Chapter 89
Chapter 89
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: Something Different
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Haon smiled shyly at his reassuring words, then flopped back onto the bed.
“Are you really coming tomorrow? And the day after?”
“And the day after that. Hey, you're lying the wrong way. I put the pillow here. No, don't kick the pillow.”
“Oh. Right.”
“What are you doing? Seriously. Lift your head.”
Haon rested her head on the pillow Juyeol moved for her and giggled.
“What are you laughing at?”
He touched his slightly reddened ear before lying down beside her.
“Seeing you like this—”
“If you're talking about that bastard—no, your friend—don't.”
“Are you talking about 'Juyeol'? I wasn't going to talk about him. But why do you hate 'Juyeol'? Are people just wired to dislike someone who's the same as them? I'm not a big fan of this world's 'Eun Haon' either, but...”
“I'm not the same person as him. If it's not about him, then go ahead and say what you were going to say.”
As Juyeol grumbled, Haon turned on her side and said.
“Seeing you like this makes me believe you really had a younger sister. You're a good cook, and you take care of people in your own way. Do you cook for the other Heroes often?”
“You think I would? What do you even have? No principles, no pride, no sense...”
He retorted, pinching the bridge of his nose, then turned to face Haon.
“Enough. Tell me about yourself.”
“About what?”
“Anything. Except for what happened with him.”
“Umm...”
Haon pouted and hummed thoughtfully.
There were few moments in her life without 'Juyeol'. 'Woo Juyeol' was always a part of any daily story she could tell others.
“If I leave out the things with 'Juyeol'...”
As Haon's contemplation dragged on, the corners of Juyeol's eyes crinkled with displeasure.
“You don't have any friends besides him?”
“Whenever I started getting close to someone, I'd end up skipping grades or graduating early. Even in college, I never had a chance to meet people my age.”
“You're close with Bani now, even though you're not the same age.”
“Chacha and Bani are the first. The first friends I've made who have nothing to do with 'Juyeol'.”
Haon laughed sheepishly.
“In college, everyone saw me less as a friend and more as a much younger sister or a kid who got her degree through favoritism.”
“...”
“But it was okay. Research was always fun, and it wasn't like I didn't receive any favoritism.”
The dim light from the lamp flickered across Haon's face.
“The university tried everything to keep me from leaving for the U.S. A lot of people were unhappy about that, so I never even thought about making friends in college.”
Juyeol listened intently as Haon's voice grew quieter toward the end.
Haon, who had been talking about her early days in college, suddenly felt embarrassed, as if she'd ended up complaining.
“Ah, anyway, my point was that's why I found it hard to talk to people I'd just met.”
She pulled the blanket up to her chin, hastily wrapping up her story. Juyeol murmured as if he finally understood.
“So that's why you were more... with him. No wonder you acted so unusually.”
Seeing his displeased expression, Haon wondered if this, too, was a story involving 'Juyeol', but then she remembered something she really needed to tell him.
“I might not be able to fix Ttiyong right away.”
“If it's completely broken, you don't have to fix it.”
“That's not it—”
Lying face to face with him, Haon quietly told him about the situation at the institute and what she had found on Bae Anjae's server.
Juyeol found her voice, gradually tinged with sleepiness, adorable and had to suppress a laugh.
“And...”
Mumbling, Haon suddenly took Juyeol's hand.
The unexpected contact made Juyeol stop breathing for a moment and flinch.
Haon moved her lips hesitantly, then whispered as if in a dream.
“Halo. You'll be able to catch her again.”
“...”
Juyeol watched Haon's eyes slowly close as he intertwined his fingers with her slender, white hand.
“How can someone so small and soft be so reassuring? It's really strange.”
His face flushed red, he brushed Haon's hair back from her face.
That night, for the first time in a very long while, Haon slept deeply without dreaming.
* * *
The next morning, upon arriving at the institute, Nova heard Haon's voice coming from the café and checked the time.
*She shouldn't be up yet. What's going on?*
The more she took the sleeping pills from Solmae, the later she came down to the first floor.
*She said she was tired. Did she stay up all night doing something again?*
He hummed to himself, thinking of how he would soothe the exhausted Haon, and walked into the café, only to stop his humming abruptly.
“Come to think of it, Hunter said she wanted to talk.”
“She's probably swamped right now. I heard they haven't even found a location for the temporary headquarters. I'll bring it up once things settle down.”
