CH 233

Left him room for hope?

Dumbfounded, I slapped at the Mage’s hand, but Seo Dawon didn’t back down. With that said, it’s not as if he explained in a way that I could understand. So, rather than to chase his delusions, I decided to focus on the reality of the situation, “Are you crazy? If Han Kiseok sees your face…”

“Then we’ll just kill him.” As he said that, Seo Dawon blatantly gazed–observed–my expressions.

Though I was startled by his cruel words, I didn’t break eye contact or oppose the Mage. The minute I did so, I felt like he’d actually go and kill Han Kiseok. However, I firmly folded my arms accross my chest to show my dissent. “……”

“I’m kidding. Han Kiseok didn’t see my face.”

“……”

“You don’t think I thought that far?”

As I expected–as soon as I didn’t stop him, he smiled and said it was all a joke.

Though I had enough of the Mage testing me… I strangely thought that Seo Dawon was more honest than usual today. For the first time, I truly felt that he was cross with me.

‘The fact that I’m happy about that…there’s something wrong with me.’

Even as I thought that, I couldn’t stop myself from reaching out to Seo Dawon. He stopped talking and stared at me; I managed to grab his arm without any hardships.

""

However, now that I’ve grasped the Mage’s arm, my words disappeared. Silence formed an invisible wall between me and. the Mage.

What could I even say to make Seo Dawon feel better? I stared him in the eye before eventually releasing a small sigh, “…By the way…I’m super hungry. For the last few hours, I haven’t had anything but Ice Americano.”

“……”

“Actually, I’m not all that fond of Iced Americano. I just wanted to order something that wouldn’t take a lot of time to finish…” My stammering voice faded at the end of my sentence; the Mage continued to listen to me without doing anything.

I gave his face a sidelong glance before quickly continuing, “That is to say… I wanted to finish this conversation as fast as possible. Being with Han Kiseok was a bit uncomfortable…”

“……”

“I feel like I’ll get indigestion if I eat anything…So, what I want to say is…”

“……”

“Damn it, why aren’t you saying anything? Scold me or cheer for me or something…You said I was y-your owner right?!” Eventually, I became tired of my own anxiety and became angry. Seo Dawon turned his head away and chuckled.

Flushing red, I kicked the Mage’s shin. I kicked gently because I knew nothing I do would hurt him; my toes still tingled as if I had kicked an iron pipe. My irritation doubled.

Just then, while laughing, the Mage grabbed my shoulders and asked, in a meaningful tone, “So, you didn’t feel anything when you saw him again and wanted to go home quickly?”

How ridiculous–he was being so insistent! I exploded,”That’s right! Honestly, what’s so good about talking to Han Kiseok with all of you guys as witnesses anyway? Even if I admitted that Han Kiseok was a dark blot in my past…you’ll just make fun of me for that! You guys are awful!”

My servants, hearing my sincere complaints, grinned despicably and showed no remorse.

“Do you really think we have that much free time?”

“Don’t worry, Choi Lee-kyung. I don’t intend on teasing you with this matter. However, I’d like to inform you… Han Kiseok unfollowed you on social media, just now. I thought you should know.”

“Pffft…You know…No matter what’s in Owner-nim’s dark past…wouldn’t it already have been revealed?”

“Are you going to write about today in your diary, Owner-nim?”

“Shut up! Piss off all of you!” I wanted to grab one of them, at least, by the collar, but Seo Dawon hugged me from behind, making it difficult for me to struggle.

The mage, while hugging me, buried his face casually in my neck and giggled.

* * *

After returning home, I locked the door to my bedroom and laid down on my bed. When I returned to my senses, I was somehow eating the eggs and tomatoes Seo Dawon made for me. While ripping the dish into tiny pieces with my fork, saw the Mage talking to Kim Olim in the living room. And, next to them, Woo Ragi was…

‘He’s honestly…so weird.’

The swordsman was doing a one-handed handstand. Jung Garam sat, lotus position, on the sofa and flipped through the TV channels. Eventually, the Assassin absentmindedly settled on some anime broadcast.

Choi Kyungsik had retired to the second floor and had not come down yet. Shortly after going upstairs, suspicious sounds echoed throughout the house and an unpleasant smell seeped forth. According to the Mage, Choi Kyung-sik planned to build his laboratory on the second floor.

The alchemist said we’d be briefly uncomfortable because of the construction, but all the noise and unpleasant smell disappeared with a small gesture from the Mage.

‘[Homunculus], huh…’

So I was free to be alone in my bedroom, eating tomatoes cut in half, and imagine what Choi Kyung-sik’s successful experiment might look like without anyone’s intervention.

