-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Guest
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Stardus had blown up.
There was no need to look far; my Stardus fan cafe alone was proof. The number of subscribers had absolutely skyrocketed in the past few days. It made me genuinely happy to see more and more people discovering Stardus's appeal.
Of course, as a consequence, I had nearly died…
But I hadn't died in the end, so I guess it was fine?
"*Cough*."
"Dain oppa, here's a handkerchief."
"Ah, Eunwol. Thanks."
I dabbed away the blood trickling from the corner of my mouth.
…It seemed that ultra-long distance teleportation put a considerable strain on my body. After all, if you thought about it, it was like an all-out sprint for tens of kilometers without a single break, so it would be strange if my body *didn't* break down. It was a relief I hadn't died.
…Of course, I hadn't died, but I had come awfully close.
As soon as I arrived home, I'd collapsed, leaving a literal bloodbath in my wake. I later heard that the entire house had been thrown into utter chaos. It was only thanks to Hayul rushing over immediately to treat me that I'd barely survived; otherwise, I'd apparently looked like I was on the verge of breathing my last.
Especially Choi Sehee and Eunwol, who were seeing me like this for the first time, had reportedly fallen into a near-panic. Seoeun and Hayul, perhaps because I'd come home bleeding profusely from a stab wound last time, had managed to keep their wits about them even as they screamed. Eunwol, though, I'd heard, had actually fainted…?
The result of all this was Eunwol, clinging tightly to my bedside.
"Dain oppa… You're really okay, right?"
"Yeah. Don't worry, Eunwol."
Eunwol still gazed at me with a worried expression.
I kept reassuring Eunwol that I was fine. The first thing I'd seen upon waking was Eunwol sobbing as if she'd lost the world, and I felt incredibly guilty. She was a child who relied on me almost as much as Seoeun, so how terrified must she have been?
As I comforted her, gently patting her trembling form with one hand, Seoeun, who had been glaring at us with a displeased look, suddenly began to accuse.
"Oppa, Baek Eunwol is actually just pretending to be weak so she can stick close to you. It's all an act, so don't fall for it."
"…No, I'm not! Oppa, you mustn't fall for such lies. You know I'm genuinely very worried, right?"
"Of course I know."
"Ugh…! So that's how it's going to be, huh?"
Seoeun, who had been sitting beside me, then started to climb onto the bed herself, where I was propped up in a semi-reclined position.
"…Seoeun-ssi, what are you doing?"
"What do you mean, 'what'? I'm worried about Oppa too, you know? I'm going to stick close!"
"…Didn't you just say I was overreacting?"
"That was that, and this is this!"
"Heh. It's cute how you can't be honest."
"What? Are you making fun of me right now?"
"No. It's a compliment, that you're cute."
"Hmph. Then you're cute too."
"Thank you."
"…Something feels off."
Seoeun and Eunwol bickering again today.
…Well, they were as close as ever. In fact, this growling at each other was only possible because they were so close. Normally, they'd be holding hands and running around, playing together everywhere.
Anyway, these days, this was how I was living. A life spent lying on my bed, which doubled as a fatigue recovery device.
No matter how much I insisted I was okay, the members, having witnessed my continuous spitting of blood, had forcibly confined me here, not allowing me to lift a finger.
…No, I was truly fine now, save for the occasional bout of blood-spitting. Their overprotection was just too much.
Anyway, to mediate the two, who were still growling at each other and having a conversation about 'Hacker Mango' and 'Moonlight Mango' that I couldn't understand, I opened my mouth.
"…Seoeun, Eunwol. Calm down. *Cough*."
"Oppa! Are you really okay? Should I call Hayul unnie again?"
"*Cough*. It's not that bad."
Wake up the kid who had been napping beside me, nursing me all day, and had only just now managed to close her eyes? No, that wasn't right. My conscience wouldn't allow it…
I stroked Seoeun, who had stopped bickering to speak to me with a worried voice. Only then did she close her eyes slightly and let out a sigh of relief, as if finally reassured.
Phew, I felt incredibly sorry for making everyone worry so much. I was tired too. All I wanted was to just leave for a trip somewhere and rest. Somewhere like a resort.
"Let's just go on a trip in a bit. Anywhere."
"Huh? In that condition?"
"…Seoeun, I'm truly fine now, I told you. We'd be going to a resort anyway, so I can just lie down."
"…Is that so? Well, I guess that might be okay! I'll talk to the unnies."
"…A trip…"
Eunwol's eyes sparkled at the mention of a trip.
Right, I had to show Eunwol the ocean soon.
Anyway, we all lay there together, talking about this and that. Seoeun and Eunwol had come to this room in the first place because they thought I'd be bored lying alone, so the girls chattered away on either side of me.
"So, Oppa. The production is almost finished now. Starduster Mark II, also known as Starbreaker, which surpasses the original BUSTER! This time, it'll definitely be different from last time. It won't be long until Stardus kneels before me! Hehe."
"…No, Seoeun. What exactly has Stardus ever done to *you* to deserve this…?"
"She didn't do anything to *me*; she did it to *you*, Oppa. You always come home injured because of that woman, and I can't forgive her!"
…It was because of *me*? Seeing Seoeun smile brightly as she spoke of her plan to defeat Stardus, I offered an awkward smile in return. …Indeed, come to think of it, Seoeun had always had a bad relationship with Stardus in the original story. Was it truly the natural order of this world for things to follow the original plot? Yes, this was all because of the original. It wasn't because of me.
