As soon as I hung up the phone, a notification sounded from my phone, and 10 million won1Â was deposited in my account.
As expected, Ki Jae Mu is very generous.
Depositing 10 million won to buy something to eat with friends. It was like a chaebol distributor. Ki Hyun Joo looked at me funny as I smiled, satisfied with the amount.
ââŠWhy?â
âNo, itâs just⊠you and the chairman seem to be doing okay.â
âHuh?â
âYou used to have a⊠VERY hard time.â
Ki Hyun Joo hesitated and gave emphasis to âveryâ. Since I still didnât remember anything, I had no choice but to adopt a nonchalant attitude while saying, âOh, really?â
Ki Yoon Jae had a hard time with Ki Jae Mu?
How was that possible? With Ki Yoon Jaeâs personality, he shouldnât have had difficulty with Ki Jae Mu. Rather, âAn old man who occupies my placeâŠâ Wasnât it possible that he was looking at that position with such wicked thoughtsâŠ?
Was it difficult for this child to be the one holding the money?
Nevertheless, I couldnât picture Ki Yoon Jae struggling with money. Wasnât Ki Yoon Jae the kind of person who could make money even if he didnât have money?
However, there was no reason for Ki Yoon Jae to make idle gossip with Ki Hyun Joo, so I wondered why he had difficulty with Ki Jae Mu.
I have no one to ask.
Oh, maybe Kwon Jae Hyuk would know? However, it was a family situation, so Kwon Jae Hyuk probably wouldnât know much about it either. I ended up with the conclusion that there was no one to ask.
âAhâ and have one of the contracts ready for tomorrow.â
âContract?â
âYeah, one of the Gifted is going to sign the contract.â
âOh⊠shall I prepare it for the guild?â
Should I put Jang Eui Yeol in the guild? I shook my head in distress. I couldnât put the protagonist in the guild.
âNo, he belongs to me.â
Of course, the guild was also mine, but⊠since he was the main character, I thought I should keep him close. Even if he were to suddenly change his mind, saying, âI want to break Ki Yoon Jaeâs neck for some reason todayâ; I would be able to prepare for it.
Ki Hyun Joo nodded at my words.
âAlright. Then, shall I prepare a room in the mansion?â
âYes, please,â
Ki Hyun Joo said, âOkay,â and left, leaving me alone in the living room.
Um⊠Come to think of it, what happened to Jang Eui Yeolâs family relationships? I was sure his grandmother was there⊠I didnât know much about his other family members. While thinking about asking him tomorrow, I had a sudden flashback of what I had seen earlier.
Below the flustered face of Jang Eui Yeol: his skin colour, skin tone, blackâŠ
Uwaak!
The big thing that I saw beyond the black border⊠I didnât mean to see it. But my eyes naturally went down. Sobs.
After all, THAT should be enough to be the main character of a harem novel. I thought Ki Yoon Jae was great, but it was nothing compared to that. If that was the standard, Ki Yoon Jae would never be the main character even if he died.
Thatâs me now, butâŠ
Of course, I didnât mean to be the main character of a harem novel⊠So I guessed it didnât matter. Nevertheless, I couldnât get rid of my excitement. I was rolling around hugging the cushion and burying my face in it. It was because I was afraid that someone would see my mischievous face. Suddenly, the cushion was taken from my hands.
âWhat are you thinkingâŠ?â
âHuh?â
âYouâre wearing this kind of face, Yoon Jae?â
I saw Kwon Jae Hyukâs face in front of me as he entered the living room. I didnât hear the door open? Kwon Jae Hyuk laughed and pointed to the window, perhaps noticing the questioning look that had appeared on my face. I could see the spring breeze gently waving the curtains hanging by the window.
âWho were you thinking of?â
ââŠNo one?â
For some reason I felt compelled to say so and lied, but Kwon Jae Hyuk didnât seem to believe me. He looked down at me over the back of the sofa, his voice low and easy.
This position⊠somehowâŠ
It was strange. Kwon Jae Hyuk leaned onto the sofa, his hands at either side of my head as if to lock me in. With his back to the light, my reflection shone within his eyes.
âAh, what should I do?â
âHmm?â
âI think this position is goodâŠâ
ââŠâ
âIâm getting greedy. What should I do? Huh? What should I do, Yoon Jae-ya?â
Why are you asking me that? I looked up at him with a gulp. Kwon Jae Hyukâs hands were only next to me, but strangely, my ears were burning as if he were touching them.
