She Knew It Was Me
I stood there.... Her hair was soaked, her clothes a complete disaster. But worst of all were the dark crimson bloodstains covering her outfit. They told the full story of the desperate fight she'd just survived.
“......”
Why had she come here?
Without thinking, I hid my throbbing right arm. Kim Soyeon stood frozen in the entryway, not even considering taking off her shoes. She simply stared at me where I sat on the sofa. Then, as if the relief had finally hit her, she let out a long, shaky breath. It was like every ounce of tension she'd been bottling up had come undone in a single moment. Her legs gave out and she crumpled to the floor.
At the sound, Neukgu trotted over, tail wagging happily.
“You’re here.”
I greeted her in the most casual tone I could manage, pretending I knew nothing. “What happened to you? Did you come straight here looking like that?”
I’d tossed the remark playfully, hoping she’d at least pout in response, but she said nothing. She simply buried her face in Neukgu’s fluffy coat, shoulders trembling. Her sobs were so quiet they didn’t even make a sound.
…Of course.
It must have been brutal. Abandoned by her own teammates and the Association hunters, left to face death completely alone. That kind of isolation and terror would break anyone, even an S-class hunter like her. She was still only twenty. Just a kind-hearted twenty-year-old girl.
I rose slowly from the sofa and headed for the kitchen.
I poured milk into a mug and set it in the microwave. Once it was warm, I stirred in just the tiniest pinch of sugar, then carried the mug over to Kim Soyeon.
“Drink this first.”
She looked at the mug I offered, then slowly lifted her gaze to meet mine. Her eyes were bloodshot. Tear tracks she hadn’t managed to wipe away still glistened on her cheeks.
“…Yeah. Thank you.”
Her voice was hoarse. She wrapped both hands around the mug and took a careful sip. The warmth seemed to melt some of the ice inside her. Her expression softened, if only a little.
I sat down cross-legged across from her, rested my chin on my hand, and asked gently, “What happened on Ganghwado? The news made it sound like total chaos.”
The moment I asked, pretending to know nothing, her hands trembled again around the mug. She began to speak, eyes still fixed on the milk as if she were confessing to it.
“They all… ran away.”
“Ran away?”
“…Yeah. An S-class flying monster suddenly appeared.”
“……”
“I had to stop it from reaching the city… but I was completely alone.”
There was no anger in her voice, only hollow exhaustion. The thick, bitter disillusionment with humanity bled through every word.
“The Association hunters, the guild hunters… everyone just ran for their lives without looking back. I tried to hold it off by myself, but no one…”
She couldn’t finish. Her lips pressed into a tight line.
She must have felt it, even if only for a moment. That crushing hatred for other people.
“But you know what’s funny?” she continued. “Right when I thought it wouldn’t matter if I just died there…”
Kim Soyeon lifted her head and looked at me again. Her eyes were swirling with emotions I couldn’t even begin to name.
“A light fell from the sky.”
“A light?”
“Yes. A light.”
“…Really? Who was it?”
“I don’t know. It was just… this incredible beam of light that came flying in from far away and wiped the monster out.”
She seemed to have forgotten the pain she’d been pouring out moments ago. Her voice filled with quiet wonder as she recalled it. “It looked like magic, but I’m not sure. Maybe someone just felt too sorry for me and decided to save me.”
Did she have any idea that light had been me?
I wanted to tell her I’d done it for her, but I forced the words back down my throat. I was afraid it might hurt her pride. After all, she was an S-class hunter. If she found out I’d stepped in to save her, the fragile closeness we’d built might crumble again.
I swallowed the bitter smile threatening to surface and shrugged with deliberate nonchalance. “You got lucky. Must be all that kindness of yours coming back around to help you.”
Kim Soyeon stared at me for a long moment. Maybe my clumsy comfort had actually worked. She let out a small huff of laughter and drained the rest of the milk.
“Yeah. I got lucky. I’m still alive, after all.”
She set the empty mug on the floor and leaned slightly toward me.
“And the really strange part…”
“Strange part?”
“After everything was over and I just started walking without thinking, people kept trying to approach me.”
Her voice was quiet as she went on, hugging her knees and resting her chin on them. A faint, peaceful smile touched her lips.
“I hated them so much that I just kept walking. And somehow… I ended up here.”
“……”
The moment she finished speaking, I reached out with my left hand and gently placed it on her messy hair.
“Ah…”
Her shoulders twitched at the sudden touch, but she stayed still, letting me cradle her head. I stroked her tangled hair softly and murmured, “You did well.”
