Chapter 46: CH 43

Chapter 43
 
     “Since we still need Kim Sangyoon to level you up, we should slowly take our time to interrogate him.” Seo Dawon spoke as if the Warrior was only a tool to be used.
     I felt complicated when I saw this side of him.
     Of course, if Kim Sangyoon had succeeded in his plan to betray us…we would have been in quite the bind.
     Seo Dawon was bound by 24-hour cooldown time, so he wouldn’t have been able to manifest and use the same abilities he casted to overpower Kim Sangyoon. If I had encountered Bae Jaemin alone, I would have been captured and dragged away or, in the worst-case scenario, killed.
     I don’t know what Kim Sangyoon was trying to gain by betraying us, but he couldn’t have been keeping my safety in mind when he contacted Bae Jaemin…So, I had no particular complaint that Seo Dawon treated Kim Sangyoon harshly. If it were yesterday, maybe I could have mustered up the pretense to protest.
     However, what bothered me is that there were times when I felt like Seo Dawon was gently nudging me to convert to his perspective and his way of handling issues.
     This time, his cold attitude towards the Warrior placed unspoken pressure on me as well as the man in question…..I felt that my ghostly partner wanted me to get used to the idea of torture and treating others as tools.
     “How long will you keep Kim Sangyoon alive?” I asked.
Seo Dawon smiled brightly and avoided answering directly, “For as long as you need him?”
     This jerk… He always acts like he follows my instructions, but he…
     “First, let’s revive Garam and think about this matter later. Garam-ie will plot a good route for you.”
     “……Fine.” I heaved a deep sigh and opened the bedroom door again.
     There Kim Sangyoon, who seemed to have returned to his senses, sat, looking at me with baleful eyes.
 
* * *
 
     [Owl’s Ghost Ship] was a leveling Dungeon important to Users and parties under level 60.
     The rewards were insignificant, but the Dungeon was essential for Users who wanted to gain a massive amount of experience. After the community weighed the difficulty against other places, daily tours of [Owl’s Ghost Ship] were determined as one of the safest ways to escape the early tribulations of being a User.
     I’ve been to [Owl’s Ghost Ship] once before.
     In the past, when I still was ignorant about everything, I heard that level 32~35 Users could easily gain levels with a 10-person party. I entered a random group that recruited level 32 Users… Excited, I worked hard and leveled up twice, but, as I happily began to leave the Dungeon, the leader of the party suddenly ran up to me and grabbed me by the collar.
     The Dungeon was incredibly popular, and many Users milled around in front of the entrance waiting for their turn. With little regard as to our audience, the party leader threw me down onto the ground, shouting “Did you come here to get carried? If even one person was hurt, I would have sued you!”
     I turned to the other party members, requesting help silently, but they all looked so cold. Faced with such rejection, I couldn’t properly defend myself.
     I was so embarrassed that I came home crying that day… Of course, I haven’t returned since. Additionally, I holed myself up at home for a week after that incident, worried that anyone in the audience would post about that spectacle on internet forums.
     That was 8 months ago, and I had willfully forgotten about my shame….As I got closer to the open clearing in front of the Dungeon’s entrance, though, the nightmare of that day bubbled up from the recesses of my memories, and I couldn’t control my winces.
     “…..? Is something wrong?”
" "
     “Lee-kyung-nim, Is something making you uncomfortable?”
     [Clack clack?]
     Unfortunately, my party members seemed to sense my reluctance.
     Seo Dawon touched my forehead, “Why are you grimacing like that?” Kim Sangyoon continued to look nervously at my lips. Meanwhile, Lackey bit my hand very gently to grab my attention. When I looked down at it, Lackey rubbed its head against my palm and acted cutely.
     I managed to regain my composure with the strength of my companions’ worries.
     Yeah. It’s different from last time. Today, I’ll be entering with these three, without anyone to cruelly humiliate me for being weak… It’ll be alright.
     So, I released a short sigh and said, “I’m fine now. Let’s go in?” to the companions who still searched my complexion for signs of ill health. I took the lead and approached the entrance to the Dungeon.
     As we approached, however, I felt other Users pointing and looking towards us. I warily observed them through the corner of my eyes, wondering if they were staring at me or Lackey…
     “Huh?”
     “Kim Sangyoon?”

