CH 75

Chapter 75

He wants me to tell him where I plan to eat?

There was a restaurant on the first floor of this building. I remember hearing about it on the guided tour…

The problem was that there were more than 1 or 2 restaurants in this complex–in fact, there were around 5 eateries in this building alone. Furthermore, the guests here are not restricted to eating in this resort hospital. Since it’s located not far from downtown, there were many other nearby restaurants.

‘I’m going crazy…’ I frowned, acting as if I was thinking about future plans, careful not to bite my lips. While buying time, I continued to inwardly assess the situation.

I needed to choose where this faceless, nameless person would want to eat today. All I could depend on was Bae Jaemin’s testimony that he’s got an FM personality!

Haah…What do FMs eat?

God damn it, how am I supposed to know?! If I could somehow divine that, would I be suffering as a Necromancer now?

Crash–!

Fortunately, at that time, a strange sound erupted in the room that Jung Garam had entered.

It sounded like a pile of books had toppled to the floor…Bae Jaemin, who had been leaning leisurely against the back of the sofa across from me, stood up as soon as he heard the noise and headed towards that room.

I assumed that Jung Garam would have caused that noise, but, for now, I acted as if I had no idea what was going on.

“Please wait a moment.” Bae Jaemin disappeared into the living room.

As soon as he could not be seen, I heard Jung Garam’s voice right behind me. “Hey.”

“Ack!……”

Weren’t you just in that room earlier?

Surprised by the unexpected appearance, I almost looked back at him, but, fortunately, Jung Garam quickly pressed on my shoulder.

At that very moment, Bae Jaemin stuck his head out. of the living room and looked at me. “Didn’t that sound come from this room?”

“Huh….?”

“Just now. Did you hear it?”

“Ah, Yes! I did hear it…What about it…..?”

“That’s strange. It doesn’t seem like anything has fallen…” Bae Jaemin returned to his original spot near me.

Jung Garam spoke quietly from behind, “Don’t act stupidly and just listen to me, alright?”

“……”

“I just switched off the [Anti-vision] in that room.”

“……”

It was here? Jeez….Then the big painting right outside of this room simply is just a normal painting

Well, Jung Garam is a well known expert in revealing traps and discovering new paths; as soon as he saw the painting, he must have realized that it was unrelated to the [anti-vision].

…..Haah

So everything I did–looking at the lights and the paintings–was useless…

There was no room to wallow in my own futility, however. Jung Garam immediately said, “The ward manager explained to us that the building contained a total of five stories. But there was a floor obscured by [anti-vision]; there’s a half-story between the 3rd and 4th floors. No wonder the ceiling was so uselessly high…”

As he spoke, he pulled up a revised map in front of me. A small new space had appeared halfway up the current floor we were on. Unwilling to be caught by Bae Jaemin, I could only roll my eyes slightly to the side to observe the map.

I’m glad we found the anchor, but…I couldn’t understand why the [anti-vision] anchor was hidden in this room. This was a guest room; what would happen if a visitor inadvertently touches and undermines the spell? The hidden floor would be exposed.

“I didn’t think this was something Koo Kyungman could have pulled off on his own…As expected, Bae Jaemin was also involved.” As soon as I formulated my questions, Jung Garam also muttered as if he read my mind. I then realized that this room would never be assigned to ordinary guests.

“I always stay in that room when I come here. The room is spacious and quiet…”

I remembered what Bae Jaemin had said when we first met in the hallway. At that time, I had thought it was no more than a passing remark…

However, I couldn’t afford to think for too long. Bae Jaemin smiled, seemingly tired of this circumventive conversation. He asked me, point blank, “Hmm, Do you need more time to think? Or…is there anything else you wanted?”

Damn it…

Of course, even if I noticed his participation in this scheme, that knowledge wouldn’t help me with Bae Jaemin’s question now. I drank all the cooled coffee in my cup and focused my thoughts back on our previous topic. If careless, I could possibly be trapped in this room like Koo Hui-seo without a bird or mouse to witness my misfortune.

