# Chapter 60
Perhaps because I’d encountered a completely unexpected person, I found my mouth hanging open without realizing it. I gathered my wandering thoughts, put them back in place, and closed my mouth.
I wondered why Ji Haecheon was helping me and what he was up to. In this incomprehensible situation, my carefully collected thoughts threatened to scatter again.
Why is he really there?
How could he appear with such perfect timing in the first place? Was this possible because of the novel world setting? No, weren’t Baek Han and Kwon Dojin the ones who were supposed to be involved with me? If it were those two, I’d understand, but why specifically Ji Haecheon?
Even if the person who treated me like a toy and left the worst impression was helping me, gratitude wasn’t my first reaction. All I felt was discomfort and uneasiness.
Regardless of my feelings, the situation was resolved quickly. The moment Ji Haecheon appeared, the group started backing away, and soon they all ran away from the alley without any apparent leader.
Ji Haecheon didn’t seem interested in chasing them, letting them go while looking at me. Somehow, I didn’t like his gaze and almost grimaced, but barely managed to hold back.
On the surface, he had helped me, so I couldn’t be rude.
“Are you okay?”
Ji Haecheon approached me with leisurely steps. His voice asking while maintaining eye contact felt awkward. Maybe because the first time we met he had spoken sarcastically, there was a disconnect hearing his kind voice now.
“As you can see.”
I spread my arms slightly to emphasize that I wasn’t hurt anywhere. Ji Haecheon chuckled at my gesture and stopped two steps away.
“That’s good then.”
What on earth should I say to Ji Haecheon? If it had been Baek Han or Kwon Dojin, I would have talked to them without hesitation. Due to the awkwardness, I turned my gaze toward the sky.
“A pretty face shouldn’t be scarred.”
This time my brow furrowed before I could stop it. Is he saying it’s fine if a face that isn’t pretty gets scarred? If it had been Kwon Dojin, he wouldn’t have said it that way.
He doesn’t seem to understand that meaning can be conveyed differently depending on the form of words, even with the same intent.
“Your pretty face will wrinkle.”
Ji Haecheon reached out his hand, adding unnecessary flowery words. I reflexively tried to back away, but failed again as my heel hit the edge of the flowerbed behind me.
Should I at least pull my head back to avoid him? As I was seriously considering this, someone grabbed Ji Haecheon’s wrist with a sharp sound.
“Don’t try anything.”
Kwon Dojin?
Hearing the familiar voice, I opened my eyes wide and looked to the side. Kwon Dojin, who had grabbed Ji Haecheon’s arm as it reached toward me, had a completely different aura than what he usually showed me.
“Try anything?”
Ji Haecheon sneered at Kwon Dojin’s words. After easily freeing himself from Kwon Dojin’s grip, he took a crooked stance.
Meanwhile, Kwon Dojin naturally wedged himself between Ji Haecheon and me, blocking my view. Relieved that Ji Haecheon, who had been making me uncomfortable, was now farther away, I gently grabbed the hem of Kwon Dojin’s clothes.
“I didn’t do anything that could be called ‘trying something,’ so what are you talking about?”
No sooner had Ji Haecheon finished speaking than a grinding sound came from Kwon Dojin gritting his teeth.
“Saying outrageous things to someone you just met, what face do you have to show up in front of Habin?”
“You’re talking big without knowing the situation.”
“What?”
As the conversation between Ji Haecheon and Kwon Dojin continued, the atmosphere grew tense. Moreover, seeing Kwon Dojin losing his composure, I tugged at his clothes several times.
Though he could have ignored me in this confrontation, Kwon Dojin immediately turned around and tried to soften his expression. Still, the fact that he couldn’t manage a smile showed how upset he was inside.
Kwon Dojin was definitely not himself right now.
“Let’s go home. I’ll tell you when we get there.”
“But still—”
“There’s no reason to stay here anyway.”
Kwon Dojin hesitated, moving his lips, but then slowly nodded. With only Ji Haecheon remaining, I stuck my head out to look at him.
“Thanks for earlier.”
“You’re leaving?”
“I don’t think anything good will come from staying.”
Ji Haecheon showed signs of contemplation. Kwon Dojin ignored him and expressed his opinion that we should leave, but I felt uneasy about going without properly acknowledging the help I’d received.
Though Kwon Dojin bit his lip hard, he waited as I wanted. Worried that he might hurt himself, I reached out and firmly pressed his lower lip.
“If you’re going now, I’d like you to make time for me later.”
Only when I heard Ji Haecheon’s voice did I realize he was still there. Embarrassed, I withdrew my hand and clenched my fist.
“Why would Habin even—”
“I will. But Kwon Dojin will come with me then.”
Ji Haecheon responded to my condition by shrugging his shoulders, seemingly unconcerned. Kwon Dojin looked at me with a face full of things to say, but it couldn’t be helped. When I shook my head lightly, Kwon Dojin clenched his teeth again and grabbed my hand.
I was led out of the alley by Kwon Dojin. Even as we hurried, I could feel his consideration in holding my hand loosely so as not to hurt me.
The glimpse of Kwon Dojin’s furrowed brow showed his dampened mood. Though we walked hurriedly, the pedestrian signal had turned red, so we had no choice but to stop at the crosswalk.
Kwon Dojin tried to push his hair back but noticed the gloves on his hands and clicked his tongue. He bit the end of his glove to take it off and carelessly stuffed it into his pocket. I thought he could have used his hand holding my arm to remove it, but I didn’t say this aloud.
