Chapter 35: On the way home, and······

“Why… did you so readily accept their demands? If I hadn’t been there, you might have been exploited…”

The car stopped, probably at a red light. Sephie felt the darkness outside the window gently embrace her back and shoulders.

It felt surprisingly warm. But Sephie knew it was only because she herself was so cold.

The darkness reached out to Yu-jin, though her voice had already reached Sephie.

‘I said it.’

Sephie closed her eyes. Then, Yu-jin’s voice reached her,

“What do you mean?”

Sephie kept her eyes closed, her brow furrowed. She was afraid to face Yu-jin’s reprimanding gaze.

The brief moment of bracing herself filled Sephie with a bitter feeling.

Was she always out of tune?
Unable to blend in? Sephie felt like she was still trapped in a frozen winter.

But she couldn’t keep her worries to herself.

‘This is for Yujin-nim.’

Truth was often harsh and bitter. Sephie, who had dedicated everything to Yu-jin, voiced her concerns and a small reprimand.

She opened her eyes.
And her lips followed.

“You’re too careless.”

“Are you talking about me?”

“Who else would I be talking about?”

Her tone was sharp.
Yu-jin’s eyes narrowed slightly. Sephie wondered if she’d gone too far and took a deep breath to calm herself.

Fortunately, Yu-jin didn’t seem angry. She simply stared at Sephie, as if ready to listen. Encouraged, Sephie continued,

“Honestly, I think we wasted our time unnecessarily. This time, it might be fine to overlook it, but if this keeps happening, someday they might…”

“Sephie.”

Yu-jin interrupted.
Was it a warning, or concern?

Sephie couldn’t discern the meaning in Yu-jin’s eyes. Her mind was filled with the faces of those who had tormented Yu-jin in the past.

“There are always those who are ungrateful and forget their place. Especially around you, Yujin-nim.”

“Why are you bringing that up?”

“Humans are like that. How many humans do you think are truly capable of self-control? Even in the past, you were clearly…!”

Sephie’s voice rose,
Her breath growing short. She hadn’t realized how constricted her chest felt. She paused to catch her breath and observed Yu-jin’s expression.

Yu-jin’s face remained calm,
Like the sky. The vast, blue sky resembled the color of water, but even water rippled at the slightest touch.

Yu-jin showed no such disturbance. Sephie, wondering if her words weren’t getting through, was about to continue her reprimand when,

“Yujin-nim, you…!”

“Sephie.”

A voice interrupted before she could finish. Even the world, after a long, active day, needed rest.

Nightfall.
A comforting darkness embraced the weary world.

Yu-jin’s voice held that same comforting quality. A tone she rarely used.

When Sephie came to her senses, her world had shifted.

‘…What?’

A lingering sensation on her shoulder, as if she’d been pulled.

Trying to understand,
She felt a comforting warmth against her left ear and turned her head, and then—,

“Sephie, you worry too much.”

Yu-jin was stroking her forehead, saying,

“…Huh?”

“You’re making me feel like a child. It’s embarrassing.”

Yu-jin, her face flushed a soft red, unlike her usual cold demeanor, lowered her head slightly.

Their eyes met.

Sephie tried to sit up and look around, but Yu-jin’s hand gently pressed against her forehead, keeping her down.

“Just lie down for a bit.”

Sephie realized she was lying on the limousine seat, her head resting on Yu-jin’s lap.

‘…Her… her thigh?’

She finally understood.
She tried to sit up, startled, but Yu-jin’s hand held her firmly in place, her struggles only making her look ridiculous.

Finally, Yu-jin tapped her forehead and said, “Stay still. You’re tickling my thigh.” Only then did Sephie stop struggling.

‘Ashilis-nim’s thigh…!’

As she reluctantly accepted the situation, a small, forbidden desire tickled her ears.

The limousine swayed, and Sephie’s head shifted slightly. In that moment, she felt it.

Though it was just her hair brushing against the fabric, she knew that beneath it lay the thigh of the person she desired so deeply.

‘Indecent…!’

Sephie’s face flushed.
It wasn’t as if she’d never had physical contact with Yu-jin before, but she hadn’t expected this.

Her heart pounded, and she reached out, grasping Yu-jin’s hand that was still resting on her forehead.

She tried to sit up, suppressing her desire, but

“Fear,”

Yu-jin’s voice, as natural as the wind, made Sephie pause and listen. Pleased with her attentiveness, Yu-jin continued in a softer tone,

“Is influenced by many things, but ultimately, it belongs to you. The seed might have been planted by someone else, or even by yourself, but it’s up to you whether it grows.”

