Chapter 23: Had it been unavoidable?

Picking out a complicated purple flower, Cheon Areum gathered the pieces required for it. He gave the booklet to Rian to choose his flower, but he rejected it.

“I can see the flowers on the box. I don’t need the instructions.”

Cheon Areum glanced down at the pile of scattered pieces and then at the illustrated image of flowers on the box. How could anyone know which piece belonged to which flower? Perhaps Rian had experience with Legos, a practiced eye, and his own sense of order. On the other side, Cheon Areum followed the instructions very thoroughly, meticulously connecting each piece as Yoon Seoyul sat with his back against the ceiling-to-floor window, knees drawn up, watching—staring at them, at him specifically—from the side.

In the quiet room, only the soft rustle of pieces and the gentle click of connecting them filled the air as Rian and Cheon Areum each finished a flower. Cheon Areum held the flower he had just built, staring at it for a moment. He realized he didn’t feel that queasy now.

“I will build the rest for you tomorrow.”

Packing the rest of the pieces, Rian took the flower he built and the purple one Cheon Areum built, glancing around the room as if to see where they would look the best.

“It’s way past your bedtime, Rian.”

At Yoon Seoyul’s words, Rian flinched slightly. Pretending he didn’t hear him, he wandered around the room with the flowers in his hand.

“Rian. Leave them on the table and go to sleep. It’s late; you will end up sleeping during the day.”

“But it’s Sunday tomorrow…”

Rian pouted as he mumbled out.

“Will you sleep at school on Monday then? Should I ask them to arrange a bedroom for you?”

Aware his cuteness wasn’t working on Yoon Seoyul, he drooped dramatically, leaving the flowers on the bedside table and taking the Lego box back with him, dragging it on the floor instead of carrying it normally. Cheon Areum swallowed dryly, averting Yoon Seoyul’s eyes. He was clearly still angry with him; he would rather stare at the ground dumbly. None of them spoke for a while. Until he heard a long sigh leave Yoon Seoyul’s lips.

“Can you come here, Areum?”

Yoon Seoyul’s voice was calm but firm. He patted the floor beside him with one hand while the other brushed back his hair, fingers lingering briefly at the nape of his neck. The gesture was casual, but the way he held his gaze made it clear he wasn’t asking casually—he wanted Cheon Areum to confront him. Complying without complaint, he got up and sat down exactly where Yoon Seoyul wanted him, keeping his face low and sitting neatly to show he was on his best behavior.

“Do you remember what happened in the dungeon? After we separated?”

“Yes….”

“How much do you remember? Start from when Han Kakta entered the boss to eat his core. What happened after that?”

Han Kakta must’ve told Yoon Seoyul everything from his side already.

“Weren’t you going there as the backup?”

“Kakta was taking too long. I was running out of energy, so I used an energy booster and tried to pry open the worm, but then the other three bosses also showed up. I didn’t have a choice.”

“I trust you, Areum. That’s why I let you go despite the danger. You knew it was the side with the bosses, yet you didn’t say anything and chose that one for yourself.”

“I didn’t know I would have to fight them by myself. I thought everyone would return after killing off the monsters and I would just hold them back until everyone else could gather and fight them. How was I supposed to know the bosses would still come out despite the monsters not being cleared out?”

It was true he selected that side for himself because it was where the bosses were, but he really wasn’t expecting to fight them alone. He didn’t even have Han Kakta by his side. Meeting Yoon Seoyul’s stare, he clarified in a steady tone.

“Even if that’s how it was and it caught you off guard, why did you decide to fight them all by yourself?”

“I had to…”

“You could have retreated easily. You’re fast enough to even change sides and tell the others about the situation. It would have taken you only a few seconds to reach me, and yet you didn’t. Do you think I will be able to put my trust in you after this?”

“What about what I said? I told you to put yourself before anyone, and you did the exact opposite. How many energy boosters did you use? I heard you took some from Inho too.”

“…”

Appearing uneasy, Cheon Areum didn’t respond. He had never seen Yoon Seoyul this furious before. If he told him that number now and about the blood, how would he react?

“You will just not talk anymore?”

“What would you have done if after your effort you had killed Han Kakta yourself? If I had not hurried back, how were you planning to stop yourself?”

Kill Han Kakta? Did he attack him too? Judging from how he acted towards him even after Cheon Areum regained his senses, he couldn’t tell at all. Fidgeting with his fingers in his fists, he tried to think if he had any recollection of doing so.

“Do you know why he came out for an S+ Class gate? I wanted to use the favor he had given me for helping him build his own guild, but after coming out of the gate, he told me you reminded him of his younger brother who had passed away inside a dungeon. I personally held the funeral for his younger brother because he couldn’t believe it for the longest time that his only family member had left him. He accepted because of that reason. He also told me he wouldn’t have used any of his skills against you… not even if you had tried to kill him.”

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