Chapter 15
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 15
“Noooooooooooooooo!!!!!!”
It's a desperate scream I'm hearing for the first time in my life.
As I was staring blankly with a stupid expression, the owner grabbed my shoulder and trembled all over.
“Wh... What are you saying Ryuo-ya! Oh... Oho... Ohoho...”
“I said I'm quitting the shop as of today.”
“No you rascal! How am I supposed to live without you!”
No, what kind of talk is this... The owner spoke as if she would die if I wasn't here.
Just as I thought she was overreacting and tried to push the owner away...
—Rattle! Creak!
“Hieek! Have you arrived!”
Seeing Cheon Hwaryeong enter the shop that hadn't even opened yet, the owner's waist bent in half.
Cheon Hwaryeong stared at me blankly, then headed upstairs leaving one word.
“You're here. Come up.”
“Hello guest. Unfortun... Mmph!”
The owner blocked my mouth as I tried to say I'm quitting today.
“Haha, I will send him up right away!”
“…?”
The owner grabbed my shoulder and looked at me like someone who made a life-or-death decision.
“Ryuo-ya! Just once! Just one more time! Take the customer for the last time.”
“I have a lot to do...”
“3 gold coins!”
“I'll be back.”
Mm, I have to do this.
I thought while changing clothes.
‘Hmm, should I tell her I'm quitting? No... Who am I to say.’
It's not like that troublesome young lady comes here because of me, so what's the point of telling her.
After changing clothes and heading to the 3rd floor, I knocked in front of the same room as yesterday.
—Knock knock
“May I come in?”
—Yes.
Entering the room, I saw Cheon Hwaryeong looking at me in the exact same pose as the first time I saw her.
“…”
“Hello?”
“…”
Since she said nothing, I just sat right in front of her and stared blankly.
“…”
“…? Your complexion looks a little better.”
“Right.”
“Did something good happen?”
“I don't know.”
“Yes...”
Hmm, I thought we got a little closer, but conversation doesn't flow at all.
Silence continued, and Maksun set the food just like yesterday and ran away quickly.
“Sit.”
“I am sitting...”
“Side.”
Cheon Hwaryeong indicated the seat next to her with her eyes.
‘Ow... Feeding her is annoying.’
Still, isn't it better than a dark old man doing that?
I obediently sat next to her.
When I sat next to Cheon Hwaryeong, she stared at me as if drilling holes in my face.
“Hmm... Did you have a meal?”
“No.”
“What do you eat first when you start a meal?”
“You choose.”
Should I call her Troublesome Dog instead of Cheon Hwaryeong from now on?
I swallowed a sigh, scooped a spoonful of soup, and blew on it.
“Hoo- hoo- Here, eat.”
“What must I do to obtain your heart?”
What kind of nonsense is this in the middle of eating...
I tilted my head while holding the spoon.
“Heart?”
“Right, heart.”
“… Do you like me?”
“No.”
“Then why do you need my heart?”
Cheon Hwaryeong stared intently at the spoon with soup, then looked at my face again.
“I don't know either.”
If she wasn't a customer, I would have just flicked her forehead...
Cheon Hwaryeong looked at my face and started giggling.
“Kukuku, right, that face.”
“Do I look funny?”
“Right, you look funny.”
Saying I look funny right to a person's face... I was a little hurt.
“Sigh, forget it... Hurry and take a spoonful before the soup gets cold.”
Thus began the treatment, unsure if it was hospitality or nursing.
—Gulp!
“Puhuhu...”
“… Eat rice too.”
“Okay, kuku...”
“Tsk, drink alcohol too.”
—Gulp!
“Fufu...”
Feeling like I couldn't stand it anymore, I glared at her once.
“Are you going to keep laughing?”
“Yes.”
“Sigh, do as you please.”
Cheon Hwaryeong pulled up the corners of her mouth and said.
“Right, I covet you.”
Please speak so I can understand.
She's a person of few words anyway, but coveting me out of the blue?
“You covet me?”
“Yes.”
My face felt slightly hot at the honest answer.
“You said you don't like me.”
“Right.”
Really, really, I can't stand it anymore.
“Ow! Guest! What are you trying to do?”
“Puhahahahaha! Kukukukukuku!”
Cheon Hwaryeong laughed refreshingly, wiped away tears, and looked at me.
“I want to possess this so-called heart of yours even more. Tell me the method.”
Is this Labyrinth City style flirting? No, is it right to ask for the method while saying she wants to obtain the heart?
I don't know anymore either.
I uncrossed my politely kneeling legs and sat comfortably.
“Let's drop the honorifics first? Is that okay Hwaryeong-ah?”
Cheon Hwaryeong, whose eyes went round for a moment, grinned and said.
“Arrogant fellow.”
“Ah I don't know! You also call me this fellow that fellow! I'll call you comfortably too.”
“Kkkkk! Right! If you call me as you please, can I obtain your heart?”
“Depends on how you do. My arm hurts so eat by yourself.”
In an instant, Cheon Hwaryeong looked askance.
I was slightly scared, but tried hard to ignore it.
“If I do so, will you give me your heart?”
“That's not it but...”
“Then you feed me.”
3 gold coins... 3 gold coins...
“Sigh... Where is the friend who spoons food for you?”
Cheon Hwaryeong chewed the meat dripping with oil omul omul and tilted her head.
“Mm...? Friend?”
“If we dropped honorifics, we're friends. Just looking at your face, early 20s...”
“Twenty-seven.”
“I will call you Older Sister (Noonim) from now on...”
