“Oh, this… it doesn’t matter anymore.”
“Why?”
“Uh… that person is already dead, you see.”
I hesitated for a moment about whether to say this, but since everything had already been exposed, there seemed no point in hiding it.
The fact that he was tracing Igor meant he already knew that bastard was the culprit, so there was no longer any reason to lie.
“But how did you…”
I unconsciously glanced at the mansion behind me, and Woo Jaehyun slowly approached me.
Although his speed was clearly not fast, it felt like the space itself was being folded.
At the unusual aura, people hunched their shoulders and then began to leave the area one by one.
They could no longer endure the sharply pouring pressure.
‘Is he… angry?’
It was understandable since my impulsive action had caused him unnecessary trouble all the way to Russia.
If Igor’s words weren’t a lie, I could guess how desperately he had searched for me just by looking at his noticeably different appearance from yesterday.
A subtle tension was embedded in the atmosphere he exuded, as much as his changed look.
But then, Woo Jaehyun suddenly performed an unexpected action.
I thought he was coming toward me, but he brushed past my side and only stopped after taking two more steps.
“What is this…”
And soon, a shocking sight unfolded that was unbelievable even when seen with my own eyes.
Woo Jaehyun, who stood facing the mansion, slowly tilted his head, and the mansion began to disappear.
Literally, the massive building was slowly scattering into dust without any vibration or sound.
The mansion began to crumble, gently decaying from the edge of the roof.
The marble pillars and brick walls disintegrated into dust, and even the specially made glass windows quietly evaporated.
At his tremendous ability, everyone, including me, had their mouths wide open.
Unlike the serene silence, a shock that felt like my breath was being stolen came from the overwhelming scene.
Nevertheless, his moss-green eyes, staring intently at the mansion, showed not a hint of agitation.
With only a few tiny bloodshot veins visible, Woo Jaehyun looked frighteningly indifferent to all of this.
In the end, the mansion, which had boasted grandeur, soon completely vanished from the world.
The corpses that the people and I had painstakingly hidden no longer mattered.
Only the barren trace of where the mansion had stood remained desolate.
I was well aware of Woo Jaehyun’s ability, but I never knew it was this potent.
It was only today that I truly realized the extent of the horrific catastrophe he could cause if he set his mind to it.
It was the moment I personally understood why the government was so cautious and dared not treat S3 lightly.
“Hunter-nim… we will be leaving now.”
“Th-thank you so much.”
“We will never forget this kindness. Goodbye for now.”
A short silence fell, and the people, who had been frozen like stones, started backing away as if fleeing.
Even Mateo was hurriedly leaving, taking Salim and Rod with him.
Their eyes, glancing at Woo Jaehyun’s back, were filled with fear, as if they had seen a monster.
‘This suddenly?’
I was quite flustered and just wiggled my lips, then took a step toward them.
“Wait… just a moment, are you all just going like this? Do you have anywhere to go?”
“Now that we’re all rich, where can’t we go? Don’t worry about Salim and Rod, I’ll take care of them. Haha…”
Mateo awkwardly smiled at me and quickly hurried his steps.
The way he lowered his voice clearly showed his concern about potentially provoking Woo Jaehyun.
As he said, they would be able to live comfortably anywhere with that money.
Mateo would also take good care of Salim and Rod going forward.
But I felt a connection had been formed, and the sudden farewell left me feeling unsettled.
I deeply regretted parting ways without a proper goodbye, but in a rush, I tossed an S-Rank antidote to Mateo.
It was a share for Rod someday.
“Take this anyway.”
Mateo, who quickly snatched the antidote, gently waved his hand and soon disappeared from my sight.
True to their reputation as rare Awakeners, the people each offered their thanks and vanished into the forest in the blink of an eye.
Perhaps because no trace was left, everything that had happened until now felt like a dream.
When I came to my senses, only Woo Jaehyun and I were left standing on the empty lot.
“Woo Jaehyun…”
The boy, who had been turned away, was now staring intently at me.
I hesitated with guilt and took a step forward, when he suddenly strode over and tightly embraced me.
I was pushed back by the force and soon found myself completely trapped in Woo Jaehyun’s arms.
As if that wasn’t enough, he pulled me so forcefully that my upper body arched back, and it became hard to breathe.
Despite this, I strangely didn’t feel any desire to escape from him.
Instead, a deep sense of relief washed over me at his familiar scent, and I involuntarily closed my eyes.
“You were worried, I’m sorry.”
I thought about how much trouble he must have gone through to act like this.
