, we are done. There's no need to bother each other anymore."
"Okay, after everything is done, we will go our separate ways."
The agreement ends with mutual agreement between both parties. It felt like he could breathe easily. Babe is a little more worried, but still full of hope.
Meanwhile, the number of glasses of Americano still didn't decrease until the last moment Babe left the shop.
"So how long do we need?"
Jeff asked the old man called Reval, after his glass of chocolate was almost finished.
"Um...maybe about a week," the old man answered calmly.
"Can't it be faster?"
"Okay," Uncle nodded lightly, while Jeff's eyes lit up at his answer. "But you'll probably die first, okay?"
"Uncle, please don't say that." Charlie pursed his lips slightly and furrowed his eyebrows as the kind uncle, liked to say scary things with a smile on his face. During the first days of living with him, he could barely tell what was real and what was a joke.
"That's fine, but you have to die, kid."
"What took you so long?" Jeff interrupted before his brother could argue further with the old man. "Didn't he destroy himself?"
"Actually, it wouldn't be right to call it destroying," said Uncle Reval in a whispered tone. "I won't remove the power, but just break the circuit."
"Breaking the circuit?" Charlie raised his eyebrows in confusion, hearing the old man's explanation.
"Actually, humans have special characteristics. It doesn't come together with your own abilities," Uncle said quietly. Before raising both hands to hold them in front of his face, he continued to explain. "But those are two connected parts."
"One part is the advantages they have, the other part is the users of those advantages."
The two children stared at Uncle Reval's hand without blinking, with great interest. The old man could only chuckle because it had been a long time since he saw children of his generation like this. When they met, he gave them good feelings too.
"These two parts influence each other. "If the user is strong but the skill is weak, then if he wants to use it, he must train the skill until it becomes stronger." Uncle explained while raising his right hand which represented the skill a little higher than the others. "But if the skill is strong while the user's master is weak, the ability will also be weakened."
"It works in cycles," Charlie said softly, like a child trying to understand something.
"Yes," Reval nodded slowly. "There's always a connection. But if we can cut off that connection, then his abilities will be invisible."
The old man pulled his fists further away from each other and opened his hands as a sign that the user and the ability itself could no longer rely on each other.
"Does that mean Babe's skills are back because Charlie is weak?" Jeff continued hesitantly.
"That's right, because Charlie's true ability is to take other people's abilities and paralyze them in his own body, therefore, if Charlie's body is weak, he won't be able to withstand the energy."
"But isn't all lost yet?" Charlie asked.
"It depends on your body. The thing that is hardest to pin down is the easiest to decide." Uncle Reval answered in a casual tone. "Just because Babe's abilities were withdrawn there is a possibility that Babe's abilities will not return completely. It came back only because your body is weak, so it can be easily taken back."
"So, can we destroy Babe's abilities too?" Jeff asked.
"Yes." The old man answered immediately, allowing the two brothers to breathe a sigh of relief. Because, if in the end Babe's abilities are still there, everything they do will be almost pointless. "Because, as Charlie's body improves, Babe's sensory abilities will return to him. And until then, he must be able to break the cycle."
"So it takes a very long time to break the cycle of each ability, right?" Charlie tilted his head and asked. "Can we cut off multiple abilities at once?"
"Like I said earlier. If you rush, you will die quickly."
"Okay, then I won't be in a hurry."
"Calm down, kid," Reval chuckled softly, looking at the bespectacled boy who after being with him for more than a week, looked much more cheerful. "Breaking a circuit requires a lot of energy. This is tiring for both the breaker and the user. If it only had one skill in it, it would only take one day. But you have a lot. How can I finish it in one day?"
"Does that mean we can only cut one ability a day?" Jeff asked after taking his chocolate and taking another sip.
"Really, it shouldn't even be done every day."
"But we don't have time."
"So I have to force myself to do it every day," Uncle answered with a soft sigh, "One week is the quickest. Don't rush any further. It's too risky."
The two brothers nodded slowly, even though they actually wanted to finish it faster. But when Uncle said it was impossible, they had to agree to it.
"If I could get a vasectomy, it would be a lot easier." Charlie leaned back on the sofa with a heavy expression on his face. He always thought that if what the man wanted was a child, then if he couldn't have one, then everything would be over. But in reality, it's not that easy.
"Saying it like that is no different from saying you want to die." Jeff glanced at Charlie, a little displeased that his brother would say something like that, even though he was doing his best to keep everyone else alive.
"I know, I'm just saying."
Charlie smiled at his little brother, as if telling him not to think too much. He keeps complaining about life.
Previously, he had never thought that being born with special abilities would be so difficult. Most people would probably view it as a good thing, like a gift from God. But he believed that if people could try to live like him, those people would probably go back on their words in no time.
