Serubi was always with Joo Seolhyeon like a buy-one-get-one-free deal, so much that even I would think Joo Seolhyeon was his owner if Serubi didn’t call me that.
It happened not long after we returned from Quardo Island. I was enjoying some rest in bed when I got a bit hungry and was about to go downstairs. That’s when I heard laughter from somewhere. It was a small sound I wouldn’t normally pay attention to, but I was feeling quite bored then, so I turned my head thinking, ‘Is something fun happening?’ The source of the sound was Joo Seolhyeon’s room, and the door that was always closed was slightly open that day.
‘Hahaha. Ruby, is it fun?’
What I glimpsed through the gap in the door was absolutely shocking.
Joo Seolhyeon, with his cheeks flushed pink, was waving a fishing rod while looking at Serubi with a face so in love, like someone gazing at their lover.
‘I didn’t know he could make such an expression.’
Though it was just a one-sided crush, we’d lived together for five years, which wasn’t a short time, so I thought I knew all his expressions. I never expected him to be kind to me, but confirming that he too was human enough to like something in such an ordinary way was hard to believe, even though I was seeing it with my own eyes. On the other hand, it felt as if someone had struck the back of my head with a hammer.
‘He only lost his eyes.’
The remnants of feelings I thought were over stirred inside me, making my stomach hurt. I wondered why he couldn’t have smiled so easily at me like that, and feeling like my past self might resurface, I quickly turned and went back to my room. I didn’t even have the presence of mind to hide my footsteps and made noise quite openly, but Joo Seolhyeon was so absorbed in Serubi that he didn’t care whether anyone was there or not.
Back in my room, I remained in low spirits until Jeong Seyeon prepared a separate meal and brought it to my room after work, which was when I finally remembered that I had been hungry.
After that, I occasionally saw Serubi visiting Joo Seolhyeon’s room, but I never went anywhere near his room.
‘Is it because of the rain? Why am I remembering that time for no reason?’
I shook my head lightly to clear these useless thoughts and went outside.
In that short time, the rain had become heavier. It didn’t seem like it would stop anytime soon, so I thought it was good that I had brought an umbrella.
‘Garam won’t cry from being moved just because I brought an umbrella, right?’
I chuckled to myself at this silly thought as I walked, and soon the bus stop came into view.
“Huh?”
A bus was just pulling into the bus stop. Suddenly feeling uneasy, I immediately checked the bus number, and of course, it was the one I needed to take. If it had already been stopped at the station, I would have run to catch it somehow, but the bus stop was empty, and the bus left right away as if it didn’t have any regrets.
‘As expected, the next bus is still quite a while away.’
After reaching the stop and checking the bus schedule, I sighed at the anticipated result.
I plopped down on an empty chair and crossed my arms.
‘If I take a taxi, I’ll arrive too early, but if I take the bus, I might not make it in time for the end of the lecture.’
Even with more options, I was still dissatisfied, furrowing my brow until I remembered the underground passage I had seen on the way.
‘Taking the subway might work…’
Before my regression, the state had imposed restrictions on my use of public transportation and public facilities because my risk of going berserk never fell below 130. Among these, the subway, which could be fatal in case of a fire, was forbidden for me to even approach. I complied without complaint because I recognized that I was a walking time bomb. The situation is different now, but perhaps due to that influence, I still wasn’t very comfortable with the subway as a means of transportation.
‘Ah, how long will I remain tied to the past?’
I stood up from the bus stop bench, reminding myself once again that I was no longer my past self who was monitored as an Esper at risk of going berserk and had restrictions on daily life. I had regained the ordinary daily life that others enjoyed, and being so cautious only hurt myself.
‘It’s not like I can’t do this. Don’t be a coward.’
I firmly made up my mind and headed toward the subway, but I tensed up alone in the crowd, which was more bustling than I had expected. I even visibly flinched at the music announcing the arrival of the train.
Until I boarded the subway, the thought of turning back now kept circling in my head, but the weight of the umbrella in my hand kept my feet moving forward.
‘Since I’ve come this far, I should give the umbrella to Garam.’
Thinking of Yang Garam, who wouldn’t even have dreamed that I was bringing him an umbrella, I squeezed through the crowd. Fortunately, K University, where Yang Garam attended, was only a 15-minute subway ride away. If it wasn’t, I might have gotten motion sickness from all the people, even though I don’t usually get it.
Upon reaching my destination, I quickly escaped from the subway. As soon as I exited through Exit 3, which led to the main gate of the school, I could see K University’s main entrance.
‘His class should be over by now.’
I was about to take out my phone to contact Yang Garam when I heard a clicking sound from beside me.
