Chapter 1300. The Magic Tower (13)

His cry sounded like he was unleashing all the sorrow that had been accumulating inside him so far. I was so taken aback by it that even I felt flustered.

“

Heuk... heuuuk...

”

Kim Hyun-Sung wasn’t bawling like the psychopathic killer Jung Jin-Ho, but tears streamed endlessly from his eyes as if his eyes were broken dams.

He kept wiping his tears away with his hands, but the tears wouldn't stop. Gasping for breath, he was hyperventilating as he cried, and it was like his emotions could no longer be contained.

There was no other way to explain it other than to say that the accumulating stress within him had finally been unleashed.

‘He’s crying as if he hadn’t cried since the tutorial dungeon. I mean, I saw him cry once before, but...’

It was just idle speculation. Still, I couldn’t help but think that perhaps this was the first time in a long time that Kim Hyun-Sung cried without restraint.

Given his responsibilities and position, even when something truly painful had happened, there was no way he could allow himself to cry. He had to care about how others saw him, and even after failure, he had to steel himself and think about the next step instead of falling into despair.

First Life Kim Hyun-Sung never had the luxury of rest.

He had only been swept along, carried somewhere like driftwood, with no moment to pause or regain control of his emotions.

Why wouldn’t he want to cry his heart out? He lost Jo Hye-Jin and lost his guild members because of his mistakes. All of it was now crashing down on him, shattering the mask of responsibility, which he had been wearing for quite a while now.

‘The fact it’s in front of some clueless kid... Maybe that plays a part, too.’

Sometimes, it was easier to pour out one's feelings onto a stranger than onto those familiar to oneself.

“

Hic... heuk... heuuuk...

”

Naturally, I went up to him and pulled him into a tight embrace. Like a child clinging to his mother, Kim Hyun-Sung held on to me and sobbed.

‘Enough already. Stop crying.’

“

Heuk... heuuuuuk...

”

‘That’s enough. Hush.’

“

Heuuuuuuuk...

”

After a while, he eventually calmed down. He didn't look embarrassed at all. In fact, he looked almost refreshed as he looked at me. It was like he had awakened by venting out his grief.

‘Maybe not...’

For now, it was easier to think of it as being halfway there.

After all, in cases like this, the first step was to face one's emotions. If there was any element of uncertainty in the middle of everything that was going according to plan, it'd be the possibility that Bread Boy could unexpectedly occupy a large part of him.

‘The storytelling was just too good.’

Everyone on his side had either died or had been injured; he thought no one would ever support him again, but a sickly, nameless boy appeared.

The kid reminded Kim Hyun-Sung that he wasn’t alone and that he could still be loved. Even though he felt like his humanity had worn away, the mysterious kid kept looking at him as though he were still the same twenty-something Kim Hyun-Sung from before all this even happened.

Unlike Bread hyung, whose face he had never once seen, he had seen my face plenty of times before.

“I’m sorry, did I frighten you?” Kim Hyun-Sung asked.

“...”

‘Ah, shit. His eyes are looking at me with affection.’

“Would you like to come inside?” Kim Hyun-Sung asked.

‘See? He’s already inviting me into his place.’

“Where did you get hurt like this?” Kim Hyun-Sung asked.

‘He’s worrying about me.’

“This won’t do. You need to be treated,” Kim Hyun-Sung said.

‘It’s fabricated anyway, so nothing needs to be treated.’

As soon as he calmed down, he grabbed my hand and dragged me toward his place. I tried to resist, but he was relentless. After rolling up my swollen arm and leg, he began applying a cheap potion, as though tending to an injured animal.

From his perspective, it was probably high quality, but by the standards of the second life, it felt no better than some ordinary portion one could buy at a random stall in a street corner.

“You did go see the priest at the Heren Temple, right? Thankfully, it doesn’t seem like a serious wound... but if someone’s bullying you...” Kim Hyun-Sung trailed off.

He even tried to unwrap the bandages around my face to treat me, which left me with no choice but to struggle free.

“Wait, hold still...” Kim Hyun-Sung said.

I dashed over, snatched a notebook and pen from the desk, and resumed the conversation.

[I don’t want it.]

“But your wound—”

[I don’t want it.]

“Come on, at least-”

[I don’t want it.]

Kim Hyun-Sung ought to know that just because one had tamed a stray cat didn't necessarily mean that one could let their guard down. The moment one did something that cats tended to hate, it’d be over by then.

Faced with my firm refusal, Kim Hyun-Sung fell silent, seemingly at a loss for words. Finally, as if conceding to my will, he set the potion bottle down and raised both hands in surrender.

“Then at least take this potion with you. Make sure you use it when you’re alone. Actually, maybe I should just step outside for a bit. You know how to use it, right? You saw it earlier, right?” Kim Hyun-Sung asked.

‘This punk... No matter how I look at it, he’s not planning on letting me go home today...’

It was scary. What if he suddenly suggested that I ought to live with him here? No way. I couldn't be running two households here. Besides, Big Boy was actually coming home early for once tonight, and I had to be back to make dinner.

‘

Haa... the distance between us shrank way too fast.’

There was no denying that I needed to put some space between us again.

When I knocked on the door to signal that I was done, Kim Hyun-Sung appeared, face still of worry.

“You applied it thoroughly, right?” Kim Hyun-Sung asked.

