The F-Class Healer Omega is a Villain [BL]

"Due to the sudden withdrawal of another S-Class hunter following the death of S-Class hunter Cheon Areum, the Seoul team has officially been disbanded. With several S-Class gates in Seoul now nearing their time limits, other teams across the country have expressed growing concern over the overwhelming burden being placed on them—"

The woman's voice abruptly faded as the LED screen mounted on the wall flickered off, swallowed by blackness. Yoon Seoyul lowered the remote, having pressed the power button without a word, silencing the news with a single click.

With the sound or without, it was still the same. Empty. When he had bought this house, it wasn't like this, was it? Did it ever or always feel this empty?

Yoon Seoyul turned his head, letting it rest against the backrest of the couch as his gaze drifted toward the living room door. His eyes scanned the dimly lit space, glancing in every direction; he searched for any sign of life, but he couldn't find any.

Every time Yoon Seoyul closed his exhausted eyes, the image returned—Cheon Areum's lifeless body falling from the rooftop. It haunted him without a break, forcing his eyes open again each time, breath hitching in his throat. Sleep became impossible. He could only stay awake, though he didn't feel like sleeping anyway. He didn't feel like doing anything. Suddenly, nothing felt important to him.

What was the point of anything?

"Seoyul? Yoon Seoyul."

"I'm listening…"

Belatedly replying to Kim Ryung, he saw the bag of takeout on the table in front of him. Reminding him of the time Cheon Areum had offered to buy lunch for him and how he had passed by him, completely ignoring him. A dull ache throbbed at the right side of his head, prompting him to place an arm over his forehead. He should've taken the offer when it was available.

"You're still in the same position as yesterday… When was the last time you slept or ate?"

"How many days has it been since Cheon Areum's death?"

"Three days. In a few hours, it'll be the fourth day."

"It's been four days then."

Kim Ryung sighed, taking a seat at the other couch; he also seemed tired, though probably because of the workload he had pushed onto him.

"You testing your limits as an S-Class? Look here, Seoyul, you didn't know Lee Nari and Dohyun were lying to you. I get it was unfair for Cheon Areum, but if you keep acting like the world has ended, he won't come back."

"I already know."

"..."

Removing his arm from his forehead, Yoon Seoyul sat up straight, facing Kim Ryung.

"Did you find the body? I told you he has a scar on his right hand, it's on his palm, I think it's from a past injury that didn't get treated, but it's still very visible if you look closely—"

"No."

Kim Ryung responded, cutting him between his words.

"Lee Dohyun has accused you of hiding the body; his family is demanding the body of Cheon Areum from you, and we still have no clue as to where his body might have disappeared to."

He coldly glared at the walls of the room as Kim Ryung finished speaking.

"Is he or his sister still in the country?"

Kim Ryung shook his head.

"Don't even think of messing with them right now. If you don't care about yourself, then at least hold back for the sake of your guild. If you go and attack them now, you'll be confirming that you're indeed hiding Cheon Areum's body; considering the fact that they can lie about anything, I won't be surprised if they charge you of murd… Just forget it."

Cheon Areum's murderer. It could be said that Yoon Seoyul was the one who pushed him to do it. Although Lee Dohyun had been the one to confine him because of his younger sister, Cheon Areum hadn't acted out until the last moment when he saw Yoon Seoyul. The last time Cheon Areum had looked at him, it was undeniably an expression of someone who had given up. Appearing completely defeated by him…

"What about the background check? Are you done with that?"

"It's best if you don't hear about it."

"Kim Ryung."

Yoon Seoyul stared at Kim Ryung, quietly urging him to tell him; Kim Ryung locked eyes with him for a moment, appearing troubled before he hesitatingly spoke.

"Four family members, including Cheon Areum. His parents died in a car crash when he was 21, leaving him to care for his younger brother. On the day of the funeral, their grandmother claimed all of their parents' inheritance through illegal means and became their guardian. Cheon Areum must've trusted her at first, but all the previous servants who had worked at her house eventually resigned as they couldn't bear witnessing the abuse she inflicted on the kids. She used to physically harm both of them, mostly Cheon Areum, and they often starved for days, not allowed to eat until she permitted it. They did move out after some time; this is the address of the building where they lived under Cheon Rian, his younger brother's name, managed by Cheon Areum."

Gritting his teeth, Yoon Seoyul listened intently, every word stoking the fire already raging in his mind as he struggled to keep his composure when Kim Ryung put the address written on a piece of paper on the table next to the plastic bags.

"None of them reported her?"

"They did, but it always ended badly for them. Their grandmother had the connections and money to avoid the law."

