Chapter 34. What if the Saint Asks You Out?
Chapter 34. What if the Saint Asks You Out?
The moment Laila suddenly grabbed him by the collar, everyone froze.
And slowly, Laila's face drew closer.
But Lucia, as if she had seen it coming, smoothly pulled Laila back by the shoulder.
"Laila, this is an all-ages broadcast, you know?"
"Mmm..."
Laila wore a disappointed expression and took a step back.
At that sudden development, the viewers began to go wild.
[(Bloody tears emoji)]
[(Bloody tears emoji) I can't allow it!!!]
[What were you about to do just now??]
Lucia pulled Laila into her arms and stroked her hair.
Then she looked at the camera and gave a captivating smile.
"Why? They suit each other so well, don't they?"
[Aaaagh!!!]
[I feel like worshipping demonsI feel like worshipping demonsI feel like worshipping demonsI feel like worshipping demons]
[You crazy fucks are so damn loud when you never even watched from the start. I've been watching since the beginning—I promoted, I donated, I subscribed, I've been here since the low-tier days. I'm special, and these bastards only watch because they've got nothing better to do, they just annoyingly dirty up the chat.]
"But~ isn't Hero and Saintess ending up together the happy ending?"
[ Saintess's Foot Wiper has donated 10,000 Watts! ]
- If Saintess is happy, then I'm okay with it... Please be happy...
[Are you betraying your bro?Are you betraying your bro?Are you betraying your bro?Are you betraying your bro?Are you betraying your bro?]
[I trusted youI trusted youI trusted youI trusted you!!!!]
[Check that bastard's bank account]
On our stream, we shut down excessive friendliness, but nicknames that donate consistently like this tend to stick in your memory.
The other viewers felt a sense of betrayal(?) at 'Saintess's Foot Wiper's donation and grew enraged.
At that, Lucia snickered and kept stroking the heavily drunk Laila's hair.
"She's really cute... I want to take her home and raise her..."
'This one's drunk too...'
Watching two beautiful people hugging each other made me feel strangely weird for no reason...
After clinging to each other for a good while, the two fell asleep nicely side by side at the table.
"Haha, Lucia always gets like that when she drinks."
"Will she get home okay?"
"She may look that way, but once she wakes up, she goes home just fine."
The people gathered here drank as if there were no tomorrow.
And by now, talk of heading out for a second round had become all too common.
Everyone was drinking together to the point where the divided sections meant nothing.
[But doesn't he ever get drunk?]
[Saintess already passed out though lol]
[Never heard of an S-rank getting drunk from alcohol]
"Heehee..."
Laila was sleeping with a happy smile, as if having a pleasant dream.
It was the kind of smile that made you feel good just by looking at her face.
"Whoa! Hero, that look in your eyes right now is totally like you're gazing at a lover!"
Ellim, grinning from across the table, pointed a finger at me.
Heeju and Geum Ihyeon also stared at me with the look of predators who had spotted prey.
"Hmm... We'll be having noodles soon, won't we?"
"Then invite me too, please!"
What were you all saying in front of someone who's asleep...
Under their gazes, I let out an awkward cough and turned my head away.
I must have drunk quite a lot... my face felt hot.
A staff member from Pajijik came over and notified us of the closing time.
Nudungji and a few others said they were heading for a second round and asked if we wanted to join.
"Mm... Laila's really drunk, so I think I should head back."
"Okay, get home safe..."
Nudungji whispered with a sleazy grin.
"That's how everyone becomes a dad..."
"W-What are you saying!"
Was that a spicy joke from a married man with a kid?
I was so flustered that I almost shouted.
If this conversation had reached the viewers, we would have been burned alive.
I would have become kindling...
"Anyway, I'll be going..."
"Okay~ See you again!"
Nudungji skillfully delivered a sign-off message to the viewers.
[Hero, you lay a finger on Saintess and you'll really die lol]
[I can put up with everything, but not that]
[Fuck, I'll smear shit on your front door]
"See you all tomorrow!"
I hoisted the still-out-of-it Laila onto my back and headed outside.
Outside, it had already grown dark and a chilly night wind was blowing.
"Nmm..."
Laila, perhaps feeling the cold as well, pressed herself even more closely against my back, and that was truly troublesome.
─ Squish!
Really troublesome.
"Laila?"
"Yeees..."
I felt Laila's alcohol-laced breath as she buried her face in my nape.
As a man, this was driving me insane.
It's not that I didn’t feel her as a woman.
It's just that I've known her since she was young, so making a move felt a little...
'Or was it not that? Am I just unable to admit it...?'
I must be pretty drunk myself.
---
"Son?"
"Mom, my hands are full right now, can you get the door..."
My mother, who had stayed awake until late at night, opened the door.
As I carried in the drunk and soundly sleeping Laila, my mother gave me an odd look.
"Son, don't tell me you... with our drunk daughter...!?"
"Geum Yeosa, why do you never worry about your son..."
"Is there any need to?"
"..."
I laid the completely drunk Laila down in the inner room.
Then my mother silently stared at me.
"?"
"Go out."
"You want me to go out...?"
"No, because I need to change Laila's clothes."
Even if she's drunk, having a man watch her change would be a bit...
Without a word of complaint, I closed the door and stepped outside.
─ Knock knock!
