The Watcher’s Chain

I let out a sigh at his preposterous suggestion, but Yu Selim merely looked down at me with a stoic expression. His transparent gaze felt burdensome. Like a fool, he waited in silence for my answer.

Current Yu Selim is… well, I’ll admit it. It’s hard to swear at him, hit him, or even hate him. It’s like he’s a different person who just happens to look like the one I knew.

That makes me hate him even more. Because I can’t ask him, “Why did you do that to me back then?”

Can people really change?

I rolled over, hugging my pillow as I sank into thought. Until now, I had only obsessed over how to get rid of him. Now, I found myself wondering: if Yu Selim actually has the capacity to change, how could I fix that selfish mindset of his—the one that views people as mere tools?

To be honest, I haven’t seen any signs of that transformation yet. Most of the time, he just seems like an idiot.

What on earth happened to him during those five years?

For the first time since my return, I grew curious about the events of Yu Selim’s life. Of course, that didn’t mean I was curious enough to actually share a bed with him.

Taking my silence as a rejection, Yu Selim eventually returned to his own spot. He lay facing me, but he kept his eyes closed and went to sleep. I scanned his face for a while until, eventually, I drifted off as well.

“Sol-ah.”

At the familiar scent, I turned my head and burrowed into the warmth of the embrace without even opening my eyes, acting like a spoiled child. A low chuckle vibrated in the chest I was leaning against, and my brother ruffled my hair.

“Why are your eyes so swollen again?” “……Dunno.” “You don’t know? It’s not because you were crying?” “……No—”

…Wait.

Only then did I realize that my brother was actually here beside me. My eyes snapped open. Seong-hun was looking at me with a playful expression as he reached out and gave my cheek a long tug.

“You’re sleeping out here instead of coming home? After all that nagging you give me about coming home every day.”

“B-Brother?” “Yeah, brat. It’s me.” “Why are you here?” “You stayed out without even calling. I was worried, so I came to check on you.”

Speaking as if he were stating the obvious, my brother shifted his gaze past me toward Yu Selim. His expression shifted into something different than the one he used for me.

A kind smile, yet one without any openings. I looked back to see Yu Selim looking slightly tense.

“Mr. Selim, you’ve worked hard.” “Not at all. I am fine.” “I asked you to tell me if there was anything unusual… did anything happen?”

I suddenly felt a spike of anxiety, fearing Yu Selim might say something negative about Heedo. Yu Selim glanced at my face once and shook his head.

“Nothing happened.” “……I see. I just dropped by for a moment, so don’t be too nervous.” “Yes.”

I wondered why Yu Selim acted so stiff in front of my brother, but regardless, I was just happy that he had come to find me. Perhaps because I had been acting so needy lately, my brother had actually started to worry about me.

In the past, he was so busy with the ‘other side’ that he barely paid attention to me on ‘this side.’ He rarely even visited this world back then. It got to the point where I had to earn my own living expenses.

Truthfully, if I had asked for help back then, he probably would have given me plenty of money. But at the time, I was sulking because I felt hurt that he didn’t seem to care about me.

‘Brother never cares about anything except his own business.’

I knew he had a personality that dug obsessively into things that interested him, but seeing him so immersed in that other world that he seemingly forgot about me had made me resentful. Out of spite, I worked part-time jobs and acted cold toward him whenever he stopped by the house.

Thinking back to how he tried to say something to me then, and how I refused to listen… I wonder why I was such a fool. All I had to do was ask for a little attention, and he would have treated me this well.

Breaking my train of thought, Seong-hun smiled gently. “From now on, if you’re going to stay out, try to tell me in advance. Okay?”

“Okay.” “Understood. I apologize.” “No need for that.”

What was funny was that Yu Selim jumped in to apologize for something my brother had said to me. My brother was looking at me when he said it… was Selim’s conscience pricking him?

I shot a glare at Yu Selim, who only acted like a tyrant when it was just the two of us, and then pulled on my brother’s arm. He obediently leaned down to listen.

“You know, Brother. That kid Heedo I told you about? I found him. He’s staying here, just like you said.” “Really? That’s good.”

But despite saying it was good, my brother’s expression didn’t change at all. To be honest… he looked like he wasn’t particularly pleased. Why, when he hadn’t even met Heedo yet? I was desperate to make a good impression for Heedo.

“He’s good enough to join your party right now. His skills are amazing and… uh… his face is really pretty, too.” “Skills… well, I’ll have to judge that for myself.” “R-right……”

He spoke quite sternly about the party, so I couldn’t push any further. It felt like that specific area was strictly his jurisdiction. I felt a bit embarrassed, but it would be better for him to just see Heedo once anyway. One look at that unforgettable face and his talent would be enough.

My brother furrowed his brow for a moment before smoothing it out and looking at me. He asked point-blank: “You seem to like this Heedo kid a lot?”

“……It’s not exactly like that……” “Hmm.”

He looked at me as if I were a mere child, but I held my ground because my recommendation wasn’t based solely on personal feelings. Seong-hun watched me for a moment before tossing a question to Yu Selim.

“What did you think, Mr. Selim?” “……I’m not sure about his skills. I haven’t fought him.” “But you felt like he was on par with you?” “…….”

Yu Selim remained silent, but it was a silence that bordered on affirmation.

“It’s hard to have that kind of skill at Mr. Selim’s age…… Hmm.”

My brother seemed deep in thought, but I got the distinct impression that he didn’t like Heedo very much—just like Yu Selim.

But why?

He hadn’t even seen his face yet. Why would he feel that way about Heedo?

…Did Yu Selim say something bad about Heedo before I woke up?

But Yu Selim looked too flustered for that kind of petty behavior. It seemed like my brother was just caught up in his own thoughts.

“Brother, do you not like Heedo?”

I asked him directly, and my brother nodded with a grin. “Yeah.” “What!?”

I was slightly shocked by his breezy confirmation and was about to ask why. But he beat me to it.

“Because you’re so head-over-heels for this Heedo kid, I’m getting a bit jealous……” “W-what are you talking about!” “It feels like something is being stolen from me.” “……No, I mean, what kind of……” “I still want to live with Sol for a long, long time, you see……”

I had a weakness for words like that, so I kept my mouth shut. After saying something that could have been a joke or the truth, my brother stood up from the bed where he had been hugging and patting me.

“Anyway, if that Heedo kid joins the party, Mr. Selim, please let me know.”

Yu Selim watched this little drama with a expressionless face and replied, “Yes.” “And please, take good care of my brother.” “I understand.”

After saying only that, my brother opened a gate to who-knows-where. I grabbed his sleeve. “Where are you going?” “I came here right after clearing a dungeon, so I have to head back.” “…….”

Hearing that, I couldn’t bring myself to ask him to stay longer. My brother chuckled at my expression and hung a necklace around my neck.

“Oh. And this.” “What is it?” “It’s a necklace that tells me your location. It has coordinates set, so I can find you whenever I need to. Make sure you wear it.”

…Isn’t this just a tracking device?

The thought crossed my mind, but his face was so full of concern that I felt too guilty to talk back. In the end, I put the necklace on, though I wasn’t thrilled about it.

[The Watcher’s Necklace]

……The name was certainly chilling.