Although she had a novel that Soo Young liked in her hands, her gaze was directed towards empty space, not the book.

– I wish you would keep coming.

Does she need someone to feed her? Or someone to mistreat? Right. Having someone to put aside and mistreat like that would prevent stress from building up.

She couldn’t figure out her purpose at all. Why was he asking her to come? Could it be…

– I’ll try to get hit together with you.

Even though he couldn’t look her in the eyes, he said he’d get hit together, and made kimbap saying he couldn’t see. He didn’t push her away when they kissed either. No, rather, it seemed like he pounced on her more sweetly…

Could it be that he likes me?

As this thought occurred to her, she unconsciously tapped her feet rapidly.

The students in the seats next to and in front of her glared at her simultaneously, but Soo Young was too lost in her thoughts to notice them staring at her.

Since he can’t see my outer appearance, did he see my beautiful soul? Because he has superpowers. Did he see me, with this ocean-like inner self?

However, recalling the things he said to her in daily life, it sounded more like words spoken to an unsatisfactory employee rather than to a woman he was interested in.

The way he speaks informally and all.

That day, three pest control men ended up rushing in all at once. While they dealt with the cockroaches, Woo Jin didn’t budge from the bathroom.

Soo Young carefully watched as the pest control men caught what may or may not have been the cockroach she saw, and placed poison here and there before leaving.

Even after they left, Woo Jin came out of the bathroom still seemingly creeped out, rubbing both his arms. Not only does he speak unpleasantly, but he’s also afraid of bugs.

Anyway, aside from his face, body, warm hands, and beautiful voice, there was nothing about him that she liked.

Still… When he said he wished she would keep coming… She was happy. Extremely happy. Even though she knew he couldn’t see, she tried very hard to control her expression. She even tried hard to breathe.

Aunt can probably go to the CEO’s house. But what should I tell mom? If I say I’ll make being a housekeeper my job, I’ll definitely get hit. Then what should I say…?

Woo Jin, who had been working on his manuscript for a while, felt his wristwatch with his fingertips. The bead at the tip of the hand indicated the position of the hand.

It’s still only 12 o’clock. There are still two hours left before she comes.

Or will she come early today too? I should be exercising at this time, but since the cockroach appeared, I’ve been reluctant to go out to the living room. One way or another, there have been so many things bothering me since that woman started coming.

…Should I… call her? Tell her to come quickly because I can’t go out to the living room because of her? What is this, am I a kindergartener?

Even while thinking his behavior was childish beyond compare, his fingers were fumbling with his phone. After the call rang for a while, a soft bass voice was heard.

– Hello?

“…Where are you?”

But Soo Young didn’t answer. Soon, voices saying ‘Cut it in half please. More ketchup please’ were heard.

What are you doing…?

Then soon after, along with the sound of ‘Goodbye’ and noisy car sounds, her low murmur was heard. Even amidst the noise, her voice was clearly audible.

– I bought a sandwich. It’s huge. Does Seol Woo Jin like sandwiches?

“I asked where you are.”

– Here, near the library.

“…You haven’t left yet?”

– Huh? There’s still a lot of time left, though?

He knew that. Woo Jin himself was surprised by his inadvertent words. As he fell silent, Soo Young soon said kindly.

– Seol Woo Jin, are you hungry? That’s why you should eat breakfast properly.

He wasn’t particularly hungry, but now there was a plausible reason that his desire for her to come quickly was due to hunger.

– I’m on my way now, so just wait 20 minutes.

As expected, he didn’t answer, but strangely, she didn’t hang up either. Various sounds could be heard through the phone – the sound of the subway arriving, people murmuring, clattering noises, and so on.

Woo Jin imagined where she was while listening to the sounds coming through the phone. He also recalled memories of riding the subway during middle and high school.

But then, amidst the clattering sounds, her calm voice was heard.

– She climbed the ridge at a rapid pace and took a deep breath as she looked out at the peacock’s territory in the distance. Her husband is there. The place where Julien Leonard, a young duke from the Leonard family, a collateral line of Emperor Shterion and one who had rendered great service to the country, resides. It was said he was as handsome as if an angel had descended. His good looks were so renowned that rumors spread even to the far north. However, in the final battle against the demons, he suffered a fatal wound and became confined within the castle walls…

Listening to her voice, which was clear yet gentle even amidst the clattering sounds, Woo Jin stretched out in his chair.

