Side Stories Chapter 99 – What If Story (14)

“I love you.”

I grabbed Yoo Yeonha’s arm as soon as she said those words and pulled her into my embrace. I could smell the scent of roses from her.

She froze and her breathing stopped. She didn’t move even a bit, so I had to check just to make sure she was still alive.

I poked her waist and she flinched.

“Euk…! Let go…! I…”

“I also have a secret.”

I didn’t give her the chance to speak. I wrapped my arms around her waist and gritted my teeth. My heart was beating wildly, but I couldn’t tell if it was my heart or hers that was beating right now.

I could feel her breath on my shoulder, and tension gripped my neck.

I was worried. What if she thought that what I was about to say was just a bunch of lies? Or what if she thought that I had gone insane?

However, I really had to tell her this. I wanted to tell her this at least.

I breathed in and placed my hand on the back of her head before saying, “I… I’m not from this world.”

“…?”

I couldn’t see her reaction properly, but I could hear her uneven breathing.

She was probably in disbelief right now and doubting what she just heard. I mean, even I never imagined that I would end up saying something straight out of a sci-fi movie.

I swore to keep it a secret and not tell anyone in this life, but I guess…

“I might sound insane, but I’m not lying. I’m from another world.”

“…”

Yoo Yeonha still didn’t respond.

I started to tell her numerous things. I told her about the other earth in a parallel world where neither monsters nor heroes existed. I told her how I was just an ordinary person in that world…

However, I didn’t tell her that I was a writer in that world. I also kept the fact that she was just a character I wrote a secret as well.

Aside from that, I told her everything else.

“So that’s me in a nutshell. Do you believe me?” I asked as I slowly let go of her.

Yoo Yeonha held onto my shoulder and stood up.

She looked at me and said something strange in response, “I heard that these kinds of things happen from time to time…”

“Huh?”

I was surprised when she said that. Did Kim Suho tell her the truth as well?

“Yes, the brain tends to fabricate a memory to justify their own strength and cover their weaknesses.”

“…”

“I’m not saying there’s something wrong with you, but… I suspect that the condition for using your ability is the distortion of your memories. I’m used to stories like this since it’s quite common,” Yoo Yeonha calmly replied.

I intently stared at her for a moment before flicking her forehead.

Tak!

The sound of a walnut cracking could be heard.

“Kyak! What are you doing?!”

“Ha… I mustered the courage to tell you, but you’re treating me like a mental patient…”

To be honest, her theory was quite convincing. However, I didn’t doubt my memories one bit. The one absolute proof I had for that was the stigma on my body.

“Hey… T-That hurt…” Yoo Yeonha complained while rubbing her forehead. Then she asked, “So you’re really telling the truth…?”

“Yes, so I wasn’t born here. That’s why the past that Destruction showed us doesn’t apply to me since that wasn’t me in the first place.”

“Then whose past was that…?”

“I have no idea… I’m guessing the me from this parallel world who switched with me. Both are probably me, but we’re different at the same time.”

I made up a convincing answer on the spot, but it seemed that Yoo Yeonha was still suspicious of me. Well, I didn’t blame her since she was probably used to suspecting others as she was the vice guild master of Essence of the Strait.

She would probably be just a corpse if she stopped suspecting people…

“Are you sure you’re not making this up…? Ack!”

I flicked her forehead again and it was swollen after I hit the same spot.

I let out a sigh and muttered, “Ah~ It feels so liberating after telling this to someone~”

“Still, why don’t you go and get tested… Kyak!”

I didn’t hit her three times in a row. I simply pretended that I was going to and she immediately raised her arms to block her forehead.

I used the opening to place my hands under her armpits and tickle her.

“Hiyak! W-Wait… S-Stop it…!!”

She fell to the ground at my ambush and she laughed while crying in agony. We rolled on the grass until we were face to face with me on top of her.

The green grass as the backdrop made her eyes look especially lovely.

“You told me that you love me, right?” I asked.

She blushed and avoided my eyes.

I caressed her cheek and made her look into my eyes again.

“I too, will try to become a person fitting for you.”

These were my honest feelings. I wasn’t particularly handsome or well off. My height was slightly above average at most. The only thing I had was [Setting Intervention] and stigma, which was nothing compared to Kim Suho’s gifts.

