A Mirror to the Past and a Forbidden Spark

“Whatever Baek Hee-do promised you, or even if you’ve… given him your heart, do not trust him. He is a man who can smile while stabbing anyone in the back.”

But I already knew someone exactly like that.

The man standing right in front of me: Yoo Se-rim.

In the past, how much had I devoted myself to Yoo Se-rim? How hard had I tried to please him? Yet, he discarded me as a mere sacrifice for a dungeon. It was only after I died that I realized all my efforts had been nothing but garbage.

Finally, unable to swallow the insult, I snapped back.

“Are you any different?”

“What?”

“Yoo Se-rim, I’m asking if you are any different.”

“…….”

Yoo Se-rim seemed momentarily struck dumb by my question. As I bit my lip and turned away, he reached out and grabbed my shoulder, spinning me back around with a surprisingly rough grip.

“Why do you look at me with… those eyes?”

His voice trembled with a sense of suppressed grievance, as if he had been holding this question back for a long time.

I looked up. Yoo Se-rim gazed down at me with a face full of incomprehension.

“Did you think I wouldn’t notice? The way you glare at me sometimes, as if you want to kill me?”

“…….”

“I don’t know what Baek Hee-do told you, but I—”

“This has nothing to do with Baek Hee-do!”

I shouted, violently shaking off his hand. Everywhere he touched made my skin crawl with goosebumps.

“…….”

Yoo Se-rim’s hand remained frozen in mid-air from my harsh rebellion.

I stood there huffing for a moment, my head throbbing as if it were about to split. I clutched my forehead with one hand and spoke in a trembling voice.

“A long time ago, I liked someone who was just like you.”

“What……?”

“That person knew I liked him. He acted like he would accept everything, but in the end, he threw me away.”

Yoo Se-rim let out a long, weary sigh as if the comparison was absurd, but I spat out the words I had always wanted to say to the past version of him.

“That’s why I hate you now.”

“…….”

“Do whatever you want with the party. But looking at you hurts because it reminds me of that man.”

After saying my piece, I opened the gate. Yoo Se-rim didn’t stop me. He stood there like a statue, watching silently as I stepped through and entered Baek Hee-do’s hotel room.

I didn’t look back, but I felt his gaze on me until the gate clicked shut.

“What’s up with you?”

Baek Hee-do, fresh out of the shower, asked bluntly when he saw me face-down on his bed. I tossed the container holding the quest items toward the direction of his voice.

“Oho? ‘I’m not talking to Dad.’ What is this, some middle-schooler angst concept?”

“…….”

Only then did I lift my head to look at him. Seeing my face blurred with tears, Baek Hee-do approached silently. The scent of dampness reached me first.

“Did Yoo Se-rim pull some shit?”

“Something like that……”

“Then why are you crying? You should have just slapped a curse on him.”

“…….”

“Don’t you have a curse for hair loss or erectile dysfunction? Those two are the ultimate weapons against men.”

“Ha……”

A hollow laugh escaped me at the absurdity. Baek Hee-do reached out and wiped the tears from my face.

It was… how should I put it? It felt like a deeply personal comfort. Because I was so vulnerable in that moment, even that small touch made my heart swell.

I didn’t want to make a scene, so I whispered, “Don’t……”

“Don’t what?”

“This.”

“Why?”

Baek Hee-do sat on the edge of the bed and cupped my face with both hands. Through my blurry vision, I saw him smiling.

“Weren’t you crying so I’d comfort you?”

He asked softly, then leaned in and pressed his lips against my eyelids.

“Wh—!”

I froze, turning pale with shock. My tears retracted instantly.

But Baek Hee-do continued, pecking my eyes before eventually pressing his lips against mine. He didn’t use his tongue, but it was warm and soft. I could taste the fresh mint of the toothpaste he had just used.

“……Why?”

I asked dazed, only after he pulled away. Baek Hee-do shrugged.

“I told you, you look a certain way when you cry.”

“What… what does that mean?”

“Are you really asking because you don’t know?”

In his eyes, I read a heat that felt like he wanted to strip me bare and devour me. I recoiled in surprise, and thankfully, he didn’t pursue me.

