Chapter 278: Please, Get Some Rest
Chapter 278: Please, Get Some Rest
On the way to the Love House, I was struck by a strange feeling. I was walking through Monica's central plaza, but there were far more Users around than usual. There weren't any special notices on the bulletin board, and the atmosphere was the same as always. There were simply more people.
I tilted my head in confusion for a moment but didn't slow my pace toward the Love House.
“Soohyun. What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?”
“Hm?”
“You’ve been looking around ever since we entered the plaza. Are you searching for someone?”
“Ah. It’s nothing.”
“Hmm~.”
Ko Yeonju suddenly stepped up beside me, giving me a slight side-eye and humming nasally. Seeing the faint smile on her lips, I knew she was plotting some kind of mischief again. Come to think of it, she’d been teasing me more often lately. To be precise, it had gotten worse ever since she lost to Jung Hayeon twice in a row.
This is so unfair.
I never told them to do that, and frankly, deciding who to sleep with through rock-paper-scissors was pretty ridiculous. I shot her a look that conveyed my sense of injustice, but Ko Yeonju’s inscrutable teasing didn’t stop.
“Hmmmm~.”
“…”
Suddenly, I had a feeling I knew what Ko Yeonju wanted. The conversation I’d overheard between the Users at the city gate when we first left Monica came to mind. Rest was my top priority, but if I wanted my body to hold up in the future, I might actually have to find a potion that boosts stamina. Sighing deeply, I turned onto the main road leading left from the plaza. Just then, the boisterous chatter of the others filled the air behind me.
“Hey, Baek Hangyul. How does it feel to be back from your first expedition?”
“Huh? Ahaha. W-Well, I’m not sure. It feels like it all just flew by in a flash…”
“Unni, unni! What are you going to do first when we get back?”
“A bath, food, and sleep. I feel like I’m going to die if I don’t wash up.”
“Ah, little one. We’re almost there, so please stay still just a little longer. Okay?”
“Kkyu!”
It must be feeling very cooped up.
The unicorn was currently buried inside Kim Hanbyul’s robe. Of course, now that we’d brought it into the city, I planned to reveal it eventually; it wasn’t something we could hide forever. But not right now. I was already dead tired and wanted to avoid anything that would attract a crowd. Plus, since we returned earlier than planned, the renovations on the Clan House were probably still underway. I didn’t want to cause any trouble that might damage the Love House.
I was planning to reveal the unicorn after we moved into the Clan House. In any case, hearing the pleading tone in Kim Hanbyul’s voice, I picked up my pace.
*
We finally arrived at the Love House. The look in the clan members’ eyes as they stared at the building right in front of them was terrifying. If I hadn’t been in front, they looked ready to charge in and kick the door down at any moment. Feeling the silent pressure poking at my back, I pushed open the door, its surface rough to the touch.
And just as I took a step inside…
“I’m truly sorry.”
The scene that greeted me as soon as I opened the door was incredibly awkward. Outside, dusk was slowly beginning to fall. For most Users, it was the time of day to wrap things up and return to the city, but for the Night’s Flowers, it was just the beginning of their active hours. A few women in suggestive outfits, who looked like they were just about to head out, were surrounding the first floor with anxious expressions.
The Love House was originally an area forbidden to men. But a man was standing brazenly in front of the first-floor counter. Behind him, three or four Users clad in combat gear were watching the counter with amused faces. And in front of them all, Lim Hanna was bowing at a forty-five-degree angle.
Finally, the man at the front spoke.
“Miss Hanna. Can you truly not accept my feelings?”
“I’m so, so sorry.”
Lim Hanna apologized again, and the man’s expression turned bitter. I stopped in my tracks and observed the situation unfolding before me. As I said, the atmosphere was too strange to just ignore and walk past.
Silence fell. It was quiet. The man seemed to be trying to maintain a calm expression, but the corners of his eyes were twitching. After a moment, he bit his lip hard enough to draw blood and let out a heavy sigh.
“Phew, I understand. I see I’ve made things difficult for you.”
“I’m truly grateful for your feelings. But…”
“Please raise your head. You don’t need to say any more. I’ll be on my way now, so please forget what happened today. Madam Im.”
“…”
“Let’s go.”
The man spat the words out coldly and immediately turned around. At that, one of his companions, who had been watching quietly with her arms crossed, shouted in a sharp voice.
