LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 208
“Fortunately, Yuki forgave me with a heart as kind as a flood.”
“…Is this what I should say?”
“Yep.”
As I cautiously asked, Yuki gave me a thumbs up.
“This isn’t even a level that requires bowing down!”
“Don’t slander Yuki. She’s such a good person.”
“Mmm.”
“You’ve never said anything nice to me!”
Da-eun exploded with frustration.
It’s not unusual for Da-eun to blow up, but this time it felt particularly heartfelt.
If she usually spoke with 30% sincerity and 70% playfulness, this time it felt like it was flipped.
“That dumb punching bag, I’d pay any amount for it! So just say something nice to me…!”
Da-eun shouted as if she was about to pull out her wallet right then and there.
Why did she want to pay for lessons in swordsmanship? I just didn’t get her logic. And honestly, I often didn’t.
Turning my back to the struggling Da-eun, I said, “Are you sure you don’t mind?”
“It’s not like I’m desperate for money. Focusing on small things often leads to losing something big.”
“Is that what someone who thinks like that told you to say?”
Referring to that “heart as kind as a flood” remark.
Yuki shrugged her shoulders.
“That’s just a minimal compensation. I can’t just take a loss, right?”
“Does that even count as compensation?”
“Kana’s compliments are rare. They carry that much value.”
But just because something is rare doesn’t always mean it’s valuable.
Anyway, it wasn’t harmful to me, and it actually seemed beneficial, so I didn’t bother to refute it.
I should humbly accept it since it was my mistake.
“That’s a misinterpretation! If it were Kana, she would definitely say ‘So what?’! That cat-like attitude is what makes Kana charming!”
“So, Da-eun thought of me that way. Good to know.”
Was I really giving off such a rude image?
…Well, it’s not like I can’t see why someone would think that.
Back in Silia, especially during my time in the knight order, if I didn’t like something, I’d just charge right in.
I thought it was irrational, but I also recognized that it could seem rude to someone else.
After Grasis fell, I calmed down a bit, but my temper wasn’t completely extinguished.
…Still—
I felt like I’ve been fairly accommodating towards Da-eun.
For instance, the last time Da-eun broke a plate while broadcasting, I didn’t act all shameless but rather apologized calmly.
I also helped resolve the situation, knowing it stemmed from my mistake.
As people who know me commonly say, my expression of emotions is pretty dry.
I even agree with that, so I’m not going to deny it.
Thus, I understand that even if I speak sincerely, the other person might not take it that way.
…I get it, I really do.
“…”
Burrowing my brow—
Why do I feel so unsatisfied?
“Hmph.”
Instead of pondering for answers, I whipped my head away.
“Ughhhh… I’m sorry! It was my fault…!”
“…Don’t talk to me. Don’t touch me. Go away.”
“Uwahhh! Please, anything but that…!”
“Hahaha…”
Do-hyun, who had been watching us, let out a dry laugh.
But it wasn’t me who spoke to Do-hyun—it was someone else.
“Still can’t believe it?”
Yuki, who was watching from a short distance like Do-hyun, asked suggestively.
And Do-hyun’s answer was “No.”
“I can’t believe it, but I have no choice but to. I don’t want to end up like that.”
What Do-hyun pointed to was a punching bag split in half.
Then, when our eyes met, he subtly folded his fingers and averted his gaze.
“Should I really split you in half?”
“…Ahem! Anyway, I saw clear evidence, so I can’t keep denying it. I thought it was just a game, but it’s actually another world. Isn’t that something out of a comic?”
“They say fiction can never catch up to reality.”
“I bet the person who first said that never expected this kind of situation.”
Thanks to my explanation, Do-hyun roughly grasped the current situation and shot back.
“…So, who is Kana?”
He couldn’t have forgotten the story he just heard, so he certainly knew I was younger than him.
Maybe it left a strong impression on him when I confronted him in Silia, but his attitude toward me was cautiously to the max.
“Yep.”
“What can I do?”
“…Huh?”
What kind of question was that?
As I tried to decipher the test-giver’s intention, the test-giver directly revealed the answer.
“Aren’t you going to ask me to do something?”
“Huh?”
But even after hearing the answer, I still couldn’t make heads or tails of it.
I tilted my head again.
“I don’t have anything like that.”
To be honest, I thought it’s obvious not to gossip to others, but I figured that didn’t need to be said.
And if I was going to ask for something, I shouldn’t have explained the situation in the first place.
“Then why…?”
“It’s my feelings.”
It seems like he misunderstood that revealing my identity and telling the truth was for a purpose.
But I honestly never thought that way.
I showed myself out of impulse, nah, a downright impulsive act.
The only loose reasoning I had was that Yuki was someone familiar.
“Let me flip the question. What can you help with?”
“Um….”
Do-hyun, bewildered, struggled to speak as he realized he couldn’t exactly offer help.
While I remembered Do-hyun was pretty decent among the Apostles, compared to players, he was good, but nothing spectacular.
In other words, while he was skilled, he wasn’t anyone out of this world.
Maybe if he honed his skills, he’d be helpful eventually, but for now, physical aid was off the table.
After straining his brain for a while, Do-hyun finally spat out an answer.
“…Money?”
“Trying to win a girl over with money? That’s gonna raise some eyebrows!”
“…I didn’t see it that way. That’s just garbage.”
