Chapter 163
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 163: How to Make a Choice (1)
I spent my days smiling with all my might, as if nothing had happened.
In the meantime, I also made Pepero with Na Yuri.
Na Yuri, seemingly happy to be cooking with me, smiled innocently and showed me various Peperos she made.
“I tried sprinkling heart sprinkles on pink chocolate!”
“Pretty!”
“I made the biscuit itself heart-shaped and poured chocolate on it, covered this one in rainbow colors, and this one—”
“Uh… but we only had stick biscuits and brown chocolate as ingredients, didn't we? How did you do that?”
“With affection!”
“With affection?!”
And she handed them all to me.
“They're all for you, Nahyun-ssi!”
“...What about the others?”
“...Uh... I'll make them now!”
“Haha…”
Since she was looking at me with sparkling eyes, I laughed awkwardly and took a bite of a Pepero.
It was sweet.
The affection contained in it was so sweet that I felt like bitter water would rise up.
“Oh, Pepero!”
“Thanks.”
After the Pepero was finished, I gave one to Choi Sujeong and Lee Hana first.
Seeing them accept the bags quietly, it seemed that unlike Halloween, Choi Sujeong decided to pass this time without any chaos like costumes. Well, preparing pranks is hard to do every time.
I distributed the rest of the Pepero to my friends one by one.
Normally, I would have given Na Yuhan a special Pepero, but this time I didn't.
My coquetry and flattery toward him will be useless soon anyway.
“Noona, this is delicious!”
“Really?”
I avoided Park Siwoo's gaze and smiled brightly at Kang Yu.
Park Siwoo was looking at me with a strange expression.
I pray that, just this once, you won't say anything, Siwoo.
Did he read my mind? He kept his mouth shut the whole time.
On one hand, I was relieved, and on the other, I despaired.
As if the goddess of fate was whispering to me that there was no way to go against this flow.
November passed quickly, and the middle of winter, December, arrived.
“Nahyun, is something wrong?”
Na Yuhan asked me first if something was wrong.
I thought I was acting affectionate enough towards him, but was it because I wasn't giving him special treatment?
“No? Why?”
“No, just…”
But he couldn't give a clear reason either and hesitated.
I calmed my heart, which had sunk for a moment, and smiled nonchalantly.
“I do have a worry.”
“What is it?”
“The Key Dungeon capture. The Wild Hunt might intrude again.”
“...That's true.”
Na Yuhan nodded, as if accepting my words.
Then, suddenly, he made an expression as if he had firmly resolved something.
I have a bad feeling about this.
“Kim Kang-ha! How is it today?”
“It's good! Trust me!”
After that, Na Yuhan ran around busily, saying he would prepare for the Key Dungeon capture in earnest.
The problem was that his busy schedule included ‘grilling Kim Kang-ha’.
“More!”
“More?!”
“Pour everything you have into it!”
“I did!”
“Grind your soul into it! Don't sleep! Sleep is a luxury!”
“Isn't that too much?!”
“Ah, you don't need more materials? Should I cut off the funding?”
“Please order more espresso. I, Kim Kang-ha, will stake my honor as a blacksmith to create the best equipment.”
But was Kim Kang-ha pitiful? Well...
He seemed to be enjoying it in his own way while pretending to complain, so wasn't it a win-win?
In fact, it seemed Kim Kang-ha's eyes had rolled back at the fact that he could use expensive materials to his heart's content.
Because Na Yuhan was investing lavishly, infinitely supplying whatever materials Kim Kang-ha said he needed.
I gave up thinking after trying to count how much money went into that.
I just learned that Na Yuhan is a bourgeois….
I don't know exactly what he's doing, but since it's Na Yuhan, he's probably preparing the correct strategy.
A few days later, Na Yuhan gathered all the party members in the training room after school and started a briefing.
“This Key Dungeon is the Dwarf's Forge. It opens on Christmas Eve.”
“Why Christmas Eve of all days?”
“Let's clear it as fast as possible and have a Christmas party together…!”
Na Yuhan smiled and nodded at Shin Baran and Min Jaeyun's words, then continued.
“The Dwarf's Forge is a kind of mine. We have to ride a 'minecart' and run through the mine, but various Ore Monsters block the way, and sometimes the tracks are broken.”
“You'll need my ability~”
“Yes. We'll cross the broken paths with Sunbae's wind ability. In the case of Ore Monsters, we'll break them to destroy them.”
Na Yuhan shrugged and said.
“For reference, a collaborator will be accompanying us this time too.”
“Kim Kang-ha?”
“Yeah. Was it too obvious?”
“You've been plotting something next to Kim Kang-ha for days. And Kim Kang-ha is a dwarf-hybrid.”
At Park Siwoo's words, Na Yuhan laughed awkwardly.
“It's comfortable to prepare in advance. For that dungeon.”
“What on earth do you need?”
