Chapter 146 - He's my home

Kang Si An returns after dropping Little Hae at the school. He goes to Kyuri's room and knocks on the door. After 5 minutes of continuous knocking. she drags herself to the door and opens it.

Before she can kill him for waking up, the Keeper speaks, "Traveler, is it time to sleep?"

Kyuri doesn't react at first. Then, she wrinkles her nose. "If it's not, then when is it? After my existence is wiped out?"

Sleep is her priority during these times. The keeper glares at her. "When are you going to do it?"

"Do what?" Kyuri closes her eyes. She doesn't know why she's so sleepy today. Perhaps, it's better to sleep than stress over her problems.

"Ahn Hana." Keeper sits on the bed beside her. He's aware of the words that she said to Kang Si An. He has always known that this traveler will always choose Kang Si An no matter what. "Remember this is a test. If you fail, you won't have a second chance."

"None of us will." She rubs her eyes. "I am waiting for Do Sejin's call. I will do it after Ahn Hana falls asleep. I also need to be closer to her when I do it."

Though she's speaking casually, the timekeeper can tell that she's afraid. She's pretending to be brave. There's a difference between being fearless and being brave. One can be brave only if they have fear in their heart.

"I will accompany you," Timekeeper tells her quietly after some time. "You won't be alone."

"Are you going to help me?" She asks enthusiastically.

He chuckles lowly. "I cannot help you directly. It will be you who will take care of him."

"Don't worry. You will be invisible to those beings until you meet Hong Yi Hwan." The timekeeper looks at her coolly. "This is akin to delicate surgery. Ahn Hana is fragile and Hong Yi Hwan is strong. It's already been years. They will struggle. You are going to use your abilities to save someone instead of killing them. So..."

"I will do my best." She lies down on the bed and covers herself with the blanket. The pressure is killing her. Saving someone is harder than killing them.

The timekeeper glances at the bundle beside him. After some thoughts, a smirk appears on his lips. He lies down beside her and wraps his arms around the bundle, hugging her like she's a teddy bear.

"What are you doing?" Her face peeks out. "Don't use Kang Si An's body like this."

"You told him that you don't care if I kiss you since it's his body." He intends to teach her a lesson for being a player. "Traveler, you don't mind if it's me or him, hmm?"

"I mind!" She pushes him away. "Keeper, what's wrong with you? Should you waste your 100 minutes like this?"

"Using it for these things isn't a waste." He rolls over her, cupping her face. "Let's kiss for the remaining 90 minutes. If you are interested, we can do more. You have already tasted his goods. It's not a problem for you."

"It's a big problem." She covers his mouth before he could steal a kiss. "Keeper, why are you doing this?"

"Why do you think?" He removes her hand and looks at her intently. "Traveler, how long are you going to pretend not to know? I have made my intentions pretty clear."

"I have never been this serious." He stares back at her.

She becomes quiet. Those eyes belong to Kang Si An, but the way they are looking at her is so different. It's mysterious, thrilling, and intense. She swallows her saliva.

"I have fallen for you, Traveler. I don't remember when or how. It already happened. I couldn't bear to kill you. When you made a mistake, I was happy because I could come back to you." The Keeper tells her honestly, even though he knows the outcome. He is not a human and he doesn't even have his own body. But he wants to tell her. Perhaps, it's because of the conversation between Kang Si An and Kyuri. The man will give up his body to him if she chooses him. He wants to convince the traveler to choose him once. "Choose me. Kang Si An can spend 100 minutes every day with Little Hae. I will be a father to Little Hae. Traveler, I can protect you and keep you happy."

If it was the past, Kyuri would have been moved. After being with Young Hwa, she has already learned her lessons. "Keeper, it's not possible."

That's all she says. He smiles. He knew that it would turn out this way. As a special entity, he came across human feelings inside Kang Si An. When he went back to his world, he missed being inside this body that loved this woman so much. He's been infected by Kang Si An's love for Kwon Kyuri a long time ago. When he started seeing her through Kang Si An's eyes, it was inevitable.

"I thought that you didn't love him anymore."

"I like you, Keeper. You have been with me as long as Kang Si An was." Kyuri smiles at him softly. "But, I love this man. I can't run away from what my heart wants. I was mad at him. I also hated him. There was a time when I became a twisted being for him. But it's impossible for me to fill my heart with someone else even if it's you. This man is so stubborn. He would rather live as a ghost than live with no memory of me and Little Hae. Could I hate him after that? I saw the regret and pain in his eyes for his mistakes. I have been no saint either. For my happiness, he would give me up and let me be with another man. I didn't do the same when he was with Ki Mi Ran. I had to forgive him when I saw him changing every day for Little Hae and me. I can't not love this man, Keeper. I can't stop feeling what I feel. When he embraces me, I feel like I am home after wandering for so long. Keeper, he's my home."

She's been ignoring it for a long time. She didn't say anything to Kang Si An. If she hasn't been facing the crisis or the keeper hasn't faced her this way, she might not have ever said those words. It's probably because she was a coward and selfish being. She has been afraid of telling those words to Kang Si An. So much have happened. She didn't know how he would react. Confessing again after more than a thousand years is equally as hard as the first time.

The Keeper closes his eyes with a slight smile on his face. The other man has also heard it. Finally, these two can have a moment before facing death again. The Keeper would always want this mischievous traveler and this stubborn host to find happiness.

Hell!

That Keeper plotted this.