Chapter 42
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: National Exchange Conference (2)
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Right now, this place was America.
Even though it was the heroes' homeland—a country where world-class villains popped up left and right—it somehow felt utterly ordinary up until now.
Though we'd only just arrived, that's exactly how it had felt at first.
Of course, seeing people speaking English everywhere as soon as we entered gave off that foreign vibe, but honestly, that was it.
I'd hoped for something more exotic on a trip like this, but I never imagined I'd end up feeling it in this way.
I asked the two of them, my face a mask of shock.
"No way... You guys are really okay with this...?"
I mean, I'm a guy, even if I don't look it.
The Thunder Emperor had shot it down flat, so it wasn't like their sense of propriety was off.
Sure, we weren't super close, so maybe that explained it—but wasn't I in the same boat?
"Oppa, we're close..."
"Yes. Just the two of us feels a little lonely."
Sure, we were closer than with the Thunder Emperor, but even so—not boyfriend close. At best, we were tight guy friends. Did girls really invite someone like that to share a bed?
And not just one of them, but two?
Wouldn't that just make me the awkward third wheel crashing the girls' room?
I glanced cautiously at the Thunder Emperor.
He wasn't even paying attention to us, like we should just do whatever. He was off scouting his own spot to crash.
'Can't I just bail...?'
I didn't dislike the two of them—in fact, far from it—but barging into a room meant for just them as the lone guy felt way too awkward. I had no choice.
With that thought, I approached the Thunder Emperor and asked, but...
"This room requires a minimum of three people."
His words hit like a bolt of lightning, and I froze on the spot.
No way... Why the hell would they even have a rule like that?
"No... You're kidding, right?"
Why is this happening...?
It had to be a lie. No way a hotel like this had occupancy minimums.
"Hmm... They want you there. Why fight it so hard? I'm not gonna stop you—do what you want. Long as everyone's happy, I don't care."
"No, it's not like that..."
What the hell was this guy even saying?
Our relationship with the two of them wasn't that.
I didn't know how they saw it, but from my side, we were strictly friends. Nothing more.
"We're really fine, oppa."
"Yeah. Don't worry about it."
"..."
For some reason, the two of them seemed dead set on dragging me into their room.
Hearing that, I let out a quiet sigh to myself.
Thing was, I couldn't just leave now. They'd said the room needed at least three or we couldn't use it at all.
If I bailed, they'd lose the room—and we'd wasted money on it anyway. I'd have to hunt down somewhere else...
"Haa... Fine..."
In the end, I had no choice but to bunk with them.
This was no easy decision.
'Gotta live like this until we head back home...'
It was weighing on me hard, since we'd be stuck here until we returned to Korea.
They said they were cool with it, but were they really?
They might brush it off easy, but spending days in the same room as two gorgeous girls like that...
'Get it together...'
I just had to tune them out as much as possible.
If I could manage that, I'd survive somehow.
It wasn't some cheap motel—this was a luxury spot, so the room had to be huge. Sharing wouldn't be an issue.
"Alright, then. That's settled. I'm heading out. If anything comes up, I'll call you first—just come right away?"
The Thunder Emperor said that, turning on his heel with a wave as he walked off.
'Haaa...'
I watched his back, sighing inwardly.
Maybe I was overthinking it, being too chicken—but I didn't want to mess up what we had going.
What if sharing like this made them see the real me and get disappointed?
They were objectively stunning. I was already worried about slipping up under the temptation.
'Tune 'em out as much as possible...'
Guess I'd just have to make it work.
'Same room...'
'Mm...'
Unlike Do-yoon, whose mind was a whirlwind of complications, Seo-yul and Yu-ah were thrilled at the prospect of sharing a room.
The reason was simple.
They both felt at ease around Do-yoon.
In a strange place like this, bunking with another woman they barely knew sounded way less appealing than sticking with someone familiar. It put their minds right at ease.
And that made sense—they were both somewhat introverted, to varying degrees.
Of course, it wasn't like they wanted to room with him purely out of fondness.
Naturally, that was the biggest factor, but the anxiety of sharing a room for days with a total stranger weighed heavy too.
Especially since...
'She likes oppa too, doesn't she...?'
'Seo-yul likes Do-yoon...?'
A subtle tension hung between them.
Gazes loaded with the unbreakable resolve that they would never yield the man they liked.
Seo-yul's feelings ran deeper, of course—but neither knew the other's heart.
To be precise, Yu-ah still needed time to truly get to know Do-yoon.
Unlike Seo-yul, who'd known him longer and had her life saved by him directly, their first encounter had been a fight to capture him.
After that, she'd grown intrigued by his unexpected strength. Before she knew it, her grandfather had paired them up to live together.
She wasn't aware of it herself, but as she'd once admitted, she had a thing for strong guys. Falling for Do-yoon was inevitable.
"Hoo..."
"Mm..."
They'd made it into the room, but now that they were there, they had nothing to do.
The place was swanky, packed with fancy amenities, but for three people who'd never stayed anywhere like this, it was all a mystery.
Do-yoon and Seo-yul were your average college students. And Yu-ah, the sheltered young lady from a wealthy family, had spent her whole life honing her swordsmanship—luxury hotels were uncharted territory.
No experience meant no clue.
"Sh-should we shower first?"
"Sounds good. Plenty of space for you two. I'll head to the other bath."
Seo-yul finally broke the awkward silence with a tentative suggestion, and Do-yoon jumped on it like a lifeline, flashing an uneasy smile.
The suite was massive, complete with multiple bathrooms.
"Y-yeah..."
"Sure."
"Eh... You two are showering together?"
"......"
Yu-ah dodged Seo-yul's question about showering together.
"We're already here together—might as well bond with a group shower, right?"
Do-yoon's innocent remark left Yu-ah with no choice but to nod reluctantly.
As the two headed off to the bath, Do-yoon breathed a sigh of relief.
"Finally, a moment alone..."
He needed to pull himself together.
This wasn't why he'd come.
He was here solely to check how the original story unfolded—and to see what went down at this National Exchange Conference, just in case.
Focus on that. No distractions. No wavering.
He slapped his cheeks lightly to snap out of it and headed to the bathroom.
.
.
.
The two made their way to the bathroom, hesitating as they undressed.
They'd already agreed to shower together—backing out now would be weird.
Silently stripping bare, they stepped inside.
"Whoa..."
They couldn't help but gasp in awe.
It was like a private spa: a massive tub evoking grand public baths, already prepped and steaming automatically, plus a huge window with views across all of New York—if you wanted them.
They'd worried about being visible at first, but it was the penthouse suite. Hard to see from below anyway, and a sign explained the glass was one-way: out from in, but not vice versa. No need to stress.
They began poking around the place.
"Ah... Look at this, Yu-ah!"
"Oh..."
"So cool... I've never seen anything like it."
Screech, whoooosh!
"Eek! It's cooold!"
"...Pfft."
There were all sorts of gadgets you'd expect in a luxury bathhouse, so they fiddled with them curiously.
"This is nice..."
"...It is."
Growing a little closer by the minute, they washed up and slipped into the tub.
"Haa..."
"......"
Once settled in the water, they found themselves gazing at each other—now somewhat accustomed.
"..."
"..."
Better than the total awkwardness from before, but now it was for a different reason.
They'd both pushed for the shared room to get closer to Do-yoon.
"As expected..."
"Yeah..."
No words needed—they knew exactly what the other was thinking.
Who would get time alone with him.
The war over him was about to begin.