Chapter 163
Chapter 163
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 163
Chapter Title: How to Steal the Protagonist's Woman
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The moment I cast Dream Intrusion, I looked around to confirm my location.
I was in a playground in some apartment complex.
Kids were clustered together playing, and I sat on a bench quietly watching them.
'Where is this? Don't tell me I entered Ha-yeon's dream?'
Han Bom and Min Ha-yeon were sleeping in the same tent.
Dream Intrusion had worked, but since I couldn't see inside the tent, I couldn't confirm if the magic circle had hit Han Bom precisely.
Since the two were close, even if I entered Ha-yeon's dream, scenes might overlap with Han Bom's, so I needed to observe carefully to avoid confusion.
But why a playground of all places...
I scanned the surroundings just in case, but the only ones here were the little kids playing.
One boy was playing sandwiched between two girls.
'This fucking...'
To get pissed off right after entering a dream...
Playing with girls at that age?
I instantly knew who the boy was.
Han Yeo-reum.
That sleazy expression was plastered on his face even as a kid, like his trademark.
And the two girls beside him.
'Whoa!! Ha-yeon was a cutie even as a kid.'
One was unmistakably Min Ha-yeon at a glance.
She put on a cool demeanor now, but as a child, she was beaming and playing in the playground.
If I had a daughter like that, I'd feel like I owned the world.
And the other girl.
'Han Bom? Looks like it?'
Her appearance vaguely matched Han Bom.
But the vibe was totally different.
Not the face loaded with curses and sharp glares.
A pure, innocent face as she trailed after Min Ha-yeon and Han Yeo-reum.
Sure, she wouldn't have had that foul mouth and attitude since childhood, but the difference was so stark it made me wonder if it was a different little sister.
As the girl followed behind Han Yeo-reum and Min Ha-yeon, she tripped in the sandpit.
Splat.
"Waaahhh!"
"Bom! You okay?"
The little Min Ha-yeon was startled, trying to help the fallen Han Bom up, when Han Yeo-reum grabbed her arm and dragged her away.
"Just leave her! She's always tagging along and annoying!"
"W-We have to bring Bom!"
"Forget it! She's a pain every time!"
"Waaahhh!"
Min Ha-yeon tried to bring Han Bom along, but Han Yeo-reum forcibly yanked her away by the arm.
Soon, only Han Bom was left in the playground, crying endlessly.
I approached her, figuring the noise was too much, and helped her up.
"You alright?"
"Sniff... thank you..."
Polite kid.
Seeing her bow her head in thanks, I got the gist.
'She wasn't always a brat as a kid.'
And Han Yeo-reum had always been one.
The moment that thought crossed my mind, the little Han Bom in front of me vanished, and the scene shifted.
'Inside a house? Stealth!'
It was someone else's home I didn't recognize, so I quickly cast Stealth.
Even in a dream, getting caught trespassing wasn't ideal...
I crept around carefully and, upon seeing two people arguing, realized whose house it was.
"Oppa! I told you not to hang out with those girls!"
"Ah, fuck off. You're pissing me off."
"Stop cursing!"
It was Han Yeo-reum and Han Bom.
Judging by his school uniform, Han Yeo-reum looked like a middle schooler.
Han Bom appeared to be around elementary school age.
Han Yeo-reum spewed curses so profusely during their talk that you couldn't even see him not cursing.
"Fuck, you're ruining my mood."
"I told you those girls badmouth Ha-yeon-unnie!"
"Fuck! This is bullshit..."
"Oppa!"
Ignoring Han Bom's cry, Han Yeo-reum slammed the front door as he stormed out.
Han Bom watched him go and whispered pitifully.
"Oppa..."
"..."
This went beyond bad relations—it was one-sided hatred.
Han Bom hadn't started out hating Han Yeo-reum.
But Han Yeo-reum had acted like he hated her from the get-go.
As I watched Han Bom hang her head dejectedly, the surroundings shifted again.
The house was the same.
"Ugh, so damn heavy..."
