By Zephyria I heard people coming and going in my sleep.
The door opened and closed repeatedly, and quite a few footsteps lingered. The continuous noise disturbed my deep sleep, but… honestly, I didn’t dislike it. No, I think I liked it.
From the hands that straightened the rumpled blanket to the muttered words, ‘His fever isn’t going down.’
‘They’re all different people, but……’
They possessed the same temperature, so miraculously. Affection. Yes, the warmth that is called that.
Ki Jae-eon decided to fully enjoy that affection.
‘Oh my, it seems like he’s having a pleasant dream.’
I even heard someone laughing once in the middle.
I felt embarrassed as if my inner thoughts had been exposed, but I didn’t open my eyes in the end.
‘Just a little more.’
I decided to be greedy, uncharacteristically.
Because I liked their care that much.
“……Umm.”
After being intoxicated by the haziness for such a long time, it was around the time I naturally opened my eyes.
Outside, it was already the middle of the night.
Ki Jae-eon slowly raised his body.
‘My head is clear.’
I got out of bed and stretched my stiff body. Even the night breeze blowing in through the window felt quite refreshing.
‘My condition is too good.’
That was strangely funny.
‘Nothing has been resolved, but……’
Why is my heart so light?
Ki Jae-eon took a refreshing breath while listening to the sound of night owls hooting.
At that moment, the voices of two people overlapped in my head.
‘They will definitely be together.’
‘Live, Jae-eon.’
Ah……
“So that’s what it was.”
Ki Jae-eon murmured vaguely.
A belated realization came.
‘Someone’s sincerity……’
It was the key to unraveling the knotted heart.
It was just when my mood was about to become fluffy again.
“Huh.”
A flustered voice was heard.
“……Who, what are you?”
Kim Ju-won, who was trying to come in through the window like a thief, made eye contact with me. The two exchanged glances awkwardly, blinking. Why are you awake? Uh…… Because I woke up? An awkward conversation continued in the silence.
That’s how a strange standoff continued.
“Am I going in?”
The thief brazenly asked.
If you were going to do this, why didn’t you just come in through the door?
Still, I couldn’t just leave him like that, so I nodded. As soon as permission was granted, Kim Ju-won jumped down from the window and landed safely in the room.
“Th, the door is over there.”
“Uh, I know.”
Kim Ju-won frowned slightly, as if he thought I was an idiot. Then he added an explanation, “I thought you were asleep.”
“I was afraid I’d wake you up if I came in through the door. I, I didn’t want to wake you up……”
Just, well. Roughly. Kim Ju-won, who had muttered, ruffled his bangs with a frustrated expression. His gestures were fierce, but the atmosphere I felt seemed like he was embarrassed. Then he took something out of his back pocket.
“Take it.”
Looking down, it was a neatly folded white paper.
“What are you doing? Take it.”
Kim Ju-won gestured with his hand as if urging me.
“……?”
“Ah, quickly!”
I was just going to leave this and leave. Kim Ju-won muttered inaudibly.
I took it because he was urging me, but… what is this? Ki Jae-eon rustled the white paper in his hand.
‘Something is written on it.’
Writing? Ki Jae-eon carefully unfolded the paper. The paper was an A4 sheet folded about three times. The first thing that caught my eye was [TO. Ki Jae-eon] written in crooked handwriting……
Ah, a letter?
“Ugh! Crazy, you crazy bastard!”
Whack! The letter was snatched away.
“What kind of manners do you have?!”
I was startled by the loud voice, as if a steam train had been boiled, and looked at Kim Ju-won. He was standing there with a fierce expression like a cat with its fur puffed up in anger. His bulging, red eyes were glaring at me as if he was going to kill me.
“Why are you reading it in front of the person! Are you publicly executing me?”
“Ah, ah… no.”
Kim Ju-won snorted for a long time.
He must not have expected me to read the letter in front of him.
“Anyway, I gave it to you.”
“……?”
“Damn it, you told me to write you a letter.”
Then he approached the window again. Why doesn’t he just go out through the door this time?
“Ah, right.”
Just as he was about to lift his body up, Kim Ju-won suddenly turned his head slowly as if he had remembered something.
“Hey.”
“Yeah.”
“Th-.”
Kim Ju-won hesitated for a long time before opening his lips in a stiff manner.
“You worked hard.”
Ki Jae-eon’s eyes widened at the blunt greeting.
“Thank you for protecting our kids for me. Thanks to you, the root of the main office could remain.”
“……”
“I mean it.”
“……”
“The rest is wr- written in the letter, so read it or whatever.”
