Chapter 895. Vacation (13)
Humans often activate their inner superhuman strength whenever they were in danger, and Lee Ki-Yeon was in that kind of situation. My acting was beyond method acting. My unexpected slap and the tears in my eyes spoke volumes.
Basically, Lee Ki-Yeon was feeling ashamed for showing this side of herself to someone she thought she had a precious bond with, and she resented that person for showing up at such a bad time.
The explosion of Lee Ki-Yeon's pent-up emotions was amazing.
'Let me slap him again.'
Smack!
Honestly, I was convinced that my hand was hurting more than Kim Hyun-Sung’s cheek.
Perhaps it was because of the complicated emotions coursing through me, but I didn’t feel any pain at all.
“Why! Why did you appear before me?! Why?!” I shouted.
I was going to start hitting him. I started hitting him lightly while crying, and I eventually started swinging my hands as if I were having a seizure.
And that was when Kim Hyun-Sung grabbed my bloody hands and looked at me quietly.
“Heuk... heuuuk... heuuuuuuk...”
'Let's collapse like I've consumed all of my emotions and strength.'
He awkwardly placed his hand on my shoulder and patted me.
This was the best he could do to comfort me.
Typically, the male lead would hug the other party at this point, but it seemed that his past blunder was telling him not to cross the line.
In the end, all he did was comfort me warmly.
Sometimes, staying silent was more helpful than trying to address the issue.
Kim Hyun-Sung’s current look comforted Lee Ki-Yeon. Since I was in character, I didn’t dislike him at all. After all, he was the only person I could lean on right now. However, I had to pull myself together.
‘All of this doesn’t matter anyway. You jerk. How can you do this to me...’
'You have a lot of explaining to do later. You better think of a good excuse. I must’ve been going too easy on you lately. Do I have to be on the brink of death again for you to come back to your senses?'
Obviously, I could forcefully understand him. We were in a dangerous situation, and this place wasn't exactly safe.
Kim Hyun-Sung wouldn’t just stand idly by when someone was in danger. Moreover, a meal with Lee Ki-Young wasn’t really an urgent matter.
Since Lee Ki-Yeon was in danger, Kim Hyun-Sung probably thought that this was more urgent. I couldn't exactly forgive him for it, but I could understand him.
If I were in a dangerous situation, I was sure he would come running to me right away, after all.
'He's definitely going to do that.’
This was a competition between situations rather than between Lee Ki-Young and Lee Ki-Yeon. To make matters worse, there weren’t any warp gates available for him to teleport to where Lee Ki-Young was located, anyway.
‘But why the hell is he here? Which warp gate did he take that he ended up here?’
I had no idea how many minutes it had been, but Kim Hyun-Sung was still waiting for me to calm down. I was waiting for him to say something, but he was too slow to realize that. It was nice that he wasn’t saying anything, but he was being too quiet and cautious.
“I’m sorry, Guild Master of Blue,” I said.
“...”
“...”
“Are you feeling better?” Kim Hyun-Sung asked.
“Yes. I... showed you my ugly side. I shouldn’t have screamed, and... I shouldn't have taken my anger out on you...” I replied.
“I don’t think that way at all. It wasn’t an ugly side at all...” Kim Hyun-Sung said.
Kim Hyun-Sung was still being cautious.
It was like he was showing that our ancestor’s wise words, "look before you jump," were applicable to the current situation as well, as he was really cautious with his words.
He looked anxious like he was worried that he'd end up making a stupid mistake in the face of the woman he had met for the first time in a while. He could also be anxious because he had to leave in three hours.
'The plan has been canceled, anyway, so if it's the latter, then don't worry about it. I don’t think we’ll be seeing each other for the time being.'
“That’s not true,” I said, smiling dejectedly.
“Do I... look like an idiot?” I asked.
“No...”
“I’m pathetic... for leaving like that... for disappearing without saying anything... and I look pathetic now that we've met again, right?” I asked.
I didn't think I looked that bad as I stepped backward and got ready to cry. I spoke with a voice mixed with self-deprecation and regret. It was random, but about three percent of my voice was flirtatious, and it wasn't strange, as that was just the kind of person I was.
“I know you have some feelings for me,” I said.
Kim Hyun-Sung didn’t deny it.
'All right, so you’re going to abandon your brother.'
“...”
“...”
“What happened?” Kim Hyun-Sung asked.
'It’s probably best if I tell him so that things will become a bit more dramatic.'
“So...”
I spoke quietly about the things that happened after we parted ways in Rift Land as well as some things he didn't know about Lee Ki-Yeon.
Our surroundings were chaotic, but the space we were in was quiet. I squatted down in the slightly dark space and started recounting to Kim Hyun-Sung. He didn't say anything and merely listened to me. I started from very trivial stories to...
“I worked as a staff at an inn, and it was kind of rewarding. Ah, I also worked as a receptionist at an adventurer guild for a short time. It was really fun. Of course, I heard news about the Blue Guild while I was working there,” I said.
Making up stories here and there to match the story wasn’t that hard.
It wasn't like Kim Hyun-Sung could do some fact checking, anyway, and I was more knowledgeable about the continent compared to him. He smiled lightly at the mundane parts and pitied me when I told him about the unfair situations I had been in.
“And that was when I realized that I left my shoe...” I said.
“I still have it. I tried to give it back, but...” Kim Hyun-Sung said.
