Chapter 1199. The Demon King of Sunset’s Castle (19)

The plot was still unclear, but the fact that Lee Ki-Young had gone out of his way to find Woo Hyo-Yeol suggested that the plot wasn’t an ordinary one.

‘This is ridiculous.’

Based on the situation, I couldn’t help but think that they talked about something pretty serious. Judging by the timing when he took over my body, it was highly likely that they discussed his regression.

However, Woo Hyo-Yeol's lips were sealed shut when it came to talking about him being a regressor, so it just made things even more confusing.

What kind of cunning technique had he used to persuade Woo Hyo-Yeol to lower his guard? What kind of movie had they filmed that things changed so drastically?

The situation was pretty shocking to me, as I had been trying to change Woo Hyo-Yeol since I was summoned here.

After raising him like he was something valuable, it was natural for me to feel as if someone else had suddenly taken him away from me. If I had to give an example, it was like someone had stolen my strawberry sitting on top of my cake.

‘What the hell were they talking about for so damn long?’

Wait, was there even any progress?

𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Above all, what surprised me was that Woo Hyo-Yeol had agreed to talk to him for

that

long.

“Excuse me... sir. Are you okay?” Aleria asked.

“

Huh?

I...” I mumbled.

“You don’t look so good... If you’re feeling unwell—”

“No, it’s not that. I was just thinking about something, so you don’t need to worry. Anyway, about what happened next...” I paused.

“...”

“Did anything happen after that?” I asked.

“

Ah!

That’s right. After you entered your room, you called for me,” Aleria answered.

“

Ah...

I see,” I mumbled.

“Did that help you... If there’s anything else you’d like to ask...” Aleria asked.

“No, that’s all I wanted to know. Thank you for helping me,” I answered.

“I should be the one thanking you. I-It was such an honor talking to you, even if our conversation was short...” Aleria said.

“Also, I’m telling you this just in case, but please don’t tell anyone about our conversation today, including Mr. William,” I told her.

“What? Understood,” Aleria said.

“Please don’t tell anyone,” I added.

“...”

“...”

"Yes, sir.”

For some reason, I had a feeling that she wasn’t going to keep her promise.

‘I should send her away after giving her a little treat.’

“You probably won't understand it, but it’s really important to me. I beg you...” I said.

I hugged her lightly and even patted her back. Besides the fact that she stiffened out of nervousness, it was a pretty profitable fan meeting. I learned about the overall timeline and had an idea about what Lee Ki-Young wanted. I didn’t even need to review the information because what he wanted was to clear the Demon King of Sunset’s Castle as fast as possible.

He had offered a few helpful paths, but his ultimate objective was that one thing.

‘Although I’m not sure why he showed himself...’

From that, I concluded that I wasn’t his puppet, and it was honestly the best conclusion. Lee Ki-Young and Flower Ki-Young’s personalities were clearly separate. It was a relief, as I was worried that his subconscious was controlling me.

I assumed he could take control of my body, but he couldn't reach my mind. If he could really take control of my mind, then there would be no reason for him to take control of my body.

‘This could be a trap, but I’m not certain...’

Lee Ki-Young didn’t seem like the type to set up traps like this. Actually, he had no reason to set up traps like this. By revealing his presence to me, he sacrificed a tremendous amount of advantage.

It would be better to lean toward the interpretation that his relationship with me was a partnership, not a rivalry.

I had no idea whether I was a version detached from Lee Ki-Young or if I was a program created to trick the GENIUSES in this place, but as long as I saw myself as Lee Ki-Young, my short-term goals remained the same.

Clear the Demon King of Sunset’s Castle and save Rohen...

The situation was a bit different from when I was struggling over the Lee Ki-Young issue.

“...”

“...”

‘Should I take this as a message that we should work together?’

It didn’t really matter, but I was happy by the fact that a few of my questions were answered.

First of all, I wasn't inside a homunculus, which was the reason Kim Hyun-Sung didn't find anything strange about my body.

If Flower Ki-Young’s consciousness were created based on Dummy Ki-Young, it would be like playing a mad scientist creating a new consciousness to instill into a new body, but now that I thought about it, that wasn’t really an issue.

‘It’s not a big deal.’

If my consciousness could be controlled and separated at any time, then making use of Dummy Ki-Young or First Ki-Young wasn’t a problem. He'd probably even think that it would be safer than separating his own consciousness.

‘Should I visit Woo Hyo-Yeol first?’

Would it be a good idea to hear what happened? I was just thinking about it, but I was already preparing to leave.

It was late, but it wasn’t time for him to sleep just yet, and most importantly, that jerk would likely feign ignorance tomorrow. He was probably feeling emotional at the moment, so striking while the iron was hot—visiting him tonight was the right choice.

I left quickly and searched the places Woo Hyo-Yeol normally visited to waste some time, but I couldn't see him there. However, I found Lim Chae-Ryeong wandering around the camp.

“Miss Chae-Ryeong,” I said.

“Mr. Lee Ki-Young! Where are you headed?” Lim Chae-Ryeong asked.

“Do you know where Mr. Hyo-Yeol is?” I asked.

“I’m not sure. Did something happen? I can—”

“No, it’s nothing like that...” I answered.

