Chapter 894. Vacation (12)

I wanted to yell at Kim Hyun-Sung and ask what the hell he was doing here because I was curious as to why he was here when he was supposed to be out there making money. However, I couldn’t say that right now.

The turn of events was so sudden that my mind blanked out.

‘Ah, damn it.’

Obviously, Kim Hyun-Sung was surprised as well—more surprised than me.

Putting myself in his shoes, I was sure this situation was like a dream for him.

He only had a few precious memories, and one of those was the precious memory of that night, which ended on a bad note. In the end, all he had left was a shoe.

It was funny to see so many emotions painting his face, but this wasn't the most ideal situation. To make things worse, he looked like he didn't notice Jin Cheong or Lee Ji-Hoo at all.

It was like he was trying to decide what to say while staring intently at me.

‘This is bad. Isn’t our plan ruined now?’

I had to think of a way to fix this.

“You scum. Who are you...”

“...”

Jin Cheong wasn’t even thinking about answering. He was really shocked as well.

- Lee Ki-Young... you scum. What the hell is going on?

'I don’t know either, damn it. But I’m sure you have an idea. Isn’t it obvious?'

“Noona... are you okay?” Lee Ji-Hoo asked.

- Shit! What kind of ridiculous situation did you shove me into, Lee Ki-Young? Answer me!

“I’m asking you a question, noona,” Lee Ji-Hoo said.

'You two need to stop pressuring me. I can't think straight, and you’re making it worse for me.'

Lee Ji-Hoo was on the brink of exploding, and his passionate acting made the situation even more realistic. I could see that he was worried about me while we were apart. He was nervous and anxious; his breathing was uneven as well.

He was completely immersed in his role.

Lee Ji-Hoo was playing the typical male protagonist regretting his actions while worrying about Lee Ki-Yeon. The desperation on his face made the other actors become immersed in their roles as well, and I took a step back without realizing it.

I wanted to apologize to

him.

I wanted to tell him that my

precious thing

had been taken away by this man and that I was no longer the Lee Ki-Yeon whom he was familiar with...

We weren’t apart for that long, but to stay on schedule, we needed to condense the story. I suffered for two to three months because of this scum, and I thought Ji-Hye noona actually liked that setup because of the many emotions on her face.

- Lee Ki-Young, you bastard!

Jin Cheong went mad upon realizing that his assumption was correct.

[Creating an Average-rank Forced Quest.]

[I’m really sorry, Commander. Please forgive me just this once. I really came here with Ji-Hye noona on vacation, but the situation became bad. I’ll grant your wish later as long as it’s within my power. You don’t have to do anything; just act like you normally would. (0/1)]

[An Average-rank quest has been delivered to Jin Cheong. No quest rewards were declared, so Player Jin Cheong will not receive a reward.]

- I...

[I’m sincerely asking for your help right now. It seems like I’m playing around, but I’m really desperate right now. It’s really important.

Ah

, how about this? We agreed to work with each other. (0/1)]

- I don’t remember agreeing to work with you, but...

[I know you want to work with me. You’re annoyed about letting me handle all of it, but you’re also annoyed about the fact that many things are happening without your knowledge.

[People like us are really sensitive to things like that. I will help you work in your desired position.

[You’ll get a lot of support, and I’ll make sure that you'll get to take on as many solo projects as possible. Basically, you’re guaranteed to get those projects. Anyway, do I just need to get the Republic off your back? (0/1)]

- ...

[Interested? I know you are interested. It’s not even a difficult request. Just act like you normally would. You don’t have to do anything in particular. (0/1)]

'Actually, it's better if you don’t say anything.'

This wasn't the right timing to transform the Hero of Shadows into the main protagonist. He just had to maintain that arrogant look and condescending look, and Ji-Hye noona would get the scene that she wanted to get.

I didn’t hear any answer from him. I wasn’t sure whether he was thinking about it or if he had decided to do what I wanted him to do, but his face told me everything. He looked so much like a villain that he didn’t even need to say anything.

“Come here, noona,” Lee Ji-Hoo said.

“...”

“Y-Young Master...” I stuttered.

“Come here,” Lee Ji-Hoo repeated.

Jin Cheong was stopping me from going to him.

“I-I’m... sorry. I...” I paused.

“I told you to come here,” Lee Ji-Hoo said.

There was a subtle hostility in the air, and I was sure that Kim Hyun-Sung had realized something. I wasn’t sure what kind of story he was imagining right now, but he had definitely realized that two men were fighting over a woman.

Since he had already realized that, then I was sure he was thinking about why I was here.

Kim Hyun-Sung finally spoke, “I don’t know what’s going on, but...”

“...”

“I can’t just stand by and watch,” Kim Hyun-Sung continued.

'No, you can just, Hyun-Sung...'

Kim Hyun-Sung looked at Jin Cheong, but I couldn’t imagine these two talking to each other. As expected, the two didn’t say anything despite the strange situation.

They could have asked each other what they were doing here, but they were maintaining an awkward distance as if they were seeing each other for the first time.