Turning my head, I saw a high school girl in uniform taking a selfie. The position of the rear camera was pointed at me, which felt strange, but I thought it was just a coincidence. I turned my attention back to my phone and sent a message to Yang Garam.
[Garam, is your lecture over?]
After pressing send and opening my umbrella, someone slipped in next to me. It was the high school girl who had been taking a selfie earlier.
“Excuse me, but where are you heading?”
“I’m going to K University.”
“Oh! Could I possibly borrow an umbrella? I’m also going to K University, but as you can see, I don’t have one.”
The student pointed at the umbrella I was carrying for Yang Garam, not the one I was currently using.
“Where at K University are you going?”
“What about you, Oppa?”
“I’m going to Sejong Hall.”
“Me too!”
Her clapping hands and joyful reaction seemed refreshingly out of place with the gloomy weather. But perhaps because of the strange discomfort I felt when she was taking the selfie earlier, I found it somewhat unsettling that our paths would overlap.
‘There are so many people coming out of the subway, why specifically me?’
However, looking at the student’s sparkling eyes, my conscience about not ignoring a socially vulnerable person outweighed my uneasiness, and I found myself handing over the umbrella.
“Then use this umbrella.”
“Thank you!”
When the student bowed her head, her high ponytail bounced up and down. Even after receiving the umbrella, she didn’t immediately open it but held it with both hands, carefully watching me before cautiously parting her lips.
“Actually, I know asking this is a bit of a nuisance, but I thought it would be better to ask someone carrying two umbrellas rather than just one. I apologize for the sudden request; it must have been unexpected.”
The lingering uneasiness in my heart was swept away by the student’s words.
Honestly, even I might hesitate to agree if a stranger asked to share an umbrella. It’s barely enough for one person, let alone two. We might get unnecessarily wet, and the situation of having to stick close to a stranger isn’t particularly pleasant.
‘Right, from the student’s perspective, she probably had no one else to ask but me.’
It seemed like I had been overly sensitive about something insignificant, which made me feel sorry for the student instead.
“It’s fine. I was going to carry it unused anyway, so if you can take it to Sejong Hall for me, that works out well.”
The student’s face brightened as if relieved by my words.
“Do you know the way?”
As we walked towards the main entrance of K University, the student responded with a bright smile.
“No, it’s my first time here today.”
Thinking about it, it made sense. How could she know the geography of a university when she hadn’t even graduated high school yet? Realizing this, it occurred to me that this student might think I attend K University.
“It’s my first time too.”
“Oh, really?”
“I came to bring an umbrella to my younger brother. Well, not my actual brother, but someone I know.”
After instinctively mentioning Yang Garam, I quickly added to clarify, fearing misunderstanding. Fortunately, the student didn’t seem to pay much attention to my slip of the tongue.
“You must care about them a lot, bringing an umbrella when it rains.”
‘I do care about Garam a lot.’
When I nodded reflexively at the student’s words, I heard a “hmm” sound from beside me. I glanced sideways. Her previously bright face had become calm and settled.
“I have one older brother too.”
“…”
“When it rained, he used to come to school with an umbrella to pick me up.”
Her blank eyes, tracing past memories, turned to look at me. The gentle face from earlier was gone, replaced by a quite chilling gaze filled with resentment.
“But then he got caught by a vixen.”
Her gaze seemed to suggest that she might attack if I didn’t respond, so I swallowed dryly and asked the student.
“Caught?”
“Yes. We used to live together, but after he got caught by the vixen, he doesn’t come home, rarely contacts me, and always says he’s busy and won’t meet me.”
I know that ‘vixen’ doesn’t refer to an actual fox. It probably refers to this student’s brother’s girlfriend.
“When did he get caught by the vixen?”
“Not long ago. It’s been about a month now.”
‘Then they’re in the honeymoon phase.’
I nodded internally, understanding why her brother had become neglectful of his sister.
It was unfortunate for the student, but it seemed clear that this “vixen” was being loved by her brother. Generally, when people fall in love, they tend to become blind to everything else around them. While I could understand the younger sister’s perspective, as someone who had only experienced one-sided love, I found myself rooting for the student’s brother instead.
‘Having someone you like return your feelings is like a miracle after all.’
“But if they like each other, isn’t that okay?”
Before I knew it, my thoughts had escaped my lips. I covered my mouth in regret, but she had already heard, and her face turned red and then blue.
“If it were just that, I wouldn’t be this angry. That vixen sees many other people besides my brother.”
“She’s two-timing?”
Shocked by this unexpected twist, I blurted out the question, and the student massaged the back of her neck and let out a sigh.
“Two-timing would be fortunate? It’s more like an octopus with many legs.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
