“…?”
By the time I came to my senses, I had already been dragged somewhere. I remember drooling over a deliciously grilled meat skewer, and then suddenly Han So-young appeared. Before I knew it, she snorted sharply and grabbed my arm without warning.
But in the confusion, the scene changed. The skewers I’d been holding in both hands had vanished without a trace. Now that I think about it, someone must have slyly taken them while I was being dragged along… I think I caught a glimpse of Park Da-yeon standing quietly in the hallway. Whatever the case, I had no idea what was going on.
“You must have been very hungry,” So-young said, tilting her head.
Before I could respond, her voice cut through the air with a hint of reproach. The woman exuded a mature scent and fixed me with a steady gaze. She was the one who had brought me here—Han So-young.
“Yes… I was a bit hungry,” I admitted honestly, pushing aside the tangled thoughts in my head. There was no point lying to her.
But something seemed to bother her. Her usual expressionless face twitched ever so slightly.
“The truth is, your current physical condition isn’t good. You need frequent meals and plenty of rest.”
“My condition isn’t good?” I repeated, alarmed.
Her voice softened a little as she added, looking at me with worried eyes. The concern in the gaze of a woman I admired brought me an inexplicable sense of relief.
“In that case, it would have been better if you had eaten with me…”
“I didn’t want to show you eating like that.”
“Huh?”
“No, it’s nothing. Anyway, with a few weeks of rest, you should recover fully. So don’t worry.”
She said that and slowly glanced around the room. It was nothing special—just an ordinary room. It was quite old, but well cleaned, so it didn’t feel gloomy. In fact, it had a somewhat quaint charm.
“Please, have a seat.”
She quickly brought a chair, and as I sat down and she walked toward the desk, I stole a glance at her. Though she seemed a bit softer, there was still a trace of caution in her demeanor. To others, she might seem cold, but I was confident I could catch even the slightest change in her.
Come to think of it, was this our first meeting since I returned? I felt strangely nervous.
After a moment, So-young sat down and broke the silence.
“I heard a rumor that you returned three days ago.”
“That’s correct.”
“And I thought you’d come to see me at least once. At least once.”
“…”
Right from the start, she threw a blunt curveball, emphasizing “at least once.” I didn’t know what to say, so I stayed silent. Extrasensory perception was a tricky ability. Using my health as an excuse would probably sound like a lie. And honestly, I hadn’t deliberately sought her out.
“Were you disappointed?”
Maybe she read my expression, because So-young answered without hesitation. Or perhaps it was the right answer.
I took a deep breath.
“So, about our mercenary clan in Istanbul Row…”
“I considered many possibilities.”
I cut in.
“Watching today’s meeting, I realized that with so many conflicting interests involved, Istanbul Row wasn’t obligated to fully support the mercenaries. That’s just my personal opinion.”
“But they could have helped, both internally and externally. After all, they’re an allied clan.”
“That choice might have had negative consequences for the South.”
“Even considering that…”
Our conversation felt like a role reversal. I couldn’t quite grasp what she wanted or what she was trying to say. But one thing was clear: blindly charging into this issue was a mistake. After all, it was originally a problem between the uncontrollable mercenaries and the Eastern faction spreading malicious rumors.
Yes. Strictly speaking, that was the case.
But So-young was taking the conversation further.
“Or perhaps there are circumstances I don’t know about.”
In the end, I could only shrug. So-young looked at me with her usual coldness. What was she thinking right now?
“Could you roll up your sleeves for a moment?”
It was then, while I was lost in thought, that So-young suddenly said something strange. What was this about?
“Your sleeves… or you can take off your clothes if you prefer.”
She corrected herself. I obediently rolled up both sleeves. Since it was a martial arts uniform, it wasn’t a big deal.
“If it’s not too much trouble, could you show me other parts where your skin is exposed?”
