Chapter 206
Chapter 206
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 206
Chapter Title: Episode 69. Stay Still, Joo Ji-tae (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Hmm."
It had been two weeks since the awkwardness between Summer and Spring dragged on.
Whenever she was in Room 301, they ended up running into each other more often than not, whether she liked it or not. When that happened, Summer didn't say hello. And neither did Spring.
"Hmm..."
Even now was the same.
Summer had come to the kitchen to mix supplements into her milk, only to find Spring filling her glass at the water purifier. Summer opened the fridge. Spring finished getting her water and sauntered out. Even though their eyes had met for just a split second.
"What a spiteful bitch..."
She grumbled under her breath, but her heart still felt unsettled.
Looking back on what happened, Summer couldn't fully understand Spring, so she couldn't apologize with a clear conscience.
So what if she got worked up over a stupid pen name?
"Hmm. Hmm... Fuck."
The more she thought about it, the more irritated she got.
Who cares if that wasabi dragon hates me a little?
Since when did I give a damn about that?
Still, if she thought about it differently, she had ruined the mood, so unless she planned to just turn her back on it, she should apologize.
Wait. But I already did apologize.
I apologized, and she's the one straight-up ignoring me?
Or do I think I apologized, but she doesn't?
Well, it was kind of a half-assed apology that just slipped out...
No. If it's a slip-of-the-tongue apology, doesn't that still count? I mustered up the courage to say something I didn't want to. She could've just accepted it, and we'd both be good, right?
No, fuck, now I'm pissed. What the hell is so special about that pen name that she's gotta be such a hardass? Huh?!
Her worries circled endlessly. Summer scratched her red hair vigorously.
"Ah, so annoying..."
And so, Summer stewed over it for two full weeks. Finally, today, she made up her mind.
I'll apologize one more time, sincerely.
If she still acts like that after a real apology, then fuck it.
With that thought, Summer approached Spring, who was lying on the living room sofa.
Spring, blankly reading a book, lifted her head at the sound of footsteps.
Their eyes met.
"......"
"......"
There was a brief silence between them.
"Still looks pretty from up close, you bitch..."
"......"
"Hey."
"What."
"You still sulking?"
"No."
"Then? Why the fuck are you ignoring me? You think you're better than me?"
"No."
"Then why ignore me if you're not sulking? It's pissing me off."
"Sorry."
Summer shook her head mid-sentence. This was herd mentality talk. Picking at it would just lead to a vicious cycle.
After thinking it over, Summer let out a deep sigh.
Then, she recalled someone to blame for this irritating, frustrating, annoying situation.
Yoo Ji-tae.
She didn't know why.
Anyway, Yoo Ji-tae was an asshole.
Blaming her guardian like that eased her mind a bit. Summer opened her mouth.
"Hey. About changing that pen name."
"......"
"Sorry if it pissed you off."
For a moment, Spring's eyes widened slightly.
"......?"
Summer had waited for a reply, but after blurting it out, her limbs felt like boiled squid tentacles tangling up. So she quickly turned away.
Fuck, this sucks.
Yoo Ji-tae, you motherfucker...
Still, this time it felt like a proper apology.
That afternoon, as Summer pushed barbells alone in the training room, she fell into thought. The kind of thoughts that always crept in during workouts.
With the unease fading a bit, something else bubbled up. Come to think of it, over the past two weeks, Spring had spent an unusual amount of time glued to Yoo Ji-tae.
Hmm...
So what's the deal with Yoo Bom?
The Federation situation had wrapped up.
By the time their follow-up forces arrived late, the battle had already lost its steam.
Clone 1 had taken down the non-combat species boss-grade monster, Kalkaope, after about five minutes of fierce combat.
The power 'Origin' displayed to the Federation members—the overwhelming might of that level-4 artifact—shocked everyone.
A strength comparable to the Five Transcendents, or even greater. The superhumans finally realized Origin wasn't just some parachute drop.