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     “It’s Kim Sangyoon!”
     The red-haired Warrior’s name frequently appeared amongst the whispered chatter.
     Ah, that’s right…Kim Sangyoon’s a famous person…
     I had briefly forgotten about Kim Sangyoon’s original identity and internet career because of his pathetic impression yesterday and today. He was a highly influential streamer; over 10,000 people would regularly watch his live streams…
     “It seems Kim Sangyoon is popular?” Seo Dawon asked as he looked at the crowding Users in fascination. “Seriously?” He said in disbelief, pointing at some of the Users that were now happily filming Kim Sangyoon with their camera.
     Seo Dawon simply couldn’t adapt to the changing times: Kim Sangyoon must have been a User during Dawon’s tenure–but nothing too special compared to the other rankers.
     Just then…
     “I-I’m sorry….”
     An ant-sized voice trembled out from behind. Kim Sangyoon, bent at the waist like a folder, bowed and apologized to me.
     I stepped towards him in surprise. Kim Sangyoon also began to step forward as well, speaking in a bizarrely sincere tone, “I-I didn’t tell anyone about it, I swear. They just all showed up…I’m sorry for how loud it is here. Y-you looked as if you were in a bad mood… Is it my fault? T-that’s not it, right? I-If I…by any chance, did anything to displease you….”
     Is this guy a fool? How could you so suddenly apologize to me, with a deep bow, when we’re in the public eye?
     I squinted at Kim Sangyoon, wondering if he was purposefully acting this way to thwart my plans, but the man suddenly avoided my gaze and looked at the ground. He genuinely seemed frightened.
     Well, considering the chain of events both yesterday and today, I could understand his paranoia…I was left with no choice but to pull at his arm roughly and whisper, “It’s all right, so stop apologizing.”
     I had hoped my words would bring him some comfort….but, Kim Sangyoon rigidly shut his mouth, still anxious but eager to follow my orders.
     The audience’s wandering stares began to calm down as well; luckily, most of them were situated farther away and did not grasp the suspicious nature of our interaction.
     They must have thought Kim Sangyoon and I were simply messing around. Though people periodically glanced at us curiously, no one reacted strangely. Only then did I sigh in relief and take my arms off Kim Sangyoon’s.
     “It seems Sangyoon is already floating on cloud nine.” Seo Dawon clicked his tongue. 1
     I was a bit frustrated at his aloof tone, as if this matter didn’t affect him. Honestly, this is all because of you! However, when I followed Seo Dawon’s gaze to the Warrior, I was a little flustered.
     ‘The look on his face…That’s like when he received his ‘reward’.”
     He looked a bit creepy….but at least his previous nervous behavior was hidden away.
     Ignoring my discomfort, we were finally ready to enter [Owl’s Ghost Ship.]
     “It’s time.” Seo Dawon murmured.
     “….Lee-kyung-nim. It seems we’re going in soon….”
     [Clack Clack!]
     The cracks in the Dungeon in front of us began to glow yellow.
     For the first time in my career as a User, I was the party leader. Thankfully, nothing happened to trigger my nerves. I sent Kim Sangyoon a party invitation, and the Warrior appeared on my party members list. 10 seconds later, a system message informed me that [Party member ‘Kim Sangyoon’ has confirmed ready status]. It seems the difference between being a member and a leader were these small logistical details…
 
          »»————-　　————-««
Would you like to challenge [Owl’s Ghost Ship] Normal Mode?
[Yes] [No]
          »»————-　　————-««
 
     Just before the yellow light from the Dungeon filled the clearing, a window popped up, confirming our entry. I pressed [Yes].
 
 
TL: The eagerness to betray was real in Kim Sangyoon, lmao.
Footnotes The original used a phrase that’s literally translated as “he’s far gone” or “he’s already mentally checked out.” There could be a lot of contextual uses for it, so I chose what I felt to be the closest English equivalent–far gone with pleasure.

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