Player who Returned 10,000 years Later

Side Story Chapter 30: Troubling Date (1)

“Hmph.”

Oh Kang-Woo returned after an exciting game of tag with Cha Yeon-Joo and saw that Han Seol-Ah was sulking.

“Darling~ I said I’m home~”

“I can see that.”

Seol-Ah, who always ran to the front door as soon as Kang-Woo opened the door and shoved him between her soft breasts, stayed in the kitchen with a cold expression.

“Mm, uhh… Darling?” Kang-Woo called as he carefully approached Seol-Ah.

Seol-Ah glared at him and asked, “What do you want?”

“...”

Kang-Woo flinched, hearing a callous tone from her for the first time.

He had to do something since Seol-Ah was blatantly showing how angry she was.

“Darling, are you angry? I’m sorry~”

Kang-Woo hugged Seol-Ah from behind as if asking to be pampered.

“Ngh.” Seol-Ah flinched and mumbled as she sulked, “Really… You left without a word last time, and now today…”

“I messaged you that I’ll be late this time.”

“Even so, I didn’t expect you to be out until the same came up!” shouted Seol-Ah, turning to Kang-Woo with tears in her eyes. “I was… so worried that I thought my chest was burning.”

“Haha. I told you that you don’t need to worry about me anymore. I’ve recovered a large portion of my strength.”

“N-Not that.” She twiddled her fingers as she averted her gaze from Kang-Woo. “I was worried that… something might have happened between you and Yeon-Joo.”

“Oh… that.”

Kang-Woo looked at Seol-Ah with a troubled expression. He couldn’t say that nothing happened since Yeon-Joo had let her suppressed feelings burst forth and passionately confessed her love to him.

“Really, really, really…”

Seol-Ah softly bit her lip and took out a cabbage head of kimchi from a kimchi container.

Schwing.

She placed the head of kimchi on the cutting board and grabbed a sharp kitchen knife.

“You’re mine, I’m all you need, you only need to look at me, but you keep going out to see other women!”

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Seol-Ah swung the knife like an ax. Red kimchi stew fluid splattered all over the place like blood.

“Is it because you find something that I do for you lacking? Is it? Then feel free to let me know. I’m willing to do anything for you. Okay? Okay? Okay?”

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Seol-Ah continued to talk in a chilling tone as she cut the kimchi into tiny pieces as if she were hacking at her mortal enemy.

“Umm, Darling…” said Kang-Woo carefully under the deathly heavy mood. “It’s not nice to have the kimchi sliced too small—”

Thump!

“I mean, I’m sorry. I’ll come home earlier from now on.”

Kang-Woo quickly backed down once he saw Seol-Ah’s eyes losing their light.

“Haaa.” Seol-Ah put down the knife and turned to hug Kang-Woo. She continued, “It sure is… difficult to have a lover who is too popular.”

Seol-Ah gently caressed Kang-Woo’s arm.

“What do you think, Kang-Woo?”

‘About what?’

“Is there no other choice but to divide you up among us?”

“Huh…?”

‘That’s not meant to be divided. You shouldn’t do that.’

“I… don’t know what I should do anymore.”

“Please spare me.”

‘I think murder is a very bad thing. I mean, I won’t die, but it still hurts.’

“H-Huh? What do you mean? There’s no way I would kill you, Kang-Woo!”

“Haha. Right, Darling? That’s not what you meant by divide, ri—”

“It’s okay.” Seol-Ah smiled like she couldn’t be happier and embraced Kang-Woo tighter. “Do you know the book No One’s Perfect?”[1]

“Nope.”

‘Nor do I want to know.’[2]

“It is a book containing a hopeful message that a person can live just fine even without their arms and legs.”

‘What does that have to do with our current situation?’

“Oh, right! I heard the author of that book also had affairs.”

“I’m sorry.”

‘I’ll smash my head into the ground this instant.’

“Hohoho. Don’t scold the king too much,” said Lilith as she came out of her room and lightly embraced Seol-Ah.

“U-Unnie.”

“I understand that you don’t want to be separated from the king, but he will end up getting tired of you if you keep trying to put him on a leash.”

“Gasp! Th-There’s no way he would!”

“My, are you sure about that?”

Lilith smiled alluringly as she glanced at Kang-Woo.

‘There’s no way I would end up disliking Darling even if she put me in restraints, but I might as well keep silent since she’s helping me out.’

“Urgh.” Seol-Ah bit her lip in sorrow.

Lilith gently patted Seol-Ah’s head and asked, “That aside, what were you doing with Yeon-Joo all night?”

Her eyes were shining with great interest.

“Mm…” Kang-Woo groaned, troubled about how to respond.

He turned to look at Seol-Ah, who was staring at him anxiously.

‘I think I’ll be fucked if I tell them in this situation that Yeon-Joo confessed to me.’

He had a feeling he should bring up the topic once he appeased Seol-Ah.

“We were gaming in a PC room,” he answered.

“A… PC room?” Lilith tilted her head after hearing a term she had never heard before.

“You remember the game I played with Echidna a while ago, right? It’s a public place where we can play games like that.”

“Oh, then I guess there weren’t any interesting developments.” Lilith sighed and shook her head in disappointment. “I was expecting to get another little sister…”

“Unnie!”

“Hoho. I’m joking. Right, my king. I have matters to take care of today, so I will be out for the day.”

