Chapter 24. Han Se-ra (2)
Was time flying by or dragging on? In some ways, it felt like the days had rushed past without a moment's rest, yet in others, it seemed like an eternity of waiting. Perhaps it was because even I couldn't quite pin down my own feelings.
I sent a reply to Se-ra with those thoughts in mind.
Se-ra, who had gone abroad to study two years ago, was returning this summer after that long absence. Things had been awkward between us, but she'd kept in pretty regular contact with Sea. Maybe she'd even seen Sea before reaching out to me... It seemed like the two of them were closer than I'd thought.
"……."
After the conversation ended, I lay on my bed and stared across the room at my desk. Sea, who had barged in out of nowhere claiming she needed to study for finals, was now staring right at me. The moment our eyes met, she asked,
"Se-ra unnie?"
"How'd you know?"
"You were smiling weirdly and texting for so long. And since you said you weren't meeting anyone right now, I figured it was Se-ra unnie."
"I was smiling weirdly? When?"
"You were."
Sea replied primly, then spun her chair around and faced the desk again. I sat up on the bed and approached her, pointing out,
"But you're meeting Se-ra on Saturday, right?"
"Yeah."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"……Why should I?"
"Uh…… yeah, good point?"
She had a point. Se-ra was my fiancée, but she'd known Sea since she was little too. There was no obligation to report every detail about meeting a close unnie after two years.
At a loss for words, I just looked down at the textbook and notes spread out on the desk. Sea, with her back to me, was silently signaling for me to get out of the way and go back to bed since I was bothering her. But this was my room, so I had no reason to budge. I pointed at one corner of the notebook with my index finger.
"Huh? That's wrong here."
"I was just about to fix it."
Sea grabbed her eraser and swiped away a line. Feeling a bit awkward, I corrected her,
"No, not there—the line below."
"……I knew that."
"Oh, uh…… right, sure, that happens."
Swipe—thwack.
Sea swung her left arm lightly backward. It brushed against my stomach and elbow where I stood, followed by a curt warning.
"Don't tell me unless I ask. No, don't tell me at all."
"Excuse me, Lee Sea-ssi. Then why'd you come to my room……?"
She'd come in under the pretense of studying magic engineering and said she'd ask questions right away if anything came up.
"I'll ask all at once later."
"Okay?"
If that was the case, she could've studied in her own room and come ask later. Not that I had any intention of kicking her out—I trudged back to the bed and flopped down. Sea spoke in a low but firm voice.
"When I meet Se-ra unnie on Saturday, I'll put in a good word for you…… so handle it well."
"……."
"Why no answer?"
"Oh, uh…… yeah."
"Apologize if you messed up, say what you want to say properly, but don't go getting an earful like last time. ……Not that Se-ra unnie would."
She nagged softly like a little sister, then dove back into her studying. Watching her back, my feelings were mixed. Sea was cute, but I doubted the reconciliation she wanted would come easy.
In my mind…… we'd probably end up fighting pretty badly.
And so, regardless of Sea's hopes or my worries, Saturday evening arrived. I left the house later than Sea and eyed her suspiciously in the mana-fluctuating room.
"Last chance. Answer honestly, just as it is."
"Oh? What?"
"Is this…… really okay?"
The dim room. I lay on a simple bed that reminded me of an operating table, stripped down to a thin, pure white patient gown. Seo Yeon-hee looked down at me from the side and said brightly,
"You need to take that off too. It might interfere when the incantation flows in."
"……."
It felt oddly familiar. Like when I'd forced Yoo Hae-bin to undress during the school trip. I wondered if she'd felt the same way. But there was one key difference: I hadn't known, and Seo Yeon-hee did.
"What if I keep it on?"
"It'd work, but the efficiency would be lower than doing it bare."
"How much?"
"Like the difference between 100 and 97?"
"That's a pretty big gap."
This was about sealing the Black Heart. Better to do it as safely and perfectly as possible.
"Got it."
I accepted and stripped off the gown, setting it aside. Cool air hit my bare skin. Seo Yeon-hee placed her right hand on my left chest, right next to my heart. A chilly sensation. She caressed my chest with her palm, as if searching for something.
After about ten seconds, her five fingers pressed and stimulated my chest.
Thump—a sensation echoed near my heart. The Black Heart, downgraded to D-rank, reacted sluggishly.
Crackle—faint black sparks flickered, extinguished by the red mana she emitted.
And the final step.
Swipe.
With her right hand still on my chest, she brought her left hand to my navel, then smoothly swept up through my abdomen, solar plexus, and chest…… until her hands overlapped.