Woo Jaehyun, who always maintained a neat appearance even on that deserted island, was now disheveled with his shirt buttons undone.
As I patted his back and let out a small sigh, Woo Jaehyun, who had his face buried in my shoulder, suddenly said something incomprehensible.
“I can’t take this anymore, Hyung.”
“Huh?”
And then, an ominous clank sound followed.
I blinked and looked down, and something familiar was already clasped around my left wrist.
I thought, no way, but it was indeed a Numenstone.
“I need to keep you by my side.”
Woo Jaehyun hugged me even tighter, as I was left stunned by the shock.
How did the situation turn out like this…?
I woke up a moment ago and surveyed the view before my eyes.
The large room, comparable to my home’s bedroom, harmonized with modern-toned furniture and decorations.
The bizarrely shaped sculpture among them clearly looked like a trophy brought from an S-Rank dungeon.
Nevertheless, the excessively tidy room gave off a subtle sense of emptiness, as if something was missing.
Everything was perfectly arranged, like a well-organized set, but it felt like the main character was absent.
This place, which felt strangely hollow compared to its spaciousness, was, unbelievably, Woo Jaehyun’s room.
More precisely, it was a secret residence located in an isolated area.
So, I came to this kid’s house two days ago.
Woo Jaehyun suddenly picked me up in his arms as I was left speechless by the Numenstone clamped around my wrist.
Did people call this a “princess carry”?
The sight was quite embarrassing, so I immediately demanded to be put down, but the boy simply kept walking, pretending not to hear me.
Struggling was only possible for a short time; since my energy had also depleted along with my ability, I soon limply sagged.
Not to mention his stubbornness, there was no point in resisting anyway, so I just resigned myself.
I had the mindset of seeing how far he would go and the vague idea that he would stop eventually.
Even until then, I hadn’t fully grasped the meaning of “I need to keep you by my side.”
I just took it as him simply being unreasonable because he was angry about me acting on my own.
But after arriving in Korea, I realized something was seriously wrong when the car leaving the airport headed for the outskirts instead of the city center.
Since I had suffered in Russia, I reacted intensely, almost like a trauma.
My breathing involuntarily quickened, and my chest started constricting uncomfortably.
Woo Jaehyun, who realized what had happened to me, repeatedly apologized, saying he hadn’t considered that aspect, and hugged me tightly.
Honestly, I wasn’t angry at the boy burying his face in my shoulder; I was just dumbfounded.
After all, he had said that, but he hadn’t given any instructions to the driver.
“Hyung, are you awake?”
“…”
While I was looking around the room, Woo Jaehyun, who was still hugging my chest, slowly opened his eyes.
Actually, I wasn’t sure if I could even call it “hugging.”
He was literally lying in the same bed as me, embracing my waist all night.
The space was wide enough, but because of the boy constantly sticking to me, I had to practically hang onto the edge of the bed.
Eventually, I resigned myself to my fate and fell asleep, and the result was the current situation.
I guaranteed that Woo Jaehyun had probably been awake before I woke up.
Or he hadn’t slept at all.
And yet, he was shamelessly giving me a bright smile, pretending he had just woken up.
Of all the houses, this was the only room with a bed, so I couldn’t exactly kick the owner out.
I even insisted on sleeping on the sofa, but it was useless.
In the end, I had no choice but to give up.
“You smell so good.”
“That tickles…”
Woo Jaehyun rubbed his face against my chest, even in the morning.
He sniffed around like a puppy, and his tousled hair made me squint one eye.
However, if I were to ask if I was imprisoned in the room, the answer was no.
Even though I was wearing the Numenstone on my wrist, I couldn’t go outside, but I was free to move around the house.
In short, should I call it “free confinement” without coercion?
There was a reason why I hadn’t even attempted to escape over the past two days.
First, Woo Jaehyun was stuck to my side all day, so I had no chance to scheme.
Except when I went to the bathroom, he literally followed me around like a shadow.
And the second reason was…
“Aren’t you hungry, Hyung? Should I bring breakfast to the room?”
“No, I’ll eat in the living room.”
“Okay, just wait a moment.”
As you can see, even when I was lazily sprawled out like an unemployed person, he dutifully attended to all my needs.
Woo Jaehyun would immediately bring me anything from food to the remote control the moment I wiggled a finger while lying on the sofa.
Yesterday, I even got up to stretch a bit, and he was already waiting for me with a yoga mat spread out.
At this point, should I call this recuperation rather than confinement?
