By Zephyria “Why are you being so nice to me today?”
Eui-jae, who had raised his head, met the purple eyes head-on. Unlike the slightly curled corners of his lips, a cool air lingered.
[Trait Poker Face (B) is activated.]
‘Crazy brat. He’s so quick-witted.’
Fortunately, the Poker Face trait activated on its own. Beneath his expressionless face, Eui-jae pondered his suspicions about Nam Woo-jin. Could he know everything and be bringing it up? Could Nam Woo-jin have given Lee Sa-young some kind of hint? They were said to be in a cooperative relationship, after all.
But he soon dismissed the suspicion. Back then, Nam Woo-jin… had really been purely observing Eui-jae listening to Lee Sa-young’s past.
It was suspicious enough that Lee Sa-young’s helper had suddenly appeared, but without knowing his identity, without any questions about him, without even a shred of doubt about the skilled person who had appeared out of nowhere. That gaze that seemed to see right through Cha Eui-jae’s existence itself was like….
‘As if confirming his value….’
Eui-jae swallowed silently. He had said it was a reward for the drugs, but the fact that he had given him two Black Tickets might be proof that he had passed his standards or test.
Nam Woo-jin seemed like a person thirsty for finding new knowledge and truth. So he would have tried to analyze Cha Eui-jae, a newly appeared existence. But since he had only observed him for a short time, the information he had gathered wouldn’t have been perfect enough to be called knowledge.
A scholar by nature, he wouldn’t put an incomplete book in his library. If this prediction was correct, Nam Woo-jin wouldn’t have told Lee Sa-young about the conversation they had shared alone.
Then it must just be that Lee Sa-young’s senses were as sharp as an animal’s.
In the end, he was reacting like that just from seeing his changed attitude, but he wondered if he should be so wary just because he had been a little soft because he felt a little guilty. His narrowly opened eyes seemed to be asking, ‘Since when have you been the type to give me things like this?’
This… considering he said he didn’t have trust in people, wasn’t he being too distrustful himself? Eui-jae was dumbfounded, but first, he earnestly played dumb.
“Being nice? What are you talking about? What did I even do?”
“This.”
Sa-young nudged the paper cup with his gloved hand.
‘This?’
Eui-jae frowned, looking back and forth between the paper cup and Sa-young. If making him a cup of misugaru was being nice, how low was Lee Sa-young’s threshold for niceness? Eui-jae was about to retort, but he suddenly looked at Sa-young’s face. Suspicion was plastered all over his delicate face.
Wasn’t this brat just… a child? One whose mood changed less often than Ha-eun’s.
“The only thing that could have changed your attitude in this short amount of time….”
Sa-young muttered, tilting his head slightly.
“Is meeting Nam Woo-jin.”
“……”
“That crazy brat is quite the smooth talker….”
That… was true. He had only exchanged a few words with him, but his skill in overwhelming the other person with his own words without giving them a chance to speak was extraordinary. Sa-young rubbed the top of the paper cup and slowly continued.
“You’re not the type to listen to people, Hyung… which makes it even more suspicious.”
‘He’s suddenly attacking me with words.’
“I also wonder why that crazy brat is interfering between us.”
What was ‘us’? A contractual relationship? Eui-jae was about to retort, but he closed his mouth. It was because Sa-young’s aura was more ferocious than he had expected.
In the meantime, Sa-young closed his eyes briefly and opened them again.
“Well…. I think I’ve said all my reasoning.”
Eui-jae quickly racked his brain at the sight of him cocking his head as if telling him to answer.
It would be better to hide the fact that Nam Woo-jin had talked about Lee Sa-young’s past for now. Of course, it was no different from talking behind his back, but it would be strange to talk about Nam Woo-jin when he wasn’t there.
Eui-jae was thinking of an excuse… but gave up. He scratched his head roughly and replied honestly.
“You’re… complaining even when I’m being nice to you? It’s ridiculous to say I’m being nice just for making you a cup of misugaru.”
“……”
“Oh, fine. I’m thankful, why?”
A look of disbelief appeared on Sa-young’s face.
