Chapter 363: Three Part Vacation (9)

Naturally, Vega was not particularly skilled at lying. Her story about the Grave of Stars was full of gaps and flaws, but Kwon Oh-Jin hadn’t really doubted her.

The legend about the Grave of Stars was all just a load of crap...?

“M-My child... t-the thing is...”

Kwon Oh-Jin could only remain silent.

Among the hundreds of Celestials, Vega was one of only three who bore the title of North Star. She was known for being cold and curt among the other Celestials.

Of course, in front of Kwon Oh-Jin, she often showed an adorably clumsy side rather than an icy exterior. Still, at her core, she was a deeply righteous and moral goddess. Someone who didn’t even know how to lie. And yet, the superstition she had told him about the Grave of Stars turned out to be an outright fabrication.

Rather than feeling angry at having been deceived, Kwon Oh-Jin felt more dumbfounded. He couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief.

“

Ha

...”

It felt like a hammer had just smacked him in the back of the head.

Why, though?

Why would she lie just to get him to the Grave of Stars?

She fidgeted when he turned to her with questioning eyes, and her lips trembled as she lowered her head like a criminal caught red-handed.

“I-I just thought... That way, there’d be a better chance.”

“A better chance?”

At doing what?

“A chance for me to unite with you,” Vega replied with her eyes tightly shut.

He could barely hear her.

“What do you mea—

Oh

,” Kwon Oh-Jin murmured in realization.

So, basically...

She had made an excuse just to be with him.

Looking at Vega, trembling with her eyes tightly shut, he faintly laughed.

From his perspective, a relationship didn’t require some grand justification before making love. For Vega, it was different. Unlike Kwon Oh-Jin, who had experience, Vega had lived for thousands of years without ever going through anything like this.

Vega also isn’t exactly as forward as Ha-Eun or Bella.

Perhaps the Grave of Stars superstition had been the best plan she could come up with after thinking long and hard.

“I-I’m sorry for deceiving you.”

She had lied straight up to his face, and he hadn’t noticed. Her so-called scheme had been so flimsy and poorly executed that he had just accepted it without any suspicion. He had thought, “No way she’d actually make up something like this.”

“Well, whether I was fooled or not, it doesn’t really matter.” Kwon Oh-Jin’s gaze shifted to Spica.

Spica pressed her lips tightly together, trembling as if trying desperately not to burst into laughter. However, she soon burst into uncontrollable laughter, and tears welled up in her eyes. “

Kyahahahahaha!

What the heck, unnie? You made up some nonexistent superstition just to seduce him?!”

Vega flushed red with shame and took a step back. “B-Be quiet!”

“Oh my. Look how cute you are, unnie! You’re practically a lovesick maiden!”

“H-Hey!”

“What was it again? Lovers who meet at the Grave of Stars will be together for a hundred years?”

“S-Stop.”

“That’s weird? I’ve never heard that rumor before.”

Vega’s golden eyes began to lose their light as if a dark cloud had passed over them.

Uh-oh.

A chilling shiver crept down Kwon Oh-Jin’s spine. His instincts warned him that this could get dangerous.

“I see... So, you’ve never heard of it,” Vega said.

The air suddenly turned frigid as if doused in liquid nitrogen.

Vega’s gaze, now cold as frost, fixed on Spica.

“U-Unnie?” Realizing something had gone terribly wrong, Spica began backing away with a frightened expression.

Vega smiled sweetly as she stepped toward her. “Then, I suppose I’ll have to teach you personally.”

Blue lightning flared viciously around Vega.

Crackle, crackle!

Spica shook her head as her face turned pale. “I-I’m sorry, unnie!”

“And what exactly are you sorry for? Not knowing isn’t a sin. Refusing to learn is the real sin.”

“

Eek!

” Like a rabbit with its tail on fire, Spica bolted toward Kwon Oh-Jin.

“A-Alkaid! Stop Vega unnie, please!”

Looking at her terrified expression, Kwon Oh-Jin placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder as if to say, “Don’t worry.” Instead, he said, “You reap what you sow.”

Kwon Oh-Jin shoved Spica toward Vega with all his strength.

“Y-Youuuuu!

Kyyaaaaa!

Save meeee!”

Leaving behind Spica’s death throes, he turned away with a satisfied expression.

Time to head back now.

The last day of his vacation was drawing near.

***

“

Ugh...

I’m dead tired.”

Dragging his worn-out body out of the Sanctum, Kwon Oh-Jin stepped into the bright morning sunlight and saw people bustling about starting their day.

He pulled out his phone to check the time. It was 6:36 in the morning.

“I have about twenty minutes left.”

According to the agreement his lovers had made among themselves, they would switch at seven in the morning. In about twenty minutes, it would be time to start his last date with Song Ha-Eun.

Kwon Oh-Jin deeply sighed. “

Haaa

.”

In the end, he hadn’t even gotten a proper night’s sleep for two days. Now, he had to go through with the third day.

“

Ugh

.”

He hadn’t even been training with illusions like usual, but it felt as if the Heavenly Demon was standing before him and smirking mockingly.

“Yeah... This is all my karma, you jerk.”

What could he do? He was the greedy one, so he couldn’t complain.

I am tired, but it’s not like I’m in a bad mood or anything.

A faint smile formed on his lips as he recalled the past two days. He felt physically and mentally exhausted, but had also gained a lot in that time.

Thanks to that, I reached ten stars.

Not only him, but Isabella had also reached the threshold of eleven stars by drinking his blood too.

