A Misplaced Jealousy and the Locked Window

“……I did.”

“Is it different now?”

After a brief silence, I answered.

“……It’s still the same.”

“Then why are you still sticking with his party?”

“I haven’t found Yoo Se-rim’s weakness yet.”

“…….”

Baek Hee-do went quiet at my words. If he had studied under the same master as Yoo Se-rim, he likely knew him better than I did.

Even though they were both R-rank…… Baek Hee-do and Yoo Se-rim felt different. If Baek Hee-do felt powerful yet occasionally precarious, Yoo Se-rim was someone I had never once felt the need to help or seen falter in battle.

To be honest, despite being the same rank, there was likely a gap in their actual skill. That was my impression after experiencing both of them.

‘Yoo Se-rim was a year older than Baek Hee-do, I think.’

Of course, I didn’t think age alone created that gap. Awakened ones are categorized by power and experience; age means nothing. That meant Yoo Se-rim definitely had some other method we didn’t know about—or at least an undisclosed artifact.

I wanted to know what it was. A way to shake Yoo Se-rim. So, I asked Baek Hee-do.

“You said you studied under the same teacher.”

“Is that what Yoo Se-rim says?”

“Yeah.”

“There was one teacher who taught us how to use our bodies. He’s dead now, though.”

“…….”

“Died of an illness. Yoo Se-rim left the moment he’d learned everything he needed, but I…… I stayed and nursed him until the end. Even though Yoo Se-rim was the disciple the master cherished most.”

“……That sounds like him.”

“Right? That bastard is famous for charming people and then tossing them away the second they lose their utility.”

Baek Hee-do shrugged, mentioning how he’d found Yoo Se-rim repulsive from the start and never even tried to befriend him.

I thought about the difference between the two. Baek Hee-do was arrogant, but unlike Yoo Se-rim, he had a heart.

‘Is that why? Because we’re acquainted, he can’t stand to see me die in front of him…… is that why he changed?’

If Baek Hee-do was softer than he appeared, it was a good thing for me, but I wondered if he could ever truly be a match for the heartless Yoo Se-rim.

I asked him point-blank.

“Can you kill Yoo Se-rim?”

Baek Hee-do answered immediately.

“As long as I have a reason to?”

‘Does that mean he doesn’t have one now?’

It didn’t sound like a bluff. At this point, the only person who could possibly stand against Yoo Se-rim was Baek Hee-do.

But to ask him to kill Yoo Se-rim, I’d have to explain my regression, and that would make things too complicated. More importantly, even if I did tell him, this was my business, not his.

“You look like you have a lot on your mind.”

“…….”

“Straighten out your face while we’re eating.”

Baek Hee-do spoke with a relaxed expression, and I stared at him. Then, I asked:

“……If I asked you to kill Yoo Se-rim, would you do it?”

“No. I don’t feel like it.”

“…….”

“So, try your best to seduce me until I do feel like it, Shaman.”

Baek Hee-do spoke with a face that made it impossible to tell if he was joking or serious. I looked at him for a moment, trying to read his true intent, but in the end, I couldn’t decipher it.

“…….”

Today was the day Yoo Se-rim’s party was scheduled to assemble. Unfortunately, I arrived first, leaving Yoo Se-rim and me alone for a moment.

Without even a greeting, Yoo Se-rim stared at my belt. I’d debated hiding it at first but decided there was no point. It seemed to irritate him much more than I expected.

“Did Baek Hee-do give that to you?”

“Yes.”

“…….”

He didn’t even try to be subtle about his questioning. I gave a short answer and stared back at him silently. His face was expressionless, but his eyes held a subtle yet clear trace of annoyance.

[Hi-yoi~!]

Just as he looked like he was about to say something else, Ahn Hwa-young arrived. The gate opened, and Hwa-young appeared. Yoo Se-rim turned away from me and put on a faint smile, as if performing a duty.

“Welcome.”

“Se-rim!”

