SRW | Chapter 26

“It’s strange.”

“……”

“They didn’t dislike you this much before. Really. Something’s off.”

“…We’ll talk later.”

I didn’t have the capacity to listen to Bear right now. Leaving him behind, I entered the building. Walking through the empty hallway and opening the science lab door, I saw Kim Jaeyoung sitting on the windowsill, gazing at the sky. Noticing my arrival, he turned with a smile.

“Eunsoo.”

“Yeah.”

“What’s with that face?”

Kim Jaeyoung climbed down from the windowsill, his eyebrows drooping as he saw my stiff expression. While it looked like concern on the surface, something felt off. It was as if he was expecting something from me. I frowned, staring straight at him. Meeting my gaze with unshaken eyes, he gently brushed my hair behind my ear.

“Did they bully you?”

Ah, this bastard… I thought his obsession hadn’t started yet, but maybe I was wrong.

“Don’t worry, Eunsoo. You have me.”

Kim Jaeyoung’s comforting face was as beautiful as ever. Disgustingly so.

“…Right. You’re all I have.”

…You’re the problem. Swallowing the words that threatened to spill out, I gave him what he wanted to hear, and he beamed like sunshine. The image of a large dog wagging its tail over him. What the hell am I supposed to do with this bastard… All I could do was let out a hollow laugh.

*

For the next few days, I stayed holed up in the science lab to sort out my thoughts. Kim Jaeyoung seemed pleased with my immobility. In return, he attended to my every need – bringing tasty packaged meals from who-knows-where, hauling in clean clothes from stores, even washing my hair with precious bottled water. I was living like royalty.

No one visited the science lab. Whether by choice or circumstance, even Hwang Sooyeon stopped coming at some point. I kept thinking about Bear’s words. “They didn’t dislike you this much before.” While it was true Hyunwoo had grown suspicious after awakening and Yoo Yeonha had always disliked me, that didn’t make the words comforting. My bad reputation wasn’t exactly new, getting hated on was practically family tradition at this point.

‘I should leave before the next wave hits.’

When the next gate opens, Kim Jaeyoung won’t be able to move around freely like now. I need to leave this place with him before that happens. If we leave Seoul, no, leave Gyeonggi Province entirely, we won’t run into Cha Yuhyeok… and I can keep my family safe. The obsessive bastard would be thrilled about going somewhere alone together.

‘Should we go to the Gangwon-do villa? Or maybe Namhae? No, Namhae’s too far. Gangwon-do would be better since dangerous things might happen… If we find a motorcycle, I could drive while Jaeyoung handles monsters from the back… Though we might have to abandon it and walk at some point…’

That escaping all death flags requires running away alone with Kim Jaeyoung… What kind of twisted fate is this? While he’s undoubtedly my lifeline, being shackled to him isn’t the ending I want. He’s not using his skills on me now, but what if he starts messing with my mind later? That might be worse than death.

“Status window.”

I clicked for additional descriptions, wondering if anything had changed.

Luck+30? Are they sure they didn’t mean misfortune? Grumbling, I checked my skills.

70% progress, just a bit more for a new skill.  I wasn’t sure how the repair skill would work, but in a world full of broken things and collapsed buildings, the ability to fix things would be useful. The thought of getting a new skill lifted my mood a little.

The first two lines were familiar, but what was this “Danger Detection”? Clicking the button revealed dates and times:

‘…What is this?’

Calculating the dates, these were recent. Since Kim Jaeyoung was the only person I’d been around, “detected and defended danger” must mean… he tried messing with my mind. Chills ran down my spine. What was he trying to do by tampering with my thoughts?

Fortunately, Premonition Dream seems to be a mental defense skill exclusive to First Awakeners that can block Kim Jaeyoung’s abilities. That meant people like Cha Yuhyeok and my grandfather who resisted Kim Jaeyoung’s skills either had similar mental abilities or separate defense skills.

The door opened as Kim Jaeyoung returned. I hurriedly hit reset, making the “Danger Detection” text disappear.

“Eunsoo, I’ll make ramen.”

“…Any rice?”

“Got it. Brought kimchi too.”

“Good job.”

Kim Jaeyoung’s pale face carrying a gas burner, butane canister, and large pot made my skin crawl. I tried acting normal. How long can Premonition Dream protect me? If Kim Jaeyoung’s skill levels up, it’ll become even stronger.

With the other survivors in the cafeteria already seeing me in a negative light, my best option to avoid the future I had foreseen was to leave alone with him. But…Kim Jaeyoung himself feels like a ticking time bomb.

‘Do I have to… abandon him?’

Could I survive this world without Kim Jaeyoung?

“Eunsoo, how many packs should I make?”

Looking at those blindly devoted eyes… Could I really leave him behind?

*

Knock knock. Someone rapped on the science lab door while Kim Jaeyoung was briefly away. Lounging on the luxurious leather sofa “borrowed” from the principal’s office, I brightened at the rare visitor and opened the door to find three girls, one familiar face and two strangers.

“Long time no see, Seo Yul.”

“Can we come in?”

“Of course. Want some coffee?”

“No thanks.”

Seo Yul had come visiting. The two girls behind her must be fellow clubroom survivors. I seated them all on the sofa, where Seo Yul immediately got to the point.

“We came… to thank you and apologize. This is Jeon Yeseul. She owes her life to you.”

“Oh, really?”

Jeon Yeseul looked painfully thin and pale. One push might topple her. Living with chronic illness in this world must be hell. I wondered if my diabetic grandfather was doing okay.

“Thank you, sunbaenim. I heard you nearly died getting medicine for me. I don’t know how to repay-“

“It’s fine. I had my own reasons.”

“No, I’m truly grateful. I can’t offer much now, but I’ll repay you someday. I awakened recently too, though my ability isn’t much.”

Despite her fragile appearance, Jeon Yeseul had strong willpower. Who could dislike such sincere thanks? I smiled and nodded.

“Go Hyeju, your turn.”

Seo Yul called the girl sitting beside Jeon Yeseul, who kept her head bowed. Go Hyeju’s lips trembled as if to speak, then clamped shut. Seo Yul spoke instead.

“She wanted to apologize, so I brought her.”

“…No. I definitely saw it. Bae Yongpal was next to Sun Eunsoo-sunbae.”

“Go Hyeju!”

“It’s true! Why are you forcing me to apologize? I really saw him!”

Go Hyeju’s shout made Seo Yul cover her mouth in panic. Even with monsters cleared out, noise could attract danger. Go Hyeju glared at me with venomous eyes while struggling. Wow, what a personality…

“She promised to apologize before coming…”

“Whatever, I don’t need her apology.”

“Mmph! Mmph!”

“What a mess. We were going to apologize to Hyunwoo and the others next, but in this state…”

If she acted like this in front of Hyunwoo, getting punched would be the least of her worries. Even if she did apologize, Hyunwoo’s truth-detecting ability would expose her insincerity. Just look at those eyes, does she seem repentant?