Chapter 52 : Adventure Level 40 (1)

Do Yugeon underlined sentences as he read the English passage in his room.
Studying was boring and sometimes made him anxious, but consistent effort brought a sense of accomplishment.
Still, the goal felt distant and overwhelming, so the anxiety never fully disappeared.

His gaze often drifted to his phone while studying, likely not just due to phone addiction.
It was rare for Cha Haneul to contact him first, but not unheard of.

His phone rang.
It was Laplace.

“When are you going to fulfill the contract? Things are getting really complicated with the Rift management schedule over here.”
“Sorry. I’ll do it soon. It’s just hard to bring it up with Cha Haneul.”

Do Yugeon clicked his ballpoint pen.

“You really are diligent! If it’s that hard to say, I’ll contact her directly.”
“That would obviously just make things messier.”
“Then maybe forget about that young lady.”
“What? Who are you talking to?”

Yu Mina’s voice cut in.

“An outsourced contractor.”
“That doesn’t sound like your business tone, liar. Give it here.”
“Ugh!”

There was a brief sound of scuffling, then Yu Mina’s voice came through, having apparently snatched the phone.

“Who is this?”
“It’s Do Yugeon.”
“Why are you answering?”
“Because I said I’d clear the Rift?”
“What? Wait, what’s going on? Where are you popping off to!”

Sounds of commotion erupted on the other end.

“Ow! Ow! It was unavoidable! Unavoidable. The schedule got pushed back.”
“Still, you should have told me.”
“I’m the general manager here. And let go of my cheek when you talk. Ow.”
“I’m the one who has to deal with the young lady’s aftermath! Cancel the contract right now.”
“No, no.”

Laplace’s whining could be heard.

“I’m going to clear it.”
“See? He says he’ll do it.”
“Our young lady doesn’t know about this, right?”
“She doesn’t.”
“Ughhh… Then I’ll mention it to the young lady tomorrow and try to set up the situation, so let’s talk properly then.”
“The schedule needs to be set and sent to Schrödinger by today.”
“Why are you telling me this now? This won’t do—let’s meet now.”
“I had a grand plan—that’s why I said it now. This is obstructing business.”
“Now?”

He checked the time; it was a little past 9 PM.

“I’ll come find you. Let’s meet at the café near your house. You know where, right?”

Do Yugeon thought about saying he’d call Cha Haneul now since it seemed urgent.
Although Laplace hadn’t told him the deadline, he felt responsible for dragging his feet and couldn’t impose further. Discussing what to do would likely push past 10 PM, meaning he’d have to call a sleepy Cha Haneul.

But before he could say that, Laplace spoke first.

“No need to make plans. We can just go now.”
“What? Wait!”

Yu Mina’s flustered scream was heard, and then a magic circle appeared in the center of his room.
Two girls in pajamas popped out from the middle of the magic circle.
It was an incredibly bewildering situation.

Laplace landed lightly and struck a pose.

“Arrival!”
“I can’t deal with this…”

Yu Mina muttered, sprawled on the floor, then pointed a hand toward the living room wall.

“Your parents are out there, right?”
“Of course they are.”

Although both worked, it was the time they’d usually be home.
The thought of how to explain two girls in pajamas sneaking into his room late at night made Do Yugeon turn pale.

Yu Mina sighed.

“Right, of course. Well, since we’re here, let’s finish quickly and go. Move aside, you nuisance.”
“Who’s the one obstructing business…”

Laplace grumbled and huddled in a corner of the room.

“There’s nothing to talk about—just call her now.”

Do Yugeon displayed his contacts list on the screen and held up his phone.
Making the call itself wasn’t difficult.
The problem was how to persuade Cha Haneul to clear the Rift with him.

“You can’t just call! This requires strategy.”
“Strategy?”

Laplace muttered while unwrapping an ice cream bar she’d produced from somewhere, earning a glare from Yu Mina.
Laplace took a bite of the ice cream, making loud “nom nom” sounds.
Provoked by the sound, Yu Mina frowned.

“You should just go back.”
“Seriously speaking, I’m on duty, so I can’t leave.”
“No need to leave. You’re involved too.”
“How inclusive! Amazing!”

He received praise, but it was ambiguous whether it was sarcasm or not.

Yu Mina shrugged.

“If it’s work, I wish you’d do it properly.”
“I was trying to. Someone just snatched the phone and overstepped their authority. Now we’re in trouble because we wasted time trying to persuade the Archmage. How about this instead: I’ll provide Magical Girl support, you form a party, and let’s quickly start the clear?”

It was a good method.
There was no need to persuade Cha Haneul, nor risk forming a party with adult strangers.
The only drawback was giving up the safety net that partying with Cha Haneul provided, but in a way, that was also an advantage.

