Ch.141Run Away! – 3

I feel like I’ve seen something similar to this somewhere before.

If you’re being subjected to unreasonable demands, please wave a carrot.

“Hurry and tell me. Before Rina comes back. Quickly!”

“Please tell us, Seojin.”

“Don’t worry about Rina. I’ll scold her myself. Did Rina really do something bad?”

The sudden questions flew at me. I almost answered “Yes” on impulse.

That your daughter spent four days and nights acting like a sex-crazed bird.

She claims she’s never dated a man before, yet I can’t believe how explicit she was!

“Um, Father. Mother. I understand why you’re concerned… but nothing like that happened.”

Rina. You really should be grateful to me. You should be bowing down in thanks.

I won’t tell your parents the truth so they won’t worry.

How you flashed those predatory eyes at me every night like a leopard stalking a deer!

I’m saying I’ll momentarily forget about it and let it slide!

“Are you… really sure? Is that really true?”

“Yes. Threats, wrongdoings… Rina has never done anything like that, so please don’t worry.”

At that, Rina’s mother let out a relieved sigh.

Plus, her father patted his wife’s shoulder as if to say she’d been through a lot.

You two have really suffered because of your fire-attribute filial daughter…

“Well, then. Rina’s been saying strange things since earlier.”

Of course they’re strange things. Going on about family and whatnot.

It’s fortunate that both of you are such good, rational people.

If this had been a family that treasured their daughter excessively, they might have grabbed me by the collar, and rightfully so.

Think about it. If your precious daughter suddenly introduces a man you’ve never seen before.

Then she says they need to get married, that they’ve become “that kind” of relationship—what reaction would you expect?

Nine out of ten would misunderstand: “Did this guy touch our daughter?!”

But the two sitting before me were different. Extremely calm.

It was quite impressive how they tried to establish the facts first.

‘Thank you, Mother. Father. And it’s a historic mystery. How did someone like Rina emerge from two people like you?’

It’s not like they failed at parenting—they seem to have done an excellent job.

At this point, the “Rina brain damage” theory gains significant weight.

“About that. Before I explain in detail. I want to clarify that I’ve never had any strange thoughts or feelings toward your daughter. I am truly innocent.”

“That would be fine too…”

“Pardon?”

“Ah! Nothing. Please continue what you were saying.”

What was that? I think Rina’s mother just said something strange.

I tilted my head briefly but decided to quickly get to the facts.

I didn’t know when Rina would return from the bathroom and interrupt.

“So what happened was…”

After the fierce battle with The Elder ended, we were both severely injured.

Especially Rina, whose condition was extremely critical with a terrible penetrating wound in her stomach.

In that moment, when the collapsed Rina asked for a kiss, I gave her one without thinking.

I thought perhaps this might make her cling to life, even just a little, so I did it.

“…I see.”

When I finished my explanation, her father nodded with a sigh.

His eyes weren’t those of someone looking at a thief who stole his only daughter’s lips.

They were just filled with a tremendous amount of sympathy.

And Rina’s mother sitting beside him…

“This girl is really! I thought she was obsessed with blocking a decent man’s marriage prospects!”

“Dear. I think you should calm down first…”

“That’s not right! He’s a benefactor who saved her life. Instead of repaying his kindness, she forced a kiss on him and then practically forced him to date her!”

“That’s right. Rina was wrong. But let’s stop here for now. We need to eat soon, and how comfortable will Seojin be trying to eat with us talking like this?”

At her husband’s passionate words, the mother takes a deep breath.

Just as she calms down enough to say something—

“I’m back! Did you have a good chat with my future husband?”

At Rina’s appearance, her father makes frantic gestures.

It seems like he’s telling her to stop, to quit it… but it seems too late.

“Rina! Come here!”

“Eek!? Why, why are you doing this again! Uwaaah!”

In the end, her mother grabbed Rina by the hair.

Indeed, being a parent was definitely humanity’s worst job.

“…If we kissed, isn’t it already done? Mom, you’re too much.”

Rina grumbles while neatly fixing her disheveled hair.

She seems to think she’s being treated unfairly, but at this rate…

“Mouth!”

At her mother’s warning, Rina immediately shuts her mouth with a startled look.

I knew it. Why do you keep provoking your mother?

“Be quiet and eat your food. Just wait until we get home.”

“Heeeng.”

“Aish! This girl, really.”

Shaking her head, the mother glances at me.

“I’m embarrassed. And I’m sorry. That Rina committed such a rudeness.”

“Mom! What rudeness! Oppa did it right away too! That means he liked it…”

*Sling—*

As her mother picks up her spoon, Rina immediately shrinks back.

Really, this woman who never showed any weakness even in front of The Elders.