I nodded, but when he leaned in close to inspect my face, I had to turn my gaze away. He looked like he had a lot on his mind. Sure enough...

“If you’d like, you’re welcome to stay here until your wounds are healed...” heKim Hyun-Sung offered.

‘Haa... I knew he was going to say that.’

He really was the very definition of someone who tended to jump the gun.

‘I gave you a few loaves of bread and now you’re asking me to move in with you?’

I couldn't help but understand the saying, "Don’t even smile at someone who lacks social awareness."

Had he never considered the possibility that I could be some thug’s lackey, or an infiltrator sent by a rival faction to keep an eye on him?

Was he unaware that this was exactly when one ought to be the most wary of children? I was sure he was stabbed in the back many times before, but he still trusted people somehow.

“You don’t need to feel pressured. It’s true I frightened you before... but I just want to make sure you can be comfortable here until you’re fully healed.

Ah

... and... I’m really sorry for scaring you earlier. I should’ve said that first. I’m sorry,” Kim Hyun-Sung said.

‘This guy can’t even talk straight.’

Still, the way he lowered his head carried a sense of sincerity.

[I don’t want you. You scare me.]

“...”

“...”

“...”

[I’m joking.]

“

Ah...

”

[And really, just because someone brings you a few loaves of bread, do you have to act like we’re close? You even offered to let me stay here and live together with you. Noona told me never to trust people like that.]

“I’m not a bad person...” Kim Hyun-Sung argued.

[But last time you said you were a bad person.]

“That was...”

[I gave it to you because you’re kind... and you helped me. I have no intention of freeloading or living off you. I don’t want to be clingy.]

“...”

[It’s true I want to get closer to you, but I don’t want pity.]

“I’m not pitying you, I just...”

[To me, it feels like you’re pitying me, so I’ll pass.]

I wanted to keep up the innocent, naive act with a smile, but this guy’s frustrating attitude kept dragging out my true self.

‘No, reacting sensitively is right. This sickly boy has strong pride.’

And it seemed Kim Hyun-Sung had picked up on that...

“I’m sorry for not understanding how you feel,” Kim Hyun-Sung said.

If Kim Hyun-Sung apologized more than three times, it basically meant we were best friends.

[It’s fine. I just don’t want to be a burden. Besides, I won’t be able to come here starting tomorrow anyway.]

“Why not?” Kim Hyun-Sung asked.

[I have to look for my sister.]

It was sudden, but it was a new backstory. As if to say that I wouldn't see him again for a long time, I pulled out a few more loaves of bread from my pocket.

“Are you going far away? No... before that, your sister...”

[She’s just someone I got close to while living in Heren.]

“What?”

[She said she’d be back in five days, but she hasn't come back yet. I'm worried that something might’ve happened... She’s also the one who taught me how to read.]

‘Nice, it even fills in the backstory.’

[She’s an adventurer.]

“What...?”

[She’s not famous... but she said she had some work to do, but she never came back since then.]

“...”

[The men there said she died on the battlefield.]

“What?”

[They said she went to war, fought against the black mages, and died. That’s why she never returned.]

“...”

[They’re liars. She's still alive... That’s why I’m going to check for myself.]

‘It’s good to have a messy setup like this once in a while. Helps put some distance between us...’

And it would let me find out what really happened to Jo Hye-Jin, too... More than anything, making Kim Hyun-Sung confront this tragedy head-on was important.

Sure enough, I caught his pupils trembling like they were tap dancing. The brief smile of happiness tugging at his lips moments ago had vanished, replaced by beaded cold sweat as he tried to deny the devastating truth.

‘No matter what you imagine, you'll always see things beyond it.’

“You’re going alone?” Kim Hyun-Sung asked.

[Yes. It’s a bit far... but I was planning to catch a carriage that goes near there.]

“D-Do you know exactly where it is?” he asked.

𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

[Not really, but someone said they saw her in Filnes.]

‘You know, don’t you?’

“...”

He was at a loss for words.

‘That’s where you were defeated.’

Strictly speaking, it was in the nearby canyon where they had walked into a trap. Kim Hyun-Sung’s retreating comrades met their end there. It had to be a corrupted zone at this point, and Filnes no longer existed.

There was nothing there except for ashes and corpses.

Of course, Kim Hyun-Sung wouldn’t know the sister of some frail boy, especially when that girl had just joined the expedition. He couldn’t possibly remember the names of every expedition member.

He was only assuming that he himself had driven this boy’s beloved sister to her death.

‘But what can you do? You have to face what must be faced.’

“When...”

[I’m leaving today.]

“That’s not a place you should go,” Kim Hyun-Sung said.

‘And what if I do?’

“That place...” Kim Hyun-Sung paused.

‘What?’

“...is a dangerous place,” Kim Hyun-Sung added.

‘As if you could stop me. We’re practically strangers.’

I didn’t even bother answering him. The frail boy had already decided that he was going to Filnes to find his sister. Kim Hyun-Sung tried to convince me, but I ignored him and got ready to leave.

Finally, with a conflicted look, Kim Hyun-Sung muttered, “I...”

“...”

“Would it be alright if I go with you?” Kim Hyun-Sung asked.

Perhaps it was simply because he couldn’t bear to watch the sickly boy walk into danger by himself, but something about his face made it seem like he wanted to go back to that place.