Chapter 81

EP.81 Turning Crisis into Opportunity

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The next evening, Yuria was heading towards Shinope with mixed feelings.

Even though she was dressed casually, her beauty was so outstanding that it drew strong attention. Normally, she would have been annoyed and glared at the people staring at her.

But today was different.

Her mind was in turmoil because of thoughts about Jihyuk and Seunghyun, and because of that, she wasn’t paying attention to her surroundings.

“Haah…”

Yuria sighed as she absentmindedly walked through a crowded alley.

She felt pathetic for being drawn to both Yoo Seunghyun and Song Jihyuk.

First, Yoo Seunghyun.

His face was ordinary, and his personality seemed timid.

Normally, she wouldn’t even look at someone like him. But her father said he was the reincarnation of Aaron.

They had known each other since childhood, and he was the captain of the kingdom’s knights who had promised to be with her for a hundred years, so giving up on him was impossible.

And then Song Jihyuk.

His usual habits resembled Aaron’s, and in fact, he seemed more like Aaron than Seunghyun.

If Jihyuk was truly Aaron’s reincarnation, she would have tried to take him away without caring about Sehwa’s feelings.

He was an incredibly attractive person who had captivated her mind in just a few days.

He was also someone who openly expressed his feelings for her.

‘This is driving me crazy.’

Yuria’s choice was… to build relationships with both of them.

She knew very well that this was wrong.

But Jihyuk had confessed his feelings for her while he was still dating Sehwa.

So… she thought Seunghyun would understand if she met with him too.

Rationalizing it this way, Yuria took out her vibrating phone from her pocket and pressed the call button.

“Yes, Seunghyun. I’m almost there. Café? No, I don’t need coffee. Wait for me at the entrance.”

After hanging up, Yuria quickened her pace.

Soon, Shinope came into view, and there was Seunghyun, dressed neatly.

He waved at her.

His bright face was quite charming.

But…

‘He’s not like Aaron.’

Aaron wouldn’t wave his hand like that.

He would keep his elbow close to his ribs and wave simply, like Jihyuk.

Until now, she hadn’t paid much attention to Jihyuk, but… now that she thought about it, his gestures were quite rare.

Something most people wouldn’t do.

Could her father have been mistaken?

The café in front of Shinope was a place Jihyuk frequented. Maybe Seunghyun had taken all of Aaron’s lingering aura from there, causing the confusion?

Such thoughts swirled in her head.

‘No… my father wouldn’t make such a mistake.’

“Yuria, how have you been?”

Snapping out of her thoughts, Yuria smiled brightly at Seunghyun, who had approached her.

“Yes. How about you, Seunghyun?”

“Me? I’ve been fine.”

Seunghyun scratched his head.

His expression wasn’t great.

He had broken up with his girlfriend, and it seemed to have hit him hard.

After a moment of looking downcast, Seunghyun asked, “Where should we eat? I’m sorry, I should have decided earlier, but since you asked to meet so suddenly…”

He didn’t need to apologize, but… his consideration was endearing.

“I’m fine with anywhere.”

“Then how about some makgeolli? Oh, but you’re from abroad, so it might not suit your taste…”

Makgeolli on the first date? What an old man’s taste.

And he even had prejudices.

So far, there were more things about Seunghyun that she didn’t like than things she did.

Hold on… he’s Aaron’s reincarnation.

“No, I’d rather not drink.”

“Then how about some pasta? That’s safe.”

That sounded good.

Yuria agreed immediately.

“Yes, pasta sounds good.”

“Then let’s go to a place I know well.”

Seunghyun confidently pointed his thumb over his shoulder.

But then his shoulders slumped again.

Seeing this, Yuria thought, ‘He must have gone there a lot with his girlfriend.’

She decided not to bring up the topic of his girlfriend and matched her steps with Seunghyun as they walked side by side.

The place Seunghyun took her to was a pasta restaurant with a nice interior.

They ordered a simple cream pasta and Bolognese pasta and chatted while waiting for the food.

The main topic was how Seunghyun got into this line of work.

And Yuria heard something surprising.

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‘Damn it.’

I swallowed my frustration and moved my feet.

I had been watching Yuria and Yoo Seunghyun’s dinner through a demon.

The reason I was so angry was that Seunghyun had revealed his entire past.

From being scammed in a car accident insurance fraud to how I helped him.

He even mentioned my real name and spilled everything.

He said he owed his life to someone named Song Jihyuk, but he regretted that his relationship with his girlfriend had drifted apart because of work.

Thanks to that conversation, Yuria now knew that I was the one who helped Seunghyun and that his ex-girlfriend was Sehwa.

‘You’re something, Seunghyun.’

Of course, Seunghyun probably did it out of gratitude towards me… but it turned out to be a huge disadvantage for me.

Honestly, I didn’t expect him to reveal his past on the first date, but I got hit hard.

Right now, I was on my way to the park after receiving a call from Yuria.

Her voice was so cold when she called… damn it.

