Chapter 135: The Shape of One’s True Nature

“You knew this would happen?”

As Park Sujin stared in disbelief, Seong Jiwoo barely managed to steady himself.

“This was Yu Heero’s second ability.”

“No way…”

Yu Heero, now back in his right mind, grabbed Sunrye by the scruff of the neck as it pounced on Seong Jiwoo. Sunrye’s body lifted into the air. Whimpering pitifully, it put on its best miserable act and looked up at Seong Jiwoo.

“Wow… now that I’m seeing it like this, they really do look exactly alike.”

Watching the scene, Seong Jiwoo let out a soft chuckle. He’d thought for quite a while that Yu Heero resembled a dog, but compared side by side with Sunrye—his clone—it was almost uncanny.

Beyond Sunrye’s body, Yu Heero’s face looked thoroughly displeased.

“What… is this?”

“What do you think? Your clone. Doesn’t it look just like you?”

“This thing?”

Despite the explanation, Yu Heero still looked sulky. The fact that Sunrye was his clone clearly didn’t sit well with him.

Park Sujin, finally catching on, clapped his hands in admiration.

Woof!

Sunrye barked right on cue, matching the applause.

“Wow, so that’s why…”

Seong Jiwoo spread his arms toward Sunrye, still caught in Yu Heero’s grip, then jerked his chin at Yu Heero to let it go.

Even though he obviously understood, Yu Heero pretended not to. He stretched his arm back and roughly set Sunrye down behind him. But the moment Sunrye’s paws hit the floor, it darted straight for Seong Jiwoo.

As if it had been waiting all along, Sunrye dove into Seong Jiwoo’s arms.

“It looked like a divine beast, but not quite. And it wasn’t just an ordinary dog either… I’ve been wondering what it was this whole time.”

As Seong Jiwoo stroked it, Sunrye relaxed completely, wearing a blissful expression. Yu Heero, on the other hand, looked increasingly unhappy.

“Honestly, I was worried it might be a monster or something… so this is a relief.”

Seeing the relief on Seong Jiwoo’s face only deepened Yu Heero’s gloom.

“But how did you figure it out?”

At Park Sujin’s question, Seong Jiwoo pointed at Yu Heero.

“They look exactly the same.”

Park Sujin looked flustered and alternated his gaze between Yu Heero and Sunrye.

Then he swallowed the words he couldn’t bring himself to say.

Where? Aren’t you wearing some serious rose-colored glasses?

Meeting Yu Heero’s sharp glare, Park Sujin quietly averted his eyes. Oblivious to everything, innocent Sunrye tilted its head.

Seriously… where?

Park Sujin’s confusion only deepened.

“Sunrye showed up around February the year after I graduated high school. You said you collapsed around then too, right?”

Yu Heero nodded, still unconvinced.

“I think Sunrye split off from you back then. And the reason your ability’s been unstable ever since is probably because you were constantly using it without realizing.”

As he listened, Park Sujin cut in with a puzzled look.

“No, but then why….”

“…?”

“Why did Sunrye go to Seong Jiwoo?”

In other words, why was Yu Heero’s clone attached to Seong Jiwoo? Faced with that fundamental question, both Seong Jiwoo and Yu Heero blinked blankly.

“Well, obviously—”

Seong Jiwoo started to speak as if the answer were obvious, then clamped his mouth shut. Saying it out loud was too embarrassing—especially with Yu Heero right there.

“…When I asked before, I was told that clones are closer to the owner’s instincts than their rational mind… Ah.”

Park Sujin, recalling a conversation he’d once had with Yoo Jieun about clone abilities, trailed off mid-sentence and closed his mouth. He glanced between Yu Heero and Seong Jiwoo, then awkwardly forced a smile.

“…Should we just skip this?”

Seong Jiwoo gave a small nod.

“Y-Yeah. That’s not the important part right now…!”

Yu Heero, however, didn’t let it go.

“So you’re saying it wanted to see you so badly that it went in my place?”

“……”

“While I was wasting away day after day because I couldn’t see you?”

“Uh, well… if you put it like that—”

Seong Jiwoo tried to placate Yu Heero while shooting Park Sujin a desperate look for help. Park Sujin immediately raised both hands and backed away, clearly bowing out of the argument. Seong Jiwoo stared at him in betrayal.

Yu Heero narrowed his eyes and poked Sunrye’s forehead.

“So it’s because it copied my instincts perfectly—tail-wagging and charging at you every time it sees you.”

“……”

“I really don’t like that.”

“No, I mean… it’s still your clone and all….”

Now he was jealous of his own clone. Seong Jiwoo stared at Yu Heero in disbelief, but Yu Heero looked genuinely upset.

“What did it do to you?”

“What do you mean, what did it do—”

Seong Jiwoo replied weakly, then suddenly realized something and widened his eyes.