Lilith created and managed an intelligence organization separate from Guardians. The organization was attempting to track Akart’s movements by analyzing abnormal phenomena occurring in Gates throughout the world.

“Okay. Have a safe trip,” Kang-Woo said as she saw her off at the front door and slowly turned to Seol-Ah.

“K-Kang-Woo…” Seol-Ah was trembling, teary-eyed. She carefully approached Kang-Woo, grabbed his clothes, and muttered quietly, “You haven’t gotten t-tired of me, right? R-Right?”

“I don’t see a reason why I would have.”

Kang-Woo grabbed Seol-Ah’s hands and smiled. Seol-Ah smiled, her expression filled with relief.

‘Let’s see. I need to cheer Darling up somehow,’ he thought as he looked at Seol-Ah with her shoulders drooped sorrowfully. ‘I’ll have to cheer her up regardless before telling her Yeon-Joo confessed to me.’

He needed Seol-Ah in the best mood possible so that she would approve of Yeon-Joo without much resistance.

‘Let’s see. Maybe we can do the noona roleplay like last time…’

An idea popped up in his head as he was racking his brain for something.

“Oh, right.”

“Wh-What’s wrong, Kang-Woo?”

“Come to think of it, it’s been so long since we last had a date, right?”

Kang-Woo had spent the majority of his days at home after returning from the Abyss so they had not enjoyed any outdoor dates.

“A… date?”

Seol-Ah’s eyes widened as if she had not even considered the idea. Kang-Woo smiled widely and nodded.

“It was a super~ long time ago, but do you remember telling me that you wanted to go to an amusement park with me?”

“Ah… Yes. I remember.” Seol-Ah nodded after recalling her memories for a moment.

It was when they had gone to Japan.

“Let’s go today,” Kang-Woo said as he grabbed Seol-Ah’s hand.

“...!” Her eyes shone brightly like flashlights. “A date with K-Kang-Woo, just the two of us…!”

Seol-Ah trembled as if she were told of shocking news. Sparks traveled throughout her body and intense pleasure stimulated her brain to the point that she felt like her brain was melting.

“Haa, haaa,” Seol-Ah panted heavily as she gripped Kang-Woo’s hands tighter. “I-Is it really okay, Kang-Woo?”

“Eh? About what?”

‘What’s the problem with lovers going on a date?’

“Umm, you know…” Seol-Ah averted her gaze from Kang-Woo and twiddled her fingers. “I-I’ve never done it outside, so I’m a little nervous.”

‘What are you planning on doing outside?’

“I-If that’s what you want, then I’m f-fine with it! I can do it!”

‘I was thinking nothing of the sort.’

“...”

Kang-Woo dumbfoundedly stared at Seol-Ah, wondering who had corrupted someone as innocent and pure as her.

“Layla…”

That was the only person who came to mind.

“Your mind is filled with Layla!!”

“Kyaaahh! K-Kang-Woo!!”

“Come here, Darling! Layla is trying to take over your mind!!”

“It was a joke! I was joking, Kang-Woo!”

They laughed after bickering with each other for a while.

“I’ll get washed up first and get ready,” Kang-Woo remarked.

They had both stayed up all night but it was fine since their bodies no longer required sleep.

“Ah, I’ll join you, Kang-Woo ♥”

Seol-Ah approached Kang-Woo with a smile. He thought for a moment and then nodded. He had gotten used to bathing with Seol-Ah.

“Hehehe. I’ll clean every nook and cranny of your body,” said Seol-Ah with a smile, seemingly having cheered up a lot already. “Oh, right. Come to think of it, which amusement park are we going to?”

“If we’re gonna go to one, we might as well go somewhere big.”

Kang-Woo shrugged and took out his smartphone to show Seol-Ah a picture of the place he had in mind.

“This is…”

Seol-Ah’s eyes widened.

***

Intense sunlight beamed down on them under the clear skies. Kang-Woo and Seol-Ah witnessed a sight in the crowded amusement park that one would rarely see in Korea.

“Sheesh, this place is crowded.”

People of various skin colors filled the amusement park.

“The Hall of Protection sure is amazing. We can travel overseas in the blink of an eye…” Seol-Ah remarked.

“It’s the main reason why Guardians managed to take hold of the majority of the world’s authority.”

Kang-Woo nodded as he looked around. He could hear native English pronunciations from all over the place. The language itself was unfamiliar to him since he had not even properly received middle school education, forget high school education.

‘But that doesn’t matter in these times.’

The interpretation magic tool that Khadgar made with his blood, sweat, and tears during their preparation for the war against Bael, had become a commonplace item for daily life. It was made available even to regular people so the language barrier had practically vanished.

“Right, then. Shall we go?” said Kang-Woo as he reached for Seol-Ah’s hand after purchasing the tickets.

“Yes!” she shouted, her smile brighter than ever.

The amusement they decided to have their date in was Universal Studios, located in Los Angeles, USA.

1. This is a book written by Ototake Hirotada. It is his autobiography as a man born without arms and legs. ☜

2. Kang-Woo is reacting like this because the title of the book in Korean (direct translation of the Japanese title) is something like “unsatisfactory body and limbs.” ☜

erigiii’s Thoughts

Sorry if anyone likes Seol-Ah, but she’s really starting to get on my nerves lol