X
Join our Discord server and get release updates for every novel you follow.
Join the Server“I want to go home…”
Hae-su’s quiet murmur was cut short by Se-ha’s stern glare.
It clearly meant, If you’re about to say something ridiculous, keep your mouth shut.
Whether he understood or not, Hae-su didn’t argue.
Se-ha ignored the way Hae-su pouted.
“…You really don’t listen.”
“Mr. Choi Hae-su, you’ll probably forget this by the time you wake up, so I’ll say it anyway.”
“You’re unbelievably stubborn.”
“You know that?”
“…”
“You wouldn’t let me call Lee Do-yoon.”
“You refused to go to the hospital.”
“I almost ignored everything you said, but somehow I managed to stop myself.”
When Se-ha briefly touched the back of Hae-su’s head, it was soaked.
His palm came away covered in cold sweat.
They had spent nearly thirty minutes just trying to steady Hae-su’s breathing.
And after all that, the only things he could answer clearly were the words, I don’t want to.
“How irritating.”
Even as consciousness faded, Hae-su still used every ounce of strength to frown.
Did he even realize what he’d just said?
“Kwon Se-ha…”
“Try speaking a little more nicely…”
The words that followed were even more unbelievable.
Se-ha let out a disbelieving laugh.
So this is what he’s like when he’s barely awake.
Only when sleep was moments away did Hae-su become honest.
After seeing so many unfamiliar sides of him today, Se-ha’s head was spinning.
“I’m not even sure I should be listening to someone who’s about to collapse.”
“…Mm.”
They had arrived outside Hae-su’s apartment.
With obvious dissatisfaction, Se-ha parked in front of the address Hae-su had given him.
He wasn’t even completely convinced they had come to the right place.
“Mr. Choi Hae-su.”
“The next time you’re sick, go to the hospital.”
“…”
“Stop trying to endure everything.”
“That’s how you stay alive.”
Scolding someone who was already drifting to sleep didn’t make Se-ha feel any better.
Still, he wouldn’t feel at ease until he got Hae-su safely to his front door.
Asking the half-asleep man for the building’s entry code somehow felt like taking advantage of him.
“Twenty-second floor.”
The moment Se-ha stepped off the elevator, he stopped.
Someone else was already waiting outside Hae-su’s apartment.
“…Who are you?”
The face seemed vaguely familiar, but Se-ha didn’t bother looking too closely.
The other man’s expression toward him was already cold.
Not that Se-ha particularly cared.
“I’m Hae-su’s older brother.”
“Ah.”
“That’s a relief.”
“…”
“He insisted he wouldn’t go to the hospital.”
“So I brought him home instead.”
“It would be better if someone stayed with him.”
“He had a brief episode of hyperventilation.”
Only after confirming that Hae-su’s sleeping face had gradually relaxed did Se-ha move again.
One glance had been enough.
“I understand.”
“You can leave now.”
“Thank you for bringing Hae-su home.”
“…Right.”
“When he wakes up…”
When he wakes up… what?
Was he really about to ask this stranger to have Hae-su contact him?
The thought sounded ridiculous the moment it crossed his mind.
A bitter laugh nearly escaped.
They had never even exchanged casual messages before.
He had almost made a very strange request to someone he didn’t know.
“…Never mind.”
“I’ll be going.”
He turned around without hesitation.
There was nothing left to do.
He had brought Hae-su home.
Now it was time to get on with his own life.
It had already been a strange enough day.
One filled with inexplicable events.
After a few days, he’d probably forget all about it.
But even after leaving Hae-su there with his own hands…
He couldn’t stop thinking about him.
If only he’d stayed a few more hours after putting him to bed.
Maybe he wouldn’t feel like this now.
By the time he reached that conclusion, Se-ha could only think,
I’ve completely lost my mind.
He couldn’t understand why the uneasiness wouldn’t disappear.
The image of Hae-su, deathly pale and barely able to keep his eyes open, lingered before him.
It wasn’t even the first time he’d seen him like that.
Perhaps today felt different because…
When he’d instinctively held Hae-su, his waist had seemed frighteningly thin.
Was he always this skinny?
He’d always looked slender.
But actually holding him…
That had been different.
Every time he stopped at a traffic light, the hand gripping the steering wheel unconsciously clenched into a fist before relaxing again.
He couldn’t stop remembering the way Hae-su had gasped for breath like someone on the verge of dying.
The more he replayed everything from beginning to end…
The harder it became to stop thinking about Hae-su’s condition.
And with every memory…
The anxiety inside him quietly grew.
Just then, while Se-ha remained lost in thought, his phone rang.
He glanced over in surprise.
Yoon Ji-woo.
Only then did he remember rejecting her call earlier.
After a brief hesitation, he answered.
“Yeah, Ji-woo.”
“Why weren’t you answering your phone?”
Her voice was sharp with irritation.
Se-ha couldn’t respond immediately.
He loosened the tie tightening around his neck.
“I kept calling!”
“Where are you?”
“What have you been doing that your phone was…!”
“Ji-woo.”
