Chapter 64

“Yoo, Yoon Seong-ssi…”

While I was working in the office, Seo Yoo Ju came to see me.

“…Yoo Ju-ssi?”

“I… apologized to Ho-yeon-ssi…”

‘Ah… so that’s why she came.’

“P-please forgive me now… I was wrong…”

Honestly, the words I blurted out to Seo Yoo Ju back then—that I wouldn’t see her face until she apologized to Wi Ho-yeon—were just something I said in the heat of the moment.

Lately, I hadn’t seen Seo Yoo Ju much, but it wasn’t because I was avoiding her. I was just busy with work, so naturally, I didn’t get to see her.

From Seo Yoo Ju’s perspective, though, it probably seemed like I was disappointed in her and deliberately avoiding her.

‘Damn, I feel bad…’

Since it was just something I said without thinking, I didn’t pay much attention to it. I had no idea those words would make Seo Yoo Ju suffer so much.

“…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you worry like this. I didn’t think it would affect you so much. I’m sorry, Yoo Ju-ssi.”

“…You’re lying… *sniff*…”

‘What, what’s this? Why is she like this?’

When she suddenly started sobbing, I couldn’t help but feel flustered.

“I… heard… that you went to a bar alone with Ho-yeon-ssi…”

‘Sigh…’

Thinking about it, from Seo Yoo Ju’s perspective, after hearing that I wouldn’t see her face, she must’ve misunderstood when she heard that I went to a bar alone with Wi Ho-yeon.

“That was… to clear up a misunderstanding with Ho-yeon-ssi. She thought I didn’t like her, so…”

“…You didn’t need to go to a bar outside the clan just to clear up a misunderstanding…”

‘Damn it…’

From my perspective, I took Wi Ho-yeon to the bar to understand her thoughts and values, but from Seo Yoo Ju’s perspective, it must’ve looked different.

“Really, Yoo Ju-ssi. Do you think I’d take Ho-yeon-ssi out for personal reasons?”

“……”

She didn’t seem to believe me at all.

At this point, I had no choice but to play the card I’d been saving.

“Come to think of it… I remember I promised to treat you to a meal. Are you free for dinner tonight, Yoo Ju-ssi?”

At the mention of treating her to dinner, Seo Yoo Ju’s gloomy eyes lit up.

“Yes, yes! I’m free tonight!”

“Then let’s go to a restaurant and have some food…”

“Let’s drink too, alcohol!”

“…Huh?”

“You drank with Ho-yeon-ssi alone, right? Drink with me too!”

“Uh…”

I didn’t expect Seo Yoo Ju to suggest drinking, so I hesitated for a moment. Seeing my hesitation, she spoke again with a gloomy expression.

“…Do you not want to drink with me alone…?”

“No, it’s not that. Let’s drink. I was just caught off guard because I didn’t expect you to suggest it.”

“Hehe… Okay. I’ll keep that in mind then?”

“Yes, I’ll come find you after work.”

‘Is she really that happy…?’

She was so happy that she started humming a tune.

*****

By evening, I visited Seo Yoo Ju’s office. I had already told Wi Ho-yeon that I had a prior appointment with the Clan Master.

“Yoo Ju-ssi. May I come in…”

*Click*

“Yoon Seong-ssi!”

Before I could even finish my sentence, the door opened, and Seo Yoo Ju greeted me.

‘What’s this? Why is she so dressed up?’

I was quite taken aback by her appearance. She wasn’t wearing her usual outfit but had dressed up quite elaborately.

She was wearing a loose-fitting white silk blouse and a black skirt that accentuated her hips.

Seo Yoo Ju, who already had a striking appearance, looked even more stunning when she put effort into her outfit. I couldn’t help but stare.

As I stood there speechless, Seo Yoo Ju smiled brightly and asked,

“Yoon Seong-ssi, how do I look? Do I look good?”

“…Ah, yes. You look very beautiful, Yoo Ju-ssi.”

‘She’s really coming on strong…’

I had known for a while that Seo Yoo Ju had feelings for me, but we had never been in this kind of atmosphere before. I always made sure to avoid or cut off any awkward situations.

Honestly, I wasn’t entirely comfortable with the current situation. While it was nice to have eye candy, I had no intention of getting involved in romance in this strange world called Eras.

I had only thought of this as a simple meal. I hadn’t considered it a date.

She probably didn’t plan to do anything drastic today either. Our relationship wasn’t at that level yet.

This was likely just a signal that she was going to be more proactive in expressing herself.

“Yoon Seong-ssi, let’s go to the bar! Do you have a place in mind?”

“Yes. I have a place in mind. I’ll lead the way.”

Of course, I wasn’t so clueless as to take Seo Yoo Ju to the same place I took Wi Ho-yeon.

As we went down to the first floor of the Clan House to head out, we ran into Hyeon-jin, who was on the first floor.

“Ah… Hyung. Where are you going… huh?”

Hyeon-jin noticed Seo Yoo Ju following me and widened his eyes, staring blankly with his mouth agape.

“Uh… uh…? Yoo Ju noona…?”

“Ah, Hyeon-jin. I’m just going out for a bit with Yoon Seong-ssi.”

“Ah, yes, yes…! H-have a good time, you two…!”

‘It’s not what you’re thinking, you idiot…’

Hyeon-jin must’ve misunderstood after seeing Seo Yoo Ju all dressed up.

After we left the Clan House, I glanced at Seo Yoo Ju, who was giggling, seemingly pleased with Hyeon-jin’s misunderstanding.

‘Well, that’s a relief.’

I had been feeling guilty towards Seo Yoo Ju lately, so seeing her in a good mood was a relief.

