[ OFF(3) ]
“Han Yujin?”
Kim Seonghan looked across the table at the man with a worried expression.
The glass in Han Yujin’s hand slipped, rolled across the table, and stopped when it bumped into a plate. The spilled drink dripped onto the floor below.
“Are you alright?”
Yujin shook his head slightly in response to the question, then let out a deep sigh.
“Kim Seonghan.”
As he exhaled heavily, Yujin raised his head. His eyes were half-lidded, and his flushed skin clearly showed that he was thoroughly intoxicated.
“I think I’ve had too much. Let’s call it a night.”
“No, wait a moment.”
Yujin shook his hand in refusal.
Despite being drunk, his pronunciation was clear, and his voice was steady, which momentarily confused Kim Seonghan. Was he really drunk?
“There’s still something I need to do.”
“Something you need to do?”
“Yes. I really don’t want to do it… but I have no choice. Ah, why is this happening… this ridiculous…”
Yujin mumbled to himself, rubbing his face with both hands. He looked so reluctant that it made Kim Seonghan curious about what he was planning to do.
“If you tell me what it is, I might be able to help.”
“Help… Hmm, no. Just stay seated. Don’t laugh. Don’t treat me like I’m crazy. Just sit there as usual, looking all serious… Yeah.”
Yujin sighed deeply again, as if the ground would collapse under him.
He looked like he might burst into tears as he took a piece of ice from the pitcher and rubbed it against his flushed cheek. It seemed like his attempt to sober up.
“This isn’t really how I feel, Kim Seonghan.”
“Yes?”
“But if you don’t mind, could you please listen to me seriously? I really don’t want to say this, but I feel like I have to take this opportunity.”
“Go ahead.”
Kim Seonghan straightened up unconsciously. Yujin was clearly drunk, but he was speaking too coherently for it to be just drunken rambling.
Maybe he was about to reveal something important.
In the few days he’d known him, Kim Seonghan had seen that Yujin was a man with many secrets. If it weren’t for the fact that he was the confirmed older brother of the Haeyeon Guild leader, Kim Seonghan might have suspected he was hiding his true identity. He knew too much and was too skilled for someone who had just registered as an awakener.
So, in this moment, with Yujin seemingly letting down his guard, Kim Seonghan couldn’t help but listen intently to what he had to say.
“Kim Seonghan.”
“Yes?”
Yujin’s lips trembled slightly. After hesitating, he finally blurted out his thoughts.
“I love you.”
“…What?”
For the first time in his 30-plus years, Kim Seonghan wore the dumbest expression on his face. The words that had just struck his eardrums didn’t immediately connect to his brain, as if they were just circling around aimlessly.
A burst of emotions followed, like fireworks in every color.
He felt confused, incredulous, and even amused. The anticipation he had built up crumbled into disappointment, but at the same time, he felt a strange sense of camaraderie, realizing that Yujin, too, was helpless when drunk.
Overall, it wasn’t bad. In fact, it was quite amusing.
“So your drunken confession is actually a real thing.”
Kim Seonghan said, suppressing the laughter that threatened to spill out.
“If that’s all you needed to do, we can head back now.”
“Something I needed to do? Oh, right.”
Yujin rubbed his face again.
“Did I, by any chance, say that I love you?”
The seriousness in his tone finally made Kim Seonghan burst out laughing. He cleared his throat and nodded.
“You did.”
“Really? Oh, damn. No, I didn’t mean it towards you. But did I really say I love you?”
“Yes.”
“Really? Then why… Oh, it was triggered? When did that happen?”
Yujin muttered something incomprehensible before laughing in a self-deprecating manner. Kim Seonghan watched him, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu.
This was the first time he’d ever had a drink with Yujin. It was definitely the first time, yet oddly, it didn’t feel unfamiliar. It was as if he had seen Yujin in this state before.
No, he had definitely seen it.
Kim Seonghan dug through his memories. It wasn’t a memory from too long ago. He had seen it two years ago. And even before that, when he was a child.
‘…Grandfather.’
The thought struck him suddenly, and he took a small breath.
His grandfather.
A frail old man who, after having a few drinks, would laugh heartily while telling the grandchild his cold-hearted son had abandoned that he loved him.
He vividly remembered the wrinkled, hardened hands that would pat his head and his back.
‘…This man is almost ten years younger than me. Am I drunk?’
To be reminded of a seventy-year-old man while looking at a fresh-faced youth was absurd.
But that strange sense of incongruity was quickly erased by a strong, overwhelming emotion.
The only thing that remained was the deep affection he had for the man who had been his excellent guardian.
Of course, Han Yujin wasn’t going to become Kim Seonghan’s actual grandfather. He was a different person. He knew that clearly.
But that didn’t really matter.
What was important was that he now had someone he could trust and rely on, someone he could think of fondly and lean on occasionally.
