Chapter 39
The story continues off the page
Floaties for Everyone
Swim lesson at the water park, and she's demonstrating on you
“Oof, my solar plexus.”
Rubbing the spot Kim Yang had hit, I picked up a slice of pizza. Kim Yang, glaring at me drowsily, had already eaten two slices.
Kim Yang, in the middle of a combat-style meal.
Asking to borrow money seemed to put her in a foul mood, but I was serious.
“Kim Yang, I’ll pay you back, so please help me out.”
“I, I don’t have any money. G, get lost.”
Look at her tone getting rough.
Still, if a company president suddenly asked to borrow money, I’d probably hate it too.
“No, I can pay you back. Seriously. It’s for Meracle.”
“R-repay what—Meracle?”
Kim Yang tilted her head and looked at me.
A look that seemed to ask what that meant.
“M-Meracle? Why?”
“Because we need a little money for promotion this time.”
“P-promotion? Where?”
“The 6th floor.”
“…….”
“We did pretty well promoting on the 4th and 5th floors, didn’t we?”
“T-that’s…?”
We did.
Thanks to that, hadn’t we gotten a lot of customers from the 4th and 5th floors?
Once something gets planted in people’s minds, they naturally end up looking for it there.
Especially on the 4th floor, a lot of people think Meracle is the best in the industry.
Didn’t even the elf grandma get hooked because of it?
“This time I want to really push promotion on the Cyber City side too. I think an opportunity has come up.”
At my words, Kim Yang took another bite of pizza with a skeptical look. After chewing and swallowing, she asked back.
“B-but. I really don’t have any money.”
“…….”
“M-my paycheck is pathetic.”
I had no idea why she was suddenly obsessing over her salary. Was she trying to negotiate her pay?
“If this goes well, I’ll raise your salary when we renew your contract, okay?”
“I-I’m changing jobs.”
“…….”
“A better matchmaking agency.”
“Hey, even if you go to Taphon or Wedding Company, you won’t get treated like this.”
“I-instead. I want a higher salary.”
“……You’re not seriously leaving, right?”
When I asked, half-hoping it was a joke, Kim Yang grumbled.
“A boss should cherish their employees.”
“Fine. I know, I know.”
Still, just in case, I should prepare for the possibility that Kim Yang might leave.
‘Should I hire Renea?’
Lately, she’d been quietly helping Kim Yang from the side.
“Anyway, you do have money. I want to borrow some of that.”
“W-what, what are you—”
“The pocket money you got from Sinsundowon. You’re not using it, are you?”
“Ah…….”
Hadn’t I brought back a heavy money pouch from the Sinsundowon ferryman last time?
I knew Kim Yang had stuffed it in a drawer and absolutely never touched it.
“Kim Yang, you know that burying money away is the stupidest thing you can do, right? People need to invest.”
“S-so. The boss is broke.”
“……We restored Wolfguard Solutions.”
The rescue team had come, so we were back in a bull market.
You could call it a Christmas miracle.
“Yeah? Let’s use this chance to expand our customer pool to the 6th floor too. It’s a really good opportunity.”
“Y-you’ve been talking to them lately. T-that’s it?”
“Right. I’ve been talking with Helight a bit. Asking them to bring us in on the side.”
“…….”
Kim Yang took a bite of the chocolate brownie we’d ordered on the side. The sweetness seemed to lift her mood, and she smiled faintly.
“A-condition.”
“A condition? What is it?”
“U-until you pay it back. Y-you’re not the boss.”
“…….”
“Juseon-ah.”
I suddenly felt strangely offended.
“Haa, fine. But keep it professional while you’re working.”
“D-don’t worry, Juseon-ah.”
“You call me way too casually. So that means I’ve got your permission? I’ll contact them.”
“W-wait.”
“Hmm?”
I wondered if something else had come up, but Kim Yang tilted her head.
“C-Christmas schedule. Why’d you ask? It, it has nothing to do with money.”
“Ah, that?”
What else could it be?
“Let’s go on a business trip.”
Right after saying it, I took a defensive stance, but Kim Yang just stared at me.
“What? I thought you were going to headbutt me.”
“I-It’s fine. E-extra pay. Y-you’ll give it, right?”
“If this goes well, extra pay is nothing. I’ll even give you a year-end bonus.”
“……Okay.”
Kim Yang nodded and took another bite of the brownie.
