Chapter 56
Chapter 56
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter Title: The Forbidden Read
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Han U-sol stood there reading the book.
Books are important. They've been nourishment for the soul and a wellspring of knowledge since time immemorial.
'...What the hell is this?'
Han U-sol plunged into confusion from the forbidden knowledge spilling out of the book overflowing with feminine allure. What he endured was a three-stage torment.
'Is this really the book Anis borrowed? Something must be wrong.'
First, doubt.
'Yeah. There's no way Anis would like something so vulgar and crude... It has to be a mix-up.'
Second, denial.
"Na-rin, is this seriously the book Anis borrowed?"
"Yep. That's the one. Out of all the books here, it's the only one with such a pristine cover."
"R-Really?"
Finally, acceptance. At Yoon Na-rin's confident tone, Han U-sol had no choice but to admit it. This was indeed the book Anis had borrowed and read.
'...So Anis is into SM trainer play.'
Han U-sol's knowledge had increased!
'No, what am I even thinking.'
He shook his head to clear his mind and glanced back at the book.
He felt a pang of guilt for accidentally peeking into a girl's private hobby. When Anis woke up and came out, how was he supposed to look at her?
Part of him wanted to just forget the whole novel ever existed, but its contents were so intense that it wouldn't fade easily.
After some agonizing, Han U-sol decided to play dumb.
'I'll just pretend I don't know. Act normal around Anis, no slipping up.'
"Anis, get up! The others are here!"
"Ughhh..."
I'd stayed up until dawn and crashed late, so I plugged my ears and pulled the blanket over my head. Who cares if the others showed up? Sleep right in front of me was way more important.
"How long are you gonna sleep? Get up already!"
Smack! Yoon Na-rin's palm finally cracked against my back, forcing me to sit up.
I checked the time on my phone: 1 p.m.
"...Still morning."
"It's the middle of the day! Quit talking nonsense and come wash up."
I fixed my pajama top, which was slipping off my shoulders, and stumbled out. Still half-asleep, my steps were unsteady.
Han U-sol and Reisi Hearts, chatting on the sofa, spotted me and greeted me.
"Anis, long time no see. You been good?"
"...Yeah."
"...Uh, hi. Anis."
"...? Hey."
Something was off with Han U-sol. He wouldn't meet my eyes, his gaze darting all over. Yoon Na-rin sighed and shoved me toward the bathroom.
"...Anis. Go wash up and change first. Your shoulders are totally exposed."
"Okay."
I rubbed my eyes, showered, changed, and came out. Thirsty after the shower, I headed to the water purifier.
"Oh. There it is."
I spotted the book on top of the purifier and picked it up. I'd been looking for it—good thing it wasn't lost.
Luckily, it was face-down with the back cover up. At a glance, it just looked like a thick, ordinary book. That was the beauty of it: unless you scrutinized the front cover and read the title, no one would guess it was an erotic novel.
'...No one saw it, right?'
I hugged the book to my chest and took it back to my room. When I emerged, Han U-sol eyed me awkwardly.
"...Anis."
"Yeah?"
"That book... fun?"
He must've gotten curious seeing me grab it. Come to think of it, Han U-sol did like reading.
"Yeah. Right up my alley."
"......Really?"
His expression turned strange. What was that about? Maybe he was curious what kind of novel it was.
"Wanna borrow it?"
I'd be embarrassed lending it to Yoon Na-rin or Reisi, but Han U-sol was fine. He was a guy, after all—he'd probably read a few naughty books in his life. Might be fun to hear his thoughts.
"...N-No, I'm good."
"...Okay?"
His reaction was half-hearted. Lame. I brushed past him toward Yoon Na-rin and Reisi.
With all four of us together, nothing changed dramatically. We weren't heading to Sector X until Fergus arrived in three days. Nothing much to do in the meantime.
Put a little exaggeration on it: we were just four unemployed bums now instead of two.
After some catch-up chat, we scattered around the office, lounging idly.
Yoon Na-rin watched dramas on TV, Reisi giggled at her phone—whatever she was looking at. Han U-sol meditated with his eyes closed.
