Chapter 54

Why on earth did my body end up like this? Too many things don’t add up for it to be merely the price of crossing timelines. I should have asked the Scales about this as well.

At the time, consumed by the urgency of more fundamental questions, such personal curiosities hadn’t even crossed his mind.

Just then, the driver’s side door swung open, and Seo Hae-gun appeared wearing his black mask. Having stepped away to make a phone call, he slipped back into the car smoothly.

Watching Hae-gun pull off the mask, Eui-rim let out a silent breath. Only now did he realize that Hae-gun hadn’t been wearing one inside the hospital restroom.

Was the complete absence of hospital staff in the hallway related to him? It had seemed unnaturally deserted, even for a brief absence.

“Ah. Right.” Replaying the recent events in a daze, Eui-rim spoke before realizing his voice had risen. He had suddenly remembered the stall door that Seo Hae-gun had reduced to kindling. As Hae-gun started the ignition, Eui-rim asked, “What about the restroom door?”

His mind had been elsewhere, so he hadn’t thought of it earlier, but when he considered the situation, they had practically fled the scene after wrecking public property.

“Look at you worrying, and you’re the patient,” Hae-gun said with a low chuckle.

Yet the actual culprit behind the property damage merely chuckled at Eui-rim’s concern, clicking his tongue as if this were the single most useless worry in the world.

“You’ve got time to worry about a bathroom door, but not enough time to get an IV drip?” Hae-gun asked, shaking his head.

“It was broken because of me,” Eui-rim insisted. “We have to compensate them somehow.”

“I already told them to bill Cheongho, so don’t worry,” Hae-gun said casually.

“When did you do that?” Eui-rim asked.

“I told you earlier I had to make a call,” Hae-gun replied. “Seonha agreed to handle it.”

So that was what the call was about.

I’m sorry, Vice Guild Master…

It seemed he would have to apologize to Lee Seonha first thing when reporting to the guild tomorrow. Should he bring some snacks as a peace offering? What did Lee Seonha like? He recalled reading about it in an interview. What was it again?

“By the way, why did you do that earlier?” Hae-gun asked.

A new topic surfaced just as he was pondering Lee Seonha’s preferences. Startled by the unexpected question, Eui-rim stared blankly at Seo Hae-gun, who elaborated in a light tone.

“In the emergency room,” Hae-gun said. “You dug your heels in, refusing an IV drip as if your life depended on it.”

“Ah, that.” Right. There was still that conversation to be had. Given that he had adamantly refused an IV despite collapsing, Hae-gun naturally expected an explanation.

Swallowing a dry knot in his throat, Eui-rim produced the excuse he had prepared in anticipation of the question—a story half-blended with truth and lies.

“If you get an IV, you have to lie there for hours,” Eui-rim said. “I didn’t see the necessity of going that far. Besides, I needed to visit Chief Hong this afternoon.”

“You actually planned to go see Chief Hong in that condition?” Hae-gun asked, voice flat with disbelief.

Disapproval was plain in the sidelong glance that raked over him from the driver’s seat.

…Mm. It’s definitely not a state to go visit anyone. Even if his face was clean now, his clothes remained unchanged, the light-colored shirt still visibly stained with blood.

“My clothes are a bit… like this, yes,” Eui-rim admitted.

Visiting someone in this state would be utterly disrespectful. His thoughts had become so tangled that he seemed to have temporarily lost all reasonable judgment.

“We could stop by a clothing store on the way…” Eui-rim suggested tentatively.

“See? You’re talking nonsense because you skipped that IV and your head is completely out of it.” Cutting Eui-rim off firmly, Seo Hae-gun clicked his tongue in irritation. “I haven’t even heard yet why someone who went for a simple hospital visit cast a skill, or what happened to put you in that state. Do you think I’m leisurely enough to just drive you to see Chief Hong right now?”

Ah, right. Of course.

Only after hearing Hae-gun’s reprimand did Eui-rim realize that the most crucial matter had been completely swept under the rug.

My brain really is sluggish. I can’t even think straight. Perhaps his vigilance had collapsed the moment he saw Seo Hae-gun. He needed to review his status window again and organize his plans, yet his thoughts simply refused to align.

Seeing Eui-rim fall silent, Seo Hae-gun sighed as if he had expected as much. “Let’s leave the rest of the conversation for when we get home. Eui-rim-ssi, just close your eyes for a bit. I’ll wake you when we arrive.”

“Pardon?” Eui-rim asked, stiffening. “Whose home are we going to?”

“Whose home do you think?” Hae-gun replied smoothly. “Your home, of course.”

What is he talking about now?

Staring at him in utter perplexity, Eui-rim caught Hae-gun’s sidelong glance. As if amused by his unusually rigid posture, Hae-gun’s eyes curved with a faint smile for the first time that day.

