Chapter 151: The Return of Kkotbi
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 151: The Return of Kkotbi
Come to think of it, this hotel had an indoor swimming pool.
They said you could rent swimsuits, so I hadn't bothered to bring one, but it seemed Si-ho had packed hers.
“I’ll show you later.”
But for some reason, her next words made me pause.
“Show him what? You sly thing, how long are you going to keep hugging Domi-oppa?”
Ahyu shooed her away, but Si-ho ignored her and hugged me even tighter.
“Then I won’t show Shin So-ra unni. You don’t need to see it either, right, Manager?”
“What? Of course he does. Domi-oppa, you want to see my swimsuit, right?”
The feeling of contentment I’d had just moments ago, surrounded by my friends, suddenly began to evaporate.
“I brought one too.”
Seol-hyang then whispered slyly in my ear.
“...I also packed some lingerie.”
Hearing her follow-up, I flinched and looked at Seol-hyang. She gave a small smile, her face flushed.
Was my childhood friend always like this?
Knock, knock—
Just then, there was a knock on the door, and another new person appeared.
“Hyeok-seo-hyeong!”
The first person I saw was none other than Hyeok-seo-hyeong.
As soon as I saw him, I called out his name, and he scratched his head with an awkward laugh.
“Yo, Domi. Long time no see. You been well?”
I hadn’t seen him at all since the Girasung incident, so I was genuinely happy to see him.
“Domi, that’s so mean. Aren’t you happy to see me?”
Eva-noona peeked out from beside him and asked.
“Of course I’m happy to see you too, Eva-noona. How have you been?”
I smiled at Eva-noona, and she smiled back, nodding.
Just then, I spotted Juksim nestled in her arms like a baby kangaroo.
Seeing Juksim, who seemed to have been in that position the whole way here, probably because of the crowd, I lowered myself to meet her gaze.
“Juksim-nim, you’ve been well too, right?”
Even though I’d seen her not too long ago, I asked as a greeting. Juksim glanced at me and tapped on her phone.
[ She says she's been well. ]
That was just like the ever-healthy Juksim.
She was online in the game almost every day, so she must have been doing well.
“Is that everyone?”
Eva-noona asked, looking inside. I smiled and shook my head.
“There’s just one person left.”
At that moment, my phone started ringing.
“Speak of the devil, she must be here.”
I answered the phone and walked outside.
“Ahyu, let’s go get her.”
Since the two of us had met first in real life, I called for Ahyu, and she quickly followed.
“Is it Yua?”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
I said, answering Kkotbi’s call.
[ Ah, oppa, I'm downstairs. Should I get directions to come up? ]
“Yeah, just take the elevator up. I’ll be waiting in front of it.”
“I get to see our Yua after so long. Phew, oppa, what do I do? I’m so excited.”
Ahyu, who had followed me out, stomped her feet excitedly, and I chuckled.
“You watched her entire overseas tour, didn’t you?”
“Mhm, of course. It’s our Yua.”
As she said that, Ahyu looked at me as if something had just occurred to her.
“By the way, Domi-oppa, do you talk to Yua on the phone often?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah, I guess so. I think we’ve talked consistently, about once a day?”
Hearing my words, Ahyu’s eyes wavered for a moment.
“...Every day?”
“Kkotbi was getting by with self-hypnosis. So I talked with her often to check on how she was doing.”
Ahyu stared blankly for a moment, then covered her eyes with her hand.
“You really did it every day?”
“I’m telling you. Want me to show you my call history?”
“Domi-oppa, do you know what happens quite often between counselors or psychologists and their patients?”
I tilted my head at her question.
Ahyu sighed in frustration.
“They develop feelings for them because they’re the person who listens to their stories the best.”
“Uh, huh?”
“And returnees are especially vulnerable to that sort of thing.”
Ahyu looked straight up at me.
“And just as a matter of common sense.”
She raised her hand and poked me in the chest with her index finger.
“Even if you were acting as her counselor, you don’t call someone every single day, you know?”
Hearing that, my mouth hung open.
