"Center Director Choi Mi-jin accepted the proposal."
The day after Alice left for Australia, Cheon Sa-yeon came to my room and informed me on the progress of the plan.
"Thank God."
"She said she couldn't possibly refuse because she has a conscience, too."
A conscience, huh. In truth, there was no reason for Choi Mij-in to feel sorry for us. After all, she was affiliated with the Guild Management Headquarters and was stuck in a position where she had to follow orders from above.
Nevertheless, since she accepted our proposal, we were, naturally, grateful.
"Of course, it wasn't an easy decision to make even if it pricked at her conscience, so she seemed to be giving it some thought, but I heard the partner she's been hanging around with lately strongly insisted that she should help."
"A partner?"
"You know her well, too."
Woo Seo-hyeok continued after Cheon Sa-yeon's words.
"She's a B-ranked telekinetic named Lee Su-jin."
"Ah."
Upon hearing the name, I nodded in surprise. I pictured a woman with black hair and slightly upturned eyes, resembling a cat.
'If it's Lee Su-jin, she might be able to help with our plan.'
After all, the Praus Cult was the cause of the many hardships endured not only by Lee Su-jin's parents but by Lee Su-jin herself.
Cheon Sa-yeon handed me a document. Contained in the document were the personal details of the Praus Cult members who had been captured this time around.
"We plan to bring in the man listed as number 17."
"He's an A-rank."
Since Kwon Jeong-han is S-rank, his abilities would work, but... he was a guy who voluntarily participated in the Cult's activities alongside Samael.
Even though Kwon Jeong-han's rank was one level higher, I had a strong feeling that he wouldn't cooperate as easily as we'd hoped. It would have been nice to bring in a B-rank, but the lowest rank available was A-rank.
"However, they say it'll take some time to get him out."
"It can't be helped. Since we're rescuing the cultists locked up at the management headquarters, there'll be plenty of eyes watching."
"Still, we should at least try to minimize the time it takes."
"Did you have an idea?"
"That white dustball."
White… dustball?
Cheon Sa-yeon made a strange sound and pointed his finger at me. No, to be precise, he pointed at the fox lying belly-up on my lap.
"What? Surely you don't mean the fox, do you?"
Peek?
Upon hearing my words, the fox slightly raised its head while still lying down.
"Don't you think it's about time that little guy started earning his keep?"
"What are you talking about? Why are you suddenly expecting this kid to make a living?"
"What do you mean 'kid'? From what I've heard, he's older than you, Han Yi-gyeol."
"…He's a beast. You can't measure his age in human years."
Peek!
Holding the fox in my arms, I glared at Cheon Sa-yeon with a wary look. Oblivious of the situation, the fox nestled against me, letting out a content purr and wildly wagged its bushy tail.
"Stop talking like an overbearing parent and talk to the fox. Tell it to go to the management headquarters and bring back the cult members. Since it can become invisible and pass through objects, he'll be a great help."
"Well, that...."
However. I gently pulled the fox, which was clinging tightly to my chest, away and held its front paws. The fox, standing with its hind paws on my thigh, tilted its head with an innocent expression.
To think I have to send this little kid out there... I can't help but be worried.
"…Can't I go too?"
"Do you really think that'll work?"
Cheon Sa-yeon rested his chin on his hand and twisted the corners of his mouth. Hm, as expected, no chance.
That night I went out to meet Ha Tae-heon, I was attacked by an unknown group. Aside from stopping by the guild's reception room with Woo Seo-hyuk to meet Alice, I hadn't been able to step foot outside my room.
My teammates were constantly coming in and out of my room, and even the fox who was always clinging to me vehemently opposed my going out. As someone who had to walk on eggshells because of my past mistakes, I had no choice but to follow my teammates' advice.
They even said that if I went out one more time, they would put the shackles back on me.
A shutter item in the shape of shackles that Edward had made himself. Having worn one before, I felt a sense of crisis at the sight of my teammates smiling coldly while holding the shackles, and I had no choice but to promise to stay put.
Sighing at the frustrating situation, I spoke to the fox.
"Fox."
Peek?
"Can you help us out?"
***
After hearing the plan, the fox immediately put on its invisibility cloak and flew outside. It would fly straight to the management headquarters and secretly meet with Choi Mi-jin.
Choi Mi-jin would tell him what to do next, since she surely knew the details of where the Praus Cult members were being held captive.
Since the fox sometimes acts smarter than I do, I trust that it will follow through with the plan and return, but I still couldn't help feeling worried. Even more so because this was the first time it had acted on its own, without me, since it had followed me out of the temple.
"Are you that worried?"
Kim Woo-jin sat down next to me and asked, seeing me staring blankly out the window with the documents in my hand. Snapping back to my senses, I rubbed the back of my neck and put the documents I was holding down on the table.
"A little."
"He'll do great. He's gonna come back."
"Yeah, I think so too."
