Chapter 121: A Fleeting Spring Dream (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 121: A Fleeting Spring Dream (4)
I locked eyes with a gaze devoid of focus. Even though she was looking straight at me, it felt as if she wasn't seeing me at all. I couldn't find the words to speak. My limbs refused to move, as if my entire body were bound, and though I forced my mouth open to say something—anything—no sound came out.
Yubin’s passionate red eyes had cooled, turning chillier than the dead of winter. She looked at me in silence.
“I…”
I opened my mouth to explain the situation, but I didn't know what to say. I had no idea how things had ended up like this, and there was really nothing I could say to justify it. Seeing five members of the same team at once was, by any standard, undeniably my fault.
I couldn't meet Hayoung’s eyes, which were filled with disappointment, and Eunha’s eyes were brimming with sorrow. Su-ah was furious, and Yura watched me with a gaze where a thousand different emotions seemed to intersect.
Caught in my black suit while meeting all five of them, my identity as a member of Spacetro had been laid bare. There was nothing left to say. Was it because I was facing too many crises at once?
At the very least, I should have apologized, but I remained speechless. The five of them kept their eyes fixed on me, yet not a single sound escaped their lips. If they had hit me, perhaps this silence would have ended, but they didn't move a finger—as if they didn't even find me worth the effort.
And the moment I took a single step forward, the world shut off. The sky turned pitch black, and the ground beneath my feet seemed to give way. As I plummeted into an unknown abyss, I waited in the hollow, empty silence for the end to come.
“...!”
That was when I jolted awake from the deep sleep. The moment I felt I had hit the very bottom, my eyes snapped open, and I hurriedly sat up.
I was drenched in a cold sweat. Beside me, Eunha, who had been sleeping, was looking at me with worried eyes, startled by my sudden movement.
“Oppa? Are you okay?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah. I’m fine. Just had a bad dream.”
It was a dream. My constant worrying about how to avoid being caught had led to days of restless sleep, and eventually, I had dreamed of my identity being exposed to all five of them.
“...Go back to sleep. I’m going to go get some water.”
Perhaps because of the cold sweat, my throat felt parched. Leaving Eunha, who was still watching me, to go back to sleep, I got out of bed and headed to the kitchen. The only sound was the water filling the cup from the purifier as my gaze drifted out the window.
Outside, the world was shrouded in the deep silence of the early morning hours. The distant sound of a car broke the stillness for a moment, but even that soon faded away.
What’s the date today? I wondered as I walked back into the living room, checking the screen of the smartphone I had brought with me.
Friday. The shock of waking from the nightmare had momentarily made me forget the date, the day of the week, and even what I had done during the day.
Yesterday, there was a duel. After suffering a defeat no different from any other day, I received a call from Eunha. I came to her place, spent time with her, and then went to bed.
It had only been three days since I went grocery shopping with Hayoung, and since then, I had spent my days meeting Su-ah or Eunha.
“Sigh...”
A heavy sigh escaped my lips. I gulped down the water to quench my thirst. Sitting on the sofa in the living room, I fell into a brief daze. Someday, the moment would come when the five of them would discover the truth.
It was an unavoidable moment. Even if they found out after we had already broken up, the fact that I had spent time with all five of them would remain unchanged. Ultimately, it would affect them in some way.
However, I was also worried about whether that moment would even come. While I hadn't yet confirmed the truth behind the disappearance of the Superhumans, the possibility of their power fading existed—but the possibility of their death hadn't been entirely ruled out either.
If the experiments on children before secondary sex characteristics were intended to delay a premature death, then the five members of Hunter Killer would also face an end much sooner than others.
Death is a natural conclusion for any living being. However, if their lifespans were shortened by experiments and they were to meet a tragic end... I don't think I could accept it when that moment arrived.
More than anything, these five women had given unconditional love to someone like me, who had lived a life indifferent to the emotion of love. What I had to do was repay the heart they gave me, and what I wished for was their happiness.
But if they were to meet death just as they were finally finding a bit of happiness...
“Ah.”
I let out a short sound and shook my head.
“Oppa. Are you feeling sick?”
