Chapter 24: It won’t happen again

“You would have killed him if I had been even a few seconds late. Just because it didn’t happen doesn’t mean it couldn’t have. Don’t take such chances. How were you planning to keep everyone safe when you were the deadliest one there?”

“You say it as if I wanted this. Do you think I did it on purpose?”

Cheon Areum spoke softly.

“Then why do you not think of asking for help? Do you think as the strongest you can’t do that? If not anyone else, you can ask me, right?”

Yoon Seoyul asked him. Gazing into each other’s eyes, Cheon Areum unexpectedly turned his head down. At that moment, the thought of going out to ask for assistance—at the very least—didn’t cross his mind at all. Surely they could have come up with something to hold on.

“I don’t know.”

He truly always had the worst timing to start crying. Why would he even start crying now?

“It won’t happen again. Give me another chance, please.”

“I don’t want to fight you. I hate it when we fight!”

“I’m not going to kill anyone!”

Cheon Areum avowed with tears that dropped on his loosely clenched fists. Uncurling his legs, Yoon Seoyul immediately pulled him in for a hug and patted his back urgently.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said any of this. Please stop crying. We are not fighting.”

Perhaps realizing he had said too much to Cheon Areum, who was still very much reeling from the aftereffects, Yoon Seoyul instantly apologized. Holding him on his lap and taking him in his arms, he released his pheromones to soothe Cheon Areum. Sniffling and trying to stop crying, Cheon Areum wiped his face on Yoon Seoyul’s shoulder, calming down with the pirouetting scent of vanilla.

“You don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to.”

“You’re not mad at me?”

“No. You’re the most precious to me—more than anything.”

Intentionally nuzzling into Yoon Seoyul, he stopped crying promptly.

“You still trust me?”

“Hm.”

Hearing the instant reply, Cheon Areum leaned back a little to look up at Yoon Seoyul.

“Why are your eyes so red?”

He rubbed the corner of Yoon Seoyul’s eyes, cupping his face and examining it from up close.

“….Had you been crying?”

“It must be because I haven’t been getting much sleep these days…”

Taking a moment before replying, Yoon Seoyul spoke in a low, distant voice, making him worry more. Gaining a crease on his forehead, he caressed the face in his hands.

“I won’t do it again. I will wait for you no matter how long it takes. I will resist until I have you by my side.”

There had to be something he had done to Yoon Seoyul for him to be this hurt when he was being taken over by the negative energy that ran rampant in his body. He couldn’t ask what it was, but it was best for both of them if he tried not to lose control again—especially during his pregnancy, when his energy was the least stable.

“I don’t want you to encounter another situation where you have to go all out just to be safe. I don’t want to—no, I can’t… I can’t lose you. I don’t even want to see you in pain. Just because you’re an S+ Class doesn’t mean you have to be the one to protect everyone. Just protect yourself. I don’t want you to care for the entire world either. Just be selfish. You can clear S-Class gates easily—just stick to that.”

“…. What are you talking about?”

Stunned, Cheon Areum questioned Yoon Seoyul and himself. Had he not known Yoon Seoyul the most out of anyone? Why would the kind-hearted protagonist ever say all this stuff?

“Is it because of me? You still think I will….”

Stumped, he sat back on Yoon Seoyul’s lap, gazing at him. It seemed he had really affected the main character. If Yoon Seoyul kept thinking he would die every time he got into a slightly more dangerous situation, this would continue to eat him away. It had already affected him so much that he was thinking it was wiser to ignore what he was clearly capable of and live like a coward—as someone who wouldn’t care about anything but himself.

“I can’t live like that anymore. I would rather die protecting than hiding away in a corner while everyone—even the less strong ones—is still risking their lives to protect.”

The moment he transmigrated, he had already made up his mind to protect Rian. The moment he realized Cheon Areum’s soul was still in here with him, he had already decided he would protect his soul too.

“Look at me, Yoon Seoyul.”

Urging Yoon Seoyul to glance up at him, Cheon Areum spoke with certainty.

“If I say I’m strong, it’s because I am. I am strong enough that you can rest easy. The worst that can happen is me harming others, but for me, I will not die by anyone’s hands. And as a gifted individual, I am also not going to run away. I will fight and win.”

*

“Why don’t you sit, Areum?”

“No, I’m going to stick to you as much as I can.”

“I’m not going to disappear. Just go and sit.”

“But you will after two days. You’re going to go back to work and leave me all alone.”

Sticking to Yoon Seoyul’s back as he stood over at the stove to cook seaweed soup for him. This was the only dish he could eat whenever he felt like throwing up, and it surprisingly worked every time. So even after Cheon Areum had refused everything else, Yoon Seoyul still came down to cook for him, sleeves rolled up. It was almost 3 a.m., and yet Yoon Seoyul wanted to cook for him.

“You will sleep after I eat, right?”

Cheon Areum asked as he put his hand on his lower belly, checking for any pain in the area.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep