Chapter 19: The Power That Awakened

Chirp, chirp—

I opened my eyes to the sound of birds tickling my ears.

Above me, I could see the blue sky and the bare branches left behind after the leaves had fallen.

The air in the forest was incredibly clear, and the scent of grass and soil calmed my heart.

The moment I opened my eyes, I had this thought.

Ah, I’m alive.

I did have a headache, but nothing hurt badly, and I hadn’t gone crazy either.

It truly had been an act that risked death.

How could I have done something like that?

How could I sacrifice that much for Han Jun’s ability?

I couldn’t even explain it to myself.

There had been no great sense of justice or noble spirit of sacrifice.

I just felt that I had to do it, so I acted.

Thankfully, I survived.

“…Hyung!”

While I was lying there blinking and admiring my own greatness, a hoarse voice rang out right beside me.

I turned my stiff neck—like I had a severe cramp—and saw Han Jun, looking haggard overnight, staring at me.

“You…”

“Hyung, are you okay? Huh?”

“Your face…”

“What? What’s wrong? Does it hurt?”

Han Jun placed his hand over my head, looking as if he might burst into tears at any moment.

The cool warmth eased my headache a little.

“What happened to your face…”

“…”

“It’s rotten…”

For a moment, his expression seemed to turn cold, but intoxicated by the joy of being alive, I turned my head again and gazed at the clear sky.

“Ha, what a beautiful world. Look at the sky, Jun. Isn’t it pretty?”

Even though my whole body felt like it had been beaten up, I managed a faint smile.

On the other hand, Han Jun lifted me up with a frightening gaze.

His lips were pressed into a straight line, as if he were suppressing something boiling inside.

“Ow, ow. Be gentle. What kind of caregiver are you?”

“If you weren’t hurt, I really… I really…”

The grinding of his teeth sounded terrifying.

He must have been very worried when I suddenly collapsed.

Dark circles shadowed his eyes like someone who hadn’t slept at all, and his once glossy skin had grown dry.

I was the one who had been hurt, yet he glared at me with trembling eyes, as if blaming me instead.

He looked like he would burst into tears if I poked him, yet one hand firmly supported my back so I wouldn’t fall.

His intense reaction startled me, but it also moved me a little.

“…Thanks for pulling me up so roughly. It really woke me up.”

When I looked around after standing, we were in the forest.

It seemed Han Jun had carried me down from the peak.

Under me were fallen leaves and clothes, making it surprisingly soft.

I recalled what had happened.

That day, I had fainted with blood streaming from my nose.

I really thought I was going to die like that.

While losing consciousness, I even wondered if I would die and Han Jun would walk the lonely path of a savior alone.

I wiped my face with the back of my hand, but there was no blood.

If I hadn’t died, maybe I had gained an ability too, I thought with rising anticipation.

Still, I was starving.

My stomach felt stuck to my back.

Swallowing dry saliva, I asked him.

“How long was I out?”

“Two days.”

“Huh?”

“You couldn’t open your eyes for two whole days.”

His face turned pale again as he said that.

He suddenly looked sad and gently stroked my cheek.

Goosebumps rose on my skin.

“Wh-why are you acting like this? It’s embarrassing.”

“I kept thinking… what if something bad happened… what if you…”

He hadn’t done anything wrong, yet he spoke with a guilty expression.

With hunched shoulders and his head lowered, he looked unusually fragile.

Watching him whimper like a young puppy, I realized again how young he really was.

He had always been calm and confident, seeming capable of handling everything alone.

It made me think that maybe I was someone he needed.

I puffed up a little and tapped his drooping shoulder.

“Cute guy, couldn’t sleep because you were worried about your hyung?”

“…Yeah.”

That wasn’t the reaction I expected.

Normally he would snap at me to stop talking nonsense.

His serious response flustered me instead.

“R-right. I’m hungry. Shall we head down?”

“You’re hungry?”

At that one word, he sprang to his feet.

When I tried to stand, my body wobbled from lying down for two days.

My legs trembled as if they weren’t mine.

“How are we supposed to go down like this…”

Before I could panic, Han Jun slipped his hands under my arms.

“Why are you getting up? Sit.”

I couldn’t say anything in this overly tender atmosphere.

After eating a little from our backpack, we decided to hurry down the mountain.

“Get on my back.”

“No, I’ll walk.”

Going downhill while carrying me too?

It sounded like the perfect way to roll down the mountain.

And he was being too kind.

Now he wanted me on his back too?

I felt like I might die from an allergy to tenderness.

Failing to carry me, he ended up almost holding me as we descended.

Leaning on him like a hospital patient, I gripped his hand tightly.

Every small sound made me flinch, worried a monster might appear.

“How did you even get here?”

He had carried me halfway down the mountain while I bled from my nose.

He walked all day like that, silently listening to my rough breathing.

He said my body temperature felt so hot on his back that his heart hurt.

The next day, afraid moving me would worsen my condition, he laid me down and watched over me.

While I was unconscious, he must have suffered a lot.

“Hyung, nothing hurts, right?”

“I’m fine.”

Maybe that was why I heard that question hundreds of times while walking.

One step, he’d check on me.

Two steps, he’d examine my face.

“Your complexion looks bad.”

“So does yours.”

“I’m fine.”

“I know.”

“Do you feel like you’ll collapse? Want me to carry you?”

Instead of answering, I shut my eyes tightly and exhaled.

We were moving slowly because of me.

I wanted to run down the mountain, but my body wouldn’t cooperate.

Since I hadn’t died, maybe I really had gained a power.

But how on earth was I supposed to use it?

I glared at a random tree and strained, hoping something would happen.

I even prayed for a bird to fall from the sky.

Nothing changed.

Not even the slightest sign.

Embarrassingly so.

What if Han Jun was the same?

What if we climbed Cheonwangbong and risked everything for nothing?

Would humanity just end like this?

My head spun, but I tried to stay positive.

Let’s train once we get down.

Maybe we’ll find a clue.

That’s what I was thinking when—

Boom—

The ground and trees shook violently.

Something huge had appeared.

“Jun. Let’s hide over there.”

I pointed at a nearby rock.

But as the earth-thudding steps drew closer, Han Jun didn’t move.

“Jun?”

I tapped his chest urgently.

I had no confidence to fight in this state.

He slowly turned his head and calmly stroked my hair.

Did he just pat my head?

Behind him, a tree tilted.

The monster had arrived.

It was the strongest-looking one yet.

Huge, with bloodshot red eyes and drool dripping from its mouth.

Black fur covered its body, and horns grew from its forehead.

The moment I saw it, I thought we were doomed.

“Hyung, sit here.”

He seated me against a massive tree trunk.

“J-Jun…”

The monster was almost upon us.

Frozen in fear, I trembled.

“Don’t cry. Wait quietly.”

He calmly stroked my head again.

The monster swung its arm.

I ignored his words and wrapped my arms around his neck, squeezing my eyes shut.

But no crash came.

Only birds and wind.

When I opened my eyes—

Behind Han Jun, who was smiling faintly at me, stood a headless monster.

Its head had vanished without a drop of blood.

“…Huh?”

The massive body slowly toppled backward.

Boom—

Only then did blood fountain out.

The corpse rolled down the slope.

Han Jun looked at me, barely holding back laughter.

“Why are you so shocked? You didn’t wet yourself, did you?”

I let out a shaky laugh.

“I almost did!”

This sly brat—already?

Seeing how much he had grown filled my chest to the brim.

So much that I almost wanted to grab his face and kiss him right there.