Chapter 6
Chapter 6
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Lee Ji-ah (6)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
After the meal was over.
Lee Ji-ah sprawled out on the sofa, fiddling with her phone.
"Hmm, hum~"
She was even humming and swinging her legs around, so I glanced over curiously and saw she was poring over the malicious comments featured in the articles.
"...Are you okay?"
"Of course! I'm totally fine!"
Lee Ji-ah flashed a confident grin. She still found her current state so miraculous that she kept peeking at her phone every chance she got.
"I should screenshot this and check it out again later."
In the midst of it all, she spotted a particularly striking hate comment and wiggled her fingers to take a screenshot.
I got where she was coming from, but it was still pretty heartbreaking.
How much hell had she been through with those comments to act like this?
Anyway.
"Ji-ah."
"Yes?"
"Where's the bathroom?"
Maybe it was because so much had happened yesterday all at once. I'd crashed hard without even showering.
"Straight down this way──"
Lee Ji-ah kindly explained. Damn, it was ridiculously far and convoluted. The house was just so huge and sprawling—couldn't be helped, I guess. I stopped her from showing me and headed there alone.
The second I stepped in, I stripped and cranked on the shower.
Creak!
Whoosh──!
Cold water poured over me, sorting out my tangled thoughts.
I had a ton ahead of me.
First up: Lee Ji-ah's hearing.
I needed to scout any controversial points she'd get hammered on and prep rebuttal materials in advance.
With her guild shield gone, every organization and person she'd meet from now on had to be treated like enemies.
I doubted the mentally fragile, timid Lee Ji-ah had anything resembling connections.
Was that too harsh a view?
And that wasn't even the half of the pressing issues right in front of me.
What gnawed at me most was Lee Ji-ah's depression and obsessive tendencies.
Judging by her reactions, she was terrified of slipping back into that depressive state.
And the simple, potent cure to forget all about her depression? That was me.
Maybe that's why I kept sensing her trying to tie me down.
As for that...
Honestly, I had no clue how to fix it. I could only hope that living together would gradually improve her condition.
"Sigh."
Nothing in this world was ever straightforward.
I was letting out a leisurely sigh under the spray when—
Suddenly, crash! Furniture splintered apart.
Eeeeek!
A woman's sharp scream.
What the hell?
I gripped the shower handle and twisted it off. The water cut. I crept to the door and pressed my ear against it.
Kyaaak──!!
A familiar voice.
Definitely Lee Ji-ah's.
Just the two of us in the house, so yeah.
But why the sudden scream? It wasn't like a movie or novel—surely not a cockroach freakout?
Thud thud thud!
Stomping feet pounded the floor.
An S-rank hunter? What could possibly...
Still, I couldn't shake the worry and shouted.
"Ji-ah? Everything okay!?"
Thud thud thud!!
The stomps drew closer to the bathroom. Vibrations rattled through the floor.
Crack!
The bathroom door exploded inward as Lee Ji-ah barreled in. She lunged straight at me.
"Ji-ah!?"
She didn't care that my body was soaked and wrapped me in a tight hug.
"Hic... Eek...!"
Lee Ji-ah trembled violently in my arms. Her eyes darted wildly, unfocused. Full-blown panic.
"Ah, the hate comments..."
"Hate comments?"
"Th-they tell me to d-die... Say I'm a wh-whore who sold my body to become S-rank..."
"Which fucking... No, Ji-ah, you know my ability, right?"
Lee Ji-ah mumbled blankly amid her shivers.
"Ability... Ability...?"
"Peace of Mind. Why'd you suddenly start caring about hate comments?"
"H-Hyun-woo went to the b-bathroom, and not long after... my h-heart started racing."
She babbled incoherently. Listening, I pieced it together.
Her mansion was massive. Bigger than even Cafe Bastard.
Peace of Mind barely covered Cafe Bastard—and only when I focused.
I roughly gauged the distance from living room to bathroom.
Definitely farther out than the cafe.
I mentally kicked myself for overlooking it.
Damn it. My screw-up. How had I missed that?
I couldn't even fathom the pain that grinning Lee Ji-ah must have felt in that instant.
"Ji-ah, you're okay now."
I hugged her back with my wet hands. Her shaking shoulders gradually stilled.
"......"
"......"
About a minute passed.
My limbs were starting to go numb.
Weird. Still not calmed? Peace of Mind couldn't be that weak.
I tried to ease my arm free.
Panicked, Lee Ji-ah frantically buried her face in my chest.
"W-wait a sec!"
Her voice sounded rational now, unlike before.
What? She was fine already?
"Ji-ah? You calmed down, right?"
I asked worriedly, and she gave a faint nod from within my embrace.
"...Yes."
She whispered so softly it was barely audible.
I opened my mouth, looking troubled.
"Uh, then you need to let go..."
Mid-sentence, I clamped my mouth shut. The tip of her ear peeking from her hair was flushed beet red.
Right. I was buck naked.
Mid-shower, no less.
Lee Ji-ah's pajamas, clinging to my wet body, had soaked through and molded to her skin.
I swallowed hard.
Gulp.
My throat bobbed noticeably.
Did she hear that swallow?
God, I hoped not.
"......"
We stayed locked in that awkward embrace for what felt like ages.
Lee Ji-ah mumbled with her face still buried.
"...Hyun-woo."
"Yeah?"
"...Cl-close your eyes, please."
I squeezed my eyes shut.
Rustle, rustle.
Lee Ji-ah pulled away from my arms, her pajama fabric brushing my skin. Moments later, her trembling voice came.
"N-now you can open them."
"You're fully out?"
"...Yes."
Only then did I open my eyes. I heard movement by the doorway. Strands of hair poked out—she was slumped against the shattered doorframe.