“I did see him earlier. He was looking around with a serious face. I talked to him, but he didn’t answer me. I even yelled at him, but he just ignored me and left. I’m suddenly getting mad just thinking about it. He’s really rude,” Lim Chae-Ryeong complained.

“Do you know which way he went?” I asked.

“That way,” Lim Chae-Ryeong answered.

“I’m sorry, Miss Chae-Ryeong. I’ll be leaving first,” I told her.

“

Ah!

Sir!” Lim Chae-Ryeong called out.

‘Where did he go?’

I thought it wouldn’t take me long to find him since the safe zone was tiny, but I couldn’t find any traces of him. When I followed Lim Chae-Ryeong's directions, I finally saw Woo Hyo-Yeol striking a cool pose all by himself in a secluded area.

He was leaning against a giant pole, staring off into the distance. Perhaps it was just me, but he looked unusually melancholy today. It wasn’t like Woo Hyo-Yeol to be lost in thought.

‘He’s still the same.’

I was sure he had already sensed that I was nearby.

Despite that, he was still looking into the distance.

“Mr. Hyo-Yeol?” I said.

“...” “Mr. Hyo-Yeol,” I repeated.

When I called him out a little louder, I immediately heard his voice.

“What is it?”

“Well... I...”

“If you don’t have any business with me, I suggest you stop snooping around and leave,” Woo Hyo-Yeol said.

‘What the heck?’

“...”

“I’m telling you this because it’s cold,” Woo Hyo-Yeol added.

Perhaps I was just imagining it, but he sounded a little kinder.

‘No, he clearly has become more warm-hearted.’

It had been a while since his gaze showed any signs of friendliness, but it seemed like he had become friendlier than before. His gaze and voice had become softer, and I could feel him being considerate of me.

‘If I ask him what happened today, I’m sure he’ll make a big deal out of it.’

Rather than just asking him what happened, I felt like it was better to ease into it first...

“Mr. Hyo-Yeol... about today...”

I was sure his reaction would tell me a lot...

“I thought we were done talking,” Woo Hyo-Yeol said.

“Well...”

“I’m sure I told you that I didn’t want to talk about it anymore,” Woo Hyo-Yeol said.

‘I want to know too, damn it. What did you two talk about?’

“It wasn’t like me to be so talkative, and I’ve become emotional for no good reason,” Woo Hyo-Yeol continued.

‘Wait.’

“Of course, I’m not saying that I regret it,” Woo Hyo-Yeol added.

“...”

“It wasn’t like me... to get upset about what you said. I just rejected what you said. All this time, I thought it was comfortable to work alone... but traveling together like this isn’t so bad either,” Woo Hyo-Yeol explained.

Based on the situation, he was talking about his first life. Were they talking about the reason Woo Hyo-Yeol had started working alone? They probably talked about the fate he faced and the kind of life he lived in his past life.

“I admit that you changed me,” Woo Hyo-Yeol said.

‘What the hell is going on?’

“But only a little bit,” Woo Hyo-Yeol added.

“Mr. Hyo-Yeol,” I said.

“Stop. I get what you’re trying to say, but I can’t change everything in a single moment. I’m still me,” Woo Hyo-Yeol said.

‘That’s why I’m asking what the hell is going on.’

“I’m not saying that I won’t try... but there are things I just can’t change. Changing my inherent nature isn’t easy,” Woo Hyo-Yeol continued.

Had he gotten smacked by the hard truth or something? Strangely, he looked defeated. For some reason, I had a feeling that it wasn’t going to be easy to talk about this again.

He kept expressing that he didn’t want to talk about it anymore, so it wasn’t easy to pressure him into talking about it.

“Also... I’m sorry about today. I know you already said that you forgave me, but I want you to accept my apology again,” Woo Hyo-Yeol said.

‘What did you do?’

“...”

“...”

“Sure. I’ll... accept your apology,” I said.

I assumed there was some kind of argument related to his regression or the party, and he probably made some kind of mistake. He had to have done or said something that even he thought was a bit too much, and Lee Ki-Young used that to his advantage to take control of the conversation.

In the end, Woo Hyo-Yeol's wall shattered, and Lee Ki-Young got what he wanted.

It was only natural for them to talk about many things. They probably had honest conversations, which was unlike Woo Hyo-Yeol, and he probably revealed his deepest feelings, which he would only do once every blue moon.

They probably shared a few deep moments, shed some tears, talked about things they had been holding onto, and sympathized with each other. In Woo Hyo-Yeol's eyes, the entire thing was probably a continuous string of confusion.

His values were also being affected, so...

‘So that’s why he’s more emotional than usual.’

He was probably reflecting on himself.

Of course, I couldn't say for sure that he would change and that the conversation would have a positive influence on Woo Hyo-Yeol, but...

‘If he ends up alone because of this, he’ll fall apart mentally...’

He was growing.

It was good for me, but...

‘It puts me in a bad mood.’

Strangely, I felt something boiling inside me.

‘This was supposed to be my work.’

The same thought repeated in my head.

If I were to assume that my consciousness wasn't from Lee Ki-Young and was created, or more like programmed, it would make sense that I got the chills.

If everything, including the bond I had with Kim Hyun-Sung, was fake...

If all the emotions I had for the Blue Guild were fabricated...

‘This is the only thing I have left.’

This was the only thing Flower Ki-Young had left. When I realized that, it felt like a third party had ruined the piece I had been diligently working on.