CHAPTER 68…………………………..
After that, Baek Sohyeok drove me home without saying much. I, lost in thought, quietly pretended to look out the window as we drove. After a few minutes, drowsiness gradually overtook me, and by the time we reached the driveway, I was nodding off.
“We’re here.”
If Baek Sohyeok hadn’t announced our arrival, I probably would have fallen into a deep sleep right then and there. Rubbing my sleepy eyes, I picked up the cage and went inside. I hurried to wash up and get to bed.
“Good night, hyung.”
Baek Sohyeok greeted me as I entered the room. His soft tone made me wish I could respond with a “Good night” as well, but it was impossible, so I held it in.
“You did well too, Meong.”
I took Meong out of the cage. I checked around to wipe off the blood first, but everything was already clean. Even if Meong had cleaned himself, it was too neat. Curious, I lifted him and turned him around, but there were indeed no bloodstains.
Weo-oo-ong.
Having grown tired of holding back, Meong squirmed free from my hands. He immediately curled up and fell asleep on the desk, which meant he must have been pretty exhausted. I, too, wanted to sleep quickly, so I decided not to bother him any further.
‘Well, as long as he’s clean, that’s good.’
I guess when you’re tired, your thoughts become simple.
Ding-dong.
Just as I was about to wash up and lie down in bed, the status window rang loudly. Wondering what could be so urgent at this hour, I squinted and opened it—and my jaw dropped.
[Special Quest: We Are Friendly Stepbrothers – Cleared]
I had expected it to clear on the day of choosing a faction, but it was faster than I thought. Perhaps it cleared not “just before the faction choice” but “right before the faction choice quest begins.”
‘“Just before,” huh… they really give such vague timing.’
I was happy the quest cleared early, but I didn’t like that if the date wasn’t shown precisely, everything could be interpreted freely.
‘Let’s at least see what the reward is.’
When I received the quest, the reward had been shown as a question mark. Since it was an SSS-rank event, I hurriedly scrolled down, hoping for a great reward.
[Reward
- The delayed-onset status ailment “Middle-child Syndrome” is removed.
- The “Inferiority Complex” status ailment is 30% alleviated.
- S-rank item: Uniform Blessed by the Moon]
Even setting aside the S-rank item, the removal and alleviation of status ailments was the most welcome reward I could have hoped for. Of course, it was a little disappointing that the inferiority complex wasn’t completely gone, but considering everything up until now, I was grateful.
‘Should I go to Baek Sohyeok right now and see if his words aren’t filtered?’
Excited, I felt that urge rise, but I flopped onto the bed instead. It was also about time for him to sleep; he’d had a tough day too, and I didn’t want to disturb his rest. Moreover, finding a conversation urgent enough to bring up in the middle of the night seemed like a hassle.
‘Let’s just enjoy the rest.’
It was peace I hadn’t felt in a long time. To be precise, it was the first true rest I had experienced since entering “The Two Choices.” There had been breaks along the way; I hadn’t been working nonstop… but the system window was constantly demanding something, threatening my life as a penalty, so I had always felt uneasy.
Now, though, the faction choice quest would begin soon, but that could wait. I wanted to enjoy this time and fall asleep comfortably.
Perhaps because I felt relieved, I overslept unusually late. When I woke up, it was already eleven. It was the kind of time that perfectly fits the word “sleeping in.” Stretching my stiff body, I went outside and saw Baek Sohyeok sitting on the sofa.
“Looks like the illustrious guildmaster isn’t going to work today?”
[Status ailment “Inferiority Complex” has activated. Dialogue is modified.]
What I had meant to say was something like, “Aren’t you busy? Is it okay not to go to work?” But even this slight teasing would have been considered cheeky compared to before. Back then, I might have said something like, “How can the head of a major guild loaf around like this?”
“Mm. I had some things to handle early this morning because I wanted to go somewhere with you today.”
I was more shocked that he still had the energy to handle things at dawn than by the fact he planned to go out with me. Even if his body was strong, he couldn’t have been completely unfatigued—his passion was admirable.
