Chapter 225: Kang A-rin (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 225: Kang A-rin (3)
In the end, I poured out everything I had and lost consciousness.
So did Kang A-rin.
Well, it couldn't be helped.
How was anyone supposed to hold back?
As a man, it was impossible. In the end, we both pushed ourselves to the limit and collapsed.
I barely managed to lift my heavy eyelids.
"Huu... hu..."
Kang A-rin was in my arms, still letting out shallow, intermittent breaths.
Her sweat-dampened black hair clung to the nape of my neck, our bodies pressed tightly together.
I supported her limp body and gently stroked her cheek.
Only the sheets, soaked with all manner of bodily fluids, testified to what had happened over the past few hours.
I checked the time on my watch.
[7:00 PM]
We were late. Very late.
SORRY TO MCDONALD'S.
To think I'd blow off our meeting like this.
I feel like this might be a diplomatic incident.
Chu.
I kissed Kang A-rin's forehead.
"A-rin."
Time to get up.
At the sound of my voice, Kang A-rin's eyebrows twitched.
This was no time to be lying around.
Bolting upright!
"What... what time is it?"
Kang A-rin's eyes flew open as she shot up in bed.
She looked around frantically, asking in a panic.
I met her gaze.
Shake, shake.
And shook my head.
We're late, A-rin.
"Ah..."
Kang A-rin put a hand to her head and let out a deep sigh.
Then she slowly tried to get up...
Plop.
"?!"
But her legs were trembling so badly that she collapsed.
Oh, dear.
I had a pretty good idea why.
It seemed...
I scooped her up and pulled her back onto the bed.
I laid her down, brushed her damp hair from her face, and apologized.
"I'm sorry."
"No... hehe."
Kang A-rin let out a disbelieving chuckle.
Instead of accepting my apology, she grabbed me by the collar and pulled me toward her.
"Just how... hard... hnn."
Kang A-rin's eyes were steeped in fatigue, but they were clearly burning with satisfaction.
"...did you go... hh."
"Sorry."
All I could do was apologize.
"So, how are we going to deal with this?"
I asked her.
Kang A-rin shrugged, trying to reassure me.
"Good question... I guess we'll just have to apologize after the fact."
A proper apology might resolve it.
To be honest, I had no idea how big of a deal this was, so I didn't even know what would happen.
"Did you get any calls?"
"My watch is over there..."
Kang A-rin pointed toward the bed.
"......"
The watch was hanging on the headboard.
Tied up tightly with black lace.
"...... Keke."
Seeing the evidence, Kang A-rin couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing again.
I hurried over with an awkward expression.
I untied the lace and checked the watch.
The moment I held it, hundreds of missed calls and notifications flooded in.
But the one that shocked me the most...
I couldn't believe my eyes.
"...... Huh?"
"What is it?"
Kang A-rin asked as she stretched her stiff body.
Instead of answering, I connected the watch to the hotel's massive TV screen.
Beep.
The television screen changed instantly, displaying a news anchor's face and a slew of red warning captions.
The problem was that this breaking news was from a Korean broadcast station.
"What the...?"
Kang A-rin stopped stretching and stared at the TV.
[US President Under Emergency Arrest for Cryptocurrency Speculation and Leaking Mana Stealth Technology, Proceedings to Suspend Authority Underway...]
"......?"
"......"
Kang A-rin and I froze.
I turned up the TV volume.
"—The President of the United States has committed insider trading using cryptocurrency information from the Mana Mine Gate..."
Cryptocurrency?
Speculation?
"......"
On top of that, it seemed he'd leaked Mana Stealth technology to a country neighboring the Mines.
He sold it just because they offered him a ton of money?
His character setting was a bit strange from the start, but I thought he was doing a good job in reality, so I didn't think there'd be a problem...
What a complete lunatic.
I looked at Kang A-rin beside the bed.
She was covering her mouth with her hand, barely suppressing a laugh.
"Ah... this is hilarious..."
Kang A-rin stood up.
"So, is the appointment canceled?"
She looked down at me and asked.
It seemed to have been canceled naturally.
Of course the meeting was off.
It seemed the whole thing had fallen apart, regardless of our actions.
"Looks like it's off the table."
I nodded.
"......"
Kang A-rin stared at the TV for a moment, then brushed back her tangled hair and took the watch from my hand.
She called someone and began speaking in fluent English.
"—————."
Kang A-rin continued the call while stroking my arm.
Stroke... stroke...
"———, ————."