However, I wanted to become a person suitable for her. A person she wouldn’t feel embarrassed having beside her…

Rather than change her as a person… I wanted to be the one to improve.

‘You can stay the same as you are. I will be the one to change. After all, I’m the visitor here that has to adapt to his surroundings.’

“A-Alright… I got it, so can you…” Yoo Yeonha tried to push me away.

I pushed her hands away and pressed myself closer to her.

Yoo Yeonha tried to free herself from me, but I held the back of her neck to prevent her from escaping.

I stared right into her moist eyes that were forming waves like a calm lake.

“H-Hey…!”

I kissed her.

Yoo Yeonha tightly closed her eyes and closed her mouth, but soon let out a moan and opened her mouth. I gently tickled her lips with my tongue.

Our lips started to naturally intertwine with one another, and our bodies pressed against each other.

We could feel each other’s body heat as we got closer and closer…

***

“H-Hey, we’re here. Was everyone waiting for us?”

We went back to the others while making awkward faces. They looked at us with suspicion in their eyes and closely inspected our faces.

“What were you guys doing?” Chae Nayun asked with her arms crossed over her chest.

I glanced at Yoo Yeonha before replying, “It took some time for me to wake up.”

“Is he telling the truth, Yeonha?”

“Yeah, he slept for quite a long time.”

Fortunately, our vice guild master’s acting skills were impeccable. Yoo Yeonha calmly brushed her hair and approached the others.

“Rather than that, what happened to Destruction?”

“We’re chasing him down. They say he’s at the center of the fragments. I think he’s the one who interfered with the tower raid in the first place.”

“Really? Is there anything happening in particular to the tower aside from that?”

“No… but more importantly… Tell us in detail. You know, what we saw at that evacuation shelter. Were you really aware of it all?” Chae Nayun asked.

Ding! Ding!

Our smartwatches rang at the best time after reconnecting to the internet. All of us immediately checked our smartwatches. This was how scary smartwatch addiction could be…

— Can you hear me, Hajin?

Jin Seyeon was the first to call me.

“Yes, I can hear you. What’s the matter?”

— Nothing much. We are proceeding smoothly with the fragment subjugation thanks to your map. Only two or three fragments remain.

Yoo Yeonha suddenly stretched out her hand and grabbed my smartwatch. She tried to yank it from my wrist, but failed to do so.

‘I mean… these are locked with fingerprint biometrics… you know?’

“Argh… Why won’t this thing come off…” she grumbled while wrestling with my smartwatch.

I let out a sigh and took it off for her.

— Hello? Hajin? Hello?

“Yes, this is the vice guild master of Essence of the Strait, Yoo Yeonha speaking. Please speak to me instead.”

— Ah, okay. The largest fragment is at the center, and we are going to gather at the center to subjugate it. There will be a limit of one hundred participants, so I advise that you come as fast as you can. I will send you the coordinates of the map.”

“Alright, then I will be hanging up now.”

Yoo Yeonha ended the call and put my smartwatch in her pocket.

“Hey, why are you keeping that?”

“…”

Yoo Yeonha didn’t say anything. Instead, she blinked at me a few times. I tried to put my hand in her pocket, but she slapped my hand before retreating a few steps.

“I have something to check,” she said.

“But that’s my smartwatch…”

“So? Who gave you permission to speak to her?”

Yoo Yeonha walked out after that.

Chae Nayun, Rachel, and the rest looked at me with intrigued eyes thanks to Yoo Yeonha’s unnatural behavior.

***

Eighteen guilds and one hundred heroes gathered to subjugate the tower. There were even heroes from the Temple of Justice, magicians from the magic tower, and three of the top heroes as well.

All of them used the map I drew and quickly subjugated the fragments. We were now at the last fragment after a while.

“This is quite the army,” Yoo Yeonha muttered while looking outside our tent.

I nodded in response.

Chae Nayun, Yi Jiyoon, and Rachel already joined up with the rest of the army.

“Yeah, they’re all people I’ve heard of.”

“I agree, but…”

Yoo Yeonha started squirming once again. I wondered why she had been acting like a worm since a while ago…?

“What is it?”