Eunha, worried because I hadn't returned to the room, came out of the master bedroom.
“I’m fine. I just have a lot on my mind.”
Eunha slowly walked over and sat beside me, leaning her head on my shoulder. Naturally, I put my arm around her and pulled her close. Even through our clothes, I could feel her body heat as we pressed together, and the anxiety I had felt until a moment ago seemed to dissipate slightly.
“Is it because of work?”
“...Yeah.”
If you called it work, it was work. Regardless of our relationship, the fact that I belonged to Spacetro remained unchanged, and on the surface, Spacetro was indeed preoccupied with matters concerning Superhumans.
“There’s nothing I can do to help, but please tell me if things get too hard. Just talking about it can make the burden a little lighter.”
Hearing Eunha’s comforting words, I felt sadness before I felt gratitude. Unable to look at her as she leaned against me, I turned my gaze back toward the window.
Eunha knew better than anyone that speaking to someone about your pain could be a source of strength. That was why she wanted me to talk to her when I was struggling, but my story was something I couldn't tell anyone in this world.
If it were a worry I could just vent and feel better about, I wouldn't be agonizing like this. Because it was something I couldn't share with anyone and had to resolve entirely on my own—and because it concerned the very life of Eunha, who was currently comforting me—I couldn't say a word.
“...Yeah. I’ll tell you once I feel a bit better.”
It was a promise I couldn't keep. I kept looking out the window, and Eunha looked up at me, her eyes fixed on my profile. Sensing her gaze, I turned my head, and the moment our eyes met, Eunha smiled.
“Oppa. Do you know something?”
“What?”
When I asked her to elaborate on her cryptic opening, Eunha spoke to me with a face still full of smiles.
“I’m so happy lately.”
“...”
I couldn't bring myself to say anything in response. I could have replied without connecting it to my current situation, but it felt as if the reason in my head was blocking me from speaking.
“It’s not every day, but still, getting to meet you like this... spending time together... I’m so happy that I find myself wishing we could live like this forever.”
Eunha felt happy just by having me by her side. Would the others feel the same? When I was with these five women, each with her own unique charm, I felt happy too.
Whenever I met one of them, I could feel her heart, and I could feel that the love she gave was genuine. It was impossible not to feel happy in the face of such clear, effortless affection.
If the others felt the same way as Eunha, then they were already finding happiness through my existence. If that were the case, I had to protect their happiness at all costs.
It wasn't something I had to do out of obligation; it was a decision I made by choice. And because it was my choice, I wanted to avoid shattering their current happiness even more.
However, the more Eunha felt happy being with me, the heavier my heart became.
“Oppa... how do you feel when you’re with me?”
Perhaps sensing something, Eunha asked me in a small voice. The face that had been full of smiles a moment ago now held a hint of anxiety. Realizing I shouldn't show my own unease in front of her, I smiled and kissed Eunha’s moist lips as she stared at me.
“I’m happy being with you too, Eunha.”
I meant it. It wasn't just something I said to handle the situation; I truly felt happy when I was with her, so I conveyed my heart to her.
The anxiety vanished instantly, and Eunha buried her face in my chest. She stayed there quietly, as if listening to my heartbeat, and for a while, we held each other in the quiet dawn, feeling each other’s warmth.
*
The following afternoon, I arrived at the arcade I always frequented. Su-ah was already inside playing a game, and perhaps because it was Friday afternoon, there were many people scattered about.
“What round is this?”
I approached Su-ah, who was in the middle of toyng with her opponent on the joystick, and she gave a short reply: “Fourth.” I watched in silence so she could finish her game, and before long, the word Win appeared on the screen, announcing her victory.
“You’re ruthless.”
“Of course.”
Su-ah stretched and stood up from her seat. The reason we came to the arcade wasn't just to play games. Our destination was Su-ah’s house, and since she had finished her morning meeting early and stopped by the arcade for a quick game, I had come to pick her up.
“Want to play a round?”
“We’re just going to get wrecked at home anyway. Why bother here?”
Once we got home and turned on a game, my defeat was as good as guaranteed. I was already used to losing streaks at the arcade, and because I was so used to it, I wondered if there was any point in losing here only to lose again at home.