Hummm—mysterious red mana bloomed. It swirled around my heart, followed by a stinging pain.
Sssss…….
I glanced down to see what was happening. On the left side of my chest, where my heart sat, a red pattern emerged—like a tattoo resembling a full blood moon.
The moment it completed, a hologram appeared.
The always-active trait Black Heart's rank has temporarily dropped.
(Rank D → Rank ---)
Seo Yeon-hee withdrew her hands, sounding a bit tired.
"Phew…… It's done. You can get dressed now."
"Okay."
While she turned away and sat on the edge of the bed, I gathered my clothes and put them on. Checking the wall mirror, a red moon-shaped tattoo about half the size of my palm was etched on my left chest.
"Can I hide this?"
"Yeah, control it with mana and it'll fade."
As instructed, it worked—the red dimmed and sank into my skin like it was absorbing back in.
"But be careful; it'll show if you use power beyond what you can suppress. It's a full moon now, but it might shrink to a crescent over time…… We'll deal with maintenance later. It'll take effort, so tell me in advance."
"Got it. Thanks."
Once dressed, she approached, asking curiously,
"By the way…… when did you get that? From the beginning?"
'The beginning' meant back then—my parents' funeral, when we'd made our deal.
I answered honestly.
"No, not long ago."
"Oh?"
Silence settled between us—not awkward, but comfortable quiet. Then, as if remembering something, she spoke up.
"Oh yeah, Dojin. You know?"
"What?"
"That day at the funeral. Before you followed me out—what I was thinking."
"No idea."
The unexpected deaths of Jeong Se-bin and Lee Si-hyeok. What had gone through Seo Yeon-hee's mind? I didn't know, but she told me.
"I was thinking of changing identities. I'd kept this one too long and was planning to go back to school life."
"That……."
I could guess now, and her words turned gentle.
"I was gonna transfer to Jeil High. To look after you and Sea."
"……Had no clue."
She laughed and chattered on.
"Would've been fun. Me, you, Se-ra going to school together, taking care of Sea and all that. Just a what-if, though—doesn't mean anything."
"……Yeah."
If the hologram hadn't appeared, could that future have happened? Us three—Seo Yeon-hee hiding her identity, me, Se-ra—as friends, diligently watching over Sea? Pointless hypothetical, as she said. And not what I wanted anyway.
Finally, she asked,
"Hey, all those secrets you have…… Will there come a day when I know them all?"
"……."
I couldn't give a definite yes. Would a day come when I could tell her everything? Was such a future allowed for me? No way to know now. So all I could offer was my hope, not a promise.
"I hope so."
"Yeah. Me too."
Seo Yeon-hee smiled brightly.
By the time I got home, it was past nine p.m. Sea, who had left and returned earlier, was lounging on the sofa. I asked,
"Have fun?"
"Yeah."
"What'd you talk about with Se-ra?"
"Just how we've been, old stories…… And I got a scout offer."
"Scout?"
"Se-ra unnie suggested joining Eternal after I graduate."
"Well, well."
I'd thought it was just a casual meetup; didn't expect that agenda too.
"What'd you say?"
"Still a ways off from graduating, so I'd think about it."
"Good call."
No point rushing into a guild contract now. Better to weigh options carefully. Pleased, I nodded and headed to my room—then Sea suddenly said,
"Se-ra unnie, you know."
"Yeah, what about her?"
Her expression as she lay on the sofa looked somehow dreamy. She continued in a voice laced with dreamy admiration.
"She's really, insanely beautiful now. ……Way more than before."
"That's…… surprising."
I replied and headed to my room. Even more beautiful? Hard to imagine that was possible.
The next afternoon, as I finished getting ready to head out, Sea saw me off at the door and urged,
"Do it right."
"I will."
"But…… don't do it just because you think you should. Do what you want."
"Is that encouragement or a warning?"
"Think whatever."
With that, she went back to her room, and I headed to the meeting spot on time.
The bustling street I'd frequented as a student—usually with someone by my side. Nearly there, I checked my watch: 2:50 p.m. I'd arrived early, but she was already waiting.
And I realized Sea hadn't exaggerated one bit yesterday.
Summer-appropriate bright outfit. A woman perfectly beautiful from head to toe stood there. Passersby couldn't tear their eyes away, yet she stood with a soft smile, utterly composed.
The next moment, as if sensing my gaze, she turned toward me. Her hair caught the sunlight, gleaming golden. Her blue eyes held a calm light as they met mine.
And she—my old friend and fiancée, Han Se-ra—said to me,
"Have you been well?"
Her voice was familiar, comfortable, just like before.