Chapter 107
Chapter 107
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 107
Chapter Title: How to Steal the Protagonist's Woman
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"...What on earth is happening?"
The woman stumbling blankly along as she watched the evening sunset was named Park Jinhee.
Just moments ago, she had stopped by the herb shop to sell some items.
As one of the women in Han Yeo-reum's party, she had always been timid and tended to shrink into the background..
Even after joining Han Yeo-reum's party, she could never bring herself to properly talk to him, but she'd been content just partying together.
Then, a few days ago, he had suddenly shown up at her room, and in the heat of the moment, they'd ended up sleeping together.
She clung to a faint hope that she might be able to win him over.
And then she happened to spot Min Ha-yeon together with that alchemist whose name she couldn't recall.
Park Jin-hee wasn't usually the greedy type, but in that moment, and a burning desire to do something had begun to boil over within her.
In the end, she bluffed at Min Ha-yeon despite having no leverage whatsoever.
But the result...
"No way they're really in that kind of relationship? Why? Does he have something on her?"
Contrary to her expectations, Min Ha-yeon had readily offered to help her..
"No... On the surface, they seemed to get along fine. No way... she's gonna rat me out later, is she?"
She had panicked and accepted the offer on impulse, but now that she'd come to her senses, fear was starting to set in.
Threatening people just wasn't in her nature.
"...I've already gone and done it. Until they make the first move, I'll just play it cool..."
Park Jin-hee headed to the hotel, a tangled mess of hopeful anticipation and anxiety over getting caught.
"Seong Su-ho... Don't ever do that again. Got it?"
"Got it... Geez, how many times do I have to say it..."
Seong Su-ho wore a weary expression, but a smile tugged at his lips as he spoke.
He'd been caught red-handed trying to buy moonlight herb at the apothecary, and Min Ha-yeon had been nagging him about it the entire drinking session.
'At this rate, she'll nag me all night.'
Not wanting to hear any more scolding, Seong Su-ho tried to change the subject.
"By the way, what were you talking about with that lady earlier?"
"Oh... Nothing. Don't worry about it."
He was asking about the conversation she'd had with Park Jin-hee back at the herb shop.
Min Hayeon figured she'd covered her tracks well enough, but the worry lingered.
'She didn't strike me as the loose-lipped type, so it should be fine...'
All she could do was pray nothing troublesome came of it.
Seong Su-ho gazed at her through drunken, relaxed eyes, his concern evident.
"Even if you say not to worry... Won't this be a huge problem if your boyfriend finds out?"
"Huge problem... Hey! And!"
"...?"
"Don't talk about him here. It annoys me..."
Min Ha-yeon stuck out her lower lip in a pout as she mumbled.
Seong Su-ho chuckled at this rare, endearing side of her that she usually kept hidden.
Seeing his smile, Min Ha-yeon thought to herself.
'This guy's really weak to booze... Oh, right!'
Her eyes sparkled as she turned to him with a question.
"Come to think of it, you said you've seen other worlds, right?"
"Huh? Oh... Yeah."
"Can't you tell me about them? I'm dying to hear."
"Ah... Sure. But where should I start..."
Seong Su-ho's face softened with nostalgia as he began to share.
Of course, he stuck to the parts that were safe to reveal without spilling any real secrets.
..
..
"...What? You learned magic too?"
"Yeah, but... I can't pull off any of the really flashy stuff."
"Whoa... Incredible..."
Min Ha-yeon had initially suspected he was bluffing as she listened to his tales.
But when he casually traced a simple magic circle in the air, she had no choice but to believe him.
The moment he demonstrated, her channel went into a frenzy.
Glancing at the chaotic chat, Min Ha-yeon felt utterly convinced.
'He's the real deal...'
This wasn't the kind of "spec" you put on a resume to get a job at a conglomerate; it was a spec that defied the laws of physics for the sake of survival.