As if waiting for just that moment, the accusations came flying in.
He blushed from the sheer naive criticism.
“No, I never tried to win anyone over with money! You know Joanie didn’t mean it that way.”
“When did I even try?”
“I don’t remember, honestly.”
“No…!”
Completely caught off guard by the combined assault of the two ladies, Do-hyun pounded his chest in frustration.
Yuki and Da-eun, however, were busy having a feast, eyes sparkling like they were devouring prey.
Putting that aside, Do-hyun’s answer caught me by surprise.
‘Money.’
I imagined that the greatest help Do-hyun could offer me was indeed money.
But knowing the answer and being able to say it are two different things.
Especially when it comes to offering cash to someone you’re not even close to.
Would he really throw money around just because he could save the world with it?
That’s what surprised me.
He didn’t seem particularly self-sacrificing.
Even though I never asked him for help, mind you.
“If you have that much money, can’t you spare a little for me? I need to buy a new punching bag.”
“…Why would I give you money?”
“If you had believed me right away, Kana wouldn’t have turned the punching bag into that mess. So you bear some responsibility for the ruined punching bag.”
“What nonsense are you spouting? Who would believe that right off the bat in that situation?”
“I believed right away.”
“You’re nuts, so you should be considered the exception.”
Did Yuki say that?
Sure, she seemed to believe faster than Da-eun and Do-hyun, but…
I don’t remember her being that confident about it either.
Though I had my doubts, I didn’t voice them.
“So are you going to join training now?”
“…What? Training? What are you suddenly talking about?”
“You know the situation now. If things go south, you need to be prepared.”
“…Oh.”
Yuki’s words made me let out a small sound of admiration.
This was pretty reasonable.
Do-hyun, who had been frowning as if he was hearing something outrageous, didn’t seem to differ much from my sentiment.
He seemed to forget to counter and fell deep in thought.
Soon, he broke the silence and asked, “…If I start training now, will I see results?”
Clear inquiring aimed right at me made me blink.
“Not entirely impossible.”
“The way you said that feels like an ‘it’s not completely certain, but you might not see results’ vibe.”
“That depends on you.”
It feels odd to give a definitive answer when I don’t even know what kind of person he is.
I’m not particularly sorry, but even after an introduction, I didn’t have much interest in him.
Plus, we don’t even know how much time we have left.
“…I never thought I’d be worried about my safety in the Republic of Korea.”
Do-hyun sighed, and his eyes revealed the complex feelings he was grappling with.
Roughly speaking, a yearning for everyday peace contesting the anxiety that there should be preparation for the worst.
And there were likely more thoughts clashing inside him.
…Wait a sec, isn’t there something I forgot?
I easily found the overlooked point.
‘…I never said I would.’
Of course, I had my reasons for helping Da-eun with her training.
As for Yuki… It was because she piqued my interest.
But Do-hyun wasn’t as close to me as Da-eun, nor did he spark my curiosity.
Something felt off, but I didn’t bring it up since Do-hyun appeared deeply wrapped in his thoughts.
“…”
It took a long time for Do-hyun to speak again.
In stark contrast to how he had readily answered before.
“I—”
* * *
“I guess I’ll take my leave now. If we can meet again later, then let’s.”
“Ugh….”
Do-hyun dragged a visibly reluctant Yuki out of the gym.
Was the parting phrase he left behind felt like “I hope we don’t meet again”? Maybe that’s just my feeling.
As soon as the gym door closed, Da-eun sneaked over and asked.
“Are they going to be okay?”
…Didn’t I tell you not to bother me?
I swallowed back my instinct to blurt it out and replied instead.
“If they chose to be, what can we do?”
Since we’re not particularly close, I didn’t feel like trying to convince someone who clearly didn’t want to be persuaded.
Especially if it meant I’d have to deal with more trouble.
“No matter how half-heartedly you go about it, it won’t be of much help.”
Do-hyun made that point after a long period of thought, clearly not realizing that I never even suggested he train in the first place.
To put it simply, his worries about possibly hurting my feelings were for nothing.
Once Do-hyun forgot about his promise and led Yuki out of the gym, I decided to drop him from my mind altogether.
“I see.”
“…I said don’t touch me.”
As I pretended not to notice Da-eun approaching, she slyly tried to pet my head.
“…Hehe. Are you still sulking?”
“I’m not sulking.”
I glared at Da-eun with my eyes squinted into slits.
And just as I was going to swat her reaching hand away, I froze at what Da-eun said next.
“I’m sorry~ I’ll give you your favorite thing. Just forgive me, okay?”
“…”
That thing…?
Don’t tell me.
“Is that the thing I’m thinking of?”
“Yep. That thing.”
She kept repeating “that thing” without naming it, but we were definitely talking about the same thing.
It was an incredibly delicious handcrafted chocolate made by a famous artisan, but it was super pricey and limited in quantity each day, so we rarely bought it.
“…Two pieces.”
“Two, two pieces…? That’s a bit much…”
“Two pieces.”
If you don’t like it, too bad.
Showing that I wasn’t willing to negotiate at all, Da-eun let out a small groan.
“…Ugh, fine! I’ll give you two! So let’s just forget about earlier, okay? Got it?”
“What earlier?”
“…Kana is getting bolder by the day.”
Da-eun, who looked a little tired, ruffled my hair.
Her hand sweeping through my hair was a bit rougher than usual.