“Did anything happen today?”
Usually, silence between us was comfortable, but the current quiet felt awkward. So I brought up something I wasn’t even curious about, and Kwon Dojin turned to look at me.
“…I’m sorry.”
He exhaled a light sigh and pressed his index finger firmly against his eyelid. I slowly patted his arm as he tried to calm his emotions. It seemed difficult for him to maintain composure because of Ji Haecheon.
While Kwon Dojin was taking deep breaths, the signal changed. Not wanting to miss it, this time I pulled our joined hands to lead him. Kwon Dojin followed, slightly dazed.
As we walked along the sidewalk entering the apartment complex, Kwon Dojin suddenly embraced me from behind. Surprised by the unexpected action, I reflexively flinched. Normally, Kwon Dojin would have backed off seeing my reaction, but instead, he held me tighter.
“I’m annoyed.”
His tone was like a child throwing a tantrum. While I blinked, trying to adjust to this unfamiliar voice, he buried his face in my shoulder.
“I don’t want you meeting that bastard later.”
“Umm…”
His grumbling continued. Actually, with harsh words mixed in, I wasn’t sure if “grumbling” was the right term, but I had no other word for it.
Still, showing a new side, especially a whining one, meant he was under a lot of stress, so I gently patted the back of his hand resting on my chest.
Encouraged by my gesture, or perhaps intending to say it all along, he continued with something frightening.
“I should have crushed him earlier.”
“Huh…?”
“Should I do it now? Then you wouldn’t have to meet him next time.”
“What?”
A series of sentences too difficult to accept at once followed. While I acted bewildered, Kwon Dojin was entering a stage of firming his resolve. The more bizarre thing was that even in the midst of this, his whining attitude remained.
“Wait, wait a minute.”
“Hmm?”
“Wasn’t he ranked first? Is it okay to talk so casually about this?”
I took a step forward, escaping from Kwon Dojin’s embrace. I immediately turned around to face him. He rolled his eyes at my question.
It was as if he was contemplating what reaction to show. After a brief silence, he grinned.
“I might get a bit hurt, but so what?”
I was dumbfounded by his light tone and attitude, speaking as if it were someone else’s business. He’s going to fight knowing he’ll get hurt? Why?
My expression must have hardened without me realizing it. Kwon Dojin slightly bent his waist to meet my eyes. Extending his arm to cup my cheek, he looked quite serious.
“Why do you look like that? Are you feeling sick somewhere?”
I took time to process his incomprehensible words. Once I fully understood what he said, my mood sank. Unaware of my feelings, Kwon Dojin frowned and half-turned his body.
“Go up first and wait. I’ll come back after meeting Ji Haecheon again.”
I urgently grabbed his arm as he was about to dash out. The arm in my hand twitched slightly. Kwon Dojin, unable to shake me off simply because I was holding him, looked down at me with mild difficulty.
“Are you serious about fighting Ji Haecheon?”
“Huh?”
“I’m asking if you’re serious. About fighting him.”
Though unintended, my voice came out low. Irritation, or something like nervousness, coagulated and settled.
Kwon Dojin seemed perplexed by my behavior. He moved his lips, lowered his gaze, and fidgeted with his hands. I observed all these actions while biting my cheek inconspicuously.
“Well…, yes.”
After a long silence, Kwon Dojin finally nodded to confirm. That seemingly monotonous attitude increased the size of the lump in my heart.
“You’ll fight even knowing you’ll get hurt.”
“It won’t be that dangerous. So—”
“So you’ll say it’s okay? That it’s no big deal?”
“…Habin?”
Sensing something was wrong, Kwon Dojin started to read my mood. Seeing that he didn’t understand what was wrong with his words, my chest felt heavy with frustration.
The unfamiliar sensation of my stomach churning made me want to sit down. I bit my lower lip, making an effort to stand on my two legs, and looked up at Kwon Dojin.
“Then I guess it’s no big deal if I go meet Ji Haecheon alone, right?”
“That’s—”
“You said it’s fine since you won’t get hurt that much. Then it should be fine if I get hurt meeting Ji Haecheon.”
“How is that not a big deal? Me getting hurt and you getting hurt are different, aren’t they?”
“What exactly is different? What’s so different that you can say it’s okay to get hurt in front of me? How can you be sure whether you’ll get hurt a little or a lot? Why are you—!”
I snapped at Kwon Dojin in a voice feigning calmness. Spilling the words in my head made my constricted chest open a little. The heavy sensation hadn’t completely disappeared, but my sinking mood improved somewhat.
Kwon Dojin’s shocked expression changed as I continued speaking, and now he stood with his eyes downcast. He maintained silence for a while, seemingly at a loss for words.
“I was… wrong.”
The words that broke the unbearably heavy silence were so faint they could have gone out at any moment. However, knowing the sincerity contained within wasn’t diluted, the lump in my heart was chipped away once more.
“You’ve always been like this. Why don’t you take proper care of your body as if it belongs to someone else?”
“Habin—”
“Don’t casually say it’s okay to get hurt.”
I whispered as if exhaling a sigh. I pressed near my eyes, trying to shake off the remaining emotions. Watching me, Kwon Dojin carefully reached out to hold the tips of my fingers.
“Okay. I won’t say such things carelessly.”
I didn’t know if he would really keep his word, but it wasn’t a situation to get angrier, and I didn’t have the energy for it, so I nodded slightly. I just felt tired and wanted to rest.