It sounded like a gentle scolding,
Like soothing a child. Sephie was lulled by the gentle caress on her forehead.

“It’s hard enough to discern things even in ordinary life, Sephie. If I had threatened them, as you said, something would have happened, even with Kang Ma-jin’s restrictions.”

“I just wanted to make sure…”

Sephie interjected, a small act of defiance. But Yu-jin responded calmly,

“You said it yourself, Sephie. Humans forget gratitude and their place. And is that all?”

“That’s…”

A soft chuckle.
It was a relaxed, comforting sound that Sephie hadn’t heard in a long time, and it eased her anxiety.

Come to think of it,

Yu-jin’s tone was usually stiff.
Cold and distant, almost indifferent.

But now,

It was incredibly gentle.

Sephie recognized the difference. They’d spent enough time together.

Yu-jin wasn’t one to lie, but this was when her inner thoughts and spoken words aligned perfectly.

When was the last time she’d heard this tone?

As Sephie felt a pang of longing and sympathy, Yu-jin’s voice tickled her ear again.

“I’m not blaming you.”

“Yujin-nim…”

“It was my intention to be accommodating towards Kang Ma-jin and the Association.”

Sephie’s gaze shifted to Yu-jin’s face. She wore a playful expression, like a mischievous child.

But Sephie could see the underlying sadness. She couldn’t interrupt Yu-jin’s lament with a simple ‘why?’

“I wanted to show them that they’re no different from me and Sephie.”

“…No different.”

“If either side holds too much power, it becomes a one-sided relationship. I don’t want that.”

Her words held a question.

I feel this way, what about you? Sephie finally felt comfortable enough to be honest.

“But I still feel like you’re lowering yourself too much, Yujin-nim…”

It was concern, after all.
A small anxiety, a fear that the being she revered and loved might be underestimated by others.

Embarrassed by her own words, Sephie turned her head slightly and buried her face in Yu-jin’s stomach.

Yu-jin, amused, bit back a laugh and gently stroked Sephie’s hair.

A short silence followed.
Finally swallowing her laughter, Yu-jin sighed and asked,

“Sephie, who am I?”

Her voice was barely a whisper.
Sephie knew it was intentional. A message meant only for her.

“…Yes?”

She strained her ears, answering with a question.

Yu-jin smiled and whispered,

“I’m the Hero, Ashilis.”

“…!”

Yu-jin continued, her voice soft and slow, like reading a fairytale,

“What is a Hero? I used to ponder that endlessly, even in my dreams. In the end, I concluded that a Hero is someone who sacrifices themselves, who atones for their mistakes.”

“The Hero I believe in…”

“The things you want me to do, Sephie, are actually the things you hate the most, aren’t they?”

Sephie froze. Her thoughts, her worries, everything stopped.

Was it true?
The fundamental question echoed in her unconscious mind.

A fleeting moment passed, and then she felt a gentle caress on her head. She snapped back to reality.

‘…I…’

Sephie recalled her past.
Before she met Yu-jin, before she was saved.

The story of a foolish angel, a girl who cursed her own fate.

Her face flushed.
She bit her lip, closed her eyes tightly, and wrapped her arms around Yu-jin’s waist, holding her close.

“Uh… huh?”

Yu-jin seemed slightly startled, but Sephie, as if seeking refuge, buried her face deeper.

‘What… what have I said…!’

She was mortified.
She realized that her previous words hadn’t been for Yu-jin’s sake, but a projection of her own desires.

Had she projected her own deep-seated hatred of her past onto the Association?

Even after the limousine arrived at the apartment and they entered their home, Sephie clung to Yu-jin, refusing to let go.

Yu-jin, chuckling wryly, put aside her questions about the broadcast and Eftarel Verden and comforted Sephie until she finally fell asleep.

And the next day,
After preparing breakfast, hiding her embarrassment, Sephie entered Yu-jin’s room to call her.

“Yujin-nim, breakfast is…”

“Sephie!”

Yu-jin, her face flushed crimson, called her name and thrust her phone forward, showing her the screen.

“I… I was being sincere—!”

“These ignorant fools keep making fun of me!”

On the phone screen, an animated GIF of another Yu-jin, sitting on the floor and sobbing, played on a loop.

Sephie, watching Yu-jin stamp her foot in frustration, closed her eyes and pinched her nose to stop the nosebleed.