“Ah……”
“Read it when I leave! When I leave!”
“Yeah.”
Ki Jae-eon only felt a strange feeling at his embarrassed attitude.
Because I didn’t think I would hear the words ‘thank you’.
Especially from Kim Ju-won.
“I, I couldn’t protect them.”
So, the answer came out reflexively.
It was because my conscience pricked me for receiving such thanks. Because I knew, vaguely, about Kim Ju-won’s affection for the main office.
The main office is everything to him.
So I expected him to be angry after seeing the [Memory]. Why didn’t you try harder sooner?
But… I was wrong.
Kim Ju-won said thank you.
‘Unexpected.’
Ki Jae-eon shrank his neck. Somehow, his earlobes were slightly flushed. Whether it was because he heard praise that wasn’t his, or because he was really embarrassed…… Kim Ju-won’s expression only hardened at that dejected attitude.
“Hey, you……”
“Seo-myeong, Seo-myeong also… died because of me……”
Accurately recognizing the facts is separate from unraveling the knotted heart.
Of course, I won’t be consumed and collapse by the overwhelming emotions like before.
I must not forget the sadness I experienced.
‘But this time, for sure……’
It was at that very moment when I was making a resolution alone.
“Hey, you son of a bitch. Who said that.”
A sharp voice broke through my thoughts.
Kim Ju-won’s face, which had become fierce, came into view.
“Which bastard is blaming you?”
He asked, approaching quickly. His momentum was so fierce that Ki Jae-eon flinched and took a step back without realizing it.
“What kind of dog-.”
A barrage of curses that I had never heard before continued. It was to the point where I thought, ‘There are all kinds of words in the world.’ Ki Jae-eon opened his mouth slightly and blinked blankly at the vividly heard profanity. It was a part where I could realize anew, ‘He’s been talking nicely to me all this time!’
“Anyway, if anyone talks nonsense, bring them to me. I’ll beat them half to death.”
Kim Ju-won smiled mischievously with a refreshed expression.
Then he reached out and patted Ki Jae-eon’s head. The touch was quite awkward, but it contained a clear sincerity.
“You worked harder than anyone else, and you grieved.”
“……”
“So you can be proud.”
At some point, the hand that was patting my head came down and pinched my cheek gently.
“Ki Jae-eon, no one can curse you. They don’t have the right.”
“……”
“Don’t cry. You idiot.”
I gasped at the last words.
Ki Jae-eon hurriedly raised his hand and groped around his eyes. It was really wet. Ah, I’m crying? Only then did I realize that my breathing had become rough. That’s strange. Why am I crying? My head is calm, but my body is broken.
“Heeuh……”
“Hey, your dick’s gonna fall off!”
Ki Jae-eon cried like a person who couldn’t control his emotions, hiccuping. The tears didn’t stop. From Ryu Seong-hee to Ahn Seo-myeong, and even Kim Ju-won. Everyone made him cry in the end.
“No, hey. Jae-eon.”
Kim Ju-won, who wouldn’t have even glanced at me if I was a guy crying, started to check on Ki Jae-eon’s condition, fidgeting. He lowered his head to make eye contact and coaxed me, “Why are you crying. Hey, I really can’t do this kind of thing,” and went to the point of almost begging, “Don’t cry. Huh?”
Then he awkwardly spread his arms and hugged Ki Jae-eon.
“Why are you crying.”
“Heeuh… sob.”
“I’m, I’m saying nice things to you.”
A large hand hesitated and patted my back.
But even so, when it was of no use, he hugged me completely and shook me from side to side, shaking- shaking, and took out his own secret weapon.
“Listen. I’ll make you stop crying.”
Kim Ju-won slowly recited the conversation he had with the Teachers.
“Everyone is only worried about you.”
Hug Teacher Young once later. I could hear him chuckling.
“And the Teachers say that the probability of the future repeating is about 45%. But I think it’s even lower than that. First of all, I have no intention of using that damn Art of Magic…… Um, more than anything, I met you early.”
Kim Ju-won released the body he had been hugging and instead grabbed his wet cheeks. Warm skin clung to the palm of his hand.
“Ki Jae-eon, I believe there is a clear reason for our meeting. So-.”
It was the moment when the eyes of the two became quietly entangled.
“You raise me.”
Kim Ju-won said. To raise him.
It didn’t seem like a joke.
He seemed more serious than ever.
“I’ll be a great disciple. Let’s end it together this time.”
Finally, the corners of his lips went up in a smirk.
“Wouldn’t I be better than Ahn Seo-myeong?”
It even seemed provocative somehow.