"Is she still alive?"

Kim Ryung paused for a while as Yoon Seoyul patiently waited for the reply.

"No. She was found dead in her house—the cause unknown. And her death just so happened to occur around the time of Cheon Areum's second awakening."

"What are you implying? That Cheon Areum killed her?"

"I'm just stating what I found out. Cheon Areum was the first suspect in her death, but the case was closed—mostly because he was an S-Class hunter, and most of them were too afraid to pursue it further."

Muttering while avoiding any eye contact, Kim Ryung got up from the couch, ready to leave.

"I got you sleeping pills too; eat the food and take those if you can't fall asleep."

Yoon Seoyul watched him trying to get away as he spoke, halting Kim Ryung's movements.

"What about Rian? Where is he right now?"

"It's late, I need to get home now. I'll let you know if I get any new information about Cheon Areum's body."

"Did I say you can leave now?"

Yoon Seoyul asked, staring narrowly at Kim Ryung with his tired eyes. Kim Ryung turned around towards him with a neutral expression on his face; he reluctantly stood still before breaking the silence.

"He was placed in temporary state custody… and just yesterday, after learning about Cheon Areum, he took his own life. He was only six years old."

"Send me the details first thing tomorrow. You can go now…"

Kim Ryung nodded before walking out of the living room. Left alone, Yoon Seoyul pressed his fingers against his temple as the pounding in his head intensified, growing sharper with each passing second. He leaned forward slowly, reaching for the bag on the table with an unsteady hand. After rummaging through it, he pulled out the bottle of sleeping pills. Without hesitation, he twisted the cap off and took a few, swallowing them dry. Slumping back onto the couch, he let his head fall against the backrest, his gaze empty and unfocused as his eyes closed for a moment.

Cheon Areum…

Slowly opening his eyes again due to the same scene playing behind his closed eyelids, Yoon Seoyul sat up on the couch.

"This isn't it."

"All because of me."

If only he hadn't assumed. If only he hadn't believed Lee Dohyun's lies before even giving Cheon Areum a chance to speak, maybe things would've turned out differently. No—he shouldn't have tracked him down at all. He should've let him be. Maybe then… maybe then Cheon Areum wouldn't have taken that step. But what changed? What could've possibly pushed him so far that he willingly chose to end his life? How could someone as insignificant as him have that much power over someone like Cheon Areum?

"If you had just told me—even if it was a lie—that you mistakenly killed a member of my guild… I would've believed you."

"If you wanted to act the part of a villain, then stick to it! Just kill everyone, including me!"

"…I'm sorry."

"Give me a chance to apologize to you in person at least…"

"I'm sorry, Cheon Areum."

If there is a chance I can see you again, no matter how small it may be, I will take it. If I can go back, even just a few seconds before your death, I will gladly take it.

Yoon Seoyul slowly lifted his head, his eyes locking onto the glowing panel of his system screen. Like all other S-Class awakeners, he possessed a special skill—Backtrack. It granted him the ability to reverse time, but the exact point it would take him to was uncertain. It could be a single second, a year, or even all the way back to the moment he first awakened. There was no guarantee it would return him to a time when Cheon Areum was still alive. But there was a chance—a fragile, flickering hope—that he might be able to see him again.

[Asking for confirmation. Should I proceed with the special skill Backtrack?]

"Yes."

[Please remember you can only use your special skill once.]

[You will not receive a special skill ever again.]

"Activate Backtrack."

[Activating Backtrack…]

The next moment, in the blink of an eye, Yoon Seoyul found himself sitting on the familiar leather chair behind his desk in his office at the guild building. He hurriedly reached for the calendar resting beside a stack of untouched documents. January 1st. He grabbed his phone to double-check too. It really was the first of January. This was before he had even encountered Cheon Areum for the first time. Before Cheon Areum's second awakening. Sighing in relief, he called out for Kim Ryung. My Virtual Library Empire (M|V|L0EMPYR) hosts the original.

"Yes, master."

Kim Ryung smiled as he peeked through the office door, arriving a few minutes later.

"You have until the evening, find out everything about the F-Class Healer Cheon Areum, he's an omega."

*

Parked across the building, Yoon Seoyul leaned against the steering wheel, eyes fixed on the third-floor window. He wasn't sure how long he had been sitting there. As soon as he got the address from Kim Ryung, he had driven straight to Cheon Areum's place. That's when he saw two figures stepping out of the building.

