NOVEL NEXT chapter 147
147 – Kang Ah-rang (3)
He lowered his head and held out his hand slowly.
Kang Ah-rang looked at me with a blank face, as if he was still awake.
“Why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost?”
“…”
She can’t keep her mouth shut. He sighed and took my hand.
“It’s new, but it’s really outrageous.”
“Is it a compliment that suddenly sounds good?”
“No, I’m telling the truth…”
A strangely low voice. I looked up and down in wonder.
I don’t know for sure, but I vaguely understood that I was depressed from the fact that my head was lowered.
“Why, all of a sudden?”
“…It’s nothing. So I burned everything like this, but can you find the item you want?”
“Don’t worry about that. If nothing else, the warehouse will be fine.”
“…? warehouse?”
He nodded and stepped forward. With Kang Ah looking at me with a tilt.
Upon entering the dwelling, acrid incense spread along with the burnt remains here and there.
Passing by the charred corpse, we stopped in front of a hut that seemed to be where the chief lived.
“…Is this a warehouse? No matter how you look at it, it’s a collapsed house?”
“Don’t be impatient. Stay still. He’s sure to be here.”
I cleaned up the debris with a fire pit and inspected the floor carefully.
After how much time had passed, I used my fingertips to detect where the slight breeze was leaking out.
‘bingo.’
The basement door opened with a loud ‘deuddeuk!’
I saw a closed door with a small staircase.
Upon entering, Kang Ah-rang gave a low exclamation.
“Wow… this is all, what is it?”
“Isn’t it great?”
There were rare herbs, crafts, and jewel-encrusted ornaments all over the place. Just looking at them, they are worth a lot of money.
Ignoring everything, I searched the shelves below.
Before long, the same jewelry box as in my memory was caught.
Inside, there was a glass vial containing a light-green liquid.
[Obtain Sylphian Special Blend (20 Year Old)×30]
[This is a very valuable catalyst!]
[Treasure Hunter achievement achieved!]
[Get 30000P shop points as a reward!]
‘Oh, Nice.’
The corner of his mouth went up at the unexpected achievement.
“Kang Ah and you get what you want…?”
When I turned around, I saw her looking around without touching anything, just surprised.
‘I thought he would definitely touch it because of his personality.’
As I looked at it curiously, I must have noticed it, so I turned my gaze to this side.
She scratches her cheeks and speaks as if crawling.
“…since I haven’t done much…it’s all yours.”
“…What’s wrong? It’s not like the Kang A-rang I know?”
“…”
Even when I said it in a teasing way, she didn’t react much.
‘That’s strange… ‘
[I tell the observer to pay attention if you can’t see that the message is depressed.]
‘to? why?’
[That’s because you killed an opponent who was barely able to block it in two shots… How desperate you must be, and as you know Kang Ah-rang has a weak mentality, so I advise you to take care of him.]
‘ah… ‘
I looked at her again.
‘It’s a bit different to see a kid who does whatever he wants while playing matchless in games every day… ‘
Well, come to think of it… Kang Ah-rang in the original work was a being who reigned like a queen in a place where no one was outstanding except herself.
Of course, things will be very different from now.
‘In terms of talent, there are Suho who are one level above him, and in terms of skills, there are strong players like Gumi-hyang, Erin and Horin.’
Also, without realizing it, there will be an influence from the sparring matches.
‘I heard that it was a one-point difference, but I lost to Mi-hyang Gumi anyway.’
Practice was also defeated by one… Maybe my pride was more cracked than I thought.
‘… Then it would be a bit difficult.’
Her ‘indomitable heart’ is a constitution that is greatly affected by her mental state.
She lost confidence in herself and couldn’t properly handle that ability.
‘It will affect future growth… ‘
However, I don’t know what to say.
Unlike the other kids, it’s difficult to see him as friendly, so he doesn’t know how to appease him, and on the contrary, he could only hurt his pride if he said something clumsy.
‘Grunt… ‘
hey i don’t know
“Arang.”
“…Uh…Hmm? Eh? What did you just say?”
“They said Arang. Why, he asked me to call him.”
“Huh? Uh…uh.”
Pretending to be nothing, I packed up the things around me and put them in my inventory.
“I’m just looking at something. It’s hard for me to take care of myself. Help me too.”
“But this is all…”
“Hey, do you want to keep saying weird things? If it weren’t for you, all the kids would have run away through the front door and had a hard time. Don’t talk nonsense, let’s get organized and rest. It’s getting dark…I’m hungry. You say you’re good at cooking, so cook me some food.”
