Chapter 91: A Gloomy Confession

“I couldn’t help but feel jealous.”

[Yeah~. What’s there to be jealous about? Are you gay, Dayoung?]

The sudden comment from Pepe echoed in Dayoung’s mind, and she gasped, quickly covering her mouth.

‘Oh no, what did I just say!’

‘I need to fix this first…’

“Is that what you’re jealous of?”

Her sister’s voice, filled with confusion, made Dayoung shrink instinctively.

‘She’ll hate me, won’t she?’

Well, who would like someone who causes trouble just because they danced with someone else?

It’s not even an issue because we’re both women.

‘If she questions why I’m overreacting, I wouldn’t even have an answer.’

‘Why am I putting myself through this agony, openly admitting to such petty jealousy?’

At that moment, a cool hand rested on Dayoung’s forehead, halting her chaotic thoughts instantly.

“Dayoung, are you okay?”

Their eyes met, her sister’s gaze filled with worry.

Their foreheads touched, her sister’s cool one against hers.

“You have a slight fever.”

Had she overdone it today? Looking at her sister, who worried for her with a gentle voice, a fiery emotion surged within Dayoung.

She was the only one who knew this woman used to be a man, the only one aware she wasn’t just an ordinary woman.

‘She used to be a man.’

This absurd reasoning made her think it was okay if it was her.

The arrogance that only she, who knew the truth, could stay by her sister’s side.

Such gloomy feelings swirled within her endlessly.

‘I… I just…’

Dayoung swallowed the lump in her throat along with her thoughts and took a step back.

Sehee, realizing that it wasn’t just a simple reaction, tilted her head slightly.

Her face lost all expression as she gazed at Dayoung.

Her pair of sapphire-like blue eyes, which once sparkled with life, now seemed eerily devoid of color, like a lifeless machine.

“Could it be…”

“Do you like me?”

“What?”

For a moment, Dayoung felt as if time had frozen.

“Do you really like me?”

“Ah, no… Why are you suddenly saying something like that?”

As Dayoung stepped back again, Sehee, standing still, spoke calmly but firmly.

“When you came to my house before, you said something similar. What was it again?”

“Yeah, our Dayoung-gay said she might even hit on you, bitch Sehee.”

“Ah, right, that’s it. You remember too?”

“Tch, how could I forget?”

“What? Wh-what?”

‘How does she know that?’

As Sehee nodded in agreement with Pepe’s comment, Dayoung’s pupils shook wildly.

Then, a soft touch landed on her head.

Sehee was gently patting her.

Even with such an emotionless expression, she could still do something like this.

Her behavior was so different, so alien, that it felt as though she was displaying a side of herself as a hero from another world.

Unaware of Dayoung’s inner turmoil, Sehee continued speaking.

“If I weren’t a clueless male protagonist in some novel, I’d notice when someone confesses in such an obvious way, even if they try to run away after. If I’m wrong, I’ll apologize.”

“Ah, um… That is…”

It was as if her deepest, darkest secret had been exposed.

It was such an unbearable situation that Dayoung wanted to crawl into a hole and hide, but she forced herself to endure it.

Twisting her body in embarrassment, Dayoung eventually raised her head to look at Sehee directly.

Under the moonlight, her sister’s white porcelain-like skin, blue eyes, golden hair that seemed woven from threads of sunlight, and her perfectly sculpted features exuded a beauty beyond compare.

If the moon goddess Artemis, as described in myth, were to exist, she would look exactly like her sister right now.

As if guided by a winter wind flowing in silver streaks, Sehee’s golden hair danced in the air.

Dayoung stared at her, mesmerized, realizing why she couldn’t deny her feelings.

“Yes.”

A small, bird-like nod and response were all Dayoung could muster.

Even at Dayoung’s timid confession, Sehee remained silent.

That silence weighed heavily on her, making Dayoung wonder if her sister despised her.

“I… I understand if you think I’m strange. But… the fact that you used to be a man keeps replaying in my mind, and my feelings started changing without me even realizing it. Even though you look like a woman now, I can’t help but think about it… And so… It made me jealous, seeing you dancing with Yeonlotus like that!”

Dayoung’s words tumbled out like an uncontrolled burst, a desperate attempt to suppress the trembling in her heart.

“I’m Yongsa! I know more of your secrets than Ajin does, and I’ve been with you longer. What do I lack compared to some pro gamer?”

‘Ah, what am I even saying?’

Afraid that her relationship with Sehee might crumble entirely, Dayoung clung desperately to her reasoning, trying to justify herself.

Her behavior, almost pitiable in its earnestness, was heart-wrenching.

“Haa… Haa…”

Her heated torrent of words finally came to an end.

As if she’d expelled every thought from her mind, all that remained was an emptiness, leaving her feeling utterly drained.

Her vision began to darken, not because she had closed her eyes, but as if she were blacking out.

