CH 41

Seheon placed a hand in the pocket of his pants and surveyed their surroundings for a moment.

The time has gone past evening and headed into night. Cars meandered around under the rest area’s bright lights.

But the location they were standing at was rather dark, and exhausted people were smoking nearby. Seheon didn’t know how many cigarettes were being smoked, but the cigarette smoke blew all the way to where they were standing. 

As Seheon watched the smoke, his gaze suddenly reached Kang Hara. She looked at Seheon eagerly, making him wonder if she didn’t detect the choking scent of cigarette smoke. 

Seheon reached out and fanned the smoke near Kang Hara away. Hara, who’d flinched at the sudden wind, spared a glance at the origins of the cigarette smoke. 

Seheon withdrew his hand and placed it back into his pocket. Ridiculous, it’s definitely a lie that she’d never been in a relationship in her entire life. 

However, he’d never thought that he would be saying whether they were dating or not under such circumstances. In a rest area where cars passed by noisily and there was a distinct lack of atmosphere. 

However, rather, this caused Seheon’s head to calm down. Things like a nice restaurant, a beautiful night view, or a delicate atmosphere wouldn’t blend in with the situation itself. 

“I’ll accept as long as we make a promise.”

“Oh, yes. We can make two promises!”

“You don’t even know what I’m going to say though.”

Seheon looked down at Hara.

A pair of bright eyes could be seen through thick, horn-rimmed glasses. Although she looked embarrassed, it was probably out of worry that Seheon would reject her suggestion.

“Is this kind of relationship still valid?”

“……Are you asking me if the constellation acknowledges it?” 

“Yes.”

“Please wait a minute.”

She could have nodded immediately, but she was rather honest at times like these. 

Kang Hara swept the air with her palm. This time, Seheon could clearly see a white light that flashed past and disappeared. 

“He says it’s okay. But it’s an expedient measure, so there might be restrictions or additional quests.”

Slight discouragement could be heard in her voice. 

But she’d already expected this much. It’s because she knew that all constellations were arbitrary in nature in the first place.

“Very well.”

“……O, oh.”

Seheon adjusted his voice.

“But the promise I want from you is trust.”

“Oh, sir. I have a decent credit rating. I’m a civil servant, so I can get good loans!”

“That’s not what I meant.”

Seheon looked directly into Hara’s eyes. The large black eyes on the opposite side of the glasses. When he looked at it like this, her eyes were rather big. Was her eyesight really that poor? 

“Fundamentally speaking, a relationship is based on trust in each other, right?”

“Uhh, yes.”

“So from now onwards, don’t lie to me.”

Hara’s eyes shook. In response, Seheon tilted his head lightly.

“If you don’t like it, then I won’t cooperate.”

“Ahh, no! It’s not that I don’t like it! I was just very surprised.”

The woman waved her hands wildly and cried.

“I’m not lying! I can also show you my bank account’s balance!”

“……What’s the point of me looking at your bank account’s balance?”

Seheon snorted because he was too dumbfounded. At the same time, it still hasn’t hit him that he was really going to date this woman or something. 

As he watched the restless woman before him, he suddenly reached out because he was bothered by what was on her hair.

Whether Kang Hara flinched or not, he removed the dried blood staining her forehead’s hairline. The dried blood was crushed under his fingertips.

Seheon looked up again after looking at his hand for a while.

Well, it’s his first time telling a woman to meet him like this, so he hesitated and took his time. The conclusion was still the same.

“As you mentioned, I will think of it as an official duty that I’m performing and cooperate with you.”

“……Oh, my God. Thank you so much, sir.”

Of course, upon hearing his words of acceptance, that woman would react by clasping her hands together like she was praying and excitedly saying, “Thank you, sir,” which wasn’t normal.

When he thought deeper about it, this situation itself wasn’t normal. Seheon laughed bitterly. The breeze dishevelled his hair.

* * *

[The quest ‘Love and War’ is completed!]

[Achievement Completed!]

[The skills of the user, ‘Kang Hara’ will be readjusted]

[The status window of the user, ‘Kang Hara’ will be readjusted]

[The status, ‘Luck’, has been activated according to the principle of causality of the user ‘Kang Hara’]

[Now Loading……]

“By the way, how far do we have to go?”

“What?

A restaurant at the rest area. There weren’t many people in the restaurant because it was quite late.

Hara, who was seated across from him, looked at him with wide eyes while gulping down the recently served kimchi udon noodles.

“How far do we have to go? For example……”

Seheon tilted his head.

“Do I have to kiss Kang Hara, too.”

Keugh. Hara, who had been eating her noodles, choked and turned her head to cough strongly. Cough cough.

Seheon’s eyes narrowed. That wasn’t something that he’d particularly wanted to talk about.

Of course, he could also understand Hara’s position. 