Drunk and playful, he was tracing magic circles with his finger to show her.
He admitted his skill level was sorely lacking, but to Min Ha-yeon, it didn't feel that way at all.
Tinged with worry and sympathy, she asked,
"Is... it really okay telling me all this?"
"Huh? Why?"
"...It's like your secret weapon or something."
Of course, more abilities were always better.
But spilling too much too soon could stir up jealousy.
In the end, Yggdrasil's glory went to just one climber reaching the top floor.
Most folks wouldn't view Seong Su-ho's prowess in a purely positive light.
Hell, even Min Ha-yeon felt a flicker of envy.
But his response snuffed out her budding jealousy before it could bloom.
"You gotta share with the people you trust."
"... "
"And..."
"...?"
Grinning mischievously, Seong Su-ho continued,
"I didn't spill everything. But yeah, I think it's safe to keep sharing with you."
"... "
Min Ha-yeon managed a wry smile as she reflected.
'What's that guy's wish all about...'
She felt a pang of guilt toward Seong Su-ho for letting her own greed swell, even briefly.
A trustworthy comrade...
That meant the world to her.
To shake off those feelings, Min Ha-yeon asked cautiously,
"That... girl you dated at the magic school."
"Ah, Luna. What about her?"
"Can you tell me how you two got together?"
Min Ha-yeon was still curious about this woman he'd mentioned.
With booze-loosened eyes and a dopey grin, Seong Su-ho replied,
"No reason not to."
"Tell me! Tell me!"
Her face lit up with delight at the juicy gossip, and she leaned in eagerly.
..
..
"So... that day was just a complete mess of crying and chaos."
"Ah..."
Once he started on Luna, Seong Su-ho lit up in a way Min Ha-yeon had never seen before, chattering away happily.
To her, it was a completely different side of him from the usual.
He went on about Luna for a solid hour.
Min Ha-yeon, who had started out sparkling with interest, now wore a frosty expression.
It wasn't boredom.
'...Sigh. Why am I so pissed off?'
The stories she'd grinned through for the first ten minutes had somehow begun grating on her nerves.
And she knew exactly why.
'You're all gooey about her, so why not me...'
Min Ha-yeon began to feel anger build as she compared her own situation to Luna's.
A man who was right beside her, yet was joyfully reminiscing about a woman who was far away with no promise of when they would meet again
Normally, she'd have reined in her emotions, but the booze sloshing in her gut was stirring up a storm.
Seong Su-ho noticed and said to her,
"...Are you okay? Ah, sorry, was it too boring?"
"Huh? Oh, no! I think I'm just sleepy from all the running around today..."
"Ah, yeah, it's gotten pretty late."
He said that, but compared to the night before, it wasn't that late.
For some reason, Min Ha-yeon didn't want to head back to her room just yet.
'If I go now and run into him... I might actually kill the bastard...'
If she crossed paths with Han Yeoreum at this hour with shitty timing, she might really drive an arrow into his gut.
If Han Yeo-reum was going somewhere at this hour, it was undoubtedly to see a woman..
"No, I'm not tired! One more round!"
"Hey, hey! We'll finish the rest tomorrow..."
"Come on!"
Min Ha-yeon forcibly topped off Seong Su-ho's glass, desperately trying to revive the drinking vibe.
'...What the hell is this situation.'
Armonia was spot on.
We now knew Min Ha-yeon's limit hovered around fourteen bottles of soju.
How did I know?
Because the moment Min Ha-yeon drank the fourteenth bottle, she collapsed and fell fast asleep.
'Dragging her to the hotel like this gonna cause issues, right?'
Damn... color me impressed...
'How's she chug all that and sleep with such cute little breaths...'
Whether drunk man or woman, they usually snore like chainsaws.
Yet here was this stunning woman, drunk off her ass and somehow still looking adorable in her sleep.
'Guess I'll book another room and have her crash there.'