“What a joke. For a mere madam, you’ve got some ridiculously high pride.”
“That’s going too far.”
“Shin Yesul. That’s enough. Aren’t you coming?”
In response to the woman’s venomous words, Lim Hanna straightened up from her bow and replied in a calm voice. The woman called Shin Yesul looked offended, as if she didn’t like that, but she fell silent at the man’s immediate reprimand. Then, after shooting a glare full of displeasure, she spun around with a sharp huff. I stepped aside a few paces to let them pass.
The group of what seemed to be uninvited guests flowed out like an ebbing tide. The clan members, having witnessed the scene, all wore awkward expressions.
“Oh my. Mercenary Lord? Are you back?”
Finally noticing us, Lim Hanna’s eyes widened as she spoke in a surprised voice. I cleared my throat once or twice and opened my mouth.
“Ah, yes. We just got back… It seems we’ve come at a bad time.”
“Hoho. Not at all. This sort of thing happens all the time. Please don’t worry about it. In any case, congratulations on your return.”
“Thank you. We’ll head in, then.”
“Of course. Now, now, you girls shouldn’t just stand there. Hurry along and get to work.”
“Unni…”
A dark shadow hung over the faces of all the Night’s Flowers. But when Lim Hanna reassured them and urged them on, they hesitantly made their way out the door.
Lim Hanna, who had guided us to a table, seemed to have recovered her composure, wearing her usual gentle expression as she spoke.
“Now that you’re here, you should eat first… Ah, shall I call the rest of your party?”
“Is everyone here right now?”
“Hayeon-unni and Mr. Shin Sangyong said they were going to check on the Clan House. They mentioned they might be a little late today… Miss Vivian should be on the second floor. I’ll go get her right now.”
“Ah, that’s alright. Ahn Hyun, you go get her.”
“Yes, hyung.”
Ahn Hyun, who was just about to sit down, shot up the stairs like an arrow at my words. After watching him practically break the stairs on his way up, I turned my gaze to the others who were slumped over the table.
“I didn’t expect those two to be out at this hour. Since we don’t know when they’ll be back, would everyone like to get something to eat in the meantime?”
“Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!”
“Woo! Woo!”
“I agree~.”
Not a single person in the group disagreed with my suggestion. No, it was more than just agreement. The day we returned from an expedition had practically become an official day for feasting on delicious food. As if to treat the palates they had been soothing with nothing but dried meat and hard bread, everyone began ordering to their heart’s content, each according to their own tastes. Lim Hanna was startled by the flood of orders, but then she chuckled and calmly nodded her head.
“Mercenary Lord, won’t you be ordering anything?”
“Hmm…”
I wasn’t particularly hungry. I had just planned on hearing about what had happened from Hayeon or Shin Sangyong, but they were going to be late.
I thought for a moment. The fatigue I’d been feeling since leaving the ruin was getting worse. I debated whether to wait or go to sleep first, and ultimately decided to head up. If they were going to be late anyway, I needed to get some proper rest and monitor my body’s condition.
“I’m fine. I’m going to head up and get some sleep, so everyone, eat a reasonable amount and get some rest today. I’ll see you all tomorrow morning.”
“Huh? Oppa, you’re leaving already?”
“Yeah.”
“Then what about the item appraisal…”
“We don’t have Goods Appraisal ready right now anyway. Soohyun. Go on up and sleep. Get a good rest.”
I’d tried to hide it, but it seemed Ko Yeonju had noticed after all. I gave a bitter smile, let out a short sigh, and stood up from my seat. After confirming that Lim Hanna was heading to the kitchen, I quickly took the bundle of robes (?) from Kim Hanbyul. The baby unicorn must have fallen asleep from exhaustion, as the robe only shifted slightly and didn’t move much.
Just as I was about to head up the stairs, rubbing my stiff shoulders, I saw Ahn Hyun and Vivian coming down together.
Vivian was rushing down the stairs, but upon seeing me, she gradually slowed her pace. Then, putting on an air of importance, she began to descend with a composed look on her face. The moment we met at the bottom of the stairs, she greeted me haughtily, pretending she had only just noticed me.
“Hoh. Look who it is. Kim Soohyun has returned!”
“Oh, Vivian. Long time no see. I’m tired, so I’m heading straight up. Let’s talk tomorrow.”
“Huh? Huh?”
As I patted her shoulder once and walked right past, Vivian’s expression immediately crumbled, and she blinked her eyes.