"Mom, I'll go for a short walk to sober up."
"Come back before it gets too late."
It was already very late, yet she told me not to come back too late.
It's one of those fixed lines mothers always say.
Even though it was late, perhaps because it was in the middle of Seoul, quite a few people were still walking about.
"Now that I'm out... what should I do?"
Ah, whatever.
When had I ever thought before moving?
[ World's Strongest Hero : outdoor broadcast ]
[What's this?]
[Why an outdoor broadcast all of a sudden?]
[What about Saintess?What about Saintess?What about Saintess?What about Saintess?What about Saintess?]
"I left Laila in my mother's care and came outside to sober up."
[I trust the Hanul Guild Master]
[For real lol]
[The Master is way more trustworthy than some random dark-faced man]
"Well, you never know, right? He might have stopped somewhere else along the way..."
[You fucking bitch!!!]
[I can't believe this lol]
[Yeah~ Just try dating, if you die then that's the end~]
[ Saintess's Foot Wiper has donated 10,000 Watts! ]
- Take back what you just said...
"Cancel."
[ Saintess's Foot Wiper has donated 30,000 Watts! ]
- Are you messing with me right now?!!!!!!
"Fuck, what do you want me to do..."
[He's got no filter, immediately drops an F-bomb lol]
[Saintess, this bastard is using bad words?]
[So where are you going now?]
There was no particular destination.
I had just turned on the stream because walking alone was boring.
Still, now that I was out, should I head to a downtown area?
[Hongdae gogogo]
[Let's go to Gangnam]
[Itaewon gogo]
[Garosu-gil has lots of good restaurants]
I put up several options and ran a vote.
As a result, the place decided by the vote was none other than Hongdae.
It was a place teeming with young people burning their youth.
"But even though I've lived here, I've never actually been to Hongdae."
[Go to a club or casino or something like that, yeah]
[Why not just do a drinking stream at a decent bar?]
[Yeah, a hunting pocha]
[All those guys above are normies, let's purge them all]
"Having a quiet chat over a drink... that sounds nice."
[Let us live vicariously through you at a Hongdae bar]
[Outcasts like us can't go to Hongdae...]
[Not us, only you]
[Drop the address]
On the way, there were quite a few fans who quietly recognized my face.
One of them shoved something into my hand and dashed away.
"What's this?"
I opened my hand to find a crumpled ten-thousand-won bill.
[A real-life donation right here lololol]
[Giving money without a word and dashing off is so cute]
I was flustered.
But the viewer who made this donation(?) might be watching, so I made sure to say thank you.
"Whoa, how is a bar this huge?"
A brand-name bar was occupying an entire three-story building.
"But going in alone is kind of embarrassing..."
[It's fine, it's famous so people doing solo outdoor broadcasts come here sometimes]
[Yeah, they actually have counter seats for people who come alone]
[But there are some people who knock on doors, so keep that in mind]
[I hear other hunters often have team dinners here too]
In front of the building, people hailing taxis, smoking, and others were clustered in small groups.
A part-time worker spotted me and greeted me with a bright smile.
Following the part-timer's guidance, I sat at a counter seat with a clear view of the kitchen.
Looking around, perhaps because it was the weekend, I was the only customer who had come alone.
"Sss... this is awkward."
I propped my phone up at an angle, interacted with the viewers, and drank until dawn.
Also, there were especially many people asking about my relationship with Laila in light of today's events.
[ Saintess's Foot Wiper has donated 10,000 Watts! ]
- What would you do if Saintess asked you out?
"Well..."
[That "well..." makes me seriously want to slap you]
[If Saintess asks you out, you should be fucking bowing in gratitude]
[Now that you're S-rank, is nothing good enough for you?]
Honestly, there had been times when I saw Laila as a woman.
I was a man, after all.
But as a romantic prospect—I swear, I swear...
"..."
[ Saintess's Foot Wiper has donated 10,000 Watts! ]
- If you get married, invite me lol I'll cosplay, dance, and even sing
[ Overflowing Holy-Power Pouch has donated 20,000 Watts! ]
- Oh then I'll ride a unicycle while juggling too, for real lol
[ Resignation Letter Always in My Pocket has donated 10,000 Watts! ]
- I'll quit my job and go volunteer in Africa for a year
They were trying to gloss over the things they'd said themselves earlier...
[Yeah, if you get married invite me too, I'll just set the place on fire, fuck]
[I'll pump the wedding cake full of the bitter taste of terror]
[Lolololol everyone's possessed by demons, crazy bastards]
In the first place, a quiet and innocent girl like Laila making the first move? That's unthinkable.
[Innocent?]
[You clearly haven't seen her beast-like eyes lol]
[Lol dumbass]
[Dads always think their little girls know nothing and are the purest things on earth lol]
[ Saintess's Foot Wiper has donated 10,000 Watts! ]
- Dumbass, you're gonna get gobbled up soon lol
I temporarily banned him without mercy.
[A paid ban lolol]
[Lolol a ten-thousand-won ban]
Whether it was because I wasn't burning off the alcohol with mana and was just taking it straight into my body, I was drunk and spouting whatever came to mind.
"If the two of us get married, I'll do my patriotic duty."
[ Overflowing Holy-Power Pouch has donated 10,000 Watts! ]
- Why are you deciding that all by yourself?