Ep.129 Vacation

Stardus hit big.

I don’t have to go far, I can just look at my Stardus fan cafe. The number of subscribers has just skyrocketed in the last few days. I’m overjoyed to see more people find Stardus attractive.

Of course, I almost died getting that reaction for her…

But I think it’s okay because I didn’t die anyway.

“Cough.”

“Da-in, here, the handkerchief.”

“Oh, Eun-wol. Thank you.”

I wiped the blood around my mouth.

…It seems like teleportation over long distances is a bit of a strain on my body. Indeed, it’s strange that I didn’t ruin my body even though I’ve never rested and sprinted dozens of kilometers. I’m glad I didn’t die.

…Well, I didn’t die, but I almost died.

As soon as I got home, I threw up a bloodbath and just collapsed. Later, I heard that the whole house was turned upside down. At least, I managed to survive as Ha-yul ran and did some treatment for me, or else it seemed like I was out of breath.

Especially Choi Sehee and Eun-wol, who saw me do this for the first time, were super panicked. Seo-eun and Ha-yul said that they caught their senses even though they screamed since they had already experienced seeing me come back being stabbed last time, but I heard that Eun-wol fainted.

Eventually, Eun-wol is sticking next to my bed.

“Da-in… Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes. Don’t worry, Eunwol.”

Eun-wol still looked at me worriedly.

I kept telling Eun-wol that I was okay. As soon as I woke up, I felt sorry for Eun-wol, she cried as if she had lost the world. She’s a person who relies on me as much as Seo-eun, so how surprised she must have been.

Seo-eun, who was looking uncomfortable while I was comforting her, suddenly started to frame her.

“Da-in, Baek Eun-wol is actually pretending to be weak to be next to you. It’s all acting, so you can’t fall for it.”

“…No, it’s not. Don’t be fooled by that lie, Da-in. You know I’m really worried, right?”

“Of course, I know.”

“Hey…! You’re going to keep being like that, huh?”

Soon, Seo-eun, who was sitting next to me, began to come up to the bed where I was half lying down.

“…Seo-eun, what are you doing?”

“What? I’m worried about you, too. It’s gonna stay by your side.”

“……And you said I was overreacting earlier.”

“That’s different!”

“Hah. Your lack of honesty is cute.”

“What? Are you making fun of me?”

“No, I’m complimenting you for being cute.”

“Hmph. Then you’re cute, too.”

“Thank you.”

“…Something’s off.”

Seo-eun and Eun-wol are bickering again today.

…Well, they were as close as ever.

Honestly, it’s true that the more you’re close, the more you’re going to fight. Usually, the two of them would be hand in hand and pull each other here and there.

Anyway, this is how I live these days.

A life of lying in bed and fatigue recovery.

No matter how much I convince them that I’m okay, the members who saw me throwing up blood forced me to lie down here. They won’t let me lift a finger.

…Seriously, I’m all better now, except that sometimes I still throw up blood. They’re being overprotective.

Anyway, I spoke up to stop the two who were still growling and having a conversation about Mango Moonlight or something that I didn’t understand.

“…Seo-eun, Eun-wol. Calm down. Cough.”

“Da-in! Are you sure you’re okay? Should I call Ha-yul again?”

“Cough. It’s not that serious.”

Until recently, she’s been staying next to me and nursing me all day, and now they want to wake up the kid who is taking some rest? Not going to happen. My conscience won’t let me…

I stroked Seo-eun, who talked to me in a worried voice after her fight. Only then did she close her eyes slightly and sigh as if she was relieved.

Haa, I’m sorry to make everyone worry.

It’s hard for me, too. I just want to go on a trip somewhere and rest. Somewhere similar to a resort.

“Let’s go on a vacation after this. Anywhere.”

“What? In that condition?”

“…Seo-eun, I’m really okay now. We’re going to a resort anyway, so I can just lie down.”

“…I guess so. Well, I guess it’s okay then! I’ll tell them.”

“…Travel…”

As she heard the word travel, Eun-wol’s eyes sparkled.

Yeah, I should hurry up and show Eun-wol the ocean.

Anyway, we all lied down and talked about this and that.

The reason why Seo-eun and Eun-wol came to this room is that they were worried that I would feel bored lying down alone, so they chatted on both sides.

“So, Da-in. The production is almost done. Starbuster no.2, the so-called Starbreaker is even beyond Buster! This time, it’ll definitely be different from the last time. It won’t be long before Stardus kneels in front of me! Hehe.”

“…Gosh, Seo-eun. What the hell did Stardus do to you?”

“She didn’t do anything to me, she did it to you. My brother gets hurt because of her all the time, so I can’t forgive her!”

…Was it really because of me?

I smiled awkwardly at Seo-eun, who smiled brightly while saying that she planned to knock down Stardus.

…Well, come to think of it, Seo-eun had a bad relationship with Stardus in the original work. I guess, it just makes sense because it was like that in the original comic, right? Yeah, it’s all because of the original comic. It’s not because of me.

