Chapter 101: Party (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 101: Party (2)
In the end, Kang A-rin changed her dress.
At first, I seriously thought I was going to faint.
It was beautiful, I’ll admit. My jaw did drop.
The problem was…
‘Can you even call this a dress?’
The sight before me could hardly be called clothing.
Not only were her shoulders bare, but the sides were cut so low that every movement revealed a precarious glimpse of skin.
It feels strange to say this, but it was an outfit better suited for the bedroom than a party.
I wasn’t the only one who was flustered.
Even the stylists around us were momentarily speechless.
It was a custom-made dress, but it seemed they hadn’t expected it to be this extreme.
“Please, not this one.”
I barely managed to speak.
I tried to hold my tongue, but there was no way I could let this slide.
Fortunately, Kang A-rin glanced at my face, let out a small laugh, and nodded.
“Alright, alright~ I guess I’ll save this one for later.”
Then, with a completely nonchalant expression, she disappeared behind the curtain again.
A moment later.
Swish.
The curtain was drawn back cautiously.
This time, it was completely different.
The dress Kang A-rin emerged in was modest and classical.
The luxurious fabric clung softly to her body, naturally enveloping the lines of her shoulders and waist.
The exposure was minimal, but that only made the curves it did reveal all the more captivating.
This one was powerful in its own right, but it was much better than the last one.
Kang A-rin came and stood before me, lifting the hem of her skirt lightly in a mock curtsy.
“Shall we go now?”
She smiled brightly, her eyes curving into crescents.
“Yes… let’s.”
The party hadn't even started, and I already felt completely drained.
Just then.
“Oh, wait a second.”
Kang A-rin stopped me with a gesture.
She took out her Watch and tapped the screen a few times.
It looked like she was typing something.
“What is it?”
I tilted my head.
Kang A-rin pointed to her Watch and grinned.
“Oh, just some work.”
She had a strangely mischievous look on her face.
It looked like she was up to something, but I didn't bother asking.
*
At that same moment, at the Yu Family's Martial Arts Hall.
Clang, clang!
The sharp clang of steel cut through the air.
“Hah…”
Yu Hana caught her breath, lowering the tip of her sword.
Before her stood Yu Mujin.
Her father was gazing at his daughter with gentle eyes.
A silent duel that had lasted for over thirty minutes.
“You’re incredible.”
Yu Mujin smiled, pleased, and sheathed his sword.
Thud.
Yu Hana also dropped to one knee, resting her sword on the ground.
“Hoo… I need a short break.”
“Yes, you did well. Let’s call it a day.”
Yu Mujin offered a brief word of praise.
He patted her on the shoulder and began to put away his equipment.
Yu Hana wiped her forehead with the back of her sweaty hand.
“Hoo…”
As she caught her breath, Yu Hana felt a sense of satisfaction from the duel with her father.
‘I'm so happy.’
Just crossing swords, just spending time with her father.
For her, this moment was more than enough.
Just then.
Ding.
Her Watch vibrated briefly.
Yu Hana lifted her wrist without much thought.
“…?”
The moment she saw the message, she felt the fatigue coursing through her body vanish completely.
[RIN]: (Photo)
[RIN]: (Photo)
[RIN]: (Photo)
There he was, her beloved, standing dressed in a suit.
“Gasp…”
Yu Hana sucked in a breath.
She stared at the photos, completely mesmerized.
Another short message arrived.
[RIN]: At the party with my secretary for the day ♥
Her mind went blank.
The fatigue that had vanished rushed to her head and turned into a feverish heat.
A party?
The only party she knew of was the Strategy Exchange Meeting.
And her father hated parties like that.
‘Tsk, I suppose we won't be going this time.’
Yu Hana was originally supposed to go as well, but a social gathering full of empty formalities?
He valued the time spent sparring with his daughter far more.
So, in the end, he didn't go.
Thanks to that, Yu Hana naturally ended up skipping it too.
It was fine.
She thought it was fine.
‘It's not fine.’
Yu Hana slowly lifted her head.
Yu Mujin was heading for the exit of the Martial Arts Hall.
“Compose yourself and come out when you’re ready.”
He smiled and walked out the door.
Just then.
“Daaaaaad!!”
His daughter's—
No.
A woman's—wail filled the Martial Arts Hall.
*
Meanwhile, at the Arcadia Cult.
“Saintess! The hot spring is open~”
“Oh, thanks~”
Cheon Yeo-wool gave a lazy wave.
It was a rare moment of free time she’d managed to get after a packed schedule these past few days.
She was properly slacking off.
Of course, she would welcome any schedule that involved Jung Hae-in.
But if he wasn't involved, she had no desire to go out of her way.
Tonight's Strategy Exchange Meeting was a perfect example.
A place of empty formalities, posturing, and showing off.
Normally, she would have attended out of a sense of duty, but this time, she'd flat-out refused.