He had been listening while holding his phone, but now he switched to earphones and focused on the narration coming through the phone. It was a low tone that was calm yet soothing.

He had listened to almost all the audiobooks available domestically, but the audiobook she was providing was by far the best.

Ji Hyun, who raised his head at the employee’s announcement of a guest, was surprised to see her. Long wavy hair reaching down to her waist, an oval face, eyes sparkling like embedded jewels.

“Na Eun!”

“Oppa, how have you been?”

Jung Na Eun was Woo Jin’s high school classmate. She had stayed by his side for two years when Woo Jin was going through a tough time, before leaving to study abroad in America.

Eight years ago, she still had a student-like appearance, but now she had become a mature woman, which made Ji Hyun very glad to see.

“When did you come back to Korea?”

He said as he guided her to the long conference table.

“It’s been a month or two since I came back, but I’ve been so busy that I couldn’t come to greet you. I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t be sorry. Wow, if I met you on the street now, I wouldn’t recognize you. You’ve changed completely.”

“I’m turning thirty the day after tomorrow, so I should have changed by now, right?”

Ji Hyun made green tea and placed it in front of her, then sat down with his own coffee.

“Is grandfather healthy too?”

Na Eun asked kindly. When she said she was leaving to study abroad, the person who was most disappointed among the family members was Chairman Seol Ma Jung.

“He’s healthy. He’ll be happy to know you’re here. How did you spend your time in America?”

“I went to school, and after graduating, I worked, that’s about it.”

“And in Korea? Have you found a job?”

“Yes. I got a job at Diver.”

Diver was a famous search site and also a company that was running a web novel content business that Ji Hyun was investing in.

“I see. That’s good to hear.”

Ji Hyun deliberately didn’t mention that he was investing, and tried to recall what Na Eun’s major was in college.

“I’m in the web novel content team.”

As if she had read Ji Hyun’s mind, Na Eun added an explanation.

“Really?”

Curious if she knew that Woo Jin was posting his writing there, he subtly observed Na Eun’s expression. Na Eun looked back at him and asked gently.

“Is Woo Jin doing well?”

It was the question he had been wanting to ask continuously.

“Yeah. He’s doing well. He’s living independently now.”

Na Eun asked with a surprised expression.

“Woo Jin is living alone? How?”

“His condition has improved a lot. Oh, of course, there’s someone who comes to help with housework.”

Na Eun looked a bit dazed for a moment, but soon composed herself and smiled brightly.

“That’s really great progress. How did he do it?”

“Well, I think Woo Jin did a lot of thinking after you left. He studied Braille diligently and listened to a lot of audiobooks, and then one day he suddenly said he wanted to be independent, so grandfather let him go.”

Of course, Ji Hyun’s influence had played a part, but he omitted the specific explanation.

“He learned Braille? Woo Jin? So that’s how he writes?”

This time it was Ji Hyun who was surprised.

“You know?”

He asked loudly, wondering how she recognized it when he was writing under a pen name.

“Yes. The MD told me about Ji Hyun oppa. He said it doesn’t seem like you’re posting directly, but you’re posting someone else’s work? And taking care of all the publishing-related work too. At first, I wondered who the author was, but thinking about it, it seemed like it could be Woo Jin. But, even if he learned Braille to write, how does he type on a computer keyboard? When he can’t see?”

“He memorized the keyboard layout. And nowadays, the equipment is so good that he manages somehow.”

“I’ve read all the published books too. The writing style in the paper books is completely different from the web novels, isn’t it? It’s like they were written by a completely different person, not just using a different pen name.”

Ji Hyun’s lips curled into a gentle smile, realizing what Na Eun had been doing for the past two months. He thought she had forgotten about Woo Jin after they had a big fight and she left, but it seemed she hadn’t forgotten yet.

“Has his temperament improved a bit? Back then, he was really like a wildcat.”

Listening to her speak, it seemed like she might still have some lingering resentment towards Woo Jin. So Ji Hyun defended his brother, as if making an excuse.

“Seol Woo Jin has become a decent person.”

“Wasn’t he not a person even in middle and high school?”

Na Eun tilted her head and said. This was another twist, making Ji Hyun chuckle. But somehow, he could understand.

“Was he? Woo Jin?”

