The Price of Trusting a Friend, Part 1
"What the... fuck...?"
The memories of the past year flashed before my eyes like a panoramic film. Confessing to Cara, Lora, and Stella countless times, only to be brutally rejected. Chasing after them like a love-struck fool, grinning idiotically. Taking on every single tedious chore, from cooking to menial labor and running errands.
"Why on earth did I... do that?"
The love that had burned so fiercely vanished without leaving even a trace of ash, as if it had all been a lie. No... even before that, I couldn't comprehend why I had found them so incredibly lovely in the first place. It felt as though I had been played by a midsummer night's dream.
"Ha... fuck..."
Following the initial bewilderment, a wave of intense fury washed over me. For the past year, I had endured treatment that went beyond mere bullying—it was closer to slavery. If I had been my usual self, I would have left the party immediately rather than put up with such garbage. There was only one reason I had endured it: my love for the party members. That blind devotion was the only thing that had made such wretched treatment bearable.
"Why did I fall for women like that and pour my heart and soul out like a madman?"
The memories of scraping together expensive gifts and feeling like I owned the world just seeing their happy faces were still sickeningly vivid.
"I was a complete idiot."
Even when I was dating Han Gaeun, I had never been subjected to such one-sided power trips. Never. The only reason I had acted so abnormally was, of course, because of the Love Rune.
"Kim Hyungkeun. That son of a bitch..."
Why hadn't I even thought to confront him? None of it made any sense, from start to finish. I immediately abandoned my thoughts of suicide and headed back to the campsite.
"Eek! He's back!"
"Sigh... what kind of pathetic clinging is it going to be this time?"
"If he tries to confess one more time, let's actually kill him."
The women were huddled together, whispering amongst themselves, but their voices didn't register at all. I had absolutely no interest in them anymore. Ignoring them completely, I strode toward the tent occupied solely by the Hero, Kim Hyungkeun. Inside, the bastard was reading a magazine with his own face on the cover.
"Oh, Youngho. What's up?"
"What's up? You motherfucker... how can you even say that?"
"What? Why the sudden swearing? Are you drunk?"
"Drunk?" I let out a hollow, incredulous laugh. "If anything, I've been drunk this entire time. I've finally snapped back to my senses, you bastard."
"?! Don't tell me..."
"Get the fuck out here. We need to talk."
I dragged Kim Hyungkeun out of the tent. I was ready to grab him by the collar if he didn't move, but he seemed to have caught on to the shifting atmosphere and stepped out on his own.
"Has the rune's effect... worn off?"
"Yeah, you bastard. I've got a mountain of things to say to you."
"Like what?"
"Like what? You're asking me what? Unbelievable." Another dry laugh escaped my lips. Was this guy insane?
"Let's start with this. Why the hell did you shoot me with the Love Rune? Do you have some kind of grudge against me? What did I ever do to you to deserve this kind of sick joke?"
"Sigh..."
"Explain yourself. Before I break your jaw."
"Calm down, Youngho. Calm down." Hyungkeun tried to soothe me with a friendly tone, as if he were still my friend. He didn't realize the only reason I hadn't killed him yet was because I was curious to hear what pathetic excuse he would come up with.
"Whew... It was for the sake of our party, Youngho."
"What? For the sake of our party?"
"Yes... I didn't have a choice either." Hyungkeun turned his back to me and let out a long sigh.
"Think about it. The side effects of the Rune of Sacrifice. You remember, don't you? How the party members treated you over the past year."
"They treated me like absolute shit."
"They despise you. They probably don't even know why they feel that way. That's just how the Rune of Sacrifice works. It forces you to make one-sided sacrifices while everyone else reaps the benefits."
"And what does that have to do with the fucked-up thing you did to me?"
"Just think about it! What if I hadn't used the Love Rune on you? Would you have stayed in the party while being treated like that?"
"...What?"
"Of course not. Your pride would have been wounded, you would've been miserable, and you would have quit this party and left. Am I wrong?"
"Well... I suppose so."
"I did it to prevent that."
"You did what?"
"As you know, the demons are far stronger than we ever anticipated. To defeat the Demon King and return to Earth, we absolutely need your buffs. But the Rune of Sacrifice has a fatal flaw. The side effect you know all too well... being utterly loathed by your party members. Because of that side effect, there's a rule that the wielder of the Rune of Sacrifice can never stay in the same party for long. That's why I used the Love Rune on you. To force you to stay in this party no matter what. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"..."
