Ch.55Blue Sky 2

My entire body is cold.

My damp clothes had soaked through to the tank top underneath.

I pinched my shirt that was clinging to my navel as I followed Seah.

She strolled leisurely through the dormitory hallway.

Her behavior seemed natural, as if she had anticipated this situation all along.

Before long, we arrived at room 103.

Seah paused briefly before speaking to me.

“Please excuse the mess in my room.”

“Oh, don’t worry. My room is super messy too.”

I waved my hand dismissively.

Perhaps because it was still May, I felt extremely cold in my wet clothes.

I just wanted to change into something dry.

As if responding to my thoughts, the door opened.

The fragrant scent of freesia tickled my nose.

I inhaled the aroma lightly as I entered.

Entering a girl’s room for the first time made me nervous.

Ah, actually, that’s not true.

I visited Anna’s shelter last month, so it wasn’t my first time.

But her place was… too bizarre to be considered a “normal” girl’s home, so let’s exclude that.

Who covers all their furniture with white cloth anyway?

“Well then, excuse me.”

I calmly took off my shoes and stepped into the room.

The curtains were drawn, making it very dark.

Soon Seah turned on the lights, revealing a neatly arranged bed and wardrobe.

Looking at the orderliness, I thought:

Girls really are neat after all…

“Unni, please sit on the bed for a moment.”

Seah opened the wardrobe.

She skillfully pulled out clothes as if she had prepared them in advance.

It was a spare school uniform.

A jacket, shirt, and short skirt from her supplementary class days, without the elite brooch.

The shirt particularly caught my eye.

I instinctively felt that it would be too small for me.

That’s because my clothing size had changed since the recent Chinatown incident.

A uniform that fit Seah perfectly wouldn’t possibly fit me now.

“Um… this is a school uniform?”

I asked in confusion.

After all, outsiders shouldn’t be allowed to wear the academy uniform.

“That’s right.”

Seah replied matter-of-factly, oblivious to my concerns.

“But we have a uniform policy, so we don’t have casual clothes-. It’s either this or gym clothes.”

She held out the uniform to me.

I gradually backed away from the clothes that were uncomfortably close.

“Come on, hurry. I’ll wash your dirty shirt.”

“Ah, okay.”

Seah can be scary when she gets serious.

I took the uniform and removed my coffee-stained shirt.

She thanked me and put the clothes in the washing machine.

Soon, the display showed that washing and drying would take two hours.

Do I have to stay here for two whole hours?

I reluctantly slipped my arms into the shirt sleeves.

My arms went in without much trouble.

The problem came…

when I tried to button it up.

The buttons did close.

But the tightness across my chest was uncomfortably restrictive.

Why are girls’ uniforms designed to cling so tightly to the body?

It feels strange, like I’m an actor in a costume.

Next was the skirt.

I was at a loss since I had never worn a skirt in my life.

I was forced to wear a qipao in Chinatown, but…

I was drugged then, so I don’t remember it clearly.

“Unni, what about the skirt?”

“Uh… I’ll put it on.”

I slowly inserted my legs into the skirt.

Then I secured it at my waist and zipped it up.

“…”

It’s surprisingly comfortable.

Unlike tight slacks, my legs feel free.

Still, something feels very empty.

I slowly stood up and positioned myself in front of the wardrobe mirror.

Seah stared blankly at my body shot.

She murmured with satisfaction.

“Unni… why don’t you just attend our academy?”

“What are you saying… How could a low-level ability user like me attend this place?”

I waved my hand dismissively.

Then I calmly examined myself in the mirror.

The shirt that revealed my body’s curves.

And the skirt that exposed my smooth thighs.

Anyone could see that my past self was gone.

Moreover, my now elongated eyes bothered me, unlike before.

Previously, I had round eyes like a gentle animal.

Now they’ve somehow lengthened, resembling a fox.

Seah carefully approached me.

“I think it would look good if we tied your hair up too.”

She gently moved behind me.

Then, with her arms around my hips, she slowly guided me backward.

Soon we sat on the bed.

Seah took out a hair tie she had prepared in advance.

She calmly looked in the mirror and began sorting through my hair.

I stared blankly at her.

“Unni, do you know something?”

The girl asked while stroking my hair.

“That you have a really nice scent.”

Surely she’s not talking about the aphrodisiac scent.

Due to the remaining components in my body, a slight aphrodisiac smell emanates with every breath.

“Something that makes me feel… aroused.”

That’s it.

My mouth involuntarily fills with saliva.

Surely this child hasn’t been affected by that scent?

“Um… Unni.”

“Huh?”

Seah’s once timid voice became calm.

She asks with a trembling voice, as if she has something to say.

“You said you have no dating experience.”

“That’s right.”

“Then you don’t have anyone you like either, right?”

I froze at that question.

I was uneasy about her suddenly assertive demeanor, but surely she doesn’t actually like me?

Goosebumps covered my body, and I instinctively placed my hand on the bed.

Suddenly, I felt something under the blanket.

What is this…?

I unconsciously lifted the blanket.

My eyes widened in shock.

Numerous weapons were hidden under the blanket.

Daggers…

Throwing stars…

What is this?