With Kang Ah, who has a dumbfounded face.
Embarrassment came over him, but he scratched his cheek and said nothing.
Then he sighed and came over to the side and held out his hand.
“Hey, what kind of Bob Shuttle am I?”
“Huh? Wasn’t it?”
“Do you really want to go back?”
While we were bickering like that, the day was completely over.
●
A savory scent crossed his nostrils with a bubbling sound.
I swallowed my saliva.
Looking around, I saw Kang Ah-rang turning the ladle with a nonchalant expression.
Wearing an apron, she serves her liver on a small plate.
He opened his mouth with a satisfied smile.
“It’s done. You can eat now.”
prepared meal. The quality was so high that I doubted whether this was a real dungeon or not.
“Okay, I’ll eat well.”
I picked up the seasoned bulgogi with my chopsticks and put it in my mouth.
‘Wow, fuck… ‘
The taste that was so good that it made me curse lingered on my tongue.
Mouth opening with an exclamation of ‘Ha~’.
At one point, I was hurriedly stuffing it into my mouth.
And Kang Ah-rang who looks at it with a full smile.
“Hey, hey, eat slowly. Don’t steal.”
“Mummm…gulp. This is really delicious. Why are you so good at cooking?”
“I told you. I learned to control men… I heard that when my mother tried to seduce my father, she conquered her stomach first and then attacked her with her body.”
“mmm…Ah, that’s right. I’m the only one eating for a second, right? Hurry up and eat. Aren’t you hungry?”
“Nugu-ssi ate so well that I’m full just by looking at it. Don’t worry, I put mine aside. I’ll eat later.”
“Well…really? Thank you anyway.”
Until I finished eating, she just smiled.
Meal soon to be finished. I felt a sense of satisfaction from the rising satiety.
“I ate really well. I’ve been to all the high-end restaurants, but I can assure you that your food tastes better.”
“…Do you want to keep praising me shyly?”
“I’m not complimenting you, I’m telling you the truth. Why don’t you do business with this? It’s sure to be a jackpot.”
“What nonsense… are you asking the guild heir to open a shop?”
“Why is there anything you can’t do? Kill the monsters and open a shop when you have free time. It’ll sell like hotcakes, right?”
“I really want…”
That, the conversation that followed.
They talked about trivial things that didn’t mean much and burst into light laughter at each other.
Soon, no one said anything first, and went into silence.
I felt the warmth of the burning bonfire and felt the gaze watching me.
Kang A-rang, who only raised his head with his knees pulled up.
Maybe it was because it was nighttime and it was just the two of us, so a strange air current flowed.
“Hey, Arang. Any interesting stories?
“…Yoo Siu.”
“…? What’s wrong, suddenly setting the mood.”
She opens her mouth slightly. He lowered his head and raised it again.
“I might regret it as fuck… but I don’t think there will be a chance if it’s not now, so I’ll just say it.
“What is it all of a sudden. Well, even if it’s a dark history…”
“I like you.”
“…”
Suddenly, my body stiffened.
I raised my head, wondering if I had heard it wrong, and saw her with an eager gaze.
“Sorry, is this all of a sudden? But I’ve been moaning for six months. Please understand. No matter how much I try to notice, it seems like it’s useless. At this rate, I’m afraid I’ll get a vase, so I couldn’t do it.”
“…”
“I fell in love the first time I saw you at the entrance ceremony. It must have been because of my looks…”
Taking a deep breath, she let out an excited breath.
“Now… I don’t think it matters much. I just like you. When you praise me, my heart trembles, and when I’m next to you, my heart hurts.”
“…”
“To be honest, the gloominess earlier was also because I was so pathetic compared to you. I thought I was strong, but compared to you, I’m nothing special… Then suddenly I thought, ‘If I keep going like this, won’t I be next to Yu Siu anymore?’ Do you have anything?”
“…”
“I’ve had a lot of worries lately. After losing to Goo Mi-hyang, I didn’t have confidence in myself… My head was complicated because of my mother, and the reigning officers all trusted me and looked at me… To be honest, it’s not once or twice that I wanted to run away right away.”
“…”
“But when I’m by your side, I think I’ll be fine. I have faith that no matter how worst a situation is, if it’s Yu Siu, he’ll do something for me. I felt that and realized it all over again.”
“…”
“I think I really like you…”
Kanga and I finished talking. He raised his head and looked at the boy next to him.
I saw him staring at the burning bonfire with a hardened face.
A boy with no answers.
Then he sighed softly and looked at himself.
“…thank you for thinking that way.”