“……”
“And… you did a good job.”
“Yeah.”
“Whether it was luck, heaven’s help, or someone watching over you, the important thing is that you came back alive.”
It was the clumsiest comfort imaginable. But the moment those rough words reached her, the tears that had been pooling in her large eyes finally spilled down her pale cheeks.
She didn’t sob loudly or wail. She simply looked at me in silence as the tears fell. Then she leaned her whole upper body against my lap like a child and cried quietly, shoulders shaking.
I said nothing, just gently patted her back. After a long while, when her trembling finally eased, I stroked her hair once more.
“Once you’ve calmed down, go wash up.”
Only then did she seem to realize what kind of state she was in. Her shoulders stiffened. She lifted her head slowly, like a broken robot. Her face was a mess of tears. Those still-watery eyes looked up at me, then darted around the room. Her cheeks flushed bright red.
“C-can I… really wash up here?”
Her voice was wet and hesitant as she asked if it was okay to shower in my house. The timid way she shrank in on herself made me smile softly. I nodded.
“Yeah.”
Tenderly.
She bit her lip, then shot up and practically fled to the bathroom. The door clicked shut, and soon the sound of the shower running filled the apartment.
“I literally told you to wash up,” I muttered, knowing I wouldn’t get an answer.
I stretched my stiff body and headed to the bedroom. I pulled out an oversized plain white t-shirt of mine and a pair of comfortable gray sweatpants with a drawstring. I grabbed a towel too and set everything down neatly in front of the bathroom door.
Knock knock.
I rapped lightly on the door and called out carefully, “I left some clothes out here for you.”
There was a loud clatter from inside, like she’d dropped something. Then a tiny voice squeaked through the gap.
“O-okay…!”
Only after I heard her reply did I head back to the kitchen and settle into a chair at the dining table. My arm still throbbed, but the sound of her safely washing up in the bathroom left a strangely warm, languid feeling in my chest.
That was when it started.
They were losing their minds with excitement just because Soyeon was showering at my place. It was like they were throwing a whole festival. I rested my chin on my hand and let out a small chuckle at their uproar.
“No matter what, now’s not the time.”
The moment I drew the line, the chat’s energy flipped completely.
Watching the heroines bicker back and forth, arguing over who was right and who was wrong, I couldn’t help but laugh. I sat at the table like that for a while, just browsing the chaotic chat.
My eyes eventually landed on the empty mug on the floor.
Might as well wash the dishes.
I had time to kill anyway. I stood up, picked up the mug, and walked to the sink. The two mugs Soyeon and I had used that morning were still sitting there. I turned on the faucet, and the sound of running water filled the kitchen. Just as I started rinsing the mug, I heard the bathroom door open behind me with a soft click. Then came the careful sound of bare feet on the floor.
She must be done.
I didn’t turn around. Still washing the suds off the cup, I said casually, “The clothes are right there, so just put th—”
But my sentence never finished.
The presence that had approached from behind stopped. Then a pair of still-damp arms wrapped around my waist. Water from her sleeves soaked into my shirt. A dumbfounded sound slipped from my mouth.
“…Huh?”
The warmth of her body pressed against my back. The scent of her wet hair and the familiar shampoo drifted over me. My hands froze mid-wash. My heart was pounding like it wanted to explode. Thump. Thump. Thump.
“Don’t… don’t turn around…”
Kim Soyeon had buried her face in my back. Her voice was barely a whisper, trembling violently. The arms around my waist were shaking too, transmitting every bit of her nervousness.
I let out a small laugh despite myself. Without turning, just as she’d asked, I answered softly, “Okay. Don’t worry.”
For some reason, her arms tightened around me even more. After a brief silence, her muffled voice came again.
“It’s embarrassing…”
She’d come out of the shower, put on the clothes I gave her, and even initiated a back hug, yet she was embarrassed. What was I supposed to do with that? It was completely contradictory. But at the same time, it was so very like her.
I shook my head and answered with deliberate calm, “I know. I get it.”
As I spoke, I placed my hand gently over hers where it rested on my stomach. I was about to say something else when she suddenly asked,
“Why… why didn’t you say anything?”
She asked why I hadn’t told her. I answered in the same playful, clueless tone as before.
“About what?”
But all I got in return was a small sigh. Her arms tightened around my waist again. Then, in a voice full of certainty, Kim Soyeon said,
“Oppa. You were the one who saved me.”
“……”