Chapter 67
"Was it fun?"
"No!"
"No!"
I let out a small laugh as I watched the two of them speak and turn their heads away at the same time. But with that laugh as the last, the furrow between my brows refused to smooth out. Perhaps because I had used more strength than expected, my entire body felt as heavy as if I had caught a cold.
Letting out a soft sigh as I stretched my body, I flicked my fingers toward the mole that had escaped Baek Hamin's net.
"Baek Hamin, the net's torn."
"Eep!"
"Hunter Do Yudam, look at your target and throw your punch."
"Yes!"
Even while being scolded, the two of them seemed to find it amusing how perfectly their breathing synced, fighting the demonic beasts with bright smiles. Their energy was good too. In contrast, my knees were wobbling so much I couldn't even stand properly.
Since the three of them would handle things well on their own, maybe I should rest a bit. As I plopped down at a distance, I watched Do Yudam throw his punch.
When the moles hiding underground bounced up from the impact, Baek Hamin quickly snatched them with a net made of vines. The moles Do Yudam missed were herded to one side by Baek Eunseong's golems. It was truly fantastic teamwork. So it should be fine for me to drop out.
'Wow, I feel really terrible.'
I tried to force open my eyes that kept drifting shut, but eventually dozed off for a moment. Right then, I saw a figure blocking my way.
"Do Yudam!"
"Are you okay?"
Startled awake, I pulled a potion from my bag at the sight of blood running down Do Yudam's cheek.
"Ah, this isn't my blood."
"Still. Are you hurt anywhere?"
"Yes. Ah, here."
I pushed aside Baek Eunseong's golem that was surrounding us and examined Do Yudam's palm closely. It was an injury so small you wouldn't notice without looking carefully.
Even so, when I applied ointment and put on a bandage, Do Yudam fiddled with the bandage on his palm and told me that the fragments had flown toward me and he had rushed over.
"Right, thanks. But next time, protect yourself first."
"Yes."
The child started to nod but then trailed off, staring into empty space.
Fuck, was he counting that as a sacrifice too? I looked at those blue eyes groping through the air and instantly grabbed Do Yudam's hand.
"You can't tell anyone about this. Got it?"
"Uh... Oh, yes. I understand."
Do Yudam tilted his head in confusion but still nodded. The fact that he didn't even ask why I was saying this and just unconditionally believed me was both grateful and unsettling.
"Thank you for worrying about me."
I smiled bitterly as I looked at Do Yudam, whose cheeks were flushed red.
This child's affection wasn't directed at me but at 'Seong Dohyeon.' Feeling like I was taking advantage of that pure heart made it hard for me to treat Do Yudam comfortably. So as my own form of penance, and to teach him a way to live a little more comfortably when the original story began, I planned to leave.
And for that to happen, Do Yudam needed to have more secrets.
Do Yudam's hidden skill was 'Sacrifice.' A power that grew stronger the more he got hurt for others.
After learning that, there were times in the original work where allies rather than villains deliberately attacked him. In those scenes, Do Yudam had struggled greatly, so if I could just prevent such things, the child's mental state would become sturdier.
This time I watched Baek Hamin and Do Yudam taking down tree monsters instead of moles, then turned my gaze to Baek Eunseong who was blocking my way.
"What."
"Just a moment."
Baek Eunseong carefully placed his hand on my forehead and frowned.
"You have a fever."
"I know."
At my response, Baek Eunseong let out a sigh along with a faint smile and hoisted me onto his back without a word. Does this bastard still think I'm small? I clenched my fist and struck his back, but Baek Eunseong gathered the children without an ounce of disturbance.
"Are you not putting me down!?"
"It's hard for you to even walk, isn't it."
"I'm supposed to be hiding! Two people went in, but four coming out—what do you think they'll assume?"
"Ah."
Only then did Baek Eunseong stop walking and set me down.
"Are you going to shrink again?"
"Are you crazy? You want me to go through that ordeal again?"
I glared at Baek Eunseong as I let out an exasperated breath, then called Ashil and bundled up. Next, I sat Baek Hamin down and climbed in myself. The entrance narrowed, and the world became opaque.
"Isn't it stuffy?"
"Mm! It's amazing!"
Baek Hamin struggled to jump up again. I barely managed to stop the child, and with Baek Eunseong taking care of us as my last memory, I fell fast asleep.
And a while later, I opened my eyes with a deeply furrowed face at the damp sensation on my forehead.
"Are you awake?"
"Where is this?"
"My room."
I tried to sit up halfway, but my head throbbed as if it would split open. As I scowled at my poor condition, Baek Eunseong raised the corners of his mouth and spoke.
"I was thinking Hamin might catch it."
What, does a cold transfer just because we're on the same floor? Normally I would have argued against such nonsensical logic, but with the fever raging, I couldn't think of anything.
I was about to tell him to at least remove the towel from my forehead and tried to sit up to find water.
"You must be thirsty."
Baek Eunseong reached out and pressed a cup to my lips. I looked at him with an expression that asked what the hell he was doing, but he even supported my back and tilted the cup so I could drink easily.
