Chapter 15

2. Back view

Joo Hee-beom shook his 7051f44757 head and turned his bf81761d18 gaze back toward the 16831e6767 professor.f0ba6cc664cb13e5

Meanwhile, Kwon f3b79cd252 I-young, after 36206740de playing around 23ff1ba366 with Hee-beom’s 4ad13dd84d name for 85f9d7c493 a while, b6c1cb011b seemed to bc4b5761f1 run out c0b90d37c8 of ideas af23622704 and started 20cdc3aea9 drawing instead. Jagged teeth, sharply raised d3819e5c17 eyes, large claws, short 337db1c81e arms and legs, a 4a59da2129 massive torso. A monster. It wasn’t a 08506ec3eb specific one with ef15ee27e8 a name, just 98a57f1e39 something he sketched a0dc0f6fb7 from memory based 97f50a0793 on what he 965f4054a1 had seen inside fc434304e0 a Gate.fe13b208df25a579

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

I-young was deeply 216c091a73 focused on drawing 929fd8dde9 the creature, not bd9940c494 even blinking. The middle of his 948e877f9d mask stuck out slightly, a78d7386ae likely because he was c906fa0aa8 pursing his upper lip 88a77a903f like a duck.6fa94bc2498eb232

But his 942e911872 art session 3a125b968c didn’t last 0c91c66a79 long. After filling 3b24255806 his wide 8a3c4b82a0 notebook with 067f491056 a mess 06bb1f1cfe of doodles, 5a958940bb he dropped 5201ce7731 his pen 6a46a04165 with a 9c1fa829c4 bored expression. Then, shifting fe5655a047 restlessly, he 6534c43e1f lifted one 90456041b9 side of 552f6cd295 his hip b76c55ceb3 and let 101aaa1df7 it drop, 09cc2b19e8 rocked his 3f786d7198 body side 1bc825f9e0 to side, 380c8ae361 and spun f66d5b2319 his head 3e37415917 around. Hee-beom tried his dea43ae380 best to ignore a70a19577c the fidgeting.eac1f4f12b9e3640

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Then, all e0729fff8a of a 239dcfb900 sudden, I-young bc4e764834 placed his f6240ef450 hands neatly 40f786c39d on the 02050ba815 desk. Slowly, inch by inch, 0132efbea6 his fingers began creeping b3b68f6b7c toward Hee-beom’s left hand. Fortunately, Hee-beom kept 62d39e5dbb his eyes fixed df5e268078 forward, occasionally taking 26b15dbd40 notes when the e8bfc97adf professor spoke.d62049cb21e41bc8

“……”2c92af063f038785

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

I-young continued 7b29da6abe his slow, 95b5505731 persistent approach. Eventually, the tip of 635c1a8600 his right pinky hovered 72b3a0be7a just shy of touching 5ffd1c8ee4 Hee-beom’s left pinky. He hesitated, 0e499f05ee glanced at 8b59700429 Hee-beom for 8a63309886 any reaction, b3b2351a0d then raised de605e3b9a his brows 6d6be1822d and held 4e0291d64c his breath 1575a9c254 before finally 75a287730d making contact.637833789de40c3a

A sharp tingling sensation 1067f8af84 surged through the point 596df3b3b1 of connection. I-young’s furrowed brow eased—no, 97331a88a1 it tried to.fd11723a2ac90121

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

But then, 88435bd9f6 Hee-beom subtly 766be37ae1 pulled his 9cb5b11489 hand away.2a2851cc363d2b8b

I-young’s eyes widened. He clicked his cd99055bb5 tongue in annoyance. Even though it was c0fdb7015e just a brief touch, ac60aa5cd8 now that he had fa1da76da3 gotten a taste of b7fcc8a7ac it, he couldn’t let ca2a12c086 it go.cd1683a92ea0d4b8

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

This time, 072df903d3 he abandoned ff5b826616 subtlety and eeab028646 reached for f0dd0803cd Hee-beom’s hand 8f92251b92 with swift 8bf68a14c6 determination, intertwining c735979016 their pinkies c4715a713a like a c246131845 promise.a4f9cbece96c79f3