It must have been sweet, because I could see the corners of her mouth lift slightly.
* * *
- X: Christmas is almost here.
- J: Yes, that’s right.
- J: There are about two hours left.
- J: Do you have any plans?
- X: Nothing in particular.
- J: Then would you like me to recommend a place to spend Christmas?
“…….”
Inside the tent.
Namgung Yeon’s finger froze for a moment as he stared at his phone screen.
Up until now, it had often recommended all sorts of things, but lately, place recommendations had become frequent.
He wondered.
‘What if I went to the place she told me about?’
If he went there, it felt like someone might be waiting. Because if that happened, he felt like something in him would change—.
- X: No, never mind.
Namgung Yeon took another step back.
- J: Understood.
The same calm answer he always heard.
But strangely, it seemed tinged with disappointment.
Dismissing it as a pointless thought, Namgung Yeon put his phone in his pocket and stepped out of the tent.
Lately, seeing how he kept his phone on him at all times, he felt a quiet pride that he’d adapted to this world in his own way.
“Ah, Young Master! You’re out!”
“Isn’t this amazing? They make artificial snow fall here.”
“It’s coming down in a blizzard.”
The martial artists were looking up at the sky like children.
Cyber City spread artificial snow throughout the city, so it was always a white Christmas.
“Is Christmas really such a big deal?”
“I’d heard a lot about it, but I didn’t expect it to be like this.”
“I went over there and they were giving out free snacks too.”
Even the martial artists were getting swept up in the mood and a little excited. But there’s always one person who has to spoil it.
“If so, wouldn’t tonight be the perfect time?”
Cheolho, a martial artist with a serious expression, suggested.
“They’ll have let their guard down because it’s a holiday. We’ll launch a surprise attack tonight and wipe out those Helight bastards for good.”
No one could answer.
They didn’t want to do it, but they knew in their heads he was right.
Cheolho added with conviction.
“Young Master, you need to come to your senses. We’ve been here for more than half a month now.”
“…….”
“How long are you planning to stay like this? You’ve even been ignoring the letter sent by the clan head last time, so surely you must have some reason for it?”
“How did you—”
The flustered Namgung Yeon then gritted his teeth.
“Cheolho, it was you. You’ve been reporting our situation to the clan.”
“I follow the clan head. Young Master, you are not yet the head of Namgung Clan.”
Even so, Cheolho was desperate.
“Young Master! You need to wake up! Even though the clan head sent a letter, if you stay here like this, you at least need to bring back some results. But if all we do every day is carry out meaningless raids, aren’t we no different from bandits!”
“What outrageous nonsense is this—!”
“Cheolho! You’re going too far!”
“How dare you compare the Young Master to a thief!”
The other martial artists immediately argued with Cheolho, but his eyes were serious.
“They say honest advice is like bitter medicine! Young Master! It is their festival, not ours!”
Now everyone’s gaze turned to Namgung Yeon.
In a few hours, Christmas would come to Cyber City.
Clearly, this was the right time.
Namgung Yeon slowly parted his lips.
“Cheolho of Namgung Clan. Answer my question.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“Why did we come here?”
“To make the name of Namgung resound before those who trampled on the clan’s tradition.”
“Correct.”
Namgung Yeon continued to explain.
“We came to avenge the tradition we built, because it was trampled upon. But, Cheolho. Tell me, if we attack tonight, how would we be any different from them?”
“That—!”
“There is such a thing as a Christmas truce. Even this city, reeking only of iron, has the one time when it feels like people are actually living here!”
“…….”
“All fighting stops! And peace arrives.”
He let out a short breath.
With a puff of white breath, he asked again.
“Cheolho of Namgung Clan, answer me. What is the difference between trampling on their traditions and them trampling on ours?”
“…….”
“I know your concerns, but once the day has passed, we’ll resume our full offensive, so set your worries aside.”
“……Understood.”
Cheolho bowed and no longer argued.
Seeing that he had been convinced, Namgung Yeon immediately shouted to the others.
“Namgung Clan values others’ cultures and traditions as much as our own! That is what a gentleman does! And that is also benevolence and righteousness!”
“Waaah!”
“That’s right!”
Just as Namgung Yeon clenched his fist and smiled in satisfaction—.
“Who—”
A silence as if time itself had stopped suddenly descended.
“Who dares dishonor the name of Namgung.”
A voice he’d heard since childhood, yet one he could never grow accustomed to.
