Chapter 357
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 357
Chapter Title: A Three-Part Vacation (3)
“Um… a-are you okay?”
Isabella's vampiric rampage (?) finally came to a halt around 3 PM.
Her onslaught, which had begun at 7 AM, barely ended after a grueling eight hours.
“…”
Oh-jin looked like a squid left out to dry in the sea breeze, completely drained.
With hollow eyes, Oh-jin stared up at the ceiling, recalling the events of the past eight hours.
*'She wasn't human.'*
A ravenous beast? No, a blood-crazed vampire would be more accurate.
In any case, the memory of Isabella, her eyes crimson as she devoured him like a demon from hell, was enough to send a shiver down his spine.
*'I seriously could have died.'*
It wasn't the kind of tender act where lovers affirm their affection for one another.
It was more like a predator greedily tearing into its captured prey.
Even with the superhuman body of a high-ranking Awakened, he felt as if his entire being had been beaten with a hammer. There was no need to dwell on how intense the shock had been.
“…We'll need to buy a new bed.”
“I-I'm sorry! I'll order one right away!”
As he muttered like a patient waiting for the last leaf to fall while gazing at the utterly destroyed bed, Isabella shot up and scurried out of the room.
Oh-jin watched her go and let out a deep sigh.
*'Doing this every day is out of the question.'*
It wasn't just the time; the toll on his physical and mental stamina was too great.
If they were to do it again, it would have to be after he had fully recovered.
“The order is placed, Oh-jin…”
When he stepped out, he found a timid-looking Isabella, head bowed low, clutching her smartphone.
She continued in a barely audible voice.
“I'm sorry. I didn't realize the urge would be this strong…”
“It's fine. I was the one who suggested it.”
“Are you feeling any better?”
“I'm fine now that I've rested a bit.”
Though, in truth, his legs were still trembling.
He couldn't show any sign of weakness in front of Isabella, who was looking at him with worried eyes.
“Haa. I've ruined your vacation, Oh-jin.”
Isabella was mired in self-blame, letting out a deep sigh.
“It's only 3 o'clock. We can just go out now.”
“Are you sure you're okay?”
“I said I'm fine.”
Oh-jin chuckled and placed a hand lightly on Isabella's shoulder.
“Is there anywhere you want to go?”
“Ah, just a moment. There's a place I looked up.”
Isabella's eyes sparkled as she checked her smartphone screen and spoke.
“Namsan Seoul Tower! I want to go there!”
“Seoul Tower?”
While it was considered a popular date spot, it was a much more ordinary place than Oh-jin had expected.
“Yes! Let's go shopping and eat something delicious!”
“Are you sure that's okay with you?”
The thought crossed his mind that it was too simple of a date for a noble lady like Isabella.
Then again, the amusement park they'd gone to before wasn't exactly a typical destination for a noble lady either.
“Yes, I really want to go.”
Isabella gently hugged Oh-jin's arm and smiled sweetly.
In truth, it didn't have to be Seoul Tower.
She just wanted to spend an ordinary day with him, strolling the streets like any other couple.
*'Opportunities like this don't come often.'*
She was the head of the Colagrande family, which owned dozens of the world's leading corporations, and an Awakened on the verge of becoming 11-Star.
In a life that was anything but 'ordinary', a vacation spent with Oh-jin was a day more precious than any treasure.
*'And I wasted half of it.'*
A belated wave of regret washed over her, but there was no turning back time.
At the thought of enjoying a lovey-dovey date with Oh-jin from this moment on, the corners of Isabella's lips twitched and rose.
“Alright, let's go to Namsan then.”
“Should I call Roberto?”
“No, I'll drive.”
He hadn't had much chance to drive it recently, but the luxury foreign car he'd wrangled from the Association for free was still sitting in the underground parking garage.
“Hehe. This suddenly reminds me of Bboppi.”
Bboppi, whose smooth ride rivaled a luxury car and whose tireless, steel-like stamina had been a great help in Magyeong.
“I'm sure he's doing well.”
They had left Bboppi behind in the Khan Kingdom before returning to Earth.
