CH 231

Chapter 231

When Han Kiseok heard my response, his expression gradually slid off his face. Jung Garam, sitting behind him, tried to hold back his laughter, cheeks twitching with mirth.

I stealthily glared at him; I couldn’t understand why the Assassin looked so amused and joyful. I suspected that he was making funny faces at me, trying to get me to react and be labeled as a weirdo.

“Wooow… Han Kiseok-ssi… How pitiful,” the Alchemist said.

“……?”

After commenting on the situation, Choi Kyung-sik gave Han Kiseok a sympathetic glance.

The Alchemist truly looked like he felt sorry for Han Kiseok, a rich and popular User and [Trap] executive. Plus, he looked alternatingly at me as well. ‘Just what is so pitiful about him…? Is he saying that it’s pitiful that, in the past, Han Kiseok had to deal with someone like me romantically pursuing him?’

For some reason, I felt uncomfortable; my brows furrowed. Suddenly, I heard Seo Dawon and Kim Olim conversing behind me.

“There’s a timing for everything. What a satisfying look on his face.”

“Right? Poor thing.”

“…Han Kiseok ruined his chances–you haven’t won. Your smug expression is incredibly detestable. How repulsive.”

“The more you say that, the more I find it enjoyable though?” Seo Dawon released a low-pitched chuckle. I listened intently, unable to comprehend the flow of their conversation, but it seemed like the two had finished speaking.

“Why is everyone in the Hub gay… Ah, enough. I’m tired.” Finally, Woo Ragi muttered under his breath before snapping his mouth shut. I felt like I was the only one left in the dark.

After a long while, Han Kiseok said in a subdued tone, “Then, have you been…seeing anyone lately?”

“Huh? Ah…Mmph!” I stuttered, deeply conscious of Seo Dawon’s presence behind me. The Mage didn’t leave me alone and began caressing my ears–my ears!

I almost made a weird sound; I shook my head slightly to ask him to stop.

Seeing that, Han Kiseok asked, “You don’t have someone?”

“Huh? Ah… Well.. Something like that? Nowadays… I’m a bit busy raiding dungeons…” Wary of his gaze, I looked around. I couldn’t talk to Han Kiseok about Seo Dawon… Furthermore, it’s still a bit vague to declare that the Mage and I are dating…

However, I could feel Seo Dawon staring gloomily at me from behind after my answer. I almost turned around right then to check what expression the Mage made. What stopped me was Han Kiseok’s follow-up question.

“Aha… What about…Kim Sangyoon is it? What about him?”

“What?! Hey… Even if I like men, I don’t like every man around me.”

At my angry retort, Han Kiseok blinked before smiling again. Then, in a relaxed manner, he gently said, “Ah, I didn’t mean it in that way. I just wanted to know what Kim Sangyoon is like.”

“What? That…Um… H-He’s a good guy.” Feeling awkward, I hurriedly made amends and answered his question with a blushing face.

This time, though, Seo Dawon decided to throw a tantrum. He came close–almost putting his lips directly against my ears–and whispered, “What do you mean you aren’t seeing anyone, Lee-kyung-ah?”

“….!”

“You’re too much…”

At that statement, I flinched my shoulders, startled. Han Kiseok stared at me with a questioning expression; I smiled clumsily at him, pretending nothing was happening.

“Your ears suddenly became so red,” he said.

“Huh? Ah… I-It’s just… itchy.” I looked at the nearby mirror on a wall; the tops of both my ears were flaming red.

I rubbed my ears a bit futilely and smiled awkwardly. Han Kiseok stared at me as if he had more to say but eventually closed his mouth.

* * *

Afterwards, unable to resist Seo Dawon’s tiresome sulkiness, I stood up and told Han Kiseok I had a dinner appointment.

I became a rude person who’d booked two appointments within the same day, but that couldn’t be helped. The Mage kept bothering me; the other servants washed their hands of any responsibility and sat on the sidelines.

