Under the Spell of the Love Rune
I was a pushover.
The Love Rune. Ever since I was toyed with by that godforsaken power, my daily life had been completely upended. The three women who had stolen my heart—I couldn't do anything else but think of them.
Cara. A woman who looked breathtakingly beautiful in silver armor. Her smoky eye makeup and bold red lips made my chest tighten, and her fluttering black hair sent shivers down my spine.
Lora. The sublime Saintess. Her face was angelic, and her air of innocent ditziness only added to her charm. Every time she spoke, my heart swelled with an overwhelming, suffocating affection.
Stella. A haughty, alluring elf with long, pointed ears and a voluptuous, striking figure. She was incredibly sensitive to scents and would pinch her nose shut whenever I drew near, but even that dismissive gesture seemed utterly enchanting to me. I was completely, hopelessly infatuated with them.
"Huff... pant... Cara. Lady Lora. Stella-noona. Why don't we all take a bath together today? I can scrub your backs and make them nice and clean!"
"You pathetic bastard... do you want to be diced by my sword qi before we even reach the Demon King?"
"I beg of you, please repent of your sins."
"You reek, so get the hell away from me! Go wash yourself, you absolute lunatic!"
Looking back, my behavior was utterly repulsive. If anyone wanted to win a woman's heart, they would avoid doing exactly what I did. But back then... I was so helplessly head over heels that merely looking at their faces drove me wild with joy.
Even their contempt felt like a reward. When they struck me, I took it as a loving touch. I was grateful for their sheer disgust.
Perhaps that was why I completely forgot to be angry at Kim Hyungkeun for using the Love Rune on me. It felt as though I had loved them from the very beginning—as if the rune had merely been a catalyst, and I had fallen for their natural charms of my own free will. The thought that Kim Hyungkeun had ruined me never even crossed my mind.
I even went so far as to beg Kim Hyungkeun for advice on how to win their hearts. He put on a remarkably mature, serious facade as he gave me his counsel.
"You're too desperate. Women fall for men who have composure."
"Composure... But whenever I stand in front of Cara, Lora, and Stella, my heart pounds so hard I can barely get a word out."
"Hmm... then think back to when you were wooing Gaeun."
"Gaeun?"
Han Gaeun... my fiancée. The woman I had loved more than life itself. Yet, even her memory paled in comparison to the dazzling beauty of my party members.
"Honestly... I don't even remember why I loved Gaeun anymore. Those three are the only ones who hold my heart now."
"What? Then what about your goal of defeating the Demon King and returning to her?"
"I don't care about any of that anymore. Cara, Lora, Stella... I just want to be with them. That's my entire world."
"Pfft... Ahahaha! Ah-hahaha!"
Even as my so-called friend laughed in my face, my mind remained entirely consumed by a single question: How do I make them mine?
And so, I chose the path of absolute devotion. Meals? That was entirely my responsibility. Drawing on my past training at a professional culinary academy back on Earth, I prepared three gourmet meals a day, along with handmade desserts.
Gifts? I showered them with presents constantly. The moment I had any spare coin, I spent it on jewelry or luxury bags. Cara loved weapons, Lora had a sweet tooth, and Stella had a weakness for high-end designer goods. Only when I presented these offerings did their icy glares soften, if only for a fleeting second.
"Oh... this blade must have cost a fortune. Thanks, Kim Youngho."
"The treats you buy are always so delicious, Youngho. Thank you."
"You still reek, but... thanks for the designer bag you got me last time."
That single moment of lukewarm kindness—how desperately it thrilled me! I became a complete, pathetic doormat, living only to serve them.
Of course, deep down, a small part of me knew the truth. I knew they didn't care for me in the slightest. And how could they? That was the curse of the Rune of Sacrifice.
My party members were destined to despise me more and more as time went on. By the time our journey hit the six-month mark, I was completely ostracized. To make matters worse, while my party members grew exponentially stronger from my passive buffs, my own strength remained stagnant. I was the perfect, defenseless punching bag.
"Hey, Kim Youngho. Let's go. Mock duel."
"Again...?"
Whenever she was bored, Cara would stroll over with a training sword and kick me in the backside. It was her way of demanding a match.
"Oh, yes! Do show us what you've got, Youngho! It's been a while since we've seen you look 'cool'!"
"You're not going to chicken out, are you, stinky?"
Their mocking sneers put immense pressure on me. I couldn't bear the thought of looking like a coward in front of the women I loved.
Of course, once the duel began, Cara would beat me to a bloody pulp. The gap in our combat abilities was vast, but more than that, I could never bring myself to raise a hand against her. Cara knew this all too well, and she exploited it ruthlessly.