It was impossible to raise a demonic beast several meters tall on Earth, after all.
Pushing aside his longing for Bboppi, Oh-jin grabbed the car keys he hadn't touched in a long time.
“Shall we go?”
“Yes!”
Isabella beamed and leaned her head on Oh-jin's shoulder as she hugged his arm.
* * *
It didn't take long to arrive at Seoul Tower.
“Ah, wait a second.”
Before getting out of the car, Oh-jin used an illusion to disguise his and Isabella's faces.
“This way, we won't need sunglasses or masks.”
“Hmm. Is my face really disguised?”
She took out a hand mirror to check, but she looked exactly the same as usual.
“It only looks different to other people.”
“Oh my, how convenient.”
A smile bloomed on Isabella's face at the thought of being able to stick close to Oh-jin without worrying about prying eyes.
Instead of heading straight for the tower, Isabella went to a nearby department store first.
“Let's buy some clothes for you first, Oh-jin.”
“It's better to just order something cheap online.”
To Oh-jin, clothes were literally consumables.
Because of his intense training, his clothes would turn to rags after just a few wears, so he would just buy them in bulk, use them, and throw them away.
“No way. You're a world-renowned hero now, Oh-jin. You need to dress with dignity.”
Isabella said with a feigned stern expression.
She looked so much like a wife taking care of her sloppy husband that Oh-jin couldn't help but let out a dry laugh.
“Alright. I'll leave the styling to you, Bella.”
“Hehe. Just trust me.”
Having grown up in high society, she knew better than anyone which brands to wear to maintain the proper dignity and class for any occasion.
“This way, Oh-jin.”
Isabella pulled Oh-jin by the arm towards the luxury brand section of the department store.
*'Seriously, the price of these clothes…'*
The clothes were so expensive he suspected they'd accidentally added an extra '0' to the price tags.
Oh-jin could now afford to buy such clothes by the truckload, but his ingrained habits caused a visceral rejection at a cellular level.
“This shirt would look great on you, Oh-jin. Ah, this coat too. Oh, my, my. Come over here, Oh-jin!”
Isabella dragged Oh-jin around excitedly.
She started grabbing luxury items—each one costing a fortune—as if she were at a going-out-of-business sale, scooping up everything in sight.
“Hey, wait, calm down…”
“Aah, what should I do, Oh-jin?! Everything looks so good on you, I can't choose!”
No matter what she put on him, it looked so good that she couldn't pick just one.
It wasn't just that Isabella was looking at him through rose-colored glasses; Oh-jin's physique was so perfect that most models couldn't even compare.
A body sculpted through extreme training and consistent maintenance.
He wasn't exceptionally tall, but he was above average, and his face had a hint of decadent charm.
His frame was so good that it was harder to find clothes that *didn't* suit him, from casual wear to suits.
“I'll take them all!”
*Hmph!*
Isabella huffed excitedly and pulled a black card from her wallet.
At her spending spree, which was practically a clean sweep of the luxury section, the employees approached with the disciplined movements of subjects attending to their king.
“Have all the clothes delivered to my home later.”
“Yes, ma'am!”
Isabella turned away, leaving behind the employee who answered so vigorously it was as if he were about to salute.
Humming a tune, seemingly giddy at the thought of dressing Oh-jin to her liking later, Isabella returned to his side.
“The shopping was over faster than I thought~♬”
“…Yeah. I guess there's not much to think about when you buy everything.”
Oh-jin, who had been about to comment on Isabella's consumption habits that defied all common sense, was reminded that her wealth was well into the trillions of won and quietly turned away.
*'Reminds me of that article where someone called Bill Gates frugal for spending 5.5 billion won on vacation.'*
From Isabella's perspective, sweeping up the luxury section of a department store was an extremely frugal (?) way to spend money.
“Since we finished shopping early, should we stop by a nearby cafe?”
“Yes! I'd love to!”
Oh-jin and Isabella found a cafe inside the department store and went in.
“What kind of coffee do you want?”
“The same as you, Oh-jin.”
“Alright.”
