Chapter 12: The Favor I Was Afraid to Ask

I wake up early, check the menu for the day, and start cleaning.

After dozing off for a short nap and waking up, I prepare lunch and then lazily finish the small household chores.

Next comes dinner preparation. After reviewing the list of items to trade for potions and sending the cart off, the day’s work is finished.

It’s an incredibly comfortable routine.

“It’s time.”

And this morning.

Right before starting another peaceful day, I made up my mind.

By now, I had completely blended into this place. Someone might even believe I had always lived here.

“It’s time to ask.”

Two months had already passed.

In a few more days, it would be three.

It felt rude to suddenly ask to be sent home, so I planned to say it after earning some trust.

But since his behavior never seemed particularly reliable, I kept watching and waiting, and time flew by.

Of course, Inas was still not exactly dependable.

I wasn’t even sure he could do it, and I didn’t know if he would agree even if I asked.

Still, wasting time without even bringing it up had gone on long enough.

The cool weather was slowly turning warm.

Since I had arrived in this world in late winter, that meant I would soon be experiencing my second new season here.

“Alright. Let’s do it.”

My goal was to return home.

That was the only reason I had set foot in Enns, a place crawling with monsters.

There was no reason to delay any longer.

It felt like we had grown close enough that I could ask for a favor at least once… right? Inas probably thought so too, didn’t he?

“He won’t feel burdened by it… actually, I’d be lucky if he doesn’t just find it annoying.”

I came here clinging to a single remark that said he might be capable of it…

But honestly, I didn’t know.

Setting aside the fact that Inas probably didn’t already know a spell to send someone to another dimension, it sounded like an impossible kind of magic in the first place.

But would he even accept the request?

If he simply said it was impossible, that would be better.

But if he just dismissed it because it was annoying…

“Oh. That would hurt.”

That would mean I had been the only one who thought we’d grown close.

And the despair of realizing I couldn’t return home would be enormous.

“…Maybe I shouldn’t.”

For a moment, I wavered.

But I quickly shook it off.

I still had to say it.

Otherwise it would be the same as giving up without trying.

“…Is he making potions?”

Before fear of something that hadn’t even happened made me shrink back again, I decided to go see Inas.

Leaving the bedroom, now properly furnished thanks to furniture obtained through potion trades, I walked down the hallway until the living room appeared.

The living room that was filled with my handiwork.

‘Yeah. Inas knows I worked hard. At least he won’t refuse just because it’s annoying.’

I was the one who had transformed his research room too.

I polished the floors until they shined and filled the space with all kinds of furniture and equipment.

Maybe because the order included potion-making tools, the merchants seemed to put more effort into choosing those items than the other furniture.

“Do you like it?”

“…”

“You don’t have to say it. I can tell.”

His beautiful eyes had sparkled when he looked at it.

‘Should I bring a bribe just in case?’

When I thought of bribes, the only thing that came to mind was food.

But after feeding him so much, it felt like the effect had weakened a bit…

“…”

If he decided something was annoying, even a bribe wouldn’t work.

So I decided to just go.

If he refused, I could think about it then.

By the time I finished walking briskly, I had already reached the research room.

Since Inas only did three things, eat, sleep, and make potions, he would either be here or in his bedroom.

“Mr. Inas.”

I skipped knocking and swung the door open.

There was no point waiting for a polite “come in” anyway.

‘He probably already knew I was coming.’

Surprisingly, Inas was very sensitive to presences.

He had probably noticed me approaching the research room long ago.

“Are you making potions?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you busy?”

“Yeah.”

“Can’t spare any time?”

“Yeah.”

It was fascinating how he could answer everything while focusing so hard he didn’t even blink.

“Alright then.”

That didn’t mean he was actually understanding what I said, though.

He just responded automatically, like a machine.

His mind was probably filled with nothing but potions.

“Then I’ll sit here and wait until you’re free.”

“Yeah.”

Even getting an answer like that was impressive.

In the past, it would’ve been unimaginable.

I felt oddly touched.

I had successfully tamed him by feeding him well.

‘That face is impressive every time I see it too.’

In fact, it seemed to get better every day.

It was hard to believe he was the same person who reminded me of an undead on the first day.

‘That was horrifying…’

Honestly, it was a miracle I hadn’t fainted.

