Chapter 91

Chahaya took out a Malangso from her pocket and extended it. Despite this, Seo-eun silently stacked the plates the child had eaten from onto the tray. The child, who had absorbed Chahaya's Cosmos and transformed, had fallen asleep and was laid on one side of the bed.

"Sorry? Did I go too far?"

Chahaya, who laughed and said she had gone too far, took Seo-eun's hand and placed two packets of Malangso on it. Seo-eun simply put them down on the table without looking.

Seo-eun, who had never made eye contact until now, stood directly in front of Chahaya.

"No, you're right. Since you're right... you don't have to apologize."

Chahaya stopped consciously trying to smile. Seo-eun sighed so softly that Chahaya couldn't hear it.

"Chahaya, have you eaten?"

"No."

"What have you been doing without eating?"

"I don't need to eat."

"Still, order room service and eat."

Ha, Seo-eun, who was sitting on the sofa, sighed openly this time.

What should I do now?

If that child is one of the keys to the Earth's destruction, what will happen? I have no idea at all. The irresponsible messenger hasn't come out since spouting ominous words.

Chahaya stood in front of Seo-eun, who was sprawled on the sofa. Seo-eun couldn't read his expression well in the dim lighting. He was completely drained from the events that started from the plane and the human mutant that appeared in just one day.

"Let me keep an eye on that. Get some sleep."

Even so, sleep wouldn't come easily. Seo-eun looked at the child who resembled both of them.

"Did we make it like this because we ate the Cosmos?"

Seo-eun asked, but Chahaya looked at the child as if she didn't know either.

"At least we should tell Handoonhee, right...?"

"What if Handoonhee tries to kill it?"

It was a plausible scenario. However, the child wouldn't die even if its heart or stomach were pierced. Could the people on the planet the child came from absorb others' Cosmos and change their appearance? Or is the child special?

I don't know. Seo-eun rubbed her forehead and then looked up.

"Hey."

She called out to Chahaya, who was standing in front of her.

"Why did you do that? I was really shocked."

Chahaya's torn lips twitched. It seemed she was thinking about the kiss on the plane. Seo-eun hastily added:

"At least tell me before you do it."

Chahaya's eyes, which seemed to contain countless stars, widened.

No, that's not it. Seo-eun quickly continued:

"You were trying to kill it... If you just stab it, wouldn't I be shocked and angry?"

Ah, I went too far, Chahaya's lips curled up.

If the Earth is destroyed because of this child, it would be right to eliminate it, but Seo-eun had something nagging at her.

I am the last survivor. I was sent to save me.

It was because of those words.

"But why did you come to my room?"

Just as the human mutant appeared, Chahaya came too.

She must have come to say something, but she didn't answer immediately and only looked at Seo-eun's swollen lips. Seo-eun averted her gaze and slightly pursed her lips. Chahaya opened her mouth and then let out a voice tinged with laughter.

"Maybe my instincts kicked in?"

"What?"

"Chahaya Seo-eun guardian instincts."

Chahaya put her index finger to her head and mimicked antennae. Seo-eun finally let out a helpless laugh.

Perhaps she had expected Chahaya to bring up the incident on the plane. At the same time, she wondered if Chahaya had developed some feelings for her, and honestly, she felt a bit uncomfortable.

The current Chahaya was definitely different from the high school days. They had kissed, so it couldn't be the same as before. Yet, she couldn't easily ask about her true feelings because she had loved Chahaya for so long. She knew Chahaya well.

Thinking about the people Chahaya had dated, none of the relationships ended well. They barely communicated and lived like strangers.

What if she considered Seo-eun more than a friend...? If their relationship changed like other couples?

Chahaya might one day say, "Seo-eun, let's just be friends like before." She would say it and leave. Could I really bear it if that happened? Worrying about something that hasn't even happened and pondering our relationship might be an old habit.

Seo-eun slightly frowned as she looked at the lips she had kissed. This time, the issue wouldn't be resolved by turning a blind eye. She needed to explain to the Tachun Guild members, Eomji-geun, and Namgung Jun.

Seo-eun mustered her courage and parted her still tingling lips.

"Hey, on the plane."

"On the plane."

Chahaya also spoke almost simultaneously. Seo-eun clenched her hands, which were tense, and Chahaya looked at her with considerable tension.

"You go first."

Seo-eun yielded to Chahaya first.

"No, you go first, Seo-eun."

"Fine. You go first."

"I'll speak after you."

To an outsider, they might look like considerate friends. This mutual deferral seemed endless. Finally, Seo-eun blurted out without taking a breath.

"Why did you kiss me?"

Instead of backing down, she chose a direct approach.

Chahaya's torn lips twitched. She glanced at the Malangso packets left on the table. The two "I love you" packets she had carefully chosen didn't even make it to Seo-eun's hands because Seo-eun didn't even look at them.

After a long silence, Seo-eun turned her cold gaze away, as if saying, "If you don't want to talk, fine."