Cheon Areum stepped out of the building, gently holding a child's hand. The little boy walked beside him as Cheon Areum's face lit up with a bright, innocent smile under the glow of the street lamp. Yoon Seoyul's eyes locked onto them, unblinking. He couldn't move—couldn't even breathe properly. All he could do was stare, his heart pounding with a sudden, inexplicable nervousness.

It was really him.

Yoon Seoyul's chest tightened at the sight. As the pair began to walk out of his view, he quickly stepped out of the car, keeping a safe distance as he followed. He watched them enter a convenience store and waited quietly outside, eyes never leaving the door. A few minutes later, they emerged—each holding an ice cream cone. The little boy beamed with joy, raising his tiny hand to offer a bite to Cheon Areum, who leaned down with a soft smile, taking a small bite as if this was the most natural thing in the world.

That must be his younger brother, Cheon Rian…

Yoon Seoyul quietly followed them back home, maintaining his distance like a shadow. He had longed—achingly—to speak to Cheon Areum again, to say something, anything. But the moment he saw him smile like that, a genuine warmth he'd never witnessed before, all his resolve began to crumble. His steps slowed, and so did his breath. That smile—so gentle, so untouched by pain—was not meant to be tainted by his presence.

Maybe it was guilt. Guilt for stealing that life, for shattering what little peace Cheon Areum had. Or maybe it was the weight of being the one who destroyed his everything. Whatever it was, Yoon Seoyul couldn't bring himself to reach out that night.

Instead, he turned away, returning to his car parked across the street. And there he remained—sleepless and silent—keeping watch over the building, never taking his eyes off the windows, afraid of losing sight of him again.

Soon, the darkness of the sky began to fade, slowly overtaken by the soft hues of dawn. The streetlights flickered out one by one as the first light of the rising sun bathed the buildings in a pale golden glow.

Then, a car pulled up and parked just in front of the building's gate. His eyes sharpened immediately. A few moments later, the door opened—and there he was. Cheon Areum stepped out, dressed neatly, his expression calm as he walked up to the waiting car and got in.

Yoon Seoyul sat up straighter, his grip tightening on the steering wheel. He didn't know where Cheon Areum was going, but his body moved—starting the engine, ready to follow.

He had blindly followed the car to a building under construction, apparently holding a B-Class gate. He keenly watched the other person in the car with Cheon Areum get out of the car first and Cheon Areum following after him later. He didn't recognize the other person. Grabbing his phone, he decided to follow after them.

As he stepped out of the car, the early morning breeze brushing against his face, Yoon Seoyul unlocked his phone—only to be met with a flood of missed calls and unread messages from Kim Ryung. His brow furrowed as he skimmed through the texts. Kim Ryung had informed him that he was preparing to enter a B-Class gate alongside Cheon Areum. The location mentioned matched exactly where he now stood.

He's going inside a gate? When will he be back?

Freezing upon reading the message, Yoon Seoyul immediately put his phone in his inventory, going after him in the way where the gate was. He saw everyone entering the gate and Cheon Areum next in line when he opened his mouth to call out to him, but no voice followed.

And then, just as Areum stepped into the gate, vanishing from sight—

"…Cheon Areum."

The name finally spilled from his lips, too late. Cheon Areum entered the gate as he stood just a few steps away from the blue gate. It was alright; Kim Ryung had specifically gone with Cheon Areum with the best A-Class hunters and a B-Class healer. There shouldn't be a problem.

He stood frozen, eyes fixed on the spot where the gate had just shimmered out of existence. To him, it felt like mere seconds had passed—yet the gate had already returned. Yoon Seoyul anxiously awaited Cheon Areum's return. This time, he would speak first—no matter what. He would reach out to Cheon Areum before that smile disappeared again.

Just as the thought crossed his mind, he saw someone run out of the gate. Cheon Areum burst through the gate, his soaked figure colliding straight into Yoon Seoyul's chest as his arms instinctively wrapped tightly around the trembling body against him.

"Cheon Areum!"

He called out, but the body in his arms didn't respond. Cheon Areum felt cold—far too cold—and his chest barely rose with each shallow, uneven breath. Yoon Seoyul quickly shrugged off his blazer, draping it over the smaller frame to preserve what warmth he could. Gently, he checked for any sign of breath, relief washing over him when he felt the faintest exhale. Without another thought, he pulled Cheon Areum into his embrace, holding him as if trying to will the life back into his fragile body.

It hadn't even been a full day, and Cheon Areum was already in this condition? Behind the tough exterior of a villain, wasn't he one who needed someone to protect him the most? Maybe the status of a villain was what protected him as he never really had someone else to do that for him.

Yoon Seoyul's hold tightened around Cheon Areum, their bodies evenly pressed together.

I will protect you this time.