TL/Editor: Raei
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I gently patted Song Soo-yeon, who was holding onto . I was filled with a mix of complex emotions.
Initially, it was worry.
Seeing her yearning for comfort, I couldn't help but feel concerned.
What had led her to this state?
"...Were you sexually harassed?"
I asked cautiously.
I knew it was an intrusive question, but my curiosity got the better of .
If this was due to severe harassnt, I wasn't sure how I'd react.
The more I cared for Song Soo-yeon, the angrier I might beco on her behalf.
I felt the stirrings of anger but concealed it.
Hoping it wasn't true, I gently stroked her head as it rested on my shoulder.
This physical contact was new for us, but it felt natural, and she accepted it just as naturally.
"...No," she finally responded, her voice breaking with a sob.
I felt relieved but couldn't help checking if she was being truthful.
"...Please, be honest. I'm worried. I've never seen you so sad," I urged her.
"...I told you, no," she insisted.
"Really?"
"...Can't you just comfort without asking?"
Her voice was tinged with bluntness and desperation.
I realized then that I had to stop probing.
Finally, I nodded and hugged her for a long ti.
There had to be a reason she couldn't talk about it.
"...Alright, Soo-yeon. It's okay. Don't worry too much,"
I consoled her with bland words, feeling sorry that this was all I could offer.
I lost track of ti as we remained together.
Her hair grew familiar beneath my hand.
Her body seed to rge with mine.
Until her tears dried on my shoulder and our body temperatures equalized.
In the end, we stayed together until she fell asleep.
---
---
-Ding-dong, ding-dong!
"...Hmm."
Song Soo-yeon slowly opened her eyes to the sound of the alarm.
She lay quietly, staring at the ceiling for a few seconds.
It took her a mont to realize she was in a one-room apartnt, having no mory of returning here.
Rembering the previous night, a sigh escaped her lips.
She had sought comfort in Jung-gyeom's arms for a long ti, hugging him tightly, acting as freely as a lover might.
"...Ha."
But then, Song Soo-yeon grasped her hair, not out of embarrassnt, but regret for having fallen asleep so soon.
She wished she had stayed in his embrace longer, savoring the mont.
Now, she wasn't sure when she'd have that chance again.
Soon, Song Soo-yeon realized why she was in the one-room apartnt.
It must have been Jung-gyeom's doing.
-Ding-dong, ding-dong! Click.
Song Soo-yeon turned off the alarm.
Fortunately, she didn't have a severe hangover, but her head still felt heavy, clouded in a fog.
The unresolved situation with Min-Bom liking Jung-gyeom added to the weight on her heart.
She lacked the energy to face the day.
All she wanted was to go back to sleep, to avoid work, to see Jung-gyeom.
But she mustered her strength and got out of bed.
Remaining idle would only widen the gap between her and Min-Bom.
Nearly having saved enough for the one-room apartnt's deposit, she knew she had to act now.
As she headed to the bathroom, she paused, noticing sothing on the dining table.
A sports drink and a note.
The note, in Jung-gyeom's handwriting, caught her attention.
Song Soo-yeon picked up the note.
'Fight hard today.'
Staring at his words, her expression slowly twisted.
Each ti she saw such gestures... her possessiveness intensified.
---
---
After finishing my chores, taking a bath, and returning from the market, the clock struck 12.
I wondered if Song Soo-yeon made it to work alright.
Without a phone, I couldn't check in on her.
Today, I needed to activate a new phone.
...Ah, an unexpected expense.
I usually don't care much about money, but such a wasteful expense was slightly annoying.
I'm not the type to lose things, so this experience was a little unsettling.
But I had no idea where I lost it.
I had to let it go.
'Strike while the iron is hot,' as the saying goes. I stored the groceries and left the restaurant.
Ti to get a new phone.
"Oppa!!"
At that mont, a familiar voice called out.
"...Bom?"