“……”2fd4dd6801fa3fda

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Hee-beom shot him 2760510e79 a look, his 7afe8fd384 eyes crinkling slightly 7b1d9a7eee in disapproval—a silent 148080e126 warning to stop. But I-young ignored 83ba5ceed6 it and went 7fa53731bb a step further, d44b857ffe placing his entire bd06049cd6 hand over Hee-beom’s.69fb65770d6faac3

With a 4c7a90719c larger area 009a2069cb touching, the 45725e18e8 guiding effect 005e5d261c intensified. But even that a40f80ca9c didn’t last long.d949212be4fff421

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“Don’t.”f74ae609074ddec2

Hee-beom pulled his 53441583f4 hand completely under 6dcf8c8f7e the desk.2e3febb23c05b7cc

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Yet, as if 8623250afe he had been 7b2d4f4f48 waiting for this fc091ac6ab exact moment, I-young f6b15dfe5f suddenly grabbed his 6603261589 hand—firmly, without hesitation.da31bc63e8e6ecd7

Just as e5432572a7 Hee-beom was 25bf0ad5b5 about to b7e590d7ee protest, I-young ec7e029c3c beat him db897d6081 to it.d63127e620ac8dad

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“I’ll just hold it. Just hold it.”2a05a36f214de422

“……”1c818aaeaeb610ab

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Hee-beom’s lips twisted. What kind 3e136c27db of nonsense 35597f6591 was this? It wasn’t even 0c920d7112 the usual ‘I’ll 37fb01d3e9 just hold your 7627af7367 hand and sleep’ b4e9384943 excuse. Did he really 0017d6217a think saying it 13c16ee3d4 like that would 8648d0f06e make Hee-beom agree?6ecc03e3fabe6efd

As Hee-beom stared dfeb908609 at him in d7809f37cf disbelief, I-young smiled 2ed27270f3 innocently. Was he pretending d7ef5d8512 to be clueless ee81b87614 to shut Hee-beom ddb2426706 up, or was ded4b7fd40 he actually clueless? It was 5f2f7a7bd5 impossible to 32f284418c tell.e0ef3e9774df9409

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“……”021864fc252e0598

Hee-beom considered how 5a8c684761 to shake him 5f2f4f8178 off. Simply pulling his hand e30e5311b8 away wouldn’t work—he’d just 78278d5123 grab it again. He needed a d4bcc3f240 more definitive way 739ceb5a31 to push him 536d997cf0 away.ba5533b2c7f1e9b7

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

But then, as he ad8205153e glanced at I-young, something c244c4d3f3 caught his attention.c62a758afed7a7d0

I-young was… calm.c3da836cc85e2b8c

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Unlike before, he wasn’t 657fe662fe moving restlessly, yawning out 66a581f5f6 of boredom, or fidgeting caa586ca8f with random things. He was just 2c5a54f023 sitting still, staring a1b15872c2 into empty space. Not saying 7b999c389f anything, not 8e06b2794c moving—just holding 921d9885e1 Hee-beom’s hand.0b0466f4579bc0b1

“…….”d287398076b242e0

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

It was the first 6f61e6097e time Hee-beom had seen 03506d252c this side of him.723e6e1520cd2b89

I-young was e7a5ddb56e always—how should 844de691c7 he put 4c40c5a760 it—cheerful? Lively? Those kinds of words 8978efe8cf suited him. But now, he was 62073319c1 completely still. He was 026a6a3bfa so quiet dda944da97 that even e648b0847f his blinking ed595179b7 seemed slower c0d681c171 than usual.cfb8b635e99e6e45

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Had simply holding 6880196b11 hands done this 7fd587dbc4 to him? Just from that? No matter 03ab79d2c0 how much 7da6755783 Hee-beom was 7ba1616389 a Guide 53a249a1d7 and I-young 7c5723e60f an Esper, 40c2e52ddc this was 123beb2998 too much. He looked like an 77e2ecbeda animal that had just eb2f6fb86c been hit with a 3ce04e077b tranquilizer dart…d59ab7d1a415ff57