Oh-jin stood at the counter and scanned the menu.
As expected of a famous coffee brand, there were all sorts of options.
*'Of course, the only real coffee is an Iced Americano.'*
For any Korean, was there any other choice?
Of course, Isabella wasn't Korean; she was Italian.
*'Well, it probably doesn't matter.'*
Coffee is coffee, right?
“Two Iced Americanos are ready~”
Since there was no line, the coffee came out quickly, and he brought it over to Isabella.
“…What is this, Oh-jin?”
Isabella's expression hardened as she looked at the Iced Americanos on the tray.
“Huh? It's an Iced Americano.”
“Oh, my.”
Isabella turned to Oh-jin with a bright smile.
For some reason…
…he could feel a chilling killing intent emanating from her beaming face.
“This isn't coffee. It's water.”
An Iced Americano was water?
…Since when?
“Hehe. Koreans are really something else. To brazenly call this stuff coffee and sell it.”
Isabella, who had been staring at the cup as if it were filled with sewer water, turned to Oh-jin and continued.
“Do you understand, Oh-jin? There are only two types of coffee: latte and espresso.”
“Uh, yeah. Sorry.”
Come to think of it, he remembered seeing something online before.
That most Italians only drink espresso and lattes.
*'Just because she's lived in Korea for a few years doesn't mean her ingrained culture would change.'*
Isabella was now so accustomed to Korea that she could speak fluent Korean without needing a translation device.
But she was undeniably an Italian, born and raised in Italy, not a Korean.
Having lived in different environments, their cultural differences were inevitable.
“I'll go order something else.”
“No, it's fine. I'll give it a try.”
As if taking this as a challenge, Isabella put the straw to her lips and took a sip of the Iced Americano.
“…Hmm.”
Seeing her gently furrow her brow, clearly not enjoying the taste, he felt an inexplicable sense of anxiety.
It was like making gambas for a girlfriend with a shrimp allergy.
He felt a pang of guilt for choosing a drink without any consideration for her being Italian.
“Anyway, what should we do for dinner?”
“Ah, is there anything you'd like to eat, Oh-jin?”
“I was thinking…”
*I have to make up for this painful mistake, no matter what.*
“Pizza. Yeah… I'm craving pizza.”
“Oh, that sounds wonderful.”
Isabella beamed at the mention of pizza.
Having stuck to a Korean diet to accommodate Oh-jin and Ha-eun, she couldn't help but be delighted by the prospect of traditional Italian food for a change.
*'Yes!'*
Oh-jin cheered inwardly as he saw Isabella's expression relax completely.
“Let's go quickly.”
“Hm? Already?”
“We didn't even get to eat a proper lunch earlier.”
Was it just lunch they missed?
He hadn't even eaten breakfast before being captured by her.
“Ah… r-right.”
Oh-jin took Isabella to a famous pizza chain nearby.
“Sit here. I'll go order!”
“Okay, Oh-jin.”
Having entered the pizza place, Oh-jin headed to the counter with renewed vigor, determined to make up for his earlier blunder.
There were quite a few types of pizza, but the one that caught his eye the most was the menu item labeled 'Today's Pick!'
“I'll have this one.”
“The Hawaiian pizza, right?”
“Yes.”
A pizza piled high with delicious-looking pineapple.
Oh-jin, who had also ordered a meatball spaghetti, headed back to the table where Isabella was waiting, grinning from ear to ear.
“…What is this, Oh-jin?”
Isabella's expression froze solid when she saw the pizza Oh-jin brought.
“Huh? It's pizza.”
“Yes. It's pizza, but why is there pineapple on it?”
“Well, it's a Hawaiian pizza, so…”
“Oh-jin.”
Isabella turned to Oh-jin with icy eyes.
A chilling tremor ran down his spine at her gaze, which was as cold as a permafrost wasteland.
“Kneel.”
“…Excuse me?”
*Here?*
“I said, kneel.”
He didn't know what he'd done, but…
…it seemed that far from making up for his mistake, he had awakened the sleeping Queen of Blood from her coffin.