‘I'm not going~’
She'd just dumped it on the Hero's faction.
All that standing on ceremony and puffing out their chests… that was what they loved to do, anyway.
Wasn't it a win-win?
Thanks to that, she could soak in the hot spring for the first time in a while.
Cheon Yeo-wool dipped her toes in the water and let out a long sigh.
“Hooo…”
It was then.
Ding.
Her Watch chimed softly.
“Hm?”
She usually turns off most of her notifications when she's bathing.
Except for the ‘important’ ones.
Cheon Yeo-wool casually checked the screen.
For a moment, her world stopped.
[RIN]: (Photo)
[RIN]: (Photo)
[RIN]: (Photo)
“……”
Cheon Yeo-wool was captivated the moment she saw the pictures.
In the photo.
A man standing under cool lighting.
Dressed in a sleek, black suit.
The high-quality fabric, which softly reflected the light, flowed naturally along his broad shoulders.
His neatly styled hair made his features look even sharper.
Even the tie knotted naturally around his neck.
Perhaps because he wasn't used to the attire, he was staring at the mirror with an awkward expression.
Cheon Yeo-wool unconsciously held her breath.
“So cute…”
And at the same time, so incredibly handsome.
As if hypnotized, Cheon Yeo-wool saved all the photos.
But then.
Her senses snapped back.
What on earth was this situation?
[RIN]: At the party with my secretary for the day ♥
“…!”
A short message.
Cheon Yeo-wool bit her lip hard.
There was only one party Kang A-rin would go to.
‘The exchange meeting.’
Splash, splash!
Cheon Yeo-wool scrambled out of the hot spring, hastily wrapping a single towel around herself.
Outside, a female priest was arranging the clothes Cheon Yeo-wool was supposed to wear.
“Sister!”
Cheon Yeo-wool called out urgently.
“Yes… Hah!”
The priest looked up and instinctively covered her mouth.
Cheon Yeo-wool, dripping wet with only a towel for cover.
Her distinct silhouette was visible even through it.
The soft, beautiful curves were enough to take one's breath away.
“The Hero… did they leave already?”
But Cheon Yeo-wool’s question was sharp and quick.
She was the one who was supposed to be going to the exchange meeting.
The priest answered with a flustered expression.
“Yes… they just left a moment ago…”
“Ah.”
Cheon Yeo-wool stood still for a moment, then staggered back toward the hot spring.
*
As always, Jung Hae-in's dorm room.
Rustle, rustle.
Beneath a thick blanket, a small girl was curled up quietly.
The room's lights were off, and the curtains completely blocked out the light from outside.
Only the occasional rustle of the blanket filled the room.
But then.
Ding!
A faint notification sound escaped from under the covers.
And not long after.
“Kyaaah!”
A short scream erupted from under the blanket.
The blanket instantly began to toss and turn.
Thrash, thrash.
Her small movements made the blanket heave from within.
With no major incidents recently, the homebody Jung Hae-in had been cooped up in his dorm.
Access was impossible on weekdays.
Some crazy mage had been periodically setting up a barrier lately.
Therefore, the only time she could come to his room was on the weekend, when everyone was out.
In her own way, Sion was starved.
So today, as always, she had taken advantage of the room's owner being out to have a good time…
[RIN]: (Photo)
[RIN]: (Photo)
[RIN]: (Photo)
In the photos was a perfectly dressed Jung Hae-in.
For Sion, this news was nothing short of a bombshell.
That morning, Sion had flatly refused her grandfather's offer to accompany him to the party.
‘Today… the room will be empty…’
Her grandfather was probably on his way there with Seong Ara by now.
She touched the Watch's screen.
Beyond Jung Hae-in, who was making an awkward face at the mirror, she could see Kang A-rin wearing a piece of clothing with so little fabric it could hardly be called a dress.
“Fucking bitch.”
Tap, tap.
Hating the sight, she tapped the screen.
The photo zoomed in.
Jung Hae-in's shoulders, his hands, the line of his neck.
“Heh…”
She tapped again.
The photo zoomed out.
Tapped again.
Zoomed in again.
An endless cycle.
At that moment, the Watch chimed with a message.
[RIN]: At the party with my secretary for the day ♥
A short message.
The numbers next to the message all disappeared as soon as it arrived.
Meaning everyone had read it.
And yet, no one replied.
Neither the sender nor the recipients.
They were probably all thinking the same thing.
Sion already knew.
There was nothing she could do.
“Ah…”
She was a complete and utter loser.
Rustle.
She set down the Watch that had been dangling from her fingertips.
Leaving the screen on, zoomed in on Jung Hae-in's picture, she slowly curled up.
And quietly, so very quietly, she burrowed under the covers.
Deeper, and deeper.
“…Ngh.”
There, in the darkness beneath the blanket, Sion swallowed her defeat all alone.