“But if you hate Jin Muhae, you don’t have to look at him.”“Do whatever you want—watch or don’t. Grow up.”When I first picked him up, I planned to track down his missing family and pocket whatever reward I could. Once I realized there was no bounty for Joo-o—in fact nowhere to dump him—I decided I’d find some use for him. Even if only to justify the food I’d spent.He turned out surprisingly useful. Having Joo-o along brought more profit and change into my life than ever before.By the time I noticed, I’d already slipped into his life like a lie. An annoying housemate and an untrustworthy partner, yet someone I felt compelled to watch over.He stuck to me like glue—day and night, always within reach if I stretched out my hand.If you raised a wild cub from infancy, you’d grow attached in no time. No wonder I couldn’t just abandon him.Though it irked me, I had to do the decent thing and start dealing with this nuisance personally.“Jin Muhae…?”“What are you staring at? Do what you were doing.”Honestly, I don’t know how to fix someone whose mind drifts in and out. No grand scheme to make him stand on his own two feet.I simply treat Joo-o the way I would if I were learning myself. I trust that as he masters more tasks alone, his past will eventually come back to him.“I’m going for a walk.”“……”“I’m going pretty far.”“Suit yourself.”Surprisingly, ignoring him was harder than looking after him.His grin fell into confusion and shock. He tilted his head, as if wondering whether he’d done something wrong.He stared at me so insistently, I almost brushed the dust off his clothes. Then I simply turned my back on him.Still, I could feel his gaze lingering. It was a small comfort that he moved on his own as intended.He seemed like the type who’d do any task you set. As soon as I decided it was safe, I handed him the job.He mustn’t have expected me to really let him go—his face that had lit up was burned into my vision.No wonder the bike’s speed felt faster than usual. I had to get back quickly, to check whether he’d done everything right or gotten into trouble.Vrrrr-.I kicked up dirt as I returned to the small aircraft parked in the midzone. I looked for Joo-o before even shutting off the engine.I saw him slumped against the fuselage, sitting on the ground. He could have waited inside but chose to wait like this.“Jin Muhae!”Hearing the bike, Joo-o, lips moving as if speaking into thin air, bolted upright.He dashed over to me faster than lightning. His energy, from eyes to toes, felt like meeting after a week apart.“I missed you.”He was absurdly happy for someone we’d only been apart an hour or two. His cheeks flushed with excitement.It made me wonder if he’d done the job right. His hair was a mess and he was covered in dust, like he’d rolled across the dirt.“You checked the detector?”“Of course! Everything’s fine. Support pillar 21 got a bit dented.”“Send me the pictures you took.”He fiddled with his link watch and sent the images. I’d worried he’d botch the shots and we’d have to ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) go back, but the results were better than expected.When I thanked him, Joo-o immediately pushed out his head. Was he asking me to ruffle his hair?If that was his idea of payment, I didn’t see why not. I’d hoped he’d demand cash to buy snacks but he still had a few treats left. If he ran out, I’d hear him begging for money.I rubbed my hand through his black, fluffy hair. Joo-o closed his eyes and savored the touch of my large hand.I turned his head and rubbed his cheek, even tasting the unwashed scent on my fingers as I pressed them to his lips. Watching him like that, I decided I’d better stop.“…Why?”“You haven’t washed yet. Don’t touch my face.”He paused, considering, then nodded as if convinced. He looked at me with hopeful eyes.I noticed his hair sticking out, clothes stained with dust, collar crumpled.I wanted to comb his hair, brush the dirt off his clothes, wipe him clean with wet wipes—but that was his task.If I kept doing things for him, I’d stunt his growth. He was already a grown man; I tucked my hands into my pockets.As I turned away, Joo-o’s eyes followed me anxiously.“Get on. Let’s go.”“I can’t.”“Why not?”“My clothes. They’re dirty and will soil the seat.”“Brush them off, then. If anything’s stuck, wipe it off.”No sooner said than Joo-o dug into his backpack strapped to his back. He found a wet wipe I’d tossed him earlier and offered it to me.Was he asking me to clean him? His downcast eyes held a trace of hope.