In addition to special abilities that put him in danger, It also makes his body a special vessel that cannot be destroyed or changed at all. Uncle Reval explains that the nature of special effects is inherited. As is known, the chance of having a child based on gender can be predicted, but not 100 percent. Meanwhile, the special effects are definitely predictable. Whatever the characteristics of the father and mother, the child born will have 100 percent of the abilities of both parents. It is a contagion and survival instinct. Therefore, when someone possessing a special ability tries to resist infection by sterilizing the trait, the special trait will be greatly altered, causing serious side effects and complications. Therefore, no castrated special ability person could survive for more than a week. Therefore, sterilizing people with special abilities is illegal.
His life has become difficult since he was born as a child with special abilities.
The good thing was that an unlucky person like him, was born to meet Babe. But in any case, a person with bad luck is a person with bad luck all day long, because no matter how much he loves Babe, he doesn't have enough opportunities to live with the person he loves.
"Aren't you going to sleep, son-in-law?"
"Oh, Uncle...."
Uncle Reval chuckled when he saw Charlie's embarrassed expression. He saw that it was already late at night, but this child was still quietly sitting on the terrace and didn't want to sleep. So inevitably, he came out and teased him a little.
"Why? Can't I call you my son-in-law?" said the old man while sitting on a wicker chair next to the young man.
"Actually, I want you to do it, because I also want to be Uncle's son-in-law." Charlie answered with a smile, but the smile didn't look very bright at all. "But now, that probably won't happen."
"Why?"
"I might not return to P'Babe's life again."
The atmosphere became silent after Charlie's sentence. It was a sentence that made the person who said it feel shocked and the person who heard it become uneasy. Separation has always been the opposite of human desires. Otherwise, no one would tolerate a sick relationship or being with someone who hurts themselves. Therefore, calling those people stupid is actually not correct. If it is accurate, it should be called a person who is honest with his feelings or a person who is too weak to force himself.
But now, Charlie is out with the strength to leave the relationship that made him the happiest person in his life.
"Why can't you come back?" asked his father-in-law in a calm voice, as if what he heard did not sound surprising. "When this matter is finished, you can go back and explain it to Babe."
"Have you ever felt so bad about someone that you felt like you shouldn't be around that person anymore?"
That question is quite serious. The old man was silent for a moment before sighing softly, as if it was something that had been lingering in his heart for a long time.
"Yes," answered Uncle Reval with a small smile. "Like my guilt towards Babe."
"P'Babe...?"
"Oh, the fact that Uncle is no longer looking for him, doesn't mean that Uncle doesn't love him," replied Uncle, looking out the terrace with eyes that seemed determined. But Charlie felt that this man was still always hiding himself in that feeling of guilt. "But because Uncle really loves him. So, Uncle doesn't want someone like me to cause chaos in his life."
"Ever since birth, Babe had to suffer a lot because of me. He almost starved to death and in the end he had to live in the same house as that bad guy, because I was the one who let that guy take Babe away."
"No matter how much I want to go back and see him, I don't think he'll be too happy to see me."
"Babe's life would be better without a bad father like me."
Uncle Reval's words resonated deeply because those feelings were exactly the same as what Charlie was feeling right now. It was the same reason that made him think that even though it was all over, he didn't need to bother messing with Babe's life anymore.
"I feel the same way about P'Babe," Charlie said quietly, looking down at his arm covered in a hard cast. He stayed with him for a long time in frustration and confusion until the last day. Now, he also understands Babe's feelings at that time. "I once lied to him. He was very angry with me and very sad."
"At that time, I was in the wrong. But I still don't have the courage to lose him. Even though he said he didn't want to see my face, I tried to beg him for almost a month." The young man laughed softly in his throat, recalling the incident. "I apologized to him. I promised not to lie to him again. Until finally he was willing to forgive me."
"Babe is a very nice person, isn't he?"
"Yes, very good," Charlie answered with a smile. "If he wasn't a very good person, he wouldn't have forgiven me, because what I did to him was really bad."
"Then why don't you apologize to him this time, if you say that Babe is a good person like that."
"This time it's not about good or evil." Charlie let out a heavy sigh as if he was really uncomfortable with this feeling but he couldn't do anything about it. "But I don't want to see him sad anymore."
Charlie's current expression and eyes made the old man realize that this boy loved his son so much, that he was willing to make the same mistakes over and over again in order to keep Babe safe. As for himself, he must bear the same guilt that Babe must bear for all this craziness.
"I don't want to see him cry because he was fooled by me over and over again. I don't want to break his trust again..." Charlie's eyes were red as he was about to cry, but the boy tried to hold it in. "I promised him that I would not lie again. But in the end, I still lied, and this time I lied a really big lie."