I frowned at the unusual request but slightly pulled down the uniform. So-young examined me intently, as if observing something carefully, then nodded lightly as if satisfied. She let out a short sigh.
“As I heard, you have many scars on your body.”
“Huh? As you heard…?”
“The Shadow Queen told me.”
“Ko Yeon-ju…”
A sudden thought flashed through my mind.
“Is this because of a user impersonating me?”
So-young’s eyes flickered with interest.
“Yes. Have you heard about it?”
“I only heard vague rumors. But the fact that the leader of Istanbul Row knows…”
“Of course. I was the first to discover the impersonation.”
“Huh?”
Surprised, I raised my voice without realizing it. Someone had pretended to be me in front of So-young? Against the deceptive power of extrasensory perception? That didn’t make sense.
“Could you tell me more details?”
I clasped my hands together and asked seriously. So-young nodded calmly, as if there was no problem.
Then she began to speak in a quiet voice.
How much time had passed?
After hearing the story, the first feeling I had was disbelief.
To sum it up, the impersonator apparently looked almost identical to me. According to So-young, not only the appearance but even the habits were indistinguishable—everything that would make someone think it was me. It wasn’t just similar; it was exactly the same.
The most striking part was that the impersonator acted as if suffering from amnesia. Only then did I understand how he hadn’t been caught by So-young. For example, if asked whether he remembered anything, he would simply say, “No, I don’t know,” which was true from his perspective.
Since the initial discovery, the impersonator behaved anxiously under the guise of memory loss and asked for protection. So-young accepted the request and devoted herself to helping him recover his memories while taking care of me.
“Looking back, I think it was a deliberate approach. It wouldn’t have been easy to go straight to the mercenary clan, and if he had gone to Lord Hamill, he probably would have been found out. So he approached me to gather detailed information about the mercenary leader.”
“Definitely. If it had been my brother, he would have noticed in less than half a day.”
“To be honest, I started feeling something was off as time went on. But then, he suddenly said he wanted to visit the mercenary clan.”
“So…?”
“Yes. I secretly went to the mercenary clan at night to avoid the users’ attention. After explaining the situation and asking for understanding, I handed over the recruit. And before two days had passed, I received a message from the Shadow Queen—saying it was an impersonation.”
“…”
So that means Ko Yeon-ju uncovered the impersonation because the impersonator didn’t have the scars on his body? That seemed likely. I had many scars hidden away, and if they suddenly disappeared, it would definitely raise suspicion.
“This isn’t something to take lightly.”
At first, I thought it was just some idiot’s prank, but after hearing the full story, it was no trivial matter. Whoever that impersonator was, it was worth paying attention to their motives.
“You must have been utterly baffled.”
I ended up shaking my head.
“Just baffled? Do you know how heartbroken and humiliated I felt when I found out?”
At that moment, I suddenly lifted my head.
“Heartbroken… humiliated?”
“Yes. Just thinking about how I ran to him without hesitation and threw myself into his arms…”
Ah, he hugged her. Well, that’s nothing. But to say she felt humiliated? I suddenly found myself thinking about how that guy had stolen those plump cherry-red lips, explored her beautiful, full chest, touched her healthy, alluring thighs, and eventually… Wait, what am I thinking?
“Oh. I see. He hugged you…”
A strange feeling crept over me. I mean, So-young ran and hugged him—on her own. Whoever he was, he was lucky. Of course, at the time, she thought it was me, so I felt a strange sense of pride…
“What are you expecting?”
So-young frowned delicately and gave me a half-lidded look. I laughed awkwardly and scratched my head.
“No, it’s just… whoever he is, I’m kind of jealous. Ha ha ha.”
But at that moment, So-young’s eyes snapped open, and she exploded in anger.
“You’re laughing? Laughing now? Even though I hugged another man?”
Why is she like this again?
“Th-that’s not what I meant.”
“And you’re jealous? Why? Do you expect me to run crying and throw myself into his arms again like last time?”
“…What? Crying…?”
