My Strange Savior - Chapter 84

Chapter 84

Thud.

A cold sweat covered Kalion’s forehead as he opened the door wide enough for it to shake. 

Even after scanning the room with his eyes, not a strand of Gia’s hair was in sight. 

Was this not the right place? As Kalion was about to rush out, a faint moan reached his ears.

Moving his body as if the wind was roaring with each step, Kalion paused in front of the bathroom attached to the room.

“Gia?”

“Ugh…”

In pain, Gia’s groans made Kalion open the door as if the bathroom wasn’t relevant. However, from inside, the door creaked a few times, as if it had been locked.

“I’m going in.”

With those words, Kalion grabbed the doorknob and tore it off. The latch, easily torn away, heroically sacrificed itself with a squeak.

Casually placing the door aside, Kalion entered and approached Gia, who was groaning in the bathtub.

“Gia!”

“Ugh, K-Kalion.”

Frantically, Kalion supported her body. 

Startled by Gia’s lips turning blue, Kalion immediately tried to lift her out of the bathtub. However, her hands clung tightly to his shirt. 

Although weakened, the hands grabbing him were still full of strength.

Looking at Gia’s face distorted in pain, Kalion felt anger rising.

“I’ll call a healer. So…”

“N-no… just a moment.”

Seeing Gia lying in the bathtub while wearing clothes, Kalion remembered a similar incident that had occurred before.

“Is it a side effect?”

“Yeah.”

Blood spurted uncontrollably from Gia’s lips, as she had bitten them too hard.

Without considering his clothes getting wet, Kalion entered the bathtub and embraced Gia from behind. He had already concluded that there was nothing a healer could solve when they arrived.

Kalion gently pushed his hand into Gia’s mouth, where she was emitting dry moans.

“Your lips will get hurt.”

Worried that Gia might bite her tongue, Kalion let her bite his own finger deeply. Although he could feel Gia’s soft lips and tongue against his hand, Kalion’s expression remained unwavering.

Even as Gia vehemently resisted, Kalion was relentless. Gia tried hard not to bite Kalion’s hand, but the overwhelming pain was considerable.

Eventually, Gia’s teeth clenched tightly, and she bit down on Kalion’s hand.

Despite the strength that could crush flesh, Kalion didn’t seem bothered. He released his hand and pulled Gia close to his chest.

“Hu, haa…”

“It’s okay. It’s okay.”

With Kalion’s gentle voice, Gia’s body sagged backward.

“Huff…”

Embracing Gia’s small body as she expelled a long sigh, Kalion trembled with fear.

Even though he knew it was a side effect and that she wouldn’t die, Kalion felt as if his heart was dropping off a cliff.

His heart pounded faster than Gia’s painful breaths.

“Why didn’t you tell me instead of…”

Resentful breaths escaped him. Gia enduring the pain alone made Kalion resentful. Perhaps he wasn’t good enough for her.

In response to Kalion’s voice, Gia lifted the hand that had been submerged in water. Even that seemed powerless as she could barely hold Kalion’s hand, which she did only after struggling.

“Bleeding…”

“This kind of thing, this kind of thing…”

Growling with clenched teeth, Kalion responded to Gia’s ear.

“It’s nothing.”

“It hurts.”

“Why… didn’t you tell me?”

The angered voice of Kalion, lowered as if in a rage, echoed through the bathroom. 

Gia, nestled in the sturdy embrace, gently stroked Kalion’s hand, marked with scars shaped like her teeth, expressing her apologies.

For days, alarms had been sounding, reminding Gia to take her medication. She couldn’t ignore the alarm; she had to take it to avoid turning into a zombie. 

However, the constant presence of Rey made it challenging to administer the medication discreetly. Gia hesitated to forcibly separate Rey, who clung to her all day, as it tugged at her emotions.

Since Rey didn’t follow her into the bathroom, Gia planned to administer the medicine secretly there. She thought it would be just a little painful, like the injection she received last time. 

That was a miscalculation.

Perhaps it was because she was late for the regular dosage. The side effects penetrated her entire body intensely. It might be due to more cells infected by the zombie virus. 

Smiling bitterly, Gia picked up the syringe that had fallen onto the bathtub floor without Kalion noticing.

If she had kept it in her bag, it might have fallen off the cliff along with her last time. Storing it in the pockets of her combat uniform, especially the belt pouch around her waist, as a precaution for unforeseen circumstances, turned out to be a stroke of luck.

Gia discreetly stowed the syringe in her pocket to prevent Kalion from seeing it.

“Just… no need for a fuss.”

“It’s not a fuss.”

Kalion’s low voice reached her ears. Gia turned her head slightly, not wanting to show her angry face, and Kalion, perhaps not wanting to reveal his angry expression, averted his gaze.

“Sorry.”

Acknowledging her mistake, Gia held Kalion’s hand, which was bleeding.

“This too, I’m sorry.”

Kalion’s flesh was almost falling off.

“Let go of your anger.”

“Hah…”

Kalion raised his remaining hand and brushed Gia’s hair back. Whether it was wet with water or sweat shed from Gia’s worry, her wet hair clung to Kalion’s smooth forehead.

“Please.”

“Uh, ugh.”

Kalion’s voice, about to continue scolding, was interrupted by Gia’s groan.

