Chapter 15: The Warmth of Home

“…Let’s eat first.”

“Uh, okay!”

After a while, Jaeyul’s tears finally stopped.
I set him down in front of the already-prepared table, scooped two bowls of warm rice, and sat down as well.

“Wow… there’s so much!”

“If you laugh right after crying like that, you’ll grow horns on your butt.”

“What does that mean? People can grow horns on their butts? How? Why?”

…Do kids these days not know that saying?
Or is this some clever way of telling me not to talk nonsense?
His innocent gaze made me flustered.

“It means you shouldn’t cry… Anyway, let’s just eat.”

“Oh! You know old sayings well… I didn’t know, sorry.”

Wait.
That stung.
In an instant, I became an “old person.”
Even though our physical age difference is only about four years, it felt like I’d become some antique relic.

“Eat up. I made this for you, Jaeyul.”

Jaeyul took a big bite of the rolled omelet first.
Even though he opened his little mouth as wide as he could, he could only manage a third of it.

“Is it good?”

He nodded quickly while chewing busily.
This time, I picked up a still-warm piece of jangjorim (soy-braised beef) and fed it to him myself.
Then came seasoned lettuce, braised tofu, grilled fish—each time I gave him something, he opened his mouth and ate it obediently.
He really looked like a baby bird being fed.

“It’s all delicious!”

“That’s a relief. I was worried—it’s been a while since I cooked.”

When I was fourteen, both my parents passed away, and I started living alone.
After awakening as an Esper at seventeen, even while studying at the academy or working at the Special Ability Center, I always lived by myself.
So I’ve been cooking for quite a while.
Though, after the “X” appeared, I hardly cooked anything properly anymore.

Seeing him eat so well made me think I should start cooking for him more often.
Home-cooked food really is the best.

“But hey, Jaeyul, what did you eat while I was sick? There was nothing left at home.”

I asked while he was still eating.
I’d been unconscious for about three days.
Even if he’d gone shopping, I usually didn’t stock up on food, so there wouldn’t have been much to eat—just some meat, side dishes, maybe a couple of instant noodles and rice.

“I just shared whatever was left.
They said you should eat porridge when you’re sick, so I made porridge for you and ate it too.”

“…Who said that?”

“I saw it online.
And some doctors came by too, but, um…”

He hesitated, fidgeting with his hands.
Something must have happened.

“Let’s finish eating first. We can talk after.”

I decided to listen to the whole story later.
For now, we just kept eating.
It had been days since he’d had a proper meal, so I wanted to let him eat comfortably.

---

“…Nobody helped.”

“…I see…”

After finishing the meal, I finally heard what had happened while I was unconscious.
And honestly… it was unbelievable.
The paramedics who responded to Jaeyul’s call realized my condition was due to an awakening and said it wasn’t their jurisdiction—they told him to contact the Genetic Center and left.
Then the Center refused to help because they said free treatment wasn’t possible.

“And then they told me to feed you porridge and give you this medicine.”

Jaeyul pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket.
It listed medicine used to calm down Omegas during an awakening or pheromone overdrive.

“So you bought it yourself? Where did you get the money?”

There were no traces of my card being used.
Of course not—the pheromone suppressant was an expensive drug, not covered by insurance.
The only small mercy was that it could be bought in single tablets.

“Well…”

He started fidgeting with his fingers nervously, eyes downcast.

“I-I’m sorry… I wasn’t supposed to break the promise, but I didn’t have any money…”

…Oh no.
There weren’t many promises between us.
So if he said that—

“…You went into a Gate, didn’t you?”

He had gone back into that dangerous place because of me.

“But I took your gloves and bag!
And I didn’t stay long—I just picked up the stones and herbs you told me about!
I swear!”

He probably had no choice.
There was no one he could ask for help.
The only option he could think of was the Gate.
The thought of that small body wandering through a place full of monsters and bloodshed because of me made my chest tighten painfully.

He must have spent one day finding one pill, and another day searching for the rest.

“I’ll be back soon, hyung.”

That voice I’d heard faintly in my hazy state—it was his.

“Don’t be sick, hyung.”

“Just one more bite…”

“Are you hot? C-cold? What’s wrong…?”