"Give up on Eomji-geun."

"…What?"

Seo-eun's eyes narrowed sharply as she looked up at Chahaya.

"That guy is a real womanizer. His personality is almost broken. He's expected to be completely broken by tomorrow."

If she had been leaning on something, it would have been a ridiculous exclamation.

"Why are we talking about Eomji-geun? What do you mean by giving up?"

"You don't remember?"

"What do you mean?"

"In first year, I caught the guy who did something weird to you."

Weird guy? Seo-eun asked herself. Chahaya continued:

"Do you remember the senior guy who stalked you? The one who gave you gifts every club day?"

Seo-eun's eyelids blinked rapidly. She did remember something when she heard "stalker."

A senior in the same club used to bring her gifts every club day, and she thought he was just a kind senior. But it turned out he had stalked her several times.

She also remembered the time when a condom was found in the apartment mailbox, which made her father furious. The senior would come over and put his arm around her or touch her inappropriately. At the time, she thought it was just a bit uncomfortable and that he was just a touchy person. One day, Chahaya caught the senior putting a condom in her mailbox.

She was shocked when she went down to answer the phone. She had mentioned the condom incident to Chahaya, thinking it was absurd, but she didn't expect Chahaya to catch the culprit.

When her father searched the CCTV to catch the person who put the condom in the mailbox, the culprit was a man with a hat pulled down. It was even more shocking because it was a senior she knew. The senior, caught by Chahaya, tearfully confessed that he had a crush on her as a junior.

Even if he did it because he liked her, it was unforgivable. He even denied being gay and had a resident card to enter the apartment.

Seo-eun, recalling this unpleasant memory, wondered what it had to do with the current situation.

"Eomji-geun is worse than that pervert. Do you think that's all? There isn't a single normal person among the top-tier species. Why would you accept introductions from them? If they make weird videos, could you handle it, Seo-eun?"

A light bulb went off in her head.

So, Chahaya was worried that she might accept introductions to weird top-tier species or end up with Eomji-geun, whose personality was broken. That's why she kissed her in front of others to deter them? That's what it sounded like.

To kiss someone's lips for such a reason? Seo-eun was speechless.

"Crazy! What gives you the right? Who cares who I date?"

"You said you wanted to meet top-tier species. There wasn't a single normal person among the people on the plane."

She was about to argue that she never said that, but she closed her mouth. The moment the guy tried to kiss her vividly came to mind.

'So, you want to meet top-tier species?'

'Yeah, I really want to, okay!'

She had just said it out of frustration, but it sounded like she wanted to date Eomji-geun or other top-tier species.

"Who are you to interfere with my relationships? Why are you meddling in my love life? Chahaya, are you really crazy?"

She couldn't hold back her anger. She had been drinking kimchi broth, not knowing Chahaya had such crazy thoughts.

"I'm your guardian, Seo-eun. I'll interfere a lot. You don't have a good eye for people, so I'll keep an eye on you."

It seemed like Chahaya's eyes were on fire.

"It won't work with you around. Honestly, why do I need your permission to date someone? Are you my parents?"

"You don't need permission."

Chahaya met Seo-eun's eyes with a strong gaze.

"Only if they're stronger than me."

Seo-eun's mouth dropped open. Is there such a person?! Chahaya inwardly clicked her tongue.

Seo-eun, can't you see that I'm telling you I like you with my whole body? Is it because you don't even consider me in that way? That's why you easily said we couldn't be together?

In fact, Chahaya had agonized over whether to visit Seo-eun's room. She wanted to convey at least a piece of her heart this time. But Seo-eun didn't consider her as a potential partner. Seeing her react so strongly to who she dated, she couldn't bring herself to confess.

If their friendship was ruined, how could she be with Seo-eun? If Seo-eun decided to distance herself, she would treat Chahaya like a non-existent person, just like at the university entrance.

'People who are addicted to spores experience their own traumas or fears.'

The theme park mushroom mutant was said to make people hallucinate and experience their traumas or fears. But what was the fear or trauma when Seo-eun distanced herself from her? She probably dismissed it as a different kind of hallucination.

But now she realized.

Seo-eun, the fear is you disappearing from my life.

Moreover, with the human mutant appearing, the trigger for the Earth's destruction was pulled. She had tried to eliminate the child immediately, thinking it was the last survivor of the planet, but since it had safely arrived on Earth, killing it would be pointless.

To prevent the planet's destruction, the only way was to find and eliminate the last survivors of other planets. But they hadn't tried yet because they didn't have the exact coordinates. Now, they would have to use the mutant.

"Why did you kiss me back then?"

Seo-eun, who had been huffing and puffing, suddenly stood up.

"I told you. To keep weird guys away from you."

"No, I'm not talking about today. You kissed me at my house! I wasn't asleep then!"

Seo-eun shouted, feeling a sense of relief, and then looked at Chahaya. Chahaya seemed to have turned to stone.