"What the hell—"
As soon as I opened my mouth, water flowed in, and I reflexively swallowed it before waving my hand at Baek Eunseong, who seemed ready to spoon-feed me porridge next.
Does he really think I'm Baek Hamin? Even as I glared at him with fire in my eyes, he only left the room after tucking the blanket up to my neck.
Thanks to the moderate temperature—neither too hot nor too cold—sleep began to wash over me. I was drifting off when I sensed a presence. Thinking it might be Baek Hamin, I raised my head to see Yang Jiyul standing hesitantly with his hand on the doorknob.
"Hello."
"Yeah."
Yang Jiyul reached out to me as soon as he greeted me. A bright light swept over my body.
"What was that."
"Purification."
"...Ask for permission next time."
"Yes sir."
Yang Jiyul, who had bowed his head and was about to leave, turned back around and approached me. In the child's hand was a finger-sized toy container.
"Hamin and I made this earlier. I made it exactly like you taught me last time, so you can drink it or throw it away."
But the way he kept glancing at me made it clear he wouldn't stay quiet if I threw it away.
[Would you like to view the information?]
Looking at the ingredients, it was exactly the elixir recipe. When I drank it without suspicion, Yang Jiyul smiled proudly.
"So can I stay over today?"
Why did the conversation jump there? I felt my body recovering rapidly and turned to look at Yang Jiyul.
No, but this bastard Baek Eunseong—is he too stingy to invest even a single potion in me? Instead of taking time to boil porridge, he should have brought a potion. The moment I clicked my tongue roughly, Yang Jiyul flinched.
"Well, you don't have to stay over. I was just asking."
"Ah, it's not because of you. Anyway, ask Baek Eunseong about that, not me. Get permission from your brother too."
"I can't get permission from my brother."
Yang Jiyul answered sullenly, then climbed onto the chair and kicked his feet before glancing at me.
"Hyung... it's been days since he came out of the lab. Do I really have to get permission?"
"Then ask Baek Eunseong."
The sound of the child jumping down from the chair and running out brought sleep rushing back. Unable to fight off the drowsiness, I fell asleep once more.
When I woke up after a proper sleep, my throbbing shoulders felt much lighter. The elixir's effect was certainly impressive. I swung my arms around, checked the time, and called Baek Eunseong's secretary.
"It's time for Baek Hamin to finish, right?"
"Shall I escort you to the academy?"
"Yes."
While I was bedridden, Baek Eunseong had strictly prevented Baek Hamin from coming to the second floor. I had also shouted for him not to come in. Since I had barely grown back, I couldn't afford to shrink again. Baek Hamin had sobbed and apologized, promising never to do it again, but Baek Eunseong and I remained firm.
Still, now that my body had recovered, I figured I could go see him. I thought he'd be quite happy to see me, but Baek Hamin's reaction was even more intense than expected.
"Sam! Chon!"
The small body that flew at me like a bazooka clung to me tight, wriggling all the way up to my shoulder with no intention of letting go. After struggling with him a few times, I eventually gave up and shuffled off to find the bag Baek Hamin had tossed aside. Baek Kyeongmin held out a schoolbag—whether he had prepared it in advance.
"Hello."
His greeting face was full of mischievous smiles.
"What's with that expression? You seem really excited."
"Hamin got confessed to today."
"What?"
I peeled Baek Hamin off and stared at the flushed face of the child.
Wait, a seven-year-old got confessed to? I let out a hollow laugh in disbelief, and Baek Hamin, embarrassed, flailed his arms and immediately jumped down.
Watching Baek Hamin run toward Baek Kyeongmin, I gathered my bag. A moment later, Baek Kyeongmin, who had fled to a distance, waved at me.
"Can you hear me?"
When I nodded, Baek Kyeongmin hesitated before opening his mouth.
"Tonight, it's going to rain."
I waited for what he would say next, but Baek Kyeongmin got into the car without even looking at me.
What? He made it seem like he was sharing some grand secret? Baffled by his cryptic words, I was frowning when I suddenly looked up at the sky.
Come to think of it, I hadn't seen rain in this place since I possessed this body. That was because hunters of each attribute controlled the weather, maintaining clear skies at all times—that was the setting of this book. I had been frowning, but feeling embarrassed, I scooped up Baek Hamin who was burying his face in my leg.
"So who confessed to you?"
"Class A..."
Baek Hamin mumbled and buried his head in my chest with an "Eeing!" sound. I let out a laugh and tilted my head.
'Isn't Class A the boys' class?'
Wondering if I had misheard, I was about to ask again when Baek Hamin suddenly looked up.
"But still, I like Eunseong samchon and Dohyeon samchon the best."
"Right."
"Samchon likes us the best too, right?"
"Do you even know what 'like' means?"
"Of course! Kyeongmin hyung told me that if you worry about someone when they're sick, miss them, and keep thinking about them, that's like!"
These little ones being so open about everything. I was laughing in disbelief when my phone rang. Someone checked and it was Baek Eunseong.
"What."
—I came home and you weren't here. Is your body okay?
"Yeah."
—I have some business today, so I'll be home a bit late.
"Alright."
—You'll be staying home, right?
"Probably."
—That's a relief.
"Why? Do you need me to do something?"
—No, I think I'll just miss you.