She was waving at , running over with a bright smile.
I didn't know why she was here, but I smiled back.
After yesterday's events, I had been unsure how to face her, but those concerns seed unfounded now.
The atmosphere felt natural.
When Bom reached , I asked her.
"Bom, what's up?"
"Oppa, this."
She got straight to the point.
She pulled out my phone from her pocket.
"...Huh?"
"This is yours, isn't it?"
"...Where did you find it?"
"It wasn't . I asked the association for help, and we searched everywhere. Soone found it and turned it in at the police station."
I accepted the phone she handed .
Without even powering it on, I knew it was mine.
I asked, puzzled.
"...How did you know it was mine?"
"I guessed. You described the model and appearance to yesterday, right?"
Min-Bom puffed out her chest, beaming with pride.
Seeing her like that made laugh.
She had saved from an unnecessary expense.
I joked,
"It's great to have a hero as a friend."
Min-Bom laughed, covering her mouth.
"Thanks, Bom."
"No, I'm just glad I could help."
We stood in silence for a mont, just looking at each other.
I had planned to return to the restaurant, having no reason to go out anymore.
But first, I asked Min-Bom,
"Are you headed to work now?"
"No, I took another day off."
"Really?"
"And you?"
"I was going to buy a new phone... but you found it, so I'll head back."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
She fidgeted at my response.
"Th-then, um..."
She hesitated, shuffling her feet, then made a suggestion.
"...Do you want to go on a date?"
---
---
Song Soo-yeon glanced at the clock.
Less than 20 minutes remained in her shift.
Her day was filled with concerns.
While working, her mind wandered.
She thought about using her powers on Jung-gyeom and Min-Bom.
Having manipulated many the day before, it was a natural thought.
In the past, she wouldn't have hesitated with soone like Min-Bom... but now, things were different.
As an Awakener, her powers were strong.
But she knew they wouldn't work on Min-Bom, or Solace.
She could sense it. Manipulating her wasn't possible.
Solace was too powerful to be influenced easily.
It was a judgnt only Song Soo-yeon could make.
But Jung-gyeom was different.
His effect on her made it hard to gauge if her powers would work.
The thought of using them on him quickened her heartbeat, followed by a wave of guilt.
She didn't want to manipulate him.
Song Soo-yeon was too connected to him.
External affection gained through manipulation would be aningless.
She wanted to be loved by him, not just by his body.
Objectively, it didn't seem impossible to manipulate him.
After all, he was powerless.
Song Soo-yeon straightened up, glancing at the clock once more.
Today, everyone was quiet.
The workers, who had lost about an hour of mory the day before, seed uneasy.
The unsettling experience of losing their mories had dampened everyone's spirits.
Yet, she didn't feel guilty.
Instead, she appreciated the quiet.
She continued her work, counting down the ti.
Soon, the end of the shift was announced.
Song Soo-yeon sighed and finished up her tasks.
Workers began to leave the building, and she followed suit.
---
---
After collecting her things from her locker, she walked towards the shuttle bus.
Wishing to contact Jung-gyeom but knowing he was without a phone, she felt a bit frustrated.
But she could bear it. Today, unlike yesterday, he would be alone.
Sighing, she moved on.
Excuse .
Suddenly, soone reached out to her.
Startled, Song Soo-yeon instinctively shook off the arm and turned around.
"...Ah, damn..."
Expecting a man, she was surprised to see a woman.
She had assud it was soone asking for her number again.
Subconsciously, she pulled her mask higher and her hat lower.
"...What is it?" she asked, defensive.
The woman responded,
"Nice to et you, Soo-yeon."
Song Soo-yeon stepped back, alard.
A stranger knowing her na was both terrifying and puzzling.
But the woman simply smiled and introduced herself,
"I'm Stella."
Song Soo-yeon's confusion grew as Stella used a pseudonym.
Stella continued,
"Do you have a dream, Soo-yeon?"
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