Chapter 39

When Tae-un stopped responding, Soram picked up one of the books placed next to him. The book opened with the chain between his two hands serving as a book rest. His focused brown eyelashes lowered. The title of the old-fashioned book bound in red velvet was:

<Falling in Love Isn't a Sin, But You Need to Get a Grip>

What kind of book is that?

"Even at this age, it's the romance of the century that taught me there are crazier things in the world. Don't look at it like that."

The reproach was directed at Tae-un, who was ignorant of art. Tae-un looked at the titles of the other books.

<Sign Language Interpretation: Advanced Course (1)>

<Sign Language Interpretation: Advanced Course (2)>

<The Moon and Sixpence>

No matter how he looked at it, he couldn't figure out what the connection was between them.

Tae-un reached out for <Sign Language Interpretation: Advanced Course (1)> among those books. Soram, who had dragged him here, would have the decency to at least lend him a book. However, Soram swiftly moved the book to his side.

"I'm going to read this next."

"..."

So when he moved his hand to <Sign Language Interpretation: Advanced Course (2)>, Soram said,

"Who takes Book 2 from someone who says they're reading Book 1?"

And moved it away again.

In the end, there was only one option left. Tae-un picked up the world literature book. This time, Soram willingly handed over the book without any fuss. Looking at the cover that seemed the most boring among the three, Tae-un said,

"Other people would think Strickland is more like Jin Soram ssi than me."

"What?"

"This book, didn't you give it to me to imply that I'm inflexible?"

"... Huh? Ah, I didn't mean to take a jab at you. If I wanted to do that, I would have just said it. I just grabbed whatever books were at hand when I was dragged here..."

Soram blinked his eyes. This time, it seemed he really had no particular intention, and it was Tae-un's assumption.

"I'll understand if you feel embarrassed."

"... Yes."

On the cover of the book was the face of the stubborn protagonist, Strickland. The man's face, drawn with crooked features that made him look even more curt, seemed like he wouldn't listen to anything even if he had two ears. Although the expressions were completely opposite, it seemed to resemble the feeling of Soram's face as he smiled and chattered.

"Han Tae-un ssi."

There was only one person who would call Tae-un here. Yes. Tae-un answered without looking in that direction.

"Was there anything fun happening outside?"

"Nothing special..."

Tae-un tried to say something but closed his mouth again. Hmm? When Soram tilted his head, Tae-un continued.

"No. Rather, it was too quiet without Jin Soram ssi. Both the office and the dormitory."

"I understand the office, but why the dormitory?"

"Because the clattering sounds coming from Jin Soram ssi's room before going to work in the morning and after coming back from work disappeared. The sound of singing too."

"Singing? I've never sung before."

"You sing while asking where the towel is or where you threw your clothes yesterday."

"No, why are you listening to such embarrassing things?"

"I can hear it even if I don't try to listen. Because you sing loudly."

"..."

Soram rolled his eyes. He should have responded brazenly, but he couldn't help but trail off at the end of his words. Soram and Tae-un's work hours were exactly the same. They even met in front of the dormitory, went down together, and came up together from the office.

Inevitably, it meant that Tae-un was in the next room whenever Soram was in the dormitory. In other words, all the sounds made in the dormitory were heard by Tae-un...

Somehow, recently, Tae-un had been opening the connected door even before knocking. It was because Soram was broadcasting his entire preparation process through song.

The distinct features that received light diagonally looked back at Soram. He seemed to be smiling a little. As expected, the Han Tae-un of this life was strange.

However, if he thought Soram would shrink in embarrassment because of this, he was mistaken.

"Haaaan― Tae-uuun― Ssiiiii―"

"..."

At the end, there was even a vibrato that made his voice quiver.

"From now on, I should do this. Let's go to wooork― togetheeeer―"

"Don't do that."

"I'm sorryyy―"

Tae-un sighed shortly and leaned his back against the cold cement wall. The place was a bit chilly, but it was no problem for a 1st-grade body.

"Han Tae-un ssi."

"If you're going to joke around, don't call me."

"No, no. This time, I really want to ask you something I'm curious about."

Tae-un threw a glance at Soram as if tossing it. It was a look that said, 'Let's see what nonsense he's going to say this time.'

"Are you usually like this? Stiff with people you're not close to, but you joke around and tease with words with people you're close to?"

"... No."

Tae-un answered.

"I think I've told you something similar before, but with Jin Soram ssi, strangely, my words come out faster than my thoughts."

"Then you're not usually like this, only with me?"

"Jin Soram ssi, ... I don't know why, but."

Tae-un turned his head completely to face Soram.

"Sometimes, I feel like I've known you for a very long time. Maybe that's why."