Han Bom was struggling into the house, hands full of grocery bags stuffed with food from the mart.
She looked about high school age now, grown into something close to her current appearance.
"That bastard won't even buy side dishes if I ask."
"..."
Han Bom's mouth had only recently turned foul.
'Han Bom picked up cursing like this because of Han Yeo-reum.'
Sure, adults curse anyway, but Han Bom's swears carried Han Yeo-reum's exact tone.
"Ugh, so gross... Gonna wash up and change first..."
Han Bom grumbled as she set the bags in the living room and headed to her room.
(Hey... you... uh...)
(Fuck off...)
Han Bom suddenly stopped and glanced toward another room.
"What? Was someone home?"
She was clearly heading toward the room, sensing a presence.
A man's voice came from the open door.
"Dude, I'm so jealous. I'd love to live under the same roof as Han Bom."
"You psycho... blind or what?"
"..."
Han Yeo-reum was the one sneering; the rest was his friend.
"Your little sister's hot as hell."
"Piss off. I hate looking at her."
I'd never once seen Han Yeo-reum compliment or say anything positive about Han Bom.
And it was the same in the dream.
'Wait, actually, seeing as he's speaking a bit more calmly now... it must be thanks to me, right?'
If Han Yeo-reum had regress-regressed his way up from floor 0, he'd probably have cursed her out on sight.
"...Fucking asshole."
"..."
Hurt by Han Yeo-reum's mockery, Han Bom muttered quietly and tried to head to her room.
That was when it happened.
"Hey, if you want to do her that bad, give me ten million won and I'll let you."
..
..
I got booted from the dream and muttered internally in shock.
'Crazy...'
'I'm just... speechless... that was...'
Just as I was about to explain to Armonia what had happened in Han Bom's dream, I heard the voice of a woman breathing heavily outside.
"Haah... haah... fuck..."
I knew exactly who it was just by the sound.
I carefully stepped out of the tent and looked around.
Han Bom had gone to the edge of the safe zone and was sitting on the ground, vigorously fanning herself with her hand.
The thin white t-shirt she was wearing was soaked with sweat, revealing her bare skin clearly.
It didn't feel like the cold sweat that follows a nightmare.
Sweat continued to pour down the nape of her neck, visible beyond her ponytail, making her white t-shirt transparent.
I approached her cautiously and asked.
"Are you okay?"
"!"
Surprised by my sudden question, Han Bom turned around, let out a deep sigh, and apologized.
"...Did I wake you up? I'm sorry."
"No. I just couldn't sleep, so I was awake, and I got worried when you suddenly came out."
"It's nothing. I just... woke up because it was too hot."
After saying that, Han Bom continued fanning herself for a while, then slightly turned her head, glanced at me, and spoke.
"...Can we talk for a moment?"
"Sure."
Upon hearing Han Bom's request, Seong Su-ho answered without hesitation and went to her side.
Han Bom didn't particularly care that her skin was clearly visible through her shirt.
'Whether he looks or not...'
She was wearing a bra anyway, and she didn't have a particular aversion to showing her body to others.
The fact that she loathed men actually made her care even less.
However, now that Seong Su-ho was actually beside her, she couldn't think of what to say.
'Why do I have to do this because of that pathetic piece of shit...'
Han Bom recalled the dream she had just had.
That event was an actual situation she had happened upon at home during her high school years.
Han Yeo-reum, who always showered Han Bom with curses and criticism, was one day laughing and chatting with friends in his room.
Up to that point, it was fine.
Although it was uncomfortable having strangers in the house, they were ultimately Han Yeo-reum's guests, so she tried not to pay much attention.
(Hey, if you want to do it with her that badly, I'll let you for ten million won.)
Although the friends had criticized Han Yeo-reum afterward and the incident passed without further issue.
But from that day on, Han Bom stopped thinking of Han Yeo-reum as family.
No, she stopped thinking of him as a human being.
But then one day, he started dating Min Ha-yeon, and because of that, Han Bom was forced once again to be caught between the two of them.