“Wait—does that mean you wanted to do something to me?”

“……”

This time, Yu Heero fell silent. Seong Jiwoo was the one left dumbfounded.

Ahem. Clearing his throat, Park Sujin cautiously explained.

“They say a clone’s sense of self strengthens as it becomes synchronized with its owner. But since Yu Heero didn’t even know Sunrye was his clone, there was basically no synchronization at all… so what you’re seeing is just its most primal instincts.”

“Primal instincts…?”

“Yeah. Stuff like liking things, disliking things, being hungry, being sleepy.”

“…That really is just a dog.”

Recalling Sunrye’s behavior, Seong Jiwoo nodded in agreement.

“And it seems to recognize you, not Yu Heero, as its owner….”

“That can be fixed with synchronization, right?”

“Uh, yeah. Probably.”

Yu Heero, who’d been listening with a sulky face, cut in.

“I’m not doing it.”

“Doing what?”

“That synchronization thing. You said it develops a sense of self.”

“…And?”

“Then it might actually do something to you for real.”

“Well, it’s not like it’s trying to hurt me—”

“How do you put it back in?”

Ignoring Seong Jiwoo, Yu Heero asked Park Sujin. Park Sujin answered awkwardly.

“I’m not sure… I don’t really know that part either.”

Yoo Jieun had explained the principles and applications of her ability, but never how to get rid of a clone. Since hers was perfectly synchronized, it acted on its own without her even having to think about it.

“…Maybe you just think about it?”

That was the best idea he could offer. Though skeptical, Yu Heero had no other option and glared fiercely at Sunrye.

Even under that threatening stare, Sunrye didn’t budge. Its black marble-like eyes sparkled innocently.

It clearly had no intention of going back in.

Seong Jiwoo gently pulled Sunrye closer. Sunrye happily burrowed into his arms, settled into a comfortable position, and looked up at Yu Heero.

Yu Heero’s expression stiffened by the second.

“Don’t be like that. It’s you, after all.”

“How is that me? I’m not in your arms right now.”

“……”

Park Sujin experienced silent shock. Seong Jiwoo stared at Yu Heero like he’d lost his mind.

Yu Heero ignored them both and crouched in front of Seong Jiwoo.

“I’ve never met someone like you in my life.”

“I’ve never met someone like you either.”

Even as he said that, Seong Jiwoo opened one arm. Yu Heero immediately slipped into it and lifted Seong Jiwoo up. Losing his balance, Seong Jiwoo naturally dropped Sunrye, which landed neatly on the floor.

For the first time in his life, Park Sujin saw a dog make a completely dumbfounded expression.

Yu Heero ultimately failed to put Sunrye back. Eventually, it got to the point where Seong Jiwoo was the one begging him to just get it over with and put Sunrye away already.

Whenever Sunrye did anything, it charged in insisting on doing it too, and Seong Jiwoo ended up faking illness just to retreat back into the hospital bed.

At least he still had a conscience—Yu Heero quietly stayed by Seong Jiwoo’s side.

The next day, Gu Min-ah visited the hospital after hearing that Seong Jiwoo was recovering. Though her ability involved a divine beast, Seong Jiwoo figured she might still be able to help somehow.

She waved a snack enticingly in front of Sunrye, who was guarding the room like it owned the place.

“So this is your junior’s clone…”

Having heard the story from Park Sujin, Gu Min-ah tilted her head as she watched Sunrye munch noisily on dog treats.

“But… it doesn’t look anything like its owner.”

“What are you talking about? They’re identical. That’s how I figured it out.”

Seong Jiwoo, sipping juice, shot her down immediately.

“Yeah, yeah. A match made in heaven.”

Gu Min-ah replied dryly, shaking her head as she stroked Sunrye’s chin.

“It feels weird thinking that thing is his clone.”

Comparing Sunrye—who loved human touch—with Yu Heero, who was the complete opposite, she pulled her hand away. As if reluctant to let go, Sunrye stretched its neck and rubbed its cheek against her hand.

“This is seriously weird.”

Shuddering slightly, Gu Min-ah stood up. Sunrye was still adorable, but knowing its instincts came from Yu Heero made it hard to treat it the same way.

“Want a drink?”

“If there’s aloe.”

“Grab one from the fridge.”

Following Seong Jiwoo’s gesture, Gu Min-ah pulled an aloe juice from the mini-fridge and sat beside the bed. Then she rummaged through her bag.

“Your mail. Everything that piled up.”

She handed Seong Jiwoo a thick bundle of envelopes, saying she’d picked them up at a shop on the way. As he flipped through utility bills, one envelope trimmed in gold caught his eye.

“Oh. This one—I got it too. It’s an invitation to the Hunter Merit Awards Ceremony.”

Looking puzzled, Seong Jiwoo opened the envelope and slowly began reading the invitation.

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