“Really? Hehe,” I giggled.
I even made jokes from time to time, but the important fact here was that he still had my shoe.
Eventually, I got to the main story, and his expression became serious. It was the story about how I met Lee Ji-Hoo, and how I had gotten the slave seal after falling for a trap like an idiot. The story also included the reason I started working as a maid at Lee Ji-Hoo’s place...
Kim Hyun-Sung was not saying anything, but I could tell that he was angry because this wasn’t exactly the nicest story out there.
I told him how I ended up in a black market, how I ended up getting sold for a million gold, and how I ended up in the hands of the Commander of the Republic. My story made him clench his fist.
'Jin Cheong, you’re in big trouble now.'
“That was two months ago,” I said.
“...”
“But why are you here?” I asked.
I cast a suspicious gaze at him to make him think that I was suspecting him of visiting the black market for the same reason as Jin Cheong.
Obviously, Kim Hyun-Sung looked really shocked.
To be honest, Lee Ki-Young was more curious about this than Lee Ki-Yeon.
'Why the hell are you here? Are you doing something bad behind my back? You didn't know that this black market existed until now, right? If you’ve really been hiding its existence from me, then I’ll be disappointed.'
“Do you...”
“I-It’s nothing like that, Miss Ki-Yeon,” Kim Hyun-Sung stuttered.
“Then?” I asked.
“...”
“I feel like I’ve been talking about myself too much,” I said.
“I received a request,” Kim Hyun-Sung said.
“A request?” I asked.
“Yes. I found out about this place a few days ago. I can’t tell you the details, but it’s regarding the guild...” he answered.
‘Ah, does this have to do with building a new branch?’
“So...”
‘Look at him hesitate...’
“Did that friend of yours make the request?” I asked.
“That’s right,” Kim Hyun-Sung replied.
Although Kim Hyun-Sung didn’t give me the details, I could tell that it was the request I had made.
‘This guy...’
Perhaps he was trying to make up for the insufficient guild funds.
He probably thought that raiding a black market would be more profitable than raiding a dungeon. There was a warp gate at the Republic, so it would make the Republic wary of black markets once this black market was shut down.
It seemed like he was trying to sell the funds and stolen goods that he would get from getting rid of this place to earn some money. He had successfully infiltrated this black market, but the warp gate suddenly closed...
'Is that even right?'
It was highly likely that my assumption was correct. However, it was best to ask him the details as Lee Ki-Young since this was a guild secret. He couldn’t tell the details to Lee Ki-Yeon, as she was technically an outsider.
“The issue you've discussed with me must’ve gotten resolved.” I pointed out.
“That’s right. It’s all thanks to you. Mr. Ki-Young...”
“So it was Father Lee Ki-Young. I mean, the person you mentioned back then...” I said.
“...”
“...”
“Yes.”
“What kind of person is he?” I asked.
“He’s someone who’s precious to me,” he replied.
'But you have the guts to abandon me?'
“He helped me become the person I am today, and he has been supporting me all this while. I don’t have enough words to describe it all... but he’s a close friend,” Kim Hyun-Sung explained.
'But you ignored me. How dare you? I even sacrificed myself for you.'
“I’d like to introduce you to him, but...” Kim Hyun-Sung trailed off.
“...”
There was a moment of silence, and Kim Hyun-Sung finally decided to keep talking when the silence became too long. He was trembling slightly, so he seemed to be getting ready to make an important statement.
As a response, I got into a slightly serious pose.
“Excuse me... Miss Ki-Yeon.”
“Yes?”
He was definitely gathering his courage to say that.
“If you don’t mind...” Kim Hyun-Sung paused.
“Yes?”
“Why don’t you come to the Blue Guild?” Kim Hyun-Sung suggested.
‘You’re funny. You have no right to bring Lee Ki-Yeon to the guild. You've never been interested in recruiting people.’
I thought it was a slightly impulsive statement.
“I’m sure we can resolve the issues you’re having, and I’m not saying this out of pity or because of the situation you’re experiencing. It’s just... I think Mr. Ki-Young will like you as well. There are other reasons, but anyway... W-Why don’t you come with me?” Kim Hyun-Sung stuttered.
“...”
“I normally don’t make this kind of offer... but I feel like I need to say something...” Kim Hyun-Sung added.
“You told me the same thing last time. You said you normally don’t do this... but you felt like making this offer today for some reason. It must be a typical statement you make when flirting with girls,” I said.
“T-That’s not true,” Kim Hyun-Sung said, immediately denying it.
I wasn’t sure whether it was true or not because Kim Hyun-Sung seemed to be acting on impulse. He probably said it unconsciously. Honestly, he definitely wasn't sure about his own feelings toward Lee Ki-Yeon. He had beautiful memories of her, but those memories weren't enough to define a person.
I was certain that his offer was out of impulse, but it definitely contained some pity and a bit of his feelings.
'Yeah, I get it, but you know...'
“I’m sorry,” I said.
“What?”
“I’m really sorry, but I can’t go with you,” I answered with a sad smile.
“...”
“The young master—I’ve fallen in love with Lee Ji-Hoo,” I confessed.
Kim Hyun-Sung had yet to confess, but he had already been rejected.
“I don’t understand it, either...”
“...”
“But love comes in many forms,” I said.
'That was a great line.'
Kim Hyun-Sung’s eyes quivered intensely.
'Deserved.'