NS - Chapter 515
NS Chapter 515
‘Could this really be happening?’
My hands trembled as I stared at this unbelievable–was this the culmination of all my luck?–card. And yet, my feet were already carrying me towards the VVIP guest lounge.
Even if this all was hard to believe, there was nothing I could do. To think I could meet Seo Dawon… Dawon-ie… one-on-one! Even if I felt that this turn of events was suspicious, I had no choice but to go and see for myself.
‘What should I say? That I’m a fan…? Sh-should I say that I’ve liked him for a long time?’
My heart fluttered with excitement, and I busied myself trying to figure out what I should say. Before long, I had arrived at the VVIP lounge in question.
The two employees standing outside the lounge greeted me with warm, friendly smiles.
“Good evening. May we see your card please?”
“H-Here you go,” I stuttered.
“Thank you. Let us assist you inside.”
And, just like that, I found myself sitting in the VVIP lounge. The attendants even served me a drink, and soft music played in the background. Lackey and I kept looking around in wonder, exclaiming soft ‘Wows…’
To be honest, I had only recently changed classes to become a Necromancer and only recently started earning money, so, this was my first time in such a rich and luxurious (?) place. 1 The (?) is there in the original text. Lee-kyung is unsure if the place counts as ‘luxury’ because he doesn’t know what luxury is. The original text used the slang term “부티 나는” aka ‘Rich-like’ My toes even tingled with eager zeal. Thankfully, I had dressed somewhat neatly today, so at least I didn’t look too shabby.
‘Then, was the Koo Hui-seo-ssi I met really the Koo Hui-seo from the Red Dragon guild?’
I fell deep into thought as my hands fiddled with the card.
He was nothing like the image I had of the Red Dragon guild master in my imagination, but, strangely, nothing felt out of place. He didn’t seem like someone pretending or imitating the guild leader, either…
‘So, even the head of a massive guild cries…’
‘He’s a man of infamy… but he doesn’t seem notorious at all.’
How could a man like that have such a terrible reputation…? After speaking to him for just one minute, my impression of the man was that he was an extremely timid person.
‘This just goes to show that you can’t trust the media-constructed images.’
But, that thought also worried me. As a fan of the Red Lotus, what would I do if they turned out to be disappointing in person compared to their media-selves? For example, what if they were horribly arrogant, or what if they were ugly in real life…?
‘No, surely not… People always say that Dawon looks better in person.’
As I was busy with various imaginations, I suddenly began to hear a commotion of voices coming from the entrance.
“Are you sure? If you’ve come to us empty-handed again after saying how you’ve been feeling down…”
The moment I heard someone’s low voice, I felt as though my heart had stopped. I held my breath, wanting to hear more of that voice, but ‘that person’ said nothing further. Soon enough, another familiar voice followed–Koo Hui-seo-ssi’s voice.
“I’m sure… Because, um… I started crying as soon as I met him.”
“You’re always crying, you cry baby!”
“Eek..! But he… seemed like someone I’d met somewhere before, and I felt this sense of longing…And, ah! Just as Dawon-ssi said, he’s a Necromancer!”
Ba-thump–! Ba-thump–!
Strangely, my heart began pounding frantically; the sound of the dress shoes approaching me with steady, deliberate steps grew so unnervingly clear that I could hear every footstep.
I knew the rhythm of those footsteps. No, it was more than just ‘knowing’ them…
[Clack clack?]
My hands trembled as I hugged Lackey tightly to my chest, and the man stopped right in front of me. I kept my head bowed and my eyes squeezed shut…because I was so afraid. The person in front of me was unmistakably… Seo Dawon.
‘Why? Why am I acting like such an idiot?! Open your eyes!’ I screamed at myself, frustrated. But, my body wouldn’t budge.
But then, a warm hand reached out and touched me. That hand brushed my hair aside, traced the curve of my ear, and then smoothly explored my entire face until it reached my chin. Those fingers even gave a few gentle taps over my tightly shut eyes.
[Grrr….]
Lackey growled as though it were displeased, but the man paid it no mind. I hugged Lackey even tighter. The man took another step closer to me…we were so close that our legs were nearly entangled.
“You finally came,” he murmured.
“……”
“Lee-kyung-ie, you came to find me.”
When I heard the man’s voice, brimming with elation, I slowly opened my eyes.
I was trapped within the man’s arms. And, just as I had expected, this man…was Seo Dawon. Seo Dawon…vivid and full of life. His presence was so immense that no photograph could ever hope to capture it. His eyes glistened as he brushed my hair aside once more.