She can become this small in front of her mother.

Some guys act small in front of others but talk back to their parents.

Seeing her like this makes Rina seem almost normal, which is frightening.

“Um, Seojin? I can do that…”

“No, please. I’ll do it, so both of you just sit still.”

*Sizzle!—*

Even though both parents offered to do it, even when the waiter came and said he would do it.

I refused them all and stir-fried the dakgalbi on the hot plate myself.

The reason being that when someone else does it, it somehow doesn’t taste the same.

“It’s ready. Let’s eat! Thank you for the meal.”

…Yes, fuck. This is food. Spicy, sweet, and salty food!

The thought of having to eat hospital food is scarier than being sick.

I still wonder how anyone is supposed to recover eating that stuff.

Even though they say stimulating food isn’t good for the body… still, this is right.

“Please eat quickly. It’ll burn if we wait.”

“Ah, yes. I understand. I’ll enjoy it.”

Enjoy it? That’s not something the people paying should say.

“We should be doing everything for this benefactor who tried to help Rina…”

Both parents think I went to that dangerous place to save Rina.

Well, strictly speaking, that’s not entirely wrong.

I did go there because I was worried about Rina facing three Elders.

But in reality, I was the one who received help there.

From what I could see, Sujin Hyun was in no condition to fight in the final battle.

And both Hyuk Kwak and Alexei were being pushed back by Rina.

They did use a trick to take out one of Rina’s arms, but that was the extent of it.

If the fight had continued in that state, Rina would very likely have been the victor.

She wouldn’t have been able to kill Hyuk Kwak, and she would have been more severely injured herself.

“Is this really enough? I’d like to offer something more splendid…”

“I appreciate the thought. This is more than enough for me. So please don’t worry and eat.”

The more heartily you all eat, the more heartily I can eat too.

It’s awkward, you know—eating alone when others aren’t eating feels strange.

We need to match pace when eating together to avoid feeling self-conscious.

“Seojin seems like a really good person.”

While clearing away cabbage, sweet potatoes, and rice cakes,

Focusing solely on the dakgalbi, her father says this.

It made me feel a bit guilty. Did he notice I was only eating the chicken?

“Other people usually panic and try to distance themselves when they see our Rina.”

At this, Rina, sitting beside me, smiles as if to agree.

Geez, you’re eating dongchimi instead of the dakgalbi you’re supposed to eat.

I understand why your mother says she feels like exploding when she sees you.

More importantly, Father. I’m not actually that different.

I’d like to keep some distance from this woman too, if I could.

But then I get anxious when I try to do that.

Losing the Superman who protects this world would be a major disaster, you know.

“Please take good care of Rina in the future too.”

“Dear. Saying that might make Seojin uncomfortable.”

“Oh my. That wasn’t my intention. I just thought…”

At their words, I smile and slowly shake my head.

Meaning it’s not burdensome at all. Meaning I understand what they mean.

At the same time, I did feel a small desire to look after this unpredictable woman.

…Am I crazy for thinking this? Yes. I must be crazy.

After sharing a hospital room with Rina, her madness must have rubbed off on me. Damn it.

*

“Thank you for the wonderful lunch. Please get home safely.”

Unfortunately, I live in a different apartment from Seojin oppa.

I thought about moving there, but of course failed because of mom.

“He’s a good person. You’ll be in trouble if you keep causing him problems.”

“Ah, Mom. I’m being treated unfairly! Problems? Don’t you think your daughter was kissed and you should make him take responsibility, or that he has to become your son-in-law now?”

“As if. Just wait until we get home. You’re acting up again because you haven’t been scolded for a few days?”

Mom is being too harsh. If she had just put a little pressure on Seojin oppa.

With his personality, he would have hesitated but then said he’d consider it positively.

If that had happened, I could have immediately pushed aside that woman, Soohyun Kim…

‘Ah, right. I almost forgot about that.’

I immediately touched my phone screen to check Soohyun Kim’s messenger.

I should brag. I want to brag about who Seojin oppa had lunch with today.

The first official event that happens when thinking about a future together.

Meeting parents and having a conversation—we did that today!

[Hey, Soohyun Kim. I had lunch with Seojin oppa today. My parents were there too. Mom and Dad said they really like Seojin oppa…]

…Ah. Shit. No matter how I think about it, this doesn’t seem right.

I sighed and deleted the entire message I had been writing.

No matter how I think about it. Even if I am crazy, this seems to cross a line.

I know roughly about Soohyun Kim’s family situation too.

She lost her mother early and has a father who’s so busy she can barely see him.

In that situation, bringing up parents would be, no matter how I think about it, wrong.

Haah. Soohyun Kim, you should be grateful you were born in Confucian South Korea!