“Thankful? For what?”
“I took Grandmother to the hospital.”
“That was a contractual condition from the start, and I offered it first.”
“Okay… I also looked after Ha-eun.”
“……”
He still couldn’t believe that he had done that public service announcement hand gesture, but anyway, he had been next to Ha-eun so she wouldn’t get lost in the library, hadn’t he? Eui-jae muttered and continued.
“When I was caught up in the Rift… you came, and that’s also a contract if you think about it.”
Come to think of it, no one had ever come to help him when he was active as J. Rather, he was the one who went to help. Because he was J. He had to overcome everything with his own strength alone. That was only natural.
“……”
A brief silence fell, but he was too preoccupied to even notice the silence. Now that he thought about it, he had been more involved with Lee Sa-young and received more help than he had thought. Once he started talking, Lee Sa-young’s good deeds poured out like a dam had burst.
Eui-jae rubbed his lips and subtly rolled his eyes to avoid his gaze. Coincidentally, the kimchi and side dish automatic self-service bar came into view again. The Mana Stone, embedded in the center and shining brilliantly, was also there.
“The Mana Stone support was provided by Wave Guild Leader Lee Sa-young.”
Crazy, was that also Lee Sa-young? Eui-jae gritted his teeth. And he hurriedly added.
“Well… if you hadn’t been there at the time… the store might have caught fire. I might have become a wanted criminal for stealing an ambulance… who knows.”
“Wait… were you really trying to steal an ambulance?”
“……”
A short laugh burst out. Sa-young was covering his mouth slightly and laughing.
“I wondered why you were asking about a license.”
“……”
“You’re really crazy.”
Shut up, what do you know. The store almost burned down.
Eui-jae, who had been recognized as crazy by a crazy person, frowned, but on the contrary, the suspicion was gradually disappearing from Sa-young’s face. Moreover, he seemed to be in a pretty good mood. He subtly urged him.
“And?”
“And what, what else?”
“Isn’t there anything else you’re thankful for?”
“No, there’s nothing else to say, now.”
Should he have just told him what he had heard from Nam Woo-jin? He had tried to protect his loyalty to Nam Woo-jin, who had nothing to do with it, and ended up revealing a secret story from deep inside. The atmosphere, which had been stiffened by Sa-young’s questioning, had already melted away. Sa-young’s sharp aura was somehow soft and fluffy.
It was when Eui-jae, unable to overcome the rising shame, stealthily covered his eyes with one hand.
“You know… you don’t have trust in people, but your standards are low.”
It was a sarcastic tone, but it wasn’t mocking. Sa-young tapped the table with his fingertips.
“If you’re so thankful, accept my date request.”
Damn it, he was back to square one. Eui-jae replied with gritted teeth.
“No.”
“Why?”
“I just really don’t want to go.”
Even though he had been pushed out of first place, he was still second in the country. Lee Sa-young was bound to receive everyone’s attention. His gaze would reach the secretary moving next to him at least once. He was even wearing a Gas mask.
“You told me to live quietly, too. Let me just sell Hangover Soup here.”
“I told you we could go quietly.”
Eui-jae had no intention of leaving this comfortable and slightly noisy Hanover Soup Restaurant and stepping into the battlefield on his own. Furthermore, he had already caused too many accidents, so he was planning to take a period of self-reflection. However, Lee Sa-young didn’t seem to want to let him go.
“Why are you trying to take me in the first place?”
“A date.”
“Don’t give me that date bullshit. Tell me straight.”
“Hmm, because I’m lonely going alone?”
Lee Sa-young sometimes said things that didn’t make sense with a straight face. Eui-jae still gritted his teeth and replied.
“Isn’t Bae Won-woo-ssi going? Your vice Guild Leader.”
“Well… he’ll probably go.”
“Then you can move with Bae Won-woo-ssi.”
“You don’t call my name often, but you call Bae Won-woo by his full name so well.”
“Ha…. You know you’re really picky, Lee Sa-young.”
“I hear that a lot.”
