# Chapter 147
If his memory was correct, the C-class gravity skill was destined to be acquired by an ability user from England someday in the future. So why was it now quietly residing in his own skill window?
‘And amplification, on top of that?’
Amplification. That was a skill he had never heard of before the regression. And it was even A-class. Although spatial control was said to be a type of ability that didn’t strictly follow classifications, he was only B-class, so how had he obtained an A-class skill?
Wondering if he might be seeing things wrong, he closed his eyes tightly and opened them again, but all he could see were still those two unfamiliar skills and Taesung’s occasional glances at him.
‘What is this, really?’
He couldn’t even guess when these had appeared. Were they automatically given during regression, or was there something he wasn’t remembering?
Lee Hwan felt Taesung’s gaze from beside him and relaxed his brow again.
“Are you uncomfortable somewhere?”
“…No.”
Lee Hwan answered automatically and then started. Why had he hidden it when he could have just mentioned that his skills seemed strange?
Taesung’s face was now completely calm, not like someone who had just regressed and was confused. As if he had organized everything that was about to happen in a corner of his mind right after regressing, he had returned to being a person without any signs of wavering.
An inexplicable sensation sent a sharp signal, but he couldn’t understand why. He just felt strange whenever he looked at Taesung. It felt like his heart was beating irregularly.
When he bit his lip at the unstable feeling, Taesung, who had been waiting for a signal, turned his eyes away and shook his head. Lee Hwan quickly licked his lower lip once and cast his gaze out the window.
‘Well, since regression is a first for both of us, I guess we’re just feeling awkward.’
Taesung had always been someone whose expression hardly changed in front of others. Although Lee Hwan wasn’t “others,” if Taesung wanted to hide his emotions, he certainly could.
He had always stood firm like a rock during the most precarious times, supporting Lee Hwan. This time too, having nearly died, he was probably putting up a smoke screen so that Lee Hwan wouldn’t waver. Just like he always had.
‘….’
Should he mention that something seemed strange? Lee Hwan glanced at Taesung as he drove, then inwardly sighed, “Oh, whatever,” and leaned back fully against the seat.
He could think about it later when they arrived. It wasn’t as if his existing skills had disappeared; instead, new ones had appeared, which was honestly a benefit.
Besides, they had moved seven years away from the apocalypse, so even if they were delayed by an hour or two, there wouldn’t be any catastrophic consequences.
Lee Hwan tried to push away the uneasy feeling and gazed steadily at Taesung’s face. His features, which somehow gave him a nostalgic feeling, were focused straight ahead.
In any case, he had saved him and returned to a safe world. There were no more scars on that face. A regression to a peaceful world without hordes of monsters or dangerous injuries. For now, that was enough.
Lee Hwan took a deep breath as he managed to calm his anxiously trembling heart. The skill window, which still remained a mystery, disappeared from his sight.
The car had already left the narrow alley and was entering the building-filled center of Seoul. The last streets he had seen were full of broken windows and collapsed walls.
As Lee Hwan carefully took in the undestroyed cityscape, he suddenly asked Taesung:
“By the way, how badly were you injured? At the end.”
If Taesung had been so injured that he couldn’t even straighten his back and had to slump down, it must have been truly serious. This had been bothering Lee Hwan the whole time. He couldn’t help imagining what might have happened if Taesung hadn’t discovered the regression skill stone in time.
“It was nothing.”
At this clean-cut answer, Lee Hwan raised one eyebrow sharply. Taesung, seeming to have anticipated his reaction, answered again without even turning his head.
“Just, I think the attack hit a blood vessel wrong. It didn’t really hurt, but the blood kept flowing.”
His gentle voice. He lied so naturally that Lee Hwan almost got drawn in for a moment. Lee Hwan put strength into his eyes and lowered his voice.
“If enough blood flowed from that area to be that noticeable, it means you were seriously injured. Do you take me for an idiot?”
“…Anyway, we came back, didn’t we?”
“What?”
Lee Hwan asked blankly. He understood that Taesung was hiding it so he wouldn’t worry, but he had almost lost him. What was the point of hiding it from him, of all people?
“We’re here. Let’s get out.”
But at that moment, Taesung slightly lowered his eyebrows and made a faintly sorrowful expression. Lee Hwan forgot what he was about to press him on and unconsciously nodded, unfastening his seatbelt.
Damn it. He was too weak to such expressions from him. That bastard definitely knew this and deliberately kept making that face.
“You’d better explain properly when we get inside.”
“Let’s rest and eat first. We’re tired, aren’t we?”
“…”
“How about steak?”
I should be scolding him for focusing on food right now. Yet Lee Hwan unconsciously swallowed.
After the monster wave, during their long period of wandering, meals had become more about nutritional intake for survival than actual dining. Hearing about steak after so long made his tactless stomach start to rumble.
