Chapter 400

Chapter 400

Eat The World Tree.

Episode 400: Preliminaries (1)

“…You, if you go, I’ll kill you.”

“Lee Seyeong. I won’t say it twice. I’m serious.”

“Hey!!!!”

Quite some time had passed since that conversation.

No matter how long you had been friends with someone, things could twist in an instant.

Byeol counted the stars piercing through the window before bringing the teacup to her lips.

Dark circles under her eyes from overwork and accumulated fatigue.

“Ha…”

A trembling sigh added despair to her loneliness.

The cooled tea was odorless, and there was no time to catch her breath.

Byeol couldn’t stop Lee Seyeong, who had been blaming her.

[Korea Hunter Association. Vice President. Han Byeol.]

‘Who would have known that the position I was so proud of would look this shabby…’

She thought she wanted to help someone, so she came this far.

Because she lost her parents in an inexplicable accident.

At least so that others didn’t live such a life.

Who would have thought that the dream she finally achieved would instead target her own happiness?

Byeol’s face distorted in the mirror.

She carried chilling information that others could never know, and she understood the gravity of the matter.

Something she couldn’t stop. At best, all she could do was protect those who were by Lee Shiheon’s side.

“Manipulating justifications… and legitimizing actions.”

She had never reached out her hand to anything dishonest.

The illegal acts she committed to protect those around her had already reached hundreds.

“I’ve done everything I can. What more… am I supposed to do?”

Byeol slumped into the chair.

She didn’t know how many nights she had stayed up. Her arm, covering her eyes, felt hot from the fever on her forehead.

‘If what I’m doing is pointing a blade at my lover, where can I find the reward for reaching this position?’

She closed her eyes and thought.

Even for Byeol, whose strength was always being positive, worries couldn’t help but well up.

Byeol was crazy about the immediate game rather than deep philosophy.

But.

…Was there really a way to solve this situation?

Tears inevitably welled up when she thought about it.

‘For now, Seyeong is quiet… But what if she steps forward?’

Worst case.

She might have to personally kill the companion she had walked through life with.

Which would come first? Her going crazy, or this mess ending?

It was a ridiculously miserable dilemma.

What was absurd was that even as she struggled like this, she wished she could just see his face once.

It was a laughable situation.

She loved the person the Association was targeting.

“…I’m really. So stubborn.”

Byeol scoffed in the dark room.

“There are many men in the world… But to feel this pain… It seems like the fated person I used to shout about as a child really exists.”

When she was little, she was like that.

First love leading to marriage. A romantic story of loving someone forever.

But the stories she heard around her weren’t like that.

They said you had to date many men to filter out the bad ones…

That you naturally found your destiny by repeating dating and breaking up.

That being openly cute would quickly make them bored. That you’d become a pushover.

She disliked the subtly calculating aspects but sometimes felt anxious.

What if her love felt lukewarm to him?

What if she was abandoned if she wasn’t as good as other couples?

Perhaps…

If there was something called obsession in subculture, it would refer to her.

Falling so deeply in love in such a short time was indeed an illness.

‘…I don’t know.’

Byeol got up and picked up the teacup.

She felt like going to the pantry to get some refreshments would calm her mind.

It was at that moment, as she opened the door to leave.

Very briefly. A flash.

A man appeared, a halo of light rising around him.

The face of the person she had constantly thought about, the one she had trembled with fear that she might never meet again, came into Byeol’s sight.

-Clang!

Byeol fell on her backside, and the teacup she was holding fell to the floor and shattered.

Shards scattered, but Byeol’s gaze was fixed on the man in front of her.

“…Oh. Uhm.”

Could it be a dream?

“Have you been well?”

His voice seemed real too.

Why was he so much taller and more muscular than before?

His face looked a little… worried.

At the sight of Lee Shiheon, who had entered her tired eyes, Byeol swallowed hard.

First, what she needed to do.

‘…Tie him up.’

Kidnap.

At the word that flashed through her mind, Byeol pulled out an artifact shaped like a rope.

“Ugh, ugh! Argh!”

The short, broken groans were not for nothing.

The rope bound my body like a mummy. It wasn’t just any artifact; I couldn’t even use spatial magic.

It hurt so much that I wondered if Byeol had betrayed me.

“…It’s real.”

After a 20-minute struggle.