"The rank of Grade 3 agent feels ridiculous now..."
"Yeah. Who assigns a Grade 3 spot to a Transcendent-level ranker? So now the Chairman's making him the sixth Transcendent?"
"Nah. He said he'd stick with Grade 3."
"What?"
The Federation wanted to give Origin a higher position, but he refused. They also agreed not to reveal his identity to the media.
The benefits all went straight to Antonio Jefferson.
On the surface, Origin and Jefferson were old comrades from the Great War days. The Federation realized Jefferson was key to handling Origin.
"What about that Season guy, then?"
"They say he's gone from the Federation."
"Gone?"
"Yeah. Origin only communicates with Jefferson. Said he'd drop by if needed."
"Whoa... What the hell happened in that command center anyway..."
Only a brief summary of the command center events was shared: a god-like Transcendent prophesied future events, shocking Kalliovan and the top brass.
But rumors can't be fully contained.
"Hey, this is a secret, but..."
"Yeah? What?"
"They say Season made Christoph shake without even lifting a finger."
"Pfft!"
The superhuman burst out laughing.
"Look at you making shit up again!"
"No, man. I heard it from a reliable source."
"Shut up! That's bullshit. Better cut ties with that source!"
Outlandish rumors spread. They multiplied, and soon few knew the truth.
Yet strangely, the Federation began to change. Subtly, where no one noticed at first. But undeniably, sweeping everyone along.
The Federation rode the wave of change.
Meanwhile, Clone 1 examined the 'eye' taken from Kalkaope.
A bright yellow eye, the size of a human head.
It brimmed with an unusually foul energy.
The fragment collection, stuck at 37.2%, started building again. When it hit 100%, the Sovereign would know exactly what 'Malice' was.
However, Kalkaope's eye twitched and bulged unnaturally, writhing under the malice's influence despite being lifeless. So Clone 1 headed to the underground labyrinth, carved out a spot near the top of Paradise Fragment, and stored the eye there. Only then did the malice settle.
Afterward, Clone 1 returned to the Federation. From now on, with Yoo Ji-tae's spot empty, Clone 1 would be a bit busier.
Around then, BM vanished into the underground labyrinth again to gather new materials.
Released from Federation duties, Yoo Ji-tae tended to Jeong Tae-baek's corpse in Shallowest Abyss (S) every night the dragons slept, beginning the separation of the chimera traces entangled with his flesh.
To suppress the superhumans without extra violence at the Federation, Yoo Ji-tae had to go all out too.
Having undone Hell’s Shackles beforehand, he resealed his heart with jet-black chains after the incident.
The next dawn, he finally returned to Room 301.
He felt exhaustion for the first time since killing Noah.
Then a message floated in his mind.
Oh. Back? Good work.
Why.
Why why.
With that, the Apocalyptic Clock's presence vanished from his mind.
What was that about? he wondered, but decided to let it be.
Anyway, he pulled out his pocket watch to check the time.
7 a.m. The kids would be waking up soon.
He opened the dorm door.
The day before Yoo Ji-tae returned.
Summer called Autumn over.
There were always eyes around when living together. Maybe she hadn't noticed because she didn't care much about this stuff.
"Ung?"
Autumn blinked her golden eyes.
"Hey. Yoo Gaeul."
"What?"
"You know..."
"Huh? Huh? Why are you coming closer? Get away."
"Come here for a sec. Talk to your big sis."
"Huh? Why?!"
Grabbing her arm, Summer dragged Autumn into her room.
"Ow, why! There's a drama starting on TV soon!"
"Hey, hey. That drama isn't what's important."
"Then what is?!"
"Yoo Bom."
"Ung? What's up with Spring sis?"
"Does Yoo Bom like Yoo Ji-tae?"
Irritation faded from Autumn's face at Summer's question.
It wasn't because of the casual speech. Summer often used names instead of honorifics when talking one-on-one, regardless of who it was.
