Chapter 94
Chapter 94
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: My Hero
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The quiet darkness of the predawn hours lay thick in the hospital room.
Even in the gloom, Juyeol fumbled with his fingertips, searching for Haon’s shadow.
He didn’t miss it when it was faintly separated by the slivers of moonlight seeping in.
It was the third day since Haon had lost consciousness.
Juyeol felt like his blood was running dry, as if Haon’s very presence was fading.
Whenever that feeling struck, he would search for her shadow, as if to confirm she was still there.
She was the first person he had opened his heart to since his sister, Woo Hyeseong, had died.
She was someone who made him think it didn’t matter if she was a villain, someone he wanted to believe even if she said the most absurd things.
With Haon asleep, the world felt both deafeningly quiet and unbearably loud to Juyeol.
His mind was filled with regret.
*I should have believed you from the start.*
*I shouldn’t have glared at you like that, or said such harsh things.*
*…I should have told you that I like you.*
Juyeol turned his gaze to the bedside table.
Two neatly folded t-shirts and two hats rested upon it.
The memory of her bright, excited smile was still vivid in his mind.
Her voice, calling his name, *Juyeol-ah*.
At that moment, Juyeol flinched and lifted his head.
He thought he’d heard a faint voice calling him.
*Did I imagine it?*
With trembling eyes, he stared at Haon in the darkness.
“Ju…”
“…!”
He hadn’t misheard.
Juyeol rushed to the bed and took Haon’s hand.
“Eun Haon?”
“Woo Ju…”
Haon mumbled in a raspy voice.
*Woo Juyeol? Is she calling my name?*
His own heartbeat felt foreign, as if a heart that had died was beating anew.
Perhaps she was looking for the ‘other Woo Juyeol.’ But as long as she opened her eyes, he didn’t care.
“Eun Haon. Please…”
At the end of Juyeol’s desperate plea, Haon slowly opened her eyes.
“The universe has eleven dimensions…”
“Ha…”
A wave of relief washed over Juyeol as she muttered incomprehensible words, and he pulled her into a fierce hug.
“…Huh?”
Haon, who had been slowly wriggling as if to grasp the situation, said, “It’s Juyeol.”
“Eun Haon. Haon-ah…”
Juyeol’s voice trembled uncontrollably.
Haon blankly hugged his shoulder and looked out the window.
As dawn broke, a cool light poured in. Shards of light, sliced thin by the blinds, draped over Juyeol’s back like ribbons.
*He’s alive.*
Haon sat up and cupped Juyeol’s cheeks with both hands.
His face, which looked like it was on the verge of tears, was dark and anguished beneath his eyes.
“Juyeol. Are you okay?”
Haon examined the gauze on his forehead and hand in turn, then finally broke into a soft smile.
“I’m so glad you’re safe.”
“…What? Glad?”
In contrast, Juyeol’s expression hardened rapidly. He grabbed Haon’s shoulders and clenched his teeth.
“Eun Haon. Are you crazy? What were you thinking, doing something like that!”
He could see Haon flinch in surprise, but Juyeol couldn’t hold back.
“Who asked you to save me by risking your own life? Do you have multiple lives? Does saving everyone else make it all okay? Why in the world would you…!”
Juyeol’s hands were shaking. He couldn’t continue, dropping his head.
Startled, Haon grabbed his hands and spoke, as if making an excuse.
“The world needs heroes. I told you, didn’t I? I wish there had been heroes where I lived. That’s why…”
Juyeol let out a pained sigh of disbelief and met her eyes.
“So my life was more important than yours?”
“Of course, no life is more important than another, but it was so urgent…”
“The universe you came from had a hero, too.”
“…?”
Haon looked at him with a puzzled expression. Her face clearly showed she had no idea what he was talking about.
Juyeol’s brow furrowed as he gave a faint smile.
“You don’t know? It was you. Who else would it be?”
That small body that had shielded him, even with a terrified look on her face as she saw the concrete debris flying from outside the window.
Those determined eyes that vowed to help him find his sister’s killer no matter what.
The way she suffered from nightmares, unable to forget the people she couldn’t save.
That sense of justice that drove her to leap into a war to save people, even while crying.
The sun of the old district, who would have shone brightest even in another universe.
“Eun Haon. You were a hero from the very first moment I saw you.”
“…!”
Haon’s eyes widened, and she clutched the blanket tightly.
She had never once thought of herself that way, but his unwavering gaze and confident voice stirred something deep within her.
“I need a hero, too. Don’t take my hero away from me.”
As if pleading, Juyeol pressed a kiss to the corner of Haon’s eye. It was a slow, lingering kiss.