However, his gaze lingered, scanning me from head to toe. The bizarre tension finally shattered when he broke into his usual mischievous grin.

“When you look weak like that, it even shakes me, Shaman.”

“Wh-what are you talking about!”

“It makes me think you might actually let me do it once?”

I finally snapped back to my senses and cursed at him.

“You’re a total lunatic!”

“I’m not a lunatic. Men are just like that.”

“I’m a man too, you freak!”

I grabbed the nearest pillow and hurled it at him. Whack! Baek Hee-do dodged it easily and looked at me with an unimpressed face.

“If you’re upset in the future, feel free to come crying. Though I won’t comfort you for free like I did today.”

I thought to myself that I was truly losing all affection for this guy, yet something was strange. The thoughts of Yoo Se-rim that usually occupied my entire mind had completely vanished.

Baek Hee-do was the type of bourgeois who ordered hotel room service for breakfast.

I yawned while cutting my pancakes, and Baek Hee-do snatched a piece I’d just cut and popped it into his mouth. It was ridiculous, but since it was his money and his food, I stayed quiet.

By the time I finished “serving” him, it was past 11 AM. Baek Hee-do picked up his sword and opened a gate.

“It’ll take about two days.”

“You’re going to a dungeon?”

“Yeah.”

“Can I come?”

Baek Hee-do looked at me as if the offer was unexpected.

In truth, I didn’t exactly want to go to a dungeon with him. However, Baek Hee-do was currently at odds with the Hwaryeong Cult. I wanted to prevent a situation where he might lose his life or get crippled by their pursuers. The Lightning Spirit Sword incident might have blown over, but that didn’t mean he was invincible.

“Change your clothes, then. Fast.”

He agreed without further argument. After packing my artifacts, I put on my Yoo Se-rim party uniform.

Baek Hee-do frowned slightly at the outfit but again said nothing. He stood at the edge of the gate and held out his hand.

I took it and crossed over to “the other side.” It was the first time I had entered this world while holding someone’s hand.

“Which dungeon are we going to?”

“I heard rumors that monsters have been swarming the east-west region lately. There’s a high chance a new dungeon has opened there.”

“A new dungeon?”

Wouldn’t that be dangerous? As if reading my concern, he spoke briefly.

“As expected, a dungeon appeared. Seven A-ranks tried it; four were seriously injured and they gave up. They said they made it to the boss, though.”

I scowled at the danger, but the corners of Baek Hee-do’s mouth curled up in anticipation.

“You know that artifacts usually drop on the first clear, right?”

“What?”

My eyes widened at the news. Baek Hee-do looked at me with a face that said, ‘Is there anything you actually know?’ I was annoyed, but since it was my first time hearing this, I pressed him.

“So you’re saying an artifact is guaranteed the first time any dungeon is cleared?”

“It’s not an official rule, so I can’t say 100%, but the probability is extremely high. It’s been that way for me almost every time.”

Since it came from his experience, my trust in the information shot up—especially since I knew he was obsessed with artifacts. He had been reckless during the Lightning Spirit Sword incident for the same reason, though it did lead to the Blood Armor blueprint…

‘But if four A-ranks were seriously injured, the real question is whether I can survive it…….’

Would Baek Hee-do really try to clear a dungeon while supporting someone like me?

Then, he spoke. “Since it’s me, I can cover for one person like you. Don’t be a coward and just come.”

“Who’s a coward!”

“I can tell just by looking at your face.”

I glared at him out of embarrassment, but I felt a secret sense of relief.

Following behind him, I let out a quiet sigh. For some reason, I thought of my brother. I felt like… if Sun-hoon were here, this is how he would have looked after me.

‘To think I’m having these thoughts about a guy two years younger than me…….’

I felt ridiculous and shut my mouth. Then, my eyes fell on Baek Hee-do’s long hair.

“Hey, Baek Hee-do.”

“Yeah?”

“Why do you grow your hair out?”

Most men didn’t keep it that long. It suited him, but still…

“Are you finally getting interested in me?”

“Whatever.”

Baek Hee-do just grinned and gave no further answer.