The red liquid around his mouth and hands really had looked like blood.

Who would’ve guessed it was just juice from Nero fruit that had half-rotted?

Why would anyone hold a mushy fruit that had been left sitting for ages and eat it like that…?

‘He’s the kind of guy who eats mushroom-looking mold too.’

Still, he didn’t pick up random things and eat them anymore.

That was thanks to me feeding him properly and letting him sleep well.

I was the one who dragged him out of that garbage heap lifestyle.

The reason Inas no longer staggered around like before was also thanks to me.

At this point I was more like a nanny than a housekeeper.

He had a strange talent for making people want to take care of him.

‘His hair probably needs trimming again…’

The bangs I had chopped short were now slowly starting to poke his eyes.

‘Isn’t there something like hair gel here? If I could slick it back with pomade, that’d be easier.’

I still didn’t have the courage to pick up scissors again.

But if I pushed that dazzling blond hair neatly back and revealed even that handsome forehead…

“Whoa.”

No.

That would be bad.

Just imagining it felt dangerous for my heart.

I had a bad feeling this time it wouldn’t end with just a minor malfunction.

‘What does it feel like to live with a face like that?’

I used to hear I was handsome too.

Well… to be honest, I heard I was pretty more often.

But that was when I was younger.

Right before entering high school, I grew taller and my build got broader.

People said my features became more masculine.

…Though that was only compared to before.

Still, after that I heard “handsome” more often.

Then I shut myself in at home and stopped meeting people, so I hadn’t heard it for years.

‘In my opinion, I look fine.’

I had a fairly decent face.

As long as I didn’t see Inas right before looking in the mirror.

How could someone’s eyes be that clear?

Did someone need a pure soul to have eyes like that?

Well… the Inas I’d seen did seem to have a fairly pure soul.

“…Seongyeon.”

“…”

“Seongyeon.”

“…”

Was I too absorbed in my silly thoughts?

“Go Seongyeon.”

“Gah!”

The voice I had been vaguely hearing suddenly sounded close.

Startled, I jumped up from my chair.

It wasn’t just a feeling.

Inas, who had been far away, was suddenly right in front of me.

“Huh? When did you come over here?”

My heart pounded as I tried to sound calm.

“I kept calling you, but you didn’t answer.”

“Oh, really?”

“You didn’t hear my voice?”

“I was thinking about something and didn’t notice.”

“Even though I was talking this close?”

“…”

“How is that possible?”

“…”

That was something I didn’t want to hear from Inas of all people.

“Did you finish making the potions?”

“What were you thinking about?”

“Huh?”

“Was it something interesting?”

“Ah…”

It must’ve seemed strange that I didn’t hear him calling.

It almost never happened.

…Ah. So this was how terrifying human beauty could be.

“It wasn’t exactly an interesting thought.”

My voice came out slightly sulky even though it wasn’t Inas’s fault.

“What were you thinking about?”

And yet Inas was strangely persistent.

Was he bored?

He wasn’t usually the type to be curious about other people’s thoughts.

“I was trying to objectively evaluate what I look like.”

“…What?”

“Hm.”

Inas looked at me like I was weird.

Since he didn’t seem disappointed or bored, I leaned closer and brought my face near his.

“What do you think, Mr. Inas?”

“Think about what?”

“What kind of face do I have?”

“…What kind?”

“Yeah. Like… handsome, handsome, or maybe handsome?”

It was an obvious question fishing for a certain answer.

“…Did you wait here just to ask that?”

Inas wasn’t the type to give people the answers they wanted.

“Of course not.”

Seeing the look that seemed to ask if I really waited here just to ask something so pointless, I laughed and shook my head.

“Well… I actually have a favor to ask.”

No point beating around the bush.

With someone like Inas, long conversations never helped.

“I wanted to ask from the beginning.”

My heart began to beat nervously.

Why was I so tense over something like this?

Maybe I should’ve prepared myself more.

“What is it?”

My throat went dry.

“Yeah?”

I swallowed.

“My, my request is…!”

Only then did I understand my own feelings.

The truth was…

I had been afraid to say it.

“Could you… send me back to my original world?”

Depending on his answer, the hope I had been holding onto could either disappear—

Or grow stronger.

It was no different from placing my fate in Inas’s hands.