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Chapter 265
“What…?” I stared blankly at the Mage, unable to understand. Then, I looked between my exposed chest and his hand, which was casually placed on my skin. ‘What does he mean by ‘according to his [Current Mood]’…?’
No, more than anything, I couldn’t recognize the aura emanating from the Mage. Even though I did nothing but stare at him, my mouth felt dry. The atmosphere was tense–like something would happen soon.
[Clack Clack.]
[Master.]
At that moment, the previously docile Lackey burrowed into my arms.
Thanks(?) to that, I returned to my senses and shook off Seo Dawon’s arm. The Mage slowly removed his hand and stared at the skeleton. Then, leaning one elbow against the bed’s armrest, said, “I’m borrowing Lackey again today.”
Somehow, his voice exuded retaliatory intent.
Perhaps I was the only one who gleaned that nuance from the Mage’s words, but Lackey seemed to have understood Seo Dawon’s intentions as well. It started jumping up and down on the bed before desperately clutching the hem of my clothes and shaking its skull from side to side.
[Clack Clack!]
[Don’t wanna!]
…I finally believed that this choker actually conveyed Lackey’s true thoughts. As the skeleton clung desperately to my arms, I clumsily tried to mediate between the two. “B-by the way… What did you two do together?”
“……”
“You’re not bullying it, right?”
Seo Dawon continued to smile brightly. He then grabbed the choker around its neck with two fingers and pulled the skeleton to his side. Surprised by the rough behavior–the Mage basically grabbed Lackey by the collar!–I had no chance to react and stop him.
The Mage gently touched the ruby, and the jewel suddenly lit up. Lackey’s struggles intensified as well.
“What are you doing!” Startled, I reached out to the Mage, but he was even faster than me. In a gentle voice, still holding onto the skeleton by its collar, he said, “You want to play with me today, right?”
Lackey struggled and wildly shook its skull from side to side. Anyone could see that the skeleton seemed to despise that suggestion.
However…
[Clack Clack Clack!]
[Yes, I’d love to.]
The voice flowing from the ruby seemed to voice a different opinion. The tone sounded a little cheery; the dissonance between the voice and the skeleton’s attitude was vast.
“Stop tormenting it…!”
“What do you mean by ‘torment.’ I even crafted an interpreter for it.”
“Honestly, anyone can see that you’ve manipulated that thing.”
“No way.” Seo Dawon suddenly lowered his voice and whispered something into Lackey’s ear. I could hardly hear his voice even though I was close by; he must have done something to mask the sound with his skill.
What’s stranger, though, was Lackey’s reaction.
Before the Mage whispered in his ear, Lackey moved its head fitfully, trying to bite the Mage’s hand; but, after the whispers began, the skeleton fell silent. It was so quiet I almost wondered if it had fallen asleep–after all, it stopped moving as well.
Pleased with the reaction, Seo Dawon let go of its collar. However, despite being released, Lackey did not rush to hug me and instead glared at the Mage for a long while.
Its emotions ran deeper than usual. If before it wanted to bite at Seo Dawon mindlessly, now… I guess it exhibited feelings of deep resentment?
“You…What did you say to Lackey?” Unable to be a mere spectator, I poked the Mage in the side; he simply shrugged his shoulders and ignored the skeleton’s gaze.
And Lackey…
[Clack Clack……]
[Yes. I love this.]
The skeleton spoke like a broken toy. After Seo Dawon touched the toy earlier, the choker seemed to repeat those words again and again.
Surprisingly, though, when Seo Dawon moved to touch it again, Lackey didn’t rebel. It stayed docile without attempting to snap its teeth at the offending fingers and sighed, as if it had given up.
I asked the Mage, “So, you really did say something?”
“Mhmm, I said, ‘Let’s be friends from now on.'”
“Do you think I’m stupid?”
In lieu of answering, Seo Dawon flashed me a cheeky smile.  Then, he lifted the skeleton and placed it on his shoulder; in the same movement, he pressed me down onto the mattress and covered me with a blanket.
It seemed like he would depart soon. Surprised at the sudden movement, I asked, “You’re leaving already? Wait–Seo Dawon! You’re really not telling me anything?”