Autumn looked a bit surprised. Bewilderment bloomed on her face in real time. Then, a beat late, she shouted loudly.
"I don't know...?!"
Summer wasn't great at reading subtle cues, but Autumn's reaction was so blatantly honest that she got it right away.
"You know something, huh?"
Autumn laughed awkwardly. "Uung?"
"What do you know? Huh?"
"What? What do I know?"
"Come on. Spill it. Don't tell me Yoo Bom really likes Yoo Ji-tae?"
"Well... uh, of course she does? I like ajusshi too?"
"That's not what I mean."
"I dunno? How would I know what Spring sis thinks about ajusshi!"
"Hmm..."
"B-but why are you thinking that, sis?"
"What?"
"Why do you think Spring sis is acting weird?"
"...What? I never said Yoo Bom was weird?"
Caught. Autumn shut her mouth. She bit her lower lip in regret.
"If you don't know, fine."
Then Autumn glanced slyly up at Summer, eyed the door, and locked it with a worried look when a glint flashed in her golden pupils.
"Sis. Listen."
"Huh? Yeah."
"Actually..."
Autumn hesitated, glancing around.
Summer waited, thinking she might spill something, but the hemming and hawing dragged on until she got annoyed.
"Argh, just spit it out already!"
"Waaah... I don't know...! Spring sis wants ajusshi all to herself super bad!"
"What?"
Autumn clamped her hands over her mouth after blurting it out.
Then she leaned in close to Summer's ear and whispered tiny.
'Spring sis wants ajusshi all to herself, like super bad?!'
'What? For real?'
'Yeah...!'
'What kind of feeling is that?'
'Macaron!'
'Macaron?'
'If ajusshi buys 30 macarons, we'd both wanna eat them, right?'
'......? Anyway, so?'
'But I wanna eat them all alone! Not share with anyone...! Like that feeling...!?'
Summer pondered briefly before asking back.
"When did you find out?"
"A while back, on that island trip."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"How could I? I didn't wanna know, but I found out by accident...!"
A possessive feeling.
Summer wondered how it differed from liking someone, or love. But no matter how she thought, she couldn't grasp it.
"Hey. Monkey. So that's different from liking someone?"
"Hmm, who knows? I don't. I've never had that shoujo manga crush thing... You?"
Summer hadn't either, but admitting it bruised her pride for some reason.
"Hmm. Got it for now."
"But why suddenly?"
"Nothing. Anyway, keep this talk secret, okay?"
"Huh? Why?"
"Just know it's a secret."
Free from Autumn, Summer sought out Winter.
Winter, blankly feeding fish food into the tank in her room corner, startled and turned when the door flew open.
"...What?"
Winter scowled.
"Hey. Bluey."
"...Why."
"Talk with me a sec."
"...No."
Summer barged in anyway, and Winter flicked magic to splash water. But Summer swatted it away casually and strode up.
She crouched to meet the kid's eyes.
"...Out."
"Hey. Hey. Stay."
"...Out."
"No, hey. This is serious. About our house."
"...What nonsense now?"
Winter glared suspiciously, but Summer's next words piqued her interest a little.
"You know what Yoo Bom... I mean, Spring sis talked about with ajusshi when they were alone?"
Winter's eyes widened.
"...Huh? Why?"
"Well, you shared a room with Spring sis for a long time."
"...Yeah."
"Was there ever a time ajusshi... talked alone with her?"
Summer phrased it carefully, avoiding 'Yoo Ji-tae' since it made Winter frown.
Winter crossed her tiny arms and went "Hmm..." stroking her chin. Soon, something came to mind, and she turned to Summer.
"What?"
"...Talk outside."
Damn it. Summer grumbled inwardly. Was she wrong to suspect? That was until she heard Winter's words from her room.
"...Sis and ajusshi were... on the bed."
Summer's jaw dropped at the bombshell.
"What?"