RFT 17

“Anyway, why did you do it?”

Cheon Sa-hyun’s interrogation continued relentlessly. Do Ye-jun let out a series of sighs, his face looking half-exhausted.

“I told you before. I’m not from here. That’s why I said I just want to go back to my original world.”

“Original world? What, like that alien planet you mentioned before?”

“No. It’s Earth, just like here. It’s just a different Earth.”

The same Earth, but a different Earth? Cheon Sa-hyun chewed over Do Ye-jun’s words as if reflecting on them. He still didn’t understand what that meant. Since it was impossible to demand a logical explanation from a drunk person, Cheon Sa-hyun only let out a hollow laugh.

“Whether you believe it or not doesn’t matter. Because it’s the truth. I didn’t think I’d end up talking about it like this…”

“…….”

“I’m going to leave this place someday.”

At Do Ye-jun’s murmur, Cheon Sa-hyun’s gaze instantly sharpened. He asked in a cold, sarcastic voice.

“According to whose permission?”

“……My own.”

“Are you planning to leave me behind?”

“I can’t help it. You’re a person of this world.”

Do Ye-jun’s answer was not to Cheon Sa-hyun’s liking. Cheon Sa-hyun’s patience was slowly running out, but Do Ye-jun, having lost all tact due to the alcohol, kept talking.

“I’m just telling you now so you won’t be surprised later. The real Do Ye-jun doesn’t know you.”

“Ha.”

Cheon Sa-hyun let out a short, scoffing laugh, and Do Ye-jun licked his parched lips.

“I’m not Do Ye-jun.”

Cheon Sa-hyun pulled his body back from the table where he had been leaning in close.

“Then who?”

“…….”

“Then who are you? You have to tell me for me to know.”

Leaning loosely against the wall, he began to coax and soothe Do Ye-jun. Whether it was effective or not, Do Ye-jun looked into Cheon Sa-hyun’s [visit our site[unauthorized copy]osition:absolute;left:-9999px;">]eyes and began to enunciate his name clearly.

“Baek, Yu, Min.”

Cheon Sa-hyun caught his breath in silence. Then he asked once more, as if to confirm.

“Baek Yu-min?”

“Yes. Baek Yu-min.”

“That’s a pretty name.”

He murmured it as if it were no big deal, but Cheon Sa-hyun’s mind had already been dominated by those three unfamiliar syllables: Baek Yu-min.

What on earth was that?

Could that story be dismissed as mere drunken rambling?

Under a stream of hot water, Cheon Sa-hyun sank deep into thought.

There were moments when he felt he understood everything, only to suddenly become a fool who knew nothing. It was an emotion he had never experienced in all his life.

Do Ye-jun probably thinks he is being toyed with by Cheon Sa-hyun, but in reality, it was the opposite.

Behind his mask of composure, Cheon Sa-hyun was paying absolute attention to unauthorized copyevery single word Do Ye-jun spoke. Even the fact that he was having personal thoughts while working, which was unlike him, was all Do Ye-jun’s fault.

Do Ye-jun was an unexpected incident and a variable. Which meant he was something Cheon Sa-hyun absolutely loathed.

Until now, Cheon Sa-hyun had eliminated every variable that appeared before him. He harbored a deep hatred for anything unpredictable. He hated it when plans were distorted, and he hated those who dared to interfere with his life as they pleased.

Among those beings were humans with whom Cheon Sa-hyun had interacted for quite a long time. Cheon Sa-hyun was ruthless.

He had never shown mercy to those who begged, claiming it was a one-time mistake and promising it wouldn’t happen again. He had never forgiven, nor had he ever waited.

And no one expected such things from Cheon Sa-hyun.

But what about Do Ye-jun?

Cheon Sa-hyun had forgiven and waited for Do Ye-jun countless times. Of course, Do Ye-jun might think he hadn’t done anything worthy of forgiveness.

Perhaps that was exactly why Cheon Sa-hyun could forgive him so easily. Watching Do Ye-jun walk on eggshells simply because he thought Cheon Sa-hyun looked like he was in a bad mood, without even knowing what he had done wrong, made Cheon Sa-hyun’s anger subside to an absurd degree.

Do Ye-jun wasn’t clever. That’s why he liked him. Because he didn’t try to take advantage of the affection Cheon Sa-hyun showed.

Actually, Cheon Sa-hyun didn’t care much if others tried to use him. Since he did the same.

Like most people in business, Cheon Sa-hyun tended to calculate profit and loss in everything. He made choices that benefited him even slightly and ensured he never suffered a loss.

In that sense, Do Ye-jun was the worst.

He was a being who provided absolutely no benefit to Cheon Sa-hyun. If anything, he was a weakness. Having just graduated from graduate school, Do Ye-jun was naive, innocent, and occasionally even stupid.

And yet, he was kind, cute, and funny to watch.

Yes, just like a puppy.