For an hour, sometimes two, she would thrash me until my ribs cracked. And when she was finished, she would spit right on my bruised cheek.
"Ptooey!"
"I... I yield, Cara. Please, let's stop."
"Stop? You've been thoroughly humiliated by a woman, and you don't even have the dignity to get angry? I just spat on your face."
"...Thank you for the reward."
"What? Pfft—!"
Roars of laughter erupted around us.
"Ahahaha! Did you guys hear that? He called it a reward!"
"Disgusting! You are so pathetic, Youngho! Haha! What kind of woman could ever love a spineless coward like you?"
"I told you so. The guy literally reeks of desperation."
"Hey, what do you guys think? Youngho is absolutely crazy about us. Anyone want to be his girlfriend?"
"Ew! Absolutely not!"
"Count me out. Kissing him would make my nose rot off."
"Hear that, Kim Youngho? None of us want you."
While they cackled and jeered, I stood alone in my personal hell. Any normal man with an ounce of self-respect would have walked away after being treated like that. But under the spell of love, I couldn't leave. Instead, I crawled back to them, begging to stay.
"Please, Cara... Lora... Stella... don't abandon me. Sniff... I don't care what I am to you, just please let me stay by your side..."
"Ugh. Why does the sight of him crying make me feel so sick?"
"I feel the same way."
"He reeks."
Cara, Lora, and Stella grimaced in unison. Stella pinched her nose shut and stepped forward.
"Hey, Kim Youngho. Do you really love us that much?"
"I do... I love you all so much."
"Then from now on, you will call us your Masters and obey our every command. Do that, or we're finished with you forever."
I wasn't stupid. I knew they didn't view me as a man, let alone a romantic partner. But the thought of being cast out was unbearable. I was too deeply in love.
"I under...stand, Masters. I will serve you faithfully, so please... just don't cast me aside..."
"Ahahaha! He actually called us Masters!"
"Do you have absolutely no pride as a man?"
"Utterly repulsive. If there was a list of creatures I'd least want to date, he'd be number one."
From that day on, my treatment grew even more wretched. At mealtimes, I was forced to eat off the dirt floor. At night, I slept outside the tents, exposed to the elements. On the road, I carried everyone's heavy packs. My share of the loot, which was supposed to be split equally, dwindled to absolutely nothing.
It was my own fault. When Cara had casually asked, "You don't mind spending your share on us, do you?" I had eagerly blurted out, "Not at all! I would gladly die for you all!"
Lower than an outcast, I had become their slave. That was my place in the party.
Looking back, the root of all my misery was Kim Hyungkeun. Yet, back then, I couldn't bring myself to defy him. Instead, I pathetically clung to him for help.
"Hyungkeun, I'm begging you."
"I told you to stop bringing this up..."
"Please, just hear me out. You're the only one who knows the truth! You know why they hate me so much!"
"I know... I mean, yeah, I know, but..."
"Then help me! This isn't a bad thing. It's just restoring the balance!"
I relentlessly pestered Kim Hyungkeun to use the Love Rune on them.
"Use the Love Rune to make them love me back! I can't take this torture anymore. Do you have any idea how agonizing it is to be rejected and humiliated day after day?!"
"Sigh... Look, I didn't want to have to tell you this, but you leave me no choice."
Hyungkeun revealed a crucial detail about the Love Rune that I hadn't known.
"It's not a skill I can just spam. It can only be used twice in total—once on a male, and once on a female."
"Then... then just use it on one of them! Just make one of them love me!"
"I can't do that."
"Why not?!"
"Because that's literal brainwashing. How could I do that to them? I refuse to use the Love Rune on our own comrades."
"But..."
Then why did you use it on me, you absolute motherfucker?
My entire body trembled with rage. I wanted to tear this son of a bitch limb from limb.
But my heart, completely blinded by love, was paralyzed by a terrifying thought: If I kill the Hero, the girls will hate me forever. That fear bloomed like a poisonous flower in my chest, freezing me in place.
And so, my life as their slave dragged on. Meanwhile, fueled by my passive buffs, the party grew incredibly powerful. Soon, whispers began to circulate that we were finally ready to face the Demon King.
At the same time, the one-year duration of the Love Rune was finally nearing its end. I had been counting down the days on my fingers, tracking the exact date the curse would lift.
"Tomorrow... It's tomorrow. Tomorrow, the rune's hold on me will vanish. But... I know the truth. My feelings aren't just some artificial illusion conjured by a rune. This is real love."
Exactly twenty-four hours before the Love Rune was set to expire, I made a fateful decision. I was going to confess my love to them.