Chapter 85
Chapter 85
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: A Brief Farewell (2)
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I excused myself from the other team members and headed to the main gate.
The text from Ji Ye-won had given me an oddly unsettling feeling. There was no reason for it. It was just an inexplicable anxiety creeping up on me. But there's no such thing in the world as anxiety without a cause. If there's anxiety that seems reasonless, it's simply that you don't know the reason yet.
Yeah.
On the way to the main gate, I couldn't pinpoint the source of the anxiety inching up my spine. I was just vaguely uneasy.
"Hey."
By the time I reached the main gate, Ji Ye-won was waiting for me under the shade of a tree by the crosswalk. She wore a white baseball cap and a black mask, likely to avoid running into anyone she knew.
"Sorry for pulling you away while you're working."
"No big deal. I can step out for a bit."
"Cool. How much time do you have?"
"Hmm. Maybe ten or fifteen minutes?"
"Fifteen minutes..."
Ji Ye-won trailed off and pointed with her thumb toward the park in front of the gate.
"Wanna take a short walk?"
I nodded, and Ji Ye-won turned toward the park. A large suitcase trailed behind her, its wheels rumbling along.
Seeing that suitcase made it hit home that Ji Ye-won was really leaving for somewhere far away.
Ji Ye-won had been by my side ever since the day I possessed this body in this world. We'd lived together in the safehouse, and even after moving next door, we ran into each other so often it felt like we were practically living together.
And now, she was leaving my side today.
Feeling that reality sink in anew, I fell into step beside her.
The park walkway bathed in the warm spring sunlight.
It was morning, so the park was quiet and empty. Thanks to that, the two of us could stroll without worrying about prying eyes.
"We met up last night, right? I just wanted to see your face one last time before I go."
"Yeah, we did."
"Yep. But now that it's morning and I'm actually about to leave, I miss you again. So here I am."
Ji Ye-won pulled her mask down below her chin and flashed a bright smile. I tried to smile back, but I couldn't. I'd glimpsed the negative emotions hidden behind her grin.
"...Something happen this morning?"
"That obvious on my face?"
"Yeah. Pretty obvious."
"Huh. Well, nothing major."
"Still sounds like something happened."
"Yeah. Just some silly little things."
According to Ji Ye-won, she'd had a string of bad luck that morning.
Slipping in the bathroom while washing up.
Banging her pinky toe on the doorframe.
Burning her toast because she misread the time and had to eat it charred.
Getting a shell fragment in her egg when cracking it.
Trivial stuff, as she said, but all those minor misfortunes piling up had made her uneasy for no good reason. That's why she'd come to see me, she explained.
"You know how in novels or whatever, they call this kind of thing foreshadowing? Thinking about it that way made me anxious."
"Foreshadowing, huh..."
It wasn't easy to brush off as a joke. After all, this world was straight out of a novel.
"...No such thing as foreshadowing in real life. Don't sweat it."
But I forced myself to deny it and said that to Ji Ye-won. Still, she didn't seem convinced; her anxiety lingered.
"I try to think that way, but the timing's too perfect. Both of us are about to dive into dangerous stuff."
"I told you yesterday, my side isn't that risky."
"Come on. If raiding an Overrank dungeon isn't dangerous, what is?"
"You think I'm going into an Overrank dungeon solo? I'm just tagging along with top S-rank Hunters, scooping up scraps. What's risky about that? And it's a dungeon I've already cleared once."
"You barely escaped that time, and even then, you almost died..."
"I told you it'll be fine. Worry about yourself instead. Unlike me, you're infiltrating enemy territory alone."
Truth be told, I was far more worried about Ji Ye-won's mission than my own dungeon raid.
Worst case, I had elite hunters around me—I could just bail and leave it to them. But Ji Ye-won? One wrong move, and she'd be fighting solo in the heart of enemy territory.
"Ji Ye-won. Like I said before, always put your safety first."
"Got it."
"Avoid risks as much as possible. You don't owe Min Chae-ryeong any favors."
"I know."
"Don't push yourself. Just do the bare minimum, stay safe, and come back in one piece. You get what I'm saying?"
"I do. You've drilled it into me enough times already."
Ji Ye-won pouted and answered curtly. But her expression didn't look offended at all.
She stopped walking idly and took in the park scenery.
"The weather's really nice today, huh?"
"Yeah."
"Come to think of it, I don't think we've ever taken a walk like this together."
"...Yeah."
Just like she said, even living next door, I'd never gone on a casual walk with her. Not just walks—we'd never gone anywhere alone together, period.
It was weird when I thought about it. Back in the safehouse, she couldn't go out, so that made sense. But after? We had endless chances for outings, meals, whatever.
'At most, we've just gone to the convenience store or supermarket together.'
If I'd known it'd turn out like this, I should've taken her into the city for a weekend outing. Or at least gone out to eat once.
