“Are you finished now?”
A familiar voice broke through the darkness.
When Seraph looked up, he saw a shadow leaning against the railing.
The figure stood up, brushing off his pants as if he’d been waiting all along. It was Jo Seung-woo.
“Wow, that took longer than I expected. Honestly, I wanted to barge in a few times, but I didn’t want to get on their bad side. So, I just waited. Haha.”
He grumbled playfully, then stretched out his hand as if to guide Seraph upstairs.
“Anyway, it’s late, but let’s go. The Clan Lord is waiting.”
“No, I—”
Seraph reflexively tried to refuse, but—
“He’s been waiting since the afternoon.”
That one sentence made Seraph realize he couldn’t say no.
The angel stared intently at the man leisurely climbing the stairs ahead.
At this hour, Kim Soo-hyun would be in his office-cum-bedroom on the fourth floor.
Seraph wasn’t a fool; if the message had been delivered, he could have left without issue.
So why the insistence on escorting him?
“What do you think?”
Before Seraph could finish his thought, a quiet voice shattered the silence.
“Our Clan Lord. He’s changed a lot, hasn’t he?”
“…?”
Seraph kept his mouth shut, curious why this topic came up out of nowhere.
But Jo Seung-woo was no ordinary opponent.
“Hmm. You’re silent. Does that mean you don’t care?”
“No.”
Seraph’s voice was firm.
Jo Seung-woo smiled lightly, having drawn out the answer.
“He’s changed. Yes, really changed. He no longer bothers Vivian on purpose, doesn’t tear up the baby Chaos Mimic’s box, and he’s learned to consider others’ perspectives, like the central management agency.”
He added, “Though I still can’t understand why he licks Excalibur sometimes,” but it was so quiet Seraph didn’t catch it.
“That’s not all. Before, just being near him gave me an inexplicable anxiety, like my blood was drying up. But that tension is gone. You can feel strength wrapped in gentleness, and a certain calmness too. He’s more considerate of those around him.”
By now, the two had passed the fifth floor and were reaching the third.
“How should I put it? More… no, definitely more human.”
When they finally reached the third floor, Seraph managed a quiet, “I see.”
Jo Seung-woo glanced back at the angel’s still expressionless face, then turned away.
“Angel Seraph.”
He said it with emphasis.
“The Clan Lord is human, after all. Human.”
He repeated it twice, then smiled warmly.
“Being overly cautious isn’t always good. Because… even if you understand it logically, the one waiting will eventually get tired. Emotionally, you know?”
Seraph’s eyes snapped open.
It was the first sign of expression he’d shown.
The clever angel’s mind finally grasped what Jo Seung-woo was trying to say.
By the time Seraph came to his senses, the man had already finished his farewell and disappeared into the dark hallway.
Seraph stood still for a moment, then, without realizing it, stepped onto the stairs leading to the fourth floor.
“…”
In the Hall Plain, angels serve as helpers to their users.
And Seraph was Kim Soo-hyun’s assistant.
‘Seraph.’
When you watch one user for a long time—
‘When I lost everything, you were the only one I could rely on.’
A fixed perception forms when observing the user.
‘Your advice was always rational. You always guided me in the right direction. Thank you. Even as an angel, you truly cared for me.’
In other words, a certain recognition inevitably arises.
‘So that’s what I thought…’
That recognition then becomes—
‘Aren’t you ashamed to say that out loud?’
‘I’ve never met someone as disgusting as you.’
‘A repulsive creature.’
‘Thank you for always remaining a disgusting presence.’
When conflicts arise with the user, these perceptions serve as guidelines to rebuild the relationship.
‘Are you crazy? Why would you say that?’
‘Do you think Kim Soo-hyun’s attitude toward Seraph is justified?’
Despite everyone’s objections—
‘Then why…’
‘It’s been a while… or maybe not? Anyway, how have you been?’
When the user’s attitude finally changes—
‘Ah, I couldn’t bring Mar today.’
‘Well, thanks. …No, I really mean thanks.’
The fixed perception the angel held about the other solidifies.
It becomes a word called ‘certainty.’
In other words, Seraph was confident.
Fifteen years of watching Kim Soo-hyun gave him that confidence.
More precisely, a pride in knowing Kim Soo-hyun better than anyone else.
That’s why he’d acted the way he did for the past few months.
Because it was Kim Soo-hyun.
He was sure that the Kim Soo-hyun he knew would understand why he was acting like this.
But just now, in his conversation with Jo Seung-woo, he realized there was a flaw in his perception.
Right.
What Seraph had overlooked was—
Click!
The current Kim Soo-hyun—
“Ah, you’re here now?”
—was not the cold-blooded monster of the past, but the Kim Soo-hyun from fifteen years ago, when he was first summoned.
“…Seraph?”
A Kim Soo-hyun with emotions alive, closer to a ‘human.’
When the doorknob turned, Seraph was standing outside.
I called out happily, but his expression was strange.
He opened the door himself, yet his reaction was more like, ‘When did you get here?’
Was he lost in deep thought?
When I gestured for him to come in, Seraph hesitated like a guilty child before stepping inside.
I didn’t know why he acted that way, but seeing him like this made me smile without realizing it.
For some reason, just seeing Seraph always lifted my mood.
I never would have imagined this in the past.
Suddenly, I wanted to tease him just to see him flustered, but since I’d called him for an important talk, I held back.
We sat on the sofa; Seraph glanced at me cautiously before sitting down carefully.
“Did you just finish?”
“…Yes.”
“Took longer than I thought. You’re not tired?”
“I’m fine.”
“Hmm… Actually, I wanted to talk about something important today.”
“…!”
