Chapter 52
The atmosphere seemed to be getting strange somehow, so he quietly turned his body. He could feel a piercing gaze on his back, but he ignored it as much as possible. Of course, he couldn’t completely relax his tension and had to pay attention to sounds around him for a while.
How long had he been lying there with his eyes open? Even though quite some time had passed, Baek Rak was still quiet. Only then did he slowly turn around again. Unlike before, Baek Rak had his eyes closed.
Was he asleep? Seeing him with even breathing and no tossing and turning, he felt like he had been unnecessarily wary, and a sigh naturally escaped.
Seo Won, unable to fall asleep, tossed and turned before getting up from his spot. It didn’t seem like the right time to sleep.
Sitting on the sofa and rubbing his face several times, he felt all the remaining tension disappear. Slowly raising his head, Seo Won looked at Baek Rak lying there with his chin propped up.
He thought the guy slept quite properly. Even so, it was obvious he would open his eyes immediately if he sensed the slightest change, so he didn’t dare approach. It seemed better for his mental and physical health to just leave him be.
“…”
As he watched Baek Rak for a while, this situation suddenly felt a bit comfortable. It seemed to be because Baek Rak, with his eyes closed and lying still, looked defenseless unlike usual.
Every time he looked at him, their eyes would meet, and he was always the one to turn his head away first. He never thought the day would come when he could look at Baek Rak so comfortably. It would be really nice if he just didn’t say mean things. He thought that the guy was born with a face that everyone would find attractive but wasn’t utilizing it much.
Was he lacking in know-how, or did he not feel the need for it?
It was the same when he apologized. He did say sorry, but no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t feel any sincerity. There was no way he didn’t know that he had just responded appropriately because he was aroused.
But even that was something.
It was the first time the guy who had never once backed down from his opinion had retreated. Plus, it seemed like his somewhat dictatorial tendencies had decreased too.
Seo Won stared intently at Baek Rak, then covered his face with both hands at the scene flickering before his eyes.
Why did the image of him approaching for a kiss on the platform suddenly come to mind? No, it would be fine if it just came to mind, but the problem was that his fingertips were tingling for no reason.
‘It’s not like we’ve only done it once or twice, so why am I like this?’
The pounding heart, and the strange emotions he felt when they entered among the people – something had definitely changed. But he couldn’t figure out what it was.
Was he being too sensitive to Baek Rak’s changes? Or had he become strange?
Seo Won was lost in thought absentmindedly, then suddenly came to his senses and shook his head vigorously. What’s strange about becoming strange? It’s just because Baek Rak isn’t acting like usual, so he’s anxious.
‘Instead of thinking useless thoughts, I might as well just sleep.’
Seo Won flopped down on the sofa and closed his eyes.
Whether awake or asleep, Baek Rak always had the talent to make people feel disturbed. He was just a guy whose very existence made people confused.
He should adapt quickly somehow. Though he didn’t know if that would be possible because of the guy who always made his resolutions meaningless.
Seo Won sighed inwardly and shifted his body.
Sleep didn’t come as easily as expected.
***
Seo Won yawned as soon as he woke up and slowly opened his eyes. He thought he wouldn’t be able to sleep all night, but it seemed he had fallen asleep without knowing it while his mind was racing.
Feeling much more refreshed, he was blinking and focusing his eyes when someone’s face that shouldn’t be there was right in front of his nose.
“Aaah!”
Startled, his body automatically jumped up. Then he fell to the floor with a thud. Seo Won stared blankly at the ceiling with only his legs still on the bed.
‘What, what’s this? Why is Baek Rak here… no, why am I on the bed?’
He had definitely fallen asleep on the sofa. But he couldn’t understand why he was now waking up in Baek Rak’s bed.
“You’re noisy.”
Baek Rak, who slowly sat up, looked down at the floor. He chuckled at Seo Won who had fallen busily, even dragging the blanket with him.
“…What, what happened?”
Seo Won tried to figure out the situation while lying down.
“What do you mean?”
“Why am I in your bed? I was on the sofa last night…”
“You suddenly came to the bed while sleeping.”
“…I did?”
Instead of answering, Baek Rak slightly raised his eyebrows. His expression seemed to ask, ‘Then do you think I carried you to the bed?’
Seo Won found this situation both confusing and unbelievable.
He came to Baek Rak’s bed on his own? Why? He had briefly thought about wanting to sleep on the bed, but he hadn’t desperately wished for it this much. It wasn’t like it was a manifestation of his unconscious, so why? Besides, when he had slept on the sofa before, didn’t he wake up in that same spot?