Haon and Juyeol were leaning against the café's bar table, side by side, drinking coffee.
Nova looked expressionlessly at Juyeol, who must have sensed his presence but didn't even glance his way, and dropped the plastic bag he was holding.
The sound made Haon turn around, and as their eyes met, Nova let out a whimper and clung to her arm.
“Darling. Are you cheating on me again?”
“N-Nova! We agreed you wouldn't say things like that...!”
“And yet you won't even let me say hello in front of that guy.”
“Saying hello is a perfectly normal thing to do! 'Good morning.' Like that.”
Haon was flustered but didn't push him away.
Juyeol shot Nova an irritated glare before checking the contents of the plastic bag.
Inside were thick sandwiches and prepared fruit.
“None for you.”
Juyeol scoffed at Nova's sullen retort.
“Who asked for any? Just feed her plenty. Give her more meat. She has no muscle at all. Tsk.”
“I'm not completely without muscle!”
Haon retorted with an indignant expression, and Juyeol cupped her jaw with one hand.
“Yes, you are.”
Then he leaned his head toward Haon's cheek.
“I'll be going now.”
“Are you insane?”
Nova blocked Juyeol's mouth with his hand, smiling brightly.
“Ah, shit.”
Juyeol slapped his hand away and furiously wiped his mouth with a napkin, his disgust palpable.
Nova, though maintaining his smile, seemed just as disgusted, scrubbing his hand with a napkin.
“How dare you pucker your lips in front of me?”
“You know she's not the woman you were dating, so why are you so clingy?”
“You know the only thing you have is a face that looks just like someone else, so why are *you* so clingy?”
Finally losing his temper, Juyeol grabbed Nova by the collar.
“You bastard.”
“So childish.”
“W-Wait! Don't you know if you fight here, you'll both be kicked out? Absolutely not.”
Haon frantically pulled them apart.
Nova was smiling, but he couldn't hide the tension in his jaw, and Juyeol was glaring at him coldly.
Haon slowly pulled Juyeol toward the entrance.
*It's natural for a Hero and a Villain to not get along, but River and Chacha seemed to be able to communicate. These two really don't mesh well.*
Juyeol glared at Nova as if he could kill him, but he obediently followed Haon's lead.
“You said you had to go. Hurry up and leave.”
“If that bastard tries anything funny, call me immediately.”
He rested a hand on Haon's head with a look of reluctance before leaving the institute. He kept looking back as if he couldn't bear to leave.
A relieved Haon returned to the café, where Nova promptly tried to kiss her on the cheek.
“Ah, no!”
“No?”
Taken aback by Haon's unexpected refusal, Nova's face fell.
“Darling. I'm still hurting. I'm lonely every night, and I have nightmares.”
Haon's heart wavered at his pitiful and sorrowful expression, which looked as if tears might fall at any moment.
It wasn't a difficult request, and she wanted to offer her cheek and comfort him right away. But...
“I know you're hurting because of 'Eun Haon,' Nova, but we can't keep doing this. It's time to overcome it. You said it was only for a little while, didn't you?”
“What if I can't overcome it? What if I feel like I'm suffocating to death from loneliness?”
Haon looked at Nova with a determined gaze.
“Accept it. Just as Juyeol isn't 'Juyeol,' I'm not 'Eun Haon'.”
“...This isn't fun.”
The pained expression slowly faded, and Nova's eyes grew cold.
*Why does she seem like she's about to fall for me, only to pull away again?*
His face darkening, he reached for Haon's neck.
“Darling. I told you, didn't I? If you don't want to die, you'll—”
Haon grabbed his hand.
“So instead of doing what you did with 'Eun Haon,' do something different with me.”
“...What?”
“Let's do something that you and I can do together.”
Nova could only stare blankly at Haon, his mind stuttering like a malfunctioning machine, unable to process her words.
“When you're struggling with loss and loneliness and can't sleep, call me.”
“And then?”
“I'll tell you about the stars, and you can open your window and find them. Doesn't that sound fun?”
“Fun?”
“Everyone likes stars, don't they? ...You don't? But your name is Nova.”
“...”
Standing there in a daze, Nova suddenly snatched his hand back as if he'd be in grave danger if it touched sunlight.
“Can't you just tell me to get lost instead? Shoving me against a wall like before would be fine too.”
“What? W-Why would I do that?”
“When you're like this...”
He hesitated as if terrified, then abruptly turned and stormed away.