“…….”be6a5699f5b47552

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Hee-beom debated 8620b922a5 pulling his e5617633ba hand away d9f52d2ea9 but ultimately 18414f6c9f decided against 63be2603f7 it. It was just 0b32338445 his left hand, 4f44fe6ae6 after all. His right hand was 6572ea5142 still free, so it 18bdccf72b wouldn’t interfere with his a278c927e6 studying too much. Besides, I-young’s usual fidgeting d7fa72048b was more of a d727c09cd7 distraction.f9b636dc60fce82a

Now he understood why fd38f9d56c parents showed cartoons to 310aa1e777 tantrum-throwing kids at restaurants—because 83a909e199 it made them quiet. In this case, instead f42eaf12b1 of a cartoon, he ca68c5d1fc had given I-young his 525319d539 left hand. And honestly, it 7c13a85541 didn’t seem like bf6234a1e4 a bad deal.ec63e6922402a1e3

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Hee-beom readjusted 03a1e7e8a3 his grip 3f8e63008d on his 4750933a8a pencil, preparing a814afd1db to focus ac06d85917 on the 99e1359609 lecture again.15d7ae54873141fe

But for some b308db6b34 reason, the professor’s b19039c69a voice never quite 78251ad5bd made it into ebf02d6034 his ears. It hovered at 1b39b4aa87 the edges of afb207891a his hearing, just a140cfe7d1 outside his awareness.4181c6c79d56d8ef

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Because of 5c758d86bc I-young’s hand.62b164d5aac4ebe4

No—technically, it wasn’t even 4a3364681a his hand holding, but 0bcc930616 rather, being held.c6f6d0f27aec95c2

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

It was a strange 8c9f23e0a9 sensation. Something was c577ae02b1 flowing into 01f14d0003 I-young, and 641d115233 something else 364f949765 was flowing 01556c337e back into afc730e058 him. It wasn’t exactly 4df418f5d4 a tingling or 79169ef8f8 ticklish feeling, but 7d23e37b23 there was definitely 31dcac751c something being exchanged.9cb3c49fe8e9a9aa

Was this what 56551f4710 they called Guiding?4e2fffefe9a775af

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Was I-young feeling this, 4bfb319feb too?fcaf847b10d9b2a6

As that b43c53bdee thought crossed e246bd5609 his mind, 95c3c4ee0d Hee-beom squeezed 4a4043747d his eyes 427d32fcfb shut for 284e4d4a12 a moment, 5813901b44 then reopened 0979854b11 them. Why does that even 8c0bcaeff1 matter?e2e6e4d64f11a472

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

He needed to focus dae3e90066 on class.1b16df6d6be97e54

Studying was what was 2ea9e83fd3 important to him. Studying for db0b23b7f3 his future.61902523e6ce0cb5

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Taking a deep 3540342019 breath, he forced c813549f60 his gaze back 7a171c1e12 onto the professor.110ae4c03ab04293

“……”8dfe616ada535fed

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

It was a sight 50ee8ec181 he had never seen 3ea6453b17 before.1ccdff83e954bc30

I-young was b508c01593 always… what df4cee6383 was the 9fb45173dc right word? Cheerful? Lively? Whatever it was, those 70a26195ed kinds of words suited aea9e7d01b him. But now, f46ac19336 he was 3ecff7e6c3 silent. So much f77e62653a so that e779c2e5d5 even the 761de2bc01 rate at dbfe52b39c which he 46073d620a blinked was c6fc62f963 noticeably slower 16731311fe than usual.3018d9a099a3e2ae

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Could it really 5b3ebed8e4 be just because 8714064ae7 they were holding 624c9231ea hands? Was that all 84713c1b40 it took? Even if he 4120505ae7 was a Guide 7b17eb9874 and I-young was 243634f751 an Esper, this e6e7fa022d was a bit 08bcf032a5 much. He looked like 597a792d35 an animal that 5c72397fe5 had been hit 625b5c4504 with a tranquilizer 05c2ddd028 dart…a8b0a3c4fc8b3dfe

