“…Isn’t it too quiet?”
I muttered while staring at the main building visible through the window. Then Cha Jeoh, who had been hovering around me, continued the conversation as if he’d been waiting for it.
“Quiet? What is?”
“The survivors on the main building side.”
I only found out this morning, but perhaps because Cha Woodan and Cha Jeoh were twins with that special relationship, they could exchange and use each other’s abilities. Of course, since what each was particularly skilled with or could use comfortably was different, they mostly focused on their respective abilities, but I heard they would switch if necessary. They’d even done some training for that.
That’s why today, unlike yesterday, Cha Woodan had gone out to look for a place to stay. Perhaps in an effort to fill that empty spot, even when only one twin remained instead of two, there was no feeling of something lacking or being empty.
Maybe it was because they felt like one rather than two. As I was thinking such thoughts, Cha Jeoh asked.
“What about the survivors on the main building side?”
I turned my gaze away from staring intently at Cha Jeoh and looked out the window again.
“They know we’re staying in the annex. Even though we’ll be leaving before long…”
“You thought they’d come looking and raise hell?”
As I was about to nod, I rolled my eyes back to look up at Cha Jeoh.
“Why did you bother changing the profanity?”
“That kind of vulgar language shouldn’t enter Hayoung’s ears. Our Hayoung should only see and hear pretty and good things.”
My face took on a subtle hue. Had he gotten influenced after blocking cult leader Lee Gojun? And in the first place, in a world that had become a pandemonium, wasn’t it already too late to only see and hear pretty and good things?
‘And why add that unnecessary possessive “our” again?’
If I started nitpicking everything, there would be no end. Just as with Lee Gojun, I was giving up and losing interest when Cha Jeoh quietly continued.
“Right now, even the main building side isn’t in a position to rashly come looking for us and kick us out.”
“Those were the ones cursing us as murderers who killed people, weren’t they?”
At least that anger had felt genuine. If not, there was no way to explain those absurdly foolish attitudes and reactions swept up in such stupid and futile ways of thinking. Unless swayed by extreme emotions, how could a human brain make such judgments?
“From the beginning, that bastard Seong Taehyeon wasn’t sincere. And the one who actually holds the real power in the main building is that bastard, just one person.”
“Seong Taehyeon?”
“The student council president. You know, the one sitting at the center… you probably didn’t see him.”
“I didn’t see him, but I know who you’re talking about.”
The person who controlled the clamoring atmosphere and presented blatant threats and deals, who looked more reckless and stupid than any of them.
“Rather, they’re probably meeting about how to sweet-talk us again to bring us back to the main building. In the end, they’ll need our help.”
“Are the main building survivors that weak, or are you guys that strong?”
“If I had to pick, the latter. Originally, those things called monsters are tricky enough that completely wiping them out is difficult.”
I only moved my fingers, repeating tapping on the window frame.
“That person called the student council president—seeing how he stands at the top among a not-small number of survivors even though many have died, he must have awakened quite a strong ability.”
“I wonder. There’s nothing known about what ability that bastard awakened.”
“Not known?”
“Yeah. So it’s probably not a combat-type ability. The possibility of it being a defense ability or healing ability also seems low.”
My fingertips that had been tapping the window frame steadily soon stopped.
No matter how much that person had held the position of Hanul High’s student council president before this era arrived, it wouldn’t be easy to become a real power among a group of survivors in a situation dominated by force with just that kind of leadership. It wouldn’t be impossible, but there’s always a normal pyramid and instinctive hierarchy everywhere.
In the midst of that, the fact that he, who seemed to have awakened a different power that was neither a combat-type ability nor a rare healing ability, held the actual power at Hanul High. Then the possibility leaned toward something powerful though far from combat-type abilities, and belonging to the rarer side even than healing abilities.
“Mental-type ability?”
“Cha Woodan and I do have our suspicions in that direction.”
Certainly, if it was a mental-type ability, and an ability that could blatantly control people, there would be no difficulty in becoming the leader of survivors.
As I was turning it over in my head, a tickling contact suddenly touched the back of my neck. Warm fingertips climbed along my neckline and reached the ends of my hair, rustling carefully.