Seraph’s shoulders twitched.
“Well… how should I say this…”
This time, his eyes squeezed shut.
What’s with that? He looked like a tragic heroine about to say goodbye.
Anyway, I had a lot to say, but my mouth went dry.
I figured I should start by apologizing for snapping at him at lunch.
“Sorry about earlier.”
The moment I thought that, Seraph suddenly bowed.
I was stunned by the unexpected apology.
Why was he the one apologizing?
“I acted on my own assumptions and judgments all this time.”
“Seraph?”
“If any misunderstandings arose because of that, it’s entirely my fault.”
“Wait. I don’t get why you’re apologizing. I just wanted to talk about our relationship going forward.”
But Seraph seemed deeply mistaken or confused about something.
No, he must be.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t be acting like this.
Our conversations usually stayed on point, so this unexpected mess left me flustered.
Sighing, I said, “I just… wanted to say sorry for lunch.”
“…Yes?”
“Honestly, our clan is pretty exclusive. I was worried when I brought you along. But you seemed pretty calm for someone I was worried about. And you even got invited by Ko Yeon-ju today.”
“……”
“Why are you adapting so smoothly? When I thought about it, I finally understood why you’ve been so cautious and careful all this time.”
“Ah…”
Seraph’s rambling stopped.
He looked at me with watery eyes, as if grateful or a little touched.
I scratched the back of my head.
Being honest about your feelings is always awkward.
“Come to think of it, you’ve always acted rationally. But I didn’t realize that and just nagged or threw childish fits every time. Well, if you’ve lost affection for me, I can’t blame you.”
“Lost affection? That’s impossible…!”
Suddenly, Seraph’s voice rose.
He even jumped up from the sofa in surprise.
Is he angry?
“On the contrary, I was the one who jumped to conclusions… And even when you showed interest, I kept rejecting you. Now I wonder if Soo-hyun hates me…”
“Huh?”
“So maybe it’s no surprise if you think I’m a spy… that’s how it is…”
“W-Who said that? That can’t be true!”
I raised my voice without realizing it.
I stood up from the sofa too.
Suspecting Seraph of being a spy?
No way.
I don’t know what he thinks of me, but that’s just unfair.
“Honestly, it hurts to hear that. So, Seraph, you just misunderstood everything, didn’t you?”
“That may be true, but didn’t Soo-hyun give me reason to misunderstand? Like asking when I’d return to the heavens, right after we met…!”
“Why take a joke so seriously? And you’re no better. No matter how important adapting is, how could you pull your hand away when I tried to hold it? Do you know how hurt I was?”
“It’s not that. I was just startled because you grabbed me suddenly.”
“Lies. …Hey, you might as well not have said you wanted to have a kid. You got my hopes up so much…!”
“Then you, Soo-hyun, saying you’d save me no matter what, made my heart race like crazy…!”
“I was serious, you know?”
“I was serious too.”
“You…?”
“From the start, Suhyun didn’t know anything, right? When did I start, how long have I been looking only at Suhyun? How much I liked her, how much I wanted to be loved by her!”
“And who’s the one who dodges love even when it’s offered?”
“Fine. Then from now on, I won’t hold back or worry about what others think. I’ll let myself be loved… fully!”
That was the moment Seraph, who had been rampaging, suddenly went, “Ah.” She snapped back to reality, her eyes wide as saucers.
Then, blinking slowly with her mouth slightly open, she stared at me blankly, her face flushing red in an instant like a sunset-streaked river.
“……”
“……”
Suddenly, silence fell.
It was an awkward, inexplicable stillness that made my skin crawl for no reason.
At the same time, a thought flashed through my mind.
Why are we—
right now—
fighting?
“Uh…”
Seraph said nothing.
She just hung her head low, clenched her fists so tightly on her thighs they looked like they might crush the skin, and bit her lower lip hard.
Her shoulders trembled faintly.
As if she wanted to bolt out of this room right this second.
We stayed like that for a long while, neither of us speaking.
Then, a breeze blew in.
Maybe because it was late, the night air was cool and refreshing.
But for some reason, the air that drifted in through the terrace quickly heated up, warming the room until it felt almost stifling.
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
The comment section has been buzzing again…
First off, I want to apologize.
At first, I thought, “Great! Finally, some readers are on my side!”—a pretty naive thought. But as things heated up, I realized, “Wait, this isn’t right…” and I regretted it.
I should have just let it slide quietly, but instead, I feel like I stirred up unnecessary controversy, and I take responsibility for that.
To all readers, I sincerely apologize for being overly sensitive. (__)
If anyone was hurt by this, I truly hope you can find peace in your heart.
I also rushed to revise the story involving Seraph.
Originally, Kim Suhyun was going to say some really hurtful things that would make Seraph cry, and in the end, she’d pack up and leave…
But I decided to keep it sweet and lighthearted instead. ^^
I hope you find the characters’ outburst in this chapter endearing. :)
Dear readers,
The Memorize visual novel is now available for free up to episode 2.
You can check it out at hallplain.com, and I’ve noticed some comments saying the story unfolds differently than in episode 1.
So, I’m thinking of running a little event.
Play episodes 1 and 2 of the Memorize visual novel on hallplain.com (it’s free, so no pressure), and if you leave a short review or comment on the site’s message board, I’ll send you 50 Joara points as a gift.
Just send me the link or your username via comment or message, and I’ll personally verify and send the points.
If you’ve already left a review, just let me know, and I’ll send the points right away.
The mobile version with all episodes is coming soon, so I’m really curious about your reactions.
Thanks for reading this long note.
It’s Monday.
I hope everyone has a wonderful week ahead!