"Thanks to you, we've become incredibly strong. You know that, right? Anyone on this continent who doesn't know our names must be living under a rock!"
The Hero, Kim Hyungkeun, and his party. Our adventures had transcended the Lidorphias Kingdom, which sponsored us, and had become a form of entertainment enjoyed by people across the entire continent, in every single nation. More and more people believed that if things continued smoothly, we would eventually defeat the Demon King and bring permanent peace.
These achievements were the direct result of my buffs. As long as they received my buffs, the party members would neither die nor get injured. They could fight with infinite continues. It was practically like playing a game with cheat codes enabled. Of course... only Hyungkeun and I knew that truth.
"...And you call that an excuse? You dragged me through hell for that?"
"I had no choice! I believed that if it meant defeating the Demon King, it was a sacrifice we had to make!"
"So, did you kill the Demon King?"
"You know we're just one step away from subjugating him! I told you I'd kill him within a year, right? Okay, honestly, I failed to meet that one-year deadline. But with our current strength, we can definitely win against the Demon King. It's all thanks to you. Once we kill him, I'll tell everyone the truth. I'll confess everything honestly. That we all got strong because of your buffs. That you are the number one contributor to defeating the Demon King. That the party members only hated you because of the Rune of Sacrifice. And that you only followed the girls around like a stalker because of the Love Rune. I'll tell them everything! Is that enough?"
"You want me to trust you? After what you did to me?"
"Youngho... please trust me just one last time. I beg of you."
*Thud.* Hyungkeun suddenly dropped to his knees.
"I found a route that bypasses the Four Heavenly Kings and leads directly to the Demon King. Once the Demon King is dead, a gate will appear. Naturally, it's a gate leading back to Earth. You can take that gate and leave. You can go back to Gaeun, the woman you love."
"...And what about you?"
"Me? What would I even do back there? I don't have anyone waiting for me like you do. Back on Earth, I was just a day laborer living hand-to-mouth. I'd rather just live here."
"You son of a bitch!"
"Ugh!"
As I raised my fist, Hyungkeun squeezed his eyes shut and threw up his guard. But I stopped my fist right before it made contact with his face. I decided to trust this bastard who called himself my friend one last, final time.
"This is the last time, Kim Hyungkeun... Do not betray me again. You better keep every single word you just said."
"Of course, Youngho. Thank you for trusting me. I will never make you regret this."
In this isolated, desolate fantasy world where I had been cast aside, Hyungkeun, a fellow Earthling, should have been the person I could rely on the most. So, treating this as the absolute final chance, I chose to believe him one more time.
Our party became busier than ever. An expedition targeting only the Demon King with pinpoint precision began. We advanced along a route that subtly bypassed the strongholds of the Four Heavenly Kings. Since that was the Hero Party's ultimate goal anyway, it was a natural choice. The only things that had changed since my secret talk with Hyungkeun were the accelerated pace of our march and the fact that I was no longer forced to do all the chores by myself.
The morning after the Love Rune's effect wore off, Stella walked up to me, pinching her nose shut as usual.
"Hey, you smelly trash."
"Don't call me that."
Stella spoke nonchalantly, as if she hadn't even heard me. "Go prepare breakfast. We're going to starve at this rate."
"What does that have to do with me?"
"Huh? Are you... trying to make us dislike you even more?"
"I don't give a damn. From now on, prepare your own meals. Stop treating me like your servant."
"Has he lost his mind? Are you doing this for attention? Keep this up, and our opinion of you will drop even lower."
"Do whatever you want. While we're at it, let me make one thing clear: just as you all wanted, I won't stalk you, show any affection, or cling to you ever again. In return, let's all take care of our own business."
"..."
"Got something to say?"
"..."
Stella blinked, staring at me as if she were looking at a ghost, unable to utter a single word.
When Cara and Lora heard about the incident, they predicted that "Kim Youngho will start begging for attention again in no time," but that never happened. My sudden, overnight change in attitude left the party members bewildered, and a heavy, awkward silence hung over us.
And then, we finally arrived at the Demon King's castle. Once we killed the Demon King, all the misunderstandings would be cleared up, and I would be able to return to Earth to marry my beloved Gaeun... Or so I truly believed back then.