Chapter 194: Cutting in Line (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 194: Cutting in Line (1)
I was sitting on the sofa next to Yoon Chae-ha, waiting.
“Ugh.”
Cheon Yeo-wool let out a deep sigh from the kitchen, where she was in the middle of cooking.
Th-th-th-th-th-thunk.
The rhythmic, violent sound of something being slammed against a cutting board echoed through the room.
I had no idea how we’d reached the conclusion that Cheon Yeo-wool would be the one making dinner.
‘Sigh… I’ll just make you guys some food.’
Then again, she’d been holding a grocery bag from the start, so she must have intended to do this all along.
Was this my punishment for not answering her message yesterday and spending quality time with Yoon Chae-ha instead?
If so, this was far too extreme…
I’d rather she just chewed me out.
“……”
In the end, Yoon Chae-ha was in this with me.
Her eyes were glued to the kitchen.
“…Has her cooking gotten any better?”
Yoon Chae-ha asked, her eyes filled with disbelief.
She whispered in a small voice.
Um… probably.
“I doubt it.”
There was a high probability that it hadn’t.
After all, I’d stopped Cheon Yeo-wool every time she’d ever tried to cook.
It wasn’t out of consideration, to save her the trouble.
It was simply because I wanted to live.
Or at least, I wanted to eat something that could be called food.
Did you want to try stir-fried chocolate and pollack roe?
I didn’t.
“Hey, Yeo-wool… what’s for dinner…?”
Thunk.
The clamorous chopping came to a halt.
Cheon Yeo-wool whipped her head around to glare at me.
Still holding the kitchen knife she’d been using to slice vegetables, she brought the index finger of her other hand to her lips.
“Shh.”
I couldn’t say another word.
And so, we waited for several tens of minutes.
Yoon Chae-ha and I simply sat on the sofa, having a silent conversation that went something like, ‘Are we going to survive this?’
At the end of that long wait…
“Come and get it~”
With heavy steps, Yoon Chae-ha and I made our way to the dining table.
“…Huh?”
But the food on the table looked surprisingly decent.
A steaming doenjang stew and a few neatly arranged side dishes.
It was just an ordinary, home-cooked meal.
I was confused, but the genius girl was brave.
Without hesitation, she picked up her spoon, took a scoop of the stew, and brought it to her lips.
Nice.
Willingly volunteering to be the test subject… I couldn’t be more grateful.
I watched her expression closely.
Yoon Chae-ha’s eyes widened for a moment, then she nodded and began to eat as if it were delicious.
She’s eating that well?
Could Cheon Yeo-wool have been secretly training her cooking skills behind my back?
It was possible.
I didn’t know for sure, but maybe Arcadia’s saintess curriculum included ‘cooking’…
Filled with hope, I picked up my spoon.
The moment I took a bite of the stew…
“……”
I realized.
This was still not food.
What on earth could you do to doenjang stew to make it taste this sweet?
And I don’t mean the subtle sweetness from onions, but a pure, unadulterated sugary sweetness…
Horrified, I slowly turned my head to look at Yoon Chae-ha.
How did you eat this?
But she was only pretending to chew, sneaking glances at me.
When she saw me looking, she flinched and quickly averted her gaze.
Ah.
I’d been had.
She couldn’t bear to suffer alone.
“Is it good?”
Just then, Cheon Yeo-wool propped her chin on her hands across from me and asked.
I glanced between the stew, her face, and Yoon Chae-ha.
“…Yeah.”
Crunch…
I answered, chewing on rice grains that felt like living stones.
*
“A suit still feels a bit…”
I walked down the halls of the Association, wrapped in a new suit that felt awkward on my body.
The news that I had returned safely and woken up from my hospital bed had naturally spread.
News articles had started popping up here and there.
Today was the day the Association was presenting its rewards.
The feat of subjugating Belial was an achievement no one else had managed.
It was a similar case to Barcus last time.
“Why? It looks good on you.”
Yu Hana, who was beside me, sidled up and replied.
When I turned my head, I saw her walking alongside me, not in her usual combat attire, but in a black dress, a smile on her face.
Naturally, I wasn’t the only one receiving this glorious award today.
It seemed the ceremony had been postponed until today because they were waiting for me to recover.