One bad thing after another.

But it’s fine. As long as I don’t get dragged around.

If I handle the situation properly, the master-servant relationship will remain… no, I can even widen the gap.

I’ll turn this crisis into an opportunity.

When I arrived at the park, I saw Yuria standing with her arms crossed, looking furious.

I put on a bright smile, pretending to know nothing, and approached her.

“Why did you want to meet here?”

Yuria gritted her teeth.

What does she think of me now?

The biggest scumbag in the world? Or a playboy?

“Jihyuk.”

Her tone was as cold as the peak of Everest.

“Yes?”

“I’m really disappointed. I never thought you were that kind of person…”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“I had dinner with someone named Yoo Seunghyun today.”

“Yoo Seunghyun? How do you know him?”

“Ha!”

Yuria let out a hollow laugh at my surprised tone.

“That’s not the point. Seunghyun told me. He was scammed in a car accident insurance fraud, and if it weren’t for someone named Song Jihyuk, he would have been in big trouble.”

“I did help him. I felt sorry for him. What’s the problem?”

“What’s the problem? You’re the one who took Sehwa away from Seunghyun!”

“Why do you think that?”

My calm rebuttal made Yuria even angrier.

“How can you be so shameless after taking another man’s woman?”

Damn bitch… you were trying to play both Seunghyun and me.

Who are you trying to fool?

Of course, I was the one who set it up, but… it still feels a bit off?

“What did Seunghyun say?”

“He said he was grateful to you! He had to pay back a huge debt, but thanks to your help, he only had to pay 20 million won!”

“So?”

“So? He didn’t even know Sehwa was dating you! He was completely blindsided…”

Yuria trailed off and rolled her eyes.

It was funny to see her thinking of the rest of the proverb.

“Got his nose cut off?”

“Yes! That’s it! I was going to say it outright, but I held back for your sake. Do you have no conscience?”

I slowly shook my head and asked, “Why are you so angry, Yuria?”

“You took Sehwa away! You knew she had a boyfriend! And Seunghyun only broke up with her a few days ago. That means you were fooling around with Sehwa while Seunghyun was being played! Am I wrong?”

Yuria was fuming.

Her rough breathing was starting to calm down when I finally spoke.

“Now that you’ve calmed down a bit, can I explain?”

“Go ahead.”

“First of all, I’m also disappointed in you, Yuria.”

“What?”

“Why are you so quick to assume I took Sehwa away?”

“Well…”

She hesitated.

It must be awkward for her to say, ‘Look at how you’re acting towards me! How can I not be suspicious!’

“It’s true that I helped Seunghyun. Back in college, Sehwa told me about his situation, and out of pure goodwill, I introduced him to a professional lawyer. After that, my relationship with Sehwa developed significantly, but that was because Sehwa approached me first.”

“Do you really think that makes sense? Sehwa isn’t that kind of person…”

“Ask her yourself. You can call her right now if you want.”

“…..”

“And I gave Sehwa the choice to make sure she wasn’t uncomfortable. I told her to choose between me or Seunghyun once she was sure of her feelings. A few days ago, Sehwa made up her mind completely. If anyone should be disappointed, it’s not me, but Sehwa. She tried to seduce me even though she had a boyfriend.”

Yuria clenched her fists.

Why? Don’t want to disappoint your fellow Beast Slayer?

I continued.

“Of course, it was wrong of me to fall for her knowing that. But it’s funny. Aren’t you in a similar situation with Seunghyun? You’re trying to meet me even though you know I’m with Sehwa.”

“That, that’s…”

Yuria stammered.

Taking advantage of the opening, I stepped closer to her.

Yuria took half a step back.

It’s a good thing she doesn’t know I intentionally caused Seunghyun’s accident.

“Are you done talking?”

“…You deliberately approached me! You enjoy taking other people’s partners, don’t you?”

Yeah. I fucking love it.

“What nonsense… Yuria, you don’t have a boyfriend. Why are you talking like you do?”

Yuria froze.

Song Jihyuk doesn’t know that Seunghyun is Aaron’s reincarnation.

She accidentally brought it up and was now flustered.

“That’s true, but…”

“Were you in some kind of relationship with Seunghyun? Then I can understand why you’re so angry. Your loved one got backstabbed by Sehwa.”

“N-no, it’s not like that!”

“Then I don’t understand at all? You’re in a similar position as me. If I do it, it’s romance, but if others do it, it’s adultery… is that it?”

“…..”

“Are you messing with me now?”

I brought my face close to Yuria’s, and she averted her gaze, her momentum completely gone.

“I asked if you’re messing with me.”

My low voice made Yuria flinch.

“Jihyuk… you… ah!”

Yuria was startled.

I had grabbed both her cheeks with one hand.

I furrowed my brows and pressed her.

“Hey.”

“…What did you just call me?”

“What’s your relationship with Seunghyun?”

My eyes were blazing.

Yuria gulped.

To be continued―――――――――――――――――――――

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