“Still in pain? Maybe you should visit the clinic…”

“Hehe.”

Kalion grabbed Gia’s waist, playfully twisting her towards him. In an instant, Gia turned towards Kalion, who wore a mischievous smile.

“I’m sorry.”

As Gia laughed in such proximity that their breaths mingled, Kalion had no choice but to admit his defeat. He swallowed the scolding he was about to unleash. 

It seemed that the one who loved more, the one who confessed their feelings first, was the weaker one. That was exactly the situation he found himself in.

“Huh? Let go of your anger. Huh?”

How could he possibly be angry at Gia’s playful voice? 

Kalion swallowed his frustration.

“I haven’t been angry.”

“Shall we go get your hand treated?”

“Gia…”

In the warmth of Gia’s hand firmly holding his, Kalion forgot about the pain.

“About the side effects… isn’t there a way to resolve them?”

His handsome face contorted with worry due to Gia’s concerns. Gia, deeply affected by Kalion’s worries, bit her lips like a clam.

Drip, drip.

A droplet hanging from Kalion’s hair fell. At Gia’s resolute response, Kalion’s heart also plummeted.

“None.”

Kalion wished he could endure Gia’s pain for her. 

Was this what it felt like to be in love? 

If so, he was sure. He disliked her being in pain, and he disliked her suffering alone.

He also disliked the guilt-ridden gaze looking downward. Why should she have to endure such pain? 

As Kalion’s grip tightened on the bathtub, a cracking sound echoed.

“Oops, you’re gonna break the tub……. your hand.”

Upon hearing the sound, Gia quickly grabbed Kalion’s hand. How long had it been since he injured his hand, yet he still seemed intent on injuring it further?

Seeing Gia, who was holding his hand and looking at him with concern, Kalion found it hard to resist the rising urge.

‘I want to hug her.’

Kalion felt sorry for Gia, enduring pain alone, and he wanted to pull her into his arms to comfort her.

The moist gazes of the two collided in the air.

“Gia.”

Kalion’s low voice resonated in the damp atmosphere, sending shivers down Gia’s spine. 

Her mouth somehow felt dry, and her eyes even seemed to shake like there was an earthquake.

It felt like time had frozen. The droplets falling slowly from Kalion’s sharp jawline seemed to defy gravity.

Gulp.

Saliva pooled in her mouth and slid down her throat. 

Why did Kalion’s red eyes make her look strange, as if she were waiting for something or someone as if she were expecting something?

‘What am I expecting, anyway?’

This emotion that tickled her heart, what could it be? 

Waiting for Gia to speak next, Kalion and Gia locked their eyes determinedly.

“You…”

The rising emotion easily pushed aside the rationality Kalion had barely clung to. Just as he was about to confess, Rey’s cries were heard from outside.

“Sister! Sister Gia!”

At the sound of the crying, Gia quickly stood up.

“Rey!”

“Sister!”

The child who had lost his parents was in a fearful state of potentially losing another protector. Rey cried outside, searching for Gia.

Gia’s heart became desperate at the sound. Forcing open the crooked door, the dilapidated door fell outward.

“Sister, are you okay?”

Gia rushed out to the cries, pulling Rey, who was crying like a motherless child, into her arms.

“Huuh. S-Sister suddenly. Huh.”

“Sister slipped while taking a bath. It’s okay now.”

“Huhuhh. Re-really?”

“Yeah. See? I’m fine now, right?”

Rey, confirming Gia’s appearance, which seemed fine except for being wet, burst into tears.

Meanwhile, Kalion, who had been sitting dejectedly in the bathtub, grabbed his head as if he were about to tear his hair out.

‘Crazy.’

For a moment, he almost confessed. Almost said, “I like you.” Almost pulled her petite body into an embrace.

He had promised himself not to burden her with his feelings, especially since she had to go back. But those promises seemed utterly useless.

And so, he relented.

How should he deal with this emotion that easily subdued his rationality? Kalion, who had just begun to experience love, found it challenging to suppress the impulsive urges.

Kalion, who forcefully shut down his calm demeanor, wiped his forehead as he closed his eyes tightly.

‘So foolish.’

* * *

Despite the chaos that had erupted, a calm night settled. 

As usual, Gia, holding Rey in her arms and humming a lullaby, recalled the events of the day.

‘What… What was it?’

What were the unspoken words Kalion couldn’t express? 

What emotions were submerged in Kalion’s intense gaze, and what was he trying to convey or desire? Gia was curious, and even though Rey had fallen asleep, she couldn’t easily close her eyes.

Kalion’s turbulent emotions pricked at Gia’s throat.

As always, Gia tried to endure the side effects that came after receiving the injection alone. It was her miscalculation not to consider her absence for a long time, a mistake not factoring in that Rey might come looking for her.

She didn’t anticipate that Rey, upon hearing Gia’s moans without responding to the knocking on the door, would unexpectedly rush towards Kalion. And she certainly didn’t imagine that Kalion, breaking through the door, would even let her bite his hand if she resisted.

She tried not to scream, but she couldn’t help it. In pain, forceful pressure gripped Gia’s jaw. 

It must have hurt. She couldn’t even witness Kalion receiving proper treatment.

Kalion didn’t show up during dinner, claiming he needed to talk to Oscar. 

Gia’s guilt surged to her throat.