"...Hyun-woo."
Lee Ji-ah's voice cracked.
"I'm really, really sorry..."
I grabbed a fresh towel from the shelf and dried off.
What the hell do you even say to this?
"Actually, it was nice"? Yeah, that'd make me sound like a perv. I couldn't face her straight after saying something like that—same for her.
Honestly, my brain still hadn't caught up. Was my silence making her anxious? She kept apologizing nonstop.
"I didn't think it'd hit me this bad."
"Sorry, Hyun-woo..."
"I'd gotten used to the day with you, so snapping back hit me so hard."
"And I just happened to be looking at hate comments then..."
"I know it's shameless, but can you accept my apology?"
"I'll be extra careful so this never happens again."
"You were showering, and I got startled? I'd freak too. It was so rude of me."
"Sorry. Really sorry."
"Next time, I'll knock and wait outside. I just barged in without thinking."
Jesus.
How long was she gonna keep going?
A bit creeped out, I just peeked my head around the doorframe to spot her.
Lee Ji-ah sat on the floor, gnawing her thumbnail.
Thanks to my ability, it wasn't bleeding like before.
I cleared my throat to get her attention.
"Uh..."
She perked up and whipped her head around.
"I'm seriously fine, so calm down. You got really scared, huh?"
"Y-yes..."
"I'll throw on some clothes and come out, so just wait a bit."
"Okay..."
True to my word, she stayed quiet and still until I emerged, carefully stepping around the wooden shards on the floor.
"Ji-ah. Take a look."
I tugged the sleeve of her huddled form. She panicked and tried to shake off my hand.
"Bathroom... you saw me naked..."
"...!"
As if.
I quashed her resistance in an instant. She cautiously extended her arm. I rolled up the sleeve and checked her wrist.
A long, thin line slashed across it.
"Self-harm, huh?"
She nodded faintly, dropping her gaze to avoid mine. With a sigh, I grabbed her sleeve and dragged her toward the bedroom.
"Huh? Wh-what?"
She stumbled after me. I sat her on the bed to settle her, then rummaged through the dresser.
"...How'd you know it was self-harm?"
Her trembling voice came from behind.
"Seen it before. The cuts on your wrist. First time's tough; second's a breeze."
"At the cafe?"
"Plenty of chances at home too. You rolled up your sleeves cooking."
I'd suspected as much when I checked, and sure enough. Self-harm in that short window? Impressive, in a twisted way.
"Ah, found it."
I approached Lee Ji-ah on the bed with what I'd been looking for. Her shoulders hunched defensively.
"Gimme your wrist."
I applied ointment to the fresh wound. She winced. It was oddly fascinating, so I asked.
"An S-rank hunter hurting from this?"
"...It hurts the same for everyone."
"Then why self-harm if it hurts..."
"Sh-shut up."
She snapped curtly.
I spread it evenly, checked thoroughly, and slapped on a bandage.
Perfect. Nice and clean.
"All done."
"Th-then I'll head back to my room!"
I gripped her wrist as she bolted. She could've yanked free with her strength, but she stayed put.
"Ji-ah."
"Yes?"
"No matter how tough it gets, no more self-harm. And no suicide thoughts."
For real.
If this happened daily, it'd wreck my heart.
Next day, if I found her hanged, I'd probably foam at the mouth and pass out.
She murmured softly.
"...Okay."
"Promise me."
"I promise."
Only then did I let go of her wrist. She fidgeted like she had more to say, then dashed out.
Before the door shut, she poked her head back in and shouted, voice bright.
"Hyun-woo! You know what?"
"What?"
"I really think I need you!"
"Well, a gem like me is obviously..."
My cheek twitched mid-smirk. Our eyes met.
Lee Ji-ah's gaze fixed on me intently. Those hollow eyes burned with longing.
A fierce resolve never to relive that moment, mingled with desperation, twisted into something like obsession that bound me tight.
Lee Ji-ah whispered to herself like a vow.
"Yeah... I really need you."
Creak.
The door closed.
I stayed frozen, barely breathing, until she reached her room next door.
Knock knock!
"H-Hyun-woo? You asleep?"
Deep in the night, Lee Ji-ah called my name in a trembling voice.
Not the first time for a midnight wakeup call.
What the hell was this routine?
I scratched my messy bedhead and opened the door.
Her face flushed, she twisted her legs together.
"Yeah, Ji-ah. What's up?"
She stomped her feet and stammered.
"I-I need the bathroom..."
Figured as much.
I nodded, shut the door, and we headed out together.
"Don't go anywhere."
She pleaded emphatically before slipping inside.
[Birds soaring on the wind fly carefree.]
Lee Ji-ah played music from within the bathroom. She always did this when sounds might embarrass her.
A week since the bathroom incident.
Now I had to tag along even when she used the toilet. Vice versa for me.
I'd thought sharing the place was enough, but we were like inseparable twins, moving together everywhere indoors.
What was this, some soulmate bond?
—Hyun-woo, you there?
An anxious quiver in her voice. I cut my yawn short and replied immediately.
"Yeah, right here."
—...
She'd go quiet for a while after that. Then it'd come again.
—Hyu...
"Here."
Whoosh!
The flush roared.
Creak.
Lee Ji-ah emerged, fake-coughing nonstop while stealing glances at me.
"Um, do you like idioms?"
"Huh?"
Out of left field again?
"Force majeure—like natural disasters or acts of God, stuff humans can't control──"
I tuned it out and walked back to my room. She hurried after, scared I'd leave her behind. As I went to close the door, she shyly bid goodnight.
"...Sorry for waking you. Sleep well."
I nodded back politely.
Looked like I needed a real solution.