chapter 25
25 – 25.
Recently, Lyeowon had been in a good mood.
There were plenty of reasons for her to be happy, as things were going well in her life, but at the center of it all was Kang Yuchan.
“Are you taking a shower?”
As Lyeowon stared at her phone, waiting for a reply that never came, she left a message saying she would buy the snack Yuchan liked and put her phone away.
“He’ll like it, right?”
The thought of being showered with love after a long time made her stomach flutter with anticipation.
“hehehe. It’ll all be over soon.”
Lyeowon laughed softly, imagining herself entering the funeral home with Yuchan.
Actually, at first, she had never thought of marrying Yuchan.
No, she had always considered marriage itself to be something distant from her.
Having grown up in unfortunate circumstances, her perception of marriage had been shattered since childhood.
So, even as an adult, she had vowed never to get married.
But.
Everything changed when Yuchan appeared.
It was definitely curiosity at first.
A small curiosity that made her want to see him again the next day after seeing him today.
As they spent more and more time together, her feelings for him grew.
And by the time she realized it, she had already fallen deeply for him.
So just like any other man, he made an effort to stand out, and desperately tried to deepen their relationship.
There were some unfortunate incidents where they were briefly separated due to the interference of a crazy ex-girlfriend.
But they didn’t give up and patiently waited for their turn, and finally, a “golden opportunity” came one after another.
In the end, it was the victory of the person who waited for the opportunity until the end and persistently pursued it.
“I should have just died there.”
Ryeowon swallowed her disappointment, recalling the suicide in the Mayaen Book that she happened to hear from her late father a long time ago.
If she had died back then, she wouldn’t have to worry about unnecessary nonsense.
Well, anyway, everything worked out in the end.
In a way, she could say that she learned how to use the power of the Mayaen Book without shedding a drop of blood, thanks to it.
In reality, they easily became a couple and even promised to get married, didn’t they?
It’s just a bit frustrating that she took away Yu Chan’s first time just because they met a little earlier.
But she was willing to close her eyes and let Mayaen Book carry the burden of memories and suffer for a lifetime.
“I’m here!”
Ryeowon arrived at Yu Chan’s house and shouted as she put down her luggage.
“Baby, I’m here.”
But…
“…?”
For some reason, the house was so quiet.
As if no one was there.
“…Where did they go?”
He’s not in the room, nor in the bathroom.
Confirming that Yoo-chan was not in the house, Rye-won shook her head and made a phone call.
And then.
Buzz. Buzz.
A faint vibration came from the master bedroom.
“…Did he leave his phone behind?”
His phone was placed on the desk in the master bedroom.
It was always the spot where he habitually left his phone when he was at home.
“What’s going on?”
Thinking that Yoo-chan had gone out for a moment, Rye-won decided to wait while half-asleep.
It was hours later when she noticed that he had disappeared.
*
In life, crises inevitably come at some point.
A tremendous crisis that makes your spine go cold and your head turn pale.
And that crisis has now arrived before me.
“…Yoo-chan?”
A room with luxurious interior.
Stiffened in a clumsy posture trying to take off my underwear, I was greatly startled and speechless at the sight of her appearing before me.
“Yeon-seo…”
Mayeon-seo. She stood before me.
“What in the world is going on?”
The sudden change in the surroundings and the appearance of the mysterious book.
At that moment, I was dumbfounded, unable to comprehend the situation, and could only blink my eyes stupidly.
Suddenly, she glanced at my lower half.
“!”
Realizing that I was only half-naked, I hurriedly covered myself and asked her.
“Um, excuse me. Can you explain what’s going on?”
She looked at me with a slightly surprised expression, and then seemed to realize something.
“Oh, so that’s what it was.”
Swiftly, she conjured flames in her hand and clenched something.
“What is that?”
In her hand was a seal, with the end colored a bright red, like a torture instrument.
“Um, excuse me. Can you please tell me what this is?”
Startled by her quiet approach, I instinctively took a step back.
“….”
However, she didn’t offer any explanation.
She simply pushed the seal towards me, declaring.
“If you get caught, you’ll make a contract with me.”
Contract. The ominous word sent shivers down my spine.
I didn’t know what was going on, but I had to run away.
“aaah!!”
In order to get away from her, I ran towards the door in the distance without thinking.
“What the hell is this!”
Unfortunately, I couldn’t escape far enough.
“Gotcha.”
With a voice coming from behind me, something unknown wrapped around my arms and legs.
“What?!”
Startled, I turned around and saw thick tentacles rising from a magic circle in the air, gripping onto my limbs.
“This, this is…!”
It was the hand of “Sigloo,” which had turned the demon book into an S-class awakened being.
“Ma, Magic book! What the hell are you suddenly doing?!!!”
Thinking that I was being attacked, I desperately protested to her while struggling.
Then, as she slowly approached, she beckoned with her hand, and soon new tentacles sprouted, wrapping around my head and forcing my mouth open.
“Ugh…!”
Now, I couldn’t even resist.
“Ugh! Buh! uuugh!!!”
“Yuchan. Just to clarify, I didn’t summon you, you came to me.”
Sigloo uttered incomprehensible words as she approached confidently.
