Chapter 49
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: Results (3)
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"Shoes! Let's take off the shoes first!"
Bang Han-na issued the command, and Jin Seo-won carefully removed Do Ji-hyeok's shoes—he'd been riding on Bang Han-na's back—and set them down at the entrance.
"...All done."
"Then to the bedroom... No, living room first!"
She quickly made up her mind, readjusted Do Ji-hyeok on her back, and headed straight for the living room inside.
"Mm... ngh..."
In the meantime, Do Ji-hyeok unconsciously buried his face in the nape of Bang Han-na's neck, savoring her scent...
"Seo-won! Over there, clear those cushions!"
"...Okay."
Bang Han-na, too flustered to notice his actions, kept right on going.
"Carefully now..."
Plop!
And with that, Do Ji-hyeok was laid out on the sofa.
"...Mm..."
Bang Han-na let out a short sigh at the sight of him curling up uncomfortably.
Trot-trot. Jin Seo-won hurried over to the sofa, poked Do Ji-hyeok's cheek, and whispered worriedly in a tiny voice.
"...You okay?"
Do Ji-hyeok scratched at his face like it tickled, then...
"I'm fine..."
nodded reflexively to show he was okay.
'Kinda... cute...'
Bang Han-na felt a slight flutter at this side of him she'd never seen before.
She shook her head to clear the stray thought and quickly gave Jin Seo-won her next order.
"Let's start by taking off the producer's outer clothes."
"...Okay."
The two of them grunted and struggled to peel off Do Ji-hyeok's jacket.
Plop!
Do Ji-hyeok flopped back onto the sofa, covering his face with one hand against the bright light, completely limp.
"What kind of booze did he drink so much of...?"
"...He said he was meeting a friend earlier."
"Huh... A friend?"
"...Yeah."
"...But how'd you know that?"
"...!"
Jin Seo-won flinched at Bang Han-na's question.
Truth was, she'd snuck some snacks at the convenience store, but admitting that would blow their cover.
"...No idea."
"You..."
Bang Han-na narrowed her eyes at Jin Seo-won's belated feigned ignorance, but sighed it off like it didn't matter and turned a worried gaze back to Do Ji-hyeok.
'What on earth happened to him...?'
Having seen Do Ji-hyeok blackout drunk twice now, Bang Han-na was deeply concerned by his sudden binge.
A man who stayed calm through everything getting this wasted meant something so tough had hit him he had no choice but to drown it in alcohol.
Realizing she hadn't been able to help him at all, Bang Han-na bit her lip without thinking and just stared at him quietly.
That's when.
"...Unnie."
Jin Seo-won pointed at Do Ji-hyeok's dress shirt.
"...Should we take this off too?"
"Huh...?"
"...He looks hot."
Do Ji-hyeok really was flushed and sweaty.
He couldn't go to bed like that, so Jin Seo-won's point about removing the shirt wasn't wrong.
"The shirt too...?"
Bang Han-na took a fresh, slow look at Do Ji-hyeok's defenseless state.
His shirt buttons were undone, peeking at skin she rarely saw,
and his usually firm lips were parted loosely, revealing the inside of his mouth.
Gulp.
At this utterly vulnerable sight she'd never witnessed, Bang Han-na swallowed unconsciously and slowly shifted her gaze to his lower half.
'...If we take off the top... th-then obviously the bottom too, right...?'
Common sense said undressing a drunk man's pants was hard to imagine...
But Bang Han-na's mind was already filled with the rationale that dirty pants couldn't touch the bed.
"...Take 'em off?"
Just as Jin Seo-won reached out toward Do Ji-hyeok with strangely eager eyes.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Someone started pounding urgently on the front door.
"...?"
"Who...?"
Bang Han-na and Jin Seo-won headed straight for the entrance.
Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Bang-bang-bang!
Now the mystery guest was even pressing the doorbell insistently.
'Who the hell at this hour...'
As Bang Han-na, ahead of the pair, opened the door.
Whoosh!
"Ji, Ji-hyeok...!"
Im A-rin came barreling through the gap.
"Wha, what?"
"...?"
The two were stunned by Im A-rin's sudden appearance.
"Wha... huh...?"
Im A-rin was just as shocked by the unexpected pair.
'Why are these two here...'
'Why is she here...?'
As Bang Han-na and Im A-rin stared at each other and froze.