“I think he’s talking about Moon Issak. Just say any restaurant.” This time, Jung Garam could back me up. I was momentarily stumped by the unfamiliar name that popped up out of nowhere, but I soon understood that it was related to Bae Jaemin’s and my previous conversation.

But wait…Were you listening to the whole conversation from another room

‘Then, this must be the name of the Ranker that Bae Jaemin had mentioned?’

Jung Garam took the initiative to expand the holographic map to show the names of the restaurants on the first floor. I checked out a Korean Restaurant named [Tea Banquet] and answered while staring straight at Bae Jaemin, “…I think I’ll have dinner at the Tea Banquet.”

“Good.” At my answer, Bae Jaemin smiled broadly once more.

My heart felt tight at the beautiful face. He looked like a pretty boy , half hidden by the eye patch, with a sweet demeanor.

As expected, people shouldn’t be judged by their appearances. How many things have you hidden with that seemingly harmless smile….?

“Then, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Bae Jaemin said.

“….Yes.”

“Please don’t be too nervous. I’ll just coincidentally drop by tomorrow…I won’t cause trouble for Lee-kyung-ssi at the [Tea Banquet].”

That means he’s going to pretend to not recognize me? I got up from my seat, nodding my head to show that I understood.

Bae Jaemin followed as if to escort me out. He passed by me to reach the door first; his palm unfolded and turned the door knob. Briefly, a blue spark popped up from his touch; I was surprised, though my face betrayed no emotion.

Jung Garam saw that spark and clicked his tongue, “This place is like a safe…”

This place…If I came here without Jung Garam, I might not have seen the outside world again. I would have been stuck, unable to leave dead or alive…

“If you’re bored, please come again…Feel free to spend the night as well.” Whether he knew I was scared or not, Bae Jaemin opened the door with his usual smile, spouting absolute nonsense. I did not answer and walked straight into the hallway.

Though I knew it seemed as if I was running away with my tail between my legs, I was unable to look back even once. That’s because I couldn’t hear the door close until the end of the hallway.

When I arrived at my room, cold sweat rained down my back.

* * *

“Moon Lee-sak is here?”

“Yeah. That guy whined to Lee-kyung because he wouldn’t permit the guild to official form?”

“He thinks Lee-kyung-ie’s on Moon Lee-sak’s side?”

“Probably?”

With me buried in the bed between them, Seo Dawon, who was back in his incorporeal form, and Jung Garam exchanged intel above my head.

The tension and anxiety only released when I stepped foot inside my room…When I knocked on the door, I was so surprised to see Lackey rush at me with my own face, that my legs gave way. At that moment, Seo Dawon rushed to help me to my feet…

Even now, while speaking with Jung Garam, Seo Dawon sat next to my face-down body and placed a cool hand on my head, checking my temperature. I was a bit bothered by the concern, but I had no energy to tell him to stop…And, it wasn’t as if the cold touch felt bad…

I felt, once again, that the servants were different from other humans. Though his hand had been placed on my forehead for quite some while, it had yet to warm up. It was as if his fingers were covered in chilly winds. I thought, randomly, ‘Can he feel the cold?’

“….By the way, Why is Lee-kyung-ie so spiritless?” Seo Dawon asked.

“Bae Jaemin was toying around with him.”

“Threatening him?”

“Ah, fuck if I know. But you know, I finished this super quickly. It was hard to finish everything before Lee-kyung-ie cried.”

I was slightly annoyed at Jung Garam’s humiliating depiction–crying at a single touch and begging for mercy. Honestly, though, I really wanted to cry at that time. So I closed my eyes, tamped down my crankiness, and pretended to ignore the two.

TL: Thank you for kofi-supporter for the coffee~ This bonus chapter is for you!

Bae Jaemin: Feel free to spend the night

Seo Dawon: I feel a disturbance in the force.