Chapter 81 – GOY 81
#81
Even in my second life, I was clumsy with interpersonal relationships, making it difficult to discern the intentions of others.
We weren’t particularly close to begin with. However, he had never stood me up like this before… Was he perhaps feeling pressured because of yesterday’s questionnaire?
I didn’t have any particular interest in him either.
Park Geon-woo was the sub seme of the original story. Regardless of his appearance, abilities, or personality, he was someone I needed to keep at a distance.
As much as Park Geon-woo kept his distance, I had also drawn a reasonable line.
Regardless of what the media rambled about, I had consistently made it clear that I had no ulterior motives. Yet, he must have felt pressured. I hadn’t subtly ignored Park Geon-woo like in the original; in fact, I had been polite, but it seemed I had somehow gotten on his bad side without even knowing it.
Is this what they call the Original Plot Constraint?
Perhaps because I viewed him as someone who could hate me at any time, I wasn’t particularly upset about being stood up.
If I hadn’t known the original story, would I have been hurt by Park Geon-woo’s behavior?
Well, I don’t know. Making such assumptions now is meaningless.
As I trudged through the hotel lobby, I saw Joo Seung-hyuk walking toward me from the opposite direction.
Our eyes met head-on. Since it would be strange to pretend not to see him, I gave a small nod, but Joo Seung-hyuk ignored me and passed by with a stiff, frozen expression.
I guess today is just a day for being ignored. Well, it would have been troublesome if Joo Seung-hyuk had suddenly started talking to me anyway.
Regardless, did he receive proper Guiding?
Around the time Joo Seung-hyuk graduated from middle school, Kang Ok-eun retired. I heard that the Exclusive Guide Contract with Joo Seung-hyuk was also terminated. After that, Joo Seung-hyuk did not enter into an exclusive contract with any other Guide.
But that’s none of my business…
As soon as I entered my hotel room, I turned up the heat. Even though there were heating appliances inside the tent, it was very cold.
Moreover, since I had left straight from school, I hadn’t been able to change out of my thin school uniform, making it feel even colder.
As I took off my jacket and unbuttoned my shirt, I heard a doorbell.
Who is it?
When I opened the door, an unexpected guest was standing there.
“In-ho…”
Why did Kang In-ho come to my room? It wasn’t like he came to hang out. Just as I was about to ask what was going on, he abruptly handed me a shopping bag.
“Take it.”
“What is this?”
“I don’t know. A fan of yours gave it to me.”
“A fan?”
“Yeah.”
“What kind of fan?”
“Who knows. They were standing outside the hotel.”
He spoke indifferently.
“I’ve delivered it, so I’m leaving.”
“Okay. Thanks. In-ho, goodnight.”
“You too.”
Kang In-ho turned around after delivering the message. He is always such a cool guy.
I closed the door and checked the gift he gave me. It was handmade chocolates. Each one looked like a piece of art; they were so luxurious and beautiful that I almost didn’t dare eat them.
Who on earth gave me a gift like this? I looked down out the window.
In the space where darkness had fallen, a man was standing.
Someone I knew all too well—it was Joo Seung-hyuk.
‘Could it be that Joo Seung-hyuk gave it to me?’
I shook my head. It was a fleeting thought, but a foolish one.
If Joo Seung-hyuk had given it, there would be no reason for Kang In-ho to lie and say it was from a fan. Besides, there was no reason for Joo Seung-hyuk to give me Valentine’s Day chocolates.
I looked at the chocolates. They were [unauthorized copy][Read on Read BL Novels]beautiful even upon second glance. It felt like a waste to just eat them, visit our siteso I took a photo with my phone.
After staring at them for a long while because they were so lovely, I put a heart-shaped chocolate in my mouth.
A deep cocoa scent spread through my mouth.
I’m sure I was thinking about Park Geon-woo, but before I knew it, I was thinking of Joo Seung-hyuk. This has been happening a lot lately. No matter what I think about, it seems to conclude with Joo Seung-hyuk.
Why is this happening…?
I threw the chocolate wrapper in the trash and walked along when someone called me.
“Yeon-soo.”
I turned my head at the soft voice and saw a welcome person standing there.
“Park Geon-woo hyung!”
“Yeon-soo, it’s been a long time.”
Park Geon-woo greeted me with a bright smile.
It really had been a long time. This was the first time since the Horaitron Gate incident.
“Yes. It’s been a long time.”
“You’ve practically become an adult in the meantime.”
“Hyung, you’ve become even more handsome.”
Park Geon-woo had transformed from a boy who had just graduated high school into a stunning man.
His pale face was tanned a bronze hue, and his build had grown larger. While he had looked like a perfect model student in the past, he now exuded a wild aura.
“I’m embarrassed to hear that from you.”
He scratched his head, laughing awkwardly.
Even though his vibe had changed slightly, his drooping eyes and kind-looking impression remained the same as before.
He is a handsome person in the complete opposite way from Joo Seung-hyuk. He makes the surroundings feel bright and warm.
I feel it every time I see him, but I can understand why he’s so popular. He truly lived up to being the sub seme of the story.
“When did you arrive?”
“This afternoon.”
“Then you came straight here as soon as you returned to the country?”
“Yeah.”
He must have flown straight back for the special lecture this week. Come to think of it, he would have decided on the special lecture before boarding the plane. He was diligent to a degree that was truly admirable.
“You must be tired.”
“No. Seeing you makes it all go away.”
He gave a faint smile. Perhaps because he had mingled with Ability Users from various countries in Africa, he seemed to have become a bit more sly.