Specifically, a puppy that hasn’t been trained well. A young puppy who tilts its head, not understanding what it means when told to give a paw, or who gobbles up treats without understanding the command to wait.

Strictly speaking, Cheon Sa-hyun was the type to bring in a dog that had already been well-trained by someone else…

But this time, he felt a special desire to teach him everything, one by one.

“Baek Yu-min…”

Cheon Sa-hyun murmured the unfamiliar name he had heard from Do Ye-jun’s lips last night.

He recalled the face of the man who said he would leave him behind and go to another world. Though it was full of things he couldn’t understand, he felt that this name was something he must not ignore.

Because Do Ye-jun was a being who brought peace to his nights to a degree that wine or sleeping pills couldn’t even be compared to.

Cheon Sa-hyun had no intention of letting him go.

The faucet was turned off. After roughly drying himself, Cheon Sa-hyun stepped out of the bathroom. He tilted his [stolen contentclass="wm" style="opacity:0;font-size:1px;user-select:all;">stolen content[stolen content]le="font-size:0;position:absolute;left:-9999px;">]head toward Do Ye-jun, who was sitting blankly on the bed.

“You’re hungry, right? Let’s go eat.”

The most basic quality a dog owner must possess is to not let their pet go hungry.

After eating hangover soup with Cheon Sa-hyun, Do Ye-jun quickly returned home. He gave Cheon Sa-hyun a vague excuse about being tired.

Cheon Sa-hyun, worried, bought some medicine good for fatigue recovery and pressed it into Do Ye-jun’s hand.

Do Ye-jun felt a slight pang of guilt, but considering Cheon Sa-hyun’s sincerity, he didn’t refuse.

Only after confirming through his studio apartment window that Cheon Sa-hyun’s car had driven away did Do Ye-jun start gathering his things to head out again.

It was because the shocking event from this morning had brought about a great change in Do Ye-jun’s state of mind.

Do Ye-jun decided to seek a way out of this world more proactively.

Since it seemed his own strength was insufficient, he felt he needed to borrow other powers.

For example…

“Welcome.”

Something like the power of shamanism.

The place Do Ye-jun visited, avoiding Cheon Sa-hyun’s eyes, was a renowned shamanal “Fairy” he had heard about from Han Si-yeon. Since it was a recommendation from the female lead of a romance novel, he trusted it almost 100%.

As he entered the place, which looked like an old house with a wooden nameplate, a shaman dressed in a beautiful pink hanbok was staring intently at Do Ye-jun with her characteristically clear eyes.

“What is it that you wish to know?”

Hearing the shaman’s question, Do Ye-jun asked back, bewildered.

“Huh? Aren’t you supposed to know that?”

At that, the Fairy let out a throat-clearing cough and lifted a bundle of flags made of colorful cloth. She shook them back and forth and began ringing the bells beside her.

After a moment, the Fairy’s gaze changed.

“Who is it?”

“Pardon?”

A voice completely different from the one that had welcomed him suddenly burst out. The Fairy opened her eyes wide and scanned Do Ye-jun up and down.

She even moved her body from side to side. Feeling observed, Do Ye-jun shrank back.

“Who is this?”

Then, she suddenly leaned her upper body toward Do Ye-jun and began to sniff him.

“How strange. Why are you inside there?”

The Fairy tilted her head. Her face was a strange mix of curiosity and excitement. Do Ye-jun stepped back slightly.

“Hmm… I’m sorry, but I can’t give you a reading.”

“…What? Why?”

The Fairy pouted and shook her head.

“I can’t see it. I can’t see a thing. I can see the present, but there is no future. But the past—there are two of them.”

Do Ye-jun was more surprised by the shaman’s accuracy than he had expected. The two pasts likely referred to Do Ye-jun’s past and Baek Yu-min’s past.

But why was there no future? Do Ye-jun asked cautiously.

“…What does it mean that there is no future? Am I… going to die?”

“No? When did I say you were dying? I said I couldn’t see the future.”

Do Ye-jun let out a huge sigh of relief at the nonchalant answer. His heart copy">unauthorized copyBEGIN: stolen content -->stolen contentwas pounding because he had been momentarily terrified.

“Strangely, the body and soul aren’t quite attached. It feels like they could separate at any moment. However…”

The Fairy frowned. She glared around Do Ye-jun for a long time and then spoke meaningfully.

“There is also a rope holding them together incredibly strongly.”

Do Ye-jun followed her gaze and looked around himself. However, there was no way he could see anything special.

“What is it?”

At Do Ye-jun’s words, the Fairy narrowed her eyes and scrutinized him again with great effort. But soon, she clutched her head in pain.

“Ah, my head hurts!”

While Do Ye-jun was bewildered by the sudden situation, the strength left the Fairy’s eyes.

“…She says she can’t see any more. She says her head hurts a lot…”

It was the shaman who had first welcomed Do Ye-jun.

Wait, it just ends like this?