Idol of the Heavenly One - Chapter 63.2
How much time had passed? After a long silence, Baek Jae-heon’s low voice finally broke through the quiet.
“…Your family is really kind.”
“Yeah.”
A brief silence followed, then Jae-heon spoke again.
“How is it?”
“What do you mean?”
“Having a family.”
For a moment, my heart dropped. I could not tell if he meant how it felt to have such a kind family, or if he was asking how it felt for someone like me, who had no family in a past life, to have one now. Both meanings overlapped in my mind and sank deep into my ears.
But since Baek Jae-heon could not possibly know who I was in my past life, it was clear he meant the latter. I slowly exhaled and answered.
“It’s nice. You know that saying, right? Kindness is never wasted.”
It was something I had once read in a book. I could not even remember when, only that it was a long, long time ago.
At my words, Baek Jae-heon gave a small laugh. I could not see his face since he was lying in bed, but I could imagine his expression.
“That sounds like something you would say.”
Just then, something came into view. In the dark, a pale hand appeared. It was Baek Jae-heon’s. It extended slightly over the edge of the bed. He said nothing, but that hand carried a quiet and gentle feeling.
I hesitated for a moment. I wondered if I should take his hand. After a pause, I reached out silently and held it. Just like before, his grip was firm, as if asking me not to let go.
When our fingers touched, the room grew even quieter. Warmth spread through our joined palms. My heart beat a little faster, but at the same time, an inexplicable sense of relief washed over me.
Like that, we held hands, and slowly, quietly drifted to sleep. In that moment, even the sound of the wind and the darkness posed no threat.
I thought that Baek Jae-heon would, of course, return to the dorm the next day. But he showed no sign of leaving. It was as if he intended to spend all three days of his break here.
I did not mind, but I wondered if he might get bored. So we both bundled up in hats and masks and went outside. The wind was cool, and the pale winter sunlight reflected softly on the road.
“Where are we going?”
“To my father’s gym. It’s close.”
“Ah, he used to train, didn’t he? No wonder he’s in such good shape.”
Everyone who meets him for the first time says that. Jae-heon matched my pace as we walked side by side. The gym was not far from home, and when we arrived, the big sign that read “Myeonghyeon Judo Hall” made it obvious it belonged to my father. Jae-heon gave a quiet laugh.
“He said we need to leave our signatures. He’s going to give them to the kids.”
I entered the door after typing in the familiar passcode and took a stack of A4 paper from the office. Holding our pens, we sat next to each other and began signing each sheet carefully. Twenty sheets each, every one neatly done.
As we continued signing, Jae-heon spoke, his hand still moving.
“Are you good at judo too?”
I laughed quietly. Everyone who visits for the first time asks that.
“Not at all. I used to hang around the gym when I was little, but I always went home early to study.”
At that, Jae-heon paused and looked at me, then gave a small laugh.
“That’s just like you.”
For some reason, those words left me with a strange feeling. Was that a compliment or an insult? And what exactly did “just like me” mean? Tilting my head, I asked him what he meant, but Jae-heon only smiled and refused to answer.
“I do have some basics, though.”
It did not really sound like a compliment, so I found myself adding that, maybe trying to sound a bit more masculine. Jae-heon laughed out loud with an amused expression, as if he found me cute, then went back to signing.
“…”
Ah, my ears were probably turning red. I cleared my throat once and refocused on signing the papers.
When we finished and were on our way home, a brightly lit claw machine shop caught my eye. Right at the front, inside one of the machines, I spotted a familiar face. A small figure with a round white face. Moongbaek. It had been a long time since I last saw one.
A sticker on the machine indicated that it was officially licensed by the company “MoongBaek.” In the past, I might have stopped right there, but somehow, my fondness for Moongbaek was not as strong as it had been in my previous life. I was about to walk past it casually when,
“That one.”
Suddenly, Baek Jae-heon stopped walking, raised his hand, and pointed at the Moongbaek plush. Then, meeting my eyes directly, he said,
“Get that one for me.”
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