SMFC | Chapter 5

By the time Lee Soo returned to the hotel after parting ways with Sian, it was already quite late. Walking under the darkened sky, he headed to his room and immediately stepped into the bathroom. After a quick wash, he filled the bathtub with water and sat still for a long time.

Even submerged in warm water, his perpetually cold body refused to warm up. Stroking his clammy skin, which felt almost reptilian, he leaned back against the edge of the tub.

He rested the nape of his neck on the rim, tilting his head back. The occasional sound of water droplets falling from his hair was the only thing breaking the silence.

His eyelids, which had been lazily opening and closing, eventually stayed shut. Without realizing it, he fell asleep right there in the bathtub.

Oddly enough, the hard surface didn’t seem uncomfortable. He slept soundly, dreamless, until the water turned cold.

“…Ah.”

When Lee Soo finally opened his eyes after what felt like an eternity, his drowsy gaze met the ceiling. Slowly blinking, his eyes began to regain clarity.

Fully awake now, he carefully got out of the bathtub so as not to slip. He drained the water and grabbed a towel he had placed within easy reach and quickly dried himself off.

He put on a soft robe and carelessly placed a towel on his head before leaving the bathroom. Although he had slept, the awkward position hadn’t exactly been restful, and he didn’t feel entirely rejuvenated.

Rubbing his stiff shoulders, he yawned quietly.

“Ah, sleepy.”

Saying it out loud made him feel even sleepier. To shake it off, he rubbed his face lightly and put away the damp towel he’d used to dry his hair. Grabbing a bottle of water as he walked over to the bed.

He rummaged through a box – it was already tomorrow, or rather, today. Lee Soo took out clothes for the day and also grabbed some documents that were inside the box.

After closing the box, instead of lying down on the bed, he sat on a nearby chair. He propped his head on his knees and began flipping through the documents.

It was nothing special, just some files about key figures in the Hawa Guild, gathered by Daul after it was decided that he would transfer there.

“Probably, with Lee Soo’s personality, he’d get along with most people. But just in case, you know. Hunters usually have their own sore spots,” Daul had said while suggesting that it might be good for him to go through the files.

“Hmm, sore spots.”

‘People tend to think of the powerful awakened as heroes. Well, it’s not exactly wrong. Most of the famous awakened experienced their awakening during a moment when they wanted to save someone.

There’s even a study on that, ‘Individuals who are with their loved ones during critical moments are more likely to awaken at higher ranks.’

The issue is, they are heroes for the ones they wanted to protect more than they are heroes for everyone. And for such heroes, those loved ones are their sore spots.’

“Family, lovers, pets.”

‘Sore spots are meant not to be touched, but, conversely, it means that almost everything else is fine if you avoid them. And, a sore spot is also a weakness.’

“…None.”

Unlike others who inevitably had vulnerabilities, the file marked as having none caught Lee Soo’s calm gaze.

“Yoo Haeon.”

Perhaps he had expected this. That Haeon would have no vulnerabilities. Not because he loved Haeon too much, nor because he believed Haeon to be flawless.

A sore spot, a vulnerability, means there must be affection toward something. But could Haeon really love someone deeply?

He had shared feelings with a lover, which even made him question whether it was love. It would have been more surprising if such a person had a vulnerability.

If anything, Lee Soo, scanning Haeon’s profile with a bitter-sweet look, let out a wry smile.

“It would be nice if Haeon could deeply love someone, more than me.”

In Lee Soo’s view, the character in the book was too lonely for too long, a fool who didn’t even realize his own loneliness. Everyone said it wasn’t okay, but he thought he was fine. A fool who really believed he was alright.

A sigh mixed with lamentation escaped him as he gazed intently at the attached photograph.

Unlike most others who were at least smiling faintly, the photo of Haeon showed him staring straight ahead with an expressionless face.

After a long moment of looking into those somber eyes, Lee Soo slowly turned the page. He hesitated momentarily but eventually continued through the documents until he reached the end.

Then, naturally, he spread out the documents containing Haeon’s information. A slightly younger Haeon was in the photo from a few hours ago.

“An old photo, maybe.”

Tilting his head, Lee Soo guessed the age Haeon might have been when the photo was taken and chuckled dryly.

Haeon was handsome and more stoic-faced than Lee Soo had clumsily imagined without any illustrations. Reading from a book, he couldn’t have truly imagined this.

The man described in the book was indeed beautiful, crafted with delicate lines. It was true he was made of delicate lines, and it was true he was a beautiful man, but the complete picture was different from what Lee Soo had expected.

Whether it was his lack of imagination or the author had seen Haeon too prettily, too lovingly, Lee Soo wasn’t sure.

Ah, no. That the author loved Haeon was nonsense. If the author really loved him, he would have given him a happy ending, not a tragic death.

Although Haeon didn’t seem to find his death particularly horrific, for Lee Soo, it was dreadful.

Seeing the real Haeon and wondering how such a being could exist in this world was baffling. How could the author who imagined such a person have killed Haeon with any kind of conscience? Lee Soo couldn’t understand it.

Thinking about Haeon’s death made his expression worsen. His face hardened as he stared into space, then relaxed with a sigh.

It was more productive to think about how to save Haeon than to resent an author he could barely remember now.

Mumbling a few more words to himself, Lee Soo’s gaze drifted and he noticed a chipped fingernail.

“It chipped already.”

He grimaced and muttered, recalling the tender person who had applied the nail polish.

It was an almost dead-looking nail. In the hospital room, she had not liked the sight of the damaged nail but applied the polish anyway, with a nonchalant expression.

People are vulnerable to appearances, she had said while applying the nail polish, considering it a mark of personality, but everyone thinks carrying around dead-looking nails is horrifying.

Her usually clear voice was calm that day. Lee Soo’s face softened immensely as he remembered how she had carefully chosen her words to not hurt his feelings.

‘If it chips, just tell me. I’ll reapply it. Don’t get it ruined by someone else and come complaining. Just tell me from the start. Got it?’

Her voice, as if soothing a child, made him chuckle. He had been holding the documents in his hand and now placed them on the table in front of him.

He had to go to work at the Hawa Guild when he woke up. The main events would start once the original story began. He still had time.

“Haeon won’t die. I’ll save him.”

As if vowing, Lee Soo muttered and took a deep breath.

It would be nice if this world could be a bit kinder to Haeon. Thinking of his death, Lee Soo lowered his lips and then absentmindedly rubbed the edge of the table.

Haeon was now 25 years old, with two years left until the original story. If he could become close to Haeon slowly, gain his trust, and then be diligent around the time the original story starts, Haeon could be saved.

The protagonist’s misfortunes that would occur before then could be mitigated with a little help on the side. Joo’s help as the heroine could also be more easily resolved with his involvement.

And if dying… was due to incorrect dungeon preparations because of faulty information, he could prepare separately with correct information.

He might die from his physical condition before then… but maybe Haeon could extend his life just a little?

Even if it was just half a year longer, that should be enough to save Haeon. Thinking he should ask him later, Lee Soo nodded.

“Should I play the role of a prophet if it gets tough…”

Laughing at the thought of telling Haeon he had foreseen the future, advising on which dungeons to enter, not to trust the dungeon information managers, and to know the strategies in advance as if he had seen them.

Pulling out his laptop to organize the thoughts in his head, Lee Soo stared at the blank screen. Reading the sentence carved there, he slowly lifted the corners of his lips.

“See you soon, my protagonist.”