Bring Me the Guy Who Stole My Daughter!! (2)
After a week, Cheon Seong finally woke up in bed, listening to Hwa-young recount everything that had happened since they left the dungeon.
"So you were trying to kill me, huh?"
"Ah, no, come on, don't say things like that. D-do you really think my dad would kill you?"
"Look me in the eye when you say that."
After successfully taking down the subordinate, I couldn't withstand the penalty of Last Radiance and lost consciousness. My body was growing cold as I burned through my lifespan with that reckless technique, and just as I was about to die, Yoo Hwa-young had carried me out of the dungeon to ask for help. That much was good. In fact, I was deeply grateful. After all, I was only alive thanks to Hwa-young.
"But why the hell did you ask your father for help? You're the one who knows best how your dad feels about you."
"I-I was desperate at the time, what was I supposed to do?"
Seeing Hwa-young hang her head, I sighed and patted her head. There was no point in scolding her—my concern was really about how Shin Yeon would treat me from now on, not anger at Hwa-young. I didn't want her to look so defeated.
Ugh... The problem is Shin Yeon. What am I supposed to do about this?
Shin Yeon was someone I couldn't defeat no matter what I did in my past life. Even though his end came when Dang Hwa-ran's self-destruct left him in a vegetative state, that didn't mean he was weak. At that time, Hwa-ran had risked her life to unleash a poison so lethal it could kill even a Highest-ranked powerhouse with a single breath, and Shin Yeon had absorbed most of the damage himself while taking the direct hit. If I'd been caught in that explosion, even with my resistance to most poisons, I would've melted away in under a minute.
On top of that, Shin Yeon was strong enough to kill the subordinate Hwa-young and I had barely captured in seconds, and he'd survived fighting at the front lines against the Four Knights. And yet, Hwa-young had clung to him, tears and snot streaming down her face, begging him to please save me.
That meant Shin Yeon could've left me half-dead if he'd wanted to.
"S-Still, it'll be fine. I-I'll talk to my dad nicely. Don't worry, Seong."
Hwa-young straightened her back, telling me to trust her, but...
That's easy to say when I'm already being watched.
The man who had been watching me with burning intensity ever since I woke up. The way he'd clenched and unclenched his fists when Hwa-young hugged me and kissed me made it obvious who'd sent him.
He looks a bit tired, like he's been here all night. Hmm, that's annoying.
It bothered me that he'd kept watch while I was at my most vulnerable. Judging by how comfortable he was with stealth, he'd probably done this kind of work for the Flame King Guild before. If so, there was a high chance he was recording this with some kind of magical device... What am I supposed to do about that?
"Yaaawn... So, um... I was saying..." Hwa-young yawned, blinking slowly as her eyes grew heavy.
She must've been exhausted from staying by my side without sleeping while I was unconscious.
"If you're tired, you don't have to hold it in. Just sleep."
"Mmm, no... I'm fine. Yaaawn."
"Oh, I see. Your stubbornness is something else."
With a soft rustle, I shifted slightly to make space beside me.
"You can tell me about everything that happened later. Just sleep a little more."
"Mmm, hehe... Then I'll take you up on that for a bit."
Seeing me make room, Hwa-young smiled happily and lay down next to Seong. She turned toward him, wrapped her arms around him, and closed her eyes. A moment later, the soft sound of her breathing filled the infirmary as she fell asleep beside him.
Click. Click.
I stroked Hwa-young's head as she slept, speaking toward the Flame King's man who was glaring at me with murderous intent.
"I think Shin Yeon sent you to keep an eye on me. But since I'm still a patient, could you tone down the killing intent a bit?"
"...How did you know I was watching you?"
The man in the black suit, who had been blending into his surroundings using his unique ability to monitor me as ordered, revealed himself and asked.
"That's not something you need to know. Hwa-young is sleeping, so please leave."
"If you make me one promise, I'll leave."
Seong gently stroked Hwa-young's head as Kim Ho-jun, known as Kim Secretary, glared at him.
"Let's be straightforward. If you need money, I can give you as much as you want. Just stay away from the young lady. Then I'll step back..."
"I'm sorry, but I can't accept that. How I spend my time with Hwa-young is something she gets to decide, not me."
Before Kim Secretary could finish speaking, Seong cut him off, and the man released a burst of mana toward him.
Slither.
Kim Secretary's blue mana, radiating a chilling aura, slithered up Seong's body like a snake hunting its prey, wrapping around his neck without a sound. It was a message: You have no choice.
Kim Secretary approached silently, looking down at Seong. He expected Seong to be terrified and waiting for him to demand he stay away from Hwa-young.
"Hmm, this is crossing a line."
"No, I've been investigating this incident, and you noticed the dungeon invasion before it even happened. I don't know why you put the young lady in danger, but if you refuse, I'll force you to—"
"You're thorough with your investigations. But you see...
