MBTJ 18

Chapter 18

“Uh, uh… what…?”
“Mm, I slept well too. For the first time in a while.”

Suho checked the time while answering Sandrae, who was fumbling awkwardly.
“Did I sleep for eight hours?”
It had been a long time since he’d slept this long. Because of his insomnia, it was rare for him to sleep more than three hours—but on this old, narrow, cramped bed, he hadn’t woken up even once.

Maybe I should try changing the bed, he thought, loosening his stiff neck from holding the same position all night.

Stretching his long arms, his shirt—left unbuttoned in his sleep—opened wider, revealing his broad, firm chest.

Sandrae turned her head sharply, and Suho feigned a hurt expression.
“Already tired of me?”
“Wh-what?”
“Me. You were rubbing me just a moment ago.”

So that feeling she had… it really was Suho’s body. Sandrae shut her eyes tightly. No wonder it felt so good.

“A-are you going to take revenge?”
“I’ll think about it after breakfast.”
“I’ll make you a sandwich! Just wait a moment!”

Sandrae’s face was about to explode as she dashed out, with Suho following slowly behind.
“Check your bag. I also put your phone in there.”
“Ah, okay!”
“Can I see the garden?”
“If you go outside, you’ll see it right away!”

While Suho went out to the rooftop to look at the garden, Sandrae quickly took the bagels she had frozen, placing them in the air fryer.

Once golden brown, she spread cream cheese on the bagels, added cheese and ham, and topped them with lettuce from the rooftop garden.

In no time, she had made two sandwiches and carried them outside to the rooftop.

Suho was sitting on the bench.
The wind blew through his jet-black hair. Unlike usual, when he buttoned up his shirt all the way to his neck, the naturally unbuttoned shirt looked comfortable.

Sandrae carefully placed the plate beside him.
“If you don’t think you can finish it, you can leave some.”
“Who can’t eat two sandwiches?”

One was supposed to be mine…
And she wasn’t even worried about the amount—she just said it for his sake, since he usually had trouble eating food made by others.

Sandrae quietly returned to the kitchen and put all the remaining bagels in the air fryer.

While the bread baked, she went inside to check her bag.
“Phew…”

Her phone, which had been dropped when she fell into the Named’s nest, was unharmed, and most importantly, Mandrake was safe. That was enough. Feeling a weight lift off her chest, she connected her phone to the charger.

A moment later, the previously dead screen turned on. Sandrae peeked outside and called Song-i.

• “Sandrae, your phone’s been off since last night. Is it broken?”

She heard Song-i’s hesitant voice as if he had been eating breakfast. Sandrae lowered her voice as much as possible.
“It’s fine. The battery probably died.”

• “How could you not even notice your battery was dead?”
  “I’ll tell you the details later. Something serious happened, Song-i.”

Her voice trembled slightly, and Song-i’s tone immediately hardened.

• “What the hell happened?”
  “Gyeon Suho is at my house.”

• “What? There’s a dog at your house?”

She had whispered too quietly, and Song-i didn’t understand at first. Sandrae peeked back at the rooftop, covering her mouth with her hand.
“No, I mean… Hunter Gyeon Suho is at my house!”

• “Ah, geez, you scared me! Seeing a famous person in a dream is good luck. Buy a lottery ticket.”
  “I wish it were a dream too…”

• “Wait… this is real? Gyeon Suho is really at your house?”
  “Mm…”

Realizing it was true, Song-i was silent for a long moment before asking:

• “Why?”

A completely reasonable question—but she couldn’t answer.
“I don’t know either. When I woke up… he was there.”

And on the same bed.
The memory of touching his chest came back vividly. Even if it was in her sleep, it was clearly harassment. Sandrae’s cheeks flushed bright red.

• “Is Gyeon Suho still there?”
  “Yes, he’s sitting on the bench, eating the second bagel. Wh-what should I do?”

• “Wait. I’ll be there soon.”
  “So, Song-i? Song-i!”

The call abruptly ended.

Sandrae stomped her feet before putting down the phone.
She couldn’t hide in the kitchen forever. She reluctantly made three more sandwiches, and still feeling insufficient, blended some tomatoes into juice and went up to the rooftop.

“Have some more.”
“What about yours, Sandrae?”

He’s going to eat five sandwiches…
“I’m not very hungry.”

The third sandwich disappeared into Suho’s mouth. She had thought he had a small appetite, but he was eating surprisingly well.

Must be good.

Seeing him eat five sandwiches in one sitting, it must really suit his taste. Despite how absurd and unbelievable the situation was, she felt a sense of accomplishment.

If it weren’t for the circumstances, she might have wanted his autograph. Trying not to show her fangirl side, she changed the subject.
“What happened yesterday?”
“I left with you after you passed out.”
“How did you know my address?”
“I hacked the device.”
“…Really?”

Suho laughed. The smile was so beautiful that Sandrae almost lost herself again.
“Of course, I asked the Ability Bureau.”
“Ah…”

Sandrae asked awkwardly:
“But why did you sleep at our house?”
“You held me.”
“Me?”
“You forced me onto the bed and didn’t let me go. Don’t you remember?”
“…S-sorry…”

Suho, shamelessly lying, continued casually:
“The dungeon was the second wave. The Ability Bureau will make an official announcement today.”

It was extremely rare for a dungeon that had already been cleared seven times to open a second wave. Naturally, the Bureau had to report it. Well, who would notice a C-rank dungeon, but Sandrae still felt uneasy.

“Will the team roster be made public then?”
“Probably.”

Twelve years ago, Sandrae’s mother had died fighting a creature alone to protect her only daughter.
A-grade Awakener Eun Seok-hyun, hearing the news too late, lost control and rampaged on the spot.

Up until then, awakeners had gone berserk inside dungeons, but this was the first time one had gone berserk outside. Fortunately, most residents had evacuated to safe areas, so civilians weren’t harmed. However, one awoken trying to stop Seok-hyun died, and six others were seriously injured. An entire apartment building collapsed. Even though the government promised compensation, public anger didn’t subside.

The public needed someone to vent their anger on, and Eun Seok-hyun’s only child, Eun Sandrae, was the perfect target.

She had no time to process losing her parents. Reporters came, people threw stones, and her face circulated online with a mosaic blur. Already rendered speechless by her parents’ death, Sandrae developed panic disorder.

Being in crowded places triggered cold sweats, hyperventilation, and fainting. Even after being adopted by her aunt and changing her surname, nothing changed.

Later, after becoming independent and receiving psychiatric treatment, she improved, but never fully recovered. Mental illnesses are hard to completely cure. She was still scared of attention, terrified someone might recognize her. She wanted to live quietly, hidden in the crowd.

“I hope the roster isn’t made public,” she admitted.

Suho, as if sensing it, asked casually:
“You don’t want it to be public?”

Sandrae hesitated, then nodded.
“Yes. Please make it so.”

“…Really?”

She knew realistically it was impossible. Even just by going to the Bureau’s website, one could check the names of all awakeners who entered each dungeon. Not publishing it now would only delay the inevitable.

“Will that be okay?”
“If a problem arises, I’ll handle it.”

“Wow…”

So cool. I’m glad I like him.

At that moment, the sound of running footsteps on the stairs grew loud.
“Sandrae, I’m here… huh!”

Song-i appeared, naturally putting some distance between them. Suho whispered discreetly into Sandrae’s ear:
“I’ll contact you.”

She nodded in response, and Suho vanished into the shadows in an instant.

Frozen in shock, Song-i finally screamed after a long pause:
“Crazy!”