Perhaps this was better because if those two ended up getting involved, the situation could get worse.

“It’s up to Miss Ki-Yeon to decide where she wants to go because she doesn’t belong to anyone. I don’t know what kind of relationship you have with her, but...” Kim Hyun-Sung trailed off.

“...”

“Miss Ki-Yeon,” Kim Hyun-Sung called out to me.

Anyway, it was better to send Kim Hyun-Sung away because this was just too dangerous. I cast a longing gaze at him, and my expression spoke volumes.

In the end, I chose to run away.

‘I’ll retreat for now.’

It was for a good reason.

Lee Ki-Yeon didn’t want to be with Jin Cheong when she had indescribable feelings for Lee Ji-Hoo. It was the same for Kim Hyun-Sung. As for Jin Cheong, he didn't have to do anything other than standing and smiling wickedly while staring at Lee Ji-Hoo.

Would the scene become more realistic if I ran away because I couldn’t stand being here any longer?

With that in mind, I turned around and ran away.

[Creating an Average-rank Forced Quest.]

[Buy me some time. I’m not asking for much. I just need a moment. Take care of them for me. You don’t even need to worry about Kim Hyun-Sung. I’m sure he’ll go away soon. (0/1)]

[An Average-rank quest has been delivered to Jin Cheong. No quest rewards were declared, so Player Jin Cheong will not receive a reward.]

They disappeared from my line of sight when I turned the next corner. I heard them calling out my name, but I quickly opened my hand mirror and sent a message.

- Mr. Hyun-Sung, can you come here real quick?

Obviously, the sender was the God of Sacrifice and Revival.

The sender was God Ki-Young, who had a solid bond with Kim Hyun-Sung.

- It’s kind of urgent, and I have many things to tell you... Come to think of it, I think I was kind of harsh. I’d like to apologize over dinner. I made a reservation at a nice restaurant, and I want to know how you’ve been doing as well. It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other.

I was running so fast that I was running out of breath, so I found it really difficult to send those messages. I couldn't see Kim Hyun-Sung, but I wasn’t sure whether Jin Cheong was doing a good job buying time or if the former had simply read my message.

There was a chance that Kim Hyun-Sung had yet to read my messages, but I thought about the worst-case scenario, which was the possibility that Kim Hyun-Sung might not have received my messages, so I decided to send another message.

- Also...

'I’ll end it there. I have to make him curious to make it more effective. He’ll probably come right away once he reads my message. Our Hyun-Sung won't betray Light Ki-Young just because he has fallen for Bitch Ki-Yeon.'

I ran so frantically that I had no idea where I was right now. One thing I was sure of was that my surroundings were still a mess. There were screams everywhere, and I could see people running in all directions.

There was chaos around me.

And that was when my hand mirror vibrated in my hands.

‘He’s here.’

- I’m really sorry, Mr. Ki-Young.

“What?”

- I have no words other than that I’m really... really sorry. I’d like to go to you right now, but something urgent came up... I can’t tell you right now, but it’s really urgent. I’ll make sure I get to you within three hours. I’m sorry. I’m... really sorry.

- What?

‘What the hell are you doing?’

'How dare you betray me when I’ve done so much for you?'

- Okay. Good luck. ^^ Looks like I’ve been bothering you. ^^

'Fucking’ bastard. Will you still not come after seeing this message?'

- You’re not bothersome at all. I’m actually really happy that you contacted me. I’ll return once I'm done with my task here.

Kim Hyun-Sung probably had no idea why I sent that emoticon to him.

Perhaps I had to be a bit more straightforward because that was the only way he’d understand me.

I picked up my hand mirror again, but I had to put it away because I saw Kim Hyun-Sung running toward me. It wasn’t easy mixing in with the crowd. All I could do was keep turning corners and widening our distance—no, I couldn't even do that.

I decided to just get ready to cry.

As expected, I felt someone putting their hand on my shoulder.

I looked at Kim Hyun-Sung with eyes filled with tears, and he flinched upon seeing my tear-stricken face.

I smacked his hand away, and his hand fell weakly on his side. I finally realized where we were. I pulled at my clothes to adjust them, but I inadvertently put too much strength into my hands, so I tore them apart, revealing the slave seal.

The seal told everyone that Lee Ki-Yeon hadn't been living an easy life.

“Miss Ki-Yeon?” Kim Hyun-Sung called out.

'I’ll slap him for now.'

Smack!

“

Ah...

”

“How much more are you going to make me miserable?” I questioned.

“...”

“Do... Do you still believe that I don’t belong to anyone?” I asked.

“...”

“Are you disappointed because this isn’t the reunion that you wanted?” I asked.

“...”

“Are you disappointed because of how much I changed?” I asked.

'I’ll corner him for now because he can’t do anything once he's pushed into a corner.'

“Do you think I’m a stupid woman?” I asked.

“...”

“Why did you appear before me?

Heuk...

Why... Why?!” I grumbled.

'Take one more slap for no reason.'

Smack!