Lackey tried to bite at the Mage several times, but, as always, the skeleton’s weak strength couldn’t disrupt the Mage.

Furthermore, due to this turn of events, Han Kiseok seemed to have another strange misunderstanding. He seemed to think that Lackey was a defiant servant who dared to nibble at its master.

I supposed his misunderstanding was understandable–from his perspective, the skeleton suddenly clacked for no reason, threatening his master, but… Seeing his worry, somehow I felt wronged on behalf of Lackey.

‘I wanted to show him how well I lived… It’s all ruined because of Seo Dawon!’

I glared at Seo Dawon, leading the way, with a resentful expression.

In the end, I felt like I failed at properly conveying ‘I’m living well without you, and I don’t envy your situation at all…’ to Han Kiseok. I felt like I acted too foolishly during our meeting.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to take you home?” Han Kiseok asked.

“Mmm… The place where I’m going next… Isn’t too far from here…”

“Really? Too bad.”

“Sorry… This appointment is… a bit important.”

“Well… Let’s just meet again another time.”

“Huh?”

“Let’s meet again when you’re freer. When you don’t have someplace else to go.”

“Huh? O-Okay..”

Han Kiseok didn’t seem particularly offended. I felt flustered–he really wanted to meet next time and be able to spend time leisurely with each other.

To be honest, after getting over the fact that I no longer held any feelings for Han Kiseok, it felt awkward to see him… I didn’t really have anything to say to him. Therefore, I had no intention of meeting him again. To be frank, I wanted to avoid meeting him again.

However, how many people could coldly reject the offer to meet again directly to a person’s smiling face… Eventually, I reluctantly nodded my head, “S……Sure.”

“Do you have time this weekend?”

“Um…? Who knows… I’ll contact you after I check my schedule at home.”

“Alright.”

Because of all these underlying feelings, this conversation felt truly awkward. Back when we were students, I had always wanted to meet him and contacted him first while agonizing over the right words to message him. Han Kiseok’s regretful and disappointed face reminded me of my past self. Did I cling to the high school Han Kiseok with that expression as well?

‘Why is he like that…’

“Well then, message me when you return home,” He said.

While I was seized by this strange feeling–I couldn’t quite name this emotion–Han Kiseok finally turned around and walked away. 1 I lowered my waving hand after watching him disappear into the parking lot. Something felt out-of-sorts.

I turned my back on him. Right then, Seo Dawon suddenly grabbed my hand.

“What…!” Startled by the suddenness of it all, I tried to shake off the Mage’s hand. But, when I locked gazes with the Mage, all thoughts of resisting disappeared.

Seo Dawon’s eyes chased Han Kiseok until he disappeared before looking down at me; my heart began to strangely pound at his chilly gaze. Like that, Seo Dawon twisted his lips and laughed. “The next time?”

“……”

“Are you going to make me stand behind again as you meet with Han Kiseok next time?”

I tried to answer, but that didn’t seem to matter to Seo Dawon.

He dragged me through the alleyways between the buildings, where there was no light. I didn’t resist and meekly let myself be dragged away. However, when he pressed the inscription tattooed onto my ring finger, I paused and looked up at him. Here? Why?

However, he did not say anything more, as if nothing needed to be said. In the end, I eventually called his name. “…[Seo Dawon].”

When I summoned the Mage for the first time in a long while, I clearly felt the difference between an incorporeal vengeful ghost and someone with a body.

As a ghost, Seo Dawon was colored in a unique tone; that color visibly stood out even in the shade. However, when the Mage was summoned and his body became corporeal, that tone faded as the sun weakly shone on him. It was as if Seo Dawon had been accepted as part of the natural world…

“Lee-kyung-ah.”

“Yeah?”

However, as soon as Seo Dawon was summoned, I heard a voice–one that I wasn’t expecting to hear nor should have heard–from behind.

When I whirled around in surprise, Han Kiseok, who I thought had returned home, was standing there blankly. Though he had called for me, Han Kiseok looked past me, staring straight at Seo Dawon.