Flip. I turned the page of my paperback. Another loaner from Fergus: Heavenly Demon Training Journal. Halfway through, but it was another masterpiece.
Every time I flipped a page, Han U-sol twitched. He'd turned it down when I offered earlier, but now that I was reading it right next to him, curiosity was killing him. Guess you're a guy after all.
Yoon Na-rin muttered while watching TV.
"So bored. Doing nothing's driving me nuts."
Doing nothing? She'd been glued to dramas for two hours straight.
"You're watching TV."
"Not that. I wanna go out."
I ignored her unspoken hint to head outside. I wasn't bored enough to leave—this setup satisfied me just fine. Why bother? This little office felt cozier and more comfortable than anywhere else.
"Wanna catch a movie?"
Reisi piped up from her phone, and Yoon Na-rin's face lit up.
"Yeah? Nothing else to do—let's go see a movie!"
"Have fun."
"What? Anis, you're coming too."
"Huh?"
I blinked blankly at Yoon Na-rin. She was dead set on dragging me out this time. Reisi looked the same.
I glanced at Han U-sol. He had that subtle "please go outside" vibe too.
'Ugh...'
Trapped on all sides. Crisis.
"Just a quick movie, Anis. Please?"
"No way! I'm not going!"
"You've been holed up all day. We're worried."
Han U-sol and Reisi wheedled gently. I clung to the sofa backrest, declaring I'd never leave.
"Please just come out!! Get some fresh air!!"
I lost to Yoon Na-rin's shouting and got dragged to the theater. Even on a weekday afternoon, it buzzed with people.
First time at a movie theater. Uh, how do you buy tickets? Popcorn inside the auditorium? My heart raced with nerves.
I fidgeted, tailing the group. People's glances brushing my clothes felt uncomfortable.
"Anis, let's go in."
"T-Tickets?"
"Got 'em."
Yoon Na-rin, munching popcorn in one hand, beckoned me. Na-rin, you had this all planned. When'd she even buy popcorn? I relaxed my stiff face and followed.
We filed into the auditorium and sat in a row. Ads played on the screen.
Wait, what's the movie title? I still had no idea what we were seeing. I turned to Yoon Na-rin beside me.
"What movie?"
"Hero flick."
"Oh."
Heroes watching a hero movie—fancy. But how long do these ads go?
"Ads ending soon?"
"Like five minutes."
"Oh."
Five minutes of ads? I turned back and stared blankly.
Time passed. Felt like ten minutes, but ads kept rolling.
"When's it end?"
"Wait a bit."
"Okay."
I zoned out again. Finally, the endless ads ended, and the movie started.
It was clichéd. Heroes fighting invading magic beasts outside the barrier to save the world—standard stuff.
Boom! Magic flashed, capping the protagonist's battle with the beast. One gesture sent dozens flying.
Watching the flashy CG fill the screen, I thought: Real magic beast fights aren't like that.
They're not glamorous like on screen. More brutal, pathetic, filthy. No time for the hero to casually chant spells.
Felt dumb nitpicking a movie, but oh well. Having fought real ones, I couldn't immerse.
'...It's just a movie. Enjoy it.'
Movies are movies. Don't ruin it comparing to my experiences. I forced focus.
After slaying the beasts, the protagonist clutched a corpse and wailed. He'd found his daughter's body, killed by the beast.
Taking it in, I thought again: For a magic beast victim, that's a clean corpse.
No limbs missing, face intact—not mangled beyond recognition. Barely any blood. Usually, blood drains out, skin turns grotesque.
If it were like that, the protagonist wouldn't hug it. Like when I found Rena's body.
I wanted to hold her and cry, but couldn't. Didn't want my clothes soaked in blood, or her eyeball slipping out if I forced it.
...Though adding that realism to a hero movie would make it R-rated gore.
I sighed. Just wanted out. Movie sucked, and it dredged up bad memories.
Glanced sideways. Others looked grim too. Reliving the recent beast raid?
Climax passed, credits rolled. Meant to have fun, but we left stone-faced.