NPC Fell onto My Bed C26

Chapter 26

“Uh… ah.”

Noah, his gaze caught on the same mortifying sight as Gu Taeheon’s, blinked dumbly before quietly raising both hands to cover his eyes.

Seeing that, Taeheon shot upright. He leapt off the bed in a panic, flung the door open, and stormed toward the bathroom—his neck, ears, and even his forehead flushed crimson.

“Is it over? Hey, Taeheon! You okay? Goddamn it, a guy your size thundering down the hall—my downstairs neighbors are gonna think an earthquake hit!”

Still alone in the room, Noah slowly lowered his trembling hands. He peeked cautiously toward the bathroom where Taeheon had disappeared.

“What’s wrong, Noah?”

“Oh, well… I think I may have used too many buff spells,” he admitted sheepishly.

“Hah! I can guess what happened. Some folks absorb buffs a little too well sometimes.”

“No, not that…”

Hesitant, Noah glanced again at the closed bathroom door, then sighed softly.
“…I made a mistake. I cast too many spells that weren’t needed.”

“What, you? The great Hildegart, making an error?”

Normally, Noah—the youngest High Priest in the history of Eir’s church—was renowned for his composure. No matter what patient he treated, he never lost control. He always worked calmly, methodically, prioritizing by urgency—even when his only disciple had once been the one bleeding before him.

But today was different. The thought of Taeheon lying there, perhaps never waking again, had shaken that balance. Panic had flooded his senses. Without thinking, he had unleashed every buff spell he knew.

Now, staring at his own hands, he couldn’t explain what had possessed him.

“Well… even dragons slip on lava sometimes,” Iron said kindly, patting Noah’s shoulder in reassurance.

Despite the comfort, Noah couldn’t shake his disquiet. It was a mistake, perhaps—but if he were to go back to that moment, he knew he would do the same.

While Noah wrestled with his thoughts, Taeheon emerged from the bathroom. Jeonghyeok lobbed a sofa cushion at him immediately. Taeheon caught it midair with reflexes that hadn’t dulled a bit.

“Don’t jerk off in someone else’s house, you freak!”
“…Haah.”

A vein jumped visibly along Taeheon’s neck. He retaliated without hesitation—swinging the cushion straight into Jeonghyeok’s face.

Thump. The cushion burst open, spilling fluff as Jeonghyeok yelped.

“Hey!”
“Shut up, Jeonghyeok.”
“You assault people, it’s a felony, you know!”
“Who said I’m an athlete anymore?”

Even after several more hits—until the cushion itself split—Jeonghyeok couldn’t stop running his mouth. By the end, Noah, who had been watching uneasily nearby, stepped forward in concern.

“Are you injured?”
“Ah—no, no, I’m fine. But damn, that means Taeheon’s really healed, huh? Magic actually worked!”

He said it with awe, not anger, even after being pummeled. Seeing his friend healthy was enough. He gripped Noah’s hands suddenly, bowing his head.

“Thank you—thank you so much, Hildegart.”

Jeonghyeok’s tone, rarely sincere, trembled with genuine emotion. His shoulders shook as if struggling not to cry, and Noah gently patted him in reassurance.

Then, without warning, Taeheon strode over and pried their hands apart with frost-bitten precision. His voice came low and curt:
“We’re leaving.”

“So soon? At least stay for a meal. We’re ordering Chinese.”
“Jeonghyeok, I’ll take three large black-bean noodles, then—”
“Oh, come on! It was two last time! Why’d you jump to three today?”

While Jeonghyeok and Iron started arguing about portion sizes, Taeheon turned to Noah. He extended a hand impatiently. Noah glanced at it, then gently placed his own into his palm.

“What—you’re really heading out?”
“Gotta get him something good to eat.”
“Fair enough. Treat him well tonight—he earned it! Be safe, Hildegart!”

Satisfied that Taeheon was truly leaving, Jeonghyeok waved them off.
As they stepped into their shoes at the door, Iron called out.

“Noah.”
“Yes, Iron? What is it?”

Their eyes met—Noah’s calm gold meeting Iron’s smoldering red. The warrior spoke in a quiet, steady tone.
“If you ever find a way… to return, tell me.”
“….”
“I’ll do the same.”

He gestured farewell with one hand. Taeheon stepped forward, and as the door closed behind them, the lock beeped softly. Warm early-summer air swept through the space between them.

Neither spoke. Not on the way down the steps, not through the parking lot, not after entering the car.

By now, Noah had grown accustomed to the vehicle. He fastened his seatbelt himself and even checked the door latch before Taeheon started the engine. For several minutes, silence filled the car. Both men, perhaps, shared the same unspoken thoughts.

When conversation finally resumed, it was Taeheon who broke it.
“…So. You think you’ve figured out how to go back?”

He asked casually, his hands turning the steering wheel with deliberate ease, eyes fixed on the road.
Noah turned his gaze toward him, then slowly shook his head.
“No. I have no idea.”

Taeheon swallowed the next question resting on his tongue—If you did figure it out, would you leave?—and said nothing.

The car rolled to a stop at a red light. As it idled, Taeheon tapped the steering wheel absently before speaking again.
“What do you want for dinner?”

It was blatant deflection—a desperate attempt to change the subject before he could say something pathetic, something pleading. He couldn’t ask if Noah would leave him.
Not tonight.

He reminded himself firmly that he wouldn’t push.
Noah had risked seeing blood—his greatest fear—to heal his leg. He deserved anything he wanted.

“…Hmm, I’m not sure.”

Noah thought for a moment. Nearly a month had passed since his arrival here. Taeheon had always fed him well—new cuisines, gentle flavors—and Noah had grown fond of everything.

Whatever he said, Taeheon would indulge. Finally, Noah smiled faintly.
“Why don’t we eat whatever you’d like tonight?”
“You don’t have a craving?”
“Well, not exactly…”

Noah’s tone softened further, his smile awkward, almost sheepish. Then, after a beat, he admitted,
“…Actually, I’d love to taste starflower cream soup again.”

“Starflower… cream soup?”
“Yes. The 루미에라 (Lumiera) flower blooms beneath starlight. It grows everywhere in Tyrel Forest. If you stew its petals, you get starflower cream soup. I used to make it often myself.”

It was a simple dish from his home world—a comfort food made from the forest’s common flora. Nothing rare, but deeply familiar. He hadn’t tasted it once since falling here.

Just thinking about it made his mouth water faintly. Taeheon noticed and, half-smiling, said,
“Then let’s go get Western food.”
“Western food?”
“I know a place that does great cream soup.”

He didn’t, but he said it with steady confidence anyway.
In truth, his only thought was of upscale restaurants he’d visited for meetings—a vague list surfacing in his mind. He glanced toward the phone mounted near the dashboard, ready to search directions.

Then the screen flashed with a notification.
A newly received message glowed in bright, intrusive light.

[Web Message]
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The instant he read it, chills shot down Taeheon’s spine.
He turned his head sharply, scanning the back seat, the corners, every inch of the car interior—eyes wide, pulse audible.

Because it felt, for one brief and terrible moment, as if someone had been listening.
Listening to every word he and Noah had just said.