Chapter 172
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 172: How to Deal with Betrayal (8)
I confessed about the Oracle.
“...So I'm looking for a way to stop it from possessing my comrades.”
“I see.”
Choi Sujeong patted me as I continued to speak while sniffling throughout.
Should I tell her everything besides the Oracle-related information?
I hesitated for a moment, then decided to be honest about everything.
Because the deep green eyes looking at me didn't seem like they would abandon me even if I had lied.
“And… I'm not as nice as you think.”
“Huh?”
“You know that ability to cause miracles I told you about before….”
I explained step by step about the Meta System and my acting.
“So, I….”
“Yeah, yeah. I got it.”
Choi Sujeong stroked my head vigorously.
“To summarize, this cute Junior put on a bit of an act, is that it?”
“…Is that what it amounts to?”
“People originally live by putting on a bit of an act! It's fine~”
At the voice answering as if it were no big deal, I somehow felt my tension melt away.
“Sunbae, aren't you trusting people too much?”
“I'd like you to say that to Hana~”
Choi Sujeong giggled and touched her forehead to mine.
“You said all your appearances were lies but… I don't think that's exactly true. I don't think all your kindness was a lie. Just as the old me was.”
“I'm not kind.”
Isn't Sujeong-sunbae the kind one?
“But you struggled to save Hana from the curse before. Even though there was no benefit to you. And you're thinking of us even when you're far away like this, right?”
“……”
“You are already a kind enough person to us.”
She grinned and pulled my cheeks.
“And you're my cute crybaby Junior!”
“Don't do thaaaat…”
“No~”
Choi Sujeong hummed and kneaded my cheeks.
“What you told me now is a secret from the others, right?”
“Yeaaah…”
“Got it. I'll keep it.”
Choi Sujeong was wrapped in a playful atmosphere as usual before I knew it.
As usual.
I rolled those words in my mind and realized I was relieved.
“If I suddenly switch to the Wild Hunt side, the Oracle might feel a sense of incongruity… Um, I can't leave Hana behind anyway, so I'll stay on Yuhan's side.”
“Yes. Just… trusting me is enough.”
I stroked my stinging cheeks and nodded.
Choi Sujeong made a dissatisfied face at my words and shook her head.
“No. At times like this, you confidently demand, ‘Help me more!’~”
“…Is, is that so.”
I looked at the floor.
Somehow, just the fact that Choi Sujeong didn't hate me was enough to reassure me, so I couldn't even think of that.
“I'll help you.”
“…Thank you.”
“Yeah, of course you should be thankful!”
Hmph, Choi Sujeong snorted and said.
“Instead, when everything is over, let's have a party together properly this time.”
“Party….”
I recalled the Christmas party that had now become last year.
It must have been a mess. Because of me.
“That sounds good.”
“Right?”
“Can I invite my family too?”
“Of course! Let's hold a very big one.”
Let's have a party.
I learned for the first time that just promising a future together with such words could make me this happy.
Something I thought I had lost filled my heart softly.
“Then—”
Swiish—!
Just as I was talking with Choi Sujeong, I heard the sound of something sharp being fired.
Choi Sujeong grabbed the scruff of my neck and quickly jumped back to dodge it.
Paaak—!
What was embedded in the bench was,
“Thread?”
A thin thread shining silver in the moonlight.
As soon as I noticed it, the sound of thin things cutting through the air came from all directions.
“Damn!”
Hwiiing—!
Choi Sujeong quickly created a rough wind barrier to block the thin threads.
“Junior, are you okay?”
“I'm okay. More importantly, this thread is…”
I knew a person who handled thread in this way.
As expected, a familiar man's voice was heard.
“Give Noona back.”
Emerald eyes cut through the darkness and appeared before us.
Before I knew it, the park was surrounded by silver threads like a spider web.
The will to never let us escape was evident in the threads completely surrounding Choi Sujeong's wind barrier, leaving no place to run.
An extremely distorted expression, as if he had no composure left.
Feeling awkward, I smiled for now.