Thud!
Crack!!
The blue mana wrapping around Seong's neck snapped and vanished in his hand, and a powerful aura swallowed Kim Secretary whole.
"I already told you—it's not up to me or anyone else to decide. It's up to Yoo Hwa-young herself."
Roar!!
"...How could an academy student have this much power..."
Kim Secretary's eyes widened in shock as he was overwhelmed by the aura. According to his investigation, Seong had talent but was far below the level of the Lucinus students. Yet now, Seong's power far exceeded that of a mere student.
Even if Kim Secretary gave it his all, he couldn't guarantee victory. The odds of him winning were only about 30%.
"You were hiding your strength. What do you want? Why are you approaching the young lady? Tell me right now!"
Kim Secretary's hostility toward Seong had reached its limit, and even though fighting meant he might die, he couldn't hide his animosity.
But despite Kim Secretary's hostility, Seong covered Hwa-young's ears with his hand and made a shushing gesture.
"Shh, she's still sleeping."
The terrifying aura from moments ago vanished instantly, and Seong looked at Hwa-young with a gentle smile. Kim Secretary silently reined in his hostility.
He tried to judge whether Seong's current demeanor was genuine or fake, but no matter how he looked, there wasn't a trace of falsehood. Kim Secretary sighed.
In truth, the Guild Master had ordered him to determine what kind of man Seong was—to force him away if he posed a threat to the young lady, or if not, to evaluate him based on complex conditions and report back. But no matter how much he threatened or pressured Seong, there was never any sign of harm.
Even the threats had backfired, with Seong revealing his hidden strength and turning the tables completely.
Ugh... I'm gonna get my ass kicked by the Guild Master again.
The Guild Master had told him to find something negative to report, but having to report something positive meant one thing: a future where he'd get his ass kicked was guaranteed.
Kim Secretary sighed again and opened the infirmary window.
Whoosh.
Wind from outside flowed in through the window.
"Ah, wait a moment."
Just as Kim Secretary was about to leave through the window, Seong, who had been stroking Hwa-young's head, stopped him.
Kim Secretary looked at Seong, wondering if he had something to say, and Seong spoke.
"Please keep my hidden strength a secret."
"I'm sorry, but I can't do that. I need to report everything that happened today to the Guild Master—"
"Well, if you say so, then when Hwa-young wakes up, I'll just have to tell her that Shin Yeon sent someone to watch over us."
At Seong's words, Kim Secretary's body stiffened as he was about to leave through the window, and his face turned pale.
If Hwa-young found out her father had sent someone to spy on her, she'd naturally confront him, and it was obvious whose anger Shin Yeon's wrath would fall upon.
"N-No! P-Please, not that! Anything but that!!"
Kim Secretary dropped to his knees before Seong, bowing his head respectfully, imagining the terrifying abyss of Hwa-young's reaction.
"You'll keep it a secret, right?"
Kim Secretary nodded with a pale face, looking up at Seong's devilish smile.
Ah... I want to quit my job.
Extreme reality hit Kim Secretary as he knelt, having been caught spying on a young student under his boss's orders and now held hostage by a weakness.
...
...
...
...
...
...
"Phew—Finally gone. Ugh!! Cough! Cough!"
After confirming Kim Secretary had left, Seong clutched his heart, which felt like it was about to burst. It was the price for forcibly releasing mana despite his damaged mana circuits.
"Phew—But what do I do now?"
As the pain in his heart subsided, Seong sighed, worrying about what came next. Given his current condition, he'd need Beatrice's help to properly use mana. But if his damaged mana circuits recovered too quickly, it might raise suspicion.
There was no choice but to wait for the mana circuit wounds to heal on their own.
"And I still need to investigate the dungeon invasion. This is a mess."
Even though it was just a subordinate, traces of the Four Knights had appeared in the dungeon invasion. That meant there was some connection between the dungeon invasion and the Four Knights...
"I should at least contact Mir first..."
Just as Seong was looking for his phone to ask Mir to investigate the dungeon invasion, the door opened, and a voice that was usually warm and loving now sounded cold and frightening.
"Seong? I think we need to talk."
Seong's neck creaked like a broken hinge as he turned to look at the source of the voice. There stood Yuna, smiling but not really smiling, looking at him.
"Mmm... Hehe... Seong... I love you..."
Just as Yuna entered, Hwa-young, who had been quietly sleeping, spoke in her sleep—saying exactly what she should never say right now. A cold, chilly winter arrived for what should have been a warm reunion.
***
Approximately one hour had passed since Hwa-young fell asleep on Seong's infirmary bed.
"...Na...cca...sohan..."
"...Mi...hae, Yu..."
The sound of someone talking tickled Hwa-young's ears as she slept.
