NPC Fell onto My Bed C19

Chapter 19

Noah’s cheeks, fresh from his bath, gleamed like peeled eggs, luminous and smooth. Gu Taeheon couldn’t take his eyes off the moisture beading along Noah’s cheeks and the curve of his neck as he murmured,
“I just had something to do.”

“I see. I only came because I thought you might be waiting for me. I’ve finished my bath,” Noah said earnestly, unaware that Taeheon’s fifty-pyeong apartment had two bathrooms. Taeheon quickly steered him out of the computer room; the last thing he wanted was to leave Noah alone near a device capable of accessing Last Chronicle.

“How’s your bathing going? You’ve gotten used to doing it yourself now?”
“Yes! I’ve memorized how to use the shampoo, conditioner, and body wash you showed me. But…”
“But?”

Just as he said, a faint fragrance identical to Taeheon’s rose sweetly from Noah’s skin. Smelling it, Taeheon thought absurdly that the same scent somehow seemed warmer—sweeter—when it came from Noah.

“Brushing my teeth is still difficult,” Noah admitted bashfully, fidgeting with his fingers. “The toothbrush doesn’t fit well in my hand.”

Taeheon had taught him how to use toothpaste and a toothbrush along with the rest of his hygiene routine. But since Noah had never used one in his life, he often swallowed the foamy water by accident when brushing. It made him gag, and he noticed that Taeheon never swallowed it when he brushed his own teeth. Embarrassed, Noah confessed, and Taeheon gave a short laugh.

Taking his hand gently, Taeheon led him back toward the bathroom.
“Come on. I’ll show you again.”

Following him, Noah looked down at their joined hands—it was the second time that day Taeheon had reached for him.

As a priest, Noah rarely touched others. The teachings of Eir emphasized purity of body, and beyond that, whenever Noah touched someone, he could sense their pain—so he had always been cautious. But for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to pull away from Taeheon’s hand. Perhaps because it had been so long since anyone had reached out to help him so naturally.

“Noah. Open your mouth.”

In the bathroom, Taeheon picked up the spare toothbrush set aside for Noah and leaned in. When Noah obediently opened his mouth, Taeheon cupped his chin and guided the toothbrush inside with careful pressure.

Standing close, the two of them were flooded with conflicting awareness—Noah realized just how much taller Taeheon was, how broad; and Taeheon…

Taeheon found his eyes caught on the faint tremor of Noah’s small, pink tongue moving inside his mouth. As he brushed, Noah didn’t notice that Taeheon kept swallowing hard, focusing far less on teaching and far more on controlling the lump in his throat.

“Haah…”

Noah stretched as he sat up in bed, still carrying the softness of sleep on his face. It had been days since he first began sleeping in Taeheon’s plush bed, and he had grown so used to its comfort that getting up each morning was becoming more difficult.

Still, as always, he rose on time, straightened the sheets, and said a short morning prayer to Eir.

It had been two full weeks since Noah began living with Gu Taeheon. In that time, he had adapted remarkably well to this new world.

“Good morning, Mr. Taeheon.”

Opening his door, Noah’s first act—as every morning—was to greet Taeheon, who was already awake. Strangely, though he’d once been a late riser, sometime along the way Taeheon had begun getting up at the same time as Noah. Seeing him so early made Noah smile faintly, his golden eyes crinkling.

“…Sleep well?”

Taeheon, too, had become accustomed to waking up to that smile.

While Noah washed up, Taeheon prepared breakfast—if it could be called that. It was simple at best: toast with jam or a tray of rice and side dishes bought the night before.

After their brief meal, they both settled naturally onto the sofa in the living room.

“Mr. Taeheon, I’ll begin, then.”

Taeheon sat back as Noah knelt on the floor before him to begin healing his leg. Watching Noah kneel like that was still uncomfortable for him.

He had asked before if Noah could simply sit instead—he, after all, was the one receiving help, and it felt wrong to have Noah in that position. But Noah had refused.

“Healing is a sacred duty and a divine blessing given by the goddess Eir,” he had said. “Performing it comfortably would feel more disrespectful.”

He had spoken with such calm conviction that Taeheon never raised the matter again.

“How much longer now?”
“Hmm…”

As Noah’s healing continued for over twenty minutes, Taeheon glanced at his leg. He wasn’t really asking about the current session—he wanted to know how soon he could return to judo. Noah, sensing this, paused to collect his thoughts before replying.

“In truth, my recovery speed is surpassing expectations lately.”
“So—healing more makes your power return faster?”
“It seems so. But your leg is special, Mr. Taeheon. Full recovery will still take time.”

He placed his hand gently on Taeheon’s shin. The smaller fractures in the fibula and tibia, worn and scarred, were almost gone now. All that remained was the issue of the metal rods that had been placed as reinforcement after the accident.

“Within a week or so, we’ll likely need to remove the implants inside.”
“…Really? Guess that means I should go to the hospital.”

Still, the decision troubled Taeheon. He couldn’t just walk into a hospital and demand a surgical removal without medical cause, and having it done illegally was out of the question—it could ruin his athletic record.

“Would they remove that metal at a hospital?” Noah asked uncertainly. In a world without magic, there was no way medical practitioners would understand magical regeneration.

When Taeheon didn’t answer right away, Noah frowned slightly, looking down at his leg again. For his healing to be complete, the foreign metal had to be removed—but Noah himself couldn’t bring himself to do it. Causing another living being pain, even in the name of healing, was against his nature.

“It would be much simpler if my friends were here…”

He thought of those he’d left behind in Last Chronicle: Iron, the Warrior Class Master, and Naphresa, the Mage Master. With their help, this would have been solved easily.

“Friends? Who?”
“My friend Iron—known as the ‘Warrior of Steel.’ He’s a warrior who can manipulate any metal.”

…Warrior of Steel?

The phrase struck a strange chord of familiarity. Taeheon was certain he’d seen it somewhere before—but before the thought could connect, the doorbell rang, echoing through the apartment.

Noah set his hands aside as Taeheon rolled down his pant leg and rose, walking toward the intercom. When the screen lit up, a familiar face appeared.

Taeheon’s expression soured instantly as he pressed the mic button.
“What is it, An Jeonghyeok?”

• “Open up, man.”
  “Why.” 

He answered with an annoyed sigh and glanced back. Noah, now sitting politely on the sofa, watched him calmly.

Taeheon hesitated. Lately, Noah’s beauty had only become more prominent—fine clothes, good food, a little weight regained in his cheeks. Even Nam Jinwoo had nearly swooned; Jeonghyeok, an Alpha, would hardly fare better. Taeheon suddenly had no desire to open the door.

But the voice from the intercom changed everything.

• “An NPC fell into my house.” 

…What the hell?

Footnotes:

1. Pyeong (평) – A Korean unit of area; one pyeong equals approximately 3.3 square meters, so Taeheon’s apartment is roughly 165 m². 

Eir – The goddess of healing in Norse mythology and in Noah’s world, representing restorative power and compassion.