CH 145

Chapter 145

We quickly found the car that drove Park Hoseok here in a nearby parking lot. The chauffeur was standing not too far away in what seemed to be the smoking section.

Calling on a cellphone with one hand and holding a cigarette in the other, the chauffeur stood with his back to the car, so we could easily access it.

“What about the black box?” 1

“I’ve already taken care of it.”

Jung Garam’s eyes glimmered blue for a brief moment and then grew dim again; the light, which had been blinking regularly from behind the car’s glass, flickered off. We heard a small clicking sound–it seemed that Jung Garam unlocked the car door.

Lowering my head, I approached the car, estimated where it was likely for Park Hoseok to sit, and placed the box in the back seat before closing the door. I turned to look at the chauffeur just in case, but he was still busy on the phone.

“Have you finished your business?” our driver asked.

“Yes, yes…”

Soon afterwards, we returned to our own car, and the rough-looking chauffeur quickly took us back to Koo Kyungman’s villa again.

‘Haah……’ I was unable to calm my beating heart until we arrived back at the villa. However, even after the initial nervousness subsided, constant insecure anxiety washed over me. “So, about the box… What if he doesn’t open it because it’s too suspicious…or What if he asks someone else to open it for him?”

“Don’t worry. I left something that’d draw Park Hoseok’s attention the moment he enters the car.” Jung Garam smiled leisurely, as if he expected such a question, and winked at me. He moved his finger, just like when he drew the ellipse on the window earlier.

" "

That must mean that he left something on the car’s window.

In addition, Seo Dawon confidently said, “I also applied a little ‘suggestion’ that’ll trigger the moment Park Hoseok sees the box; the probability that it’ll fall into another person’s hand is small.”

Reassured, I raided the full refrigerator, prepared some decent instant food, and headed to the coastal cliff.

The appointed place indicated in our gift was a scenic photo spot located a little ways away from the road–a triangular spot created by wooden deck and iron supports left quietly unattended. Perhaps people stopped walking over here when the road was built and it became difficult to access the sidewalk.

However, we couldn’t let our guard down; we began some simple preparations to allow this reunion with Park Hoseok to proceed without interruption.

Jung Garam began to engrave unknown skills onto the deck, and Seo Dawon broke several branches of the greenery planted nearby and dropped them at the entrance. Kim Olim jumped down the cliff and came up shortly afterwards, saying “There’s gaps where people can pass by below, but we’ll soon be isolated due to the rising tide.”

As for my role…

“Choi Lee-kyung! Do you see the branches at the entrance? Go past that and look this way.”

I was to check whether the boundary limitations set by Seo Daown and Jung Garam were fully activated.

I crossed the line and turned around as Jung Garam asked, looking back at the appointed site. Truly, I could only see thick trees laden with leaves and the coastal cliff beyond.

However, I knew of their existence, so I slowly approached the cliff. It looked as if I’d walk into a free-fall if I took another step, but I thought my foot would touch something.

So, without hesitation, I stepped over, crossing the fence…

“…..Uagh!”

“What are you doing?”

Before I could cross completely, Seo Dawon seized my arm from behind.

“I mean, you guys told me to check it…” I answered evasively, feeling awkward.

Seo Dawon, still holding me by the arms, dropped me behind the fence. “Spatial distortion isn’t about hiding or masking space, but rather distorting it. If you fell here, you’d actually plunge downwards.”

“What? Gasp…” Shocked, I fell off the fence and stumbled again while stepping backwards, but, since Seo Dawon was still holding onto me, I didn’t fall down.

However, I couldn’t avoid backing myself into his chest. Seo Dawon sighed quietly, and that soft sound vividly embedded itself into my ears.

Since the dregs of yesterday’s resentment had not yet been washed away, I felt abashed at receiving help for something so dumb. I felt more embarrassed than usual after hearing that sigh.

So, I quickly tried to separate myself from him, but, instead, Seo Dawon drew me closer. Then, lowering his voice, he whispered, “You just really recklessly rush into things when you don’t know things, huh? Bravery born of ignorance, or something like that?”