“Kukuku... Just call me Hwaryeong, it's nice to hear.”
Nice to hear... Since I've never dated, I can't help but flutter at this.
Still, the Confucian Dragon inside me says informal speech with a five-year age gap is a bit... so...
“Then... Hwaryeong Noona?”
Hwaryeong, who was chewing on the stir-fried eggplant I put in her mouth, blinked her eyes and gave a deep smile.
“Right, somehow I like that more.”
Wow... She's damn pretty when she smiles.
“Wow... She's damn pretty when she smiles.”
“…?”
“…?”
“What did you say just now.”
Ah... It seems I made a big mistake.
But in times like this, one must be bold. It's not like I said something I couldn't say.
“I, I said you're extremely pretty! Friends can give compliments, why look at me like that...”
In an instant, Cheon Hwaryeong grabbed my chin and looked straight into my eyes.
“Say it one more time... How is my face?”
No, in this situation, should I say 'Actually you're ugly as hell but I just paid lip service'?
I don't know. Friends can talk about appearance a bit.
And me? Resigning today. No one to stop me.
“Eyelashes are long, and red pupils are pretty. Nose is sharp and lips are red so it's pretty.”
Cheon Hwaryeong's eyes shone faintly, then she smirked and held out an alcohol cup in front of me.
“Arrogant fellow.”
As I poured alcohol, Cheon Hwaryeong smirked and drank the alcohol.
“Trying to scare me when you were going to laugh... Drink a lot Noona, so I can get off work quickly.”
“I do not permit it. Stay until Rooster Hour (5 PM-7 PM).”
—Gulp!
I don't know what Rooster Hour is, but it sounded like telling me to stay for quite a long time.
Last time she passed out after a short drink, but today she seems intent on getting her money's worth.
This won't do. Must put her to sleep quickly.
“Drink this Noona.”
—Gulp!
“Eat this too.”
—Munch
“Here, all the way~”
—Gulp
“I won't sleep easily today so know that.”
Damn... Looks like I got caught.
As I rolled my eyes reading the room, Cheon Hwaryeong started laughing.
“Kukukukuku! How can I see through you so clearly.”
Since I got caught, I decided to just speak my mind.
“I have to go buy supplies after work. I'm going into the labyrinth.”
Cheon Hwaryeong's hand holding the glass stopped tuk.
“Did you say labyrinth.”
This time, a low voice I hadn't heard before chilled my liver.
My throat choked up at the heavy atmosphere so I stayed still, but Cheon Hwaryeong spoke quietly.
“I do not permit it. Do not go.”
I said to Cheon Hwaryeong who was frowning and tipping the glass.
“Are you worrying about me?”
I thought she would ridicule me this time too, but Cheon Hwaryeong spoke calmly.
“Right. It is a dangerous place. Even more so for a man.”
Then are you saying it's safe for a woman or what.
“Still, I intend to go...”
In an instant, the glass in Cheon Hwaryeong's hand crumbled making a chilling sound.
—Craaaaaack!
“I said I do not permit it. Is it because of money? Honor? If it is for such trivial reasons, obey my command.”
Words were arrogant but worry was felt, and the expression looked angry but somehow fearful.
That expression is one I've seen before. It's the expression my only friend made so...
In times like this, rather than getting angry asking who she is, it would be better to clash with sincerity.
I put a new glass placed in front of me into Cheon Hwaryeong's hand and poured a glass of alcohol.
“It's not for that kind of reason, I have a reason I absolutely must climb. I want to meet family.”
—Pour...
Cheon Hwaryeong stared at me steadily.
“I want to deliver news at least to family who are too far away right now.”
“…”
“Does Noona have a person like that?”
Cheon Hwaryeong, who drank silently, closed her eyes.
“I do...”
“I disappeared a bit suddenly... It kept weighing on my mind...”
—Glug glug glug
“…”
—Gulp!
“I just want to try... doing something.”
Cheon Hwaryeong closed her eyes and drank one more glass.
“Foolish fellow. Still, you are a lucky fellow.”
“Foolish... Mmph!”
Cheon Hwaryeong thrust her finger deep into my mouth.
Nausea rose slightly but I forcibly held it back and looked at Cheon Hwaryeong.
“Ugh! Uweh?”
“Do not die.”
Something unidentified forcibly squeezed down my throat.
The moment I frowned at the foreign sensation, a cheerful sound rang in my head.
—Ding!
“????”
Suddenly obtained a fortuitous encounter.
As the finger was removed, Cheon Hwaryeong asked me who was coughing.
“You fellow, are you Arin's disciple?”
“Cough! Cough! How did you know?”
“I see... Interesting.”
No, I asked how you knew... More than that, I became more curious about what she fed me.
“What did you feed me just now?”
Cheon Hwaryeong holding out the glass to me silently.
I poured alcohol and asked again.
“Noonim, just what did you feed me...?”
“You don't need to know.”
If it wasn't a fortuitous encounter, I would just flick her forehead... I can't hit her. Actually, isn't she a master?
Cheon Hwaryeong, looking at my face, smiled and said.
“Kukukukuku! So, when will you return to Chwihyangru?”
—Gulp!
“Today is my last day though?”
“What?”
Cheon Hwaryeong's eyes closed gently.
“Slee... Zzz...”
“…? What the?”
She said she wouldn't sleep quickly today, but fell asleep so deeply that she wouldn't know even if someone carried her away.
I intended to give full service in celebration of being fed something good but...
“Huge profit, right?”
3 gold coins getto.