“Why? Don’t want to let me into your place?” Hae-gun teased. “Do you have a lover hidden at home or something?”

It was a preposterous question that Eui-rim could never have imagined hearing in a situation like this.

“Please stop saying such ridiculous things,” Eui-rim retorted.

At Eui-rim’s flat retort, Seo Hae-gun’s smile only deepened. Murmuring that it was just a joke, he turned his focus back to the road.

“Are we really going to my place?” Eui-rim asked.

“Yes,” Hae-gun confirmed.

“And have our talk there, too?” Eui-rim pressed.

“Yeeees,” Hae-gun drawled.

The way he deliberately drew out his syllables was impossibly lighthearted. Hae-gun had always possessed a whimsical streak, but with the stark image of his fury at the hospital still fresh, the contrast felt particularly jarring.

Biting his lower lip, Eui-rim fidgeted with the plastic medicine bag. To think he would end up bringing someone to his apartment on a whim.

“Is it that uncomfortable for you?” Hae-gun asked.

As Eui-rim swallowed a sigh upon seeing the car merge onto the elevated highway, Hae-gun noticed his gloom. Assuming Eui-rim truly dreaded inviting him in, Hae-gun’s earlier brazen demeanor receded.

“It’s not that, so much as… I just don’t feel entirely at ease,” Eui-rim admitted quietly.

“That’s the exact same difference,” Hae-gun remarked.

“…” Eui-rim remained silent.

“I didn’t bring it up to burden you, so don’t take it to heart,” Hae-gun said gently. “If you really dislike it, we can just park outside your building and talk in the car.”

The surprisingly considerate response left Eui-rim taken aback. He had expected Hae-gun would pry into the reasons behind his reluctance. Yet aside from that initial teasing, the fact that Hae-gun pressed no further made Eui-rim feel all the more sheepish.

I really can’t tell whether he’s considerate or just plain mischievous.

If Hae-gun had simply pushed his way through unilaterally, Eui-rim would have conceded, perhaps compromising on a brief chat at a cafe before heading home.

Yet because Hae-gun yielded so easily, Eui-rim’s conscience grew heavier, nudging him to offer an explanation after all.

Damn it. I shouldn’t have left my car behind. Who could have predicted such a mess would arise on the exact day I took public transit?

[Route guidance starting.]

The cheerful automated voice of the navigation system rang out. While Eui-rim was lost in thought, Seo Hae-gun had selected his registered address as their destination.

“…When did you register my address?” Eui-rim asked.

“Quite some time ago,” Hae-gun answered smoothly.

“Do you have the home addresses of the other members registered like this too?” Eui-rim pressed.

“You never know what might happen in life,” Hae-gun said with a shrug.

No wonder Seo Hae-gun had suggested going to his place with such supreme confidence. It seemed he had saved the addresses of all the guild members into his car’s navigation.

Staring at the address listed on the screen, Eui-rim pursed his lips. With the route underway, reality finally sank in.

Right. How hard could it be?

Though it was something Eui-rim had never voiced aloud to anyone, sharing a piece of his circumstances with someone he was bound to work with frequently wouldn’t be a bad thing.

“The truth is, I tend to get anxious when there’s someone inside my home,” Eui-rim said. At the abrupt confession, Seo Hae-gun’s eyebrows arched upward. Casting a sidelong glance at him, Eui-rim added, “That’s why I was hesitant. Not because having you over specifically makes me uncomfortable, Seo Hae-gun-ssi.”

“Anxious?” Hae-gun repeated.

Naturally, Seo Hae-gun couldn’t immediately grasp the confession. Becoming anxious simply because another person entered one’s house was entirely incomprehensible to him.

Staring straight at the road, Hae-gun pondered for a moment before replying, “That is peculiar. Most people find having me around far more uncomfortable than any other guest.”

“Uh… no, not in that way,” Eui-rim stammered. “How should I put it… Having anyone in my home is inherently difficult for me. Even with close acquaintances, having someone in my private space makes me stiffen up.”

That was why he had always volunteered for overtime and holiday shifts, never missing a chance to apply for distant business trips. Even knowing his current home was different from the one in the previous timeline, whenever he thought of returning there alone, a chilling dread would often grip him.

Seo Hae-gun parted his lips several times, but ultimately remained silent. Whether he thought prying further was impolite or simply chose not to delve too deeply, Eui-rim was grateful either way.

“Then you’ve probably never invited a friend over either,” Hae-gun observed.

A new topic surfaced to fill the lingering silence. Relaxing his tense shoulders, Eui-rim answered in a slightly softer tone, “Pretty much.” In truth, he hadn’t had anyone he could call a friend either, but he decided to keep that to himself.