“Though, it’s not like I grew stronger through training or anything. It feels kinda weird.”

However, the results justified the means. Honestly, it almost felt more effective than locking himself in a training room.

Not that I can slack on training.

If the power from Vega and Isabella was a bonus, then his training was the salary he could steadily rely on. Someone wouldn’t just reject their paycheck because they received a bonus.

And it’s not like you can always win battles just because your Stigma is powerful.

This wasn’t a game. The one with more mana from their Stigma didn’t always win. Even the sharpest sword was no better than a plastic toy from a souvenir shop if the wielder was incompetent.

“

Phew

.”

Lost in thought, he soon found himself standing in front of the door.

“All right.”

He slapped both of his cheeks lightly to shake off the drowsiness. No matter how tired he was, he couldn’t afford to ruin his day with Song Ha-Eun.

Opening the front door, he saw her sitting on the couch, munching on snacks and watching TV.

“I’m back, Ha-Eun.”

“

Oh

, you’re back?” She was wearing dolphin shorts and a white crop top, waving lazily at him. “How was it with Vega?”

“Well... I just had a good rest.”

He couldn’t exactly tell her what had happened at the Sanctum. She would probably scream like Spica.

“

Hmm

. Is that so?” Song Ha-Eun narrowed her eyes slightly.

Then, she scooted over to sit closer to him. With a sly look, she formed a circle with one hand and stuck her index finger in the circle with the other.

“You did it, right?” she asked.

“Hello, ma’am...?”

That gesture isn’t necessary.

“Oh my gosh, you totally did it!” She laughed and jabbed his side with her elbow.

Is she some middle-aged man or something? What’s wrong with her?

Kwon Oh-Jin helplessly chuckled.

“Vega acts all classy, but she couldn’t even wait that long before jumping you,

huh?

”

“Don’t ever say that in front of her.”

Or you might end up roasted by her lightning.

“I know, idiot.” Song Ha-Eun shrugged with a smirk. “Well, that’s good then.”

“What is?”

“It seems like whatever was going on with you and Vega got sorted out.”

Kwon Oh-Jin remained silent.

Even now, Song Ha-Eun was thinking about his relationship with Vega.

“Sorry...”

Remembering what Song Ha-Eun had to put up with because of his own selfishness, his chest grew heavy.

“If you’re sorry, then treat me right, you jerk.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

If he had a conscience at all, Song Ha-Eun was the last person he could afford to neglect. Truthfully, the only reason he could enjoy this kind of luxury was all thanks to her thoughtfulness.

“Did you have breakfast?” she asked.

“No, not yet.”

He hadn’t eaten a thing since visiting Vega in the Sanctum, let alone breakfast.

“Want me to make you something?”

“Actually, I did have breakfast.”

I’m soooo full.

“What? Why! I’m actually pretty good at cooking now, you know?!”

“I can’t let my noble noona get her hands dirty.”

Of all things, he could never trust her cooking.

“I’ll cook.” Kwon Oh-Jin opened the fridge to check for ingredients.

Song Ha-Eun grabbed him by the back of the neck. “Hey. Hands off, you jerk.”

“No, I said I’ll make it.”

“

Shhh!

I’m gonna show you my skills, so just sit still.”

Faced with her unyielding tone, Kwon Oh-Jin pouted as she pushed him out of the kitchen.

Seeing his anxious gaze, Song Ha-Eun grinned and gave him a big thumbs-up. “I’m gonna whip up something amazing. Just wait patiently, got it?”

The glorious breakfast she so confidently prepared turned out to be—

“Instant noodles?”

Except, she had messed up the water ratio, and all the broth had evaporated.

“What? Got a problem?”

“Nope.”

Honestly, this was probably for the best. Kwon Oh-Jin resigned himself and slurped up the noodles. The moment he tasted it, he could picture a vast ocean spreading out before him.

“So? How is it?”

“Salty.”

It literally tasted like drinking seawater.

“Y-You just don’t know the latest trends! This is, uh... oh!

Kujirai

style ramen![1] Yeah, that’s it!”

“Don’t just make things up.”

You just didn’t put in enough water.

“

Tsk...

” Song Ha-Eun’s shoulders drooped as her expression turned gloomy.

Kwon Oh-Jin chuckled and scooped a bowl of rice from the rice cooker, mixing it into the ramen. With the rice stirred in, the dish looked like a cross between dog food and porridge.

“

Oh

, this is actually good,” Song Ha-Eun said.

“Right?”

Nothing went better with overly salty ramen than rice.

After finishing the meal together, Kwon Oh-Jin and Song Ha-Eun settled onto the living room couch.

“So, where do you want to go today?” he asked.

After filling their stomachs, it was time to start his day with her.

“

Hmm...

I dunno.” Song Ha-Eun tapped a finger to her lips before mischievously smiling. “Home.”

“Home?”

“Yup. Let’s just stay in all day today.”

The unexpected answer caught him off guard. “But we’re on vacation...”

“You’ve been tossed around by Bella and Vega, so you probably haven’t even rested properly, have you?”

“That’s...” Kwon Oh-Jin flinched at her spot-on observation.

Ha-Eun chuckled knowingly and pinched his cheek playfully. “Let’s not go anywhere today and just rest, Oh-Jin.”

“Ha-Eun...” He looked at her with teary eyes as if he had stumbled upon an oasis in the middle of a desert.

1. A way of cooking ramen with just a small amount of water that was trending in South Korea. ☜