Chapter 141: A Dose of Reality
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 141: A Dose of Reality
“Ahyu, everyone looks back on their past and thinks, ‘I should have tried harder’ at least once. And in the grand scheme of things, people don’t do that many things right in their lives.”
A world where you had to kill to survive.
I wasn’t a returnee, so I had never lived in such a world.
But even so, I had ended up killing Kwak Sa-yeon with my own hands.
For Ahyu, born the youngest daughter of the Heavenly Demon, was it ever possible for her to survive without killing anyone?
The Heavenly Demon, Cheon Hong-ryeon, had reached her limit long ago, exhausted, just as Ahyu had said.
Wasn’t it cruel to ask her if she couldn’t have done better?
“But the greatest thing I’ve ever done in my life was playing that game with you.”
As I spoke, I gently caressed Ahyu’s blushing cheek.
“And I’m so glad that I’m here with you like this, right now. It’s because of the life you lived that we were able to meet.”
Ahyu listened to my words, quietly looking up at me.
“So don’t think your choices were meaningless. It’s because of those choices that you and I met.”
Tears began to well up in Ahyu’s eyes.
Seeing how she was surprisingly prone to tears, I wiped them away with my hand, and she gently wrapped her hands around mine.
“This is why I love you more than anyone in the world, Domi-oppa. I love it most when you say such warm things to me.”
“If it makes you happy, I can do it every day.”
“I love that playful side of you, too.”
Ahyu sat up and cupped my face in her hands.
“I wonder who you take after to have grown up so handsome and kind.”
“Probably my mom. My dad was a bit… unique.”
“I guess you inherited that unique side from your father, then. I should thank them both.”
She smiled sweetly, then leaned down and pressed her lips against mine.
We’re kissing a lot today, I thought, but for some reason, Ahyu didn’t pull away.
As I grew slightly flustered, she parted her lips and carefully slipped her tongue into my mouth, letting it meet mine.
A jolt ran through me, and my body stiffened. My eyes met Ahyu’s, so incredibly close.
Her face was as red as a beet from embarrassment, but the warmth of her breath, her heat, and the soft scent of a woman captivated me.
Then, as if that was as far as she could go, Ahyu slowly pulled her face away and gazed at me with dazed eyes.
Our eyes remained locked in silence.
The air around us felt like it was scorching hot.
“Domi-oppa…”
Ahyu let out a heated breath and placed a hand on my chest.
As I was about to speak, I saw Baeksan’s face peeking out from behind the wall.
Startled, I froze. Baeksan let out a long sigh and jerked his chin toward the side.
I followed his gaze and saw Juksim, who must have logged out of the game at some point, peeking her head out from under the covers.
Her face was bright red as she clutched the blanket, staring at us.
For a moment, I had completely forgotten this was Juksim’s house. My face instantly flushed, and Ahyu, sensing something was wrong, turned to look at Juksim.
A moment of silence passed between us and Juksim before she fumbled for my phone and started typing.
[ Asks if she should leave. ]
As I was about to respond, a sound like an explosion erupted from Ahyu’s direction.
Ahyu, who looked like she was running a fever, collapsed. Hiding from Juksim’s gaze, she curled up next to me like a shrimp and covered her face with her hands.
“Ugh, hwaa, eeeee.”
Realizing what she had been about to do, Ahyu had turned into an armadillo.
As she lay there, completely still and letting out deflated noises, I spoke to Juksim.
“…Juksim-nim, I’m sorry. That wasn’t my intention.”
[ Says it’s okay. ]
Even so, Juksim lightly touched her own lips and looked back at me.
[ Asks if it’s okay to ask one thing. ]
“Ah, yes.”
[ Asks if kissing feels that good. ]
Her next words made me freeze once more.
Faced with such a direct question, I couldn’t respond. In the end, I decided to cover my face with my hands like Ahyu and become an armadillo, too.
Ahyu and I were fresh out of HP.
Naek, please get here quick.
*
5
“Hee-hee-hee~”
A girl with brown, braided pigtails hummed as she walked.
Twenty-six this year.
Soon to be twenty-seven, she seemed to be in a cheerful mood for some reason.
“I’m wearing a cute outfit. I should try to make a good impression on a handsome younger guy, too.”
Isn’t it time to start living in the real world?
Until a few months ago, she had been living in the world of a game. Naneun-extra, or Lee Eunha, was slightly giddy.
After all, she had rushed out, but not before picking out a pretty outfit.
Just then, her reflection caught her eye in the semi-transparent glass of a shop window.
A bitter smile naturally formed on her face.
The bangs that covered nearly half her face, and the left eye that always had to remain closed.
Naek traced her left eye with her fingers before slowly lowering her hand.
She used to style her hair back prettily, revealing both of her eyes.
But now, she could no longer do that.
A brief flash of the moment she returned to Earth crossed her mind.
The countless connections she had made in a world where virtual reality had become real.
There were many good memories and many shitty ones, but all in all, it wasn’t so bad.