“…Let's calm down first, Fox.”
Shall we resolve this with conversation?
“So?”
The Fox untied the ropes and hugged me tight.
His eyes, glaring at Choi Sujeong as if she were his mortal enemy, were filled with hostility.
“Is that the reason you blindly kidnapped Noona? Are you an idiot?”
“An idiot!”
On the other hand, Choi Sujeong shrugged slyly.
Somehow, I feel like the previous composition has been reversed….
“Thanks to that, the misunderstanding is cleared up, right? Right, Junior?”
“Don't touch her.”
The Fox, removing me from Choi Sujeong's hand as she tried to reach for my cheek again, spoke irritably.
“If you had hurt Noona and made her cry, I would have killed you.”
“Look who's talking?”
Sparks seemed to fly between Choi Sujeong and the Fox.
I laughed awkwardly and mediated between them.
“Uh, anyway! Sujeong-sunbae agreed to help us!”
“Yep~ Take good care of me.”
“I don't need it… is what I want to say, but we're short on hands here, so it can't be helped.”
Tsk, the Fox clicked his tongue and handed a bracelet to Choi Sujeong.
It was a simpler looking bracelet than the one I had.
“You can contact this one.”
“Huh? Who does this connect to?”
“Me.”
“Not Junior?”
“Get lost. Noona is busy.”
No, I'm not busy…?
I shook my head at the Fox, who was using all sorts of means to keep Choi Sujeong in check.
Anyway, that's how Choi Sujeong suddenly became our collaborator.
“Then I'll be going now, Junior!”
“Ah, yes! Take care!”
“You too, Junior! Contact me anytime!”
With her usual playful smile, she said goodbye to me and disappeared into the darkness.
The Fox glared into the darkness where Choi Sujeong had disappeared for a long time, then muttered.
“…I need to move the base.”
“Haha…”
In this case, isn't it just that Choi Sujeong was too competent?
Since she was rolled harshly under Gemini for several years….
In the end, I had to soothe the whining Fox for a long time.
[A Story Fragment has been added.] [Currently collected Story Fragments: 22]
The woman sitting quietly on the park bench, looking up at the moonlight, spoke.
"You're back?"
"Yep~"
At her words, the woman with cat ears, Choi Sujeong, suddenly jumped down from a tree branch.
Choi Sujeong landed in front of the woman, Lee Hana. Even though she had appeared so suddenly, Lee Hana's face remained calm.
"What was the reason?"
"Hmm, I can't tell Hana."
"I see."
Lee Hana nodded indifferently, even at those words which could have been hurtful.
Seeing that, Choi Sujeong pouted for no reason and sat down next to the bench where Lee Hana was sitting.
Silence enveloped them.
At the end of the silence, resembling the darkness of the night, Choi Sujeong quietly opened her mouth.
"Hana."
"Yeah."
"If Junior says she wants to come back, will you accept her again?"
"Yes."
"Nyahat, then that's fine."
That's enough.
Muttering that, Choi Sujeong looked up at the moon again.
A bright full moon was shining down on them.
On the way back to the base with me.
The Fox seemed to remember something he wanted to say and suddenly spoke.
"Ah, Noona. There's someone new I want to introduce."
"Who?"
"Someone Noona knows well. She said she'd become an ally."
Someone I know well?
Who?
I couldn't guess, so I frowned.
It's not like Shin Barun quit everything she was doing to come for me.
"I was going to introduce you this time, but several things popped up, so I forgot."
"You have a specific thing to forget."
Just then, a grumbling voice cut in between us.
"You worked me hard to find my sister, but you weren't going to introduce me?"
That scoffing voice belonged to a woman I knew very, very well.
"...Don't tell me,"
"Yeah. It's that 'don't tell me'."
Through the darkness-shrouded alley, the sound of heels hitting the asphalt floor was heard.
Soon, stepping under the streetlamp, she stood crookedly and looked at me.
"I decided to make a choice I won't regret this time."
Choi Garam was grinning down at me.