“This…”

She pointed at my hand on her shoulder. I was using her as a crutch by making excuses that Destruction injured me.

“Aren’t you better now? Can you let go…? Until when do you plan to keep holding onto me…?”

“I am, but… you can make me let go then.”

It was embarrassing for me to admit it, but Yoo Yeonha was stronger than me in terms of strength. I was an irregular who excelled in certain fields, but my stats were hopeless.

“I mean… that’s not what I meant…”

“Then what?”

“…”

Yoo Yeonha blushed and didn’t say anything after that. I buried my face in her shoulder and laughed. I guess I tickled her judging by how her body shook whenever I laughed.

“Haa… you really… please don’t do that…”

Anyway, this was probably enough. I pulled back my arm and gently pushed her forward.

“It’s time for you to go and rack up some achievements. I’ll be protecting you from afar.”

“Ah… sure… okay…” she grumbled once I let go of her.

I stared at her.

I, no, we confessed to each other in the fragment. The vice guild master sincerely accepted my feelings, but I had no idea what she was going to do about it from now on.

I cupped her chin and kissed her.

“…!” Yoo Yeonha gasped in surprise.

It was a short kiss, but it was more than enough to sap the strength out of her body and make her fall into my embrace.

We stayed like that for quite a while until she suddenly moved her hands and touched my clothes. Unfortunately, she was arranging the creases on my clothes. She straightened my collar and patted the dirt off my shirt.

“Don’t run away this time…” she muttered.

I smiled and nodded in response.

“You’re one to talk. Are you sure you’re not going to pretend I’m a stranger when tomorrow comes?”

“… I’m not like that.”

“Really? Dang… I liked that part of you…”

Yoo Yeonha narrowed her eyes and glared at me. I pinched her small cute nose in response.

She flinched when I pinched her nose.

“Ah, really! Can you stop teasing me?!”

“I think you’re enjoying it.”

“W-When did I? Are you crazy? I think you’re crazy…”

Yoo Yeonha blushed before she let out a sigh. The clouds receded and the sun shined brightly. Her smile was still brighter than the sun in my eyes.

“Then, I’ll be going now.”

“Okay.”

“I hope you’ll learn how to differentiate business and personal matters from now on.”

“Like I said, you’re one to talk.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about? I’m very good at it. Anyways, I’ll be going now. Watch my back. You’re back to being my bodyguard, remember that.”

“Sure, sure~”

Yoo Yeonha patted my shoulder and turned around. I watched her back just like she asked me to before climbing up a tree.

— Wow~ That’s Yoo Yeonha.

She finally reached the main tent and various people came up to shake hands with her. I leaned against the tree and involuntarily smiled.

I was feeling a sense of happiness that I had never felt after coming to this world. I felt content with life… Of course, I could no longer return to my real world.

I would no longer be able to see my family, friends, and everything else I left behind. There were times this thought came crashing down on me and made me spiral into depression, but this world taught me one thing.

If you couldn’t avoid it, then just enjoy it.

Some people might think I was just brainwashing myself and self-justifying my predicament, but it didn’t matter if I was self-justifying it to run away from the truth. I was now able to sincerely enjoy life thanks to my vice guild master.

Then a voice in my earpiece disturbed my train of thought.

— Are you watching? Are you watching over me?

Her playful voice tickled my ears.

“Yeah,” I replied with a smile. “I’m only looking at you.”

Yoo Yeonha didn’t respond and continued nonchalantly talking to the other heroes. However, I could clearly see with my own eyes that her ears were flushing red.

I suddenly felt teasing her, so I whispered.

— !

Yoo Yeonha flinched after hearing my voice.

— Vice Guild Master? Are you alright?

— I-It’s nothing… I’m okay.

The heroes around her were concerned, but she was busy looking around trying to find me.

“Hey, aren’t you going to respond?” I playfully teased her.

— I mean… I told you not to do that all of a sudden… I told you to differentiate between business and personal matters… Ah? No, it’s nothing. I received a report, that's all. Yes.

She tried her best to continue her conversation with the heroes.

I laughed and teased her one more time, “Aren’t you going to answer me? I’m going to run away again if you don’t~”

Yoo Yeonha puffed her cheeks and frowned. Then she whispered in a tiny voice.

— … Me too.