"Have we met somewhere before?"

"That's probably not the case. It's not when we were young, but as if I've seen you like this for a very long time..."

Tae-un cut off his words as if he had said something absurd. However, Soram's reaction was different. His eyes looking at Tae-un wavered. If his body hadn't been bound, he might have walked up to him.

He said it felt like he had known him for a long time. In this current state. As if Soram had been looking at the twenty-six and twenty-seven-year-old Han Tae-un for years.

Could it be that Han Tae-un also had memories of his previous lives...?

However, Soram quickly pointed out the contradiction. It was true that Tae-un and Soram had seen each other in their current state for a long time over several occasions. But Soram had never felt a sense of familiarity or anything like that whenever he met Tae-un again. They weren't in a relationship to feel that way.

The Han Tae-un of his previous lives would have even less reason to have good memories of Soram. So it didn't make sense for Han Tae-un to have memories of his past lives and think of Soram comfortably and throw jokes at him.

"... It's just a feeling, right? I don't really know the reason."

"Yes."

"..."

Would the memories really try to connect to him as well? Or...

"Han Tae-un ssi, what was your first impression of me?"

"Suddenly?"

"Yes. I suddenly became curious."

"Hmm..."

"It's okay to say I seemed like a crazy bastard or had no manners."

"... It wasn't like that from the beginning. The first impression..."

From the beginning, it wasn't like that, so now... The implied meaning hidden in his words was unpleasant, but he just waited for the next words.

"A hero?"

"Huh?"

A hero?

"A hero who saves the world like in movies... That kind of feeling."

"... Why on earth...?"

"I don't know. It might be the influence of frequently watching videos of Jin Soram ssi being dispatched to rift or dungeon situations."

"Ah."

Could his sense of familiarity be simply because he was someone he often saw through media?

There would be countless people in Korea who felt inexplicably familiar with Soram. He appeared on TV for various issues and advertisements, and whenever a large dungeon broke out in the metropolitan area, he was dispatched without fail and surrounded by reporters.

Unable to find a way to probe further, Soram decided to bury his doubts for now. Instead, he had to say one thing.

"Your first impression of me was completely wrong. You know that now, right? That I have little to do with being a hero."

A small laugh followed the end of his words.

"Being a hero is closer to Han Tae-un ssi."

Upon hearing those words, the corners of Tae-un's mouth stiffened slightly. In the previous conflict over Kim Jae-hyeok, this was the content Soram had used to attack Tae-un. Soram seemed to have noticed Tae-un's thoughts.

"No, I don't mean it in a bad way. Han Tae-un ssi is righteous, wants to immediately step up in citizens' crisis situations, and tries to hide his strength in front of the weak even in unfair situations. Who would dislike that?"

Soram spoke in a calm voice as if reading a book.

"But I can't do that anymore. I don't want to either."

"..."

Tae-un didn't say any lip service like "1st-grades should be like this" at this point.

"May I also ask a question?"

"What is it? Go ahead and ask."

He took a moment before asking the question.

"Does Jin Soram ssi dislike living as a hunter?"

Hmm, it was a question that didn't require much thought. Soram answered almost immediately.

"I awakened as a 1st-grade in my teens, and what I'm best at is fighting rifts and mutants. Somehow, I ended up wearing an armband at the headquarters. I think it's a matter without the option of like or dislike."

It was also a time when the world desperately wanted such abilities. At the time of Soram's awakening 8 years ago, it was a situation where hunters had to enter the Rift Phenomenon Management Headquarters even more obligatorily than now, when Tae-un was called to the headquarters and Ayoung had to wait for a call until 10 PM. To the point where Soram, Ga-eul, and Min-ki naturally dropped out of school and ran around all day wearing ill-fitting suits.

In the place he entered like that, Soram had been protecting people from rifts for 8 years, whether he liked it or not.

"I think you are also a sufficiently righteous person."

Han Tae-un was not one to flatter and always spoke exactly what he felt in that unchanging voice. If it were sarcasm, he wouldn't have been able to say it while looking straight at Soram's face. So it was probably sincere.

Hmm. Soram's head tilted.

"Isn't that assessment too generous? Coming from someone who has seen me cause major accidents twice in less than 3 months."

"That's because those actions weren't solely based on Jin Soram ssi's emotions."

Soram looked at him with a questioning gaze, asking what he meant.

"The incident at the school was you covering for the student who was the hunter in charge, from the chairman."

"I didn't do it for the student's sake. The chairman just annoyed me."

"At that time..."

"If I say that's how my actions were, then that's how they were. There's no need to add someone else's speculation here, right?"

Soram coldly cut off Tae-un's next words.