“Where exactly do you want to go? I haven’t even agreed to come with you.”
This response was almost exactly what I had wanted to say. I secretly relished the freedom of being free from the status ailment.
“Let’s go out together today. Things will get hectic again soon enough.”
He was right. Being alone with him all day was still somewhat uncomfortable, but there wasn’t much else to do anyway.
“Fine, then.”
“If you’d refused, I would have dragged you along anyway, so this works out well.”
A shiver ran down my arm. If it weren’t something tied to his personal values, he wouldn’t have been so stubbornly forceful—how did he even get like this?
‘Good thing I didn’t refuse.’
If the result was going to be the same, walking there myself was better.
“Let’s eat once we get there. It won’t take long.”
Baek Sohyeok was meticulous about my meals. Even during training, he strictly ensured I took lunch breaks and watched to make sure I ate well. Yet he himself didn’t eat much and simply observed me.
‘Did Baek Woojin really care that much about meals?’
Perhaps that’s why he made sure I ate quickly, as if giving food before hunger made me irritable.
“Do as you like. I’m not that hungry.”
I was full after overindulging yesterday due to the awkwardness, so I wasn’t starving. Looking at the receipt brought tears to my eyes, but it had been a satisfying meal.
“Then let’s go.”
I had rarely seen Baek Woojin drive while gaming, but living together meant I saw him drive quite often.
‘Games tend to show only key scenes; reality is different.’
He didn’t bother using teleport items or hunters for personal errands, so he probably drove more often.
“You can sleep comfortably until we arrive.”
Sitting in the passenger seat, Baek Sohyeok handed me a blanket.
“I just woke up from sleeping. And you want to sleep again? We’ll be there in an hour, right?”
“Still, I’ll take the blanket. It could be cold.”
I reluctantly accepted it. Ten minutes into the drive, he didn’t play music or try to talk. He didn’t seem to want a conversation either.
‘Ah… I’m sleepy.’
Sitting there doing nothing, drowsiness crept over me. I regretted not just accepting his offer to sleep on the way. Five more minutes passed, and no matter how hard I kept my eyes open, my head kept drooping.
Bang.
Startled, my drowsy body kicked the floor. It was as embarrassing as when I jolted awake in class.
“Don’t do that, just sleep.”
“…Okay, I’ll sleep a bit.”
Baek Sohyeok faintly smiled as if he had expected this. I gave up insisting. Thinking about it, it was better to lie with a straight face and pretend nothing happened. I spread the blanket and closed my eyes.
“I’ll wake you when we arrive.”
Contrary to his words, I woke up after three a.m. The engine had been off for a while, and the driver’s seat was empty.
‘Huh?’
I stepped outside, confused, and was hit by a salty breeze.
“I’ll call you again this evening.”
Baek Sohyeok was nearby holding his phone, probably having stepped out to take a call. Noticing me, he finished the call.
“You’re awake.”
“You said you’d wake me up, so why didn’t you?”
“I left you because you were sleeping well.”
Had he been watching me sleep? I quickly touched my mouth.
‘I didn’t drool in my sleep, right?’
Luckily, my mouth was clean.
“Why did you want to come to the sea? It wasn’t just a whim, right?”
Baek Sohyeok didn’t answer but gestured for me to follow. I had no reason to resist, having come this far. Walking beside him, we arrived at a familiar beach.
“Our first family trip was to the sea, remember?”
I recalled going to the beach with Baek Woojin’s family from my dream.
“Right.”
Thanks to that, I could lie without feeling awkward.
“You loved it so much back then that we went to the beach twice a year. Even if our parents were busy, they always made sure we had family trips.”
I quietly nodded. There wasn’t really any other way to respond.
“But after our parents passed away, we never came to places like this again.”
So maybe Baek Sohyeok wanted some kind of reconciliation. Although our relationship had recovered after the series of events, we hadn’t really sealed a pact to never fight again while holding hands.