At the other end of the hall stood the members of Phantom.
Every hero who had been at the scene that day was there.
We nodded to each other in silence and headed for the Association’s main hall.
The moment the massive doors opened, hundreds of camera flashes went off at once.
Below the main stage, dozens of tables were set up like at a party hall.
We were split up and seated at the head tables in front of the stage.
“……”
The Hero Association President’s long speech began.
Humanity’s victory and the victories to come.
The sacrifices of heroes. And the dawn of a new era.
They were all familiar platitudes, so I didn’t pay much attention.
Still, though.
I agreed that this was a new beginning.
Belial was dead.
Barcus was gone, too.
The Evil God would have to draw up a new game plan.
But just then…
“Hae-in.”
Yu Hana, who was sitting next to me, leaned in and whispered in my ear.
The ends of her sky-blue hair tickled my cheek, and the faint scent of her perfume wafted over.
“Yeah?”
I turned my head to answer.
Is something wrong?
“Do I not turn you on?”
“……”
Yu Hana’s voice was incredibly quiet, but I heard it clearly.
For a second, I doubted my own ears.
How was I supposed to answer that?
This was a public event.
Sure, her voice was low enough that only I could hear, but still…
“Answer me.”
“If you just ask me so suddenly…”
“I need to hear it.”
She pressed for an answer.
Why was Yu Hana suddenly acting like this?
To be honest, I might already know the answer.
“Answer.”
I snuck a sideways glance at her face.
Her eyes were blazing.
She had an air about her that said she wouldn’t back down an inch.
We would probably be called up to the stage soon, and if this continued, it would be dangerous.
In the end, I admitted the truth, my voice so low that only Yu Hana could hear.
“…on.”
“…Good. That’s a relief.”
My reply was barely a mumble.
At my words, Yu Hana nodded, seemingly satisfied.
The intensity in her eyes softened a little.
Then, as if nothing had happened, she turned her gaze back to the stage.
What the hell was that?
But it seemed the world had no intention of giving me time to think.
From the opposite side of my right ear, where Yu Hana’s hot breath had just been…
A playful voice called out to me from my left.
“Hae-in~”
“?”
I turned my head. This time, it was Kang A-rin.
Dressed in a pure white dress that contrasted with her black ponytail, she was smiling seductively at me, as if she’d been watching me for some time.
And then…
Sliiiide…
Under the cover of the tablecloth, where no one else could see, she slowly and smoothly lifted the hem of her white dress.
Her smooth thigh and a black garter belt were fully revealed.
A black garter belt under a white dress.
The stark contrast was so stimulating that my eyes were instantly drawn to it.
Just as my mouth began to fall open…
“You should pat my butt in bed for me, too~”
Kang A-rin whispered playfully, tapping her own thigh with her finger.
“……”
Now I think I get it.
Why the two of them were suddenly acting this way.
Yu Hana’s actions, Kang A-rin’s request.
I think I knew who they were imitating.
The target was none other than Yoon Chae-ha.
It seemed they had heard everything from Cheon Yeo-wool, who had witnessed the scene.
And this was their way of protesting.
“You’ll do it, right?”
Bingo.
As if reading my mind, Kang A-rin whispered with a grin.
My head felt like it was about to explode.
Yu Hana’s perfume from the right, Kang A-rin’s whispers from the left.
There seemed to be no way out.
Just then…
“This concludes the speech from our President.”
The long, tedious speech was over.
At the same time, the pressure from both sides vanished.
When I turned my head, Kang A-rin had neatly lowered her dress and was gazing elegantly toward the front, as if nothing had happened.
Yu Hana was also applauding toward the stage with a graceful smile.
As I sat there blankly, trying to sort out my thoughts…
Swoosh.
Someone reached a hand over my shoulder from behind and gently pulled me to my feet.
“Shall we head to the stage?”
I turned my head and saw that the other main awardees were already walking toward the stage.
It was time for the awards to be presented.
I looked at the person behind me, the one who had helped me up.
It was Cheon Yeo-wool.
She was looking down at me, dressed in a white, saintess-like gown.
“Actually… I’m the one who told on you for cutting in line.”
She smiled with the innocent glee of a child who had successfully tattled.
“You’re prepared… right?”
And just like that, I was dragged toward the stage.