episode_0130

“Oh, ohh.”

Hong Yeonhwa exclaimed in admiration, playing with the lump of ice floating above her palm.

It exuded a bone-chilling cold, yet it wasn’t slippery. Was it because it was made of magic?

Ice magic certainly had a distinct difference from the flames she wielded… She never imagined a day would come when she’d be able to use magic of such opposite properties.

Of course, it was thanks to Lee Hyunjin’s unbelievably marvelous characteristic, but she still felt excited.

‘Could I combine it with my flames? Like Oppa combined ice and lightning?’

Just as Hong Yeonhwa spun around in place, lost in thought.

“…Hmm.”

Lee Hyunjin exhaled briefly and crossed his arms. What he was thinking wasn’t much different.

He had spent the night with the two girls, Cheon Soyul and Hong Yeonhwa. It had been a very hot night.

And now it was morning. He had acquired new magic, a unique ability of the flame attribute, and along with it, a new perk (?).

But so what?

So, what now?

“Is there anything you want to do?”

Lee Hyunjin glanced at Cheon Soyul and asked. After all, she was the one who initiated this trip, so he intended to grant her wishes. He also figured he’d ask for ideas.

Cheon Soyul replied with a cynical voice.

“I wanted to go to the beach.”

“Wanted to?”

“Now, I just want something sweet to eat. My body feels too sluggish.”

“…I see.”

Lee Hyunjin quietly nodded. Indeed, too much had happened to go to the beach now.

Perhaps this date for just the two of them had gone awry from the moment he met Hong Yeonhwa?

That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. His encounter with Hong Yeonhwa had been quite valuable, and he’d gained new experiences beyond that.

But Cheon Soyul might be a little upset.

Wasn’t this trip originally for her? Since things had turned out this way, wasn’t it possible she was a little angry?

Thinking that, Lee Hyunjin observed Cheon Soyul’s expression.

And then.

“Guess not.”

“Huh? What?”

“Nothing…”

Lee Hyunjin couldn’t help but chuckle wryly and shake his head.

For someone who claimed her body felt sluggish, Cheon Soyul’s skin was incredibly smooth…

He was clearly the one with Kanzaki’s energy absorption ability, so why did it feel like *his* energy had been drained in reverse?

He always thought it, but their physical chemistry seemed unusually good.

Anyway, since Cheon Soyul seemed satisfied, it was probably for the best.

Lee Hyunjin decided to think that way.

“…So, what are we really doing?”

“I don’t know. I’m just going to laze around.”

Cheon Soyul hopped onto the bed and buried her face in a fluffy pillow. She looked truly comfortable…

‘Is this your house?’

It was his newly acquainted sister’s house. Lee Hyunjin felt reassured seeing the two girls getting along so well, but also a strange sense of alienation.

Right now, Hong Yeonhwa, wrapped in ice, was jumping into the bed with her.

He wanted to lie down with them, but an inexplicable premonition stopped him.

It felt like he shouldn’t rashly intrude on the spot where the two girls were laughing cheerfully. The reason? He didn’t know.

Lee Hyunjin had no choice but to open the door and quietly step out.

Meeting Hong Yeonhwa’s family in this situation was a little daunting, but.

He had washed his body. He wouldn’t smell, and his clothes had been neatly run through the styler, so he believed there was no chance of being found out.

“Oh, Hyunjin-kun!”

But he never imagined he’d run into Flame Emperor Hong Myeongseon the moment he left the room.

Lee Hyunjin, frozen stiff, instinctively slammed the door shut.

Everyone had washed, but the interior hadn’t been tidied yet. He had to block the view in case any traces on the bed sheets were discovered.

Moreover, he had to prevent the sight of Cheon Soyul and Hong Yeonhwa clinging to each other and rubbing bodies. What kind of talk would he hear if he saw that?

“Good morning. Was your sleep comfortable?”

Fortunately, Hong Myeongseon didn’t seem to notice anything. The mention of ‘sleep’ made him flinch, but…

Of course, there was no special meaning to his words.

So Lee Hyunjin nodded and greeted Hong Myeongseon with an awkward smile.

“Yes, Elder-nim. I slept well.”

“But why are you coming out of my granddaughter’s room?”

“…”

Lee Hyunjin was stunned. The veteran move of a first-generation Awakener, striking at an unexpected moment!

If he had prepared, he would have had an excuse, but he couldn’t even do that now.

Lee Hyunjin, unable to utter a word, sweated profusely. His mind went blank, which meant silence.

And silence often meant there was something to hide.

“…Haha.”

Hong Myeongseon laughed.

He laughed lightly.

“Haha.”

And laughed briefly.