‘What’s happening? My mind is clear, but why…’

‘Could I really be experiencing sleep paralysis while standing?’

“Ah…”

At that moment, a soft sensation on her hand brought Dayoung back to her senses, like sunlight slipping between her eyelids while half-asleep, reigniting her dulled thoughts.

When she snapped back to reality, she saw Sehee standing before her, holding her hand.

“Thank you… for liking me.”

Dayoung’s heart sank at the sight of Sehee, who had returned to her usual self, no longer wearing an emotionless expression.

‘Was this a fleeting realization of the impossible fantasy she had buried deep in her heart?’ The thought sent a short but intense shiver down her spine.

But…

“I’m sorry.”

Of course, it was nothing more than wishful thinking.

“I don’t mean to sound harsh, but I don’t have any intention of liking anyone.”

“…What?”

“I’ve been in this body for a long time, but it wasn’t until I returned to Earth that I began living among others. At first, I was all over the place. But as I gradually interacted with people, talked, and spent time with them, I came to understand something.”

Although her tone was soft and gentle, Sehee’s words carried a distinct weight.

“I’ll never love anyone, man or woman, as a romantic partner.”

Her gentle rejection felt warm, yet the distance it created felt immense.

Dayoung’s body trembled as the kind yet firm words reached her.

So, this is how it ends.

‘Well, this is the right outcome, isn’t it?’

A wave of shame washed over her.

Not only had her confession failed, but it had been nothing more than a grotesque display of her own twisted desires.

Unable to bear looking at her sister’s face, she wished she could run away on the spot.

Then, suddenly—

-Whoosh-

“…What?”

Dayoung was pulled into Sehee’s warm embrace, like a baby bird being sheltered in a nest.

Her mind went blank as Sehee spoke with a smile.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

‘No, this isn’t right. I want to run away.’

Even as she cried out internally, her thoughts were nothing more than an empty echo.

Her strength left her body, and instead, she found herself sinking deeper into Sehee’s arms.

‘Who wouldn’t feel their heart and mind melt away when held like this?’

As time passed…

“I’ve been thinking about something lately.”

Sehee’s voice flowed like a melody under a sky adorned with stars and the moon.

“I wonder if I have a new mission.”

“A mission?”

“Yes. If I had to describe it…”

Sehee looked up at the starry sky, her voice steady.

“A mission to protect all of you, the heroes who have fulfilled their duties.”

Being the only one who remained whole as a hero, having fared better than the others—it all felt like it had been assigned to her for this purpose.

The ample time she had outside of her streaming hours left her with plenty of moments for reflection.

Perhaps even her possessiveness, the desire to gather the other heroes, stemmed from this mission.

Without realizing it, she might have been guided by an instinct to rescue and safeguard other heroes.

Of course, this could all be her own delusion.

What was undeniable, though, was how her actions upon returning to Earth starkly contrasted with the ones she would have taken before being summoned to the other world.

“Maybe the reason you’re drawn to me isn’t pure affection, but a desire to lean on a hero. Heroes are beings that others instinctively rely on.”

“Th-that’s not…”

Dayoung wanted to deny it, but the calmness in Sehee’s words silenced her.

“Instead of seeking someone to depend on, you should find someone you want to move forward with—someone amazing. I believe you can do it, Dayoung.”

***

Finally, as a person named Ji Sehee, rather than as a hero, she gave her sincere encouragement.

“Do your best in your streaming career.”

“…Sniff, sob!”

Dayoung wanted to say thank you, but the words wouldn’t come out.

Her quiet sobs, muffled against Sehee’s chest, resonated softly between them.

How much time passed, neither of them could tell.

When Dayoung’s emotions had calmed, she finally managed to steady her trembling voice.

“You know…”

“Hm?”

“It’s so sad… that you don’t have anyone you love.”

Dayoung stepped back from Sehee’s embrace but didn’t look away.

“You’re going to protect me, Ajin, and all the other heroes you’ll meet in the future. But there’s no one to take care of you.”

“That’s what breaks my heart. That I can’t be the one to fill that role. So…”

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Dayoung looked at Sehee with red, swollen eyes, shining with determination.

“I hope there’s someone out there who can take care of you.”

Taking a deep breath, she steadied her racing heart.

“Maybe.”

Sehee closed her eyes, as if savoring the flow of emotions, and spoke calmly.

“I’ll take my time to find them.”

The smile on her face shone brighter than any Dayoung had ever seen.

“Yeah, let’s look for them together.”

***

From a crack in her bag, Pepe popped out, fluttering around as tears pooled in its large eyes.

“Damn you, what a drama! It was so touching that I cried my heart out in all four directions!”

Blowing its nose loudly into a handkerchief it had pulled out of nowhere, Pepe’s theatrics were amusingly absurd.

For once, there was no punishment for its antics.

Instead, both Sehee and Dayoung burst into laughter.