Chapter 86

Chapter 86. Terminal Diagnosis (11)

Baek Juyul. It was just a simple form of address, but it carried a surprising weight that reached the heart. Sodam’s grip tightened on the hand holding hers. When he pulled her arm strongly, Sodam, easily pulled upward, lost her balance and landed right in Juyul’s arms. Contrary to his assumption that she would get up immediately, she instead relaxed and settled more comfortably into his embrace.

“Are you feeling overwhelmed? You can just rest if you want.”

“No, no. It’s not that. It’s just… sometimes, you know? There are times when you just wish someone would hold you tight.”

“……”

“But the only one next to me is you…”

It wasn’t just Juyul who was surprised by those smoothly flowing words. They had slipped out following the flow of her consciousness, revealing feelings that even Sodam herself hadn’t fully realized.

Since arriving in this unfamiliar world, Juyul had been the only person Sodam could consider someone close. He was the one she spent the most time with, had the most conversations with… and shared the most emotions with.

He’s the main character, so only a path of flowers lies ahead of him. That’s what she kept telling herself, believing it was right to leave him behind. But she had never once considered what would become of her once she left him.

The vacation she had taken to survive had inadvertently turned into a preview of a future without Juyul—and it was far from welcome. It exposed the lie she had been telling herself all along—that her life would go on just fine without him, that cutting ties would leave her unaffected.

She should have refused the contract back then. She should’ve rejected the second Guiding. She shouldn’t have held him. If only she had done that, his embrace wouldn’t feel this warm now.

“Juyul.”

“…Yeah.”

“Even if you get another Guide, make sure you only hug like this with me.”

“That won’t happen.”

“I know, but… you never know. So just make sure that hugs not related to Guiding are only for me. Okay?”

At Sodam’s voice, almost desperate in its plea, Juyul silently wrapped his arms around her waist. It felt like he was trying to comfort himself. Whether that gesture came from sincerity or was just a lie to get through the moment—either way, it didn’t matter. Underneath the chest touching her cheek, she felt the slow rhythm of his heartbeat.

Thump, thump, thump. She counted the steady beats. And the moment the hundredth one reached her ears, she pulled her face away. Slowly slipping out of his embrace, Sodam opened her mouth with the usual light smile on her face.

“Alright, awkward mood over. Let’s get going. The staff member must be waiting.”

“…Yeah.”

As Sodam strode ahead with her usual lively steps, Juyul’s eyes stayed fixed on her back. A faint light flickered across his gaze. It was so brief and dim that even Juyul himself didn’t notice it.

* * *

Sodam realized that all the field assignments she’d been on until now had actually been relatively lucky. It had already been a week since they started sweeping through this wide mountain in a jeep. So far, only three mutant creatures had been caught by the detection device, all of them C-class, and all drawn out by Pafnir.

Even with 24-hour rotation and scouting alongside other teams, they hadn’t caught so much as a tail, and fatigue was setting in.

Her backside was sore from bouncing around in the shaking jeep, the meals were on a rinse-and-repeat cycle with little variation, and Juyul hadn’t so much as grazed her fingers. Everything seemed to be draining the life out of her, making her feel like the weight she’d finally put on was now melting away. While rubbing her faintly visible ribs in front of a mirror, Sodam murmured a sigh.

“I brought a bunch of supplements, but with how poorly I’m eating, they’re not helping at all.”

Whoever thought Juyul’s taste leaned that way must’ve been mistaken—he kept ordering a string of expensive Western meals. Sodam could barely eat half a bowl each time. The greasy food that stretched out over several days was heavy on her stomach and body, making her appetite shrink even more. Maybe that was why Sodam’s already short temper had grown razor-sharp.

Wearing several thick layers to create some cushion, she climbed into the jeep with practiced ease. Juyul followed with a similarly unimpressed expression. As an S-class, he had expected the search to be quick and easy. But this Pafnir creature was clearly more cunning than anticipated.

Even the staff member driving over rough mountain roads every day was skin and bones now. With three dark-circled people aboard, the jeep rolled smoothly down the path they had diligently cleared over the past week. Even the trees rushing past the window had become distinguishable by type.