No, itâs not his hands.
Kwon Jae Hyuk was touching me with his eyes. His gaze made me hot. It was so obvious⊠I wasnât a fool.
I sensed that his feelings for me, or rather for Ki Yoon Jae, were out of the ordinary. I opened my mouth courageously.
âIâŠâ
ââŠâ
âWhat happens if I tell you not to be greedy?â
Kwon Jae Hyukâs lips lifted into a smile at my question, but his eyes still shone like they would eat me up.
âNothing.â
ââŠâ
âNothing will change.â
ââŠâ
âI told you, Iâll do whatever you want me to.â
Even if it meant putting himself on a leash. He was saying that if I wanted it, he would obediently give me his head.
But his stare⊠It was so intense. It was like fire. I got a little scared. I was afraid Iâd be swept away.
I swallowed nervously. Strangely enough, it was difficult to swallow at the back of my throat.
Still, Kwon Jae-Hyuk was looking at me as if he was going to burn me to death.
âThen⊠donât be greedy.â
With those words, the fire in Kwon Jae-Hyukâs eyes was extinguished. The light still glowed faintly deep within his eyes, but I could not determine whether the fire was extinguished by my single command or if the fervent reaction I had just received wasnât real.
Having returned to his usual face, he rose without hesitation. I was released from Kwon Jae-Hyukâs arms, which had pinned me in place.
SighâŠ
The tension was quickly released. My stiff, rigid body relaxed, and as I sunk deep into the sofa, I heard Kwon Jae Hyukâs voice.
âI was going to tell you â Yoon Jae â since you now have an ability, why donât you learn how to fight?â
âHow to fight?â
When I asked, Kwon Jae-hyuk lifted me by my hand and nodded his head. Once my body was forced to rise from the sofa, he turned around and talked while twirling a dagger he had extracted with his own power.
âYou donât intend to leave your abilities as they are, do you? Even if you do, if you donât know how to fight, you wonât be able to use even a partial of your abilities properly.â
âWellâŠâ
âBut youâre trying to hide your abilities. Itâs going to be hard to learn in an open way. How about me?â
âHuh?â
âHow to fight⊠I donât think anyone knows as much as I do nowadays.â
Kwon Jae Hyuk grinned at me. Certainly, he did know best about combat, whether he was from the future or if he could see the future.
I naturally accepted. In the past, I would have used more consideration, but since Kwon Jae Hyuk was now completely âmy own manâ, it would have been a foolish decision to refuse.
When asked, âWhen will you start?â I grinned.
âThe sooner, the better⊠but not tomorrow.â
I had things to do tomorrow. It was also very important.
* * *
I woke up on Monday morning. Monday⊠It was the day of the week when I usually got a terrible disease called the âMonday Bluesâ, but today I got up easily.
âI think you can take a rest todayâŠâ
Ki Hyun Joo, who had been watching me anxiously as I prepared to leave for school, spoke in a concerned tone. There was a reason I had to go, however, so I turned down the offer. When he heard I was going to school, Jung Yi Joon, who was idle, also got up.
âIf that was the case, I might have taken a rest as well; what a model studentâŠâ
Jung Yi Joon seemed to have a huge misunderstanding about me. It was funny to watch him follow behind me despite grumbling. I spoke with Jung Yi Joon, who was getting into the car waiting in front of the entrance, as we rode together.
âIf you want to rest, rest. I have business to do, and you could have stayed home.â
I just said it out of consideration, but Jung Yi Joon became mad again after hearing it.
âWhy? If I donât go! Huh? Youâll do it with him, right?!â
âAish, please donât say something thatâll cause misunderstandings!â
I looked at the driver in front, but Jung Yi Joon, who was already mad, shouted regardless.
âWhat! What misunderstanding? Without me! Youâre going to kiss him, right?! Kiss!â
âCough!â
Perhaps he was embarrassed; the driver coughed and twisted the steering wheel. âIâm sorry,â he said immediately. He pretended as if he hadnât heard anything and drove on, but my face was red.
Before the driver misunderstood any further, I hurriedly spoke up.
âI wonât do it! I wonât!â
âReally?â
Jung Yi Joon laughed in satisfaction when he heard my answer. This damn jerkâŠ