“The essence of dwarf technology?”
“Hm?”
“There is such a thing.”
Na Yuhan vaguely trailed off and changed the subject.
“So, how is the Tower God Cult these days?”
“They seem rather quiet these days. That makes me more worried. What are they plotting…?”
“Right. I'm worried because the Tower God Cult students at the Academy suddenly started refusing to attend school.”
Na Yuhan answered seriously to Shin Baran and Na Yuri.
“It would be nice if we could get help from the Balder Family, but they've been taken over instead…”
“Yeah… they seem busy lately. Nika-ssi looks haggard…”
I agreed with Min Jaeyun.
“Yeah. Maybe that's why she's asking all sorts of people to be her fiancé.”
'You! Become my fiancé!'
'Hiiik!'
I laughed awkwardly, recalling seeing Nika scattering engagement declarations everywhere these days.
'Hm?! You, you came at a good time! Since it's come to this, let's have the wedding all at once—'
'I'm sorry. I have to go.'
'Where are you going!'
'I'm sorry!'
There was even a time when Nika found me and demanded marriage, leading to a chase.
...It was a memory I didn't really want to recall.
“Is that person trying to build a harem?”
Shin Baran retorted in disbelief and continued.
“For now, I'll try to turn the information network toward Barun-unni as much as possible.”
“I'd appreciate it if you did.”
Na Yuhan nodded at Shin Baran's words and clapped his hands, gathering our attention.
“Alright, briefing over! Let's train!”
“Okay!”
While practicing dealing with Ore Monsters through a simulator, I took a break and called Na Yuhan aside.
“What is it?”
“You know,”
I hesitated for a moment whether I should say this, but to solve this matter, I had to break through head-on.
I avoided Na Yuhan's questioning gaze, took a breath, steeled my resolve, and spoke.
“Yuhan, could you entrust the Keys to me?”
“The Keys?”
“Yeah.”
“Is there a problem?”
I bit my lip at those words.
It was painful to have to lie to him again.
“It's just… the Wild Hunt thinks you have the Keys, right, Yuhan? So…”
“You mean use reverse psychology and have you hold them? So they won't be taken even if I'm caught.”
“Yeah!”
Na Yuhan seemed to ponder my suggestion for a moment.
“I wondered why you called me suddenly… it seems you've been thinking a lot, too.”
“Yeah, it's been unsettling lately. So…”
“That is true.”
Na Yuhan nodded and looked straight into my eyes.
I had to clench my fists and try hard not to avoid his eyes.
Lying was my specialty, but for some reason, it was incredibly difficult to lie right now.
Finally, he took the Keys out of his Inventory.
“Here.”
“...!”
“Because I can trust Nahyun. Take good care of the Keys.”
“...Okay.”
I opened both palms and carefully received the Keys.
The sound of the Keys clinking against each other and pouring onto my palms was clear.
As I stared at them,
“Nahyun-ssi! Yuhan-ssi! Where are you!”
I heard Na Yuri's voice looking for us.
“Ah, she's looking. Let's go.”
Na Yuhan turned his head toward the voice and said.
“Okay.”
Before putting them in my Inventory, I gripped the Keys tightly without a word.
It felt like the Keys were digging into my flesh like thorns.
Shin Baran said grumblingly.
“It's Christmas Eve, and we're doing a capture in a place like this.”
“...B-but it can't be helped.”
“I know! Ugh, since it's come to this, let's clear it quickly and go!”
“Yeah. Let's!”
Na Yuhan, laughing awkwardly as he watched Min Jaeyun soothe Shin Baran, looked back at us.
“Is everyone ready?”
“Yes!”
“As you all know, this is Kim Kang-ha. Our collaborator for this time.”
“I look forward to working with you!”
Kim Kang-ha greeted us with sparkling eyes and immediately looked with interest at the mine visible beyond the Gate.
It seemed he was fixated on the mine inside.
We were used to Kim Kang-ha being like this, so we skillfully ignored it, finished our preparations in a hurry, and moved into the Gate.
Not long after, as per Na Yuhan's briefing, an empty cavern appeared.
Na Yuri, spotting the giant minecart in the cavern and the tracks connected below it, spat out with a fed-up expression.
“It really is a minecart.”
“This is… fascinating. How does it move?”
Kim Kang-ha examined the minecart here and there and quickly learned how to operate it.
“Get in! I'll operate it!”
“...Safely. You know that, right?”
“Of course! Who do you think cares about safety as much as me?”
“Put your hand on your conscience and say that.”
“There are many. Many people.”
Na Yuhan and Na Yuri spoke coldly.
Na Yuhan kept emphasizing safety as if he had a bad feeling, but Kim Kang-ha didn't seem to be listening at all.
Safety by Kim Kang-ha's standards? Will it be okay?
Such thoughts crossed the group's minds.
“Then, departing!”