“Texting or messaging would be one thing, but a phone call. A phone call. Haa, you just do that because you want to hear their voice. You idiot, Domi-oppa.”
“...”
Is that true?
Ding!
At that moment, the sound of the elevator arriving rang out.
My gaze shifted toward it, and as the elevator doors opened, a flutter of pink hair came into view.
At the same time, Kkotbi’s eyes met mine, and a bright smile spread across her face the moment she saw me.
And I realized her gaze was directed solely at me.
“Oppa.”
Seeing her for the first time in a long while, she stepped out of the elevator and reached a hand toward me before hesitating.
It was as if her hand had moved on its own, without her intending it to.
Seeing Kkotbi’s reaction, Ahyu shot me a glare.
It was as if she were saying, See? What did I tell you? and I was at a loss for words.
“...You’re here?”
I spoke a little late. Kkotbi looked at me and shyly nodded.
Then she met Ahyu’s eyes and flinched as if she’d been caught doing something, waving at her.
“Ahyu, it’s been a while.”
“Yua!”
Ahyu rushed forward, and Kkotbi embraced her.
Putting aside what she’d just said, it was clear they were both very happy to see each other.
“I watched your entire tour.”
“Really? Thank you. You must have been busy too, Ahyu.”
“I’m your biggest fan. Of course I had to watch!”
As the two of them laughed and talked, I pointed toward the room.
“Let’s head to the room for now.”
“Ah, you said everyone else is already here.”
Kkotbi smiled, her eyes filled with a bit of anticipation as if she’d just remembered.
All the while, her gaze never left me, and I had to struggle to keep my expression neutral.
Because Kkotbi’s eyes held the same tender affection one would have for a lover they hadn’t seen in a very long time.
When my eyes met Ahyu’s, who was standing next to Kkotbi, she shot me another ‘I told you so’ look.
Is this my fault?
‘Of course it is.’
It’s all my fault.
“Uh, B-Blackstar Yua?!”
As we re-entered the room, Ji-eun, recognizing Kkotbi, cried out in shock.
Of course, it wasn’t just Ji-eun.
Everyone else had the same surprised reaction upon seeing Kkotbi.
I couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride, the kind that comes from being in on a secret.
“Has everyone eaten?”
I asked, and as expected, no one had eaten yet.
“Then let’s all eat first.”
I said that and turned to Seol-hyang, who nodded and stood up.
“They said everything is ready downstairs. Let’s head that way. Everyone, let’s get moving.”
Seol-hyang gave orders efficiently, just like the chairperson of the World Returnee Association.
As we followed her lead, I realized Si-ho had taken my hand at some point.
“Manager, Si-ho understands now.”
“Hm?”
“This isn’t the time for Si-ho to just stand by.”
Not the time to stand by?
“Do you remember the date you promised to go on with Si-ho?”
Si-ho mentioned the date from back in Iceland, when she helped me, and I nodded.
“Let’s go on December 31st.”
She set the date so firmly that I couldn’t refuse and could only nod again.
A bashful smile spread across Si-ho’s face.
“It’s a promise.”
Is this going to be okay?
As Si-ho said that and tried to hug my arm, Ji-eun subtly grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back.
Si-ho was pulled back with a surprised look, and Ji-eun smiled.
“I’m not going to let you get ahead by yourself.”
“Ji-eun, you...”
“I decided not to give up either.”
Si-ho’s eyes twitched.
The look on Si-ho’s face as she stared at Ji-eun was one of someone realizing they’d raised a tiger cub.
The problem was, it wasn’t just Ji-eun and Si-ho.
I could feel so many gazes fixed on me that the back of my head was starting to prickle.
“You brought this all on yourself.”
Baeksan, who had been watching quietly, said with a hint of schadenfreude. I quickly picked up my pace.
At this rate, they were going to fight over seats at the restaurant.
“Seo-ho, Hyeok-seo-hyeong.”
“Hm? What is it, Domi?”
“Hyung-nim.”
I quickly squeezed in between Hyeok-seo-hyeong and Seo-ho, who were walking ahead.
