Chapter 752
Chapter 752
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 752
Chapter Title: Let's Stop This Now (5)
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Sharon, wandering aimlessly, suddenly found herself strolling around the Sinchon area.
Her feet had naturally carried her into the familiar haunts she once shared with Si-woo.
Bustling noise and flashing lights greeted her.
"Here…."
It was the villa neighborhood tucked just off the main drag—the same one with her old rooftop room.
Sharon hesitated, wondering if she should circle around it like she'd slammed into an invisible barrier.
But after bawling her eyes out, she felt a little lighter inside. And besides, this was something she had to get used to eventually.
More than anything, she couldn't keep living like this forever.
Hadn't a massive debt just come crashing back down on her?
For now, she'd make familiar Seoul her base and steadily expand her hunting grounds to take down those homunculi.
"Alright, what's the big deal?"
Setting aside the heartbreak for the moment, Sharon squeezed out some forced positivity, bit her lip hard, and marched forward with determination.
Everything here was unchanged.
Shabby buildings and hole-in-the-wall shops that hardly fit the "Youth Street" vibe. Villas with storefronts on the first and second floors. Crowds buzzing with energy even this late at night. Lively laughter spilling out from the open windows of cozy pubs.
As she surrendered to the familiar hustle, a strangely positive energy started bubbling up inside her.
Back in the day, she'd prowled these alleys hunting homunculi, posting flyers everywhere…
It was also one of Sharon and Si-woo's regular nighttime stroll routes.
After she met him, she'd never had to track homunculi or post flyers alone again—they always did it together.
"……."
Sharon quickened her pace without thinking, then stopped dead in front of a sign.
It read: 'King Crab, King Crab, Lobster Steamed to Order—Takeout Available.'
Spotting the king crab shop belching clouds of steam, Sharon stared at it blankly.
It was the place where Si-woo had first treated her to a meal—in exchange for her advice on modern life.
Ten years after arriving in the modern world, it was her first meal costing over fifty thousand won.
Ever since that day, king crab had become her absolute favorite food.
Maybe because of the chilly weather, the place was still packed.
The rich, savory aroma of shellfish assaulted her nose like smoke, stinging it and warming her empty stomach.
"Th-this is way too hard right out of the gate…."
She'd thought she'd steeled herself completely, but her eyes were already threatening tears.
If she crumbled at something like this, she'd end up running back to Si-woo like an idiot someday.
And then it'd just repeat the same vicious cycle.
Aaah, if she ever found herself standing before him again, she'd vowed to at least ascend to the 21st Hierarchy first.
"No, what am I even saying… It's over now."
She'd spat all those harsh words with zero intention of turning back.
Even letting the tiniest possibility of returning linger in her mind was pure selfishness.
What was the difference between that and some immature brat throwing a breakup tantrum to beg for more love?
Sharon shook her head fiercely to chase away the stray thoughts and hurried her leaden steps along.
As she left the villa neighborhood and emerged onto Youth Street, the surroundings grew noticeably tidier.
A familiar building came into view.
The department store where a homunculus had gone on a rampage.
It was the first real danger she'd faced in her life as a witch.
Chased relentlessly by that massive mother beast all the way to the rotary, until Si-woo got clever and brought the whole building down—crushing it under the weight.
Back then, it had felt like her life was flashing before her eyes… but looking back now, it almost seemed kinda fun.
"…Si-woo again."
Truth be told, not thinking about him was the harder feat.
There wasn't a single spot on this street they hadn't shared together.
The places she'd reunited with after a full year bloomed with memories like mirages wherever her gaze landed.
For instance, the grocery section in the department store's basement first floor: the two of them, arms loaded with shopping bags.
'I'll cook tonight. It's just a meal kit, but!'
'Then I'll handle the dishes.'
'No way, we agreed I'd do the housework since I'm crashing at your place.'
'Come on, I can't make you do everything.'
The image faded into the distance: Sharon hopping onto Si-woo's back piggyback-style as they chatted away happily.
Or that sticker photo booth where they'd snapped selfies together.
She'd always eyed it—the flashing orange lights and thumping music—but the shocking five-thousand-won price per photo had kept it to window-shopping only.
'Whoa, Si-woo, your eyes are massive!'
'What the—creepy much? They're half your face!'
'Wanna try a kissing shot?'
She'd gone all out opening her wallet, and the over-the-top filters had them cracking up.
Five thousand won? Not a penny wasted.
It was fifty million won worth of pure bliss.
Or that three-story arcade.
'You're better than you look.'
'Heh! Back in my apprentice witch days, I crushed at tennis.'
'One more round?'
'Say "I've learned so much, please go easy on me, sis!" and maybe.'