Seoeun, who had been rattling off the Starbreaker's advantages—how it was stronger, sturdier, and could even be summoned remotely, unlike the previous Starduster—suddenly clenched her fist and stood up on the bed, shouting.
"Alright! This is no time to be idle. Oppa! I'm going to go fine-tune the Starbreaker a bit more! Eunwol, come with me!"
"…Huh? Oh, I wanted to stay with Dain oppa a bit longer…"
"Nope, you two can't be alone without me. Come on!"
"Ugh…"
With that, Seoeun grabbed Eunwol's hand and dragged her out of the room.
Eunwol, pitifully reaching out to me until the very end, was a bit heartbreaking to watch, but I couldn't stop them.
Eunwol… Go get some rest… I also need to sort out the Stardus fan cafe…
And just like that, the two of them disappeared.
In the now quiet room, I was about to pull out my laptop when…
—*Ring-ding-ding~*
The phone began to ring. I checked the caller ID: Lee Seola. It had been a while.
I answered the call immediately.
"Oh, Seola."
"*Hic*. Hello, Dain-ssi. Are you feeling alright?"
"Yeah. I'm slowly getting better now."
"That's a relief, *hic*."
"…Hey, but you sound worse off than me. Why are you hiccuping so much?"
"Ah, *hic*. I had a bit to drink, and it's been like this ever since."
"Drink? What time is it? It's broad daylight, and you're already drinking?"
"Haa… There's been a lot of upsetting stuff lately, *hic*. Drinking this helps me feel a bit better, at least. Corporations aren't getting acquired easily, the National Assembly is desperate to tear down Meteor Corporation… Haa, *hic*. It's just getting worse and worse. It's so frustrating."
…I'm sorry, Seola. That seems to be my fault. I guess I changed the original story too much. By now, she should have half-conquered Korea already.
I ignored my throbbing conscience and awkwardly offered words of encouragement.
"Hahaha… Hey, you hang in there too."
"Dain-ssi. *Hic*. But do you know what's even more frustrating than that?"
"…Uh, what is it?"
"The fact that my most precious colleague has collapsed, and I can't even visit them. Hahaha, well, you can't tell me where you live, right? I understand if you don't trust me."
"Hey, it's not like that."
Feeling something ominous, I hastily opened my mouth, but it was already too late.
Lee Seola, her voice slightly choked, began to continue.
"…It's just. It's still a little bitter. I can't even earn my colleague's trust, *sniff*, and I still don't know where you live. What can I possibly do when I've put myself out there like this? I'm sorry, Dain-ssi. …It's just, I just think of Dain-ssi as precious, and I rely on you, and I just… I like you. *Sniff*. But when Dain-ssi is hurting, I can't help at all, *sniffle*, and I can't even visit. Haa. Who can I blame? I should blame myself for not being able to inspire trust. *Sniff*. I'm sorry, Dain-ssi…"
She was now almost starting to sob. No, what was wrong with her?
"Hey, hey. What's wrong? Don't cry. Stop it."
"Hahaha… I'm sorry, Dain-ssi. *Hic*. I guess I'm losing my mind from drinking; the words are just spilling out. I'm sorry, please forget it. Haha, why am I like this? *Sniffle*. I can't control my emotions…"
Lee Seola, sniffling but trying to laugh, continued.
My heart softened towards her, and I couldn't help but say what I did.
"…Come."
"Huh?"
"Come visit me. I'll give you the address."
"*Sniffle*. Really?"
"Yeah. So stop saying those ridiculous things about me not trusting you…"
"Wow! Really? No backing out? I can come right away, right?"
"…Uh. Yeah. I'll send you the address, so come to that location."
"Okay! Got it! See you then!!"
"Uh… Uh…"
And just like that, the call was cut off.
…What was this uneasy feeling?
No, it wasn't that I still didn't trust Lee Seola, fearing she might betray me.
…It felt like I'd been played…
Tsk. Come to think of it, I should have caught on from the part where she called me her most precious colleague…
That was a lie. Because in the original, it had clearly stated that Lee Seola's most cherished colleague was Shin Haru.
...
…It *was* a lie, right? Come to think of it, if it *wasn't* a lie, that would be even more problematic.
Anyway, with an uneasy feeling, I sent the address and received a reply from Lee Seola that she would visit in the near future.
…Well, fine. There wouldn't be any problem if she came, so it probably didn't matter. Honestly, I didn't think Lee Seola would cause trouble now anyway.
But wait a minute.
Had I ever mentioned that I was living with all the Ego Stream members in this large house…?
***
The next day.
"Hello, Dain-ssi."
"Oh… Seola, hi. You came incredibly fast, didn't you…?"
Lee Seola was standing in my room.
She smiled at me, her sky-blue hair flowing freely.
"Yes. It's my first time being able to visit Dain-ssi's home, so of course I had to come quickly."
Having said that, she offered an even deeper smile and spoke.
"…By the way, as I was coming to your room, I noticed. There are a lot of other women in the house, aren't there? Are you all living together?"
"…Hahaha. It just sort of happened."
She was still smiling, her lips curved upwards.
However, contrary to her expression, the room gradually began to grow colder. No, in a physical sense. It genuinely felt like the perceived temperature was dropping…
In that chilling room, facing Lee Seola, who was still smiling, I offered an awkward laugh.
"…Uh, Seola. It's getting a little chilly in here, isn't it…?"