The One and Only for Each Other (2)
"......You've woken up."
Irene had been lying pressed against me, her body draped over mine in an embrace from above. Once she confirmed I was conscious, she pushed herself up from the bed. All that remained of her relief was a faint smile.
"Thank goodness. I was starting to worry—you wouldn't wake up no matter what."
The fox whispered softly. Her tone was different somehow. The usual sharpness was nowhere to be found. As I stared blankly, the girl who had turned her back to me held something out. It was a glass radiating warmth.
"It's tea steeped from Seolhancho. They say it's good for restoring energy, so drink up."
"......"
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
Still bewildered, I accepted the cup she offered. A lukewarm heat seeped into my fingertips. While I quietly swallowed the tea, Irene stood beside the bed watching me. Her black eyes blinked slowly.
"......"
Her gaze was strangely heavy. I forced the awkwardness aside and drained the cup completely. The lingering haze of sleep seemed to lift a little. With my mind clearing, I turned to Irene with a question—the first step toward understanding what had happened.
"......So, how much time has passed since I lost consciousness?"
"Two full days."
"Longer than I expected. Nothing unusual happened while I was out, did it?"
"Nothing special. We just kept sailing."
Irene recounted the events in detail: pulling me from the sea, the encounter with Bulmyeong—who left without a second glance—and carrying my unconscious body to the cabin. It all fell within the range of what I'd anticipated.
'Thank goodness.'
A belated sense of relief brought a smile to my lips. As I smoothed my disheveled hair, the girl sitting beside me suddenly asked, her expression puzzled.
"That person you called Bulmyeong. Why did he just leave us alone?"
Given how sharply they'd been confronting each other, the abrupt ending must have felt unsatisfying to her. Instead of answering, I only offered a vague smile.
"Who knows~ I don't really know either."
"Bulmyeong told me to ask you. He said there's a reason he couldn't just kill you."
"Hmm."
Apparently Bulmyeong had let something unnecessary slip. I rested my chin on my hand for a moment, recalling the past. It was from the days when I'd been turning the underworld upside down—stories tangled in filth that I had no desire to share with anyone. As always, I dodged the question.
"It's a secret."
"......Of course it is."
Irene nodded. Her reaction was odd. Normally she would have lost interest and moved on, but today her eyes held a distinctly bitter look. Almost as if she felt hurt.
"If that's what you want, then fine. I'm sure you have your reasons for keeping it secret."
Her words said she understood, yet her expression remained strangely sullen. Had Bulmyeong left that strong an impression? I hadn't expected her to care this much. Feeling awkward, I smiled and changed the subject.
"By the way... Irene?"
"Yeah?"
"Earlier, when we woke up tangled together in bed—what exactly happened?"
"Ah... that."
She hesitated briefly before answering in a calm voice. Her tail swayed gently.
"I was watching over you by the bed. We didn't know when you'd wake up. I fought off sleep until dawn and must have dozed off right there."
"You stayed by my side for two whole days?"
"It wasn't nursing or anything that grand. I just stayed up through the nights, that's all."
"That's more than enough. It's touching."
Without thinking, I reached out and stroked her hair. The crimson strands shifted beneath my palm, carrying a warm, affectionate heat. Savoring the softness, I added,
"Thank you."
"I'm glad... it helped."
Irene smiled faintly. Her drooping ears perked up, revealing her true feelings. I couldn't help but tilt my head.
'What's this?'
She'd been strangely favorable toward me since earlier. Docile, even. It felt unfamiliar. Even her usual cold aura had softened. I found it puzzling, but soon brushed it off.
'I don't know what changed her mind, but...'
Seeing her smile like this was nice. I'd always worried about her perpetually sullen face, but perhaps she was finally starting to lower her guard. Any positive change like this was welcome.
Stroke, stroke—
I quietly petted the fox. After a short while, something occurred to me.
"......Ah, come to think of it. What happened to the others?"
"The others?"