Stroke, stroke, stroke...
Her touch felt a little mischievous.
Anyway, she spoke for a few more minutes before hanging up.
Click.
"It's all sorted out," Kang A-rin said.
"Alfredo... says he's sorry. He wants to see us next time."
Her red eyes sparkled at me.
So it gets resolved just like that.
We were lucky.
No, should I call this lucky?
"You handled that well."
I replied, wiping the lingering sweat from her forehead.
She closed her eyes softly, feeling my touch.
"I have nothing on my schedule until tomorrow. So."
"I see."
I thought she'd be able to get a good rest.
"But... what are you doing?"
But Kang A-rin was suddenly staring intently into my eyes.
"And not scolding me."
She gave me a provocative smile.
Only then did I realize.
The meeting was canceled, but when one appointment disappears, a new one takes its place.
"......"
I watched Kang A-rin's provocation for a moment before speaking.
"First..."
I glanced down at our disheveled state.
"Let's go take a shower," I said with a smile.
*
"......"
"......"
Kang A-rin and I didn't open our eyes again until the next afternoon.
Sunlight streamed through a gap in the closed curtains, illuminating the ruined sheets and the two of us.
The reason we were sprawled out was obvious.
We'd used up all our energy.
The United States was currently in a state of chaos.
All our scheduled external activities were canceled.
Our remaining external activities were over.
But the travel dates we had set aside still remained.
Leaning against each other, we talked about what to do for the remaining two days.
The conclusion was simple.
"Ahem... ahem..."
Kang A-rin cleared her throat, trying to steady her voice, but...
"I... think my voice is hoarse..."
It was the price for all the screaming she'd done through the night.
I quickly got out of bed and brought her a glass of water.
In the end, our entire remaining schedule was replaced.
And today was the day we returned to Gaon.
Kang A-rin and I slowly packed our things.
We put the wrinkled dress and suit, which had been tossed in a corner, into our suitcases.
We'd worn them for the banquet, but in the end, they were worn once and went straight back into the luggage.
This is ridiculous, really.
By the time we'd packed everything and left the hotel, it was 5 PM.
"Should we grab something to eat before we go?"
It felt like the only things we'd done since coming to America were obtaining the Fragment and not leaving our room.
Of course, we did get the Fragment. That's true, but...
...besides the Fragment, we hadn't eaten anything proper in the US.
Forget food, I think we only drank water. Just water.
Kang A-rin nodded.
She agreed with my suggestion.
"How about a hamburger?"
Let's go with something American.
"Sounds good."
We talked while eating our hamburgers.
"...It's no different."
I muttered wryly.
Just because we're in America doesn't mean the hamburgers are different. It's the same franchise taste.
I took a sip of my cola and looked at Kang A-rin.
Come to think of it, we hadn't had a proper conversation since getting the Fragment.
It would be good to talk about the Fragment, just like I did with Cheon Yeo-wool and Yu Hana.
"How was it? The Fragment."
As I threw the direct question at her, Kang A-rin paused, a french fry halfway to her mouth.
"...It felt good."
Then she chewed the fry with gusto.
That's not what I meant.
"No... not that."
I looked into her eyes.
Yu Hana and Cheon Yeo-wool got a squirrel and a bird, respectively.
You could probably call them Mythical Beasts or spirit animals.
I was curious if something similar had manifested for Kang A-rin.
"Like an animal."
"Ah."
Kang A-rin's eyes widened as if she finally understood what I meant.
"There was. I adopted a black fox."
"Really?"
A fox. A black fox...
That has very high potential.
Among the various spirit animals, it could be considered a fairly powerful Mythical Beast.
One of the top-tier spirit animals of the East...
I'd say there's a high chance it's a Nine-tailed Fox.
"That's a relief."
I took a bite of my hamburger, relieved.
I figured I could check the details slowly once we were back at Gaon.
"Should we get going?"
Kang A-rin nodded.
We finished our colas and stood up.
She wiped her mouth with a napkin and placed a few bills on the table.
"Let's go."
We left the hamburger joint.
It was then.
Beep.
A message arrived on my watch.
I looked down to check it.
"Haha."
A laugh escaped me before I could stop it.
[summer]: I want an American hamburger.
[summer]: Bring me one
A message full of grumbling.
Looks like she's not angry anymore.
"A-rin."
I called to Kang A-rin with a smile.
"I'm going to get a hamburger to go."
Since we have a Portal.
I'll be able to deliver it to our little troublemaker before it gets cold.
