Raon quietly looked at Yoon Nahee.
Her face was still so thin that her cheekbones protruded, but thankfully, she looked better than yesterday.
“…!”
Yoon Nahee turned her head at the sound of a presence.
Her dark eyes, which had initially been emotionless, thinking it was the person caring for her, slowly widened.
“Ra-Raon-ah.”
Nahee recognized Raon and gasped in surprise.
She was the person who had called Han Raon’s name even while unconscious.
Raon looked at her with a complex expression, and then quickly stepped towards Nahee, who was struggling to sit up.
“You’re not well, please don’t get up.”
“Raon-ah, is it really you, Raon?”
“Yes.”
Nahee raised her trembling hand.
And gently stroked Raon’s cheek.
Her touch was cautious, as if she were touching glass, seemingly afraid that Raon might be a phantom or fake.
Raon clenched his teeth to keep his emotions hidden.
The person Yoon Nahee poured this affection onto was the real Han Raon, not him.
Therefore, he actually didn’t deserve her love.
“You’ve grown so much. You were smaller when you first manifested as a Guide…”
Her eyes, filled with countless regrets, scanned Raon.
Nahee choked up and couldn’t speak further.
He had thought Yoon Nahee and Han Raon didn’t resemble each other yesterday, but that wasn’t true.
Their dark blue eyes were identical.
It was a trait that didn’t resemble Han Myunghoon at all.
“Are you okay? Is there anywhere you are hurting?”
“I’m fine.”
Raon gave a wry smile at Nahee’s concern.
He was more worried about Nahee’s health than his own.
He still didn’t know which drugs had been used, but she would suffer from the after-effects for a while.
If there were addiction symptoms, it would be even more painful.
Moreover, she was malnourished from not eating properly due to mental stress, to the point that he worried she might have other serious illnesses.
“I’m more worried about you, Mother. You should have eaten properly.”
Han Minon was not as petty a person as Han Myunghoon.
Although he had to use drugs to put Nahee to sleep because she kept trying to escape, he would have ensured she was otherwise well cared for.
If Nahee died, it would be a disadvantage to him.
Therefore, it was highly likely that Nahee hadn’t eaten to the point of ruining her body by her own will.
And as if confirming his suspicion, Nahee gave an awkward smile and said.
“You’re still nagging.”
“…”
Did the real Han Raon also speak harshly to Nahee like this?
Raon felt a strange sensation and fell silent.
It seemed the two of them were indeed a warm and affectionate mother and son.
He could guess this since he had some of the real Han Raon’s memories.
“Neither Han Myunghoon nor his son said anything about you. But the woman who has been looking after me since yesterday talked about you a lot.”
“Did she?”
“Yes, she said you’re the Guide Team Leader and even enter Gates? My son, I’m so proud of you.”
Nahee smiled proudly and patted Raon’s shoulder.
Raon was unsure how to react to the gentle affection that poured out as naturally as breathing.
This image of a harmonious family was something that only existed in novels or dramas for him.
The parental love he had never received felt incredibly heavy and burdensome.
Moreover, he felt guilty.
The person she should be giving warm glances to was not him.
“It’s a given, since I’m the only S-class Guide in Korea.”
That was all he could reply, with such a stiff answer. Yet, Nahee just kept smiling happily.
“If it gets too hard, don’t push yourself. You’re not the only Guide.”
“…”
Nahee spoke in a gentle voice. In that moment, Raon recalled his biological mother getting annoyed when he said he didn’t want to go to Chairman Min.
Seeing Nahee, who was the complete opposite of his biological mother, Raon only felt bitter.
“How can I do that? It’s my job.”
“Even so…”
“You also entered Gates, Mother.”
“Is it the same now as it was then?”
At Raon’s words, Nahee flatly shook her head.
The atmosphere had certainly changed from when she was on the front line, but it hadn’t been that long ago.
But Nahee adamantly insisted her point was right.
It must be because she was so worried about Han Raon.
He felt he could understand the depth of her concern.
“Anyway, you’ll have to stay here for a while. Is that okay with you?”
“Of course, I’m perfectly fine.”
