Chapter 6

There was a similar railing on the hill in Chahaya's neighborhood, and Seo-un often spent time there, sitting and passing the time. It was a place where the urge to skip the academy would arise.

There was one time when I made a big decision to skip the academy. Father called Chahaya, not me.

"Chahaya, you're quite good at studying, right? If you need any tutoring or extra classes, let me know. You're a second-year now, so it's time to start thinking about college. What school are you aiming for?"

"Thank you for considering me, but I don't plan to go to college."

"What?"

"I think I can do without it."

Father deliberately called Chahaya when I was at home. It seemed he wanted to get a clear answer that Chahaya would keep his distance from me, using the lure of tutoring fees or academy fees. But Chahaya just laughed and said it was fine. And I was a coward, only eavesdropping without the courage to storm into Father's study.

I regretted it. If I hadn't skipped the academy on a whim, Chahaya wouldn't have been humiliated like that. After that, I studied even harder. I tried my best to be an excellent student so that Father wouldn't blame Chahaya.

"You'll find this hilarious, but I ate wild garlic and mugwort, you know."

Seo-un chuckled, finding it amusing even to herself.

"It's not funny."

Chahaya's voice was quite serious.

"To be honest, I didn't want to be a burden to you in the underworld, and I didn't have the confidence to control the guild members. There were some who were suppressed by force, and how could I handle everything now? Honestly, if it weren't for Uncle's support, you would have been a better deputy guild leader than me."

"Uncle saw it clearly. Look at what happened to the guild as soon as you disappeared."

What a good kid.

Seo-un rested her forehead on Chahaya's arm, who was sitting on the railing. Chahaya patted the back of her neck.

"You've been through a lot."

The rough comfort made her eyes well up with warmth.

It was spring, or else she would have shivered from the cold when she first fled in winter. She had suffered from mild frostbite on her hands and toes and learned that the harsh cold was harder to endure than hunger. Of course, when hunger was added, the realization was even greater.

Even in such a wretched situation, she didn't particularly miss the abundant life her father had given her. When she was starving, she imagined her father appearing and offering to feed and clothe her in exchange for absolute obedience, but she refused. The underworld was a wretched place, but it was better than the suffocating home of her father.

She had always obeyed her father and aimed to receive his praise. But after coming to the underworld, she realized she didn't need to be bound by such things.

Praise? It doesn't put food on the table. Maybe it would make her heart feel full, but she had never experienced it, so she couldn't be sure.

After awakening as a Manseong, the first thing her father said was:

"So, are your stats on par with Chahaya's?"

Is it even reasonable to ask if my stats are on Chahaya's level? It's like asking if I got first place in the national mock exam.

A rebellious cry rose, but she only replied, "I'm sorry, but I don't think I'm at that level." She felt ashamed for being inferior to Chahaya, even though it wasn't her fault.

Then came a sigh, a sigh, and another sigh. It felt like her esophagus was burning. The moment she became a Manseong, her father's disappointment that she wasn't at that level turned her into a monster filled with inferiority. Chahaya didn't know, but for a year after awakening, he was her rival.

And when she became the deputy guild leader of 'Tachun,' what did her father say?

"Seeing you recommended as deputy guild leader, it seems Chahaya isn't the same as before."

Please... Please, Father, I'm dying of thirst. That kid is just the same. Even if his stats are better than mine, I can lead the guild, and I deserve the recognition!

Seo-un leaned on Chahaya, trying to burn away the old emotions rising in her. If it weren't for her father, she wouldn't have developed such twisted inferiority towards Chahaya. She could have just clapped for her friend's greatness...

Seo-un was quite sad that she couldn't do that.

She had fled to survive, but if she had honestly confessed to Chahaya, he might have been the first to step forward to protect her from any danger. But at that moment, she didn't have the time to think about it, and her heart sank.

She wasn't as close to Chahaya as before, and if her father or other guild members found out she had lost her abilities...

She thought her remaining self-esteem would be tragically consumed along with her life.

When she lifted her forehead from Chahaya's hard arm, the center of her forehead throbbed.

If Chahaya lived in a high-end apartment and she in a basement, she would have definitely hidden her poverty. On the other hand, Chahaya had never shown any inferiority to her.

Perhaps she had just hidden her inferiority well. If so, now might be the perfect time to reveal it, to mock her for losing her power and running away.

Suddenly, a wave of anxiety made her look at Chahaya's face.

She feared he might be mocking her, but as Chahaya rummaged through his pocket, he offered something.

"Malangso?"

The small package of candy had a cute cow drawn on it. The cow's speech bubble read, "It's okay, you did your best." Another package read, "You're the prettiest in the world," with the cow spreading its arms.

"Where did you get these?"

"I bought them in Seoul. I thought I could lure the runaway Seo-un with these."

"Are you crazy?"

"If you're just going to look, I'll eat them."

"Hey, give them to me."

She knew the taste of these candies, so there was no way she could have any sense of shame. Seo-un took the package that said "It's okay, you did your best" and tore it open.

The soft, chewy candy stuck to her teeth affectionately. She moved it to the center of her tongue, reluctant to chew it. She knew it was delicious, but she didn't expect it to be so sweet and nostalgic.

Chahaya handed the remaining candies to Seo-un.

"Are there only two?"

It wasn't out of greed, just a genuine question.

"There's a box in the office."

"Why did you buy so many?"

"Guess what, what did the guy who went missing think was so cute to buy?"

Others might listen to music while studying, but Seo-un always made sure to have these candies. If she hadn't tried them, she might not have known how addictive they were, making it hard to quit. She even dreamed about swimming in the bag of candies during her escape.

"Did you get the corn chips too?"

"Yeah."

"Chahaya, you're an angel."

"A fallen angel."

The guild name was rarely fully used by the members.

"Every time I hear it, I feel like cursing Uncle's naming sense. Why didn't you stop him?"

"Did you want to see me like this?"

Since I let you eat these, I'll let you off. He peeled the last one and popped it into his mouth.

Seo-un usually avoided street food and snacks, but she was crazy about corn chips and Malangso. It was also a subtle act of rebellion against her father, who despised snacks. She ate one bag a day, so she probably owned a square meter of the snack company's building.

"Hey."

After calling Chahaya, Seo-un sucked the candy again.

"To be honest, I can't say this in front of the other guild members..."

Even in the darkness, Chahaya's eyes were vivid.

"Actually, I don't think the underworld is that bad."

Click, the nebula in Chahaya's eyes expanded and then contracted. The stars that seemed to be about to explode found their places again, making Chahaya's eyes incredibly beautiful. If the stars of the universe were shrunk, they would probably look just like that.

"Really?"

"I'm not saying it's great, but..."

Although eye color can vary based on unique abilities, no one had ever seen a color like Chahaya's, which seemed to contain thousands of nebulae.

"Then you should go back to your original home."

Chahaya suddenly stood up from the railing. He brushed off his pants and pointed to the rooftop door, saying it was time to go in. Chahaya took the first step, and Seo-un raised her voice a bit.

"Chahaya, but even if I'm not as good as a thousand, I'm better than DK Searcher, right?"

Chahaya's broad back paused, and he soon turned to look at her.

"I know I'm a great one."

Seo-un looked towards the northwest, where she had come from.