“You do it. Your hands are fine.”With that curt refusal, his reddened eyes clouded with confusion.He opened and closed his mouth like he couldn’t believe it, then dropped the wipe to the ground.“My hands…can’t do it?”“Don’t talk nonsense. I said not to give you tasks you can do yourself.”I laid it out firmly. Even if his mind was a little foggy, he wouldn’t sabotage his own hands—but he often defied logic.My warning glare made him flinch. He stood frozen a long moment before murmuring,“Did I do something wrong…?”Unworthy of a reply, I ignored him. I picked up the wipe, handed it back, and headed to the plane, but behind me I heard ragged breathing.A chill crawled up my neck—my instincts from mercenary life kicking in.I scanned around for anomalies, but neither my eyes nor radar showed anything.Only Joo-o stood there, head bowed.“Get on now. This place feels off.”“It wasn’t on purpose. I was just trying to help you.”“Yeah, you helped plenty—now get on.”I approached him, and I heard him muttering to himself.I must have startled him. He’d helped me…yet I couldn’t make sense of his words. Something was clearly wrong.I grabbed his shoulder and shook him lightly. Crazy. He didn’t budge.Meanwhile, my unease grew and I kept glancing at the radar. We were near the city—dangerous anomalies rarely show up here, but my instincts kept warning me.It was too risky to wait. I lifted Joo-o in one motion; he went limp like a log in my arms.Whoosh.Only once the plane lifted off did I exhale. I rubbed my gooseflesh and turned to Joo-o.When our eyes met, his looked so sorrowful I barked,“Are you out of your mind? I told you to get on.”“…”“If you’re going to act like this, don’t follow me. I warned you you’d just be in the way.”My cold reprimand made his brows sink further. His trembling lips let out a tiny sigh.He looked like he carried the weight of the world on him, hair in wild tangles as he hunched his shoulders.Damn. I almost reached out to him. I crossed my arms and leaned back as if daring him to speak.But Joo-o stayed silent. He simply lowered his head, eyes full of sorrow.I could almost see his hair drooping like a hallucination. I never threatened to ditch him in the woods, yet he looked like I had.I frowned and dredged up a childhood memory.“Suit yourself. You can do it.”My father said the same to me, so I just did it.He never helped, so whenever something happened, I handled it myself.That was it. I never argued or clung; he wasn’t someone you could sway. He was always lost in his own world, only showing his face at meals.Compared to that, Joo-o flinched every time I ignored him. As it repeated, he’d slump altogether.When we first started living together, he even tightened ill-fitting shoes and seemed happy.From our very first meeting, I’ve never figured out what goes on in that head of his.“Hungry?”I tossed him a meal replacement and he took it listlessly. The crunch showed he was hungry, but he didn’t look energized as he dumped pills into his hand.Maybe because there was no meat. Good guess. When we get back, I’ll spend more living money to get him real food.I gazed at the rugged wilds outside, then rummaged deeper in my bag.My fingers touched crinkling plastic—it was the candy I kept handing him whenever he went out.“Hey.”At my cool call, Joo-o peeked one eye open. I went to hand him candy but saw my hands were caked in dirt.If I lectured him, he’d sulk—but if I didn’t, he’d rip open the wrapper with those filthy fingers.“Ah.”I took a step back. I mimed opening his mouth, and Joo-o reluctantly complied.Pop. I dropped a bright yellow candy into his mouth. He rolled the sweet in his mouth, then blinked, surprised.His lips protruded a little, then he pouted pitifully.“Jin Muhae.”“What about it?”“Are you not mad anymore?”Hope rekindled in his dull eyes. I clicked my tongue but he must have felt the lighter air.He thought hard, eyes darting, then extended his arm. He wanted me to brush the dirt off his clothes.“Don’t know how?”“No.”He answered quickly, then hesitated. After a few seconds, he muttered,“I still like it when you do it.”His hopeful face broke my resolve. I sighed and picked up a wet wipe.Just this once. We’re working, so I can’t waste time arguin.I tore off two sheets and wiped his hand. It was covered in dirt like he’d rubbed the ground bare.“Hah…ha.”Joo-o gave a weird laugh, then opened and closed his now-clean hand.Suddenly, he leapt into my arms. His pounding heart beat against me like a drum.

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