Byeol, tightly gripping the rope, muttered in disbelief.

“Well, if it’s real, why would it be fake?”

“I thought I was just imagining it…”

“Alright, just untie this.”

Byeol fumbled to untie my rope, reaching out her hand, but then she stopped mid-movement as if a thought had occurred to her.

“…If I untie you. Won’t you just leave again?”

I would.

But I could do that even if she didn’t untie me.

When I gave her a silent look, Byeol struggled to untie the rope, holding back tears.

Before long, I was free again.

“Phew…”

“…”

As I sighed and brushed off my clothes, Byeol, looking anxious, glanced at me cautiously.

This was our first meeting since I was deemed a heretic.

I don’t know how much she knows about me.

Nevertheless, she’s the Vice President of the Association.

It made no sense that she wouldn’t know the situation.

I saved my classmate, Sansuyu, during the Cornus Family’s downfall. As a result, I became a heretic.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

Now that I was fighting against the world, how would Byeol react to me?

I was flustered just now. I checked Byeol’s complexion and waited for her answer.

‘Will she scold me for why I did it… or curse at me?’

No matter how much I self-deprecate as a ‘loser,’ she’s someone who understands the world well and can sometimes deliver sharp words.

I could tell just by looking.

Her cheeks were sunken, as if she’d skipped many meals, and her appearance was haggard, with dark circles under her eyes speaking of her emotional distress.

“Sniff.”

Byeol’s eyes, which had been quietly staring at me, slowly welled up.

“Oh… wait a moment.”

“Sniff, sob… sniff.”

This was unexpected.

“…First, don’t cry.”

“You idiot!”

-Wham!

Contrary to my expectations, tears flowed first.

She had been sitting there, looking at me blankly, then suddenly rushed at me.

“Waaah, sob… sob… You, you weren’t around, and Seyeong and I were so worried…”

She didn’t care if her face became ugly, letting out all her tears and snot.

Burying her face in my neck, she bawled.

-Thump, thump!

She even hit my chest.

“You… you should have said something, you rotten jerk…”

“Uhm… Byeol.”

“Gah, hiccup, hiccup…”

She must have been so upset that she cast aside all her usual cheerfulness and cried as if the world was ending.

At this point, it wouldn’t be strange for people around to notice and for hunters to come in.

I hugged Byeol and stood up.

“I’m sorry. No, I’m sorry, noona. Stop.”

“Waaah…”

Tears gushing out like an elementary school student who had their 200 won jelly snatched away!

Like a male student who jokingly stole the jelly, I was utterly flustered.

She was bold but tender-hearted, so I didn’t not understand her.

But I never expected such an emotional outburst.

‘Actually… this must be a normal reaction.’

Thinking that Seyeong or Dallae might react similarly, my mind calmed down.

I comforted Byeol, pulling her head towards me.

As our lips briefly met, Byeol’s tears stopped for a moment.

“Heehee. Umpf!?”

Even after being apart for a while, the refreshing starfruit scent lingered in my memory.

“Oh? Ah…?”

A sweet and sour scent spread from her lips.

Byeol, her eyes red and moist, stared at me with wide eyes.

“Are you calmer now?”

After observing her for a while, she couldn’t hold it in.

Her emotions welled up again at my single remark, and she hugged me tightly, crying.

“Waaah… I like you… I like you the most more than any other girl…”

“Alright, alright.”

She cursed at me, blamed herself.

This went on for dozens of minutes.

It took a considerable amount of time for Byeol to calm down, and with her eyes swollen like chestnuts, she finally sniffled and listened to me.

“Why… didn’t you tell me?”

“If I had, you would’ve stopped me.”

The tissues, heavy with snot, had already piled up like a mountain.

Byeol, who had wiped her red, rubbed eyes with a wet wipe, glared at me.

“Things… might not have gotten this bad…”

Byeol asked for the reasons behind my actions so far.

Byeol still didn’t know that I was the Tree Spirit King’s successor.

Even if I hadn’t saved Sansuyu, the World Tree would have targeted me for some reason anyway.

Then, couldn’t I have confided everything in Byeol and asked for help?

“I didn’t want to drag you into it.”

More than anything, that was the biggest reason.

Byeol, who had been listening quietly, seemed about to cry again, so I urgently hugged her.

-Snug.

Though small, she had a decent chest.

