Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Fading Warmth
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He had been fiddling absentmindedly with the hot pack he had no intention of using, and the moment he slipped it into his pocket, worried it might break...
Kim Yu-jeong added lightly, turning toward him.
"I hope things go well for you too, Yeon-woo."
"Pardon?"
"You said you were heading out on some errand."
"Ah... yeah."
Right, that's the excuse he'd used.
He nodded slowly.
As he calmly tallied up the charges in his mind, his gaze drifted to the red line slashed across her cheek.
"Looks like I did have some business after all."
At this point, it felt like peeling off a layer of her facial skin might be justified.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Ugh... ahh..."
Sounds that couldn't quite form screams echoed intermittently.
Just minutes ago, these robbers had been trading lighthearted jabs about getting nabbed by the cops, giggling to each other. Now, their lips refused to curl upward anymore.
Drip, drip. Thin, severed chunks floated up from the red puddle before sinking back down. The chill air carried a nauseating, fishy tang of blood and iron.
Ha Do-kyung was mulling over how to cover this mess when he heard the door creak open behind him. He turned his head.
"Whoa... you went all out, huh? Ready to start right away, Do-kyung hyung?"
"Yeah, sorry about that. This bastard didn't have the courtesy to consider someone who'd just eaten."
"If the Master showed consideration, it'd be terrifying instead."
The man who strolled in, casually chewing on jerky, took one look at the room and spat out his piece, his appetite gone.
The man's name was Kim Jae-young, an early guild member brought along to send these robbers back in one piece.
"Ah, regenerating all these bits one by one is such a pain. Using my ability makes me hungry too—you know how much my daily food bill runs? And the guiding fees on top of that?"
"Double the bonus pay."
"Hanwoo for after-work drinks once we cash it."
"...Fine, order whatever you want."
"Did I ever tell you I love you, hyung?"
Kim Jae-young's face, unlike moments before, was now brimming with enthusiasm.
Yeah, better capitalism than getting brainwashed by weird ideologies...
For a fleeting moment, Ha Do-kyung regretted not educating the guy properly when he was younger. Then he shook his head, remembering he'd always been like this even as a kid.
"I'm heading home. Call in that newbie from last time."
Squelch. The newcomer strode through the sticky blood puddle without a care, her demeanor oddly serene against the gruesome scene.
Several injured, including minor wounds.
There was one seriously hurt, but no fatalities, so they weren't murderers. Their records had priors, but nothing major enough to warrant an S-rank Awakener's intervention.
So why go out of his way to meddle?
...He had a hunch, actually. He'd spotted Yeon Woo-jin's live-in companion on the hostage list. But it still didn't make sense.
From what he'd confirmed personally, she wasn't a Guide.
Did that mean the guy had actually developed romantic feelings for a regular person? How? Under what circumstances?
He tried to imagine it, but linking Yeon Woo-jin with romance triggered a mental block.
And that late afternoon...
"You're right. They didn't even consider the mental trauma. So inconsiderate."
"Exactly."
Ha Do-kyung found himself witnessing, alongside the newbie, the sight of their guild master—a man who'd hold up anywhere—trash-talking himself.
"Don't worry, noona. We'll pay double compensation, of course."
"You think?"
"Yeah, since this incident could've been minimized."
"Oh... right. Sorry for snapping earlier. You all seemed startled."
"Nah, she does seem like a total jerk, just like you said, noona."
"Yeon-woo..."
Watching the jerk in question admit he was a jerk—an exceedingly rare spectacle—Ha Do-kyung finally gave up thinking about it.
That day, Yeon Woo-jin ended up paying ten times the original amount out of pocket for the mart's compensation.
Rumor had it the mart owner used the money to start a new life somewhere far away.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "I'm Kim Yu-jeong. Call me by name. And thank you for healing me twice."
A rare smile graced Kim Yu-jeong's face as she spoke to Song Hwa-yeon. But watching it didn't feel good.
...She doesn't usually smile much.
After the two women left, Yeon Woo-jin grabbed Kim Yu-jeong and asked if he had a type like Song Hwa-yeon. Anxiety mounted as no answer came.
"Song Hwa-yeon already has a dedicated Guide."
Her response to his offhand remark was flatly factual.
"Oh, I didn't mean it like that... Just, Hwa-yeon is a beauty, you know? Your eyes naturally go to pretty people."
Relief mingled with a budding unease. As if sensing it, a now-familiar hand reached out suddenly.
"Yeon-woo."
Like a man entranced, he placed his hand over hers, much smaller than his own. Kim Yu-jeong let out a soft laugh.
"Your face looked off, so I thought you might need guiding."
"Ah..."