“…And cake too.”
In the end, Lee Hwan stopped grumbling, nodded, and headed for the penthouse. When a faint smile hung on Taesung’s lips, Lee Hwan felt his heart race for no reason.
The password for the private entrance seemed to be the same now as it was seven years later. The slightly different-looking door lock opened at once. Lee Hwan looked back at Taesung with a satisfied expression.
Taesung was still smiling silently. Despite going to his own home, he deliberately walked behind Lee Hwan. It looked like he was blocking the way back, making Lee Hwan feel as if his escape route was cut off.
‘Really, escape routes.’
Looking for ways to escape even here was probably due to returning after long battles.
Lee Hwan tried to suppress his sensitive mind and thought about the steak he would soon eat. Steak grilled by Taesung himself, with a crispy exterior and full of buttery flavor.
When it arrived at the table and Lee Hwan showed an excited, happy expression, Taesung would also make a pleased face. He often used to just quietly watch Lee Hwan eat.
“For the cake, shall we get strawberry?”
“Yeah.”
“What about ice cream?”
“Whatever you like.”
“Yogurt?”
“That’s what I like, isn’t it?”
“I like it too.”
This trivial conversation helped melt away his knotted feelings. Lee Hwan tried to erase the strange sensation and silently waited for the elevator.
Taesung had been observing him through the mirror for a while now. It felt like his back along the spine and the nape of his neck were tingling.
* * *
His apartment had a quite different atmosphere from before. The walls and furniture, painted with dark and calm colors, looked rather lifeless.
The entire home was like that. While it was well-decorated and picturesque, it felt more like a model house than a place where someone actually lived.
‘Come to think of it, didn’t he mention there was a fire once…?’
It might have been a bit awkward if the interior had suddenly changed completely, but Taesung casually seated Lee Hwan in the living room and walked into the kitchen.
Soon came the sweet smell of melting butter and the sizzling sound of cooking meat. Lee Hwan sprawled on the sofa, which was different in appearance but still soft, bouncy, and comfortable to lie on, and quietly stared at the ceiling.
Was it because less than an hour had passed since escaping a near-death situation and regressing to arrive at his home?
‘Honestly, I’m still in a daze.’
Taesung had burst into tears without warning, so Lee Hwan had followed him in confusion without even asking how he was. The damn guy had tempted him with meat, so he hadn’t had a chance to talk about what happened before the regression either.
Come to think of it, when he came out after washing up, Taesung had barged in without giving him time to even think. That pale face of his. Essentially, by the time Lee Hwan regained his senses after comforting him, they had arrived here.
‘Still… he seems to be okay, that guy.’
Lee Hwan decided to be satisfied, for now, with the fact that they had both truly regressed. After living as a wanderer for so long, he had realized how precious this reality was, where he could lie in his home and chat idly.
As he scanned the lights one by one with his eyes, he opened his skill window again.
* A Amplification
– Amplifies the user’s ability and affiliated skills.
* B Spatial Control (☆)
– Controls and adjusts the designated space.
* C Gravity
– Adjusts the gravity of the designated space.
These skills matched his ability so well that for a moment, Lee Hwan wondered if Spatial Control had arbitrarily spawned Amplification and Gravity. But since he had never heard of abilities having offspring in his life, he quickly dismissed that absurd thought.
Were these skills some kind of perk for being a regressor? But wasn’t Gravity a skill that someone else was supposed to acquire? It was hard to guess whether a single skill had split into two, or if he had just grabbed anything while regressing.
‘I wonder if any time or memories have disappeared.’
It was truly baffling, but he still wanted to try using these new skills. However, since the skill descriptions were so inadequate, it seemed like he should go out and try them after finishing dinner.
“What are you doing?”
A familiar face peeked into Lee Hwan’s vision as he was repeatedly reading the skill window. Lee Hwan was startled for some reason but soon calmed down and quietly looked at Taesung’s face.
Kang Taesung from seven years ago definitely looked a bit younger than before the regression. His untrimmed eyes were a bit sharper, and his mouth seemed less mature.
But his eyes carried a tired and worn look, which somehow made him appear roughly the same age as before.
“Nothing. Just looking at you.”
He said something completely unrelated to checking his skill window. Still, Taesung smiled at those words and reached down. His large hand caressed Lee Hwan’s cheek. The warm touch lingered on his soft cheek.
“…”
Lee Hwan froze like a stone. His chest suddenly fluttered, and he felt awkwardness washing over him. What was this guy doing since earlier? When he turned his head and made a small clicking sound with his teeth like a nip, Taesung understood and slowly withdrew his hand.
“Is there anything I can help with?”
“No, everything’s ready.”
“Then later, I’ll cut the cake for you.”
As if cutting cake is so difficult. Lee Hwan blurted out whatever came to mind and got up from his seat with the tips of his ears reddening.