Seo Won, who had slowly sat up, stared intently at the empty sofa. Since there was no reason for Baek Rak to secretly carry him there, he must have come there while half-asleep.
‘Am I crazy, really?’
Seo Won clenched his fists and secretly swallowed his embarrassment. What was so uncomfortable that he did such a thing? It would be one thing if he had done it consciously, but doing it while half-asleep was even more embarrassing.
“You didn’t come when I told you to.”
“…”
Since it’s a fact we both know, can you please not say anything more?
Seo Won glared at Baek Rak and jumped up from his spot. When did he drag the blanket down too? Throwing the blanket in his hand onto the bed, Seo Won deliberately spoke curtly.
“Anyway, get up now. How long are you going to laze around in bed?”
The outside had turned red, indicating the sun had already risen.
Perhaps because the shelter was being restored faster than expected, people were also rolling up their sleeves more enthusiastically. At times like this, he should contribute even one more hand.
However, Baek Rak was leisurely rotating his shoulders as if there was no urgency, with only his feet hanging down. Seo Won’s forehead narrowed.
“What are you doing? If you’re not coming out, should I go first?”
Since he had no intention of waiting around for the dawdling Baek Rak, he turned around first. But Baek Rak muttered as if deliberately for him to hear.
“My arm is stiff. Someone used it as a pillow all night.”
His feet suddenly hit the brakes. Someone did what all night? Seo Won turned to look at Baek Rak in disbelief.
He was rubbing his forearm and shoulder while getting up from his spot.
“Yoon Seo Won. You acted quite cute last night.”
“…”
“Using my arm as a pillow as you pleased, and hugging me too.”
“…”
“You wouldn’t wake up even when I tried to wake you.”
Baek Rak brushed past Seo Won’s side and lightly touched his arm.
“To make you sleep quietly, should I make you collapse from exhaustion?”
Until he changed clothes, strapped the two swords leaning against the wall to his waist, and picked up the jacket that was hanging, Seo Won stood there as if nailed to the spot.
Only after Baek Rak finished preparing did he look back at Seo Won. Just from his back, he could tell how embarrassed he was.
Baek Rak smiled slightly with his eyes and said,
“Come to the office when you’re ready.”
Leaving the still-frozen Seo Won behind, Baek Rak left the house first.
The door closed, and finally alone, Seo Won let out a soundless scream and crouched down.
Not only had he secretly crawled into the bed, but he had also used his arm as a pillow and hugged him while sleeping? What was he thinking?
He was crazy. Crazy, Yoon Seo Won. He was completely out of his mind.
“Ah… shit.”
Seo Won groaned for a while, denying reality. Not that it made his embarrassment disappear.
After doing that for a while, he eventually achieved a mental victory by telling himself that since Baek Rak had already seen everything, what did it matter? What was the big deal about sharing the same blanket and hugging?
Seo Won left Baek Rak’s house confidently with his face set like steel.
***
“Yoon Seo Won, what’s wrong? Is there something up there?”
Han Seong Hyeon asked worriedly while looking at Seo Won who was stretching his neck and only looking at the ceiling. Baek Rak was one thing, but seeing that Seo Won wouldn’t make eye contact with him either, it seemed like something had happened.
“No.”
“Then why are you like that?”
“…Just because.”
Baek Rak, sitting beside him, just chuckled while looking at Seo Won. Watching Seo Won and Baek Rak flinch and react, Han Seong Hyeon could only sigh.
“Please try to get along well, you two. You guys who have to stick together all the time never have a peaceful day, how is that possible?”
It seemed like those two were on the same wavelength only at times like this. Both kept their mouths tightly shut. Han Seong Hyeon shook his head slightly and got to the main point.
“Anyway, you’ve finished up to the second awakening now, right? You both worked hard.”
At the words “worked hard,” Seo Won suddenly became curious. Did Han Seong Hyeon also know the method of awakening? When he glanced at him, there was no sign of trying to tease him. With high probability, it seemed like he knew but didn’t think much of it.
“Since you seem to have entered a stable zone, let’s leave today.”
“…Leave for what?”
When Seo Won finally made eye contact and asked, Han Seong Hyeon kindly answered.
“The hunter with the third ability, flame ability, is at Gangnam Station shelter. Rarely, they don’t reveal their identity, so we don’t know what they look like or their name. So we have to go to Gangnam Station shelter to find them.”
Seo Won was momentarily breathless at the fact that he had to undergo a third awakening, but soon let out a long breath. It was something he had to do anyway, and something he had prepared for.
“So we’re leaving today?”
“Yeah. The sooner the better.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
