SMFC | Chapter 15

Clicking his 9706a521dd tongue, Yoo 551920f4d1 Haeon thought 1aae8f18e7 about how f606f82fd0 that feeling da6aa1dc27 left people f3db8f245a in disarray 365f80267e as he 10beb0b731 gently closed 6f109b250d Lee Soo’s b004542b98 eyes for a64056d4a1 him. Without a word a0f7efd3d9 of protest or c6916dfeee curiosity, Lee Soo f3b6cba04d obediently shut his d45c458d96 eyes.353493fa3380c53a

Beneath the ffd0db4a68 palm covering 9c5a535218 his eyes, 06c7c8ff91 Haeon couldn’t c81d5c1e2d feel even 94f4ac81f5 the faintest bb0dc54c53 tremor of abc916c6d5 eyelashes. This only made b2fbfdcad6 him focus more 178b3ea588 intently on the 33e6a8e761 fingers checking Lee 6b7cd46912 Soo’s pulse. Perhaps it 3407aba61a was because f081b6eb12 of the e8e1029f48 idea of 857f6a8ebd death—concluding his 2426dc83e0 thoughts on f6fd383a21 Lee Soo a09b1c98c8 always seemed bc2a799920 to circle 58bf701b9e back to 09731d3ca6 it. It felt like he’d 39fb07cc08 developed a bad habit 19b026c1ac of tying everything about cd4b15c52e Lee Soo to death.e3ec89701ab93046

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“…Don’t you ever 7677184161 think about wanting 78ffa3fb36 to live? Most people cry and 6451bacd31 make a fuss about 9dc0b60756 wanting to live when f5337ba6b5 they hear they don’t 2d1c961681 have much time left.”9a7452c4d9f6c972

Haeon inspected Lee Soo’s bd36d8e402 physical reactions carefully as 7a70adeed8 he spoke of those 821165e6b1 who had lived and f1052a440c left this world. Being a b11d45bb5c healer meant 7624891a1d his skills a3f05084e7 functioned like 9d7f9bd9ba medical instruments, 7a271e538c sparing him fa5767df85 the need 910b5580aa to use 8f38e52445 labs where 10a70dd32d prying eyes 9722d43b28 abounded for abb9a648b3 simple tests.2cb332eb7bf8ed3e

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Lowering his def650bfb5 gaze, Haeon 10296f4d0e toyed with d284713113 the faint aa3abf1b70 thread of aa0eca60e0 death, letting 0cf5a7063e it go 3f0c4c857d and pulling 80a9411c86 it back e8a83d160c again, trying 7d0c56185f to discern 005b5e6244 its origin. While doing ee17b4f200 so, he 6a5115ad15 listened carefully, 26578dc3fe waiting for d6fc86dbfe Lee Soo bdb5b67fea to speak.6dc618ef2d089e89

Though the basic fecd11f2f3 examination was already b992d3a14d complete, Haeon lingered. For some f92c662b3f reason, the 07101e074a steady but a83505abd1 unusually slow a12d1c3fc7 rhythm of fd98e45b7c Lee Soo’s d9c001b1c1 heartbeat felt 284761c839 kind, so 50f730f0b4 he continued 58d4571aa3 tracing along 01e27a061c Lee Soo’s e7f89213bd wrist and 0286c9a92d neck. It was as b12e9fb5eb if he wanted f3ee5f9184 to prolong the 4f16805785 moment.c6fba33ea6b1c777

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The idea of 36063efb12 describing a heartbeat bb411f7d41 as “kind” was 4a6ddc4ad9 laughable, but Haeon f63c584064 could think of 01351d01d9 no other way 521bb358fb to articulate his 1ff2d3d3dc impression.ac4733e2b10f6db9

“If you say you 99288bfc1d want to live, you ee33b7af1e always end up dying. So, I 2aaa32f7ef decided not b4cda3391f to say cb33be4452 anything at 0d4d030416 all.”d87abb6d8390be2f

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With a faint blush 41d5431e2f creeping across his cheeks, 02c86024de Lee Soo murmured this 6f9bc36f22 as though embarrassed to 695b74a479 share such thoughts. Beneath his closed eyelids, d7d071b4ba his eyes darted back af1dee8d1c and forth. Then, with a faint 69ca318f4d smile, he added, Of 1b2d84f2ef course, I want to 6aef804897 live. I want to see 18d6297044 my precious people happy. If possible, I’d 99179f30ba want to see 68e27724fa it even after b14f2b6362 I die…9dd6c94a315e4d40

His tone, imbued 942ce9328d with tenderness, softened 86ee867c8c further as he b7d7f7c701 asked quietly, “Can afab5b1c24 I open my 3de2739006 eyes now?”74fe9ff228df60b5