The regret hit late, but as she said, it was too late now. Ji Ye-won was leaving for Yongin today. Not that far by distance, but meeting up would be impossible.
Min Chae-ryeong had said the enemy had tabs even on her personal subordinates. They surely knew I was one of them. If I went to see Ji Ye-won infiltrating the lab, it could blow her cover.
If her mission went smoothly, we'd meet again.
But even as I told her it'd be fine, deep down, I was bracing for the possibility it wouldn't.
I was anxious.
Looking back, nothing around me had gone as planned since possessing this body.
I'd boldly say it was all that bastard Pleasure Heavenly Demon's fault. The wretched author of this world probably got off on my suffering, my despair. As part of that torment, something bad happening to Ji Ye-won was all too plausible.
'It's been a while since the double dungeon incident. About time for him to stir shit up again.'
And this time, the target would be Ji Ye-won. That was my gut feeling.
It wasn't baseless. Right now, what I feared most was harm coming to Ji Ye-won or Kang Ha-neul. To maximize my pain, Pleasure Heavenly Demon would target them aggressively.
"Speaking of foreshadowing..."
Ji Ye-won spoke up as I was lost in thought.
"In movies or novels, there's this thing called a death flag in foreshadowing. Certain words or actions, and boom—you're dead."
"Why bring that up out of nowhere?"
"Isn't this exactly that situation? A guy and girl meeting one last time before a dangerous mission. In movies, one of them always dies."
"Don't jinx it."
"That's the point. Characters who joke about death flags like this usually survive to the end."
"...Haha."
Her talking like this world was some movie or novel made me burst out laughing despite myself. She had no idea how perfectly her words fit our reality.
"Saying it like that actually eases the anxiety a bit."
It wasn't empty words. Nothing was resolved, but the unease did fade a little. Like she said, in stories, those who blatantly joked like this often made it through.
'Maybe it'll work that way in this world too.'
This was a novel world. If it still followed novel rules, blatant foreshadowing might backfire positively.
'...Should I lay down a bunch of death flags now just in case?'
Unlikely, but hey. Maybe play along with her this once.
"Ji Ye-won."
"Yeah?"
"If you come back safe, then I'll give you a real answer about your feelings."
"What brought that on...?"
Ji Ye-won trailed off, then guessed my intent and smirked.
"...That's one hell of a blatant death flag."
"Usually, lines like that mean one of them dies. If you go, I'll regret not answering sooner... If I go, you'll cry at my grave, 'You promised to answer if I came back!'"
It sounded like a curse at first, but it was ironic wishful thinking—hoping it wouldn't happen.
"Look at you, getting all detailed. Writing the script yourself."
"Exactly. So stay safe and come back careful. You said it yourself—you want to hear if I pick you, Kang Ha-neul, or if I'm two-timing."
"Pfft! Hey, I said it, but hearing you say it makes me sound like trash?"
Ji Ye-won and I cracked up, staring at each other. We laughed exaggeratedly to chase away the anxiety. At least I did—and probably her too.
"Anyway. While you're gone, I'll think hard and decide. So just focus on coming back safe."
"Got it. I'll survive like hell and come back for your answer. Ah, time to go."
Checking her watch, Ji Ye-won grabbed her suitcase handle. I retraced our steps back to the park entrance. The wheels rumbled softly over the brick path.
Soon, the park entrance came into view in the distance.
"Ahn Su-ho."
The Ji Ye-won ahead of me suddenly turned and ran back into my arms.
-Poof.
Before I could react, she hugged me. A hug before parting—cute side of her. As I moved to wrap my arms around her back, her arms gently encircled my neck.
"Ji Ye-won?"
Ignoring my question, Ji Ye-won pulled my head toward her. In the next instant, her soft lips lightly pressed against mine.
For a brief moment, the world froze.
A short instant. That fleeting touch of lips felt eternal. The warmth of her lips melted into me like the gentle spring sun. A faint spring flower scent tickled my nose.
"Hoo."
Our lips parted. Ji Ye-won looked up at me, her face flushed red. A sweet breath escaped her.
"Ji Ye-won. You..."
As I stammered in shock, her lips—still warm from mine—parted slightly.
"Kissing at the moment of parting is a death flag too, right?"
"...What?"
"Not because of alcohol this time?"
Ji Ye-won pulled away without giving me a chance to reply. She grabbed her suitcase and half-ran, half-fled toward the park entrance, then turned back to look at me.
"See you!"
Ji Ye-won waved with a bright smile—her usual playful, lively grin.
I waved back in a daze, and she spun on her heel without hesitation, walking away from me.
"..."
Once she vanished from sight, I stood there awkwardly alone and lightly touched my lips with my finger.
I knew it couldn't be, but the spot her lips had touched still held a faint warmth.
Feeling that illusory warmth, I let out a belated sigh of regret.
'Come back safe.'
That's what I should've said in reply to her "See you."