“What about food?”
“Haven’t eaten yet.”
“Let’s eat before we go in. I’m hungry.”
“Alright.”
I took Su-ah’s hand and walked out of the arcade. After debating what to eat, we spotted a Western restaurant and went inside. We ordered our respective meals and waited for the food to arrive.
Then, it occurred to me that since Su-ah was the one who first told me about the superhuman experiments, it might be easier to bring up the topic with her. I cautiously spoke up.
“By the way.”
Su-ah, who had been watching game videos on her smartphone, looked up at the sound of my voice. Even though Su-ah didn't care about the gaze of others, I still felt a bit self-conscious being the first to bring up the topic of Superhumans. I swallowed hard against my nerves and finally spoke.
“I noticed the members of the superhuman groups change from time to time. Why is that?”
I brought up the matter that had been bothering me most lately. Su-ah stared at me for a moment, surprised by the sudden topic, then looked back at her phone screen. Did she find it suspicious? Was it uncomfortable even for Su-ah to talk about Superhumans when someone else brought it up?
Just as I was thinking that, Su-ah opened her mouth as if it were no big deal.
“I don't know. Our team has had the same members for three years now, but when two people left five years ago, they called it a personnel transfer.”
Just as Su-ah said, two of the five members of Hunter Killer left five years ago, and two years after that—three years ago—Yubin and Eunha joined. At the time, I had no interest in the changing roster of Superhumans.
I simply thought that since the members had changed, the strategies would need a major overhaul. I never even considered who left, who joined, or what the reasons for those replacements might be.
“Then did they go somewhere else?”
“I assume so. But it’s not like we kept in touch, so I don't know what they’ve been doing since then.”
Seeing Su-ah speak so calmly, I was certain she really didn't know. If they had died and Su-ah knew about it, she would have said so without hesitation. While the death of an acquaintance would be sad, Han Su-ah was the type of person who wouldn't cling to the past or go out of her way to hide what had already happened.
“I see. You mentioned some kind of experiment before. What was that about?”
I hoped I might hear something more, but Su-ah’s gaze shifted from her phone back to me. Even though I hadn't done anything wrong, I felt myself shrink under her piercing stare.
“This is unusual. You, of all people, bringing up Superhumans.”
Since I had intentionally avoided the topic of Superhumans out of fear that it might lead to my identity being exposed, it wasn't strange for Su-ah to find this sudden conversation odd.
“I just got a little curious. We’re talking about my girlfriend, after all.”
At the mention of 'girlfriend,' Su-ah’s eyebrows twitched. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but then closed it and furrowed her brow.
“I’ll tell you later.”
Whether she didn't want to talk about the experiments or simply felt uncomfortable doing so in a restaurant, I couldn't tell. Either way, she didn't want to speak right now, so I didn't press her further.
“Alright.”
The food arrived around that time. We finished our lunch, each eating the meal in front of us, and then stepped out of the restaurant.
“...”
After leaving the restaurant, I took her hand and was about to head toward the subway station when I suddenly stopped.
“What is it?”
When I abruptly halted, Su-ah looked at me, wondering what was wrong. I gave an awkward laugh as a sudden thought occurred to me.
“I need to stop somewhere for a second. Do you want to head to the station first?”
“Can’t I just go with you?”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll finish up quickly and meet you there, so go on ahead.”
“...Fine. I get it.”
Su-ah seemed to find my reaction a bit strange, but she accepted it for now. She let go of my hand and headed toward the station, and I immediately started running. I wove through the people walking on the street and reached a secluded alley. There was no one there.
“...”
I quietly lowered my body and examined the ground. On the dirt covering the pavement, there were fresh footprints, and they led deeper into the alley.
However, they didn't lead into the alley from the start. They were the marks of someone who had been standing in one spot to watch something outside the alley, then hurriedly retreated inside.
“What the...?”
The footprints disappeared after a short distance, but I was now certain that the sense of unease I had felt when meeting Hayoung a few days ago, and Eunha yesterday, wasn't just me being sensitive.
“Who is it?”
Someone was watching me.