“!”
In an instant, Han So-young’s eyes widened to the size of lanterns. Then, there was a light tap on the desk.
“Now that I think about it, there’s something I’ve been curious about.”
She shifted her gaze toward the window, as if trying to change the subject. But I decided to let it slide.
“Go ahead.”
“That time… why did you save me?”
“……?”
“As far as I know, the woman who was dragged in with me back then was a Missionary Clan member.”
Ah, she must be talking about when I was wrapped in Gehenna’s whip.
“Yes. That’s right.”
“Why?”
“……?”
“Logically, wouldn’t it make sense to save the Clan member first? So why did you save me before her?”
Hmm… That’s a tricky question. I can’t exactly tell her the truth. And with her extrasensory perception, it’s even more complicated.
“Just because.”
In the end, that was all I could say.
“Do you think that counts as an answer?”
Of course, Han So-young got angry.
…Wait a minute. Why is that obvious? It’s not. After all, I was the one who saved her. So why do I feel like I’m the one being accused?
Thinking that, I glanced ahead and quietly spoke.
“So… you don’t like it?”
“…What?”
Her eyes, which had been shooting me a fierce glare as if demanding an answer, suddenly flickered with uncertainty.
“I’m asking if you don’t like it. That me saving you bothers you.”
“W-who said I don’t like it? I’m grateful. Of course I am. But why…”
“Then just say thank you. Why do you have to question me and treat me like a criminal? It’s already painful enough.”
“Q-question me? Treat you like a criminal? H-hey. That’s—”
Wow. Han So-young shrugged both hands up, wearing a look of disbelief. Her eyes darted left and right repeatedly. I’d never seen her react like this before.
“Anyway, if the same situation happens again, I’ll save Istantel Low Road just the same. That’s all I can say.”
I crossed my arms confidently and said.
Just then—
Knock, knock. The door clicked open. Someone cautiously peeked inside. It was the handsome man who had sat beside Han So-young during the meeting.
“Sorry to interrupt while you’re talking…”
“Get out.”
But Han So-young was merciless.
“E-excuse me?”
“I said get out. Can’t you hear me?”
The man’s face went blank, his lips trembling. With a choked expression, he quietly closed the door.
A moment later.
Han So-young pressed a hand to her forehead, crossed her legs subtly, then closed her eyes and tilted her head back with a long sigh. She looked like she was silently wondering, What on earth am I supposed to do with this guy?
“Seriously… what kind of man are you…”
No, she actually said it out loud.
“Saying you’d save me again… that just makes me even more mad…”
She kept muttering things I couldn’t quite understand. I could only stare blankly.
Then, after a while of mumbling, Han So-young suddenly snapped her eyes open and jumped to her feet. Caught off guard, I stood up too. She turned to the door and spoke.
“Lock.”
With that unexpected incantation, the door clicked shut and locked.
But Han So-young didn’t stop there.
“Silence Field, Block Field, Project Image, Reflect Shield, Wall of Mana, Anti-Magic Shell…”
Vwoom! Vwoom! Vwoom! Vwoom! Vwoom! Vwoom!
With each spell she uttered, magical energy surged rapidly, shifting the protective formations. Was she trying to build some kind of fortress?
“Phew. This should be enough to block any sudden interference from a third party who’s always been meddling at just the wrong moments.”
Muttering more nonsense, Han So-young shot me a sideways glance.
For a brief moment, I thought I saw a flicker of inner conflict in her eyes.
“…I’m just glad you came back safely.”
Before I could say anything, she bit her lower lip and suddenly lunged forward, as if to throw herself into my arms. Her hair fluttered wildly from the force.
As we closed the distance in an instant, the orb I’d been holding began to vibrate faintly.
Vwoom!
At the same time, Gehenna’s protective fortress deployed.
“I really missed you…!”
Thud!
‘…….’
…Huh?
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
Sorry for being so late today. (__)