Yu Mina looked puzzled.

“You’re going? You must be busy.”
“Not me. If I went, there’d be no point in outsourcing.”
“Then me?”
“That’s too dangerous. I’ll send a newbie.”
“Absolutely not.”
“I think she’s trained enough.”
“That’s not the issue—how do you think our young lady will react?”

Laplace blinked blankly.

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“Exactly.”

Do Yugeon, who had stepped back to just listen once the Magical Girl business came up, chimed in agreement.

“Imagine it carefully. When our young lady figures out the situation, she’ll think some girl she’s never heard of is holding hands with her childhood friend, facing life and death together. Wow!”

Hearing the explanation, he ._felt he had almost courted a difficult situation.

“That’s serious.”
“It is serious.”
“What’s the problem? Didn’t that young lady herself say she has no romantic feelings?”
“The important thing is how to persuade her.”

Yu Mina ignored Laplace’s question and started laying out her plan.

“I agree.”
“To persuade her, you need to seize the initiative first, right?”
“Is that so?”
“It is!”
“The best way to seize the initiative is a confession! Let’s go, confession!”

He was so taken aback he was speechless.

“Wow! What a perfectly appropriate alternative! Amazing!”

Laplace clapped.
Yu Mina winked at Laplace.
He felt a sense of futility wondering why they clicked so well at times like this.

“That’s not an appropriate alternative at all.”
“I figured you’d say that anyway. Then let’s try a milder approach.”
“No, I said I don’t want to confess. Are you trying to ruin our relationship?”

Although they were speaking lightly, confession was a topic he was reluctant to discuss.
It’s easier to save money for a new ball of yarn than to untangle one that gets knotted when touched.

“That wasn’t the meaning. Though I do think obsession is more worrying. Call her, don’t lie, and speak with all your sincerity. If you use video call, you can see her face while talking.”
“I won’t lie, but I don’t know what you mean by sincerity.”
“I don’t know why you’re making this so difficult. Looking at our young lady’s attitude, she’s like an all-purpose cheat key.”
“It’s just not that simple.”

It’s hard to accept Cha Haneul’s goodwill purely as goodwill.
And he shouldn’t.

Looking at the time, it was already nearing 9:30 PM.
Do Yugeon ruffled his hair and picked up his phone.
The fairy sleeps at 10, so whatever the problem, he had to call before 10.

Leaning back in the bathtub, I tapped the tablet.
A webtoon appeared on the screen.
Hehe.
I swiped through it, splashing my feet.
Red bubbles from the bath bomb surged.

Skipping class at school, lounging around, eating, sleeping—I love this kind of life.
How can I live even more wastefully?
Should I time how long I can stare blankly while lying in bed? Is that too pathetic?

The phone on the bathroom shelf rang.
Who’s calling at this hour?
How rude.
Hmm? Is it really that late?
If I had washed up quickly and gone to sleep, I would have been woken up from a groggy state by the phone ringing.
Truly rude.

I put the tablet aside and gathered some bubbles.
Blowing gently while manipulating mana at the right moment, the bubbles scattered nicely, filling the bathroom.
Wow, this is magic.

Giggling, I popped the bubbles with magic.
As they burst, red droplets splattered onto the walls.

The phone, which had stopped ringing, started again.
Ah, really…

I lifted the phone with magic to see who on earth was calling.
I expected a number, assuming any philistine calling at this hour wouldn’t be saved in my contacts, but what appeared was a name, and it was Do Yugeon.
Huh?
The joy of playing with bubbles and the irritation from the phone call receded, replaced by bewilderment and anxiety.
He’s not the type to call at this hour.
Wondering if there had been an accident, I quickly answered the call.

“I have something to tell you—ugh!”

The call disconnected.
What the—
Bewildered, I blinked and looked at the phone again, but the call was indeed disconnected.
What was that?

Although it cut off immediately, based on the brief image and sound, it didn’t seem like a dangerous situation. I put the phone down and swirled the water.
Thinking about it carefully, I understood the reason.
Ah, it was a video call.
Oops, careless.

Whatever.
Splashing my feet and passing the time, the phone rang again.
A quick glance showed it was a voice call.
Makes sense.

I answered the call.

“What?”
“There’s something I need to tell you.”

He intended to pretend the previous incident didn’t happen.
Makes sense.

“What’s so important that you’d video call someone taking a bath?”

Do Yugeon couldn’t speak.
A faint sound of stifled laughter could be heard from the other end.
What, who’s over there?

Using space-time magic, I brought the earbuds lying on my bed and put them in.
I turned up the volume.
The laughter seemed to have stopped, as I couldn’t hear anyone else’s voice.