“I heard about your achievements.”
“Achievements, my foot.”
“You’re a world-class hero. You even succeeded in the Akar Gate Raid.”
“I didn’t do that alone. Everyone worked together.”
“You’re still so humble.”
He was upright and humble, like a personification of a moral textbook. This attitude was also exactly the same as before.
He was like this in <The Swamp of the Guide> as well.
Unlike the novel, he returned suddenly, so I was worried if something had happened. The original plot had changed a lot. Perhaps the aftermath had reached Park Geon-woo as well.
But he was the same. His expression, personality, everything was just as it was before, and nothing had particularly changed compared to the original.
“It’s not humility, it’s just the truth. I heard your achievements were amazing, too. I heard you saved the lives of Joo Seung-hyuk and Seon-woo hyung?”
“I was just lucky.”
“You’re still humble too. You haven’t changed a bit.”
He gave a thin smile.
“I heard you had a mana depletion shock. And that there were other problems…”
Park Geon-woo trailed off. He was probably referring to the incident with Aaron.
“I’m okay. It was no big deal.”
“No big deal? I heard you almost died twice.”
His face was full of worry.
“It wasn’t that big of a deal.”
Especially the second time, the state of my waist was more dangerous than the mana…
“I only heard about you after the Akar raid was finished. I was in the center of the Akar Gate from January of this year. I’m really sorry. I should have been of help.”
The African continent became a land of death after the ‘S-class Gate Break’ incident. Since there were no electricity or water facilities, one had to use letters or messengers to communicate with the outside world.
However, the area around the Akar Gate, the cause of this situation, was a danger zone where even delivering letters was impossible. So, it was natural that he hadn’t heard news of me.
“No. I’m just grateful that you worried about me.”
“Guiding is good, [Read on Read BL Novels]but visit our sitefrom now on, prioritize your own body, Yeon-soo. You are a treasure of Korea.”
“Yes. But hyung, is your arm okay…?”
“Arm?”
“Yes. You were injured because of me…”
Park Geon-woo was injured while trying to save me at the Horaitron Gate two years ago.
When I brought up the story from back then, Park Geon-woo’s face stiffened noticeably.
“Ah, that. It healed long ago. I’d forgotten about it until you mentioned it.”
He smiled brightly again and waved his right arm. His expression had clearly been bad; is he being considerate so that I wouldn’t worry?
But the condition of his arm really seemed fine. Well, that’s probably why he succeeded in the Akar raid.
“That’s a relief. Have you completely returned to the country now?”
“Yeah. The situation over there has been settled a lot, and I think I’ve done my part. I’m going to get some deep rest now.”
Did he return earlier than in the original because he wanted to rest comfortably without any special reason?
Everything was progressing faster than in the original. The Akar raid was faster too. So, he must have been that much more exhausted.
“I’m glad you’re back.”
“I’m glad too, since you said that, Yeon-soo.”
“Not just me, the whole nation is glad.”
“I just hope that you like it…”
“Excuse me?”
Park Geon-woo muttered something softly. When I asked back, he shook his head.
“Ah, nothing. I’m planning to return to school starting next semester. Or should I say enroll?”
He scratched his head bashfully. Park Geon-woo had left for Africa without even having an entrance ceremony.
“Are you going to attend the Esper Academy?”
“Yeah. Why? You don’t like it?”
“Ah, no! It’s not that, it’s just unexpected.”
He had been deployed to Africa for about two and a half years. Moreover, since he had achieved great feats at the Akar Gate, there was no need for him to attend the Esper Academy.
The number of days spent on deployment is recognized as time spent at the Esper Academy, and additional points are granted for going to danger zones or achieving feats. He would have already more than filled the required days.
In the original, Park Geon-woo had chosen to go to Africa because he didn’t want to waste time at the academy.
After raiding the Akar Gate and returning to Korea, he intended to go straight to [visit our site]the Center, but he unauthorized copyhappened to stop by the academy, saw [visit our site]Kim Joon, and his curiosity was piqued, leading him to attend the academy.
But he probably hasn’t met Kim Joon yet. Even so, he plans to come to the academy instead of the Center?
“I thought you’d want to go to the field early, hyung.”
“I want to rest for a while.”
Ah, this person is also walking a different path from the original…
Park Geon-woo was a kind person, but he had a bulldozer-like side that only charged forward.
However, his expression now, as he said he wanted to rest, looked much more relaxed than in the original.
“From next semester, I’ll be attending with you.”
“I see.”
“I’m lookin—”
Vrrr.
At the same time he spoke, the phone vibrated. I looked at my phone.
A message had arrived from Joo Seung-hyuk.
Where are you?
His lecture must have ended. I sent a reply.
<< I’m about to go to the library. Shall we meet in front of it?
Yes.
I should hurry to the library.
“Hyung, I’ll be going now. It was good to see you today.”
As I was about to leave after saying goodbye, Park Geon-woo hurriedly caught me.
“Yeon-soo!”
“Yes?”
“I have a special lecture this Friday.”
“Ah, yes. I heard.”
“Actually, calling it a lecture is a bit grand; I’m just talking about the experiences I had in Africa.”
“Still, it’s a story that no one else can tell.”
“Um…”
He hesitated for a moment before continuing.
“Will you come?”
“Pardon?”
“I want you to come to the lecture.”
Enjoying the story?Support me on Ko-fi
Comments 0
You must be logged in to comment.
No comments yet. Be the first!