A 9pm news anchor. In other words, his voice was sedate and his pronunciation was perfect. It was natural for Hara to become embarrassed while eating because a person like that suddenly talked about kissing in such a voice.

“I’m, I’m sorry……”

Hara, who wiped the corners of her mouth belatedly, coughed again, received the cup that Seheon had quietly pushed towards her and gulped down the water.

There was a hot stone pot bibimbap set meal from the rest area in front of Seheon. But he tapped the table with his fingers without touching the meal.

“Let’s sort it all out. Actually, I can understand dating. It’s fortunate that it isn’t a quest to fall in love. Since dating is a rather behavioural thing.”

“I understand what you mean. So……”

“Yes, I would like to confirm the scope of the relationship mentioned by the constellation.” 

Seheon pushed his phone screen towards Hara. Hara almost choked again after looking at his screen.

Search terms like ‘contractual relationship’ appeared in the phone’s search engine. 

“I looked up contractual relationships, and most of them took the form of relationships for benefits other than love. However.”

Seheon just pushed aside his meal tray and took out his notebook to gather news materials. Ka-cha, the word that he wrote in the notebook after pressing on his pen was love.

“Cupid, that constellation wants is love.”

“……”

“But these kinds of contractual relationships seem to include a clause of not falling in love with each other.”

Hara felt like breaking into a cold sweat. It was because of the analytical attitude that Yoon Seheon had taken unexpectedly. 

She’d even wondered if she’d be alienated by him, and perhaps be despised by him like in the past. But now, he was being rather cooperative. Really.

“In the end, that god of love seems to hope for something emotional between you and I, right?”

“Uh……”

Hara’s gaze wandered in the air.

[The constellation, ‘Cupid’ nods enthusiastically]

“Perhaps?”

Then Seheon asked straight away as if he had been waiting.

“What’s the basis for that emotional exchange?”

“What?”

“Doesn’t love come in many forms? Even if you’re the god of love, you’d also know that eventually, these feelings would also change. Let’s say, for example, a couple that lived together for 20 years. Will that couple continue to hold the same feelings for each other as when they started their relationship?”

[The constellation, ‘Cupid’ wonders what’s wrong with him]

“A variety of emotions will accumulate, from gratitude for the close companionship, to hatred for the distance. If all of that can be summed up as love, then my current feelings for Kang Hara are similar to that.”

“What?”

Hara couldn’t help but feel flustered and asked back loudly.

Seheon had expected her to have such a reaction, as he opened his mouth again. 

“There is the feeling of comradeship for getting out of the dungeon together, and I feel a sense of gratitude for saving my life. However, there is also a question, ‘Why does it have to be me?’ In that case, can I say that I love Kang Hara?”

[The constellation, ‘Cupid’ feels troubled and says that he doesn’t like him…]

[The constellation, ‘Cupid’ didn’t know this kid is like this…] 

[The constellation, ‘Cupid’ is shocked by the preference of the user, ‘Kang Hara’]

“I’ve never liked this person! Don’t doubt my taste!”

Hara choked out loudly. When Seheon raised an eyebrow, Hara belatedly eep-ed and covered her mouth.

“I’m sorry. It’s because the constellation said something strange…”

“No, right now, it isn’t bad that you lack selfish motives towards me. It’s because I’m similar in that respect. Kang Hara-ssi isn’t my cup of tea.”

“……”

He was right, but why did she feel bad? However, she was the one that was rude first, so Hara also couldn’t say anything. She sighed and nodded.

Seheon wrote down his notebook again.

“If the act of dating itself is fine, we have no choice but to doubt whether it’s love that the god of love is seeking. Ultimately, what would that constellation stand to gain from this? Assuming that the quest itself is made up of rather mythos-like thinking in the first place…”

[……]

“But I think we ought to approach this quest rationally. Cupid is also known as the god of pleasure, but that kind of instantaneous pleasure…”

[The constellation, ‘Cupid’ runs away!]

Hara’s brows furrowed.

[A message from the constellation, ‘Cupid’ has arrived]

[Tomorrow, at this time]

Are you kidding?! Hara jumped up unknowingly. Draggg, the chair made a violent noise.

Seheon, who was seated in front of her, raised his eyebrows.

“I’m not done talking yet.”

“……Yes……”

‘Why can’t I just run away?’

Hara was extremely sad that she couldn’t escape from this man’s embarrassing questions. 

To make matters worse, come to think of it, this was originally a rest stop. She could only return home by riding in this man’s car. And this analysis probably won’t end before she reaches home……

Hara suddenly remembered the resume of the man on the portal site.

This person had graduated from the best university in Korea… You must have been very good at studying… I was also good at studying… I’m sure we’ve decided to enter a contractual relationship… But why do I feel like I’m in the midst of online lectures in high school…

‘I want to go home…’

Hara’s deliberation of whether it was a lecture or quest analysis continued for a long period of time.

Her kimchi udon has already cooled down. The hot stone pot bibimbap as well.