“Yes. He was a complete show-off king. Thinking there was no one above him. The kids found him so unlikeable. They only put up with him because he was rich, handsome, and smart.”

Na Eun had changed. She used to be somewhat shy and tearful, but now she was not hesitating to bombard with facts. Ji Hyun said with a smile.

“Our Na Eun has changed a lot, huh?”

“Really? Maybe it’s because I’ve been sharpening my blade of revenge for 7 years?”

“Revenge? Against whom?”

“Seol Woo Jin, of course. I’m going to get revenge for all the times he ignored me for 2 years.”

While her words spoke of revenge, her expression was that of the shy Na Eun from before, making Ji Hyun laugh out loud involuntarily.

As he looked at Na Eun, Soo Young suddenly came to mind.

Yeon Seo was deeply hurt by Woo Jin’s words, “Don’t treat other people carelessly just because it’s not your own body.” After hearing Woo Jin’s words, she felt like she was a really bad person.

When talking with Woo Jin, everyone ended up treating themselves as bad people. Woo Jin had a strange talent for making others feel that way.

But Soo Young didn’t seem to have that.

Although he had never seen the two of them conversing directly, it was clear that Woo Jin felt comfortable with her.

Just the day before yesterday, he had refused to have dinner with Ji Hyun. Seeing that he hadn’t eaten all day, worried that he might be reverting to his old ways, Ji Hyun had scolded him.

– What Yeon Seo said might have hurt your feelings! But starving yourself like this isn’t right! You should eat and then fight if you have to! If you keep starving yourself like this, something really bad will happen!

He had expected him to shout and rebel as usual, but Woo Jin didn’t say a word. That was even worse.

But yesterday, they had dinner together and his face looked much softer. He had been so upset about the cockroach that Ji Hyun had made him drink two bottles of tonic, but he obediently ate his dinner well.

Later, when he texted Soo Young, she said they had lunch together too. It was a moment when he realized once again how much influence Soo Young had on Woo Jin.

Now Na Eun had come too. Would Na Eun also become a benefactor for Woo Jin? How would Woo Jin, who had feelings for Soo Young, feel upon seeing Na Eun?

“I minored in social welfare in America. We had to do a lot of practical training, and maybe because it’s an advanced country, the welfare facilities for disabled people were really well-equipped. All the public institutions were set up to accommodate wheelchairs.”

Ji Hyun could guess why Na Eun had chosen social welfare as her minor, and listened attentively with a smile as she calmly laid out her story.

“Even the document printing machines all had earphone jacks. So that visually impaired people could use them too. I don’t think we had such facilities in our country before I went to America, but when I came back this time, I saw them at the district office. I was really surprised to see that. Has our country become an advanced country now?”

“It was already an advanced country.”

“The professor who taught me said that while many judge whether a country is advanced or not based on its overall welfare level, if you really want to judge accurately, you should look at how well the welfare facilities for disabled people are set up. He said that underdeveloped countries are too busy just trying to survive to look after others.

I really learned a lot in America.”

She deliberately didn’t say that she had come to help Woo Jin with what she had learned there. She naturally thought that both Ji Hyun oppa and grandfather would be pleased.

Ji Hyun briefly wondered whether he should tell Na Eun about Soo Young, who was working as a housekeeper.

And also that Woo Jin was relying on this girl named Soo Young a lot.

However, it didn’t seem necessary to hurt the feelings of this girl who had even studied in America for Woo Jin’s sake, who was now so eagerly trying to show how much she had experienced and learned.

That kind of talk might be interpreted as “Woo Jin doesn’t need your help anymore,” which could be hurtful. Even if it was actually true, it was something Woo Jin should say himself.

He just hoped that, given his brother’s personality, he wouldn’t express it too harshly.

– Fine! Go then! Just go! I don’t need someone like you!

When Na Eun painfully said she was going to America, Woo Jin had started by shouting. Ji Hyun thought at the time that maybe Na Eun had hoped Woo Jin would stop her.

It seemed like she was deliberately announcing that she was going to America because she wanted to hear Woo Jin tell her not to go, to stay by his side.

However, at that time, Woo Jin was busy pushing away people who approached him.
Shouting, hitting, overturning the dining table.

Ji Hyun later realized that this was a warning with his entire body,
telling people not to come near him, that if they came near him, they would die like his father.