Kim Woo-jin, who wasn't particularly interested in the fox, offered a clumsy attempt at consolation. Grateful for his sincerity, I smiled at him, albeit awkwardly.
"What's this?"
"These are documents sent from Roheon this morning… It's additional information on those known as executives of the Praus Cult. Kim Woo-jin, your friend compiled and sent them."
Even though I purposely mentioned that Hyde had sent, Kim Woo-jin remained indifferent. Whenever he acted like this, I felt a sense of unfamiliarity. It was a reaction he never showed when it came to matters involving me.
Nevertheless, as if drawn to the contents of the documents, Kim Woo-jin's gaze also turned toward the papers spread out on the table. His expression, which had been quietly scanning the documents, suddenly hardened.
"...?"
Wondering why, I examined the same content as Kim Woo-jin. After I'd seen the section regarding Azazel, my heart sank.
He seemed fine, so I didn't go out of my way to bring it up first, but I knew that Kim Woo-jin was feeling guilty because of Azazel regarding the Gwanghwamun incident.
In a way, this was actually for the best. I thought it would be best to talk to Kim Woo-jin now so that he wouldn't suffer from unnecessary guilt.
"Kim Woo-jin."
As I carefully placed my hand on top of Kim Woo-jin's, who was sitting next to me, his shoulders trembled slightly.
"Don't do that. It's not your fault."
Kim Woo-jin's face, after immediately realizing what I was about to say, twisted into a pitiful grimace.
"But if only I… if only I'd acted more competently…"
"No. Even if that hadn't happened, the Cult would have targeted me anyway. They said it themselves. They said I was the most suspicious because I hadn't been seen in the previous timelines."
This wasn't just something I said to comfort Kim Woo-jin; it was the truth. Even if Azazel hadn't kidnapped and tortured Kim Woo-jin, the outcome would have been the same.
Samael was a master at manipulating people's emotions. He had noticed that Cheon Sa-yeon cared for me, so he must have called me in front of him just to provoke him. The more I thought about it, the more both Samael and Azazel annoyed me.
"He said that on purpose to make you feel guilty. Don't let him get to you. You're the victim here."
When I pointed it out firmly, Kim Woo-jin blinked his long eyelashes and let the tips of his eyebrows droop downward. His eyes had already turned red and were damp with tears.
"Sorry...."
As if my words still couldn't erase the deep-rooted guilt within him, Kim Woo-jin bit his lip with a look of self-blame. Swallowing a sigh, I gripped Kim Woo-jin's hand a little tighter.
"Kim Woo-jin. You… when you were dragged away like that, and when you were injured to the point of life-threatening danger… It was really hard for me."
"...."
"If one of us has to feel guilty, it should be me. But this isn't our fault, alright. Neither of us should be the ones feeling guilty."
Why should the victims harbour guilt while the perpetrator was still out there, unscathed? I used to be unable to distinguish that, but not anymore.
"I will never forget how much you suffered."
The image of Azazel mocking Kim Woo-jin was vivid in my mind. I was already furious enough to go mad just thinking about her torturing Kim Woo-jin, but the fact that she'd gone so far as to plant guilt in him really irritated me to my core.
"So… don't worry too much. Nor give yourself a hard time."
Kim Woo-jin, who had been staring at me with a somewhat dazed expression, nodded as the tips of his ears turned red at my last words. Then, glancing at me cautiously, he began to hug me.
Perhaps due to my rapidly rising emotions, Kim Woo-jin's body in my arms felt hotter than usual. Like a cat trying to squeeze into a tight space, Kim Woo-jin pressed himself against me. I didn't push him away; instead, I opened my arms and held him close.
When I patted his back to ask if he was okay, Kim Woojin rubbed his forehead against my shoulder. Since I was only wearing a thin T-shirt, my shoulder quickly became damp. He's really crying...
I don't know if he is crying because he feels relieved after hearing my words, or if he is crying because he is still tormented by guilt. With a heavy heart, I offered him my shoulder, and Kim Woo-jin, who had been whimpering for quite a while, soon lifted his head.
Meeting at a distance close enough to feel his breath, Kim Woo-jin's hazel eyes shimmered with various colors, glistening with moisture. At that moment, Kim Woo-jin leaned in slowly, and pressed his lips against mine.
His warm lips covered my dry ones. My fingertips trembled at the raw sensation of his tongue parting my lips and entering. From Kim Woo-jin's chest, which pressed tightly against mine, leaving not even an inch of space between us, I could feel the beating of his heart.
I could even feel his heartbeat through his eyes and skin, just before we kissed. The sound was etched into my mind one beat after another.
- If you want to know whether someone's feelings are sincere or not, look into their eyes. Then, listen to their heartbeat. Only then will you know.
I recalled Elohim's words from earlier that morning. So that's it. That was what he meant. Having experienced it firsthand, I understood why Elohim placed such importance on the eyes and the heart.
Feeling the warmth of Kim Woo-jin as he actively pressed his body against mine, I also closed my eyes.