“Ah…” I sighed.
“How have you… been all this time?”
“……” I moved my lips soundlessly before realizing that no voice was coming out. It was as though something was caught in my throat. I only belatedly noticed the tears streaming down my chin as well. Why? Even as I stood there, bewildered, tears continued to flow, and Seo Dawon’s face grew blurry.
I rubbed my eyes furiously with my sleeve, but Seo Dawon caught my hand as if to stop me. Even that touch was unbearably gentle. And, at last, the words trapped in my throat finally came pouring out.
As soon as I was able to breathe, I blurted out a question, “How do you know my name?”
“……” For some reason, Seo Dawon looked almost hurt by my question. But soon he smiled again and pulled both me and Lackey into his arms. Even when Lackey bit down hard on his shoulder–as if the skeleton had been waiting for this moment–he didn’t flinch. “It’s a very long story, Lee-kyung-ah.”
“……”
“Would you like to come to my place and hear what I have to say?”
Left with no other choice, I nodded. After all, I was curious about this sudden surge of emotions too. As Seo Dawon pried Lackey off his shoulder, he gave me a wry smile and murmured, “You’re the same as ever.”
I had absolutely no idea as to what was going on, but, when Seo Dawon casually took my left hand and laced his fingers through mine as though this was the most natural thing in the world, I was so shocked that I froze. Even then, he simply helped me to my feet, not caring, still holding my hand and making no move to let go.
I hesitated, wondering whether I should pull my hand away or let him hold onto it…But, when I glanced at Seo Dawon’s side profile, I decided to acquiesce.
“Uh…” I trailed off.
And so, still holding hands, we emerged from the VVIP lounge through its entrance. The sight of the rest of the Red Lotus members gathered there–along with Koo Hui-seo-ssi and his baby–startled me so much that I stopped dead in my tracks. On top of that, I was holding hands with Seo Dawon…! In front of them!
“W-Wait a second…” I stood there, flustered.
Seo Dawon gently waved our joined hands as if to soothe me, “It’s okay. They all know you… in their own, fragmented ways.”
“Fragmented…?”
“Yeah.”
But, for people who supposedly knew me, some of them glared at me with rather excessive hostility…
I assumed it was because I appeared before them while holding Seo Dawon’s hand; my spirits sank. But, as the members of the Red Lotus approached, most of them turned their expressions onto Seo Dawon instead. Each of them made their own snarky remarks.
“Hyung, did you use your face to seduce Choi Lee-kyung again?”
“You *just* found him, and you’re already pulling this gay shit?”
“Lee-kyung-ie, you still haven’t learned to be wary of others, haven’t you?”
I was taken aback by how naturally the Red Lotus members treated me, as though they already knew me. And knew me well. Even more shocking, though, was that, at some level, they felt familiar to me!
When I just stood there, lost for words, Dawon-ie led me along, still holding my hand with our fingers interlaced. “Let’s exit this way. It’s a bit crowded over there.”
We were then guided through a passage different from the one we had entered through and then took an elevator that led straight to the underground parking garage. As soon as we stepped out, a large van–the kind celebrities normally rode in–was waiting for us.
A chill ran down my spine at how smoothly everything was unfolding; I almost felt as though I were being… kidnapped.
‘But, but… Why would anyone kidnap me?’
There was nothing to gain from that.
Seo Dawon was suddenly acting all friendly and intimate with me, the members of the Red Lotus guild seemed to know me as well, and even Koo Hui-seo-ssi, the Red Dragon Guildmaster, was treating me amicably…
I had absolutely no idea what their goal was or where they were taking me. And yet, I didn’t feel as though they would do anything bad to me either. I felt a strange sort of trust for them.
‘What could these people possibly want–enough that they’d go so far as to kidnap me…?’
But, I had guessed wrong.
“I think it would be best if you stayed at my place for the time being, Lee-kyung-ah.”
I had indeed been kidnapped…by none other than Seo Dawon, my ultimate bias.
—
TL: I think the parallels with Lee-kyung’s amnesia sequence with Moon Issak are deliberate. I’ll have more to say–more intelligent things at least–when my stomach doesn’t hurt T_T
See ya’ll next week!
Footnotes Section
- 1: The (?) is there in the original text. Lee-kyung is unsure if the place counts as ‘luxury’ because he doesn’t know what luxury is. The original text used the slang term “부티 나는” aka ‘Rich-like’
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