TINL Ch 12

Sunwoo gently stroked Wol’s lips, then slipped his finger inside her mouth. Shattered glass fragments were embedded everywhere, from the tender flesh inside her mouth to her throat.

‘Next time Ms. Mago visits, I’ll have her swallow the whole cup. Even after centuries of hospitality, there’s always something new to reflect on.’

He genuinely reflected as he swept his long, smooth, callus-free finger inside her mouth. Everywhere his finger touched, there were sharp shards of glass.

‘How could anyone think of feeding this to another person?’

Sunwoo tilted his head in genuine wonder, carefully removing the glass shards that mercilessly cut and stabbed his fingers.

‘Why is Mago so angry? And why does Wol just endure this?’

He gently pressed Wol’s tongue, guiding the blood flowing from his hand down her throat as he supported her neck. While adjusting her position so she could swallow the blood more easily, he also checked his own condition.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve had such a severe side effect.’

He thought it was probably when Jacheongbi’s two ex-husbands barged in, claiming joint ownership of the Seocheon flower garden. It was the first side effect he’d experienced since then.

‘Back then, I tried to quietly get rid of them because they kept bothering me, but Grandma Seolmundae caught me… I remember experiencing a side effect because I had to restore their bodies.’

Grandma Seolmundae hated this side effect, which appeared whenever Sunwoo overused his powers. She said he looked like the very image of enlightened tranquility on the surface, but inside, he was a child made of pure evil.

Sunwoo agreed. A state where emotions, senses, law, and morality disappeared, and only he existed. A state where he believed without a doubt that he was doing what he was supposed to do because he possessed power. That’s why he couldn’t feel joy, sadness, or guilt while experiencing the side effect.

‘But why do I feel bad now?’

In the midst of the extreme side effect, Sunwoo shuddered with an unpleasant sensation, distinctly different from the usual numbness. Although he feigned composure, this side effect was fundamentally different from previous ones. The basis of all his recent decisions wasn’t Bae Sunwoo, but Myungwol.

Pain worse than death for those who harmed Wol’s body. A long, lingering pain for Mago, who treated Wol like less than human.

He couldn’t even understand why he acted that way. Regardless of the circumstances, the fact that Wol killed him remained unchanged. Therefore, he had the right to hate and resent her. Even as his mind reasoned this way, Sunwoo acted as if he had a duty to protect Wol and be angry on her behalf.

‘Is the side effect so severe that it’s messing with my head?’

Despite his discomfort, he meticulously soothed the inside of Wol’s mouth, removing every last tiny shard of glass. As Wol, having swallowed his blood, coughed and vomited up the glass fragments that had gone down her esophagus, he carefully tilted her head to make it easier for her to expel them.

Having completely removed the glass shards and carefully cradled Wol’s head, Sunwoo suddenly stopped and slumped his shoulders.

‘I’m practically waiting on her hand and foot…’

He must still be experiencing the side effect, since he felt neither laughter, tears, nor irritation. Usually, pure murderous intent filled the void left by the absence of emotions. This time, it seemed to be filled with some misplaced protective instinct.

He felt like burning himself alive if he could. He wanted to freely resent the woman who confessed to murder so brazenly, yet didn’t even give him a chance to properly hate her.

‘If she’s not going to let me ask why, she should at least give me a chance to hate her until I feel better. Why is even the side effect like this?’

While constantly complaining inwardly, deep down, he was blaming himself, not Wol.

Blindly trusting her words to take his time and going out to make a call. Not taking protective measures on her clothes like he’d lied to Mago. Being unskilled in using his power and unable to properly purify places he couldn’t directly touch. Everything was nothing but guilt.

The guilt was so strong that it stirred a tempest within Sunwoo, who had been unpleasantly calm, and the side effect slowly began to wash away.

“Ha…”

Sunwoo closed his eyes and exhaled deeply to calm the torrent of emotions that rushed in like a tidal wave. Raw, almost violent emotions began to swirl in his previously tranquil heart.

As he took deep breaths, his warm breath gently brushed against Wol’s face. It felt like a caress from a smooth, callus-free hand across her forehead, nose, and cheeks. As if drawn by the comforting warmth, Wol’s distant consciousness returned.

Slowly, Wol opened her eyelids, wiggling her toes, puzzled by the unfamiliar sensation. She felt like she had been reborn with a new body, free from any aches or pains. The nauseating guilt that usually followed Mago’s outbursts was gone, replaced by an unprecedented freshness and lightness.

Overwhelmed by the first pain-free moment she’d experienced in centuries, she was a little late in realizing the man draped over her. As soon as she realized that the warm, soft breath that woke her belonged to Sunwoo, she opened her eyes wide and held her breath. Sunwoo was everywhere, from where her eyes could see to where they couldn’t.

