Watching From the Gaps

Every time his tongue touched the bitten finger, it slightly recoiled. Cha Eui-jae relaxed the hand that had been gripping Lee Sa-young's wrist. However, Lee Sa-young's hand remained frozen in place.

He was literally staring blankly at Cha Eui-jae. But only for a moment— then Lee Sa-young shifted his gaze to the floor. Cha Eui-jae wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"For waiting for me, keeping a promise that was just words… No, even more than that."

"…"

"I'm going to repay you."

"…"

"Even if you don't want it."

Blood beaded along the clear bite mark on the first knuckle of his left ring finger. At a glance, it looked like a red ring. Cha Eui-jae added firmly,

"If you ever say again that you're not my responsibility or that I shouldn't care, I won't let it slide."

"…"

"Lee Sa-young, look at me. Did you understand?"

Lee Sa-young, who had been staring at the floor as if counting the patterns, slowly lifted his head. At that moment, Cha Eui-jae unconsciously parted his lips slightly.

"You…"

Lee Sa-young's face…

"…"

Was tinged with a soft red, as if he were embarrassed!

Their eyes met only briefly before Lee Sa-young shyly averted his gaze. He covered his mouth with the back of his hand as an added gesture. It was a terribly unfitting metaphor for Lee Sa-young, but only one comparison came to mind. Yes, it was the bashful gesture of a new bride.

Cha Eui-jae froze where he stood.

'…Why?'

A shock, like being struck on the head with a hammer, reverberated through his body. The reaction Cha Eui-jae had anticipated was not this embarrassing one. He had been prepared for another endless argument, starting with something like 'Oh, really?' That was why he said and did what he did.

'Seriously, why?'

His sharp instincts, which had saved his life many times, were always off the mark when it came to Lee Sa-young. By this point, even Cha Eui-jae felt wronged. Isn't it strange for someone to be embarrassed after being bitten on the finger like that? Shouldn't he be angry?

At that moment, blood even redder than his flushed face trickled down from the wound on his finger. If this were the home of Cha Eui-jae in this ruined world, he would've surely had a first-aid kit. Cha Eui-jae bit the inside of his mouth and turned his head.

"…Let's treat this first."

"…"

Lee Sa-young quietly nodded. Those plump lips that usually had so much to say and were always ready with a sarcastic remark were now firmly shut. Moving stiffly like a wooden puppet, Cha Eui-jae added,

"Also… maybe take off that apron."

Leaving Lee Sa-young standing there, Cha Eui-jae practically fled into the nearest room, slamming the door behind him. Fortunately, the first-aid kit was right there on top of the drawer. Of course— it'd be useless if it was hidden somewhere hard to find in an emergency.

Inside the kit, essential medicines, a familiar-looking purple antidote, and hard-to-find potions were neatly organized. Except for the bandages, most of the items were new.

'…This kind of neatness doesn't seem like something I'd do.'

Did Lee Sa-young from this world organize this? Cha Eui-jae tucked the first-aid kit under his arm and took a quick glance around the room, using his slow steps as an excuse.

A bed that was quite large for one person was prominently placed in the center of the room. It was odd that there was a lamp on each side of the bed, and it was even stranger that, clearly, two different people's belongings were on the small drawers underneath them.

On the left drawer was an Awakened Management Bureau pager, and on the right drawer, a pair of glasses.

'Glasses.'

Cha Eui-jae cautiously picked up the glasses and held them to his eyes. His vision blurred so much that it made him dizzy just from holding them up.

Lee Sa-young of this world, whose vision had deteriorated due to the aftereffects of poisoning.

Now that he thought about it, didn't the Lee Sa-young he knew also wear glasses at one point? Just once, though. The one time he had seen him wearing glasses was right after they were stranded at Incheon Port.

A strange and unsettling feeling pricked at the back of his mind.

'…Could it be?'

Cha Eui-jae froze, holding the glasses.

'Do we… sleep in the same bed?'

He and Lee Sa-young?

Cha Eui-jae's face paled. He felt that if he kept thinking along these lines, something irreversible would happen.

'No, there was no such story in the memories that were crammed into my head earlier!'

But there was enough evidence in plain sight to arrest him on the spot.

'…No, it can't be. Definitely not.'

Having finished his self-hypnosis, Cha Eui-jae flung the door open with such force that it nearly broke and stepped out into the living room. Lee Sa-young, who was still standing there, looked up. The apron he had taken off was draped over his arm. Thankfully, his face had returned to its usual pale complexion.

As Cha Eui-jae walked past him to the sofa, he said,

"Sit on the sofa so I can disinfect and bandage this."

Lee Sa-young nodded slightly and sat on the sofa, extending his hand. Cha Eui-jae sprayed disinfectant on a piece of gauze and cleaned the area around the bite mark. Fortunately, the bleeding wasn't severe. As Lee Sa-young silently watched Cha Eui-jae work, he spoke.

"…You're pretty good at this."

Cutting the gauze with a small pair of scissors, Cha Eui-jae replied flatly,

"What, did you think I'd just pour disinfectant all over it?"

"Hmm. I thought that might happen… I was prepared for it."

"What do you take me for? I've treated enough wounds myself…"

"…Aha."

Sensing the discomfort in Lee Sa-young's tone, Cha Eui-jae added defensively.