"But you did it for a reason."
"I always have a reason. But the person who always gets hurt is Babe."
Charlie thought less and less of himself every day. At the same time, he missed Babe more and more with each passing second.
"I don't want him to feel like he's living with someone who always lies. Babe will never be truly happy like that." The boy sighed softly. Every word he said was what he had been thinking about since he decided to go along with this plan. He thought about it every night over and over again. But whatever happened , he couldn't help but feel sad, "If it's all over and I go back to him, he'll probably get hurt again and I can't imagine how badly."
"He'll probably cry for days because I lied to him again."
"And if in the end... whether it's pretending to be dead or I'm really dead... Whatever happens, he'll still cry because I'm still dead. If that's the case... I'd rather die and have him stay and cry at my funeral ."
"If he believes I'm dead, one day he'll start to accept that fact. He will have less regrets and move on with his life."
"That way, it would be better if I didn't come back and hurt his feelings again."
"I don't want Babe to cry because of me again."
Charlie's voice trembled as the corners of his mouth lifted into a smile, as if he wanted to convince his in-laws that this was the best decision.
This route is very unpleasant. But the destination is considered very valuable. He and Jeff didn't need to commit immoral acts towards each other. Jeff and Babe will be safe. And as soon as this problem is over, Babe will truly be free.
From that man...
And from a fraud like him...
When he heard that, Reval had no choice but to respect Charlie's decision. He just nodded and patted the young man's shoulder as a sign of understanding, before the old man stood up.
"Then, I'm going to sleep. If I sleep late, my body won't feel good. Tomorrow I still have to get up and take care of a lot of things."
"Krap, good night, Uncle." Charlie smiled slightly and the old man nodded lightly before starting to walk back into the house.
"Oh, Uncle..."
But before he could take a step forward, the old man was stopped by Charlie .
"Yes?" Reval turned and raised his eyebrows at the young man.
"Can I use the phone?" Charlie asked with a wry smile. Currently, he did not bring his cell phone because he had to protect himself from being discovered. In the past, he could only contact Jeff via landline here.
"Just do it." answered the old man with a friendly smile. "Talk as long as you want. We rarely use the telephone here."
"Thank you," the young boy bowed his head to Babe's father with sincere gratitude. "For lending out phones and other things too."
"Thank you for everything."
"Oh, that's fine," Reval waved his hand as if he didn't think this favor was a big deal. "For my son-in-law, I can do it."
Saying that, the Uncle walked towards the house. Now only Charlie is left who still can't sleep. A tall figure walked into the hall and sat down on the floor in front of the sofa at the end. Next to him, there was a small round table on which was his in-laws' old landline telephone. Before he picked up the phone and put it on the floor for some unknown reason. All he knew was that sitting on the floor made him feel safer.
He looked at him silently for a long time. He reached out his hand to take the phone and pulled it back several times until he started to think that it wasn't working anymore. Finally, he took a deep breath, picked up the phone, put it to his ear, and boldly dialed the number he remembered.
The sound of occasional calls squeezed his heart even more. This stupid lump was throbbing so hard he almost passed out. He was very afraid that the person he was calling would answer. But on the other hand, he waited anxiously because he wanted to hear the voice of the person on the other side.
"Hello..."
Charlie gasped when the line finally connected and the person on the other end of the phone said hello. His hands started to shake slightly as he tried to regulate his breathing and he let out a breath before on the other end of the line he heard the sound of his breath hitting the microphone, so loud and annoying.
["Hello?"] repeated the man on the other end of the line, when the person calling said nothing, "Who is this?" Why did you call and not talk?"
Charlie raised his hand to cover his mouth tightly as he felt like he was about to cry. The tears he had been trying to hold back all this time started to well up in his eyes and were ready to flow instantly just because he heard Babe's voice.
I really miss you.
He just wanted to listen to his voice, but why did the more he listened to it, the more he thought about it?
When Charlie didn't speak, the other end of the phone didn't speak either. But no one wanted to hang up. They listened to each other's breathing for a long time, before Babe finally chose to say something.
["...Charlie?"]
The large hand that had come up to cover his mouth covered his mouth even more when he heard Babe's trembling voice call his name. He didn't know if the other person actually knew it was him or if he just called him randomly. However, this made the tears he had been holding back all day flow freely down his cheeks and he could no longer hold them back.
["Is that you, Charlie?"]
Babe cried just like him. He calls out the name of a dead person to a mysterious caller who calls in the middle of the night without speaking. If it was anyone else, they would probably hang up or curse at him, but Babe was still holding the phone and calling his name, as if he was still hoping the kid wouldn't go anywhere.