And then, she leaned in close to my face, staring at my terrified expression.
“…Cute.”
As I gently brushed away the fallen hair, I pressed the glowing seal in front of my eyes.
“C-Crazy!”
Cold sweat poured down like a waterfall.
“Oof! Oooh!!!”
“This is a seal used when making a contract with a summoned being. It might hurt a little.”
“Oooh!!! Oooh!!!”
“…I don’t want to hurt you either. But we still have to do it.”
“Oooh!!!”
Words like summoned being, seal, and incomprehensible things pierced my ears.
“Can you endure it a little longer?”
As if trying to reassure me, Mayen gave me a faint smile and moved the seal onto my chest.
But I couldn’t feel any reassurance at all.
“Oooh!!!”
Swish. Swish. I felt a gentle touch, as if searching for the right position, brushing against my chest.
“Oooh!!!”
In an instant, as I screamed with my neck strained and blood vessels bulging.
Snap! I stamped the seal.
“!!!!!”
In that moment, an intense pain pierced deep into my chest, making my vision flash.
It was not physical pain, but a pain from a dimension I had never experienced in my life.
As if…
It felt like leaving scars on my soul.
“Ugh…! Ugh…!”
I barely managed to break free from the restraints, and I sat on the floor, breathing heavily.
“…Did it hurt a lot?”
In the midst of this, Mayeonseo stroked my head, showing a worried expression.
“What… What…? What have I become…?”
The concept of a summon that she had explained to me a long time ago flashed through my mind.
A summon, a living being that enters into a contract and responds to summoning to assist its master.
So, it meant that as a human, I had become Mayeonseo’s summon.
“Oh, no. How… Why?”
Even though I understood the situation, my doubts only grew deeper.
I had heard that summoners cannot designate their contract targets.
So, does that mean I was really summoned by chance?
No, is it even possible to make a human a summon in the first place?
“…Well?”
Marie seemed genuinely clueless for a moment, then she stood up, saying she would give me clothes because it was cold.
“Oh, Lye Won.”
Belatedly, I remembered that Lye Won was supposed to come home, so I immediately demanded that Marie send me back home.
“Forget about the clothes, just send me home!!”
But then…
“What home?”
“…Huh?”
Marie, who had brought a bathrobe, didn’t grant my request.
“Your home is here now.”
I felt dizzy.
“What, what are you saying? Don’t joke around! I have to go home right now!”
“Why?”
“Why, why do you think? Obviously…!”
Because I have to meet Lye Won. The words reached the tip of my tongue but didn’t come out.
“My, my home is not here!”
“Now it is.”
“Marie!!”
“…You’re getting angry at your master on the first day.”
“You really…!”
Marie silently watched me getting worked up, then, as if there was no other choice, she sighed softly and reached out her hand.
It seemed like she was finally going to send me back.
“Of course it has to be like this!”
I glared at her and eagerly waited to go back home.
Bam!
Soon, a bright light burst out from the magic circle that had appeared under my feet, just like before, engulfing my whole body.
“…Is it done?”
I cautiously opened my tightly shut eyes.
“……”
“What…?”
However, the ethereal realm was still in front of me.
I should have definitely returned home, but I was still standing in the same place.
I couldn’t go back home.
“Hey! Are you playing a prank right now?!”
Thinking that she was intentionally doing this, I erupted in anger.
Then, she used the reverse summoning magic again, with an expressionless face.
Bam!
“Huh…huh…?”
This time, nothing had changed.
“Um, could it be…”
I broke out in a cold sweat.
“Now your home is here?”
At the casual remark whispered in my ear, my heart sank.
“N-No way.”
Feeling my feet crumble beneath me, I quickly racked my brain for a solution.
“What should I say to Ryewon? About my job? I need to contact her right away…”
Realizing that I didn’t have my phone, I desperately pleaded with Mayeon.
“Mayeon, sorry, but could I borrow your phone, even just for a moment…”
“Why should I?”
“Please, just this once…!”
“No. Figure it out yourself.”
She firmly refused.
“Mayeon…!”
I approached her once again, desperately appealing to her.
Then, she showed a slightly weakened response…
“…I’ll consider it if you agree to meet me again.”
“What…?”
She had never given such an unexpected rejection before.
“I’m serious.”
She sent me a piercing gaze, her face filled with utmost sincerity.
Caught off guard by her intense gaze, I finally understood her sincerity.
From then until now, it has been a continuous fact that she liked me.
“…She really is crazy….”
Having taken off my school uniform once again, I stood up straight, confidently shouting as I put on the gown she had brought for me.
“It’s settled! I’ll go myself!”
“How?”
“Of course, by going…outside….”
And it didn’t take long for me to realize that it was impossible.
“Oh.”
I was summoned to where Mayeonseo was.
She was in America.
In other words, I had fallen on the opposite side of the Earth naked.
“Well, sh*t.”
Unable to accept reality, my mind went blank, and I collapsed onto the ground, my legs giving way.
Then, Mayeonseo sat down in front of me, casually speaking with a faint smile on her face.
“Let’s live well from now on, Yoochan.”
“……”
And so, I became Mayeonseo’s summoned being.