I can even see a doll made of straw.

The doll had nails driven into its head.

A curse doll too?

Wait, why would Seah, a flame ability user, have these things?

A chill ran down my neck from the creepiness.

“Um, Seah… what is all this?”

“Oh, this?”

Seah, who had finished tying my hair, gently placed her hand on my shoulder.

She looked down at me with a slight smile.

“What else? These are weapons used by killers.”

That’s not what I’m asking—why do you have them?

My mind became troubled.

Why would someone I thought was an ordinary student have such deadly items?

“It seemed like you were being threatened by killers, Unni. They must have forced you to date them.”

Seah gently covered the blanket I had lifted.

Then she brought her face close to mine and said:

“So I’ve been researching. How to protect you from those bitches.”

Seah’s red eyes pierce through me.

I gave her a bitter smile.

“Seah… I think there’s some misunderstanding. I’m not being threatened by killers.”

“What…?”

I placed my hand on Seah’s hair.

Then I gently stroked her cheek with its soft down.

“If anything, I’m indebted to them.”

“Indebted…? What kind of debt could you possibly owe those demons?”

Seah’s brow furrowed.

She looks like she thinks I’ve been brainwashed by them.

“Those two have saved me whenever I was in danger. And they never asked for anything in return.”

I sat next to Seah in the school uniform.

Then I rested my well-groomed head on her shoulder.

But the girl still seems very dissatisfied.

She leaned her cheek against my head and asked:

“Then, do you like them…?”

I was momentarily speechless at the girl’s direct question.

I racked my brain to find an appropriate answer.

What finally came out was…

“Honestly, I don’t know.”

Even I think it’s irresponsibly vague.

But no other words could more accurately represent my current feelings.

I really… don’t know.

Who I am.

Who I like.

Seah fell silent, seemingly disappointed.

Like me when I tried to glimpse Noona Jisoo’s heart in the past.

For her sake, I decided to share a bit of my story.

Hoping this young girl wouldn’t repeat my mistakes…

“There was someone I truly liked in the past.”

Seah’s breathing stopped at the words “someone I liked.”

She quietly listened to what I had to say.

“That person always gave me courage so I wouldn’t fall.”

I gently wrapped my hands around Seah’s.

Then I calmly faced the girl.

“Then we found ourselves in danger together.”

“In a situation where we might all die in just a few seconds…”

Seah’s face tensed as if she were in that situation herself.

She swallowed and waited for my next words.

“If it were you, what would you say in that situation?”

“To the person you liked?”

“Yes.”

Seah pondered deeply for a moment.

Soon she opened her mouth as if she had decided something.

“I would say I’ve liked you all along… wouldn’t I?”

It was the answer I expected.

Seah continued with confidence:

“And then I’d probably ask. Did you like me too?”

“That’s right. Most people would say that.”

I stroked the girl’s hair.

Then I said quietly:

“But I realized that asking such a question in that situation is selfish.”

“What…?”

Seah asked, seemingly unable to understand my words.

“When we have so little time left, what’s the point of talking about whether we love each other or not, right?”

Seah still seemed puzzled as she tilted her head.

For her sake, I shared the answer I had been contemplating all this time.

“What I should have said to Noona then was…”

I half-closed my eyes.

And murmured softly:

“Thank you for being with me all this time.”

“You made me happy.”

That’s what I should have said.

Then she might have felt at least a little happiness in her dying moments.

But…

Until the very end, I burdened her by asking if she loved me.

The corner of my mouth twitched.

It’s been two months since the possession.

Only now did I realize how greatly I had wronged Jisoo noona as she was dying.

And that realization began to weigh on my heart.

Do I, who borrowed someone else’s body, deserve to like someone and be happy?

“Since that person, I haven’t opened my heart to anyone.”

The bartender smiled decadently with narrowed eyes.

That expression belonged to a face tired from countless passages of time.

“Do I even deserve to?”

But at the same time, a feminine beauty had settled on Siho’s face.

Young Seah was staring at that elegance as if entranced.

“Seah.”

I looked at Seah’s reddening eyes with a serious expression.

Then I spoke calmly to prevent any further misunderstanding.

“I can’t like anyone or date anyone.”

It was a polite rejection.

I’m sorry for Seah, but this is for the best.

I’ve been instinctively drawn to someone because of their beautiful appearance before.

But I never truly felt like I wanted to date that person.

And probably…

I never will.

“I see…”

Seah hung her head low.

Her long hair covered her face.

Soon her shoulders began to tremble slightly.

I carefully tried to pat her shoulder.

But before I could touch her, Seah suddenly raised her head.

The girl smiled brightly at me.

“I understand. I’m perceptive enough to get it.”

Seah rose from the bed as if embarrassed.

But I knew.

That tears had formed at the corners of her eyes as she smiled brightly.

The girl had stood up from the bed to hide those tears.

“Still… still. If those killers ever bother you, you must tell me.”

“I will.”

I smiled wryly.

Fortunately, Seah seems to understand my situation.

Her frightening face soon returned to that of a girl her age.

This should prevent any more troublesome situations…right?

“I’ll find them, tear those bitches limb from limb, then tie them to a cross and burn them alive.”

Or maybe not?