The all-knowing Player (Solo Leveling)

The Underground of Reminiscences (3)

A/N: Orion's constellation! Again, the art is not mine. I found this one on Pinterest.

Is there any other OC I forgot about? If so please tell me, I'll make another picrew for the next chapter. Olwen, our nameless Ahjussi and Sun-Ah are out of the list since I can't find a satisfying picrew that draws adults and older people.

Since we're still in the Underground of Reminiscences, the font rules from the previous chapters are still in place. Enjoy!

Seon-Ji slips under the covers of her bed as I climb on the small ladder leading to my bunk right above hers. It's the very same bed bunks we shared two years ago, before she had to leave. Within a few hours, we slipped back into our old dynamic, as if those two years apart had only lasted a few seconds.

"Alright girls, no more talking tonight," Ahjussi declares while leaning on the door frame. "You'll have all the time for that tomorrow and the days after that. Seon-Ji isn't going anywhere."

I let out a disappointed sigh. "Okay," we chant with the same voice.

He gives us a significant stare, knowing very well we won't stick to that mere 'okay'. Still, he backs out of the room to make sure that Yool, who occupies the room next to ours, is ready to sleep too.

"Goodnight," he wishes us before switching the lights off.

The c̨̨̣̮̝̈́̔ͯ̀͂a͔͔̜̗̦ͩ̅̎t͖͖̠͛ slips right through the opening as the man closes the door. I listen to Ahjussi's gradually distant-growing footsteps as a new weight appears at the end of my b͔͔̳͈̊̆ͥ͂͜͝ḛ̡̰̳͓̥ͬ͋ͪͧd̶̵̯̯̼̘ͨ̓. I sit up to stretch my hand out. My fingers meet the c̨̨̣̮̝̈́̔ͯ̀͂a͔͔̜̗̦ͩ̅̎t͖͖̠̬͛'s̨̞̞̰͎͎̪̩͕̈́̀ͯ̍ͧͅ f̰̰̯͕͊̃̊͞͞͞ụ̴̴̾̀͟͡ṛ̣̬̫̍͌ͩ͟, who slowly comes forward. It follows the bump of my legs under the b͔͔̳͈̊̆ͥ͂͜͝l͖͖̰̝ͭ̀͘a͔͔̜̗̦ͩ̅̎n̫̫̘̗͕̲̲̎ͥk̼̼̞̦̞̼̔ḛ̡̰̳͓̥ͬ͋ͪͧt͖͖̠̬͛ to climb on my lap and sit here, facing me. Its eyes glint in the darkness in a familiar steel gray.

"Jin-Woo?" I murmur, approaching my face to examine it despite the darkness.

He leans forward and grazes my nose with his humid s̩͙͖̋͛͟n̷̶̯͉̊̽̐ͦ͘ȍ̸̢̢̮͚̐̚û̶͙̽̿͆̈t̴͕͖͓̀ as if to tell me he is here. I retract my hand to stroke the side of his neck. He leans against my palm with a purr, and I nearly forget how to breathe. Warmth shoots through my body at the contact of his soft f̰̰̯͕͊̃̊͞͞͞ụ̴̴̾̀͟͡ṛ̣̬̫̍͌ͩ, melting my insides like butter on summer days. For an instant, it's just me, the c̨̨̣̮̝̈́̔ͯ̀͂a͔͔̜̗̦ͩ̅̎t͖͖̠͛—no, not the c̨̨̣̮̝̈́̔ͯ̀͂a͔͔̜̗̦ͩ̅̎t͖͖̠͛: Jin-Woo—and his loud purring.

Until a new sound erupts in the darkness. It's a loud, choppy breathing that rises from the bunk underneath mine. I tense up as I hear Seon-Ji move around restlessly. She throws herself toward the sides of the bed with such agitation that the two bunks follow her movements. And something crashes down.

The c̨̨̣̮̝̈́̔ͯ̀͂a͔͔̜̗̦ͩ̅̎t͖͖̠͛ flinches away, back into a corner of my b͔͔̳͈̊̆ͥ͂͜͝ḛ̡̰̳͓̥ͬ͋ͪͧd̶̵̯̯̼̘ͨ̓. I jump down on the floor.

"Seon-Ji? Seon-Ji, what's happening?" I call.

But all that answers is a weak whine interrupted by her heavy breathing. I rush over to her side, carefully avoiding a bedside lamp that lies across the floor. She cowers in a corner of her bed like a frightened wild animal, draped in her covers as if it could protect her from outside dangers.

Slowly, I climb into her bed and stretch my hand out for her. "Seon-Ji?" I call.

I earn no reply. All she does is mutter something incoherent, her voice filled with despair. I approach her to lay a calming hand on her shoulder, but she presses herself tighter against the wall to avoid my touch.