"Well, there were no healers back then, so we had no choice."

"There must have been regular medical staff, at least."

"After closing a rift, you get flooded with injured people and corpses. Those who can still move have to treat themselves."

"…"

Lee Sa-young's expression showed displeasure, but fortunately, he didn't say anything further. After applying a dressing bandage to the wound, Cha Eui-jae removed his hand.

"Done, all finished."

"Okay."

Lee Sa-young moved his finger and shrugged.

"It's a new experience, getting hurt on my hand."

"…"

"And to think, it was because someone bit me…"

Cha Eui-jae's eyes narrowed. Lee Sa-young covered his mouth and laughed softly.

"I thought you were a dog."

"You cheeky…"

Cha Eui-jae glared at him. A moment ago, Lee Sa-young was almost endearing when he was embarrassed, but now, as he returned to his usual calm self, it was as if he had been waiting for this moment to scratch at Cha Eui-jae's nerves. Lee Sa-young stretched out his hand and murmured lazily,

"Well, still… It's fortunate that I don't have any venom in this body."

"…None?"

"You said it yourself, right? My soul crossed over to this world, but my body is still collapsed in the original world."

Lee Sa-young tugged at the loose collar of his clothes with his thumb and forefinger.

"I did feel sluggish and heavy when I first woke up."

"…"

"And most importantly, you're fine, right? This body must be pre-Awakening."

"How many times do I have to tell you, your venom doesn't affect me…"

"Sure, whatever you say."

Just when Cha Eui-jae thought he had finally cleared up the misunderstanding! It turns out the basilisk's venom hadn't worked; he had just drunk some blood. Cha Eui-jae, now practically a vampire, clenched his fist.

"I'll bite you again when we get out of here. Then we'll see."

"Oh…"

Drawing out the sound, Lee Sa-young responded with a teasing tone.

"Fine. Besides… this."

He wiggled his bandaged finger.

"Left me wanting more."

Lee Sa-young got up from the sofa and headed lightly to the kitchen. Cha Eui-jae sighed softly as he put the contents of the first-aid kit back in order. There was the sound of clattering, then it stopped. Lee Sa-young peeked his head out from the kitchen.

"Oh, and."

"Yeah?"

"You said 'let's leave it at that for now' earlier."

"Let's leave it at that for now, have any questions so far?"

Lee Sa-young's lips curved into a smile.

"I was wondering if there was more to it. I get why you came here, but why did I end up here… that sort of thing."

'Shit.'

"Maybe we should finish the conversation over a meal?"

Lee Sa-young's memory was nothing short of excellent.

"Hurry up and come over. We need to eat first."

The half-cooled and now cold rolled omelet, as well as the bread that was so burnt it was hard to tell if it was even properly toasted, were placed on the table one after the other. After confirming that he was indeed not poisonous, Lee Sa-young moved even more diligently.

He pulled out apricot jam, strawberry jam, and cream cheese from somewhere in the fridge and laid them out on the table. It wasn't a perfect meal, but it was enough to fill their stomachs. Neither of them were particularly picky eaters anyway.

Cha Eui-jae glanced over at Lee Sa-young, who was frowning slightly while chewing on the rolled omelet. This was the perfect moment, with his mouth full. Cha Eui-jae, pretending to spread cream cheese on his bread, started speaking.

"As I was saying earlier, after I came to my senses and was trying to figure out the situation… the system said it would give me what I needed the most at that moment."

Lee Sa-young nodded. Cha Eui-jae's voice grew quieter.

"…So I agreed to receive it."

"Oh…"

Lee Sa-young's eyes sharpened. He looked like he was ready to devour someone. Cha Eui-jae avoided his gaze and pouted slightly. After swallowing the omelet, Lee Sa-young put down his fork and let out a long sigh.

"You just took their word for it? Without checking what the cost would be?"

"No, I—"

"You're really…"

Lee Sa-young paused, choosing his words carefully before speaking.

"Make sure you don't get scammed wherever you go."

"I've never been scammed in my life."

"Sure, if you say so. So, what happened?"

"Well…"

"And then?"

"You… ended up here."

"…"

"…"

This time, Cha Eui-jae averted his eyes, trying to act nonchalant.

The thing Cha Eui-jae needed most was Lee Sa-young. Though he wasn't sure why. Cha Eui-jae smothered the innocent bread with cream cheese. Then, a low voice came from across the table.

"So, the thing you needed most was me."

"…"

"Well, that's…"

"…"

"That's good to hear."

Following that, there was a rustling sound.

"Of all the things I've heard since coming here, that's the best one."

Something warm suddenly nudged his foot. Cha Eui-jae, pretending not to notice, froze mid-bite. The tickling sensation on the top of his foot was likely…

'A foot?'

Cha Eui-jae sneaked a glance at Lee Sa-young, who was now resting his chin on his hands, staring directly at him. The bandaged finger lightly tapped his cheek playfully. When their eyes met, Lee Sa-young's gaze narrowed into a slight smile.

Meanwhile, the foot that had been tickling the top of Cha Eui-jae's foot was now gently rubbing against the ankle bone. The unfamiliar sensation made his toes curl. Hastily swallowing the bread, Cha Eui-jae spoke.

"…Hey."

"Hmm?"

Lee Sa-young tilted his head slightly, wearing an angelic smile.