Chapter 236: Openness (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 236: Openness (2)
I stepped out of the shower with Yoon Chae-ha.
This hospital room was nice enough to have a private bathroom.
The two of us… had used it. At the same time.
– Whirrrr…
“Hold still so I can dry your hair.”
“Heehee.”
I had her sit on the small stool in front of the vanity mirror and was drying her wet hair myself.
Since she was naked, I’d placed a shirt on the stool for her to sit on.
Even when I spoke in a stern voice, Yoon Chae-ha just giggled, seemingly delighted.
As if she loved the very fact that I was drying her hair, she kept tilting her head back to look up at me upside down, or trying to turn and wrap her arms around my waist.
Yoon Chae-ha’s reflection in the mirror was completely defenseless.
Her damp, orange hair shone.
And beneath it, the nape of her white neck and her skin glistened.
“Look forward.”
I playfully poked Yoon Chae-ha’s cheek with my index finger, turning her head to face the front.
“Hae-in.”
“Yeah.”
“Look at the mirror.”
At her words, I looked at the mirror, hairdryer still in hand.
There, captured in one frame, was Yoon Chae-ha, sitting on the stool without a stitch of clothing on…
and me, standing behind her, tenderly drying her hair.
“...I’m so happy.”
Yoon Chae-ha smiled bashfully, looking at the scene in the mirror with satisfaction.
“I’m always… scared.”
Then, she slowly began to speak.
“I’m so happy right now… but I’m afraid it’ll all disappear overnight.”
Yoon Chae-ha’s expression, which had been so childlike just a moment ago, suddenly matured.
She met my eyes in the reflection with a calm gaze.
“That’s why I always want to be held by you… and why I want to follow you, Hae-in. Wherever you go.”
At her words, I turned off the hairdryer I was holding.
– Click.
The humming noise abruptly stopped, leaving only the sound of our breathing in the powder room.
I set the hairdryer down and, from behind the stool, wrapped my arms around Yoon Chae-ha’s shoulders.
Her soft back and damp hair pressed against my bare chest.
“Don’t worry.”
I whispered, gazing into her eyes through the mirror.
“I’ll always be here.”
As my body heat transferred to her from behind, the tension in Yoon Chae-ha’s expression slowly melted away.
She rubbed her cheek against my arm, as if finding relief in its warmth.
Me too.
It was the same for me.
The first thought I had when I arrived in this world was…
‘I have the worst luck.’
It was close to despair.
With no foundation, no power.
Purely for the sake of survival.
The thought of having to fight tooth and nail for the slim, unseen possibility of returning to my original world—a possibility that might not even exist—made my vision go dark.
Those ten years were like walking through a tunnel with no end in sight.
And so, having lived for over ten years simply because I couldn't die, I found myself with so many things to protect.
My peaceful daily life, of course.
The family that took me in.
The friends who believe in me.
And…
the people I love, including the woman in my arms right now—people I would give my life to protect.
I will never let them go.
At some point…
losing them became a fear greater than death itself.
Thanks to them, I have no choice but to become stronger.
No, I must become stronger.
– Whirrrr…
I turned the hairdryer back on and continued drying Yoon Chae-ha’s hair.
“Heehee.”
Hoping this happy moment would last forever.
*
“...No matter when I wear this, I never like it.”
I fastened the button on the tight suit jacket, turning this way and that to examine my reflection.
I frowned at the suffocating feeling of the clothes choking my neck.
It was a suit Yu Hana had brought, and while the material was excellent…
the size was the problem.
The dress shirt was too tight.
It was as if the clothes hadn’t taken my upper body muscles into account at all.
“Why? It looks good on you.”
From behind, Yu Hana’s hands swept smoothly over my body.
Everywhere she touched, the fabric pulled taut.
“...You think so?”
“Yeah. The fit is perfect.”
“……”
Her eyes looked mischievous.
But just then.
– Pop.
A button burst off and fell.
It seemed to have given up, unable to withstand the strain.
The button rolled across the floor before stopping in front of Yu Hana’s shoe.
“……”
My bare skin was exposed through the gap in my shirt.
Yu Hana glanced once at the deceased button, once at my exposed skin, and bit her lip to stifle a laugh.
Then, pretending she hadn’t seen a thing, she casually turned her head to look at the ceiling.
“Ahem…”
“...I’m going to change.”
“...Okay.”
In the end, I failed to satisfy her private desires.
