Chapter 20: Encounter (8)
Chapter 20: Encounter (8)
Han Shin, of course, had no idea that a silent war of nerves was unfolding between Kang Yujin and Grace.
Seeing Yujin step up to help Grace earlier made it seem, at least on the surface, as though she had accepted Grace’s presence without any lingering resentment.
As Han Shin had promised, dinner was ready in no time.
Yujin returned quickly after taking out the food waste, and the three of them sat down at the table to begin their meal.
“I’ll enjoy the food, Shin-a.”
“Yeah. Eat up, Noona.”
“Thank you for the meal, Lord Han Shin.”
In the past, it had been a daily routine for Han Shin to sit in his wheelchair and eat face-to-face with his sister, Kang Yujin.
Now, with Grace added to the mix, the sight of the three of them dining together made Han Shin realize once again how much had changed in such a short span of time.
The dinner consisted mostly of dishes Yujin had prepared for him beforehand, supplemented by army base stew, steamed eggs, and stir-fried shredded potatoes that Han Shin had added.
Technically, Yujin had made more of the food, but that didn't matter to her at all.
Two years ago, Han Shin had sacrificed himself for complete strangers, and Yujin had watched him suffer in agonizing pain ever since. To her, seeing him healthy again and cooking for her was deeply moving.
The presence of one annoying woman at the table was a slight blemish on the moment, but for now, she chose to savor the feeling.
Grace, sensing that the emotional exchange between the siblings was not something she should interfere with, remained quiet and focused on her food.
Thanks to that, the dinner ended on a much more harmonious note than either woman had expected.
Yujin still didn't particularly like Grace, but...
‘Well... at least she isn't completely shameless...’
Though she grumbled to herself, Yujin was secretly grateful that Grace had stayed quiet and hadn't caused a scene.
After dinner, the three of them gathered in the living room for tea.
As he took a sip of the warm tea, a wave of lethargy washed over Han Shin, and a yawn escaped his lips.
“Hwaaa-am.”
By contracting with Tiamat and becoming her Proxy, Han Shin’s body had certainly been restored and his stamina improved.
However, his physique was not yet fully worthy of being the Dragon God’s Proxy.
Just as it is easier to destroy than to rebuild in most worldly matters...
For the gods, fully restoring a weakened being required far more energy than breaking or destroying something.
Tiamat had already exhausted a vast amount of her power creating the Dimensional Prison to seal away the Evil Gods.
It was in this state that she had accepted Han Shin as her Proxy. Since his physical vessel was too weak to immediately withstand her divinity, his growth in strength was bound to be slow and steady.
Just as Ahura Mazda’s divinity was too potent for ordinary people to endure, making it difficult to use for healing, Tiamat’s power was also something Han Shin—whose body had been frail and paralyzed for two years—could not easily handle.
Therefore, to build a proper foundation, Tiamat had focused heavily on recovering and strengthening Han Shin’s physical body first.
By having him undergo intense daily training with Grace and clearing Dungeons, Tiamat was ensuring her Proxy grew solidly, even if the pace seemed a bit sluggish.
Perhaps because of this, the warmth of the tea made him drowsy, and his body began sending signals to its master that it was time to sleep and recover.
“Shin-a, are you tired? You should go to bed.”
Drowsiness began to cloud Han Shin’s eyes.
In a half-dazed state, he nodded at Yujin’s words.
“I think I should, Noona...”
Then, a thought occurred to him. Whenever he had been alone with Grace, he had always given up his bedroom and bed to her.
‘Wait... where should I sleep...?’
The thought snapped him awake.
Now that his sister was home, he realized he hadn't rearranged the sleeping situation. This was because Yujin had arrived two days earlier than her scheduled one-week trip.
He had been putting off the decision, and now that the situation was upon him, Han Shin felt awkward.
‘Hmm... making Grace sleep in the living room... that feels wrong...’
Though they had grown closer, Han Shin felt there were still boundaries to maintain.
Grace was a female knight who was devotedly serving, protecting, and teaching him. He couldn't bring himself to make her sleep uncomfortably while he took the bed.
The problem was that neither Yujin nor Grace seemed ready for bed yet. If he said he would sleep in the living room, he felt he would be an inconvenience to them.
However, Yujin was the first to address the point he hadn't even raised yet.
“Shin-a. Where has Grace been sleeping all this time?”
“Oh... I let her use my room.”
Han Shin answered without a second thought.
