## Chapter 68 – (19)
“I, I should get going.”
Still looking a bit dazed, Namgung Yu was in a bit of a hurry to leave as soon as it was early morning.
If it got out that she had been away from her lodgings all night, it would cause all sorts of headaches.
This was the only time when people weren’t usually around.
I wonder if she’ll be okay, she seems a little unsteady.
I shook my head at the thought.
Who am I to worry about her?
Even in that state, Namgung Yu could easily beat most people.
Watching Namgung Yu’s retreating figure, I used my ability.
[Sexual Preferences: Masochist, Sadist, Gaga, Big Dick]
What should I say about this?
It’s become all-powerful.
I felt it last time too, but it seems the less experience a woman has, the easier her sexual preferences change.
“Gaga means me, I guess.”
The word Gaga, which has now become my title, was firmly embedded in her preferences.
Since the desire for destruction and possession has disappeared from her preferences, has that obsession she showed Poongwoon gotten a little better than before?
“…”
Honestly, it was too early to rest assured.
It’s just that it disappeared from her preferences.
[Hidden Quest Cleared.]
[Acquired Cooking Skill.]
[Cooking lv.1 has been achieved.]
I cleared a hidden quest after a long time.
“Cooking, huh…”
I’d vaguely heard that men who are good at cooking are popular.
On the one hand, it was a shame.
It would have been better if I had this skill back in the zombie world.
Well, even then, I lived a pretty abundant life for a zombie world.
Before eating breakfast, I cleaned up the dormitory first.
Cleaning up the room, which had become a mess because of my and Namgung Yu’s activities, wasn’t easy.
But since I had plenty of time, I slowly cleaned up one thing at a time, and eventually it regained its original appearance.
As I approached the window to close it after ventilating the room, Jungseon opened the door and came in.
I wonder if he came to invite me to breakfast.
“They said let’s have breakfast together?”
“Who?”
“The Cheonmu Academy.”
That was unexpected.
Having just been defeated, and with the incident of the Cheonmu Academy’s leader attacking me, it would have been awkward to meet, but they’re going out of their way to invite me to have a meal together.
Come to think of it, they invited us to have a meal together on our first day at the Cheonmu Academy too.
Even though they probably didn’t want to back then, the fact that they called us suggests it’s some kind of culture or promise they have.
“…I’ll go.”
It was them who were uncomfortable anyway.
I didn’t particularly want to see the Cheonmu Academy’s leaders, but I was curious about Namgung Yu, so I decided to attend the meal.
I had just finished cleaning up anyway.
I headed to the dining hall with a light step.
Everyone except us had already arrived, and there were three seats left.
My seat, Jungseon who came to pick me up, and the seat of the man who attacked me, I guess.
My seat was between Namgung Yu and Seolyeong.
It felt like a suffocating seating arrangement.
The expressions of the Cheonmu Academy leaders, except for Namgung Yu, weren’t good.
Whether it was the shock of defeat or the shocking incident involving their comrade, they especially couldn’t lift their heads when I came in.
And seeing that we were all gathered, a man walked in with Instructor Cheolwoong.
It was the Cheonmu Academy’s instructor.
“I’m sorry. All of this is my fault for not educating him properly.”
“…”
“I never imagined he would do such a thing.”
The Cheonmu Academy’s instructor bowed deeply, confessing his sins and repenting.
…That’s how it looked on the surface.
I was just staring at the instructor’s brazen story.
It was a perfect tail-cutting.
But even if others didn’t know, he couldn’t fool me and Instructor Cheolwoong.
“That’s different from what I heard.”
“…What do you mean?”
“He said you were the one who ordered him to do it.”
“…Do you believe that child’s words?”
The Cheonmu Academy instructor’s expression darkened at Instructor Cheolwoong’s words.
But Instructor Cheolwoong didn’t care.
“I don’t believe either of you… and neither will the Murim Alliance.”
“…”
When Instructor Cheolwoong smiled and mentioned the Murim Alliance, the Cheonmu Academy instructor’s expression began to show anxiety.
“We’ll be going, so you guys eat.”
As if escorting him, Instructor Cheolwoong led the Cheonmu Academy’s instructor out of the dining hall.
In this heavy atmosphere, I couldn’t properly eat this time either.
It was for a different reason than the Cheonmu Academy’s leaders.
“…If I eat, I’ll get motion sickness, right?”
Because I had to ride that terrible carriage again later.
If I rode that carriage with a bloated stomach, I couldn’t see anything but a terrible future.
“T, This is Dongpo pork.”
Perhaps because of the heavy atmosphere, a man served the meal with trembling hands this time too.
“Hmm…”
Was it because I had rough exercise all night?
