Chapter 132: Bulgaram (8)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 132: Bulgaram (8)
Yoon Chae-ha and I were standing in a dark cave.
After a moment of disorientation, my vision slowly cleared.
It was the same place where I had first entered the Workshop.
“President! The entrance is open…?”
The Association staff member guarding the entrance reflexively raised his radio, then froze.
His gaze slid over to the woman beside me.
Of course, I had been alone when I went in.
Yoon Chae-ha.
Despite the unfamiliar space, she stood beside me, her expression blank.
Just then, the staff member in front of us muttered as he looked at Yoon Chae-ha.
“…Lady Bulgaram?”
“Nope.”
I shut that strange misunderstanding down right away.
“Let’s go outside and talk.”
With that, I headed out.
*
My head was spinning.
Yoon Chae-ha and I were moved to the Association's highest-grade investigation room.
Of course, “moved” was an understatement. We were being treated like VIPs.
Plush leather chairs, elegant lighting—it could have easily passed for a VIP reception lounge.
The chairs were so comfortable I felt like I’d fall asleep the moment I relaxed. I was already exhausted, after all.
It was 8 p.m. Thanks to us, the staff was stuck working overtime.
As we sat waiting, someone entered the room.
“First… Hero Jung Hae-in, thank you for your hard work.”
The Association official who had arrived bowed his head slightly in greeting.
His face was etched with deep fatigue, dark circles visible under his eyes.
“The Association President is on his way. He should be arriving from his residence shortly.”
“Okay.”
I gave a slight nod.
The official continued, glancing at me cautiously.
“The time is now eight p.m. We've confirmed the end of the Workshop's Trial. However… our system isn't displaying any specific message yet.”
His voice trailed off as he looked at me carefully.
There had been so many past failures; he seemed to think I wouldn't be an exception.
“If I may ask… about whether you succeeded….”
He couldn't finish his sentence, just looked at me.
It seemed the success message hadn't appeared yet.
He didn't seem to expect success; his very act of asking was extremely cautious.
I answered calmly.
“I succeeded.”
“Pardon?”
“Oh, right. Her too.”
-Pinch-.
As I spoke, I reached over and pinched the cheek of Yoon Chae-ha, who was sitting quietly beside me.
“Nngh—”
She mumbled, as if waking from a dream.
She had been leaning against the sofa, about to doze off, so I woke her up.
“Wake up.”
I’d seen the official sneaking glances at her, so I just went ahead and explained.
He looked like he was dying of curiosity about who she was.
“What? The person next to you… as well?”
“Yes. Bulgaram personally designated and summoned her.”
The official’s eyes wavered again. He still didn’t look entirely convinced.
I understood.
It was completely unprecedented.
The Trial of Bulgaram's Workshop had always been a solo endeavor. But one person goes in, and two come out?
The staff member kept fidgeting with his glasses and shuffling through his papers. But his expression was blank. Of course, this wouldn't be in any manual.
“…Could you please wait just a moment?”
The official bowed his head again.
This time, however, he bowed while quickly turning toward the door.
The door clicked shut, and the room fell silent once more.
“……”
Yoon Chae-ha rubbed her eyes and leaned against me again.
And then, the door immediately opened again.
It was the Association President.
“…Hae-in, you certainly know how to surprise me.”
He took a step closer.
“First of all, Hero Jung Hae-in, and Hero Yoon Chae-ha. Congratulations to you both. You've made history.”
I gave a slight bow of my head.
But the Association President's gaze remained on Yoon Chae-ha, beside me.
His eyes held a mixture of bewilderment and curiosity.
“She's a friend,” I said, speaking first.
“But, somehow, she ended up getting an invitation too.”
I started to explain further, but stopped.
There was nothing more I could explain.
That was the long and short of it. Bulgaram had suddenly teleported her in.
“…Hah, well, The Great Being has always been as unpredictable as fire.”
The Association President chuckled quietly, as if in understanding.
I nodded.
The President stroked his chin for a moment, then continued cautiously.
“In that case… what did you happen to gain from the Trial?”
Again, I answered calmly.
“An Intangible Legacy.”
“Intangible, you say…”
As he repeated the word, I abruptly took out my spear and showed it to him.
The one I'd kept wrapped in black cloth.
The golden engravings on the spear's body shimmered softly in the room's light.
The Association President’s eyes widened.
“…Magnificent.”
I covered the spear again.
“I received Bulgaram's touch on my weapon, and Yoon Chae-ha gained an Intangible Legacy. As for the details…”
“I understand.”
He nodded quietly.
“This is more than enough.”
The Association President smiled as he looked at the two of us.
“You must be exhausted,” he said, turning.
“Get some rest today. I'll arrange a press conference so—”
Just then.
-Ting.
[Bulgaram's (不伽藍) Workshop finally welcomes its new masters.]
[The Ember of Succession. Praise be to those who hold the Token of Alliance.]
Golden sentences materialized in the air, one after another.
In the quiet room, someone could be heard sharply drawing in a breath.
-Waaaaaah!!
Cheers from the Association staff outside the reception lounge leaked into the room.
It seemed the system message had appeared before everyone's eyes, including my own.
“Heh heh…”
The Association President, who had stopped in his tracks, gave an awkward laugh.
“It seems we'll have to prepare immediately after all.”
He took a smartwatch out of his pants pocket.
“Jung Hae-in,” he said again.
“It looks like you won't be getting any rest.”