If he asked the Center, they might protect Nahee, but Raon found it hard to trust them.
Han Myunghoon practically controlled the Center, and the military was also mindful of them.
Furthermore, she wasn’t a person who was of practical help in suppressing Irregular Gates, and they wouldn’t desperately protect a former A-class Guide who wasn’t even active duty now.
He couldn’t know the distant future, but he felt they should move her residence after creating a situation where Nahee’s safety was secured.
Perhaps the real Han Raon would want to live with Nahee.
‘Though I don’t know if the real Han Raon will want to come back.’
If the real Han Raon hadn’t helped when he was attacked by K’s psychic ability, he would have been brainwashed.
Surprisingly, even though the real Han Raon hadn’t disappeared and was deep within his inner self, he had completely given up.
At the time, it seemed he had no intention of returning, but things could change once the Black Gate was suppressed and the surrounding situation stabilized.
‘If he wants to come back, I’ll have to step aside.’
The real Han Raon would become the owner of this body again, and he would receive compensation from the System and return to his original world.
Everything would return to the way it was.
“Why, are you worried about something?”
“What? Oh, no.”
Nahee looked at Raon with concern.
Raon was startled and shook his head.
“If you’re truly struggling…”
“No, I really am not.”
Nahee, who had entered Gates before, seemed to think Raon’s dark expression was due to the difficulty of suppressing the Gate.
When Raon repeatedly denied it, Nahee finally stopped worrying.
“You really haven’t changed at all from before.”
“Pardon?”
“Seriously, only your body has grown.”
“…?”
He couldn’t understand Nahee’s sudden remark.
When Raon tilted his head, Nahee chuckled and spoke again.
“Ever since you were young, whenever you were worried, you would only furrow one eyebrow.”
“I did?”
“Yes, you did it just now.”
“…!”
Raon was taken aback by Nahee’s words.
This was the first time in his life he had learned he had such a habit, and he hadn’t known the real Han Raon had the same one.
He felt uneasy, as it seemed too coincidental.
‘Well, it’s probably nothing much.’
However, Raon didn’t pay it much mind.
On the contrary, he felt relieved that the small similarity in habit to the real Han Raon might prevent Yoon Nahee from realizing he was fake.
“I’ll try to visit as often as possible. Please wait just a little.”
“Okay, but don’t push yourself too hard.”
Nahee just stroked his hand, worrying about Raon.
Raon quietly watched her for a while, feeling the touch of her affection.
Click.
Raon finally stood up and left the room.
It was hard to leave her quickly because he could see her looking disappointed, even while pretending not to be.
“Are you done talking?”
“Ah.”
Siwoo was waiting for Raon by the door.
Raon noticed him belatedly and stopped in his tracks.
Shouldn’t he introduce Siwoo to Nahee?
Moreover, since Siwoo had come all this way, it felt wrong to leave without having him greet Nahee.
He had intentionally not gone in with Siwoo earlier because he worried Nahee might notice his true identity, but it was different now.
Nahee hadn’t suspected Raon at all.
‘And Siwoo is my pair Esper now.’
Nahee was also a Guide, so she had an Esper she was paired with.
Even one she had formed a spiritual mark with.
So, he thought she might be disappointed if he didn’t introduce his pair Esper.
“It’s okay, Hyung.”
“Huh?”
“She must be tired today, so let’s come and see her together next time.”
“Ah.”
Siwoo spoke as if he were being considerate of Raon.
Just a moment ago, thanks to his consideration, Raon was able to talk to Nahee alone.
“Right, let’s do that.”
Raon smiled and nodded.
Siwoo was indeed incredibly calm and dependable, despite his young age.
And the next day, Raon introduced Siwoo to Nahee.
“Mother, this is my…”
“…!”
“Mother?”
Nahee’s eyes widened when she saw Siwoo.
Raon tilted his head at her unusual reaction.
It was different from the surprise she showed when she saw him yesterday.
Yesterday, the surprise was mixed with joy, but it wasn’t the case now.
“You, you are…”
She looked as if she had seen a ghost.
Raon held his breath and looked back and forth between Nahee and Siwoo.
