CHAPTER 106……………………………………….
After sending the guild members and Yajia home, we headed to Kang Kwon-hoo’s house. Sitting side by side on the sofa felt even more awkward than I had imagined. Unlike when the guild members came, Kang Kwon-hoo didn’t show any courtesy by bringing tea or snacks to Baek So-hyuk.
“Woo-jin, you must be hungry. Should I make you something?”
He spoke gently to me while treating Baek So-hyuk as if he were invisible, which made me squirm in my seat.
‘At first, he seemed interested in Baek So-hyuk too… so why is he acting like this now?’
“I’ll just check my messages. If you’re hungry, have something to eat.”
Baek So-hyuk, as if he had no intention of eating anything Kang Kwon-hoo offered, said kindly but without caring. Looking at it this way, I even thought that perhaps Kang Kwon-hoo didn’t ask because he already knew Baek So-hyuk wouldn’t eat.
“No, I’m not hungry.”
I waved my hand to refuse, not really feeling like eating anything despite having eaten little.
“You should eat something. I think you’ve lost about two kilos recently.”
Then Baek So-hyuk ran his hand along my shoulder blades. Surprised by the unexpected touch, I jumped up instinctively and swatted his hand away. My overreaction made the atmosphere instantly tense.
“Wh-what do you mean I’ve lost weight? I’m fine, no need to worry about it.”
Even though I said that, seeing my clothes getting a little loose confirmed that I had indeed lost weight.
‘I had a vague idea myself, but how does he know my weight so precisely? Do S-rank hunters have that keen an eye?’
To ease the awkwardness, I lightly tapped Baek So-hyuk’s shoulder, signaling that my earlier jump was just from surprise at his sudden touch.
“Alright. Then let’s go home and eat comfortably.”
He immediately began scanning the materials sent by his subordinate, as if he wanted to escape this situation and get back home. His speed flipping pages was impressive, almost like speed reading. Ten minutes passed.
“Phew…”
Baek So-hyuk let out a deep sigh from his core. It was such a long exhale that I worried it meant the documents reported some serious abnormalities in their bodies.
‘Could it be that I remembered the wrong information? Or maybe there’s another Plariant enhancing a spiritual skill I don’t know about.’
I rubbed my thumbnail with my finger, unable to shake my anxiety.
“Why? Is it normally difficult to return to your original body?”
Out of nervousness, I accidentally asked an extreme question. Once it was out, I regretted it—it was unnecessary to speak in front of the people most worried about it. But I couldn’t take it back.
“Woo-jin, why would you say such a terrible thing?”
Kang Kwon-hoo sat next to me, elegantly sipping juice from a crystal glass. Despite the spacious sofa across from us, my shoulders curled inward automatically as the two men positioned themselves near me.
“It’s not that, but they say it’s best for two people whose souls have swapped to stay as close as possible before returning to their original bodies. At least within about 500 meters. If they go further apart, the time for the skill to deactivate is extended.”
Baek So-hyuk seemed deeply unsettled at the thought of having to be near his natural enemy, but he also had the desire to return to his original body quickly. His heavily furrowed brows didn’t relax.
‘Ah, because he went to fetch Yajoong earlier, this state must have lasted longer.’
Unlike Baek So-hyuk, Kang Kwon-hoo remained composed. Perhaps he had heard similar information from another source, so it didn’t surprise him.
“Then we’ll stay in the same room. Woo-jin, you can rest comfortably in the guest room you usually use.”
Since I often stayed there, I held Yajoong and naturally grabbed the doorknob of the guest room.
‘Wait… is it okay to leave them alone?’
I worried that if I wasn’t around, the disagreement wouldn’t end in words but escalate into a physical confrontation. Baek So-hyuk wasn’t even part of our guild, so there was no contract to restrain Kang Kwon-hoo.
“Please don’t fight.”
But I didn’t want to feel caught in the middle, so I decided to leave it at a warning.
“I won’t do anything you dislike,” Kang Kwon-hoo said nonchalantly.