“You didn’t tell me what was in my [Current Mood] either.”
“It’s just! This and that are different…”
He cut off my words with a short kiss on the lips. Seo Dawon smiled apologetically and told me to, “Sleep.”
I only realized what that smile meant when I opened my eyes the next morning. The Mage had bounced off after using his [Sleep] skill on me.
* * *
“Bullshit–my domination over them somehow increased? They’re totally still doing as they please! What the hell is different from before…?” Huffing and puffing, I walked slowly and with purpose at the rehabilitation center. I was prescribed 1 hour of low-intensity exercise per day; after learning that no one else was around, I couldn’t resist my frustration, and all my irritation came spilling out of me.
“Do you know how confused and bewildered I was after I woke up…? Nnngh…!”
“Lee-kyung-nim!!”
However, my tantrum couldn’t last much longer than a minute because Kim Sangyoon returned with a water bottle.
Actually, I wasn’t alone when I opened my eyes this morning. Kim Sangyoon said that he had received a call from the Mage right after he woke up; he received a ‘request’ to take care of me until evening.
“Please drink some water before you continue.”
“Yeah… Thanks.”
“Haha. You need to hydrate yourself in between workout sessions.” Far from being bothered, Kim Sangyoon took care of me with vigor; he even strived to support me when I went to the bathroom, assisting me without any grumbling.
However, Kim Sangyoon’s kind, gentle attitude didn’t assuage my mood. I sighed and took another sip of water as the Warrior recommended.
“Have you…heard from Seo Dawon?”
“What? Should I call him right now?”
“Don’t…”
I’m sure he’d come if I were to call him, but it was obvious that my efforts would be in vain. I could clearly pinpoint his pattern; Seo Dawon would apologize and still act the same way even after I pressed him.
Domination, Sweet Submission… That’s all talk–nothing had changed fundamentally. I frowned and furrowed my eyebrows, although I immediately tried to relax my expression, conscious of Kim Sangyoon’s attention.
Kim Sangyoon wasn’t devoid of sense either; he kept sending me sidelong glances. He seemed like he had something to say, but wouldn’t voice his opinion until after I finished exercising.
As soon as I dismounted the elliptical machine, he brought me a towel and began making friendly small talk. “Lee-kyung-nim.”
“Yes?”
“By the way, where and how did you get hurt this time…? Actually, I was surprised to hear, all of a sudden, that you were admitted into the hospital.”
“Ah…”
So, the Mage explained nothing to Kim Sangyoon either?
I wondered if the Mage did that on purpose, but I decided to just be open with the Warrior anyway. I thought this was another one of his ‘I didn’t feel the need to explain, so I didn’t’ moments. Kim Sangyoon is familiar with Koo Hui-seo anyway.
“So… I was caught up in Koo Hui-seo’s business.”
“Aha…”
It was then–as soon as I was about to reveal further details, my cell phone rang. Kim Sangyoon quickly ran and brought back my cellphone which I had left on the elliptical. “The call’s area code is revealed…”
I hesitated at the unfamiliar area code, but even though I thought it might be spam, I still answered the phone. “Hello?”
–Choi Lee-kyung-ssi?
My body turned rigid as soon as I heard the voice over the speaker. It was Bae Jaemin.
–This is Choi Lee-kyung-ssi’s cell phone, right?
“…Yes, that’s right. Who is this?” However, my voice came out calmly, masking the nervousness I felt. I was emboldened by the feeling of crisis; I felt like I shouldn’t show my bewilderment.
I pretended to not recognize him. Simultaneously, I raised my index fingers to my lips, signaling to the Warrior to be quiet. Kim Sangyoon’s expression also became grave; with a worried expression, he closed his mouth and began to concentrate on the voice that leaked from the speaker.
Then, Bae Jaemin answered after a brief silence.
–It’s Bae Jaemin. We’ve met before, remember?
“…Ah, yes… Is something the matter?”
–There’s something I’d like to ask you.
TL: Oh my gosh, Kim Sangyoon is such a little puppy. RIP Lee-kyung. Seo Dawon will probably keep you in the loop, but he’s also probably still a little upset about being cockblocked…and not knowing what was in his “current mood,” when you promised to tell him >.