The greasy, steaming hot Dongpo pork looked delicious.
Even some of the quiet leaders slowly started moving their chopsticks at the aroma and visuals.
Seeing that, I was wondering if I should eat too when two pieces of meat were placed on my plate.
One was placed by Namgung Yu on the left, and the other by Seolyeong on the right.
“…”
“…”
“…”
Neither I, Namgung Yu, nor Seolyeong said anything.
However, our gazes, containing more conversation than a hundred words, went back and forth.
When our gazes met in the air, I could even feel the crackling collision of our gazes.
“Gaga, eat.”
“…Eat.”
“…”
What is this?
It’s meat given out of goodwill, but I couldn’t be more afraid.
I felt like I shouldn’t eat only one person’s meat first, so I picked up both pieces at the same time and brought them to my mouth.
It was delicious, but two pieces were too much.
I felt a little greasy.
“Two pieces at the same time…”
“…”
Receiving the two people’s regretful expressions from both sides, I felt like I was going to get indigestion even before getting on the carriage.
“Gaga, you say…?”
Then, a small voice was heard from next to Seolyeong.
I saw Poongwoon looking surprised.
Poongwoon looked at Namgung Yu with that expression.
Namgung Yu had a nonchalant expression.
“Ah, Poongwoon-nim was here too.”
“…”
Poongwoon’s eyes shook violently at the distant title.
It was the distance he had been longing for so much, but somehow Poongwoon’s expression wasn’t good.
Poongwoon chose his words and slowly asked Namgung Yu.
“Did something… happen between you and Seonghan?”
“Hmm… No, nothing really happened.”
Saying that, Namgung Yu smiled faintly.
The subtle smile indirectly told him that something had happened.
Still, it was a relief.
Last time, when she had an argument with Poongwoon, she said everything, like we held hands and hugged, which made me worried.
This time, she hid it, even if only outwardly.
Should I see it as growth?
Poongwoon looked at me and quickly turned his head away.
He probably still couldn’t face me because of yesterday’s story.
I finished the meal in a strange atmosphere, and before leaving, I followed Namgung Yu into an alleyway one last time.
“Take this.”
It was a luxurious pouch.
When I carefully opened the pouch, it contained pure white snow ginseng.
It didn’t have a handful of dirt on it, and it looked like pure white porcelain.
Even though I saw it for the first time, I was sure that it was snow ginseng.
“…Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. It’s what I promised.”
Then, Namgung Yu slowly hugged me.
“I heard it from Oppa. That Seolyeong has Nine Yin Severed Meridians, and that you’re trying to cure it.”
“…”
“And that if something goes wrong, Gaga might lose all of his internal energy.”
Did Namgung Hyuk say that much?
Well, rather than saying it, Namgung Yu probably asked persistently.
I looked down at Namgung Yu in my arms.
Namgung Yu wrapped her arms around me and whispered softly.
“Don’t worry. Even if you fail and lose all your internal energy, come to me.”
“…That’s reassuring.”
It wasn’t a joke, it was really reassuring.
In some ways, Namgung Yu was the most capable woman I had met so far.
I chuckled and nodded.
As the moment of departure came, she hugged me tightly, feeling sad.
Very strongly.
Even for me, I felt a little pain.
“See you later.”
“Yeah.”
But in the end, she let go.
I took the snow ginseng and headed to where the carriage would be.
***
“What is this?”
“A carriage.”
Instructor Cheolwoong said that as I stared with a dumbfounded expression.
I can tell just by looking.
That this is a carriage.
But if this is a carriage, what was it that we rode here?
A cart?
That’s what I thought, it was such a luxurious carriage.
“The Cheonmu Academy apologized for this incident and this is one of the things they provided as support.”
Even the words were different.
The two horses pulling the carriage, what should I say?
They were too sturdy.
They were big and muscular, like they had their own workout routine.
The inside of the carriage also had cushions, so unless it shook a lot, my butt wouldn’t hurt.
And there were two such carriages.
“Wow, I guess it was good to be attacked.”
Hearing that, Seolyeong poked my side.
She was expressionless, but I knew why she hit me.
She probably meant not to say such things, even as a joke.
But from my point of view, I was more afraid of the days I had to ride the carriage than the attack.
The carriage was for me, Jungseon, and Seolyeong.
Poongwoon, Cheolwoong, and Namgung Hyuk were in the same carriage.
There was no big reason for the arrangement, and since Jungseon and I were using the same room, we ended up riding in the same carriage.
Since Seolyeong got on the carriage we were going to ride, she was naturally assigned to the same carriage.
“Then, we’ll be departing.”
With the coachman’s polite words, the large carriage began to move.