"The people captured as illegal slaves. I remember they were all locked up on the lowest level."
"We released them. They're probably staying in the second-floor cabins now."
"I see."
Everything seemed to have been wrapped up neatly. I stood up, intending to check on them myself. I'd glanced over things earlier, but confirming the headcount would make future arrangements easier. There might be people who were injured or ill.
"I'll go take a look around."
"I'll come with you."
Irene followed. After slipping on light outerwear, we stepped out of the cabin.
We spent quite some time thoroughly exploring the ship's interior. It was several times larger than a regular passenger vessel, so the inspection took longer than expected. It felt more like a fortress than a ship. Probably only a handful of people across the entire continent could afford such extravagance. I was once again reminded of the merchant's capabilities.
'Quite the gift.'
This ship was mine now. I could do whatever I wanted with it. Its base performance was so overwhelming that even minor modifications would make it highly usable. I reset the destination to a port under Astro's jurisdiction.
'I should send word ahead.'
I needed someone to safely relocate the ship in our place. Our field trip schedule still remained, and having already been gone for two days, I planned to return to the lodging by tomorrow at the latest.
Fwoosh—!
I sent out a crow made of shadow. Its black wings beat against the air—an abbreviated telegram. If it flew straight, it would reach headquarters by tomorrow morning. Once Lena confirmed the contents and opened a portal, we could switch roles and return to the trip site. With Lena's help, the return journey would be instantaneous as well.
'Perfect.'
The plan was flawless. Some students might find it strange if we disappeared for three days and then reappeared, but silencing them with my authority as top assistant was simple enough. That power had been obtained precisely for moments like this. And the professor supervising the field trip was none other than Selena. Our teacher would surely side with her student, so a minor disturbance like this posed no problem.
"Heh."
A satisfied smile formed on my lips. Shaking off idle thoughts, I began walking again. The ship's interior remained in good condition.
'Impressive.'
It was Bulmyeong's handiwork. Even while dealing with the remaining soldiers aboard, he had left not a single trace of blood. The bodies had likely been dumped into the sea. As expected of the Lord's right hand, his cleanup was impeccable.
'He's improved quite a bit.'
As I mulled over that thought, the fox walking beside me spoke up. Another question about Bulmyeong.
"Bulmyeong... he seemed afraid of you."
"Well, I suppose so."
"Even after you lost consciousness, it was the same. He was sweating and didn't dare approach."
"That's a shame. I would've liked to see that stiff expression of his crack."
"Why is he so afraid of you?"
"Who knows."
It couldn't be helped. Two years ago, during the war in the underworld—anyone who had faced me back then would inevitably harbor that kind of fear. Especially since my personality had been particularly vicious at the time.
"......Let's just say various things happened."
Once again, I gave a vague answer. Irene seemed to have expected this response and simply nodded quietly. We walked in silence for a while.
It wasn't until half a day later that we finished touring the entire ship. As expected, there were no issues. All systems were functioning normally.
—Thank you so much for saving us...!
The freed slaves seemed to be doing well too. Exhausted from their harsh imprisonment, they greeted their saviors with fervent cheers. Every single one of them wept as they expressed their gratitude.
—Sob, sob... I thought I'd never get to go home again.
—If it weren't for you two, we don't know what would've happened to us......
—It feels like a dream! I really thought we'd be sold off to a foreign land!
—Hyung! Noona! Thank you so much!
I lost count of how many thanks I received. Being thanked for doing good was certainly a positive thing, but too much attention became burdensome. We slipped away quietly. After spending such a hectic day...
"......"
We only returned to the cabin once night had fallen. The clock hands already pointed toward dawn.
"It's later than I thought."
"There was a lot to see. And people kept stopping us in the middle."
"We should get ready for bed. Since we'll have a schedule again starting tomorrow, it's best to sleep early."
"Yeah. Got it."
Given the late hour, we quickly finished showering and changing. The two of us headed straight to bed. Since there was only one bed—a double—we had no choice but to lie down side by side. Of course, the problem could have been solved if one of us went to another cabin, but...