“The school uniform was nice, though.”
It felt like she was starring in a high school romance drama, so it had been fun.
Though, honestly, it was infuriating to watch everyone else get into relationships except for her.
Perhaps that was why. After returning to reality, her perpetually closed eye always made her feel like she was reliving those memories.
Though, it was mostly because she knew things would get complicated if she opened this eye.
I’ve already accepted it all, so what am I complaining about?
Feeling bitter now would only drag her down.
A sudden dose of reality was starting to hit her.
“Get a grip, Eunha.”
Today, she was going to help Ha-chan and dramatically set up his meeting with the handsome younger guy. It was the moment she steeled her resolve.
Flinch!
Suddenly, something snagged on her senses.
Eunha was also a returnee.
Though it was a game world, she had survived a rather troublesome place. There was no way she would simply ignore a feeling like this.
“This smells like an event.”
Eunha wrinkled her nose and continued walking.
She needed to get to Ha-chan, but her gut told her that ignoring something like this would lead to no good.
Walking between the buildings, Eunha soon found herself in a back alley.
No matter how developed a street was, the alleys tucked between buildings always had a strangely dreary atmosphere.
As she slowly approached one such alley, Eunha caught the scent of blood.
Pressing herself flat against a wall, she peeked her head into a particularly narrow part of the alley. There, a man was sitting, leaning against the wall.
His hair, the color of plum blossoms, caught her eye as he quietly tried to catch his breath.
Seeing the delicate face shadowed beneath it, Eunha’s eye widened slightly.
Whoa, he’s beautifully handsome. Totally my type.
His looks were the kind that drew people in, stirring their protective instincts. Just looking at him was a feast for the eyes.
Handsome is always good, Eunha thought, nodding to herself. But then she noticed the blood dripping from the man’s arm, staining the ground below as he gasped for air.
Damn. Just because he’s handsome, he immediately looks like he has a tragic backstory.
Upon closer inspection, she saw that he was clutching a sword in his hand, his light attire consisting of only a cardigan.
Wait, this feeling… he’s a returnee.
Unless it was due to their abilities, it was rare for hunters to have unusual hair colors.
Returnees, on the other hand, often had their appearances altered due to various circumstances, so a strange hair color was nothing out of the ordinary.
With that assumption, Eunha cautiously approached him.
“Who are you?”
At that moment, his gaze shot toward her.
Meeting his eyes, Eunha gave a slightly awkward smile and stepped out from the alley.
“Ah, hello! I didn’t mean to spy, I just saw that you looked hurt and was thinking of calling 119.”
“119? 119… Ah, you mean a physician.”
Physician.
A Murim world?
As a returnee herself, she had been studying up on recent returnees, and she immediately knew the man was one.
No, wait a minute.
But then, Eunha tilted her head.
Precisely because he was a returnee, there was no way he would be slow to understand "119" and translate it to "physician."
Returnees were originally from Earth, after all.
This person.
He wasn’t a returnee.
In that case.
A dimensional invader.
Quickly grasping the situation, Eunha’s visible eye sharpened slightly.
Her hand, hidden beneath her clothes, was about to move.
“My apologies. It seems I have unintentionally frightened you, young lady.”
He staggered to his feet.
Seeing him struggle so, Eunha’s resolve wavered for a moment.
Dammit, his face is a cheat code.
Cursing her weakness for handsome men, Eunha raised her hands.
“I’m sorry. Please don’t move. I’m a little involved with these dimensional matters. I’m going to call someone, so could you please wait here?”
He might be a dimensional invader, but he was still a person.
If they could communicate, Eunha wanted to resolve this as peacefully as possible.
As she said this, the man blinked.
Then, as his eyes met hers, they began to widen.
“…By any chance, is your name Lady Naek?”
Naek?
Hearing that, Eunha’s head slowly tilted to the side.
Naneun-extra, Naek for short.
Why would her frequently used nickname suddenly come from his lips?
“How do you know that name…?”
In that instant, the man lunged toward her.
His face, framed by plum-blossom hair, was suddenly right in front of hers, and Eunha almost screamed.
A little warning next time!
She reflexively tried to move her hands, but a warm sensation enveloped them.
Somehow, he was now holding both of her hands tightly in his.
“Hic!”
His long eyelashes were right before her eyes.
A faint scent of plum blossoms muddled her thoughts.
Perhaps because of that, her heart suddenly began to pound.
Realizing she had almost been seduced, Eunha snapped back to her senses.
“Lady Naek, I have an earnest request to make of you, though we have only just met.”
“A request?”
“Would you please join me in my cause?”
Hearing his next words, Eunha’s face began to slowly turn red.
Join his cause.
Join his cause…
A confession?
You… you idiot, Lee Eunha! What are you getting flustered about? Get a grip!
It seemed that after so long without a man, her brain was hardwired to interpret anything as a confession.
Eunha quickly regained her composure and forced herself to be calm.