I really would have worn it for her if I could, but showing up to receive an award from the Association President with a popped button on my shirt just wouldn’t do.
In the end, I changed into the spare, more generously sized suit I had packed.
After neatening my clothes, I stood at the entrance to the event hall.
The moment I stepped through the entrance, camera flashes erupted.
Yoon Chae-ha, Cheon Yeo-wool, Kang A-rin, Ha Sion.
They were the stars of the day.
Lined up behind them were the members of Paladin.
These were the ones who had made great contributions to the recent Apostle subjugation and Heretic Judgment.
To be honest, I was getting tired of these award ceremonies after receiving a few.
Still, this was all part of establishing our position.
People tend to remember the heroes they see on TV.
“……”
I kept a smile on my face and waved at the cameras.
*
The Maengju Guild owns a massive landmark in Seoul.
It’s famous for being the tallest building in the world.
And the Maengju Guild has a branch in Busan as well.
While Seoul’s skyline—its forest of buildings—is full of skyscrapers that pierce the heavens, in Busan… only Maengju’s building is tall.
There was one black building that soared conspicuously high.
The Busan branch of the Maengju Guild.
On the top floor of that building, in an area restricted even to regular guild members, resided Maengju’s Team 0, Phantom.
They were there for a special mission, but that was just a pretext.
Kang A-rin had granted Phantom a special leave of absence under the guise of reorganization, after they had lost precious team members on their last mission.
Team 0’s leader, Yu Serin, was leaning against the railing of the building’s rooftop garden, gazing down at the cityscape spread out below her.
The wind tousled her hair.
A cooling latte was in her hand, but she didn’t seem to be paying it any mind.
“...It’s about time.”
Time to get back on our feet, Yu Serin thought to herself.
It was then.
– Bang!
“Team Leader! Did you see the TV?!”
The door flew open and one of her team members rushed in.
Yu Serin slowly turned her head.
“What is it?”
“The news, look! Quickly!”
As if there wasn't even time to explain, the team member grabbed Yu Serin’s wrist and pulled her along.
She ended up being dragged all the way to the office.
“Hey, hey! What’s wrong?”
The TV in the massive office was showing the news.
– It has been exactly two weeks since the main gates of Arcadia were closed. At last, The Cult has made an official announcement.
The anchor’s voice was trembling faintly with joy.
– The contents are shocking. All members of the Hero Faction, a major power within The Cult, have been purged. And… an unbelievable fact has been confirmed.
The screen changed, closing up on Cheon Yeo-wool, who stood on a platform dressed in beautiful priestly vestments.
And behind her stood Jung Hae-in, Yoon Chae-ha, and Maengju Kang A-rin.
The comrades who had faced life and death with her in China were standing there.
On that same platform they had stood on together.
To receive an award.
– One of the calamities that threatened humanity, Apostle Aria, has been officially confirmed dead.
– Once again, Hero Jung Hae-in and several other heroes…
The moment his name was called, the strength left Yu Serin’s hand.
The latte cup she was holding slipped and fell.
– Woong.
But just before the cup could hit the floor and shatter, a dark energy shot out from her shadow and instantly enveloped it.
The cup stopped dead in mid-air, about a handspan from the floor.
“...Again?”
She retrieved the cup suspended in the air and let out a laugh.
It was more like she couldn’t believe it.
Barcus, Belial. And now… Aria.
He was taking care of these calamities one by one—disasters others would be lucky to encounter even once in a lifetime.
‘While I’ve been resting here so idly…’
You’ve gone and done it again, Hae-in.
Her heart began to pound.
Her palms grew sweaty.
The corners of her mouth turned up uncontrollably.
“Hah…”
– Gulp, gulp.
Yu Serin downed the latte in one go.
The sweet taste of the cold latte slid down her throat.
It cleared her mind.
“Vacation’s over.”
Yu Serin said with a smile, turning to her team members.
The gazes of the team members, who had been staring blankly at the news, snapped to her.
“Let’s pack our things.”
She couldn’t just sit here and watch any longer.
At her words, the team members began to rise from their seats, one by one.
“I’m ready.”
“Me too!”
“Me too.”
They had lost precious comrades, but…
overcoming that sorrow was how one grew stronger.
Watching them, Yu Serin felt a heavy weight settle in a corner of her chest.
Yu Serin still had them.
Her reliable team members, whom she had to protect.
Phantom.
The ghosts in the shadows had begun to move out into the world once more.