38 – 38.
It was after returning to the hotel, deeply moved by the unexpected sincerity of Hanyeo-won.
I left a long thank-you message on Hanyeo-won’s business card using the work phone.
[ I stopped by home to pick up my phone and read the letter you left. Thank you so much. While I was gone… ]
But.
“…Didn’t read it.”
This time, unlike before, she didn’t read the message for a while.
Could it be because she’s too busy to check?
Or maybe she just doesn’t want to read my messages.
She used to read them right away when we contacted each other before.
Did something happen today that completely disappointed her?
I should have at least pretended to keep my composure and lied.
It was a time when my heart wavered at the sight of the small number ‘1’ on the messenger.
Uwong-.
After a while, I finally received a reply from Hanyeo-won.
[ Please refrain from personal contact. ]
A dry message that showed no emotions whatsoever.
Ironically, I felt slightly relieved by that stiff reply.
It must have been quite serious.
“I’m here.”
Not long after, Mayeonseo returned to the hotel.
‘…Oh.’
Lost in thoughts about Hanyeo-won, I hurriedly got up and tried to hide my phone and wallet…
‘No.’
I realized it was unnecessary to do so belatedly.
‘Why am I hiding this?’
Looking back, I had nothing to hide from Mayeonseo.
I hadn’t done anything wrong.
I was just unnecessarily conscious of her.
‘Let’s act confidently.’
Lying back on the bed again, I shamelessly continued to fiddle with my phone.
“…Are you here?”
…Of course, I couldn’t concentrate at all because I was keeping an eye on Mayeonseo.
“Weren’t you bored alone?”
“…Not really.”
Finally entering the room, Mayeonseo placed her bag on the table and then quietly glanced at my wallet lying on the table.
And then, she briefly glanced at me lying on the bed.
Honestly, I was a little nervous.
‘…Let’s go out confidently. Confidently.’
After silently looking at me for a while, Mayeonseo…
Swoosh. Swoosh. She nonchalantly started changing clothes.
There was no way to describe it.
“…What? Haven’t you seen it? No, you can’t not see it…?”
Confused by her inexplicable behavior, I hesitated, trying to gauge her reaction.
Dressed comfortably, she approached the bed and casually lay down.
“What are you doing?”
“…Just browsing the internet.”
“…Hmm….”
She draped her limbs over her body and gently stroked her stomach, glancing at her phone briefly.
But she showed no reaction whatsoever.
“Why, why aren’t you speaking?”
At that moment, unable to concentrate on either looking at my phone or pretending to, due to her behavior.
“Did you go to your place?”
Finally, she brought up the topic.
Thump thump. My heart started pounding with a strange sense of tension, and I casually brushed off the conversation.
“…On my way here.”
Then.
From Noble mtl dot com
“…Really?”
After stroking my body in silence for a while…
“You got an F grade today, right?”
As if she had no interest at all, she threw out a different topic.
“…Huh?”
I was slightly taken aback.
“Oh, um, um! That’s right.”
I discreetly put away my phone and glanced at Mayeonseo’s reaction.
She was looking at me with a deep smile on her lips.
“I thought you would say something about me having my phone.”
Of course. As expected, I deliberately didn’t say anything.
“You always did that.”
“That’s right. But now I won’t anymore.”
“What…?”
Mayeonseo leaned her head on my arm and suddenly promised a change.
“I’ve thought about it carefully, and I feel like I’ve been too possessive of you all this time.”
“……”
“They say love is like sand, right?”
The sand on your palm doesn’t flow down.
But the moment you try to hold it tightly, it starts slipping through your fingers.
It seemed like she realized how clingy she had been all this time.
It was too late, even if it was too late.
“So… I’ve decided to trust and respect you from now on.”
“……”
“Isn’t it nice?”
Mayeonseo smiled brightly, as if asking for a compliment, and gently brushed my hand against her face.
Her adorable and irresistible appearance made my heart uneasy.
“Just at this timing….”
Her unexpected change felt like a final warning.
“Well, Mayeon. If… if, let’s say…”
“Yeah?”
I swallowed hard and looked straight into her eyes, subtly testing her.
“If I disappoint you… could you still respect me then?”
In response, she raised her eyebrows playfully and replied.
“How much would you disappoint me?”
“Well, if, let’s say…”
“Hmm. Well…”
Mayeonseo rolled her eyes, lost in thought.
Then, she met my gaze and chuckled, saying.
“I don’t even know what I would do.”
It was a highly abstract and uncertain answer.
If she were to lose her trust, then she really wouldn’t know what she would do.
In essence, it was a warning.
“Well then.”
I reluctantly accepted that it was useless to argue or train her. I tightly held her face and made a serious threat.
“…If you listen carefully, aren’t you being a bit arrogant? Are you trying to threaten me now?”
“Did it sound like a threat?”
“It sounded pretty obvious. If I were to cheat on you, would you really kill me?”
“Not kill you. Just a little punishment.”
“What…?”
Mayeonseo pretended to joke, but subtly revealed her true intentions.
How dare she challenge her owner like this. It was clear that she was still not fully trained.
“So, is this your way of advertising that you want to be punished?”
