Chapter 88: Want a Hug?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 88: Want a Hug?
※The content of chapter 87 has been partially revised.
We ask for our readers’ understanding.
(The overall flow is the same, but the biggest change is that Baeksan was aware of Juksim's existence and had searched for her, but was unable to find her!)
As I turned to Seol-hyang, she added an explanation.
“The World Returnee Association can’t keep track of every single returnee. Among them, there are some who have been living in seclusion since long before the Association was even founded.”
“So you’re saying Juksim is one of those returnees?”
“Yes. Aside from a single record of a similar case from long ago, she’s definitely a returnee who has never revealed herself.”
It seemed the record Baeksan had mentioned was this one.
Seol-hyang was saying that this very Juksim had revealed herself to save Naek.
The way Juksim had spoken as if she knew something about Naek’s situation was likely because of this.
She’s been saving my guild members without me knowing.
I’d known her for a long time, but she was truly an enigma.
“We also checked on Lee Eunha’s condition. Her body has been completely restored. It’s as if she was born anew.”
And that meant that with Juksim’s help, Eva might be able to live again, too.
That was why Seol-hyang was asking me for this favor.
Because out of everyone here, I was the closest to Juksim.
Understanding the full meaning of her words, my eyes met Eva’s.
“You heard her, Eva.”
“…”
“You can live.”
Baeksan had mentioned it.
And Seol-hyang had gone so far as to say all this.
There was probably no other way.
“I’ll save you, and I’ll stop Hyeok-seo, too.”
We might just be gaming friends.
But that was no reason to say our relationship was shallow.
“So live. I’ll make sure you never have to give up again.”
Hearing those words, Eva’s eyes trembled.
“Domi, why are you doing so much for me?”
When she asked, I fell silent for a moment.
Then, I spoke my honest feelings.
“I’m just doing whatever the hell I want.”
If I can save someone I know, what’s there to think about?
As if he understood me, Baeksan sighed, and Seol-hyang followed suit.
It’s a bit embarrassing seeing these sworn siblings sighing in unison.
“…Is that so.”
Even though I was telling her she might be able to live again, her eyes held no trace of hope.
Perhaps it was because she had let go of her own life so long ago.
“…Domi, honestly, it doesn’t matter to me.”
Just as I thought, the same words I was thinking flowed from Eva’s lips.
“It’s been too long for me to get my hopes up just because you say I can live now. But…”
She couldn’t finish her sentence as her eyelids fluttered closed.
Her body began to tremble ever so slightly.
“My brother won’t be the same. I’m sure that fool will do something reckless even if I die.”
More worried about her brother being left alone after her death than her own life, she spoke cautiously.
“…I want to stop my brother. I know it’s shameless, but would it be okay to ask for your help?”
Finally, she had asked me directly.
“His eyes have gone crazy again.”
I heard Baeksan click his tongue.
Well, they’d gone crazy a long time ago.
But I was the one who had trained under Baeksan all this time precisely to protect the people by my side.
“Anything. I’m Kang Ha-chan, the guy who will grant any wish.”
Hyeok-seo and Eva.
I would never let the two of them meet such an end.
My dream was to create a world where returnees could come back and live without a single worry.
*
After our conversation, I decided to head home first.
I needed to log into Lord of Academy to talk to Juksim.
But a problem arose.
I had already been targeted by Girasung once.
Eunhyeon, who had been guarding me, was now chasing after Hyeok-seo, which meant there were no returnees around to protect me.
I considered having another returnee assigned to me, but it wasn't like they just popped up when you called them, and it felt like a waste of manpower.
So, the conclusion we came to was this:
“Let’s go to my place.”
Seol-hyang suggested I come to her house.
Since Seol-hyang played Lord of Academy, she naturally had a gaming console at her home.
More importantly, she herself was an S-rank returnee.
Unless Girasung had completely lost their minds, they would never dare to attack her. This meant my safety would be guaranteed just by being near her.
Right, guaranteed safety. That’s good.
It’s good, but…
‘You want me to stay at the house of my childhood friend who has a crush on me?’
Seol-hyang was smiling brightly, but I could sense an unknowable energy beyond it.
I had a feeling that if I followed her, there would be no turning back.
“Then I’ll go too.”
At that moment, Eva raised her hand and spoke up.
Just as Seol-hyang’s smile was about to crack, Eva provided a valid reason for coming along.
“I can’t just relax while Domi handles everything. I’ll at least watch from the side.”
Hearing that perfectly reasonable explanation, Seol-hyang stomped her feet as if to protest but ended up biting her lip.
Even to her, what Eva said was logical.
“Or, Domi, would you like to come to my place? I can protect you, and I have a gaming console at home too. It’s better than troubling the Iron-Blooded Empress…”
“No. Let’s go to my house.”