Now the memories came flooding back.
The voices I’d heard while half-conscious filled my head like a rising tide.
All that time, Jaeyul stayed with me.
A child who could barely take care of himself had taken care of me.
He… saved me.

That’s not a metaphor.
Many who awaken die because they don’t get the right care or medicine.
My sudden awakening was no different—it was far more violent than in my previous life.
If it hadn’t been for Jaeyul’s care, my second life might have ended right there.

“…Thank you.
You saved me, Jaeyul.”

I pulled him into my arms.
I couldn’t bring myself to scold him for breaking his promise.

“Thank you, hyung.
I’m just glad you’re not hurting anymore.”

What a good kid.
All I said was “thank you,” because I didn’t know how else to express what I felt—and yet he hugged me back with his small arms and spoke such warm words.
His little warmth wrapping around me felt so comforting.
It was a warmth I could never have known if I’d been alone.

When I first came back fifteen years, I only wanted to live well on my own.
I didn’t care what happened to others.
Even when I took Jaeyul in, I thought it was only temporary.
But that care went both ways.
He gave me back far more than I’d ever given him.

“Let’s really live well, okay?”

So now, I want to return the favor.
I want to take even better care of this kid.

---

“Patient Jin Se-hyun, please come into the consultation room.”

“Ah, yes.”

It had been a while since I last visited a hospital.
I couldn’t really afford a full examination, but I needed to check whether my awakening had finished properly.
After a blood test and a long wait, I finally got called in.
There aren’t many hospitals for trait holders, so the waiting time was much longer than the actual consultation.

“They said you awakened, correct?”

“Yes. About… three days ago.”

“Hmm…”

The doctor stared at my chart for quite a while, frowning occasionally with a serious expression.
Even the sound of his mouse clicking made me strangely anxious.

“Congratulations.
Your test results look excellent.”

“…Sorry? That can’t be right.”

What’s he talking about?
In my previous life—my first life—I had also awakened as an Omega.
Because it was a late awakening, my stats weren’t that good.
I was a recessive Omega, at least on paper.

Even now, remembering that awakening makes my blood boil.
If only I hadn’t awakened as an Omega…
If I’d become an Alpha, my physical abilities would’ve been much stronger.
Because I awakened as a recessive Omega, I was at a huge disadvantage physically.
The whole Center had gone into chaos when the once-promising SS-rank Esper nearly fell from grace.
My psychic powers made up for it, but still—

And I’d never even married, so the Omega trait was utterly useless to me.
Thinking about it made me feel depressed.
Anyway, there’s no way my results could be good.

“Is there a problem? Your pheromone levels are in the top one percent.
I can’t officially classify your grade, but… you’re what we call a dominant Omega.
The highest rank, actually.”

No way…
The doctor showed me the monitor.
I couldn’t read all the numbers, but he wasn’t lying.
Why was this happening?
Why was it different from before?
An earlier awakening… and a completely different trait.

It had to be the Black Petra.
That’s the only thing that makes sense.
It looked disgusting, but to think it could have such an effect…
A recessive Omega turning into a dominant one—it was unbelievable.

“Well, if it’s alright with you, our hospital would like to keep treating you and providing suppressants.”

“Sorry… what?”

“You see, having a dominant Omega as a patient would be good publicity for us, haha!
We’ll take care of you however you want, so don’t hesitate to come by anytime, student.
And if you ever think about getting married, my younger brother is an Alpha…”

Shameless.
But not a bad offer.
Suppressants and pheromone regulators are expensive.
So are the tests.
There was no reason to refuse.
Given how medical costs would only rise, this was a welcome offer.
I ignored the matchmaking part.

I agreed halfheartedly, grabbed a generous supply of suppressants and regulators, and left.
Might as well take advantage where I can.

“Jaeyul.”

On the way home, I bought a bag of bungeoppang (fish-shaped pastries) so we could eat together.
The smell kept making my mouth water the whole way.
As soon as I got home, I called for him—only to find him chewing on something strange.

“Hyung, you’re home?”

“…What are you eating?”

“This? It was in the drawer… It was so good, I only meant to eat a few but…”

He was nibbling on a small, chestnut-sized white pill.
It was… the Petra.
The elixir that could bring even a dying person back to life.