“You call me out of nowhere and immediately start yelling?”
Rather than wondering whether something had happened, he simply wondered what had upset her this time.
Before he could become angry himself, Ji-woo hurriedly interrupted.
“No…”
“No…”
“Ah…”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry…”
“I think I’m drunk.”
“…Where are you right now?”
“Did you drink that much?”
Her pronunciation wasn’t slurred.
He knew she wasn’t truly drunk.
Still, he asked.
Without using alcohol as an excuse, there was no reason for him to overlook this behavior.
“Se-ha…”
“Are you still outside?”
“Did everything go okay?”
“Yeah.”
He tapped his fingers lightly while focusing on both driving and the call.
He had no desire to indulge unexplained anger.
His answers came out clipped and firm.
“You sounded angry.”
“Are you angry with me?”
“Come pick me up.”
“We’ll talk then.”
“I’m sorry.”
Once Ji-woo apologized outright, Se-ha had little left to say.
The place she named wasn’t far away.
Right…
She had mentioned it this morning.
Only now did he remember.
“…Wait there.”
“Okay.”
“Drive safely.”
Moments earlier she’d been shouting.
Now her voice had become timid.
The call ended after barely three minutes.
With an unreadable expression, Se-ha stared ahead at the road.
His shoulders remained tense.
It seemed today would end just as exhausting as it had begun.
Still wearing the same hardened expression, he drove toward the meeting place.
He only knew he was tired.
He didn’t realize his thoughts remained fixed elsewhere.
After turning into a side street, he spotted Ji-woo.
“Get in.”
“It’s gotten cold.”
“Sorry.”
“Our plans ended earlier than I expected.”
Her subdued voice immediately confirmed his suspicions.
Whatever had happened, something had clearly gone wrong.
She climbed into the passenger seat as though she’d been waiting for him.
There wasn’t much of an alcohol smell on her.
“But, Se-ha…”
With vacant eyes, Ji-woo sank into the seat.
She fastened her seatbelt almost automatically.
She stayed silent for a long while before slowly turning toward him.
Her gaze remained distant.
Without responding, Se-ha pressed the accelerator.
The car pulled away.
Ji-woo shifted uncomfortably.
“…Was someone else in your car today?”
The question suddenly gave a name to everything Se-ha had been thinking about on the drive over.
It also gave a name to the emotion rising inside him.
He realized…
He had been worrying about someone.
His memories of Hae-su were mostly filled with curt words and cold exchanges.
Yet somehow…
He’d spent hours worrying about him.
Even he found that strange.
“What?”
“No…”
“It just feels like the seat’s reclined a little farther back.”
On the way here, he’d wondered whether Hae-su might be more comfortable leaning back.
Despite being told to relax, Hae-su had remained stiff and hesitant.
In the end, Se-ha had adjusted the seat himself.
Forced into closer proximity, Hae-su hadn’t made a single sound.
From the moment he’d taken Hae-su home until he’d arrived to pick up Ji-woo…
Se-ha hadn’t considered any of it important.
Now Ji-woo had noticed the difference immediately.
He found himself wondering what answer he should give.
Whatever he said…
If he simply told the truth, they’d probably argue again.
They’d only end up staring at each other with exhausted eyes.
“What are you talking about?”
“It’s nothing…”
Could he really brush it off that easily?
No.
He knew he couldn’t.
But right now…
He simply didn’t want to explain everything.
“The senior I met today said he can’t come to the wedding.”
“It made me feel kind of down.”
“You must’ve liked him a lot.”
“Are you disappointed?”
“Yeah.”
“I liked him.”
“So I was disappointed.”
“And I think I took it out on you.”
“I’m sorry, Se-ha.”
Throughout the drive home, Ji-woo thought about only one thing.
Even with Kwon Se-ha sitting beside her…
Her mind was completely occupied by him.
That wasn’t a good sign.
Quietly, she pressed a hand against her chest.
“Se-ha…”
“Did you have a good day today?”
“Yeah.”
“…That’s good.”
“I’m glad.”
She wanted to ask where he’d gone after work.
But every question caught in her throat.
She was afraid.
Afraid that he might lie to her without hesitation.
She spent some time alone in the bathroom, leaning against the wall.
Staring at the reflection in the mirror, she repeated the same promise to herself over and over.
Be stronger.
Stop panicking over things that aren’t your fault.
After standing there for a long time, Ji-woo finally walked into the living room.
She looked for Se-ha.
He hadn’t even changed out of his work clothes.
His expressionless face stared blankly ahead.
He didn’t even notice Ji-woo enter his field of vision.
Forcing herself to smile…
She quietly walked toward him.
You’ve got to see this next! Reborn in My Arch-Enemy's Body, I Rule Over the Divine Magical Girl will keep you on the edge of your seat. Start reading today!
Read : Reborn in My Arch-Enemy's Body, I Rule Over the Divine Magical Girl
If You Notice any translation issues or inconsistency in names, genders, or POV etc? Let us know here in the comments or on our Discord server, and we’ll fix it in current and future chapters. Thanks for helping us to improve! 🙂