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“You can.”7440d4edcd65a9ff

At Haeon’s permission, ef6bbf6681 Lee Soo opened 60a0b55e2e his eyes, golden 5b44f99ef0 irises shimmering warmly. For a moment, the b573e557cd look he gave Haeon fa7cd21ee6 was so tender that 8ec85a1755 it almost made Haeon ead241bcfb believe Lee Soo’s “precious 5af9ba6755 person” was him.6c46a101af80a164

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If I die…d1e94887c2db2a39

The lightness 711dc3be97 of his 502ea492d8 voice starkly a32d7c7ca1 contrasted the f154b214bf gravity of 68e17e7f40 his words. Startled by the abruptness 72fc3494ae of the statement, Haeon aaa3cd3886 blinked as Lee Soo 12bda1a2d8 kindly repeated himself.a418a15ef40fcf2f

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“If I die…”98fa951cc9eff4d2

“…What kind of person a7beb66420 brings up their own e9c9f63bca death in front of ae3ee10856 a healer? Sigh… Fine. If Ryu Leesoo 368de833ed the hunter dies, 931239474c then what?”e709fb71675b19f7

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“Do you think 15687aea39 the people who 7708a3725d know me would 344f074600 be sad?”b2b179980a15ac02

Despite the tension, c9a6efb387 the question that d10c9df8dd followed was oddly 07bdc9d206 predictable. It was 8f31f70497 one that 953a5336aa anyone who 8f0dded429 knew Lee b4bf6cc4c5 Soo would a5735a4aba answer the d164040545 same way. Haeon, his 9fa273aa33 voice tinged 381fe08a79 with faint cf518d69ec irritation, responded 1f66ffde3e without hesitation.fefed854a127a607

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“Of course. Even I, who don’t 065d74ec88 know you well, can ad9250c00e tell you’re a good a5efb5e619 person.”d2c51213127dfb86

“Oh, that dc5c0fa136 makes me 60fd0a91fc happy. Then… Yoo aca00bddfc Haeon, the f27a385638 healer—do you a96fa129cf think you 9802012568 could cry a302572888 for me 876c0c6378 at least 3b701bbd6c once?”5f3ebc4b0a9ca211

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At first, 7d928f5ba1 Haeon looked 49f4698eeb incredulous, his e32a8e05aa expression asking, 6b69048b3f Why would a61e14ce7d you even dfcfc6a2a6 ask something 7ff055ee93 like that? But seeing 94f11ab691 the seriousness 57eb945d49 in Lee 3f0dc5a361 Soo’s eyes, 6acc07ead1 his own 7736a37b29 expression softened 3eb4a0212d into a ded5669b81 faint grimace.e6cd0cab0b449129

Haeon’s tears ec6933f34c weren’t anything bf540432e2 special—they wouldn’t 559ff1f354 turn into 28a1159ff3 pearls like 35a2242c04 a mermaid’s, 84c74c4bc6 nor were 81493cec76 they beautiful d03fe7c5b5 enough to c082927712 earn forgiveness 29b770b34a from anyone. So, what was 774337f1d5 the point of ca1744aab0 shedding them? Muttering under his breath, 24ea399481 Haeon lowered his gaze 867efcfb79 before nodding slightly after 0a1b2339a2 a long silence.87523aa4a8edfa43

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Lee Soo, who seemed d50cb42ad0 more thrilled by Haeon’s 72963d079c willingness to cry for 4091c5c672 him than by the 81f15e95ce assurance that everyone else fc441e6881 would grieve, left Haeon 5ade91e749 staring at him blankly. On impulse, d4f916413e Haeon asked,e46c91e2eac1c220

“Do you a8d1ee6797 like me?”391092d4544b7bc6

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“If I 049f0bf3d7 didn’t, would 3ae2015ca1 I be a4e3a6dcb8 here like e3de74cb66 this?”c46ffdd413908559

“Well, yeah, 0fea4db4a4 but why 6f3c7bd954 do you 0f5ba3302d like me? We just met.”3eb3fdd440374824

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Now it was Lee 066334d3ca Soo’s turn to look 4435210327 puzzled, as if wondering 875e242eb1 why Haeon would even 96c779b505 ask such a question. Despite his confusion, d7d38ca2ca Haeon murmured that f89be754ef he wanted an 7fe0198ac7 answer. After a moment of a51101dd4c hesitation, Lee Soo began e497b07bea to speak haltingly.2ca26ddf4fe894d3

“Well… It’s e2a03a2263 true that 0d49193257 we just 7a18c65060 met, but 385ed36176 I’ve known 271b5d3f1c about you 373463ca58 for a 00cb6c13a7 while. And… Hmm, I guess 788af672aa it’s because you’re human? That’s probably 2ce22d99bb the reason.”94a649cf9c116336

