In the Studio Apartment (2)

Seong Arin came to Minsu's apartment after work again today.

It was the same familiar studio she'd spent the last two nights in alone. On the first evening, his scent had filled every corner of the place. A few days later, that lingering fragrance seemed to be fading away.

"He'll come today... he has to..."

Thunk. Thunk. Tap-tap-tap.

Arin sliced the radish into thin strips with a practiced, tireless rhythm. Men who lived alone never ate their vegetables, so she meant to have the basic side dishes ready for him when he came back from his trip.

"He said it was only a one-night trip..."

But Minsu hadn't come home last night. This trip had been with Yuri Tarkovskaya, Guild Master of Flame.

As a junior from Eins Academy—and as a fellow member of the student council—Arin knew everything about Yuri and Minsu's relationship. She also knew that the Guild Master of the guild she now belonged to was still in love with him.

Nothing happened between them. No. Nothing could have ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠happened.

So the fact that the two of them had gone to Seoraksan alone was enough to gnaw at her—a girl who liked him. No. A girl who loved him.

And yet, even with her mind overflowing with thoughts of Minsu, her knife work remained flawlessly skilled.

Years in the orphanage had taught her. Sharp-eyed even as a child, Arin had always helped the nuns with their work, and cooking had been her responsibility from a young age. She'd left the orphanage some time ago and now lived with her older sister, but her sister—a renowned genius scholar—was hopelessly inept at daily life.

So Arin's cooking only kept getting better. Or rather, it wasn't her sister she was improving for. It was preparing meals and side dishes for Minsu that honed her skills day after day.

Sunbae... I miss you.

Two days. She'd only gone two days without seeing him, and she was already going insane. His face wouldn't leave her mind.

Minsu probably thought she'd fallen for him after enrolling at Eins. That wasn't true at all.

The year before she entered the academy, Minsu had stopped a villain's terrorist attack downtown. Arin had been there. Without him, she would have died—no question. Minsu had slipped away quietly afterward, as if he didn't want anyone knowing he'd saved people, and it never even made the news.

But Arin never forgot the Eins Academy badge she'd seen that day, or the face of the boy who'd worn it.

And when she enrolled at Eins and saw him again, Arin fell in love. Not a crush. A certainty. So she hovered around him over the smallest things, just to get closer. Si-woo oppa and Min-ah unnie were already attending Eins, and Minsu was friends with both of them.

But Min-ah unnie had always worried about her. Si-woo oppa never seemed to notice a thing.

Yuri Tarkovskaya...

Min-ah unnie had already figured out that Minsu had feelings for Yuri Tarkovskaya. It hadn't mattered to Arin.

I thought unrequited love was enough. Back then.

Those days when simply loving him from afar had made every morning a joy—those days spent with Si-woo oppa and Min-ah unnie, who were as good as family—had collapsed in a single instant.

The Tragedy of Eins. That incident had taken two of her family from her.

And the boy she'd loved from afar. Lee Minsu, the brightest cadet of the 19th class—a class famous for the sheer caliber of its students—had saved his classmates and collapsed into a near-death state. He'd miraculously survived, finished his rehabilitation, and could even go on distant business trips now.

But Arin still couldn't forgive Yuri Tarkovskaya and Yeon Soso for what they'd done to him.

She finished the seasoned radish salad and picked up the knife again.

Thunk. Thunk. Tap-tap-tap.

She put a little more feeling into it as she sliced the zucchini. Minsu had finally gotten in touch today. He'd probably be back tonight. She planned to make the barbecue-house-style soybean paste stew he loved. Just imagining him eating her cooking with that satisfied look on his face was enough to take the edge off her anger toward those two.

Like this, I almost look like his wife... hehe.

And the thought that he'd be coming home today made her heart race.

Thinking of Yuri and Yeon Soso still made her angry. No—it made hatred well up until she could barely stand it. But Arin still ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had a little room to breathe. Even if Minsu gave in to their temptations, she had her own confidence.

Because sunbae and I are bound by fate.

During that year Minsu had been unconscious, Arin had resolved to follow him if he never woke up. And every day, with that desperate conviction, she had prayed to God.

The orphanage nuns had tried so hard, but Arin had never actually converted to the White Cross Society. Of course, Min-ah unnie had been a nun whose holy power was high enough to astonish even the central clergy, so at some point they'd stopped bothering her about it.

Back then... I couldn't believe in the Lord.

If Ayel, the Lord of the White Cross Society, were truly a god who wished humanity well, the children at the orphanage never would have been orphans in the first place. So even though she'd grown up in a White Cross Society orphanage, Arin had hated Ayel—the god of that very church.

But for sunbae, I would have sold my soul to a demon.

So Arin had begged Ayel. Please, let Minsu wake up.

She'd already figured out that even if he miraculously regained consciousness, he wouldn't have long to live. She still wanted to see him open his eyes again. She would have given every remaining day of her own life. It was a life Minsu had saved, after all. So she stayed up every night, begging the Lord to let him wake.

And then, one night, a miracle happened. Ayel truly came to her and asked:

It wasn't a hallucination. Ayel's holy power had begun to manifest within her. Of course Arin had answered yes, in her heart.

Through the holy power, she understood immediately what it meant.

Ayel the god would not take her life in exchange for saving Minsu. He was no demon. But Ayel had seen her sincerity. He had acknowledged Arin's resolve—that she truly would die for Minsu.

And from that day on, Arin became a nun of the White Cross Society. Minsu, having received her holy power, finally regained consciousness.