Seo-eun, who was reciting the advantages of Starbreaker being stronger, stronger, and more remote than the previous Starbuster, soon clenched her fist and stood up on the bed, and shouted.

“Yes! This is not the time. Da-in! I’m going to do some more work on Starbreaker! Eun-wol, come with me!”

“….What? I want to be with Da-in a little longer…”

“No, you can’t be here alone without me. Come with me!”

“Hic…”

Then, Seo-eun grabbed Eun-wol’s hand and dragged her out.

Eun-wol felt a bit sorry as she reached out to me in a pathetic way until the end, but I couldn’t stop her.

Eun-wol… Take a break… I have some work to do on Stardus fan cafe, too.

The two of them disappeared.

In the silent room, when I was about to take out my laptop.

-Ring ring ring ring~

The phone began to ring.

It’s from Seola.

It’s been a while.

I answered the phone right away.

“Oh, Seola.”

[Hiccup. Hey, Da-in. Are you feeling well?]

“Yeah. I’m getting better now.”

[That’s a relief, hiccup]

“…Hey, but you don’t sound better than I do. Why are you hiccuping?”

[Oh, hiccup. I drank a little, and it keeps going like this.]

“Drinking? What time is it now? Why are you drinking at this hour? It’s in the middle of the day.”

[Haa… There are a lot of things that are bothering me these days, hiccup. If I drink this, it makes me feel better. I still can’t take over other companies, the National Assembly is impatient to eat up Yuseong Enterprise… Haa, hiccup. It’s getting harder every day. I feel sad.]

…I’m sorry, Seola. It seems like it’s because of me.

I guess I changed too many things compared to the original. She was supposed to dominate halfway through Korea by now.

I ignored my guilty feeling and gave her some awkward words of support.

“Haha… Hey, cheer up, you too.”

[Da-in. Hiccup. But you know what’s more upsetting than that?]

“…Hmm, what?”

[My most cherished colleague passed out, but I can’t even visit him. Haha, you won’t be able to tell me where you live, right? I understand, even if you don’t trust me.]

“Hey, it’s not like that.”

Feeling something ominous, I hurriedly spoke up, but it was too late.

Lee Seola started to talk, slightly crying.

[….Just. It’s a bit bitter though. You can’t even trust your colleague at all, hic, I still don’t know where you live, and I can do nothing to help you. I’m sorry, Da-in… Just, just. I cherish you, rely on you, and like you. Hic, I can’t even help when you’re sick, Da-in. I can’t even visit you. Haa. Who can I blame, I have to blame myself for not being trustworthy enough. Hic, sorry Da-in…]

She started sobbing at that moment. What’s wrong with her?

“Hey, hey. What’s wrong with you? Don’t cry.”

I’m sorry, Da-in. Hiccup. Words keep coming because I’m out of my mind after drinking. I’m sorry, forget it. Haha, what’s wrong with me? I can’t even control my emotions…]

She sniffled and then just laughed.

As my heart softened, I had no choice but to say something.

“….Wow.”

[What?]

“Come to the hospital, I’ll give you the address.”

[Sniff. Really?]

“Yes, so stop saying ridiculous things like I don’t trust you…”

[Wow! Really? You cannot take that back, okay? Can I go right away?]

“….All right. Yeah. I’ll send you the address, so come over there.”

[Okay! All right! See you then!!]

“Yeah… Yeah…”

And the line was cut off right away.

…What is this feeling?

No, it’s not that I still don’t believe her because I’m afraid she’ll betray me.

I feel like I’ve been tricked.

“Tsk. Come to think of it, I should have noticed when she said I was her most precious colleague.”

That’s a lie.

Because in the original work, Lee Seola clearly said that Shin Haru was her most cherished colleague.

“…..”

….A lie, right?

Come to think of it, it’s more difficult if it’s not a lie.

Anyway, I sent the address feeling somewhat uncomfortable, and I received a reply from Lee Seola saying she would visit me soon.

…Well, yeah. It doesn’t matter if you come or not. Honestly, I don’t think she’s going to get soggy now.

But wait.

Did I tell her I live in a big house with the Ego Stream members?

***

The next day.

“Hi, Da-in.”

“Oh… Hi, Seola. You come right away, huh…?

Lee Seola was standing in my room.

She smiled at me with her sky-blue hair hanging down.

“Yes. I’m visiting your house for the first time, so of course, I have to hurry.”

She smiled even brighter at the end of her sentence.

“…Anyway, I was looking on my way to the room. There are a lot of different women in your house. Do you guys live together?”

“…Haha. It just happened.”

She’s still smiling with the corner of her lips going up.

But unlike her expression, the room began to get chilly.

I mean, in a physical sense. I think the temperature is going down.

In this chilly room,

Staying alone with Lee Seola, who was still smiling, I laughed awkwardly.

Oh, Seola. It’s getting cold here…