Honestly, after the Eternity Clan changed, she had been the busiest, working harder than anyone else.

“…Yoo Ju-ssi. Thank you.”

“Huh?”

“I just thought of it suddenly. It’s thanks to your hard work that everyone is safe.”

“Ah…”

“Even during the clan joining incident, it was because of you that everyone didn’t fall apart.”

“….”

After my words, she fell silent for a while, then muttered something in a voice as soft as a mosquito’s.

“….That kind of…”

“Talking is cheating, you know…”

“Huh?”

“…It’s nothing. I just called you stupid, Yoon Seong.”

“…Wait, I was complimenting you. Why am I the stupid one?”

“That’s exactly why you’re stupid. Ugh…”

“…?”

After slowly chatting and moving along, we finally arrived at the entrance of the bar.

“Uh… Yoon Seong. Are we going in here?”

“Ah, yes. Is there a problem?”

“Th-this place… it’s expensive, isn’t it?”

‘So that’s what you’re worried about.’

Of course, it was a pretty pricey place. It was even more expensive than the place I took Wi Ho-yeon last time.

But thanks to the gold I got from Kang Seong-jun, I was practically swimming in it. As long as I wasn’t coming here every day, it was fine.

More importantly, I felt like I owed Yoo Ju a lot, so I didn’t want to just treat her to something mediocre.

“It’s fine. Once in a while is okay. Let’s go in.”

Ding-dong –

We sat down at a table, and I ordered from the menu.

‘Definitely… given the price range, there aren’t many people here.’

Since it was quite expensive, most players wouldn’t dare to come here.

“Huh?”

‘Ha Yu-ri?’

The problem was, while observing the other patrons after ordering food and drinks, I spotted an unexpected face.

‘Why is she here?’

Noticing my reaction, Yoo Ju looked concerned and asked me.

“…Yoon Seong? Is something wrong?”

“Ah… no. I’m just excited for the food to come out. Haha…”

‘I need to pretend I didn’t see her.’

There was no need to create a situation where Yoo Ju and Ha Yu-ri would meet. If something troublesome happened here, it would just give me a headache.

‘More importantly… why did she come all the way here?’

As far as I knew, Ha Yu-ri’s Mardan Clan was located quite far from Runde. I couldn’t figure out why she’d come all the way here.

‘Who’s that guy across from her?’

A fairly handsome guy with blond hair was laughing and chatting with her, looking like they were on a date.

I opened the status window of the guy talking to Ha Yu-ri.

[ Name: Kanda Koshiro ]

[ Age: 29 ]

[ Job: Dream Swordmaster (Legend Grade) ]

[ Titles: Dreamer, Dream Swordmaster ]

[ Unique Traits ]

Dream Sword (Legend Grade) – When dealing damage with a sword, the opponent gradually falls into a dream-like state depending on the level difference.

[ Traits ]

Divine Sword Unity (Legend Grade) – Greatly increases understanding of swordsmanship.

Intermediate Combat Understanding (Rare Grade) – Moderately increases understanding of combat.

[ Stats ]

Strength – 86 Agility – 87

Stamina – 85 Luck – 57

Magic – 83 Resistance – 85

What caught my eye more than his traits or stats was his name.

‘A Japanese guy?’

I didn’t know why Ha Yu-ri was with a Japanese guy, but it looked like getting involved would be a hassle, so I decided to ignore it.

Luckily, Ha Yu-ri hadn’t noticed us yet. She seemed too busy laughing and chatting with the Japanese guy.

“Yoon Seong, are you feeling okay? Suddenly…”

“I just have a bit of a headache… probably from overworking. It’s fine.”

‘Damn it… I have to worry about Yoo Ju and Ha Yu-ri. What a mess…’

Why did things have to get so complicated? I cursed myself for choosing this place.

Soon, the food and drinks we ordered arrived.

Since I had brought Yoo Ju out today, I tried to ignore Ha Yu-ri and focused on continuing the conversation with Yoo Ju.

Yoo Ju, seeing me keep the atmosphere natural, smiled and started talking more.

Maybe because of the alcohol, Yoo Ju’s face turned slightly red as she spoke to me.

“Yoon Seong. Do you remember that time?”

“That time?”

“During the tutorial dungeon. When you got hurt and refused treatment. Remember?”

‘Ah… that time.’

“Yes, I remember. You yelled at me, asking why I didn’t get treated. Haha, that’s a memory now.”

“Right. Do you know how shocked I was back then?”

“Haha…”

“But… thinking about it now, your judgment was right. If Yoo Hyun had treated you back then… Iseo might have…”

I understood what Yoo Ju was saying. If I had gotten treated back then, Yoo Hyun wouldn’t have had enough mana to activate the shield, and Kang I-seo would have been killed by the boss monster.

“Well, in the end, everyone survived.”

“…That’s true. Thanks to your judgment, everyone made it.”

“You’re giving me too much credit, Yoo Ju.”

“No, really. Whenever I see you… you always make the right decisions.”

‘The right decisions, huh…’

“Yoo Ju, you’re the one who always steps forward and takes risks for the party when things get dangerous. It’s thanks to you that everyone stays safe.”

“…Pfft.”

“Why are you laughing?”

“Ah, sorry. Hehe… it’s just funny. We’re complimenting each other like this.”

“You’re right. It is kind of funny when you think about it.”

As we continued chatting for about ten minutes, I noticed Ha Yu-ri in my peripheral vision.

‘Damn, did she notice us?’

Ha Yu-ri seemed to have recognized me and Yoo Ju.

She hesitated for a moment, but after seeing my face, she seemed sure and started walking over.

‘Sh*t…’

“…Trainee Lee Yun-seong?”