Chapter 63
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: Blue Pine Festival (4)
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A heavy silence settled over the group.
The noisy festival atmosphere lingered everywhere else, but this space felt utterly detached from it.
Baek Mu-yeom's reactions were incredibly varied.
Changes in his expression and gaze.
Changes in his gestures and glances.
He was looking at me, but to be precise, he was staring at both me and Baek A-yun, who was plastered right against my back.
I'd been frozen stiff ever since she showed up, so I couldn't turn around to look...
'We're fucked.'
I could feel it.
This was bad. Really bad.
Baek Mu-yeom and Baek A-yun—the grandfather and granddaughter—their gazes locked right in the middle. I couldn't see it clearly, but I was dead certain that's what was happening.
"...Uh, um."
Baek A-yun was the first to break the excruciating silence, letting out a voice.
She must have been just as flustered. Her tone was noticeably cautious.
That's when I snapped out of it and poked her side. From an angle the Fist Emperor couldn't see, a quick jab.
'Get down, damn it.'
It was probably too late already.
But I had to do what needed doing.
At the very least, in front of the Fist Emperor—infamously doting on his granddaughter—I, clearly an outsider guy, couldn't be caught with her hanging off me like this.
Baek A-yun had to know that much.
She hesitated for a moment, then slipped down from my back with timid movements and quietly dropped to the ground.
Of course, that didn't magically dissolve the awkward, uncomfortable silence.
Anyway, squirrel-girl Baek A-yun finally stopped treating me like a tree to climb. Wise decision on her part this time—I had to give her that.
She stood by my side, keeping a properly close but not-too-close distance.
And then, scratching her cheek awkwardly, she spoke to her grandfather.
"...You're already here, Grandpa?"
"...".
Baek Mu-yeom sank into a heavy silence.
No reply to her greeting.
He just looked down at his granddaughter, then at me, checked her expression again, and turned back to me with complicated eyes.
Every tilt of his head conveyed his utter confusion.
It was only natural. I got it. His precious granddaughter—someone he could place in his eye without it stinging—was getting that cozy with a guy her age, rubbing her cheek against him like that.
Hugging on like a koala. Nuzzling right up.
How the hell did that look in Baek Mu-yeom's eyes?
I couldn't even begin to imagine what he was feeling...
But no silence lasts forever.
Baek Mu-yeom finally pried his lips apart with effort.
"...That..."
"...".
"...".
It was just one word, not even a full sentence—just a short syllable—but it still made me and Baek A-yun flinch back.
The old man's voice, thick with emotion, was terrifying.
Baek Mu-yeom's hollow, dead eyes fixed straight on me.
"You..."
That grim, eerie voice leaked out again, and I instinctively straightened up at attention, waiting for him to speak.
Baek Mu-yeom stammered it out.
"You... know my granddaughter, I take it."
"...".
"...Just asking since it came up. Well, same grade and all. Makes sense. Yeah, it does. Hm."
Every word he added felt like he was suppressing his emotions with all his might.
He was clearly trying to stay composed as an intellectual, but I still couldn't shake this inexplicable fear.
Killing intent? No. If I had to put a name to it, it was something more like unconscious bloodlust leaking out.
I suddenly hated Baek A-yun.
"...Just one question."
Like his close-combat nature, Baek Mu-yeom cut straight to the chase without beating around the bush.
"Are you dating my granddaughter?"
A perfectly obvious question about my relationship with Baek A-yun.
...I had nothing to say, even if I had ten mouths.
What the hell was I supposed to answer? Tell the truth and say no? But I'd done plenty of things with her that made me responsible for her.
If I went by that logic, weren't there nearly five girls I was responsible for?
But even so, nodding yes in this situation... that came with its own massive problems.
I had no choice but to squeeze my eyes shut and mutter desperately inside.
'Spare me, you bastard.'
This might be my grave. The idle thought flashed by, but hey—I was Lee Hyun-jin. I'd live true to myself.
No matter that I'd seen her embarrassing moments, taken her innocence, and called her over for fun whenever I was bored.
Still, I wasn't her lover.
If it were a mistress situation, maybe...
Anyway, steeling myself, I looked Baek Mu-yeom straight in the eye. He was still waiting patiently for my answer.
I puffed out my chest proudly and replied.
"We're not in that kind of relationship."
An honest confession. I'd resisted the pressure(?) and given the right answer, which oddly filled me with pride.
Of course, Baek Mu-yeom's expression turned bafflingly ambiguous, but there was nothing I could do about that.
The damage was done. Baek A-yun had blatantly cozied up to me and acted cute.
The Fist Emperor couldn't possibly miss the weird vibe between us.
"...You're really not."
Baek Mu-yeom asked again.