Eva’s follow-up remark resulted in Seol-hyang immediately agreeing to have them over.
“Really? Then I’m coming too!”
And Naek jumping in was just a bonus.
It wasn’t her problem, but Naek had been watching the whole situation unfold.
She probably had a lot on her mind as well.
“If we all go, it’s like round two of the meetup! Let’s go, let’s go!”
No, it seemed she just wanted to continue the meetup.
“Chairperson, is that okay?”
“…Yes, go ahead. It’s not like we don’t have rooms.”
With Eva now coming, she couldn’t refuse and simply told us to do as we pleased.
‘Somehow, it really has become a meetup of our members.’
Though the two of them still didn’t know that Seol-hyang was ‘IKnowit’.
“Then let’s buy some drinks! Drinks! Can we order delivery when we get there?”
“Delivery? You can just ask the chef to make something. As for drinks, the previous owner left a bunch in the cellar.”
“Whoa, super rich! This is the class of the Returnee Association’s Chairperson!”
Still, thanks to the excited Naek, the atmosphere seemed to lighten up a bit.
And so, we all ended up going to Seol-hyang’s house together.
And I saw a mansion.
A grand mansion, the kind you’d only see in movies, stood right in the middle of Seoul.
A lawn-covered yard and a four-story building.
As I stared blankly at the structure, which was clearly elegant at a single glance, Naek whispered to me quietly.
“I bet someone lives in the basement, Domi. See that? That flickering light is definitely a signal from the person in the basement, in Morse code.”
“You’ve been watching too many movies.”
“Hehe, respect!”
Shouting that, Naek started running across the garden excitedly.
As I watched her, I turned back to Seol-hyang. Our eyes met, and she gave a small smile.
“Nice, isn’t it?”
“This is more than nice. I don’t have the confidence to go inside.”
“Why? Ha-chan, you’re always welcome here. If you just do one thing with me, you can call this place your home.”
“Stop. I don’t want to accept your feelings through capitalism.”
I must not succumb to capitalism.
As I was thinking that, Seol-hyang approached me and brought her lips close to my ear.
“Just say you love me, and all of this will be yours, Ha-chan.”
Was this an angel’s whisper?
“…Me too, of course.”
With a slightly flushed face, she spread her arms as if all I had to do was fall into her embrace. I felt my own face start to turn red.
“Um, are you two dating?”
Just then, Eva appeared from behind us and asked with a puzzled expression.
Startled, Seol-hyang and I looked in opposite directions and scratched our heads.
“No, not really. We’re just childhood friends.”
“With the Iron-Blooded Empress? Domi, you’ve made some incredible connections.”
They just sort of happened without me realizing.
Eva glanced over at Seol-hyang, covered her mouth, and giggled.
“I’ve never seen the Iron-Blooded Empress act like that before. I see, so you’re childhood friends.”
“Sh-shall we go inside now?”
Her face bright red, Seol-hyang walked ahead, and we followed her inside.
The interior was just as magnificent as the exterior.
From the chandelier to all sorts of luxury items, they were everywhere.
More importantly, as soon as Seol-hyang entered, three women walked out. Dressed in very neat attire, they bowed their heads to us in greeting.
“Ah, these are the ladies who handle the housekeeping. Ms. Horin, could you prepare a meal to go with some drinks?”
“Yes, Miss.”
Miss.
So rich people really are called that.
Finding myself getting a glimpse into the life of the truly wealthy, I followed Seol-hyang with a sense of wonder.
“Ha-chan, you’re planning to log into the game right away, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, I have to.”
I nodded immediately in response to her question.
To save Eva, I needed Juksim’s help.
Since Juksim practically lived in Lord of Academy, she was bound to be online today as well.
“Let’s go to the second floor. There’s a game room.”
A game room.
A room specifically for gaming?
My eyes sparkled with interest.
“Ha-chan, your eyes seem to be shining even more than when I was trying to seduce you.”
I quietly ignored her comment.
Sorry, Seol-hyang, but as a gamer, my heart couldn’t help but pound at the words “game room.”
Soon, I entered the game room Seol-hyang had opened for me.
It was heaven.
Starting with Lord of Academy, which I played, every type of gaming console and game-related merchandise was there.
As I stood trembling with my mouth agape in this place where a man’s dream was laid bare, Seol-hyang avoided my gaze, looking slightly embarrassed.
“I thought maybe you’d come over someday, Ha-chan. So I collected a few things.”
She had prepared all this for me?
I felt an urge to pull Seol-hyang into a hug and spin her around.
As if sensing my thoughts, Seol-hyang looked at me and slightly opened her arms.
“Want a hug?”
“…”
Was she just openly seducing me now?