“You should rest, so I won’t start any unnecessary fights,” Baek So-hyuk replied, looking at me with straightforward eyes as if to say, trust me.
‘Right… even if they fight, it’s just their own bodies getting hurt.’
Both of them were rational, so I relaxed and decided to rest.
“Sleep deeply. By the time you wake up, everything should be back to normal.”
If I stayed standing, my knees might give out again. I hurriedly opened the guest room door to avoid causing a scene in front of them.
“Alright, get some rest.”
“Rest well. Let us know if you need anything,” their voices drifted through the gap in the closing door. I waved my hand slightly.
After washing up in the attached bathroom, I found Yajoong curled up asleep on the bed. I climbed onto the bed and applied ointment for monsters with clean hands. Yajoong flinched at every touch but didn’t get up, too exhausted to move.
I had been extremely tired myself, so it made sense that Yajoong, after rampaging once, was completely drained.
‘How did Yajoong even get out of that lab?’
When I merged with Yajoong, I realized escaping that lab alone seemed nearly impossible physically and mentally.
Even if Yajoong was lucky and escaped on its own, it was still odd. Yajoong was intelligent and would remember being tormented by humans vividly. That made it unlikely to willingly approach a human—but why did it come to me on its own?
‘Could it be connected to the original Baek Woo-jin?’
If that was the case, perhaps the affection Yajoong gave wasn’t truly mine. Even if our relationship had been formed by me, it was only under the name Baek Woo-jin. Maybe nothing in this world could truly belong to me.
“If you really came looking for Baek Woo-jin, I’m sorry. But I’ll take care of you so you won’t regret it.”
I whispered softly, laid Yajoong down on the bed, and rested alongside. Fatigue was reaching its peak, and my mana still hadn’t recovered. Since there was no reason to chase away the surging demonic energy, I closed my eyes.
‘Can’t sleep…’
Contrary to my expectation of falling asleep quickly, I was in that unpleasant state of neither fully asleep nor fully awake. Being overly tired indeed interfered with sleep. Still, I forced my eyes shut, and my consciousness gradually sank lower. Just as I felt completely at the bottom—
Knock. Knock.
Just before drifting off, my body jerked upright as if startled. The clock by the door showed 5 a.m.
‘I thought I hadn’t slept at all?’
Time had passed remarkably precisely.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Still hovering between dream and reality, I didn’t respond. The knock came again.
‘Who could it be at this hour?’
Rubbing my eyes, I hoped it was someone bringing news that the two had returned to normal.
“Come in.”
It was Baek So-hyuk who opened the door.
‘No, was that Kang Kwon-hoo?’
Half-asleep, it was hard to tell immediately.
‘The posture isn’t rigid, and there’s a faint smile… maybe it is Kang Kwon-hoo.’
“Kang Kwon-hoo? Has the skill still not deactivated? Or is it So-hyuk?”
I squinted, observing the figure still standing by the door.
“…I wanted to check if Woo-jin’s body is okay.”
It was Kang Kwon-hoo. Knocking at this hour to check on my condition wasn’t normal, but somehow it made sense given it was him—he probably finished everything he had to do and arrived at this time.
“My mana is recovering slowly, but I’m not injured, so I’m fine.”
“That’s good to hear.”
A frustrating silence followed. His business was done, but he neither left nor introduced a new topic. Usually, he would boldly enter and start with important or trivial matters, but today he stayed at the door.
“Would you like to come in? I think you have something to say about the fourth-floor strategy.”
Unable to stand the discomfort, I finally spoke. Kang Kwon-hoo replied, “Shall I?” and cautiously entered my room, surprisingly waiting until I invited him.
“Is So-hyuk asleep? Even though the rooms are close, it’s best to stay as near as possible. We can talk briefly now and discuss it with the guild tomorrow.”
It might have sounded like I was pushing him out, but I genuinely meant it out of concern.
“Woo-jin, have you ever thought your brother’s attitude toward you was strange?”
Whether he knew my thoughts or not, Kang Kwon-hoo asked a sudden, offbeat question.