I nodded.
"Yes."
And a brief silence.
Five quiet seconds ticked by.
Baek Mu-yeom let out a sigh—"Hah." He wasn't satisfied with two confirmations and pressed on relentlessly.
"Is that the truth? No need to hide it. I have zero intention of meddling with my granddaughter's boyfriend. Not a bit. Really."
"Y-Yes..."
His choppy "I won't meddle" declaration was so obviously fake that even a random passerby would see through it.
He was even grinding his teeth audibly. A blatant trap.
This was the moment to state it clearly and move on.
I took a short breath and met Baek Mu-yeom's sharp glare head-on.
"We're just close friends, that's all. I know it looked suspicious... but your granddaughter's just really friendly like that. Yeah, that's it. Nothing special."
Truth be told, Baek A-yun wasn't some super sociable capybara, but who cared? I spun it that way.
Calling her sociable was a compliment anyway. No grandfather gets mad at praise for his grandkid.
"Hmm... Is that so?"
Baek Mu-yeom's wrinkled face did soften a bit, looking genuinely less suspicious.
'We're good.'
I was certain I'd nearly escaped. Just a few more reassuring words, and I'd be home free.
Then the wildcard came from my side.
"...".
A chill ran down my spine. I felt a sticky, prickling glare from below, full of displeasure.
The culprit? Baek A-yun, of course.
Head cocked sideways, shooting me a sideways glare—what was her problem?
'What? Why?'
Clueless, I tilted my head back at her with questioning eyes.
Baek A-yun puffed her cheeks like a pufferfish and yanked my arm.
"?"
My body lurched toward her.
I staggered for a second.
"Grandpa."
Baek A-yun gently rested her head on my shoulder. A light thud, but unmistakably the way a lover would.
Her eyes narrowed slyly, like she wasn't happy with my handling, and she declared to her grandfather.
"I want to marry this guy."
"...".
"...".
Baek A-yun had thrown ashes on a perfectly good meal.
The Fist Emperor's face twisted like a demon's.
'Nearly died to the Fist Emperor—storytime.'
If I posted about today on some internet forum, that'd probably be the title vibe.
A bit exaggerated, but not total fiction.
The Fist Emperor Baek Mu-yeom was more rational than expected... but a doting-grandpa core doesn't change.
His eyes half-rolled back as he tried dragging me to his lodgings.
The excuse? "We need a deeper talk." Seemed reasonable, but his eyes told the real story.
They burned so fiercely I thought I might not walk out intact.
Luckily, the Sword Saint—passing by with Kim I-jun—spotted him and butted in cluelessly. Otherwise, who knows where I'd be now.
I didn't even want to think about it.
'I'm going insane, seriously...'
Too much had happened. I was already exhausted. And the Blue Pine Festival hadn't even properly started yet.
Mom and my master were steadily messaging their date expectations, and even Seo Ha-rin sunbae was consistent.
Factor in the 8-person tournament, and I had tons of busy days ahead.
But what the hell was this? How was I already knee-deep in drama?
Punched a grand mage in the face, got weird with a junior I know, and got on a classmate girl's guardian's bad side.
That insane marriage declaration was extra.
'Today and tomorrow were supposed to be for Ji-woo noona.'
I let out a weary sigh and plopped down at the tavern booth. The class vibe was weirdly subdued.
What'd you expect? This was my soon-to-be workplace: Class 2-A's tavern.
Across from me sat Ji-woo noona, looking pretty wiped out too.
She'd been dragged into my chaos today, even if indirectly.
She'd come all the way to the academy just to see me work one festival day—felt kinda guilty.
I ordered two 500cc draft beers and gazed at her sprawled limply on the table, giving a soft smile.
"You okay?"
"Hm...?"
I asked, and she lifted her head.
Ji-woo noona blinked dazedly.
She patted her cheeks like she was snapping out of it, then met my eyes with renewed energy.
A brief eye contact, then she burst into incredulous laughter.
Ji-woo noona shook her head.
"Why wouldn't I be? You're the one with all the drama, Hyun-jin. I was just background dressing."
"Still."
"Worry about yourself. Fist Emperor sunbae-nim's chill... but martial artists' tempers don't vanish."
I could only manage an awkward grin at that.
Who could've predicted Baek A-yun pulling that stunt?
Guess my excuses to Baek Mu-yeom sounded like I was drawing a line with her—she got offended.
I shrugged and replied.
"What can ya do? It's out there. Later, I'll ask A-yun to smooth it over nicely. He won't think too badly of me then."
She caused the mess and won't fix it? Baek A-yun better brace herself. Time to reestablish sibling hierarchy.
-I want to marry this guy.
'...Honestly, it kinda thrilled me a little.'