"Eh, mmm... Hey, who's here... Ah! Y-Yuna."
Hwa-young opened her eyes and, seeing Yuna sitting in front of her, jumped up in surprise.
Thud!
"Urk!"
Rushing to sit up without thinking about who was beside her, Hwa-young ended up hitting Seong's chin with her head. Seong grabbed his chin as Hwa-young suddenly struck him.
"Ah! Hey, are you okay?!"
"Ow, ow. You should sit up more carefully, what if something gets hurt?"
"No, I was startled and it just happened. I'm sorry."
Hwa-young blushed as Seong rubbed his red chin, apologized awkwardly, and then偷偷 glanced at Yuna, gauging her reaction.
In the dungeon and after Seong woke up, Hwa-young had openly shown her feelings for him, declaring she wouldn't give up. But no matter how bold she was, she couldn't help feeling guilty about liking her friend's boyfriend.
She had even insisted on taking care of Seong herself, pushing Yuna aside. The guilt and shame over not telling Yuna about her feelings for Seong made her feel even worse.
No matter how much she loved Seong, she was just a stone that had rolled into Yuna and Seong's relationship—nothing more, nothing less.
Thinking back, everything Seong said in the dungeon was to reassure me... Maybe I should give up.
She didn't want to give up. She didn't want to.
She couldn't imagine ever meeting a man like Seong again.
But she didn't want to hurt Seong just because of her own selfishness.
After all, no woman in the world would like another woman flirting with her boyfriend.
Just as the word "give up" filled Hwa-young's mind, someone took her hand.
Stopping her thoughts, Hwa-young looked at the person holding her hand and found Yuna smiling gently at her.
"Yuna? Why are you holding my hand all of a sudden—"
"Hwa-young. You like Seong."
Thud!
Yuna's words struck Hwa-young's heart before she could finish speaking, and her heart dropped.
"A-Are you? No, I don't! W-Why would I, I, like, like him? Y-You're so, so funny, Yuna. Haha."
Sweating profusely, stuttering, and forcing an awkward smile, Hwa-young's obvious lie made Seong sigh.
"What are you doing if you can't even lie? Besides, Yuna's known how you feel since last night."
"R-Really...?"
Hwa-young looked at Yuna, asking if it was true, and Yuna just smiled softly at her.
Seeing that smile, Hwa-young realized Yuna already knew everything and hung her head.
"...I'm sorry, Yuna..."
Tears fell from Hwa-young's eyes, wetting the blanket below her lowered head, her voice thick with emotion.
"B-But Seong isn't to blame! Seong rejected me, and I kept seducing him! So—!"
But the image of Seong and Yuna growing distant flashed through Hwa-young's mind, and she quickly raised her head, trying to say that Seong wasn't to blame and it was all her fault. Just then, Yuna raised her hand silently.
"Urk—!"
Thinking Yuna was about to slap her, Hwa-young squeezed her eyes shut, but what she felt next wasn't the sound of a slap or pain—it was Yuna's gentle hand wiping away her tears and unexpected words.
"It's okay to keep liking Seong, Hwa-young. Confessing is okay too."
Yuna's permission to keep loving Seong and even confess. Hwa-young blinked, unconsciously asking back at Yuna's sincere words.
"Why? Yuna, why is it okay? Is it okay for another woman to be by Seong's side?"
"Mmm, of course not. I'm a woman too, so I'd prefer to be the only one by Seong's side."
"Then why exactly—"
"Because I love Seong. Because I love Seong and Seong loves me back. Because he's always by my side, it's okay."
Yuna's words: it's okay because she loves him, and it's okay because he loves her back.
Seeing Hwa-young still not understanding, Yuna chuckled and added.
"But that doesn't mean just anyone is okay. No matter who falls for Seong, if Seong isn't interested, or if they're approaching him for some reason, I'll stop them no matter who they are."
Yuna's words, smiling but with a chilling undertone.
But the more Hwa-young listened, the more the puzzle pieces fell into place, and her eyes lit up.
"So you're saying it's okay for me, right? Seong-ah?"
Yuna turned to Seong with a warm, spring-like smile, asking the question. Hwa-young also turned to look at Seong silently.
Hwa-young's red eyes burned brightly with anticipation.
Yuna's words: if Seong isn't interested, it's not okay for anyone, so it's okay for her.
Hwa-young's emotions swelled with the hope that maybe Seong had feelings for her too.
Under the piercing gazes of the two beauties, Seong scratched his cheek and said.
"Well, I don't know if I like you, but... interested? A little?"
Blush!
Hwa-young's face turned as red as her hair at Seong's words—not saying he liked her, but that he was interested.
"Thank you, Seong! I really, really love you!"
"Urk! Get off! Hey! I'm still a patient! And I said I'd think about it, not that I'll accept!"