"Don't go."
"What?"
"It's fine... just stay with me."
Irene grabbed my sleeve. Her eyes looked up at me steadily. Perhaps because of what had happened a few days ago, the girl seemed anxious about being left alone. A faint tremor lingered at her fingertips.
"Understood."
I nodded. It was rare for Irene to ask for something first, and the request wasn't difficult.
'It should be fine.'
We were already sharing the same room, so this much shouldn't be a problem. Irene didn't seem particularly conscious of it either. We pulled the blanket over ourselves while maintaining an appropriate distance. As we quietly waited for sleep to come, the girl beside me suddenly spoke.
"......Are you awake?"
"I am, for now."
"Sorry if I woke you. I just wanted to talk."
"Can't sleep, huh."
"Well... yeah."
"That's fine. Is there a particular topic you'd like to discuss?"
"Yeah. There were some things I wanted to ask."
We exchanged a few words. Though we'd had quite a few conversations before, lying in the same bed like this while talking felt like a fresh experience. Voices echoed across the precarious gap between us.
"Back when you were dealing with the hunting dog. You imitated Master's voice, remember?"
"I did."
"You already knew, didn't you? About my past."
"I guess I've been found out."
"It was strange. How you knew something I'd never told anyone."
"I never meant to deceive you from the start. It just seemed like you were suffering over what happened back then, so I didn't bring it up."
"Yeah... it was a painful memory."
The fox murmured softly. Her words, scattered into the darkness, carried unresolved questions. Her black eyes glanced sideways at me. She must have grown suspicious after all. Someone who shouldn't have known about Master had used his words to stage a performance—naturally, she would find it bewildering. I smiled wryly.
"I'm sorry. It must have been a wound you didn't want discovered."
"It's fine if it's you."
"Thank you for saying that."
"If I ask how you knew about Master, you'll say it's a secret again this time...?"
"I would prefer to."
There was no other way to explain it. I couldn't bring up the original novel, and claiming we'd learned about their personal conversations through mere investigation would also feel unnatural. The most appropriate choice was to remain silent.
"......"
Irene wore a complicated expression. She seemed to be thinking about something. After biting her lip for a moment, she muttered quietly. The atmosphere had grown strangely subdued.
"You... seem to have too many secrets."
"That's a rather disheartening thing to say. I consider myself quite a transparent person, actually......"
"Liar."
The denial came from right beside me. As if responding to it, I turned my head—and found Irene's face had crossed far beyond the appropriate distance. Her lukewarm breath brushed against my cheek. We were close enough that our noses nearly touched.
"Irene?"
Question marks floated in my mind at the narrowed gap. In that moment, the girl pushed herself up from where she'd been lying. Her slow, reaching movements tangled with mine, and before I knew it, the fox was straddling my body. She sat atop my waist.
"What are you suddenly—?"
The abrupt action startled me. Her distinctive scent wafted gently. Since we were both in light sleepwear, the curves of our bodies were clearly felt through the thin fabric. As I froze for a moment, slender fingertips touched my chest.
"You."
My heart colored with her faint warmth. Irene's fingers began unbuttoning my shirt one by one. This was...
"Irene."
I realized something was wrong. I called her name belatedly, but by then my shirt was already completely undone. Bare skin showed through the open front. Irene stared down at it blankly.
"Just what are you......"
Her voice grew hazy. It wasn't desire, excitement, or thirst. The emotion dwelling in her trembling eyes was shock—or perhaps pity. Clenching her fists, the girl murmured.
"......Just what are you hiding?"
Through her transparent pupils, a body covered in scars was reflected. From sword cuts to stab wounds, burn marks, and strange surgical scars—there wasn't a single patch of unblemished skin. It was utterly ravaged.
"......"
I found myself closing my mouth. The coldly cooled expression held nothing but a humorless blankness. I chewed on the icy monologue.
'Ah.'
So she had seen it after all.