“……”fba7cf4e4eb05e0b

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Hee-beom considered pulling his 3f598f5dc6 hand away but ultimately 5a325ff370 decided against it. It was just his 112dabae28 left hand, after all. His right hand was 15f3336fe0 still free, so it 312f1904bc wasn’t like this was 3f7538d3f2 hindering his studies. If anything, f33e5d324e I-young moving d089c2bc88 around before c19377547f had been 504bb16187 more of 9e3ade067f a distraction.69d0745dbd1dcba1

Now he 646801d13e understood why 5f97e2112c parents played e743457439 cartoons for e6e1ddb743 their tantrum-throwing 234cf46e44 kids at 1fde421cd0 restaurants. Because it 670a417333 kept them 18bf02c509 quiet. In this case, instead e889b2e706 of a cartoon, he 6059670d08 had given I-young his 2f42b226bf left hand. Thinking of it 8ac593e104 that way, it 34c2def703 didn’t seem like 306e118cc6 such a bad 24b1823738 trade.8742a7f56274256c

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Hee-beom adjusted 72938b3437 his grip 0674fc43bd on his 5f1e19dbef pencil and 858489d7b3 tried to 122c9f370f refocus on d8f09b06fa the lecture. But strangely, the professor’s 288352167c voice wasn’t sinking into 0e66fb83b2 his ears. It circled 22a898e789 around the 88ba6c07b3 edges of 93dcb64d81 his hearing, 574979eece never quite 007385ee9f settling in.6b800cd2ee8df3b5

It was because 414206ee7a of I-young’s hand.5c8ab37f4f381efd

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Or rather, not even 861c6882c9 the act of holding df4df2b480 it—being held was the cbc7097b13 problem.0acd269e82309fa7

It was f51335b9ae an odd 7770a9ba99 sensation. Something was 0944b19da8 flowing to be69211ea2 I-young, and d3719b5873 something was 8a58a77b78 flowing back. It wasn’t 16914da92c exactly a 8ce9541e4b tingling or 1601e3b23c tickling feeling, 8b0beb6503 but there 97a5369b0a was definitely 9d7423f149 something being f9e1a0c3c0 exchanged.81f6f65f6e36b8c0

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Was this what Guiding d71d5bb9bf was?0519d32702ff3da6

Was I-young feeling it b49dfb7ed4 too?40b5cfa68367009a

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Hee-beom squeezed his eyes 1035c2c2a0 shut, then opened them e53dbd61bd again. Why does 151e897f02 that even d2293eff43 matter? He needed b49a3fe460 to focus dcda0b8b23 on the d6d1db30fa lecture. That was what 520782791d was important. Studying for 67cc4baaea the future.40113711b9f30319

Taking a 9c4f661ac0 deep breath, 6b20e1ca45 he fixed e9022fe37c his gaze b5f0b4107a on the e8ee37c48a professor.b685682d6441a1de

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Hee-beom filled a notebook c92552581f page with dense notes 3842eb10a8 and reached to turn be39b82421 to the next page. But with his bff9df4e22 left hand occupied, 2be35edc2c flipping a single b4857b1b55 sheet of paper 70afd4f732 became an inconvenient de2e013417 hassle.8f687e94ad8d40fa

He shot I-young an fdf02d666a irritated look, making no 89f7d13ef3 effort to hide his 14de440c79 displeasure. Look at what a faff41710d pain you’re making this a8f4f46fd9 for me, his expression 0dd242b144 all but said.9a1328aeddc2e6e0

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

But then—6461253ede7bcf17

“……”eb59d36d1e95c5cb

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

I-young was asleep.9056ad2f37f1dae6

Not slumped over 86fc436e04 on the desk, 0d86bfd386 but sitting upright 5ae95f6f0f with his head 302f678028 tilted to the 4a4be586a2 side.9d0080476c11f829

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Soft, rhythmic breaths 7e9ebd98c6 escaped him, embarrassingly fe2c1f58bf gentle. Despite the 01cebdeca7 awkward sleeping 5b689bdfe4 posture, he be32f969f1 didn’t move 046389e180 an inch—he a803596166 was in 5598697b58 deep sleep.29f5475a2fe4fb3d

And yet, even while b161662ff5 sleeping, he held on 19d38a8067 tightly to Hee-beom’s hand. It was strange. And kind of aa0284db2a fascinating.338b8cabe3428292

