* * *
In the original story, it was simply described as a terminal illness.
According to the doctor, her organs and body had become so weak from overexertion that recovery was no longer possible.
So clearly, she wasn’t in any condition to return to a normal life.
But still, Doyoung decided it wasn’t his place to object.
“If that’s what you want, Mother, then of course.”
Only for Beom Sinje to chime in—and agree.
“Right?”
“But as you know, your illness isn’t something that can be completely cured. Like Doyoung hyung.”
Why he had to drag him into this again, Doyoung didn’t know.
And he noticed the way Mrs. Jo Wonhee gave him an apologetic smile, too.
“What the heck. Why am I suddenly getting dragged into this?”
When Doyoung protested as if he’d been wronged, Beom Sinje chuckled softly and reached out his hand.
As if it were the most natural thing in the world, his fingers brushed lightly against Doyoung’s cheek, and Doyoung blinked in surprise.
Then, remembering what had just happened moments ago, he looked at Mrs. Jo Wonhee in alarm.
Oddly enough, there wasn’t much change in her expression.
“Well, this is, uh…”
Still, it wasn’t something Doyoung could just pretend not to notice and move on from—not when they hadn’t even explained their relationship yet.
“Our Sinje seems to be very fond of you, Doyoung. No… I should say, he really likes you, doesn’t he?”
“Huh?”
“A lot. Very much so.”
It was Doyoung who flinched at those words, and Sinje who calmly confirmed them without hesitation.
Doyoung whipped his head to the side.
Staring at Sinje’s serene face, he couldn’t tell if he had actually heard that right or not.
“Yeah, I figured as much. Ever since he first brought you over, I could see it. Like he really wanted to make things work somehow.”
“Really?”
“Mm. He looked like someone trying hard to get the attention of someone he liked.”
The more they spoke, the more embarrassed Doyoung felt.
“Um… ma’am.”
“I’m sorry, Doyoung. I meant to act like I didn’t notice until you brought it up yourself. But watching how Sinje behaves… I ended up saying it without meaning to.”
“Oh… no…”
Was it a relief that she said it first, or was it just incredibly awkward?
Doyoung rubbed the back of his neck. It felt a little warm back there—surely not his imagination.
“I’m really glad.”
Mrs. Jo Wonhee looked at him with a warm gaze.
“Actually, I contacted him earlier. Told him I had something important to discuss with you. So I was somewhat prepared for this. And I also had something I wanted to confess to you, so… I guess this worked out well.”
“To me?”
“Yes.”
Her calm eyes reminded him of Sinje.
Doyoung, realizing how much he now compared everything to his boyfriend, waited for her to continue.
Just then, a caregiver brought in a tray of refreshments and placed it before them.
During that time, Mrs. Jo Wonhee seemed to search for the right words, gazing off into the distance.
“I was an unregistered ability user.”
What she finally said was unexpected.
Doyoung widened his eyes, then instinctively looked to the man beside him.
For some reason, Beom Sinje didn’t look surprised at all—as if he already knew.
“Ah…”
Realization hit Doyoung in a quiet exhale.
“Then your illness, ma’am…”
“That’s right. It’s the aftermath of overusing my ability.”
She nodded.
“But why was that never properly revealed?”
“I belonged to a special category, and it was a one-time-only ability. And actually… I didn’t even realize I was an ability user until after I used it.”
A one-time ability?
Doyoung had never heard of such a thing.
But more than that, he was curious—what kind of power was it that could only be used once in a lifetime?
And how strong must it have been to cause such severe aftereffects?
“One day, I started dreaming in my sleep. Continuously, every night. The scenes kept unfolding, connected day after day. The protagonist was our Sinje.”
Doyoung listened quietly as she continued.
“I kept seeing my child—this top-tier hunter everyone admired—sinking deeper into misfortune. Then, by chance, I heard someone’s voice, earnestly cheering for him.”
That sounded familiar—something Sinje had once told him.
Soon, a warm hand reached over and gently covered Doyoung’s.
“After seeing that, I made a heartfelt wish. That someone would stay by Sinje’s side, someone who would cherish him.”
“…Ah.”
A soft, serene smile curved Jo Wonhee’s lips.
“And then suddenly, letters appeared in front of me—saying my ability had been activated. A number started ticking up from 0%. At the same time, I felt all the strength within me drain away.”
It was probably the same system window Doyoung had seen before.
But that wasn’t the important part now.
“So… in the end, I received the wishes of both of you.”
At those words, both Beom Sinje and Mrs. Jo Wonhee smiled at him, genuinely pleased.
Her ability had a rather complex nature.
At its base, it was precognitive dreaming.
But beyond that, she could influence the future—only once.
“It must have been the side effects of using my power that made me unable to recognize you when we first met, Doyoung. A sort of penalty, I think.”
“A penalty?”
“Yes. I forcibly altered Sinje’s future. So I believe the system made me forget you—the one who would most affect that future.”
That made sense.
When she had come to meet Sinje before, she hadn’t shown any signs of recognizing Doyoung.
But from what she was saying now, it seemed her memories had returned at some point.
“And now… you remember who I am?”
“That’s right. Not long ago, I was watching the news and saw you. And suddenly, it all came back to me. ‘That’s him. That’s the one I’d been calling out for so desperately.’ Just like that.”
“So you didn’t see my face in the dream?”
She shook her head.
What she remembered was his voice.
Specifically, that calm voice offering encouragement, empathy, and all sorts of advice for her son.
“That’s amazing… That novel—no, I mean, there were others cheering for Sinje too, not just me.”
Doyoung hesitated, wondering whether it was right to keep calling this world a “novel,” and carefully phrased his thoughts.
After all, it hadn’t been just him.
Plenty of his colleagues back at the lab had read the same hunter stories.
And in this world too, there were forums like Hunters.com filled with fans watching and cheering on heroic hunters like Sinje.
So why had his voice, of all the voices, reached both Sinje and Mrs. Jo Wonhee?
“Well… maybe you were the only one who answered when Sinje and I both sincerely wished for someone to be there.”
Was that it?
Doyoung tilted his head, trying to recall his vague memories.
He had been reading a hunter story on the subway, like always.
Then, as sleepiness overtook him, he vaguely remembered hearing a voice.
If that had been Sinje calling to him—and if he had responded—then maybe…
“So can we say you two are truly fated to be together?”
Mrs. Jo Wonhee asked with a gentle smile again.
It was a bit embarrassing to hear that coming from Sinje’s mother.
Doyoung felt a ticklish awkwardness creeping up his spine and reached for the back of his neck.
But his right hand was still in Sinje’s.
Naturally, his gaze drifted downward.
Fate, huh…
* * *