Han Bom hoped that Min Ha-yeon wouldn't get hurt, but she was also terrified that Ha-yeon might get hurt and leave.
So she always tried her best to comfort Min Ha-yeon and help her.
'...Still, it seems like he's come to his senses this time.'
Watching Han Yeo-reum's behavior over the last few days, she began to hope that he could be saved.
It wasn't for Han Yeo-reum's sake.
'...I don't want to be separated from eonni.'
She didn't have a single shred of sympathy for Han Yeo-reum.
She was only afraid of a situation where Min Ha-yeon might leave her side.
'...Maybe there's about 1% sympathy?'
Han Bom chuckled to herself, recalling the conversation she had with Han Yeo-reum yesterday.
The day before, when Seong Su-ho won the large-scale duel and gave her points, instructing her to distribute them to others, she had taken Han Yeo-reum aside and heard everything that had happened that day.
It was unbelievable, but she had no choice but to believe it.
That Seong Su-ho was an incredible monster...
And she thought that turning the heart of Min Ha-yeon, who had fallen for such a monster, would be as difficult as pulling fried food out of boiling oil with bare hands.
(...I'll try to seduce that man somehow.)
(What!? Don't make me laugh! Don't even dare go near that bastard...)
(Then how are you going to get back Ha-yeon eonni?)
(I... I'll... somehow...)
(See, you don't have any other way anyway.)
(...)
(Ha-yeon eonni hates cheating more than anything. If what you say is true, that man is a womanizer, so there will be an opening eventually. In the meantime, you just keep begging Ha-yeon eonni desperately.)
Han Bom's plan was simple.
Seduce Seong Su-ho as much as possible to make him open his heart to her, even just a little.
And if she successfully turned his heart, she would show Min Ha-yeon their affection to turn her heart as well.
The mere thought of engaging in such acts with a man made Han Bom feel like vomiting.
(For now, I honestly can't think of any other way.)
(...Thanks.)
(Sigh... so, just do your best.)
But Han Bom had made up her mind.
Guilt toward Seong Su-ho flickered within her, but the thought that Min Ha-yeon might leave her was enough to erase that guilt instantly.
Han Bom carefully opened her mouth.
"Um... do you... really like eonni?"
"Yes."
Enduring the rising wave of repulsion inside her, Han Bom moved closer to Seong Su-ho.
"Then... whoa!"
Suddenly, a breeze, like something coming from an electric fan, began to blow toward her from Seong Su-ho's direction.
Feeling a freshness she hadn't experienced in this place, Han Bom's mouth fell open as she let the breeze flutter her thin t-shirt.
"Amazing... it's so cool..."
"Are you okay?"
In front of Seong Su-ho, a magic circle filled with haphazardly written unknown symbols floated in the air, and the direction of the circle was aimed at Han Bom.
Cool, clean air was blowing from within the magic circle, cooling down Han Bom's heat.
"H-how did you do that?"
"Well... it's magic."
Seong Su-ho spoke with a playful smile.
Han Bom marveled as she enjoyed the magical breeze from Seong Su-ho.
'Is there anything he can't do...'
The man beside her was undoubtedly the man who had raped Min Ha-yeon.
To Han Bom, that was an absolute, unchanging fact.
But right now, she couldn't feel any impure emotions toward him.
Rather than developing a liking for him, she only felt a surge of guilt for what she had intended to do to him.
After that, Seong Su-ho didn't say another word.
As the conversation stalled, Han Bom also focused on enjoying the breeze.
After creating the wind with the magic circle for a while, Seong Su-ho stopped and spoke.
"Let's head back in. You might actually catch a cold."
"...Yes."
Han Bom eventually listened to Seong Su-ho and quietly entered the tent.
Min Ha-yeon was sleeping peacefully inside, and Han Bom lay down beside her, watching Seong Su-ho's silhouette enter the tent.
'Now that I think about it... he resembles that man from earlier.'
Han Bom recalled the dream she had just had, and feeling refreshed without a single drop of sweat, she was able to fall asleep.