“…”
“…But I’m sorry. I have no intention of dating anyone.”
“…I see.”
A boy who gives the expected answer. Rather than feeling sad, I felt refreshed.
Of course, it wasn’t without pain. There were definitely bitter corners. but…
‘But at this level, am I not the most advanced than the other bitches around me?’
Having only been kicked once, she had no intention of giving up.
For now, it is enough if he has been recognized in his mind even a little.
That, I’m going to break through the gap somehow.
‘But that dumbass… I don’t know if you don’t even tell me this.’
“Yoo Si-woo.”
“…uh.”
“I will not give up.”
“…Uh…uh? Huh?”
A boy looking up with a bewildered face. Laughter leaked out.
Rather than trying to get up and widen the distance, he brought his body closer to him one step faster.
“There’s an old saying. There’s no tree that hasn’t been felled by 10 shots.”
“…”
“You really thought Kang Ah-rang would give up because he was kicked for the first time, didn’t he?”
“…what…”
“I’ll make a confession in a better mood next time.”
“…”
“Of course it will fail. Then, I will try to create a chance next time. If anything, wouldn’t it be possible to create a chance for the two of us to be alone if I seduce you with something expensive like a room play?”
“Hey, what about heroic equipment…”
“It’s not worth anything if it’s for you.”
“…”
“So don’t be too uncomfortable… just go on as usual…”
“Why.”
“…yes?”
“Why do you love me so much?”
His unexpected answer. Kang Ah-rang looked to the side with a puzzled feeling.
I could see his pupils shaking.
The prayer that had always been consistent was disorganized.
It looked like he was angry.
“…Yoo Siu?”
“I’m…a person who doesn’t look at you directly. A selfish guy who always thinks only of my own goals.”
“…”
“I don’t deserve this kind of love. I just… want to go back… I’m only using you guys for that one thing.”
A boy whose face is distorted with a furious reaction. He began to tremble little by little.
Feeling strange, Kang Ah-rang grabbed him by the shoulder.
“Yoo Shi-woo, why are you suddenly like this… are you crying?”
“…!”
Then he looked startled. Touching one’s cheeks ‘Huh? uh? ‘He looked embarrassed and confused.
The boy, who had been staring blankly at himself, hurriedly got up.
“…Sorry…Wait, let me wash my face…”
snap. I grabbed his wrist as he tried to escape.
“…”
“Yoo Siu. Look at me.”
“…”
Boy turning his head. A drop or two of tears were leaking out.
I saw it for the first time. seeing him cry… The reason why he, who always looked like an iron man, showed such a weak side.
Then the question I felt before came back to me.
‘I thought it was strange.’
To say that he was simply ignorant, he obviously knew the interest of affection.
I was puzzled.
All the time he was seen running like mad.
Until now, I thought it was a desire for growth.
In order to become stronger, I thought I was only wishing for a flight to climb higher and higher.
But other than that, there was no purpose or interest in him.
No lust for money, no lust for sex, no desire for fame, just running to become stronger.
He could easily get his hands on any of those things if he wanted to, but he didn’t look away on purpose.
why? Why are you trying to be so strong?
“…going back…what do you mean?”
“…”
“Can you tell me?”
I could feel his trembling movements. He licked his lips and shook his head.
“…It was just nonsense. The words leaked out a bit.”
“…”
“Tears also get dusty…”
“It doesn’t have to be now.”
“…”
He looked back at himself.
Unknown eyes appeared. What are you thinking?
What the hell is making him so hasty?
What is it that oppresses him so much?
I don’t know.
He is not a person who knows about him in detail from one to ten like Yu Ha-na.
He wasn’t someone who could make her happy with aegyo like Ku Mi-hyang.
I didn’t analyze it as smartly as Erin Dystore.
He was not calm enough to silently help like Wihorin.
Lastly, like Han Soo-ho, the bond was not deep enough to be friends.
‘still… ‘
Even like this, there was something I could do for him.
“I can listen to the story.”
“…”
“Later, if you really believe me, tell me. Is that all right?”
Kang Ah-rang looked at him with a light smile.
I had to refuse.
The world she and I live in is different.
It is impossible for the characters in the game and the characters in real life to understand each other.
‘It has to be.’
You have to believe that when you find a way later… You can go back without any regrets.
You will be able to deceive yourself that it was a terrible nightmare, boasting that it is just a relationship that is impossible to piece together in the data.
‘… really?’
Do you really think so?
“…”
Unknowingly, I nodded my head.
The girl who was looking at him slowly let go of the hand he was holding with a satisfied smile.