Whenever boredom struck, they'd hit up darts or air hockey, wagering little bets.
Sharon had won most of the time, but thinking back… Si-woo must've been going easy on her every round.
With his reflexes and physical prowess so far beyond hers, her win rate would've been zilch otherwise.
Or that snowflake bingsu place.
They'd delivery-order most meals, but desserts like bingsu? Always in-store.
The ice was crunchier, and the presentation prettier that way.
'Knock it off? The clerk's been staring.'
'He's staring 'cause I'm gorgeous—if you don't wanna get dumped, keep up.'
Sharon stubbornly scooped bites for Si-woo every time, leaving him flustered under the stares.
She kept it up because it was so damn cute.
"…Should we grab some bingsu? Y'know, reminisce about the old days."
She said it like a bitter joke, addressing the person who should've been right there beside her.
"Department store's closed, so sadly skipping that… but arcade bets, sticker pics… that'd be perfect. Right?"
No reply came, of course. Sharon bit her lip hard to stifle the sob rising in her throat.
The street, now overflowing with armfuls of memories, grew thick with aching nostalgia. Unable to bear it, Sharon turned on her heel and fled.
2.
The brand-new officetel right in front of Sinchon Station.
It was the building with the convenience store where Sharon had worked part-time for ages—their little "honeymoon suite."
Which made even the first-floor elevator lobby a place steeped in history.
After getting booted for illegal construction demolition, she'd been curled up crying on the stairs when Si-woo proposed they live together.
"No more moping around, Sharon."
Once more: this was something she had to get used to.
Compress the pain of lost love—meant to be savored over years—into a crash course, endure it, and start fresh.
That's exactly why she'd come back to Sinchon, brimming with Si-woo memories… right to this officetel.
Sharon slapped her cheeks until her senses sharpened, then hit the elevator button.
The doorlock code was still the same. The familiar dial tone greeted her as she stepped inside.
"Whoa, it's way more intact than I expected."
For some reason, she felt glad.
She'd braced for a barren, empty shell… but it was almost identical to how they'd left it.
Come to think of it, she'd heard this place was like a safehouse Si-woo had borrowed from the Gemernai estate.
Of course it'd be furnished and maintained.
"Nothing beats home for peace of mind."
Truth be told, "brand-new officetel" or not, it paled next to the Gemernai annex—each room rivaling a luxury hotel suite.
Still, the low ceiling, familiar wallpaper, and glittering city nightscape outside the window felt so welcoming. Sharon hummed a tune as she flopped onto the sofa.
Here, they'd cuddle with popcorn and beer for movie nights, trading kisses by the credits.
And stuff way steamier than that? Sometimes. No—pretty often.
"……."
Her mood felt off.
One second euphoric, the next plunging into despair. Like she'd come down with bipolar disorder.
"Just crash for now."
Yeah.
Shed been running on no sleep for way too long.
Si-woo was safe now. All that was left was stretching out and getting some real rest.
She took a quick rinse.
Showering brought back flashes of sharing it with Si-woo.
She slipped into their old bed.
Lying there, she instinctively buried her nose in the pillow, hoping for any trace of his scent.
There was none, of course.
"Hic…."
Her shoulders began to shake, face still mashed into the pillow.
The tremors started soft but swelled into crashing waves amid a storm.
"I'm… a liar…!"
Every word she uttered was "for Si-woo's sake," "he'd be happy without me."
Pretending it was all consideration for him, every decision framed as selfless sacrifice.
But that wasn't the whole truth.
She was just dressing up her shallow hypocrisy to make it sound noble.
Sharon's choice wasn't purely for Si-woo—it absolutely had selfish motives mixed in.
Because the man she loved so fiercely kept throwing himself into danger.
Watching it happen every time was agony.
Having to stare down her own powerlessness to do anything about it.
It hurt.
She was exhausted.
Every day felt like swallowing burning coals.
The more she fell for Si-woo, the more hellish those moments became.
So in a fit of frustration, she'd decided breaking up was better.
Sure, part of her must've thought: if I stop loving him, this won't hurt anymore, right?
She'd fled in melodramatic self-pity, playing tragic heroine: better off without him, blah blah.
She'd never imagined his absence would carve out such torment.
Never realized how completely he'd filled her life.
Never known how brutally painful it'd be to hollow out that space.
And on top of being so damn weak, here she was scavenging for convenient excuses even after declaring the breakup. Pathetic.
"Waaah! Hngg…! Si-woo…! I miss you… miss you so much, waaah!"
Sharon wailed into the pillow clutched tight to her chest until exhaustion claimed her, sobs tapering into hiccuping sleep.