Quiet as if reciting a line of verse, yet to the listener it felt like a resonance louder than the drums of the battlefield.
Garments in a blend of blue and white.
Even with his white hair billowing, his natural imposing aura crushed the younger generation.
Namgung Pacheon, the head of Namgung Clan.
One of the absolute masters of the old martial world now stood before them.
“F-Father—!”
“I greet you, Clan Head!”
“I greet you, Clan Head!”
The flustered Namgung Yeon and the martial artists hurriedly cupped their fists and bowed.
A tremor beyond anything the cold could cause.
Blue sword qi, called Namgung’s pride, encircled the sword Namgung Pacheon held.
“Young Master, Namgung Yeon.”
“Yes! Clan Head!”
More a cry than an answer.
Even so, it was woefully insufficient to quell Namgung Pacheon’s fury.
“Answer me. Who is it that is now disgracing the name of Namgung?”
“…….”
“Who was it who left, boasting he would take the heads of those who had recklessly broken the Seowol Sword—”
“…….”
“Who was it who wasted away for half a month in struggles that had no meaning whatsoever—”
“…….”
“And who is it that is going toe-to-toe with lowlifes who chase money—”
“Also.”
“Who is it that has been blinded by that treasure and neglected Namgung’s honor?”
“……!”
Namgung Yeon’s eyes widened as if they would split open.
A treasure.
The phone hidden in his chest suddenly felt far heavier.
‘Father knows!’
He couldn’t deny that he’d been so absorbed in his conversations with J that he had neglected the clan’s affairs.
Once Helight is completely brought down, there’d be no reason to stay on the 6th floor anymore.
Then he’d be separated from this forever.
And.
What if the one he was talking to
was the woman he was thinking of?
Unable to deny his own hesitation, Namgung Yeon’s lips only trembled, unable to utter any answer.
A blue line was drawn.
Namgung Yeon thought for a moment that he was dead. He had seen the sword path slash down across his chest.
Crack!
But in truth, there wasn’t a single wound on his body. What he heard was the eerie sound of metal breaking.
“Ah…….”
Namgung Yeon’s hand immediately darted into his robes and pulled out the phone. Split in half, it was completely ruined.
“Don’t show such a pathetic sight.”
Even at Namgung Pacheon’s warning, Namgung Yeon could not contain the emotion surging painfully up his throat.
Clutching the split phone with both hands, if he were to name this emotion, it was regret.
“A-ahh…….”
Questions he had wanted to ask, but never could, flashed through his mind in an instant.
Why had he asked about her preference in women?
Why had his answer been slow when she talked about breaking off the engagement?
Why did he know the details of the fee paid by the Busters and the mercenary group?
Why did the Busters and mercenaries eat there on a corporate card?
Why did she answer that I didn’t have an umbrella?
That the mercenaries had come and given him one?
She was always ready to answer.
But it was he who had not asked.
He had not had the courage to ask.
If she really was the woman he was thinking of—he couldn’t see any path forward at all.
“Hng, h-hng.”
Large tears ran down his face.
Even with the clan head standing before him, he could not shake the regret and lingering attachment crashing over him.
Since he could no longer reach it, if he looked at the emotion called regret from another angle—.
Love.
“Hngh—! It was you……?”
No matter how much he asked the phone split in half—.
“You kept waiting, all this time? For me to ask?”
Even if he voiced the question she had waited endlessly for—.
“Huk! Miss…… Please, please answer me. Was it you? Was the time I spent—actually our time—!”
Kneeling, Namgung Yeon hugged the phone protectively to his chest and curled in on himself, bursting into bitter sobs.
“Miss! Answer me! Miss! Tell me!”
The place you told me about.
A good place to spend Christmas.
The place you had so desperately wanted to tell me about—.
“Miss…… Please, please tell me.”
No matter how desperately he pleaded, as if vomiting the words out.
Like a bond already severed.
There was no answer from the phone—.
“Luminous Plaza.”
A black suit, a sly smile, and timing that made it seem as though he’d been waiting.
Strictly speaking, even against the Cyber City backdrop, he was
a man who didn’t fit in at all among the martial artists.
“Y-you are—”
The moment Kim Juseon saw Namgung Yeon’s tear-streaked face, he flashed a sly smile and greeted him.
“I’ll find your miracle for you.”
Welcome.
“It’s Meracle.”