I roughly shook the sleeping Min Ha-yeon to rouse her.
"Hey, Ha-yeon! Get up!!"
"Hmmm.... Haa..."
She scowled in her sleep, radiating pure "fuck off and let me sleep" energy.
"...Fine."
Heart pounding, I hoisted her onto my back.
As her voluptuous breasts pressed against my back, it felt as though my own member was about to surge forward.
'Fuck, hold it together... Banging a drunk chick is an instant game over...'
Hell, causing a scene back at Schutra or the embassy might actually be safer.
Just face the legal music and be done.
Not that it'd be pleasant, but at least I'd have some wiggle room to argue my way out.
This place? Totally different story.
Instant "Red Summoner" branding, and if word reached regressor Han Yeo-reum's ears, I'd be his bitch for every damn loop.
Ignoring her tits as best I could, I asked the innkeeper,
"Um... Can I get another room? Gotta put my friend down here."
"Oh dear! I forgot to mention..."
"Huh?"
"A single summoner can't rent more than one lodging."
"What? Why not?"
I stared in disbelief at the absurd rule, but the innkeeper explained right away.
In a laid-back, peaceful spot like Zephyrium Village, lodging wasn't an issue.
But higher up, rooms got scarce, so to stop anyone from hogging multiples, the system limited each summoner to one across all Yggdrasil.
She explained that this wasn't a rule of the inn, but a rule applied to all summoners within Yggdrasil.
"Then maybe a separate one for Ha-yeon..."
"Even that... She'd have to book it herself. And from what I overheard yesterday, she's already paid up at the hotel, so probably no dice."
The innkeeper explained that since Min Hayeon had prepaid her hotel stay, she couldn't book here.
"Ah... What now..."
"Aw, don't fret, young man."
"...? Pardon?"
"Just sleep together. From the looks of it, isn't she your girlfriend?"
"Haha... No, not really."
I gave a wry chuckle.
'But I'd love for her to be my fuckbuddy.'
Thank god Armonia had sobered me up at the last second or I would have said that out loud.
The hearty innkeeper lady laughed it off.
"Come on, make a move already. Looked to me like she wouldn't mind."
"Hahaha..."
"Well, you can't exactly leave the lady homeless... just share a room for now. You'll just have to suffer a bit for one night, young man...."
"Guess so."
No other options.
If I headed to the hotel now and ran into not just Han Yeo-reum, but other party members, things would turn into a complete disaster.
And even if we snuck in fine, I might not get into her room...
I carried Min Ha-yeon to my room and laid her on my bed.
I whispered into the channel chat so only Gay Peepee could hear.
"...Anyone wanna draw a red line on this?"
I shot Armonia an incredulous look after reading the chat.
'...Kinda convincing?'
'But you told me to trust the game...'
Guess I'd played too many eroge.
I left her clothes on and tucked her under the blanket.
'Wow... she looks incredible while sleeping. An elf when fighting, a female friend when drinking, and a goddess when sleeping. She's the whole package.'
'Should I say she has a strong sense of self?'
The feeling that she was assertive, clear-headed, and decisive really hit home.
'Should be fine.'
I had a pretty good read on Armonia's concern.
Her face had started stiffening partway through my Luna stories.
Obviously, I hadn't stopped...
'It wasn't jealousy from affection, so it'll blow over.'
'He regresses, and we're back to square one. Heh...'
Not that I was regressing, but I'd prepped a counter.
If today's moves tanked affinity, just skip 'em next loop.
I perched on the bed's edge, staring endlessly at Min Ha-yeon.
Then a fun idea hit me.
'...Time for a wet dream spell!'
For Armonia to praise me... she must have thought it was a truly excellent method.
Plus, this was my private turf.
Zero risk.
'Roger! Alright then...'
Speaking just loud enough for the entities in Min Ha-yeon's channel to hear
"Gonna crash..."
Carefully, I traced the wet dream magic circle.
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