Sa-young, who had answered satisfactorily only after his name was called, trailed off with a hmm.
“Bae Won-woo will be with the other Guild members….”
“Join them.”
“I can’t do that. It’s uncomfortable to be with your boss.”
Lee Sa-young said as if he were teaching him. No, since when have you been so considerate of your subordinates? Eui-jae sighed deeply. Sa-young, who had rested his chin on his hands again, blinked slowly.
“If I say this, you’ll have one more thing to be thankful for.”
Judging from the laughter mixed in his voice, it seemed like he was enjoying the fact that he was anxious.
“Those guys you strung together like dried fish. Do you remember?”
Dried fish…. He was probably talking about the guys he had caught at Incheon Port. Eui-jae still covered his eyes and nodded slightly.
“You were a bit… reckless and jumped in with your body first. You ignored my texts, too.”
He was still holding a huge grudge for not reading a single text.
“I messed with them a bit before putting them on the transport vehicle… and they remembered you in quite a bit of detail.”
‘Shit.’
Oops, he hadn’t considered that point! Eui-jae pressed down on his palm and squeezed his eyes shut. He had used memory erasure on Romantic Opener, but he had only inflicted physical damage on the dried fish and had forgotten to threaten them with memory erasure.
Perhaps because he had been wearing a mask every day until recently, Eui-jae couldn’t shake the habit of trusting only in covering his face and jumping in with his body first. He put more strength into the hand covering his eyes. Sa-young said leisurely.
“I even contacted the Bureau of Rift Management and called for a transport vehicle…. It would have been a disaster if I had sent them as they were.”
Bureau of Rift Management. Eui-jae began to repent inwardly for the things he had failed to think about because he had been out of his mind.
Jung-bin thought Cha Eui-jae was a D-class Awakened. But a D-class Awakened had single-handedly taken on a group of 20 thugs and crushed them? Even a B-class Awakened? The moment that fact became known, he would be caught by the Awakened Management Bureau and would inevitably have a one-on-one meeting with Jung-bin. Cold sweat ran down his back.
“Fortunately, they’re still in our Guild’s basement. I don’t know when they’ll be going to the Bureau of Rift Management, though.”
“…Wouldn’t it be disadvantageous for you if they talked about me?”
“Well, it would probably be less damaging than it would be for you. I have a way out, too.”
Lee Sa-young was saying something that could be said in one sentence in a roundabout way.
Do you want to die together, or go to Songdo?
“Originally… I wasn’t going to force you to come if you refused.”
“……”
“But since you’re so thankful even for small things….”
The cold sensation of leather touched the back of his hand covering his eyes. Sa-young grabbed the hand covering his eyes and gently pulled it away. Their gazes intertwined at close range. The cool air he had felt earlier was nowhere to be found, and only a smile remained on his beautiful face.
“I want to do more for you, this and that.”
‘I don’t need it, you son of a bitch….’
Eui-jae had learned anew after 28 years that being honest wasn’t always a good thing.
The next day, at 5:30 AM. Eui-jae took a broom and went outside to clean the spots where barnacles would stick before opening the store. But not long after, a strange man wearing a thick coat came waddling along, carrying a large box and a small box.
It was ominous….
‘I’m sure the wreaths were delivered in this way, too.’
Cha Eui-jae’s ominous premonition was correct again without fail. The delivery man, who had been looking around, saw the Hangover Soup Restaurant sign on the sliding door and made an ah sound.
“Are you the person who works here?”
“……”
“Delivery.”
What kind of delivery came this early in the morning? Eui-jae’s expression hardened at the memory of bad experiences with deliveries and registered mail. Regardless, the delivery man handed Eui-jae the box and left in a hurry.
Eui-jae put down the broom, squatted in front of the Hangover Soup Restaurant, and checked the items listed on the invoice first. It was a men’s suit and shoes from a luxury brand.
The sender was… Lee Sa-young.
Eui-jae sensed it. That he had crossed a river he could not return from.
“Shit….”
A faint curse rode the morning air and scattered.
Cha Eui-jae, Artisan Exhibition attendance confirmed.