This was the only spot that could protect me right now.
Hyeok-seo-hyeong looked at me, glanced behind us, and then chuckled.
“This is what happens when you go around saving girls like us. Isn’t that right?”
“But I can’t just leave them be.”
“I won’t deny that.”
As he said that, Hyeok-seo-hyeong casually put an arm around my shoulder and whispered.
“If you’re gonna take care of them, take care of Se-hee, that one, too.”
He means Eva-noona.
Eva-noona, who was floating along as if being carried, bumped her head on a pillar while looking out the window and was now rubbing her forehead.
Juksim saw this and was stroking her forehead with a small hand. Eva-noona gave an awkward laugh, and then her eyes met mine.
Seeing me, she blushed bright red as if embarrassed about hitting her head and looked down.
She does look like she needs someone to take care of her, but...
“Hyeok-seo-hyeong will take good care of Eva-noona himself.”
“Domi. The Korean language has many different meanings.”
Saying that, Hyeok-seo-hyeong took his arm off my shoulder and crossed his arms.
“As long as Se-hee is happy, I don’t really care.”
Hyeok-seo-hyeong said it as if he cherished Eva-noona deeply, but his expression turned fierce as a tiger’s for his next words.
“But if any bastard makes her unhappy, I’ll bust both his balls.”
Hyeok-seo-hyeong grinned menacingly, and I just looked bewildered.
I mean, I’d do the same if someone messed with Eva-noona, but still.
“Hyung-nim, I also don’t really care, as long as that girl Ha Si-ho is happy.”
When Seo-ho chimed in, I just quietly replied, “Uh, yeah.”
Come to think of it, they were both doting older brothers.
‘These two were the ones I should have been most careful around.’
I could become a traitor in their eyes in an instant, so I decided to be careful.
After that, we finished our meal.
We didn’t eat too much, just a moderate amount.
That was because our next activity was none other than the swimming pool.
“How could you eat without me!”
Yu U-jeong, who arrived late, was being a nuisance, but she quieted down and ate happily once I stuffed some bread in her mouth.
The fact that she’d eat anything you put in her mouth without being picky was one of her few virtues.
“The swimming pool. How many years has it been?”
After the meal.
I grabbed my bag and headed into the locker room with the guys.
I’m pretty sure I haven’t been to a swimming pool since elementary school.
As I was trying to recall the faint memory, Hyeok-seo-hyeong next to me casually took off his black shirt.
“Hah.”
An involuntary sound of admiration escaped my lips.
Is that really a human body?
Hyeok-seo-hyeong’s body, covered in all sorts of scars and even tattoos, was the very definition of a human weapon.
Standing next to him, I felt incredibly small for some reason.
With that thought in mind, I glanced to the side and saw Seo-ho and Do Hwa changing.
Both of them had well-trained bodies, but compared to Hyeok-seo-hyeong, they were certainly less intimidating.
Though looking at their faces made me uncomfortable again.
It’s the same with our group of girls, but isn’t the gap in looks among the guys a bit too much?
“Am I supposed to wear this?”
“Yes, you just need to wear the swim trunks.”
“To expose the entire upper body...”
Do Hwa looked like he was having a hard time adjusting.
Well, it probably doesn’t align with the common sense of Murim.
‘Well, still, I probably look decent enough.’
I had trained my body, after all, and once I changed into the swimsuit, I cut a decent figure.
I mean, after being put through the wringer like that, it would be strange if I didn’t have any muscle.
“What’re you doin’? Let’s go.”
Hyeok-seo-hyeong, who was the first to change into a pair of black swim trunks, gestured with his head.
Maybe because it had been a while since he’d had fun, Hyeok-seo-hyeong seemed quite excited too, which put me at ease.
Considering his future, this was the best time for things to improve.
When we walked out, none of the girls were there yet, clearly taking longer than the guys.
They’ll come out on their own once we start having some fun.
3
Unlike the men’s side, where we had just changed and come out, a considerable commotion was coming from the women’s side.
“What is this? Is this a world of monsters?”
The one standing there in the most shock was Yu U-jeong.