His face, close to hers, eyes closed as he breathed steadily. His firm body, heavily draped over hers. His large hand, cradling her head and neck. His arm around her back, supporting her waist. His thigh, firmly holding her legs between his.

His body heat was more distinct than hers. Aware of his presence, her heart pounded in her ears. Her small, energetic heartbeat tapped against Sunwoo’s chest like a knock, and he slowly opened his eyes. Unlike his usual gentle expression, his pupils were dilated, making his eyes appear much darker than their usual black.

“Mr. Sunwoo… are you alright?”

“I’m fine.”

He sighed repeatedly, consumed by self-loathing amidst the maelstrom of emotions. No matter how he tried to rationalize the cause of this unusual side effect, the conclusion was always the same.

‘I’m a fool.’

The past of killer and killed, the present of an incredibly difficult superior, none of it mattered. Wol’s well-being was his top priority. To the idiot Bae Sunwoo, this woman’s safety was still the absolute criterion for his judgment.

There was no other explanation. The more he thought about it, the more he felt like he was losing out, feeling incredibly wronged. A sharp glint appeared in Sunwoo’s spring-breeze-like face, and Wol blinked and asked,

“Mr. Sunwoo, are you angry?”

“Yes.”

The words “I’m angry” didn’t even begin to cover the extent of his anger, and the fact that he couldn’t express it any better made him even angrier. He was dissatisfied with every moment of today. Grandma Seolmundae, who suddenly pushed him off to the Celestial Realm, Myungwol, who tossed people around and stirred things up, the cruel words and incidents surrounding her, all of it.

“I want to not care whether you get hurt or not, but I can’t, and that makes me angry. I thought I was more than used to people giving me harsh lessons while training under Grandma Seolmundae and Jacheongbi-nim, but… you’re on a different level. You don’t just mess with my body, you mess with my mind.”

He glared at Wol, who stared back at him with wide eyes, pouring out all his pent-up frustrations.

“You deliberately made me leave the room, and deliberately told me to take my time coming back, knowing this would happen, didn’t you? Even if you treated me like a precious glass figurine, I’d be questioning the sincerity of your apology.”

“That’s, Mr. Sunwoo, I…”

“I don’t want to hear it. Showing something like that to an intern who just started today is abuse. Ordinary people never see such horrors, and they don’t even imagine they ever will. Thanks to you, I won’t be able to leave your side with peace of mind, and I’ll remember today like a nightmare. If your intention was to add fresh trauma on top of burning me to death, you’ve succeeded considerably.”

“…….”

Contrary to his resentful words, the touch of his hands, steadily supporting her body, was gentle. Wol, struggling with the conflicting messages from his words and actions, opened her mouth with difficulty after several attempts.

“I’m sorry. It’s something I go through all the time, so I didn’t think it would be shocking to you, Mr. Sunwoo. It certainly wasn’t a pleasant sight.”

“…You go through this all the time?”

“Ah, I don’t mean it happens every day. It’s not uncommon when I leave Wolgung… something like that?”

As Sunwoo’s eyebrows furrowed intensely, Wol avoided his gaze and shrugged.

“It ended well, so it’s fine. Let’s just take care of the negativity now.”

“I refuse. I can’t suck your negativity with this uncomfortable feeling.”

“…….”

“I am really curious about what you were aiming for by sending me out… but I’ve learned enough today that you’re not the type to explain things properly, so I won’t pry any further.”

Wol clenched her fists. While his declaration not to ask further questions felt hurtful and disappointing, the thought that this too was her burden to bear brought a bitter smile to her lips.

Sunwoo, noticing the bitter curve of her mouth, continued in an utterly businesslike tone.

“I’m quite a useful asset, considering I haven’t been registered in the Divine Registry yet. So, please don’t try to teach me strange lessons using your body like today. If you promise me that much, I’ll start removing your negativity.”

Wol bit her lip. She was doing her best to help Sunwoo establish himself in the Celestial Realm. That was the reason she took on this project in the first place, believing it was the best way to atone. She had committed an unforgivable sin, so she wanted to be of help.

‘But… it seems like to him, I’ve become a burdensome senior who can’t even take care of herself and shows him horrific sights.’

Wol’s shoulders slumped. While she was debating whether to tell him why she sent him out of the room, more hurtful words came from his mouth.

“I don’t have any accumulated negativity. You’re the one who needs it, and it’s your own doing, so think carefully and make your choice.”

“…Bae Sunwoo wasn’t this coldhearted when he was alive.”

“It seems my kindness burned away along with me when you killed me. Speaking of which, I think I’ll take my revenge on you.”

“Revenge…?”

“Yes.”

Wol, who had lowered her eyes as if slightly hurt, slowly nodded. Her gesture and expression, accepting blame instead of clearly stating what hurt and what felt unfair, further fueled Sunwoo’s anger. Of all the unpleasant things he experienced today, Wol’s ingrained resignation was the most displeasing.