CH 9

”You don’t have to keep coming back like this.”

“But how do I know when you’re going to pass away?”

“…”

Han Cha-soo ignored the tendon sprouting on his forehead and motioned Baek-sun to a seat.

“Don’t say anything strange, come in and sit down.”

After learning that his brother was Baek-dam, Han Cha-soo became more tolerant of Baek-sun.

‘If I hurt his feelings and it falls into Baek-dam’s ears, I’ll be the one who gets screwed.’

It was necessary to be moderately friendly before disappearing.

But today, Baek-sun was strange. It was the same as before, until he opened the door with a bang, but he didn’t come in, he just stared at me.

“Is something wrong?”

“Uh, nothing.”

Baek-sun clung to the half-open door and kept glancing back.

As if someone was following them. Tilting his head, Han Cha-soo grabbed the bed frame and pulled himself up.

“Uh, hyung, no, stay still!”

baek-sun shouted in alarm, and at the same time, the sound of hinges creaking could be heard. At the same time, something vague rolled in front of me.

After locking eyes with the vague thing, Han Cha-soo called out in a high-pitched voice.

“Jung Seoheon-ssi?”

“Oh, long time no see.”

Barely opening his mouth, Jung Seo-heon squeezed his eyes shut and opened them. Guilt lingered at the corners of his taut mouth.

“Are you feeling better?”

His red eyes fluttered.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been able to come in the meantime.”

“It’s okay.”

This was his seventeenth apology.

“I know you’ve been hurt a lot, Jung Seoheon-ssi, are you okay?”

“What? Are you worried about me now?”

“…Yes.”

I’m worried about you because I feel like I’m going to spend a lot of money on you if something goes wrong.

Han Cha-soo nodded with a blank face.

Then, suddenly, his emotions became strange. He chewed his lip, as if something was stirring inside him.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. In the first place, I’m nothing compared to you…!”

His neck moved sharply, and he bowed his face. Han Cha-soo wondered if he has gone crazy.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t come here to do this.”

His shoulders shook slightly as he bowed his head.

Vaguely understanding what was happening, Han Cha-soo clicked his tongue.

‘You have a useless sense of guilt.’

Moderate guilt was fine.

Even if you feel guilty, you’ll bury it and forget it someday. That was just right.

However, it seems that Jung Seo-heon was more tender-hearted than I thought.

Han Cha-soo, who had put down his hand to scratch his head, called out to him.

“Jung Seo-heon.”

Red eyes turned cautiously to him.

Han Cha-soo stiffened his face. The air changed in an instant.

”My behaviour wouldn’t have changed no matter who was there.”

“…If you’re just trying to put my mind at ease, that’s fine.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Han Cha-soo raised an eyebrow.

“I’m saying that Jung Seoheon-ssi is mindful of useless things.”

“What?”

“Hyung, what are you talking about!”

Baek-sun bounced like a startled rabbit.

Han Cha-soo sent him a stern glance before turning his gaze back to Jung Seo-heon.

“You don’t have to be responsible for the consequences of my choices, Jung Seo-heon.”

“But….”

“Did it ever occur to you that that would only make it harder for me?”

The emotionless eyes wavered. His lips pursed, unable to speak.

Good.

Han Cha-soo chuckled softly to himself.

‘You’re being persuaded.’

It was worth the effort.

‘You’re telling me you would have saved whoever was in there?’

Of course not.

Han Cha-soo knew himself well.

He was no hero, no selfless man, no good guy.

He was just a small-time citizen who wanted to live.

So, he didn’t feel too guilty about telling Jung Seo-heon, ‘I didn’t save you because of you.’

He said with a smug look on his face.

“I did the best I could under the circumstances, and I survived, and I was able to save others.”

“…”

“That’s all I asked for. Not the sympathy of the people I saved.”

At the last word, Jung Seo-heon looked shocked.

“Pity. I never thought of it that way, hyung!”

Baek-sun beside him said.

“But that’s how I feel.”

Han Cha-soo said bravely.

“I feel it every time I sit in my hospital room, alone, and see the guild leader who comes to visit me every day.”

“…”

“I sacrificed myself to save my teammates, not because I wanted to be treated like this.”

So please, let me go.

Han Cha-soo glared at the two pale men and pleaded with his eyes.

If you guys truly care about me, let me go now.

‘As a bonus, don’t let the guild leader find me.’

“What… I see.”

It was Baek-sun who spoke first.

He was a big man with a big heart, but his mind was like a soft tofu, and he still hadn’t recovered.

“We’ve just been too much of a burden.”

Indeed.