Yujin nodded with a smile at his answer, but her internal reaction was quite different.
She felt a prickle of anger—or rather, jealousy—more than serious rage.
‘Wait... even I haven't slept in Shin-a’s bed alone...’
As siblings living together, Yujin obviously had no reason to mess with Han Shin’s bed. They had their own rooms, and those were private spaces.
Furthermore, since Han Shin had spent the last two years confined to his bed for recovery, it was only natural that Yujin hadn't slept there.
If this had happened while Han Shin was still unable to walk, Yujin would have been genuinely furious with Grace.
But now, thanks to the contract with Tiamat, the body that was supposed to be disabled for life was completely healthy. Grace was a follower of Tiamat and the person assisting Han Shin.
She also knew Han Shin had done this out of consideration for Grace.
“Shin-a, Grace is a woman, so it’s a bit inappropriate for her to keep sleeping in your room, don't you think? Grace can sleep in my room, so you go back to your own bed.”
She spoke with the same bright, kind sisterly persona she always showed him.
Han Shin was incredibly grateful that Yujin had made such a decision without hesitation, seemingly considering both him and Grace.
‘Ah... Noona is right. Grace might have been uncomfortable too.’
“You’re right, Noona. I think it’s best to do as you say.”
Yujin’s room had two beds, so it was a perfectly feasible arrangement.
During the two years of Han Shin’s recovery, he had required a great deal of care. After spending a year in the hospital, he had recovered enough to be discharged.
Yujin, unable to take her eyes off him for even a moment and worried about what might happen, had placed two beds in her room so she could stay by his side whenever they were home.
At the time, Han Shin also knew he truly couldn't do anything on his own and had to rely on his sister for everything, so he had agreed.
However, Han Shin eventually felt that staying in his sister’s room was too much of a burden on her.
Thinking it was problematic for a grown man to share a room with his sister, he had put immense effort into his rehabilitation to recover as quickly as possible.
As soon as his condition improved to the point where he didn't need constant supervision, he had insisted to Yujin that he wanted to sleep in his own room.
Yujin had opposed it at the time, but Han Shin had been quite firm, and she eventually gave in.
The extra bed in Yujin’s room had become useless after that... but she had left it there.
She thought she might need it if Han Shin’s condition worsened again...
Or, if his health improved, she hoped to occasionally invite him to her room to sleep in the same space, even if not in the same bed.
Yujin hadn't expected the bed to be used like this, but...
‘For now, I need to get this woman into my room.’
It was a case of keeping your enemies close. Keeping the enemy where she could see them was one of the safest ways to deal with them.
“I do not mind where I sleep,” Grace agreed.
With Grace’s consent, the matter was settled: Han Shin would return to his room, and Yujin and Grace would share the other.
Han Shin decided to wash up and go straight to bed. Even after a quick shower and brushing his teeth, he was so overwhelmed by sleep that his only thought was to collapse onto his bed.
“Hwaaa-am. Noona, Grace, I’m going to sleep first. See you tomorrow.”
“Goodnight, Shin-a~.”
“Lord Han Shin, I hope you have a peaceful rest...”
Receiving bedtime greetings from a smiling beauty with a black ponytail and another with platinum-blonde hair, Han Shin went into his room and fell asleep immediately.
He practically passed out the moment he hit the mattress, and his body instantly began its process of recovery and gradual improvement.
Now that they no longer had to mind their manners for Han Shin, the dynamic between Grace and Yujin shifted.
The smile vanished from Yujin’s face.
Grace, on the other hand, remained as expressionless as ever.
Crossing her arms, Yujin spoke in a low voice.
“Let’s go to my room.”
“Understood.”
Yujin’s eyes widened slightly.
Until now, Grace had used polite honorifics with her, similar to how she addressed Han Shin. Now, she had suddenly dropped the formalities.
To Grace, only Tiamat’s Proxy, Han Shin, was her direct superior whom she had to serve. Strictly speaking, Yujin was no such thing.
She had only treated her with respect because she was Han Shin’s sister and she didn't want him to feel uncomfortable.
Realizing that a fight here might wake Han Shin, Yujin suppressed her anger and walked toward her room.
As she walked, Yujin thought about why Grace’s attitude had changed and quickly realized the reason.
‘Fine... it’s annoying, but it makes sense for her to act like that... In that case...’
The two women entered Yujin’s room together.
Grace also felt the need to speak with Yujin, and she immediately closed the door behind them, mindful of the possibility of waking Han Shin.