Byeol, nestled in my arms, wiggled and kissed me.

“…So selfish.”

“That’s why I didn’t tell you.”

Because there’s a high chance she’d try to help even if it killed her.

Just by Byeol’s words, didn’t she scold me for being selfish for trying to handle it alone without asking for help?

“Then… why did you come find me?”

Byeol was sharp.

She immediately got to the point and knew how to approach it.

The reason I had avoided contact with these people so far and the reason I came to find Byeol were not consistent.

I intended to beg this person for help just once.

“I have a favor to ask.”

“…What about the others?”

I smiled bitterly.

I hadn’t met Seyeong or Dallae, let alone my own daughter.

I came to meet Byeol first, before anyone else.

Through Byeol’s dark expression, a small glimmer of excitement seemed to surface for some reason.

It was definitely not something to be happy about, but seeing her smiling somehow left a bitter taste in my heart.

Since I had many women… her finding joy in this situation somehow made me feel sorry for her.

Even with polygamy, the more lovers there were, the less attention each one received. Anxiety was inevitable.

I diligently stroked Byeol’s head with my hand.

“It’s something only you can do.”

“…Is it because of my position?”

“That, and because you were the only one who could act rationally in my current situation.”

I trusted her, so I spoke honestly.

Byeol, still tear-streaked, nodded, seemingly understanding what I was saying.

“What do I need to do?”

The answer came.

I took a deep breath and slowly told her.

I didn’t touch on sensitive areas.

It wasn’t about asking for confidential information from the Hunter Association, or anything that could potentially endanger Byeol.

Just a very small favor.

It wasn’t difficult to get Byeol’s answer.

“…Yes. If it’s just that much, I can manage somehow.”

“Thank you.”

“…I, my lips are free.”

Smiling at her untimely whine, I kissed her.

A very long, lingering kiss.

Byeol, exchanging bodily fluids and breathing heavily, smiled through her tears.

I covered Byeol’s mouth as she tried to say something and told her first.

Although I had many lovers, I had no intention of letting any of them go.

Because none of the relationships I had gained since coming to this world could be taken lightly.

The embarrassing words, “I love you.”

At the words that fell from my lips, Byeol’s pupils trembled.

This was all I edto convey.

I could no longer meet these people.

-Creak.

As the door opened, Sansuyu, who had been waiting at the entrance, was pushed out along with the door.

When you’re leaning on a door and it suddenly bursts open, there’s nothing more disorienting than suddenly losing your balance.

As I caught Sansuyu before she fell, her eyes lit up.

“I’m a bit late today, aren’t I?”

“I… waited so much.”

4 AM.

Sansuyu didn’t sleep well these days anyway.

Now she walked well and did the chores I assigned her quite well.

I believed she could survive even without me.

“Instead, I’ll make you something delicious… Oh, you already made dinner.”

Entering the living room/bedroom, I washed my hands and saw the table set.

It could never be called delicious, but now it was somewhat edible.

Looking at Sansuyu, she puffed out her cheeks, put her hands on her hips, and proudly exhaled, ‘Ahem.’

“…Should I praise you?”

At my words, she dashed over and hugged me. She was truly like a dog.

“I like Shiheon… I love you.”

Sansuyu had become much more affectionate lately.

We sometimes had a physical relationship, but recently, she said she was just happy holding hands and sleeping quietly.

She certainly didn’t look like someone terminally ill.

‘If Sansuyu is to live longer… then the success of the experiment is indeed crucial.’

While leading the White Ants, I had many opportunities to encounter other knowledge.

Among them were things about the Tree Spirit King and about the Cornus Family.

Not useless information, but essential things for my plan.

I also felt the need to meet Taeyang once.

Thinking so, I put a spoonful of rice into my mouth.

Sansuyu, sandwiching my body with her large chest, clung to my side, wrapping her arms around my neck, waiting for my reaction.

“Is it delicious? Is it delicious?”

“Let’s chew first, kid.”

“…Mmm.”

It was food that couldn’t be called delicious, but wasn’t it an established truth that even spoiled food tasted good when you looked at the face of your young wife?

Especially with her large chest. It was a very good way to defuse anger.

“I like Shiheon…”

“How long will you keep saying that?”

Someday, I’d have to let her be independent.

Those were the only thoughts in my mind.