Han Cha-soo chuckled at Baek-sun’s quick understanding of his words.

“Then I won’t say I’m sorry anymore.”

“Okay, so….”

“Instead, I’ll do what I can to make my brother healthy again.”

What?

Why did the story jump there?

Before he could say anything, Baek-sun grabbed Jung Seo-heon’s hand and nodded in agreement.

“You think so too, don’t you, Jung Seo-heon?”

“…Yeah, you’re right.”

The tear-stained pupils were gone, and Jung Seo-heon’s red eyes were intense.

”Sorry, no, I shouldn’t say that anymore, because that’s what you meant.”

“No, it’s not.”

“I’ll respect your choice, and I hope you’ll respect ours.”

He stood up and said with an air of determination.

“I will do whatever it takes to get Han Cha-soo back on track.”

“…G, give me a chance to speak”

“Then I’ll see you next time.”

Like a general leaving for the battlefield, he left behind a determined will, and his emotional scars and Baek-sun disappeared.

“No way.’

Let’s catch them.

To sneak out of the hospital room and catch them…

[Soundless footsteps (B)]

“Ouch!”

Pain like an awl tapping on his skull.

Han Cha-soo dropped to the floor.

[ Warning! ]

[ Actions inconsistent with your cover identity will be penalised! ]

What?

‘Wait a minute.’

It wasn’t like this in the dungeon.

His limbs shook slightly, his joints feeling like they were on fire.

‘What’s wrong with chasing them…”

As if reading his complaint, an azure window appeared in front of him.

[ Concealment (A) : Activated ]

[ Activated Identities : Potion Maker (B), Glass Body (A) ]

[ New identity ‘Glass Body’ causes changes to your health ]

[Changes synchronised ]

[ Disguised Identity : ‘Glass Body Potionmaker Han Cha-soo’ ]

[ Penalties are randomised ]

[ You have the status ailment ‘Headache’! ]

“…’

You crazy novel.

Han Cha-soo chuckled at the absurdity of it all.

Then a head-splitting pain hit him.

[ He had a condition ‘headache’! ]

Han Cha-soo groaned and curled up.

“Ugh….”

“Patient, are you okay?!”

The nurse who witnessed the scene rushed over in alarm. It was time for the stormy check-up.

“You mean there is nothing wrong with me?”

“Yes… there are no abnormalities, even by awakener standards.”

Nothing is wrong, but something is very wrong.

Jung Yi-heon rushed to the hospital and spoke to the doctor with a serious face. Han Cha-soo glared at the ceiling, needles dangling from his limbs.

[ Disguised Identity: Glass Body Potion Maker Han Cha-soo ]

The only identity he had was that of a potion maker. Apparently my health had caused a strange update.

Han Cha-soo stuck out his tongue as he looked at the status window floating in the air.

‘If the skill disable the glass body penalty, even the potion producer will be disable.’

I didn’t have to try to figure it out. Han Cha-soo ignored the skill release button in the corner of the status window and lowered the window.

‘I need to find a place to die.’

Han Cha-soo shrugged and looked back at Jung Yiheon, who was still arguing with the doctors.

“You can’t tell me anything from that…. Han Chasoo-ssi, are you feeling unwell?”

He only had to look at him for a moment, but his red eyes recognised him like a ghost and locked onto his gaze. Han Cha-soo shook his head with a silent sigh.

“No, I just thought you might be busy and I didn’t want to bother you.”

“Of course not. Whenever it has to do with you, Han Chasoo-ssi, I always come running.”

“…”

The sight of his smiling face made me feel sick.

As long as he’s by my side, I won’t be able to disable the skill.

‘The idea was that in this world, S-classes were non-standard beings.’

They were more beast than man in the realm of instinct. Whether or not he was someone I could kill. In terms of gauging their opponent’s strength like a ghost.

This meant that if you unmasked him, you could get a nasty surprise: ‘Oh my god, you’re not a B-class producer, you’re an A-class fighter.’

“Ah….”

It’s really hard to be the villain.

As I was wallowing in my despair, I felt a stirring. I looked up and it was Jung Yiheon.

“…?”

He looked a little nervous, and I was suspicious. I wondered what he was doing, and when I looked at him, he held something in his hand.

“Han Chasoo-ssi.”

“…Yes.”

“In case you didn’t know, Han Cha-soo, the Heavenly Spirit Guild is working with the government to develop a new therapeutic drug for the Awakened, so…”

“I’m not signing a life contract.”

“…”

“…”

Ignoring Jung Yiheon’s fiery eyes, Han Cha-soo threw back the quilt.