Hearing that bomb drop right next to me made my heart skip—just a tiny bit. I'd take that to the grave.
Why say something like that to a guy like me...
Anyway, with a deflated chuckle, I glanced up at Ji-woo noona.
I cleared my throat awkwardly and said.
"...I know I've shown some shady sides today, but I'm not some trash player hitting on every girl."
A needless self-defense that wasn't quite a defense, more an explanation that wasn't.
She'd practically witnessed the weird vibes between me, Ryu Se-eun, and Baek A-yun up close today.
Plus, I'd vaguely mentioned Cheon So-yul before.
Hard not to worry a bit from my end.
Honestly, I felt wronged. Most of those meaningful relationships started with them jumping me.
Getting pegged as a playboy from these snippets would hurt.
Lucky for me, Ji-woo noona across the table had an open mind.
She just smiled softly and waved it off.
"No need to worry about that. I already figured as much. You're kinda handsome, after all. Girls sticking to you? Totally normal face, skills, and besides..."
She trailed off, dipping her head toward the table's diagonal—her sly gaze landing on my lower half.
I shot her a disgusted look.
"That's sexual harassment, noona."
"...Ahem, did I say something?"
She averted her eyes poorly, playing dumb, and I chuckled, turning away.
Beer should be here soon. Ordered snacks too—eat light, change on time, then work.
I heard Ji-woo noona was sticking around the academy a few more days.
I scratched my cheek awkwardly and sneaked a peek at her face.
'...She'll probably want to, right? Would be weirder if not.'
Thinking bedroom stuff, naturally. We'd hooked up plenty before, after all.
No reason to refuse—and I recalled her teasing about outdoor play sometime.
Right then.
Thud-!
A sudden bang echoed out.
The sound of slamming draft beers on the table.
The tavern was noisy enough to swallow it, but right next to us—I couldn't help flinching.
I whipped my head around in surprise.
"Hmph."
A displeased grunt laced with irritation.
I blinked in bewilderment.
First thing I noticed: fluttering clothes. High-quality cosplay blending black and white perfectly.
Cute frilly trim swaying, lace headband on light brown hair...
It was a maid outfit.
Worn by Cheon So-yul, of all people.
"...".
"...".
Her scornful glare was like she was eyeing rotten trash. She glanced softly at Ji-woo noona for a sec, then whipped back to glare at me like she wanted to devour me.
"...Two 500cc drafts. Here."
She got her lines out dutifully. Except her voice was bubbling with rage...
Anyway, I had this weird feeling I could read Cheon So-yul's mind.
Twitching eyebrow, sharply narrowed eyes, lips subtly pouted...
Translated to:
-Another girl?
'Whoa...'
I marveled inwardly. Drunk on my new power.
Proof of our bond, in a way?
Of course, voicing it would get me electrocuted. Wise mage that I was, I kept my mouth shut.
"Ah...!"
That's when Ji-woo noona's eyes went wide and she gasped in admiration.
She covered her mouth looking at Cheon So-yul, who blinked awkwardly at the reaction.
But Ji-woo noona ignored it, glancing between me and Cheon So-yul.
Her somehow lecherous gaze felt ominous...
Ji-woo noona grinned mischievously.
She addressed Cheon So-yul.
"You must be So-yul? Right?"
"...Uh, yeah?"
"Y'know, Hyun-jin's first love—that fated rival classmate—"
Crack!
I froze the two draft beers solid with frost, cutting her off before she finished—exactly as intended.
I glared at Ji-woo noona, eyes bulging. First love? What first love?
I'd never said that once. Fabrications were a problem.
After that monster hunt at Surye Mountain... Sure, I'd mentioned Cheon So-yul over drinks with Ji-woo noona.
Just that she'd been my first experience, and the closest person at the academy.
Never brought up romance. I shot Ji-woo noona a slightly resentful look for the nonsense, then turned to Cheon So-yul with unease.
She had to be dumbfounded hearing this out of nowhere.
And.
"...H-Huh?"
Right there, Cheon So-yul fumbled with her hands clasped, face flushing beet red.
....
....
....
"?"
A question mark popped over my head as I hesitated. Lips parting and closing pointlessly.
That wasn't the reaction I'd expected.
No.
Maybe I had expected it.
But I never thought...
That reaction.
Her throat bobbed hugely, like she'd heard something unimaginable.
Her golden eyes, hot with emotion, trembled pitifully as they turned to me.
Flushed cheeks, ragged breathing.
Slow hand wiping sweat on her apron.
Me and Cheon So-yul stared at each other, wearing identical blank expressions.
Thump, thump...
In time that felt strangely slowed, raw heartbeats echoed.
Them too—mine and Cheon So-yul's.