When I turned my head, Cha Jeoh withdrew his hand briefly, then stroked my hair again. Rather than shaking my head to brush off that touch, I chose to ask the reason.
“Why?”
“Your hair turning white doesn’t seem to be spreading further from the ends.”
Hearing those words, I raised my hand to fiddle with my bangs. The hair shimmering and visible at the top of my vision was white, but it was difficult to examine the parts above that.
“But this suits you well too. Maybe even more than before.”
Even as I lowered my hand again, the persistent touch reaching my back was still there. That warmth that didn’t know how to fall away dug into me through my skin.
It seemed sticky, and seemed desperate. It wasn’t that I particularly wanted him to touch me, but it also wasn’t unpleasant enough to actively refuse.
‘…Or is it? Is it unpleasant?’
Or was it just uncomfortable?
Why? Because I wasn’t used to it?
Flinch—my shoulders trembled finely. It was because those fingertips that had been staying at the back of my neck flowed forward while becoming even warmer. Soon, slight force entered those fingers that stopped at the soft area between my chin and neck.
“Your heart is beating slowly.”
I turned my gaze slightly. I immediately made eye contact with Cha Jeoh, who had moved from behind me to the side at some point. Those pupils of a deep color seemed similar to what his twin had shown the day before yet appeared even deeper, so I swallowed my saliva for no reason.
Since Cha Jeoh’s hand wasn’t pressing on my uvula or windpipe, there was no difficulty. However, he surely must have felt the movement of muscles surging greatly near my Adam’s apple. Nevertheless, instead of withdrawing or moving his hand, Cha Jeoh maintained a cautious and stable force unchanged.
Exhaling a dry breath, I answered slowly.
“This is about an average heart rate. Probably.”
“Really? Are you sure?”
“I’m not a doctor, so I don’t know exactly. But I do know well that I’m not suffering from any particular heart disease or illness.”
Cha Jeoh’s eyelids trembled. Accordingly, his long eyelashes caused a single wave.
It was a beauty striking enough to be etched in one’s eyes no matter when you looked. The vivid lines seemed to emphasize handsome elements, but when surveyed from an overall perspective, he looked endlessly beautiful.
‘…As expected, if I’d properly seen this face even once, there’s no way I would have forgotten.’
“Then is my heart beating fast?”
At the muttering that came out of nowhere, I reflexively tilted my head in puzzlement. Because of that, the distance widened and Cha Jeoh’s hand fell away from me.
“Do you have a heart disease?”
“No.”
“…Why did you bring up the topic about heart rate in the first place?”
“Because I like it.”
It felt like we were communicating yet not communicating. Even seeing me slowly narrow my eyes, Cha Jeoh just smiled broadly. Soon he casually changed the conversation topic.
“What do you want to eat? Aren’t you hungry?”
It was one of the questions I’d been hearing quite frequently from the twins lately. Since I was someone who hadn’t eaten much or often, whether meals or snacks, it would be a lie to say there was no unfamiliarity, but it was also true that I was comfortable as if I’d become a master, so I wasn’t pushing it away.
I calmly recalled the things that had been piled in the art room storage, now moved to the old classroom in the annex. Then I suddenly felt puzzled and opened my mouth.
“What about Lee Gojun?”
“Hm?”
“Is he eating water and food properly too?”
In other words, it was no different from confirming ‘Are you guys taking care of him?’ Since they knew I had feelings that I’d prefer Lee Gojun to live if possible, the twins wouldn’t act rashly, but still, shouldn’t I check at least once?
Cha Jeoh, who had been staring at me intently as if even blinking briefly would be wasteful, slightly averted his gaze. As if that wasn’t enough, he even hesitated uncharacteristically and opened and closed his mouth, then, unable to resist my repeated question, began.
“…Well.”
“Don’t tell me you starved him?”
“…Hayoung-ah, Cha Woodan says. People can endure at least 3 days without water and a week without food.”
So he starved him. Then probably to Lee Gojun’s younger brother, I had evolved from ‘evil cult representative who exploits hyung’s ability’ to ‘vicious cult representative who exploits hyung while even starving him.’
“…But? We’re people with enough compassion, so we were going to start taking care of him from today.”
Looking at Cha Jeoh shamelessly adding as if he’d intended it from the start, I turned my head without answering.