‘They said that becoming a [Homunculus] will relieve some restraints of set by the servant contract… That they will be able to move independently from then on…’

Things could get even more dangerous than it already is now. Biting a fork and perching it between my teeth, I glanced towards the living room where all the other servants were gathered. Right then, I made eye contact with Woo Ragi, who calmly uprighted his body.

“What’re you looking at?” The swordsman said.

“I’m not looking at anything…”

“Do you just want to see Seo Dawon throw a tantrum again or something?”

“……” My appetite dropped because of the bullshit the swordsman spouted–and all just because we made eye contact. I laid down my fork and approached the sink, avoiding Woo Ragi’s piercing glare.

Ding Dong–

At that moment, I suddenly heard the door bell ring. This late at night, the ring, echoing through the living room, sounded a bit grave. I placed down my bowl and quickly rushed to the intercom. “Who is it?”

[It’s me…]

I could tell it was Koo Hui-seo from the sound of his voice.

He stood in front of the intercom camera with an insanely large bouquet of flowers that covered his upper torso. However, the man looked ill–emaciated perhaps.

Furthermore, it seems as if the veins in his left eye had burst; the whites of his eye was red. It was a bit disquieting; I couldn’t tell if he had contracted some occular disease or if he was simply tired.

‘I wanted to avoid meeting him at night at all costs…’

Although, that face was one I never wanted to see in the morning either…

I hesitated; Koo Hui-seo’s appearance right now was the worst I’ve ever seen since we freed him.

“Are we running a special today where all the candidates for Lee-kyung’s boyfriend are appearing?”

“I told you to shut up!”

Meanwhile, Jung Garam subconsciously muttered his inner thoughts; My temper rose, and I stared at Seo Dawon automatically. Surprisingly, he showed no outward signs of displeasure.

Seo Dawon simply looked at Koo Hui-seo through the intercom screen and nodded at me, as if telling me it was okay to open the door. After nodding, the Mage turned the ring he had worn on a finger on his right hand. With that action, the black ring transformed into a silver one.

‘Did he switch his item preset…?’

It felt like he changed his gear–as if he were preparing for a raid.

In addition, in a flash, Kim Olim stood flush to my back. She had even summoned her shield in one hand and circled me with her other–though she wasn’t touching me, it was as if I was drawn into her defensive embrace. Then, in a serious tone, she requested, “His bloodlust is extraordinary. Keep away from Koo Hui-seo.”

“What? Really?”

“Don’t worry. It’s not really aimed at you, rather… I don’t think he’s in full control of himself.”

“…I-Isn’t that even scarier?”

“It’s alright. Either way, he won’t be able to hurt you. If he tried, the contract will burst his heart and that’ll be the end.”

“Then, why do you want me to open the door?”

“If we don’t let him in, we have no idea what he’ll do out there.”

And, as soon as she finished speaking, Koo Hui-seo frighteningly opened the door and stumbled through the threshold. Naturally, Kim Olim and I closed our mouths; an awkward silence soon followed.

Even after entering the house, Koo Hui-seo kept his head bowed. The bouquet as big as his torso was placed down at his feet; he was wringing his hands and fidgeting helplessly. Somehow, it felt like he’d rush at me if I were to move an inch…The tension in the air was palpable.

That tension was broken when I heard the front door lock softly from behind Koo Hui-seo’s back. His head rapidly rose simultaneously with that metallic click.

“Lee-kyung-ssi… It’s been a long while.” Koo Hui-seo greeted me with an awkward smile, but, soon afterwards, fat tears dropped from his eyes. He rubbed his eyes and wiped his tears with the sleeve of a luxurious, designer suit like a child; after taking his shoes off, he stepped into my home fully and left the doorway.

He staggered from the short hallway connected to the front porch to the living room, clutching the walls for support. Although I was told he was dangerous moments ago, to be honest, he didn’t look so dangerous… rather…

“Excuse me… Are you perhaps drunk?” I asked.

""

He looked extremely drunk.

However, as soon the words left my mouth, the Koo Hui-seo’s shadow, created by some dim, indirect light installed into the walls, swelled and rose. Though his body seemed fine, thanks to his shadow I could see that something was squirming in his back–like something was threatening to burst out.

TL: That feel when even Woo Ragi knows Seo Dawon is throwing tantrums bc of Leekyung. Also I totally want to know what’s going on for Kyungsik to build a laboratory–how do you just build one inside a house? I bet that’s an OSHA violation lolol.

Don’t worry, we’ll revisit Dawon and Lee-kyung’s issues. We’re just also having Koo Hui-seo….in the mix…as well.

And thanks for being so patient–Have a bonus chappie!