*
In the end, we didn't get a moment's rest.
To say Yoon Chae-ha and I were in bad shape would be an understatement.
Only a day or so had passed outside, but for us, it had been nearly several weeks inside.
We couldn't help but look like hell…
…but when the Association President saw our disheveled state, he was actually pleased.
‘This is actually better.’
In the end, he left us with those incomprehensible words and went down first.
In any case, Yoon Chae-ha and I took the elevator down to the Association lobby.
Today's press conference would be held here. Abridged, under the pretext that we were exhausted.
The moment the doors opened, I instinctively squinted.
So many cameras…
Dozens of lenses turned toward us in unison.
It was enough to make anyone nauseous. Was there really a need for this many?
The reporters had already received the Association's press release.
We stepped onto the stage.
To be precise, the Association President took his place first and then guided us to ours.
With the President next to us, there wouldn't be any problems anyway.
Slowly, the questions began.
The Association President would handle the Q&A for the most part. I would only answer what he couldn't, or what I knew best.
"Let's begin."
After the President's declaration, there was a moment of silence.
Then, the questions started pouring in.
“Jung Hae-in! You're the Republic of Korea's second person to clear Bulgaram's Trial! Some analysts are even calling you the first in a practical sense. If I may ask, what reward did you receive this time?”
The Association President took the microphone first.
“It is an intangible asset, bestowed according to Bulgaram's will.”
One of the reporters asked again, “Would a more detailed explanation be difficult?”
“It would.” The President cut him off flatly.
Of course not. The Mines are probably watching this broadcast.
The next question came quickly.
“According to the system message, the Workshop welcomed ‘new masters.’ Is the woman behind you, perhaps… ?”
The President nodded again.
“That is correct. Hero Yoon Chae-ha entered the Workshop by Bulgaram's direct designation and received a token of succession.”
Flashes went off.
For a moment, a few reporters exchanged glances, and then a blunt question was thrown out.
“What is the relationship between you two?”
This time, I answered myself.
“We're friends.”
That one phrase sent a murmur through the reporters. To be more precise, the photographers started snapping pictures again.
I wondered why, and then I saw that Yoon Chae-ha had suddenly raised her hand.
What the? What is she doing?
Then, she snatched the microphone from my hand.
Yoon Chae-ha spoke very calmly.
“We are not friends.”
And then she placed the microphone back in my hand.
Silently, with a perfectly placid expression.
A brief silence fell.
I looked completely baffled. Does she have any idea what she just did?
“Wait a minute, so…”
But the reporters didn't wait. Before I could even begin to formulate a proper response, the questions continued.
Future career plans, when we would resume training, expectations for our next moves.
In the end, I gave up on trying to explain.
In truth, this conference had a single purpose: to announce my existence to the world. To elevate my heroic standing.
But the fatigue was starting to creep in.
The exhaustion that had been building up inside the Workshop, which I hadn't felt then, was beginning to burst forth.
It was probably the same for Yoon Chae-ha.
I wanted to end the interview as quickly as possible.
And then, finally, the last question came.
“We're hearing that overseas guilds and organizations are already on their way to Korea. You'll be flooded with scouting offers. How do you plan to respond….”
I just smiled, tilted my head slightly, and said, “Oh? Tell them not to come.”
The press corps stirred.
“I'm not going anywhere,” I added, as if to conclude.
At my words, the reporters' hands moved furiously.
I lifted my gaze for a moment. The lights stung my eyes.
I wanted to get off this stage, and fast.
“That will be all.”
With the Association President's closing remark, the press conference came to an end.
Once the press conference was over, we followed the organized security line to a limousine.
The Association President opened the limousine door for us himself. “You did well.”
Yoon Chae-ha said nothing. The moment she got in the car, she lay her head on my lap. She closed her eyes before she'd even taken a breath.
Seeing this, the President paused before closing the door and asked with a meaningful smile, “Hae-in, do you happen to have a girlfriend?”
It was an unexpected question.
“No, I don't.”
Only then did the President nod.
“That's a relief. You truly went through a lot today. And again, congratulations.”
He closed the door and quietly departed.
A relief?
I didn't know what he meant, but I didn't care. I was too tired.
The car drove quietly down the road.
Yoon Chae-ha was still.
Her head was resting on my lap, her breathing the only regular sound.
I carefully turned on the watch on my wrist.
By now…
My prediction was correct.
Related articles were already lined up on the main page, all buzzing about me and Yoon Chae-ha.
“…?”
The problem, however, was that they weren't in the news or current events section.
They were in the entertainment section.
The very first headline was a masterpiece of absurdity.
[Successors of Bulgaram's Workshop, A Couple?]
["We're friends." And "We are not friends." Conflicting Statements?]
[In Alone, Out as a Pair? A Strange Vibe… Was There Romance Inside?]
I stopped scrolling and just turned off the watch.
“Ah.”
Only then did I remember the question the Association President had asked before I got in the car.
I'd been too exhausted to even think about it then. But looking back on it now….
“Hah…”
-Squeeeeze-.
I reached down and pulled at the sleeping Yoon Chae-ha's cheeks.
With both hands, one on each side so she couldn't escape, and with great care.
The soft, pliant feeling filled my hands.
It felt nice, but not nice enough to relieve my stress.
“Eh…”
She mumbled something without even opening her eyes.
“You little menace…”
Red handprints bloomed on Yoon Chae-ha's cheeks.
It was the only revenge I could get in this situation.