“Yes. I want to be punished.”
I released my expectant gaze from Mayeonseo’s face and gave her a command.
“Lie down immediately.”
As she obediently lay down on the bed, her tempting buttocks wrapped in short shorts swayed gently.
“…This is driving me crazy…”
I quietly sighed with a conflicted heart.
*
Some time later.
Headquarters of the Awakening Association.
The association president, Im Mi-yoon, emphasized the three visible images and read the report that appeared on the tablet with an intrigued expression.
It was filled with information about Kang Yu-chan.
“What is this guy’s identity?”
Not long ago.
The Association, which accused Kang Yuchan as the cause of the destruction of the magical stone, conducted an investigation based on the disclosed information.
In the process, they were able to reveal that he possessed immense magical power and had an unprecedented and unique ability.
With this, the Association became convinced that Kang Yuchan was not an ordinary existence and secretly established the ‘Kang Yuchan Project’.
They delved into the history of the person named Kang Yuchan, from who his parents were, to the environment in which he grew up, and the experiences he had as he grew older.
They even went as far as to investigate his sleeping habits.
Before long, they were able to find someone who had been closely associated with Kang Yuchan more than anyone else in the country.
“Please come in. Miss Ryeowon.”
It was Han Ryeowon.
“Shall we sit down and talk? The story might be a bit long.”
“…I understand.”
Im Miyun opened her mouth with a friendly expression, sitting opposite Han Ryeowon.
“By any chance, do you know why I called you?”
“I have no idea.”
“Well… the thing is, I wanted to ask you something, Miss Ryeowon.”
“…Me?”
Han Ryeowon gave her a slightly suspicious look.
Because the person in question was none other than the chairman of the association, I couldn’t help but suspect.
“Do you know anything about Kang Yuchan?”
“…!”
At the unexpected mention of his name, I opened my eyes wide and spoke.
“We’re actually dealing with something related to Kang Yuchan internally.”
Im Mi-yoon spoke with an ominous smile and a subtle voice.
“And then we found out that the two of them were originally engaged. Is that true?”
“…Yes.”
“And then suddenly Yuchan went missing?”
“…That’s correct.”
“Oh… how painful it must have been.”
With a stiff and hardened appearance, Hanryowon smiled inwardly and asked one more question.
“So… it’s true that the government pressured Yuchan to break up, right?”
“……”
Hanryowon remained silent, only shaking the tea that had been served.
It was all true.
As time passed, it was revealed that Myeonseo was returning to the country.
Someone from the government came and presented a proposal to Hanryowon’s family.
If they willingly broke up with Kang Yuchan and promised not to cause any trouble, they would be compensated without feeling resentful.
In other words, they were asking them to keep their mouths shut in exchange for compensation.
On the contrary, it was also a threat that she wouldn’t stay silent if he dared to mock her.
“Ryeowon, I don’t really mind, so do as you please. Go ahead and torment me!”
“Sure, Ryeowon. Let’s not worry about it and just do what you want.”
Her small parents, who refused to succumb to the threat, naturally respected her decision.
However,
It wasn’t even a consideration for Han Ryeowon to be caught up in the country’s mess.
“I’m breaking up with Yoo Chan.”
In the end, Han Ryeowon managed to secure a significant additional budget for her father’s hospital on the condition that she broke up with Kang Yoo Chan.
That was the best choice she could make at that time.
Back then.
“The gods are so indifferent…. The world is too harsh on you, Ryeowon.”
Im Miyun showed a genuinely sympathetic reaction as she comforted Han Ryeowon.
In fact, she was the one who appealed to the government for the importance of the Maenseo more than anyone else.
She took Han Ryeowon’s side, breaking the silence.
“Ryeowon, you haven’t completely given up on Yoo Chan, have you?”
“…What are you trying to say…”
“I want to help you, Ryeowon.”
With eyes that flickered like an old fox, Im Miyun subtly proposed.
“Would you like to work with me?”
*
It was the day before the official announcement of my return to the Demon Realm.
I had signed the final contract. Now was the time to leave the hotel and settle down for real.
Out of the blue, I received a call from the Association.
“Hanyeo-won [Are you available for a moment?]”
It wasn’t about the Demon Realm, but directly to me.
Hanyeo-won, who contacted me on my work phone, asked me to meet her at the café inside the hotel, saying there was something to discuss based on the previous test results.
Of course, there was no reason for me not to go.
“It’s been a while.”
Hanyeo-won, who appeared in a suit as if she had come for business purposes, maintained her professional attitude as always.
My heart ached a little.
“What can I help you with?”
Despite everything, I asked her with a sincere willingness to help.
She briefly explained while handing me a tablet.
“We want to conduct additional tests on Kang Yoo-chan.”
“…Additional tests?”
“Due to difficulties with the headquarters regarding the aftermath of the accident. We plan to conduct a detailed examination at the Busan Research Institute for a few days.”
“Ah… So there’s a research institute in Busan too.”
Just as I absentmindedly skimmed through the contents of the tablet.
“By the way.”
Hanyeo-won added a short explanation in an indifferent tone.
“I will personally accompany the investigation.”
“…Huh?”
It turned out to be a business trip just for the two of them.