“That’s an oak… and that one’s a chestnut, maybe?”

While amusing herself by identifying trees for no reason, a long-forgotten and welcome alarm suddenly blared through the jeep.

Beeeep— Beeeep— Beeeep—.

As soon as the sound rang out, Juyul sprang up, yanked the door open, grabbed the roof of the jeep, and leaned out to scan the surroundings, shouting,

“Which direction?!”

“Uh, southeast from the jeep! It’s moving away!”

The moment the staff member’s urgent reply came, Juyul bolted off in that direction. Sodam carefully made her way to the rattling door and barely managed to grab the handle and pull it open. The thought that she could’ve fallen right out chilled her to the core.

Clutching her trembling hands, she looked ahead—expecting the jeep to be following Juyul, naturally. But instead, it had turned around and was heading back the way they came. Sure, the trees all looked the same, but after passing the same scenery every day, it was impossible not to notice.

Leaning forward and gripping the front seat, Sodam glared at the driver, who was drenched in cold sweat, and asked,

“Where are we going right now?”

“Uh, b-back to the base camp!”

“There’s a creature detected and you’re turning around?! Turn this thing around right now!”

“B-but, Baek Juyul-ssir told me to make sure you were taken somewhere safe, Maeng Sodam-nim…”

“Juyul said that? Ha! You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Caring for someone only works when it’s wanted. No matter how considerate one thinks they’re being, if the other person doesn’t want it, it’s no better than a nuisance.

And what Juyul had just pulled was exactly that. Whether or not he ended up killing Pafnir, the fact that he had excluded her entirely was beyond irritating.

Just picturing Juyul flying off on his own, leaving her behind, made her grind her teeth. Her fingers dug into the seat cushion, leaving behind deep nail marks. She closed her eyes tight, then opened them again, and pulled something out of her pocket, holding it up for the driver to see.

“E-even if you threaten me with that, I-I’m a B-class Esper, so something like that won’t w-work on me…”

“This thing? Juyul made it himself, pulled it out using his own power.”

“Gasp…”

“I’ve got nothing to lose. Can you say the same?”

Rather than overt threats, the subtle implication in her question twisted tighter around the staff member’s chest. His face turned pale, and near tears, he stammered out,

“W-what should I do…?”

“Take me to where Baek Juyul is. Pedal to the metal. Now!”

“Y-yes, ma’am!”

She had been worried the staff might call her bluff, maybe even challenge her outright—but luckily, he was scared enough that she didn’t have to use the terrifying thing in her hand.

Honestly, Sodam herself found it terrifying just to carry around. So things turning out this way was a great relief.

She finally let out a breath and tightened her grip on the dagger. Juyul might’ve gone deep into the forest by now, and she’d need a weapon to survive. Praying he wasn’t too far, and hoping her stamina would hold out, she calmed her pounding heart.

Screeeech—

The jeep, arriving with a piercing screech, shook violently like it was trying to cool down an overheated engine. Judging by the frenzied beeping of the device mounted on the glove box, Juyul and Pafnir were definitely nearby. The fact that the alarm had picked up a signal meant it wasn’t too far—an unfortunate situation, but lucky in its own way.

Taking a deep breath, Sodam jerked her chin at the driver.

“You coming or not?”

“Uh, what? I, um, I should probably go… right?”

“Then get out. We need to catch up before they get any farther.”

“Y-yes, ma’am…”

Ignoring the sniffling sounds behind her, Sodam jumped out of the jeep and scanned her surroundings.

The sun had fully set, and the thick forest blocked even the faintest moonlight. With the darkness this deep, taking a single step without tripping was already a miracle for someone like her—practically no better than an ordinary civilian.

Carefully adjusting to the gloom, she reached out and braced herself against a tree right in front of her.

The staff member, hurrying over, rubbed his teary eyes and cautiously offered,

“Um, wouldn’t it be better to head back to the jeep? I really think that’s the safest…”

But Sodam’s gaze was fixed on something just beyond his pitiful face. Her lips parted slightly as she pointed and murmured,

“What the hell… is happening over there?”