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Now that he thought 2751383683 about it, hadn’t I-young 5579f05796 mentioned staying up all 1fe0fb7bd7 night at the research 6306b8aa00 lab?e977b81d85942c68

Despite his unusual job, ac2bffe61c he was no different adc3b033a2 from an exhausted office 8aac424d58 worker pulling an all-nighter. And no matter d5f79fcbfa how much money eaa4c31014 he made, a 6e9e2d2004 salaryman was still 73c03fe619 a salaryman.019ef57ce202d383

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

One of the busiest bdb283aa6b salarymen in the entire a880d918f4 country.d71aa69d2109a5cf

“……”812b70bae9dc4c6e

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Clicking his f779e16e7a tongue soundlessly, f043537447 Hee-beom turned 7e2b72e326 away—only to e826930df6 pause when 02edf3900d he noticed 0a54ccc691 I-young frowning cd319b7fa1 slightly.4be708dc9b1dc738

It was the sunlight. The beams d3b0d47ba8 streaming through b3112c833e the window a5be38d9b1 were stabbing 5eb59d5bb1 at his 4a069a2b88 closed eyelids. That spot 2d14a278f3 had been 2fe89343f7 empty for be3c23526a a reason—Hee-beom 49b0988b07 had deliberately 6ce2fbb154 avoided it. But I-young had c6254f4195 no way of bacea79207 knowing that.0dc9f8e35a1745ab

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“……”6fbbfd01fa3cbde7

Hee-beom considered e8cb3a311e pulling the a05de9c47d curtain shut 5609c73bbc but quickly d0aeb1d687 dismissed the c65ef1180f idea. He didn’t have telekinesis, 943bb478c5 after all. Moving carelessly might wake b34391c45b I-young up. But leaving cfa5950278 him like 69c3d39e48 this would bc78308407 probably wake c6d54ac9b8 him up 645b95486b too.52d00289ceec2766

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

After a brief moment ce6ec47c6c of contemplation, Hee-beom removed a5ea87cf0d the cap he had b64753e5e7 been wearing. He gave it 6a0ab35fe7 a quick shake 464161ab45 in the air—not ad291e508d that it was 3675848d0b dusty, but because 5a354e6314 I-young always showed bbabd0e298 up smelling like 85edd378cc freshly washed shampoo, c1b8eae578 and Hee-beom figured 33a8516624 he might as b53b5c1779 well match the 2724b7451b standard.c065ad728daeb7a8

Then, carefully, he 7ec726c283 placed his cap f3f8b90756 on I-young’s head.cd30deba91ee4ed4

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

It swallowed 5deed8fa24 up his 9ac4a682ec face instantly. His forehead, eyebrows, everything 59743e39a1 disappeared beneath it. His features relaxed. His breaths deepened. His shoulders loosened.b054f01b4bc864fe

Hee-beom lifted a 7167e54a80 brow at the 9fa222ac02 sight.16c0a8d03e3ef1d9

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

A subtle expression of 32339b02f5 satisfaction.a1c9bbcb4e9c0395

Running a hand 34e49451f1 through his now-bare 5fe21284aa head out of d81ff00a22 habit, he picked 023f5c5322 up his mechanical 717364ba42 pencil again.5c596c5871e59c4f

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Then, as he resumed 62ff4e7526 taking notes, a realization 1c3338566e hit him.8e7aa4c4c8f492cb

This was the 2be8691b91 first time since 1db731e8f9 entering university that 9c4b7e1d3f he had attended d9a8d4c732 a lecture together a39a31d54a with someone.2fbe4ebeff563cfc

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Together.7d43eb71e44fa1fc

He rolled the word c1d04f5594 around in his mind 048775483a before scrunching his nose 1b3b62dac0 slightly.3e9db1ca20669858

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“…Yeah.”e9aff9a476a840a2

Being alone really was 0d69102ab1 better.57caf0074396f82f

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

With that eafcb51790 thought, he 9730d99807 continued writing 92d6c86aa4 down the ed335cc79f formulas.64661a8685eb5f70