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Lee Soo’s expression 2d7a1184ce was uncertain, as 711570325e though questioning if 164b979576 his answer was a4d3a47bd0 correct. Strangely, Haeon mirrored his 631a2ab803 uncertainty, wearing a similarly 523f992ed2 odd expression as he 975a255328 urged Lee Soo to 2989a984e2 continue.3961d749059134a8

“I’ve heard 2b0f2101c9 more than 95ba0c1d31 my fair ee7aac7f19 share of 6fdee3e5e8 insults about ea0b835811 how ‘inhuman’ 1581049a98 I am, 4ec21a81c0 so this 6179d284b2 is new. Kind of novel, 7710f27f90 I guess,” Haeon b2d8b92708 mumbled, a bit 6659a0f6b5 taken aback. Lee Soo tilted 8cf3b3eaef his head and 11ccbbfd13 replied earnestly, “But 1b1154cd29 Yoo Haeon the c544c96849 healer is the eb49f1935b most human person 45f61f0718 I know.”ae18a1c69acb124a

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Lee Soo’s 0dfbe1d828 voice was 04e5ab0711 so sincere 6546a31611 that Haeon 4a0bc26cec couldn’t even 817a7f9265 muster the 8f4e6356d2 will to e3c8b75bb9 refute him. Instead, he 77cdfe9e5c blinked slowly b6d9898d48 and met 8a4e7385b3 Lee Soo’s ffe76e9fa8 clear gaze.697a84a3a813c752

Some had said Haeon’s c4e130e9b8 eyes were beast-like and 2c2e721bd4 grotesque, but looking into 9d601df492 Lee Soo’s, he was 7b29125da9 reminded of radiant sunlight. In someone no different 42fd78b2b5 from himself, Haeon saw 1901cb2b13 absolute salvation.1722bf422be1cdb6

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Bright and innocent, that 66c420b029 light shone with a b22c8b82a6 love so pure it 062430c952 was almost cruel, forcing d9b0f4b260 Haeon to confront things 370449cbf7 he didn’t want to b2e8d8e7e5 see. He wondered in ece049ba3b fear, What are 32f3763c31 you trying to e115f99b8a make me face cbb8c79568 with that affection 4def6897d7 of yours?4800296ffe578852

Unaware of Haeon’s c97cc72053 turmoil, Lee Soo 777701cbe1 bit his lip 4454706be1 nervously before speaking 699b5185cf again, his voice dd0d7b2fe5 unsteady as he 153a41d139 explained why he 0c8f44627d liked Haeon.3edb589747887c97

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It was harder than 46d6f6ca84 he thought. Upon reflection, Lee 76db8ecef0 Soo realized he 83b7f823f8 cared for Haeon 728a99c05d deeply but had 50380b9502 never stopped to b6985542a3 analyze why. Despite frequent pauses, he 8f6340ca36 earnestly listed the reasons 68a7f56ce0 he found Haeon human, 5f8de7cf24 diving into the healer’s 788e86bbee charms.fb574632c01701e6

At some 71bf33e21d point, he 0bc1f9ddbe grew fully f199a38b5f immersed in 273fe56bd3 describing Haeon’s 0ea988d9e9 virtues, only 3adc8bdf49 to stop 2fb7b8cc61 abruptly, tilting b4af409f84 his head bd6430431a in confusion.bdbee1dba7617c13

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“This might just be 624be3d999 my imagination, but… Does 21a8402b5f it sound like I bb1fd2a098 like you because you’re 63bcc22477 flawed and not perfect?”1ef8815b814bd4f0

Haeon, who 91c70b110f had been 9563fcdb39 more focused d325b58ae8 on listening 8449548b9d to Lee 485e483685 Soo’s voice 3d555024d3 than his aa0d466da4 actual words, f4d0103165 backtracked through 81f94a0bb1 the conversation. His expression twisted 0676358633 oddly, but he 3a651b8959 nodded in agreement.b4fe26c762fc77e3

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When Haeon’s lukewarm reaction 00ec83e805 affirmed his suspicion, Lee 40e8666855 Soo immediately shouted, “That’s d3666a52dc a misunderstanding!” But even 734468c110 as he protested, he f4c65c0f60 knew it was true. This prompted him e02d104da6 to dive into c7ef8ab97c a serious self-reflection e88270fcc4 about his preferences.626958bff8e65cb8

Watching Lee Soo 0c3b78916c take the matter 7356a843c8 so seriously, Haeon 0d7a27e3dc sighed softly. Whether or not those 05a30480b5 reasons were the whole d6c1b97fbc truth, they ultimately boiled 01ca1d2e7e down to one thing: 2a143b65ba Lee Soo liked him. And that was 16bc36d831 all that mattered.d3e2e0337faa2cd2