Haon’s shoulders stiffened with an unfamiliar tension.
His dark eyes held her captive from a close distance.
“Juyeol-ah.”
A shiver ran down her neck as Haon whispered his name like a breath.
Juyeol let out a thin sigh, as if holding something back, and rested his forehead against Haon’s shoulder.
“I thought you were going to die.”
“…”
*Thump, thump.* Haon’s heart pounded.
*Why am I feeling like this?*
The ticklish feeling she sometimes felt when looking at Juyeol seemed to be burrowing deep into her chest.
“You were right in front of me, but I felt like you were going to disappear…”
Juyeol held Haon’s body and remained still.
Unsure what to do about her racing heart, Haon squeezed her eyes shut.
“I-I’m sorry. For making you worry.”
At that, Juyeol’s body began to lean further toward her.
“Ah, wait…!”
Unable to support the weight pressing down on her upper body, Haon tumbled back onto the bed.
Pinned beneath Juyeol’s large frame, Haon’s face flushed crimson as she struggled to breathe.
“Ju-Juyeol…?”
She gave his warm, heavy, and solid body a gentle push, but he didn’t budge.
She could hear the sound of soft, rhythmic breathing near her ear.
“Juyeol-ah?”
Juyeol had fallen asleep while holding her.
Haon felt an inexplicable sense of relief and gently stroked his head.
*To fall asleep just like that. Did he not sleep a wink until I woke up?*
“Blue. Are you there?”
[You slept well, Haon? I’m right here!]
A holographic bluebird appeared from the phone on the bedside table and chirped cheerfully.
“Still, we’ll meet later.”
It was Parang’s voice.
Haon smiled softly and said.
“I need to get Juyeol onto the bed.”
Haon transformed the floor, gently laying Juyeol down beside her.
The bed was narrow, and she worried he might be uncomfortable, but even as his body moved, Juyeol held onto her tightly.
Haon buried her warm face in his broad chest and smiled faintly.
Juyeol had always been the one to put her to sleep. This was the first time she had done it for him.
In his warmth, she was reminded once again that they had both survived.
They were alive.
* * *
Juyeol didn’t wake up until after noon.
Haon had already finished all her tests and was sitting in a chair in the room, waiting for him to wake up.
Juyeol rubbed his face, ignoring Solmae’s look of pity. Even he hadn’t expected to fall asleep like that.
A moment later, Chacha and Bani burst into the room, hugging Haon and showering her with all sorts of nagging.
Bani was sobbing so hard that it was impossible to understand what she was saying.
Haon listened as Chacha explained how she had been managing District 2, what had happened with Halla, and other updates.
Thankfully, it seemed no residents of District 2 had been hurt because of Halla, and there was still no news of Bae Anjae.
“—so Two-Shot and Rusty came by to scope things out. They’ll be pretty disappointed to hear you woke up.”
“I’m glad nothing happened. Did you see Nova by any chance?”
At Haon’s question, Chacha’s eyes darted around as she replied.
“I saw him… he showed up in District 2 a few times. But I don’t know where he is or what he’s doing now.”
“Maybe I should go look for Nova.”
As Haon muttered worriedly, Juyeol, who had been leaning against the wall, approached her.
“What are you talking about? You just woke up, and you’re already thinking about running around? You need to rest more.”
“Juyeol, I’m perfectly fine. Elder Solmae said so too, right?”
Haon looked at Solmae as if seeking his agreement, and he nodded.
“I don’t know why she was unconscious for three days, but there are currently no abnormalities in Eun Haon’s body.”
“But…”
Even after hearing all of Haon’s test results, Juyeol couldn’t easily relax.
He vividly remembered her limp body in front of him, her heart stopped. It was a heart that River had barely managed to revive.
Seeing the anxiety on his face, Haon gently took his hand.
“I’ll just try to contact Nova for now. It’s not like he’ll appear just because I go looking for him.”
Only then did his expression soften, a change that reminded her of a fierce guard dog turning into a big, gentle one. It made her want to smile.
Just then, Bani, who had been playing with Haon’s hat, asked.
“Unni. But why couldn’t you wake up for three days? Did you have a long dream or something?”
“…Was that a dream? I suppose it must have been, right?”
Haon gave a faint smile and picked up her phone.
“Blue. Did the server expansion go well?”
[The server expansion was completed successfully!]
“How about the backup?”
[The backup was also completed quickly after the server expansion!]
It seemed the institute had been running without any issues while she was lying in the hospital.
Haon looked around at everyone who had come to see her and said.
“I need to meet Hunter today.”