This time, there was a little more force in it.

“Haha, hahahaha!”

Finally, it was a fairly loud burst of laughter. It sounded as if there was a hint of resignation mixed in.

Lee Hyunjin closed his eyes tightly and said.

“Please kill me…”

Lee Hyunjin, who was always impudent when it came to relationships with women and dealt with everyone that way, couldn’t possibly do that in front of an Elder-nim.

Should he call it the unspoken intimidation that age and seniority brought?

For some reason, he was overcome with the feeling that he should kneel and bow his head in apology.

Had the day finally come to settle his karma? It was when Lee Hyunjin was seriously agonizing between the two choices: escape or acceptance.

“…Hoo!”

Hong Myeongseon let out a deep breath. His expression, as if suppressing anger while controlling his overall emotions, was truly a masterpiece.

Lee Hyunjin felt the guilt increasingly prick his conscience and hunched his body.

A smile appeared on Hong Myeongseon’s lips.

“…I think it’s fine, Hyunjin-kun. Aren’t you both adults?”

His first words were surprisingly a favorable declaration. A tone that implied he would respect the relationship between the two since they were both adults.

But Lee Hyunjin didn’t let his guard down.

If he had quickly nodded and said, ‘Of course,’ what kind of catastrophe might ensue?

If he had done something wrong, it was only right to take a submissive stance at that moment.

Maintaining his ‘please kill me’ attitude, Lee Hyunjin maintained a polite posture.

“Haha! Why are you so stiff!?”

Hong Myeongseon patted Lee Hyunjin’s shoulder. It was a gesture passionately expressing his intention not to be angry, as if telling him not to worry.

“I’m not some rigid old man. After all, if a man and a woman are compatible, wouldn’t they do such a thing?”

“…Elder-nim…”

And surprisingly, there was sincerity in his voice, even without anger, so Lee Hyunjin murmured with a slightly surprised expression.

Hong Myeongseon gave a wry smile and gently stroked Lee Hyunjin’s arm.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Strictly speaking, I’m not Yeonhwa’s father, so why would I react so seriously? Don’t worry about me.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“Oh, there’s nothing to be sorry about.”

Hong Myeongseon chuckled.

“It’s fine, just wait a moment. Since things are this way, even if I’m not angry, shouldn’t I have a talk with my granddaughter?”

Those were perfectly reasonable words. It was an opinion he couldn’t possibly object to, so Lee Hyunjin nodded without much thought.

“Yes, those are wise words…”

But, as he spoke.

‘Wait.’

Lee Hyunjin felt an extremely ominous premonition.

At that moment, Hong Myeongseon had already passed Lee Hyunjin and had his hand on the doorknob.

“Uh, Elder-nim, th-!”

Lee Hyunjin belatedly tried to stop him with a frantic voice, but it was too late.

The door burst open!

Hong Myeongseon opened the door.

“Yeonhwa, your grandfather wants to talk for a moment…”

“Ah.”

“Oh.”

And Hong Yeonhwa and Cheon Soyul blinked their eyes, clinging closely to each other.

Between the two girls, there was an unknown liquid pooling.

Lee Hyunjin realized half a beat too late that it was the residue of melted ice, but Hong Myeongseon had no way of knowing that.

“…”

Behind the tightly-lipped Hong Myeongseon, the phantom image of a vengeful demon began to shimmer.

“You.”

He called Lee Hyunjin, and the moment Hyunjin turned his head, a blood-red gaze, terrifyingly brilliant, poured towards him.

“You’ve been toying with my granddaughter, along with your lover. The three of you.”

“…Elder-nim, it’s a misunderstanding.”

“So, you didn’t have a mutual understanding with Yeonhwa then.”

Then Hong Myeongseon used Blink, instantly appearing right in front of Lee Hyunjin’s nose.

Lee Hyunjin trembled at the ghost-like movement and approach.

He gritted his teeth and held back a reflexively thrown strike. The expression was so terrifying that he almost retaliated immediately.

But Hong Myeongseon didn’t harm Lee Hyunjin. He merely stared intently.

And Hong Myeongseon. Flame Emperor Hong Myeongseon.

“Hoo…”

He merely patted Lee Hyunjin’s shoulder.

Pat pat.

“…I will forgive you.”

And his first words. There was no particular emotion in the voice that spoke of forgiveness.

That made it all the more chilling.

It was the moment Lee Hyunjin felt a sudden chill and quickly heightened his guard.

Whoosh! Without warning, hellfire surged from Hong Myeongseon’s grasp.

“But will *this* one forgive you?!!”

Boom!

On the second floor of the mansion, one wall was enveloped in a pillar of flame and spectacularly burst open.