“The bathroom lighting is bright, so it’s good for calls.”

The stifled laughter sounded again.
I don’t know who it is, but it’s definitely a girl.

Switching call modes, I sent a KakaoTalk message to Yu Mina.
I asked if there was any girl hanging out with Do Yugeon today. After a moment, a reply came.
As far as she knew, no. He was probably studying at home.
She asked why I was asking, but I just replied ‘just because.’

Then what is it?
Searching my memory, I recalled the background briefly visible during the video call—it was indeed his room.

Do Yugeon still hadn’t spoken, so I sent a KakaoTalk message to Do Yugeon’s mother asking who was in his room right now.
I waited a bit, but the read receipt number didn’t decrease, indicating she hadn’t seen it.
Hmm. Well, whatever.
It doesn’t really matter if I don’t know this.
Feeling uneasy, I closed KakaoTalk.

“So, what did you want to tell me?”

After I prompted him and waited, Do Yugeon stuttered a few times before starting to speak.
He said he was going to clear a Rift and asked me to come with him.

“I see. You went secretly before—why the invitation now?”

My slightly chiding question was met with a hesitant reply.

“It was dangerous because it was the first time back then. And… it’s fun with you.”
“Uh…?”

Do Yugeon stammered.

“I know it’s dangerous, but I still don’t want to give up. I know it’s pointless too—no, I won’t make it pointless. Actually, I’m not confident, but still, I have to do something—ah, sh*t… Anyway, couldn’t you just come with me?”

Thoughts flowed and were pushed aside by emotion.
It was a bewildering and sudden feeling.
A captivating emotion that swept through the heart, demolishing consideration, acceptance, and empathy.
The stickiness that targets a dependent counterpart.

Pretense and the desire for control made my lips twitch.

This is an excessive emotion.
I bit my lower lip, and blood dripped down.

“Sorry… I’ll hang up.”
“Wait, that’s not it. Wait a moment. Just wait.”

I licked my lips.
Tastes metallic.

“Ultimately, you want me to be with you, right? Okay, fine. I’ll do it if you want.”
“Uh, really?”
“Of course. Anytime. I’ve always done it—why wouldn’t I be able to now?”
“Ugh. That’s a relief. I was worried you’d refuse.”
“You worry unnecessarily.”
“When would be good? This weekend is, uh—”
“What’s wrong?”

Do Yugeon’s mother’s voice could be heard over the phone.
She was asking what was going on.
A girl’s voice, hastily greeting her, was also heard.
It was Yu Mina.
Huh?

“I’ll hang up. Let’s talk tomorrow. Sleep well.”
“Hey?”

The call disconnected.

Yu Mina?

I went into KakaoTalk and looked at my chat history with Yu Mina. The messages I sent earlier were visible.
Yu Mina had definitely said that, as far as she knew, no girl was hanging out with Do Yugeon today.

I called Yu Mina, but she didn’t answer.

I sent a message.

“Yuminaaa.”

I waited a moment, but the read receipt didn’t appear—she wasn’t looking at KakaoTalk.

“Ms. Yuminaaa.”

I sent the message and stirred the bathwater.
The drops of blood mixed with the water, reddened by the bath bomb, and disappeared.

I checked KakaoTalk—she still hadn’t seen it.
She must be busy.

I sent another message.

“Hey.”

Watching to see when the number would disappear, a chilling sense of betrayal washed over me.
I had told her multiple times it was okay to seduce him, but I never thought she’d do it without even telling me.

The number on the KakaoTalk message disappeared.
Then, immediately, a call came from Yu Mina.
I pressed reject, and a flood of messages arrived.

“It’s a misunderstanding!”
“Absolutely not!”
“Things just got tangled up!”

Lots of exclamation points.
The phone rang again.
This time, I answered.

“Cha Haneul-nim!”
“What’s with the ‘nim’?”

Yu Mina spoke frantically.

“Here’s what happened! Laplace!”

According to Yu Mina, Laplace had recklessly teleported them, complicating things.
She couldn’t answer the phone or see the messages because she was sorting out the mess.

What, so I misunderstood.

“I see. And here I was wondering. I thought you guys were hanging out without me.”
“We’ve hung out without our young lady plenty of times, but I’ve never lied about not hanging out! And I won’t!”
“Plenty? You really.”

I almost caused harm because of a pointless misunderstanding.

I wiped the blood flowing from my lip with my finger.
It tasted metallic and stung.
Right, to prevent misunderstandings, it would be best to install a listening device in Do Yugeon’s room.
That would be better for Yu Mina and Do Yugeon too.