Soon, the other party members gathered, and from that point on, Yoo Se-rim didn’t spare me another glance.

“Wow, is that an artifact?”

Only Kyu-rim came over to my side, whispering as she looked at the belt. I answered her, wondering if Yoo Se-rim was listening.

“Yes. I received it as a gift.”

“Oh my! Is it from… a lover?”

“…….”

“Is your lover an Awakened too?”

Kyu-rim’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. I debated whether or not to lie and say Baek Hee-do was my lover.

But at that moment, Yoo Se-rim spoke up.

“He isn’t his lover.”

“Eh…… Pardon?”

A startled Kyu-rim looked back and forth between us. I also fell silent, wondering what this guy’s motive was for suddenly interjecting.

Yoo Se-rim stared at my belt and said, “As far as I know, the person who gave him that belt already has a long-time partner.”

“Oh, do you know them too, Se-rim?”

“Yes. I know them well. That’s why……”

Yoo Se-rim continued, looking at me with a blank face.

“I hope there are no misunderstandings that lead to unnecessary heartache.”

It sounded like a warning. I began to think about why Yoo Se-rim hated and checked Baek Hee-do so much.

‘Because they’re rivals? Then why not just kick me out of the party?’

Or……

‘Wait. Could it be that Yoo Se-rim likes…… Baek Hee-do?’

The thought felt absurd the moment it crossed my mind, but before I could laugh it off, I realized that this hypothesis explained every single one of Yoo Se-rim’s actions. It sent a chill down my spine.

‘What if Baek Hee-do hates Yoo Se-rim, but Yoo Se-rim likes Baek Hee-do…… and he’s wary of me because of it?’

That would explain why he interferes every time I get involved with Baek Hee-do!

‘Crazy…….’

I felt a bizarre wave of emotion. To think the man I had once loved enough to feel such deep betrayal actually liked Baek Hee-do……

Thinking that this was why he was indifferent to my feelings and why he discarded me so easily in the past made my stomach churn.

‘Does this mean I can tear Yoo Se-rim’s heart to pieces just by hanging out with Baek Hee-do like I am now?’

The thought occurred to me, followed by a sudden, unbearable sense of futility.

‘Yoo Se-rim, you were just a human after all…….’

I felt pathetic for having put him on a pedestal. It was a strange sense of self-loathing.

‘I must never tell Baek Hee-do.’

Baek Hee-do acts tough but he has a soft spot; if he found out Yoo Se-rim actually liked him, he might not be able to handle it properly. I bit my lip, determined to keep this realization a secret.

But my mood continued to sink. The image of my past self being swayed by Yoo Se-rim overlapped with the jealous gaze he was currently directing at me.

“Good work today.”

[Everyone worked hard-yoi~!]

I couldn’t focus at all during the dungeon raid today. Since I knew the dungeon, I managed to keep pace, but that was it. I let out a sigh and was about to open a gate when……

“Let’s talk for a moment.”

Yoo Se-rim called out to me.

“What is it?”

I looked at him with wary eyes. I was already mentally exhausted; I didn’t want to engage in a power struggle over Baek Hee-do.

But Yoo Se-rim opened his mouth, his eyes cold.

“You haven’t been able to focus all day, have you?”

“…….”

Since he was right, I bit my lip and followed him to his quarters. I sat on a chair by a table inside.

‘Is he going to scold me?’

[Ping—!]

Yoo Se-rim’s bird was fluttering around restlessly inside. The moment Yoo Se-rim entered, it rubbed against his chest, desperately seeking affection.

Yoo Se-rim stroked it a few times before tossing it out the window. He even closed the window shut. Ping flew back and pecked at the glass, tilting its head in confusion when the window didn’t open.

The sight bothered me, but I soon shifted my gaze to the tea Yoo Se-rim offered.

I frowned slightly and asked, “Is this going to be a long conversation?”

“Yes.”

Despite my clear reluctance, Yoo Se-rim didn’t bat an eye as he sat down across from me.