"You don't?"
"I do."
Yes, he did.
The vanishing pain that had plagued him endlessly was a miracle, worth abandoning all his prior beliefs and values.
They exchanged light conversation, hands clasped. The lingering warmth in his palm and the guiding lulled him; unaware, he leaned his cheek lazily against her knee.
What snapped him from the dreamlike haze was the straight, impassive line on her face.
"But unlike that friend of yours, I have no intention of becoming a proper Guide. Taking responsibility for someone isn't easy, after all."
Yeon Woo-jin knew.
She wasn't thrilled about being a Guide. And she had no plans to become his Guide.
After a brief silence, he replied.
"Everyone has their own thoughts."
Kim Yu-jeong didn't need Yeon Woo-jin. But Yeon Woo-jin needed a Guide named Kim Yu-jeong.
It was that simple.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The next day, Kim Yu-jeong came home around evening after heading out, drunk.
Her face was pristine without a flush, and she spoke clearly, but she'd nearly tripped three times in the empty hallway, so Yeon Woo-jin concluded she was wasted.
"Something happen?"
At his question, Kim Yu-jeong blinked slowly. After staring blankly into space, she spoke.
"Yeon-woo, are you close with your family? What if they didn't recognize you?"
Her questions led into a story about herself.
"I'm not on bad terms with my family... but it's awkward. No parent could notice their child has been swapped out. Even knowing, it still felt a bit hurtful."
Her voice, rambling disjointedly, was subdued.
"Every time I think the daughter Mom loves might not actually be me, this disconnect hits. So I ran away."
The story was about family.
"No, still, I don't hate her. How could I hate someone in a similar spot trying her best? I know exactly how she's lived."
It seemed to be about someone in a similar situation, not quite family.
Yeon Woo-jin listened attentively to the meandering talk, propping his chin as he watched her.
Drunk, her expressions were more varied than usual. Her blank face scrunched into a sulky child's pout, then she mumbled about missing her mom.
"Then just meet her."
"That's the hard part. I can't avoid her forever, so like Han Se-young said, I should reach out... but maybe later."
"You can't go your whole life without meeting?"
"I don't want that. You couldn't either, right? Never seeing your parents again."
"I think I'd be fine."
"Huh?"
"Haven't seen their faces in ages. Not close enough to even exchange calls."
Her immediate question followed his flat statement.
"You hate your family?"
"Never thought about it that way. They unilaterally abandoned me, and I was the abandoned one."
Gates proliferating by the day, power struggles intensifying.
To a government craving stronger military might, high-rank Awakeners were goldmines.
They offered hefty sums for his custody, and parents terrified of their child's power handed him over without hesitation.
It was common back then. Families or acquaintances getting hurt or killed by newly awakened Espers' uncontrolled powers was routine.
But it hit Kim Yu-jeong differently. A warm hand cupped his cheek.
"...Doesn't that make you lonely?"
Was it because she was a high matching-rate Guide? It felt strange.
"Even if it's not family like mine, find someone to stay by your side."
He'd never once felt lonely, yet her words made him feel it now.
"Anyone who worries for you and stays close is enough. If someone like that appears, treat them well. Don't let them slip away meaninglessly. Don't be lonely alone."
The warmth from her cheek moved to his head, stroking gently.
Like soothing a child, Kim Yu-jeong whispered softly as she petted his hair.
"You've endured alone just fine until now."
Yeon Woo-jin unconsciously touched his throat.
His chest itched unbearably, nails itching to scratch. The warmth he'd thought cozy now burned hot, tightening his breath.
"...How do you treat someone well?"
Because she was a Guide? The matching rate?
Didn't matter. He wanted her.
"How do you keep from losing them?"
The warmth of the hand offered to him was irresistibly tempting.
Gazing at the hand pulling away, Yeon Woo-jin finally set his lips in a firm line.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ He could imagine the feeling of someone throwing themselves into the sea knowing they'd drown. Even if it meant the ending he despised, he wanted her.
The next day, Yeon Woo-jin visited the guild early in the morning and returned home a bit later than usual.
It was well past when Kim Yu-jeong would've clocked out, yet the living room lights were off.
Even if she'd gone to bed first, she always flicked on the dimmest lamp before heading to her room upon his return.
"...Noona?"
No matter how he strained his ears, no signs of life.
Just a week in, and he'd grown so accustomed? The living room felt alien without her presence.
Thump, thump. His heart raced.
...No. She's just running late.
Pushing down the anxiety, he dialed her number—the phone he'd given Kim Yu-jeong.
But the ringtone echoed from within the silent house.
On the table, in the quiet darkness, only the phone screen flashed brightly.