However, his words were so sarcastic compared to the warmth of his embrace. Furthermore, the nuance of his words seemed to refer to more than my almost-tumble off of the cliff earlier.  I immediately turned my head to glare at him.

Seo Dawon calmly shrugged his shoulders, despite my piercing gaze, “If you don’t want me to nag at you, consider how precious your life is. Don’t jump down recklessly or donate blood.”

“If you don’t want me to act foolishly because of my ignorance, then explain things to me properly.”

“Don’t want to. Things won’t change just because you know about it.”

Then, honestly, what do you want from me? You keep on treating me like a fool because of this ‘great secret!’ However, before I could raise my voice in earnest, Seo Dawon interrupted my thoughts, “Rather, it’s more relieving if you would stop trying to save me…”

“What?”

“Because you like me too much.”

“What on earth…”

While speaking, Seo Dawon squinted as if he were looking at something that could potentially bring him heartfelt despair.  It’s like he firmly believed that if I were to know the whole story, I would turn my eyes away from him–from this weird delusion that I would do absolutely anything for him.

I mean, he’s not even me–how could he think of me so shamelessly? One might think I’ve been the aggressor in this situation, chasing after him for months!

“Seo Dawon, you seem to be misunderstanding something…I just…I only just slightly am fond of your face, okay??” My cheeks flushed, heat pooling as if I’m having a fever, but I couldn’t pass this by without protesting. Just what does that bastard think of me? I drew a line in the sand, demanding that he let go of this misunderstanding.

“Is that so?”

“Yeah! It’s not like I can’t live without you…please remember that!”

“Then that’s a relief.”

Why did I feel so dirty when I saw him obediently nod his head?

Is my affection for him so bothersome? Fucker… I didn’t even want to confess to you! I didn’t even do anything, and you’re the one who went and noticed it first–you’re the one who made our relationship so restless…You’re the one who kissed me first!

However, Seo Dawon suddenly grabbed my chin and lifted it up. Then, looking at my frowning face, he smiled, “Then, why do you oscillate between joy and sorrow from my words, hm?”

“I never…”

“What do you mean, never. Even now, I can clearly see that you’re thinking inside, ‘Do you hate me so much?'”

I was thinking that I wanted to bite my tongue.

And, Seo Dawon didn’t miss the momentary shame that crossed my face.

I knew that my emotions shined out of my eyes, but I couldn’t use my hands to cover them up. I didn’t want to be dragged around like this…. But because the Mage always looked at me as if he were observing something so cute…Because this time, it didn’t seem like a carefully constructed facade…I really wanted to take a mirror and show him his own expression at this moment.

“The…nerve of you… You’re the one that’s too interested in me…”

“That’s what I thought, but who’s the one who slashed his own palm with a blade.”

What could my actions back then possibly mean to Seo Dawon?

In reality, I was thinking quite simply. Of course, it’s not like I felt some innate repulsion at what I did. It’s just that, Seo Dawon…did so many strange things to his own body and mine for fear of ripping me apart. I just felt sorry for his lonely struggles. Rather than being motivated through pure affection…I was motivated more through humanistic compassion.

“That’s just…There was no special meaning to that…”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. It had nothing to do with whether or not I like you…”

Seo Dawon, smiling, stopped me from explaining myself further, “That’s even worse, Lee-kyung-ah.”

Before I could ask what he meant, Kim Olim appeared from behind the fence. Still holding onto my now frightened self, Seo Dawon returned to his expressionless baseline.

“Jung Garam said that Park Hoseok returned to his villa. We should slowly get into our places” she said.

“Alright”

“……Yeah.”

And Seo Dawon, slowly, released my arm that he had been holding until then.

TL: The way Seo Dawon is speaking is making me nervous lmao, it’s like he’s preparing Lee-kyung-ie for his death or disappearance, pushing him away and worrying the Lee-kyung is doing too much for him. Arghhh I wanna know what the system has been saying to him.

Footnotes

A black box is an electronic recording device placed in an aircraft or other vehicles for the purpose of facilitating the investigation of aviation accidents and incidents.