"...What is it?"
Jin Seo-won spoke up first,
and Im A-rin snapped to, remembering she knew them vaguely, and urgently asked after Do Ji-hyeok.
"Is Ji-hyeok inside?! I have something super important to tell him!"
She looked every bit the worried girlfriend.
But...
"...He's sleeping."
It didn't faze Jin Seo-won.
"Th-then...! J-just let me in quick to see his face...!"
"...Why?"
"...Huh?"
Jin Seo-won stonewalled Im A-rin's intrusion attempt,
though truthfully, she'd felt an odd unease since spotting her.
A woman's intuition, plain and simple.
"Um... The producer's really wasted right now!"
Bang Han-na, equally wary, subtly asserted her upper hand and gently pushed Im A-rin back.
"Not great tonight... Better call tomorrow!"
But.
Im A-rin wasn't one to back down easy.
"H-he's that drunk?! Any injuries?! He can't hold his liquor... D-did he do anything weird...? Like biting or...?"
"B-biting?"
"He didn't...? Good..."
Im A-rin casually flaunted her closeness to Do Ji-hyeok to emphasize their bond...
"...He's sleeping fine. So it's okay."
But Jin Seo-won blocked her advance like unyielding steel once more,
and Im A-rin started burning inside at Jin Seo-won's firm stance.
'...What do I do...'
To Im A-rin, this visit carried huge weight.
A golden chance to score massive points with the deeply heartbroken Do Ji-hyeok.
Not just points—even leap straight to lovers.
But...
These two unexpected intruders had ruined everything.
Forcing her way in would limit her moves with them around.
Meaning the opportunity had essentially flown.
"Got it."
Im A-rin quickly calculated and tucked tail.
"If Ji-hyeok wakes up, please tell him I stopped by? It's really important!"
"O... kay. Will do."
She left a hook to carry the chance forward.
Though inwardly, her fists trembled with frustration...
'...Just hold it together...'
To play it safe, she took a meek step back.
I had a dream.
My mind was hazy, aware it was a dream, but I couldn't control it.
"Ji, Ji-hyeok... Please... Please, I beg you... Hn... Open your eyes, please...!!"
"......"
In a ruined city, she sat collapsed, clutching my battered body.
I, called the 'Emperor,' had already died in the previous battle,
and she wailed desperately, hugging my corpse.
"Please... Don't die... I beg you..."
It felt like a melodramatic movie, so her grief didn't really hit me.
I just eyed the sword gripped in dream-me's hand with a twinge of envy.
'Nice weapon.'
The blade dream-me held was an Ex-rank weapon from late in the original novel.
One I'd planned to claim myself someday...
But unable to fight now, I envied dream-me a bit.
"It's... my fault... I won't be stubborn anymore... Please... I beg you..."
That's when.
Clunk.
Something slipped from my grasp and rolled across the floor.
'...A watch?'
A palm-sized gold pocket watch, straight out of a classic film.
"Wh-what's this...?"
She carefully picked up the watch that fell from my hand.
Her face lit with sudden realization as she alternated looks between my corpse and the watch.
'Time-related item, maybe... since it's a watch?'
I'd never heard of time-manipulating items.
If one existed, Seol Ju-hee wouldn't have failed so utterly in the original.
Though the author forcing that tragic end was the real issue...
Anyway, no time items in the wiki the author wrote either.
"...Ji-hyeok..."
Then, as if resolved, she gripped my body and murmured low.
"...I'll... definitely save you..."
Tears still streamed down her face,
mingled with a faint smile.
I had no clue what her expression meant.
No explanation, and no idea how she'd save a dead me.
Just a fresh thought.
'She's pretty even crying.'
Im A-rin... even a mess, she's cute.
"......"
I woke from the strange dream, blinking blankly at the ceiling.
'What was that dream...?'
Felt impactful, but the details slipped away.
Probably just nonsense.
"Ugh, my head..."
Grabbing my throbbing skull, I sat up. Thirsty, I scratched my bare midriff and shuffled to the living room.
"Ahh..."
Gulped down a glass of cool water, then habitually headed for the sofa...
"...?"
And found Bang Han-na and Jin Seo-won passed out, sprawled across the sofa and floor.
'Why are they... here...'
That's when.
"!"
A faint memory pierced the dull ache in my head.
"...Huh?"
Finally realizing something was off.