Chapter 14: A Shelter in the Silence.

After the long story ended, she looked out the darkened window and said.

“Anyway, this is going to be difficult. Seo Jin, your current identity is wanted for forgery. I can smooth things over for you here…. but your accounts and information are all being tracked.”

“Did you say your destination was the outer districts? If you move recklessly, you’ll be caught right away…. It won’t be easy to find new transportation with a wanted identity. What are you planning to do?”

Seo Jin couldn’t answer.

He had only learned today that he was wanted.

It wasn’t easy to come up with a plan right away.

‘This is probably what Linesha did.’

He didn’t know if it was because her resentment towards Seo Jin hadn’t been resolved yet, or if she was looking for him since he had disappeared…. but it had become quite a difficult situation.

If his identity was wanted, he couldn’t get proper transportation. Just issuing a ticket would lead to him being tracked right away.

This case could only be explained as really good luck.

Seo Jin had no choice but to fall into 고민 (gomin: deep thought).

But no matter how much he thought, no proper plan came to mind.

While he was agonizing like that, Ceril readily said.

“I’ll help you. It’ll take some time, but I can get you a new identity with my connections. I’ll find you a place to stay, so just wait there for a few days.”

“No, I can’t burden you with that much…….“

Seo Jin hesitated.

In any case, he was wanted. Saying that she would help such a person was no different from meaning that she would be involved in something bad too.

But Ceril didn’t care at all.

“Can’t I do this much for a comrade who fought together?”

She just smiled softly while saying that.

The confident smile was an appearance that somehow brought back old memories. He could once again recall her personality, which was actually very kind even though she seemed strict at first glance.

Seo Jin, who had decided to accept Ceril’s goodwill.

The place where she took him after driving for a while was a fairly decent house.

“This is…?”

“It’s my house.”

Ceril naturally opened the front door and went inside.

The inside was quite spacious and clean.

It felt like there were only the necessary things.

So, it actually felt a little chilly.

Ceril naturally took off her coat and hung it up while saying.

“Stay here from now on.”

Seo Jin was slightly embarrassed at the unexpected words.

He had certainly heard that she would find him a place to stay, but he didn’t know that it would be Ceril’s house.

Looking around, there weren’t any other family members either.

‘Even if it’s only for a few days…?

While he was hesitating because it felt like he was being much more rude than he had thought, Ceril naturally started giving him a tour of the house.

“The things to eat are here. The bathroom is this way, and this is the study. This is the bedroom.”

Her attitude was as if it was natural for him to live here. There was even a hint of something firm in it, so Seo Jin gave up on the idea of protesting.

Certainly, Ceril was that kind of person.

Once she made up her mind, she was the type to push forward without caring about useless things at all. Even though he was an old comrade, she also had a reckless side to her, to the point of suddenly having a man she had reunited with after several years stay at her house.

Seo Jin, who had belatedly recalled that memory, felt like his head was starting to hurt.

“It’ll be dangerous to go outside in your current state. Until your new identity is found, try not to go outside, and if you need something, contact me with this phone. I’ll buy it when I get off work. Got it?”

He could only answer that he understood.

Ceril nodded with satisfaction and opened the bedroom door.

“Make yourself comfortable from now on, and it’s late, so let’s sleep for now.”

“Eh? What aren’t you doing, not coming?”

“Are we sleeping in the same room?”

“This bed is bigger than you think, so it won’t be cramped even if two people sleep in it.”

“…..I think there was a spare room or a sofa-“

“There’s only one blanket. Unless you’re going to sleep bare, hurry up and come here.”

The light brown eyes looking at the hesitating Seo Jin slyly tilted.

“What are you shy about now? We’ve seen each other in the worst conditions when we were doing operations, so what’s the matter now….”

It was certainly a story from the war.

During the missions that Seo Jin and Ceril’s affiliated units had cooperated in, there were many times when the two units used one lodging, or even places where there wasn’t even a proper garrison when the war situation was bad.

Then they would sleep together and live together. There was no distinction between men and women. In the difficult situation, they were just comrades who were all rolling around in the mud.

Certainly, it was like that at that time.

‘But….’

Even though Seo Jin was hesitating, Ceril didn’t care much, so he gave up in the end. Seo Jin carefully lifted the end of the blanket and lay down.

He slightly averted his eyes because he was burdened by the strangely satisfied gaze following him.

Before long, the lights were turned off.

In the darkness of the night,

It was a silence where various thoughts came to mind.

Seo Jin suddenly thought that his situation was funny.

Wasn’t that so?

He was definitely planning to quietly spend the time he had left alone in a place where no one knew him.

But he really hadn’t known that the situation would be twisted this far in just a few days-

Whenever he thought about such thoughts, he would inadvertently think.

If Arcel saw his current self, what would she say?

He probably wouldn’t hear anything good.

Well, whatever the reason, if Arcel had caught him lying in the same bed as another woman….

Seo Jin unconsciously I cringed.

[“If you keep doing this, I can’t be at ease. Really, from now on, I’ll have to put a leash on you…………. Do you think I’m joking?”]

It felt like a hollow laugh would leak out,

But somehow, one side of his heart felt it’s getting boring.

It was a voice that he wanted to hear again, even if he had to suffer that much.

With the longing memories and the troubled heart,

Seo Jin tossed and turned for a while without being able to fall asleep.

While turning over so carelessly, he suddenly happened to look at the seat next to him.

Ceril was covering herself with the blanket up to her shoulders in a stiff posture.

A quiet breathing sound that he didn’t know if she was asleep or not was occasionally scattered.

Seo Jin carefully looked at her appearance.

Light brown hair that was richly scattered around her shoulders.

Long eyelashes covered closed eyes.

Below her sharply raised nose, lips that were glistening with moisture.

Combined with the youthful appearance that didn’t even seem like she was in her late twenties, she was a beautiful woman that anyone could see. Such a person was lending him her side without even being wary.

Seo Jin still didn’t understand it well.

Why she was helping him at all.

What was the reason for readily offering excessive goodwill with just the name of an old comrade?

He wanted to ask, but he couldn’t wake her, who was closing her eyes as if she was dead in the silence of the night…..

So Seo Jin also closed his eyelids and tried to sleep.

It was late at night.

A midnight where he could only hear the quiet breathing sounds.

A shadow raised its body.

The one who had removed the blanket and was sitting on the bed slowly raised her head.

The light brown eyes that had sunk in the darkness were staring down at the person who was sleeping next to her.

She had been watching him like that for a long time.

Before she knew it, she had slyly raised her finger.

She was carefully stroking his cheek.

She flinched in surprise at the warmth that had touched her fingertips, and withdrew it-

And then carefully stroked it again once more.

Ceril muttered where no one could hear.

“….I met you again, finally….”

She was doing that for a while, but she somehow suddenly stiffened her body.

She was showing a hesitant look.

Her hesitation didn’t last long.

So that she wouldn’t tickle the person who was asleep, she brushed the disheveled hair back over her shoulder again-

And then lowered her head slightly,

And kissed his forehead.

In the eyes that were looking down at him closely, there was an emotion that he hadn’t seen.

“Now, never again…..”