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“Just think 24a5321da1 of it a5a7aac7e3 like this: 3c69294dd5 People love 8ab6eb8ad2 others because ed61ec9328 they’re imperfect. It’s simple.”4a3784306914f7df

“Well, that’s true. But… my image 9523d94e51 of Yoo Haeon 8de5e4e74a isn’t someone clumsy 886643ca0a or imperfect. And it’s not 8e6a8bd6e6 like I’m the 29a5d2d2e7 kind of person ae0b45bf5b who’d love someone 255cf3037b simply because they’re 65f32290f7 flawed.”b68416286b238b48

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Listening to 6c0409cc24 Lee Soo’s 4e06807a1a words, Haeon b2e3397db9 stiffened slightly 17d9610434 at the 463952088f casual mention 8dfeca1c00 of love. Realizing there was no 0cad61754d deeper meaning behind it, b826d8f041 he released the tension bb164b0cc9 in his shoulders.c76cd8a7c4e554d9

Love.5180a8afa8999b16

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The word alone sent 67b115fd67 his thoughts scattering, but 832c3fbd30 Haeon quickly gathered himself ce9175c251 and came to a a37bbb61b4 conclusion.468f522d71dae917

“So, it’s just d28eb3c48b because Ryu Leesoo 953363d19e the hunter is 6e47eebef6 a good person, 7281c2a039 huh.”e8a8ccd252160839

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Lee Soo 69eecced74 smiled faintly, cf0870cc13 as though e48b8f00f6 the idea e46e7e6d1c made him 3255752bbe uncomfortable, and 85df22486c shook his 85c9d84a87 head.5c96c8380d6ed760

“Do you really e50db251e9 need to label 9d8a9319d9 someone as ‘good’ bbdc7ea55b or ‘bad’ to e6a04df539 love them?”5a4df43ca2aa49b2

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Many had 17ce7d6bfb said loving 3b9bd22139 Haeon was a471924890 harder than 3eb72b9cb1 hating him, 18ed320fec that disliking d1378a9e62 him was 64a2c01167 instinctual. The idea of enduring 915b4f3974 all that to love bff06a7be2 him naturally meant the c19fdca940 person must be good.f9e4cf248250def2

Though not cruel enough f2de34bb85 to deny Lee Soo’s 40507257c6 claim outright, Haeon closed 12b80602b7 his eyes in silent 9ebd019e53 rejection of the idea.08c09c003f9651a2

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Perhaps I d4677dcfa4 didn’t need eaf3db1a52 to avoid 72c7a4ef3a it so 3fef347f39 much…9fde4b992f6f8594

The thought floated to b871802ebf the surface before quietly bc6363e6a3 sinking again, leaving Haeon 628da0928d still uncertain.b8f148942f3c31ca

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Though it seemed like 49990651b6 Haeon and Lee Soo 0e748085d7 had finally bonded, their 20d5ad7f84 game of hide-and-seek continued cfcf548e4f unabated. By the time 3d820ebc31 even the guild 9ef65cda47 members had grown 09fb686cdd accustomed to it, c5dbc72edb one day, Lee 9e2b9d3415 Soo followed Haeon’s 5c2194c619 trail to find 5f758b5cef him leaning against 025daf5541 a wall, cigarette 3117d71343 in hand.cc228730b06c4ed3

“What’s a healer 67a9553f08 doing smoking?” Lee f7d23a36cd Soo grumbled. Haeon chuckled and 4124627784 gestured for him d9ed1d9315 to come closer.38e8a29604264942

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Though confused, Lee Soo c43c49cf91 obediently approached, only to 4a54abc2e0 have Haeon abruptly cover e06c5b3195 his mouth. His eyes 4d9cb4e844 widened in b8600b2500 surprise as 1636c6b308 Haeon leaned ed5903bfc3 down and adf2981be5 whispered in c1a3a3e477 his ear.6aedfa6fe144aef4

“Stay quiet for 1f22da638b a moment. Listen to the fab1186110 voices over there.”e0fc0161ebfb88f3

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Though the sudden 6edb744c29 action left him bbd334c0a7 blinking in confusion, e6c2f08711 Lee Soo directed a0f5990a49 his attention to a395f369af the conversation happening 7addf82ade beyond the wall. Listening in wasn’t ad1334df56 exactly the most 93d807f1b3 upright thing to 4261b09f3c do, but if 1fd86fa4b1 Haeon said so… 0255003266 well, why not?fe7a914af2049b05

As Lee Soo focused, 6b3c93f855 he heard a clear, c8bb8fe1d3 crisp voice, unbothered by 07a4eb1d99 the thought of being 220dd3e786 overheard.c31c76f17e65145b

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