“Hyung. Are you sure you don’t want any dinner?”
“I’m fine. My body’s just a little tired. When Jung Hayeon and Shin Sangyong get here, just give them a brief rundown of the situation.”
“Ah, yes, hyung. Well, get some sleep.”
“Okay. Don’t drink too much.”
“W-Wait a minute…! This isn’t how it was supposed to go!”
I thought I heard a whimpering sound from downstairs, but I continued up the stairs at a brisk pace.
*
“So that’s what happened…?”
“Yes… Still, he always called her ‘Miss Hanna,’ so to suddenly switch to ‘Madam Im’… It’s just so transparent, you know?”
“Hoho.”
The table had become a complete mess. Dishes and liquor bottles were strewn about. Users were passed out sleeping haphazardly. Ahn Sol, Kim Hanbyul, Baek Hangyul, and Vivian, who had restrained themselves, had gone up to their rooms long ago, but the remaining two were snoring away, deep in dreamland. Only Ko Yeonju and Lim Hanna remained sober, leisurely sipping their drinks.
Just as they finished a glass, the sound of the door opening was heard. The two women reflexively turned their heads. Jung Hayeon and Shin Sangyong were stepping through the door, their faces slightly flushed as if they’d been in the cold wind. Ko Yeonju saw them and waved her hand gently with a faint smile.
“Welcome. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
“Oh my!”
“U-User Ko Yeonju?”
Jung Hayeon and Shin Sangyong paused the moment they stepped inside, then exclaimed in unison upon seeing Ko Yeonju. Ko Yeonju pointed to the sleeping Ahn Hyun and Lee Yoojung, then put a finger to her lips. “Shh.”
The two let out a brief, dry laugh before carefully approaching the table and sitting down.
“When did you arrive?”
“This afternoon. What took you two so long?”
“We went to check on the Clan House, and then we stopped by the Istantel Low Clan.”
“The Istantel Low Clan?”
“Yes. It seems they were worried that the Mercenary Clan’s return was taking too long. They were about to dispatch a rescue team, so we went to explain the situation.”
“I see.”
Ko Yeonju nodded in understanding and picked up her glass again. When Lim Hanna quickly reached for the bottle, she shook her head and gestured with her chin toward the two passed-out figures.
“It’s fine. Hanna, could you take those two over there? Put them to bed.”
“Yes, unni.”
“I-I’ll help.”
As Lim Hanna shot to her feet, Shin Sangyong immediately stood up as well. Soon, Lim Hanna was helping Lee Yoojung and Shin Sangyong was helping Ahn Hyun, and they started up the stairs together.
“Phew. Maybe I drank too much~.”
“…”
The table, which had been so boisterous just two hours ago, was now quiet again. Jung Hayeon looked at the messy table with a fed-up expression, then turned to Ko Yeonju, who was refilling her glass, and spoke.
“How did things go?”
“Hasn’t the news spread yet? We hit the absolute jackpot. Rescued Users, excavated a ruin. It was another huge success.”
“Ah. I see. That’s great… By the way, where’s Soohyun?”
“He went straight up after hearing you’d be late. He seems really tired.”
At that, a dark shadow flickered across Jung Hayeon’s face for a brief moment. She seemed to ponder something for a second before asking in a tone thick with worry.
“Did he… use that power during this expedition?”
“Yes. But the opponent was no pushover. He didn’t show it the whole way back, but he seems to be struggling quite a bit. I barely noticed it myself. Honestly, with Soohyun’s personality, he normally would have waited, but this time he was the one who said he needed to rest first. I think it was really tough on him.”
“Oh no…”
“Let’s just wait for now. He went up to rest, so we’ll have to see how he is tomorrow.”
Ko Yeonju also let out a deep sigh and tilted her glass back again. The alcohol in the full glass disappeared at a rapid pace, her throat moving relentlessly in proportion. Jung Hayeon rested her chin on one hand, tapping her cheek with her fingers, before speaking to Ko Yeonju as she set down her glass.
“Aren’t you tired?”
“Not really.”
“Then I suppose I can hear the details.”
“Hoho.”
As Jung Hayeon adjusted her posture, Ko Yeonju let out a low laugh. She leaned back in her chair, crossing her right leg over her left. Then, she took out a cigarette, placed it between her lips, and began to speak in a languid voice.
“Prepare to be surprised.”