But Minsu sunbae...

Even after a miracle like that, Minsu's remaining life would be short. Her resolve to follow him in death hadn't wavered in the slightest. But the last words Ayel had left her—words that were as good as an oracle—had forced her to think differently.

She had never heard the Lord's voice again after that. But the word of a god was absolute. Holy power manifested not only in Eyletan, but in pure-blooded humans of Earth as well.

Having heard that oracle, Arin had no choice but to revise even that absolute resolve of hers. If she and sunbae truly had a child someday, she could never let that child become an orphan the way she had.

That was why, even though she could never forgive Yuri Tarkovskaya and Yeon Soso, she stood by and let Minsu see them.

Sunbae's child and mine... hehe...

The thought made her happy. And at the same time, it made her so melancholy that tears welled up at once.

The Lord's oracle didn't necessarily mean she would become Minsu's wife. The prophecy could come true without a marriage. And the oracle had, if anything, confirmed it.

Minsu sunbae would die. It was the word of a god, and it could not be undone. But even after he died, Arin would have to keep living. In a world without him. For the child that was his and hers.

Caught between that tangle of feelings, she could neither laugh nor cry—she could only keep chopping. And in that instant, her holy power told her.

"Sunbae's here."

Without even taking off her apron, Arin went to the door of the studio to greet him.

"Sunbae! Why are you so late?"

Arin was there to greet me when I got back.

This was my apartment, of course. And I still hadn't given Arin the front door passcode, so maybe I was the one who ought to be angry. But one look at her face and I couldn't say a word. It was a strange expression—neither crying nor smiling. And given the apron, she'd clearly been making side dishes.

More than anything, the kitchen knife in her hand made me freeze on the spot.

"Arin. Could you put that down first, and then we'll talk?"

She'd probably just carried it over without thinking, mid-prep. No other intent. But that dead look in her eyes was strangely terrifying. And thinking about the Seoraksan trip—those complicated things that had happened with Yuri—my conscience twinged a little.

We weren't dating. But I knew how she felt. And those two years Arin had devoted to me were something I could never repay, no matter what I did.

I've relied on her so much, too...

I'd sworn not to give my heart to anyone until my revenge was done. But looking at Arin, who'd spent two whole years by my side, it was impossible not to feel something stir. So the guilt just kept sitting there, with nowhere to go.

"Sunbae. Why are you avoiding my eyes? Nothing happened on the trip, right?"

"There was a lot of work, but... nothing weird like what you're thinking. Let's put the knife down first."

The suspicious look didn't leave her eyes, but Arin went back into my room. The place was filled with a smell that made my stomach growl. She'd already prepared the entire meal.

A moment later, we sat across from each other at the small round table.

"Well? How do you like having a wife who has dinner ready every time you come home from work?"

"You're not a wife. You're a junior who broke and entered."

"It's for sunbae, so it's legal, you know?"

Arin's cooking was delicious, as always. She'd always been a good cook, but when she made food herself, she tailored every dish perfectly to my tastes.

Come to think of it, she was dressed differently than usual. Not the snow-white nun's habit she always wore. A short skirt like a college freshman might wear, with coffee-colored stockings. And the ribbed sweater, a little on the tight side, made her upper body stand out all the more. Arin had always been well-endowed, after all.

"Sunbae. Where do you keep looking?"

I hurriedly looked away. Arin said, with a teasing smile:

"Pervert. Were you lusting after me?"

"I wasn't looking!"

I changed the subject for no good reason. Feeling awkward, I asked about work at Flame headquarters.

"Did you get everything ready while I was away? You'll be coming along on the S-Rank dungeon support mission too."

"I'm a woman blessed by the Lord. No problem. I just have to pray and the holy power comes down on its own."

"The other nuns and priests of the Cross Society would lose it if they heard you say that."

"It's the truth, so who cares?"

Just as I'd said. Mana and holy power were separate forces. Holy power manifested through faith in Ayel, the god of the White Cross Society. Whether facing hunters or villains, the applications of holy power were endless—which was why the White Cross Society held such high standing on Earth.

Which also means it's incredibly hard to increase.

Unlike mana, which could be increased through Gears or personal training, holy power grew only through faith in Ayel and through vows. So the fact that Arin, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠who'd only joined the Cross Society two years ago, already had holy power that high made her a special case. The holy power she possessed was comparable to an A-Rank awakener's mana pool.

It was even on par with Min-ah from the original Aca Hunter.

Maybe Arin's taking over Min-ah's role...

Unlike Min-ah, who'd been so devout they called her a saintess even at Eins, Arin couldn't really be said to have that kind of faith. Which meant the source of Arin's holy power was her vow to Ayel. And it wouldn't have been an ordinary vow.

But ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Arin had never told me what that vow actually was.

Then it might be a vow related to me.

The holy spell Arin had cast on me had played a big part in my waking up, after all.

Anyway, dinner passed quickly. Arin didn't seem to have any intention of going home tonight.

Worn out from the trip, I changed into something comfortable and lay down on the bed. That was when Arin grabbed my arm and pulled.

"What is it? I'm tired. Keep bothering me and I'll send you home."

"No. I'm not going home. More importantly, you need to brush your teeth!"

"Don't worry about it. I'll brush before I sleep. I just want to lie down for a bit."

But Arin kept trying to send me to the bathroom. Reluctantly heading off to brush my teeth, I asked her:

"Why are you being so persistent today?"

Arin's face flushed as she answered.

"Do you really not know why?"