In a world where it was hard to trust even your own family, having someone you felt was completely safe was an incredibly tempting thing. And there was no reason to resist that temptation.
Kim Seonghan smiled.
“You’ve had too much to drink.”
He said as he stood up. Yujin looked up at him blankly as he approached.
“…I’m sorry, but I have to say it. I really do.”
“You already did.”
“Oh… I did? I said it? Damn it, that’s not what I meant…”
Kim Seonghan grabbed Yujin’s arm, helping him to his feet as he continued to babble nonsensically.
Surprisingly, Yujin walked straight, without any sign of stumbling. If it weren’t for the drunken love talk and glazed eyes, you wouldn’t even know he was drunk.
“I’m sorry. I really didn’t want to do this.”
“It’s fine.”
“You say it’s fine, so I’ll just say one more thing.”
Just one more thing, he said as he looked up at the man supporting him with a serious expression.
“I love you.”
Kim Seonghan was about to laugh it off again, but then he remembered something.
Unlike when he was a child, when he grew older, he became more concerned with appearances and started ignoring his grandfather’s drunken confessions, never responding to them.
“…Me too.”
And so, for the first time since his teenage years, he uttered those words.
“I loved you.”
Grandfather.
It feels like my head is split open. And it’s like some crazy bastard is sticking their hand in the cracks and slapping my brain around.
My head hurts so much that I’m having these ridiculous thoughts.
My brain… Damn it. What the hell happened before I… before I… Damn it.
“Ugh, you idiot… Ugh… My head…”
I tried to get up but immediately fell back, burying my face in the pillow. I feel like I’m going to die…
‘So… I turned off the skill, didn’t I?’
Damn it. Why did the passive skill turn off? I mean, it’s not like the system officially announced, “This is a passive skill~,” but still. People just decided it was passive.
But it actually turned off. Ugh, I need to turn it back on.
‘Poison Resistance skill, activate.’
…Nothing’s happening.
‘Why isn’t it working? Poison Resistance skill, ON. Can’t you hear me, system?’
Still, no message popped up. What the hell, it’s not permanently deactivated, right? That would be the dumbest thing I’ve ever done.
‘Poison Resistance skill, activate!’
Come on, turn on!
[Poison Resistance(L) skill has been activated.]
As the message appeared, the headache vanished like magic. The heavy, leaden feeling in my body also lifted. Wow, the skill works wonders. It even cures hangovers. Definitely worthy of being a legendary skill.
‘But does this mean you have to say it twice to turn passive skills on and off?’
Is it some kind of safety measure? I tried testing it by turning off the Fear Resistance skill instead of Poison Resistance.
‘Fear Resistance skill, deactivate. Fear Resistance skill, deactivate.’
[Fear Resistance(L) skill has been deactivated.]
Oh, it actually turns off. Why doesn’t the system tell you these things? Whoever designed this thing was seriously unfriendly. Can we at least get a user manual now?
‘But last night… I hope I didn’t say anything too crazy while I was completely drunk.’
Now that my mind had cleared, a wave of anxiety hit me.
First, I was in my room at the guild dormitory. And as for my clothes… I was in pajamas. Who changed me? Did I throw up?
I picked up my phone from the bedside table. A day had passed, and it was a little after 10 AM.
I hope I just passed out quietly.
I prayed as I opened the status window to check my “My Kid Is the Best” skill.
[My Kid Is the Best(L) — Growth speed of affected targets +100%
Duration: 3 days
Can be used without a keyword on previously affected targets
Cannot be used repeatedly on the same target
Cooldown: 30 days
Keyword: Love you
※Cannot be applied if the target is aware of the keyword’s effect
Affected targets (4):
Han Yuhyun(S), Yu Myungwoo(F), Park Yerim(S), Kim Seonghan(A)]
…Ha ha ha, damn it.
Kim Seonghan’s on the list. Why is he on the list? Is this a system error? Please let it be an error.
‘…At least it seems I didn’t spill the beans about the skill.’
If I had, the skill wouldn’t have applied to Kim Seonghan. …There’s no retroactive effect or anything, right? Please tell me I didn’t say anything crazy.
I sat up and turned my phone back on.
‘I need to check, but…’
I really don’t want to call him. I did say that confessing was my drunken habit, but I didn’t actually expect to get drunk and say “love you” for real.
…Hopefully, I just said it once and left it at that. I didn’t say anything unnecessary, right?
After swallowing a few times, I nervously pressed the call button. It’s fine. Everything will be fine. It’s…
[Hello, this is Kim Seonghan.]
“Ah, hello, Seonghan.”
My voice trembled without me realizing it. I wouldn’t be this nervous even if I were calling my first love after ten years.
“Um, did I, by any chance… get home quietly last night…?”
Please say yes, I’m begging you.
I heard a small laugh from the other end of the line. Damn it. This is not a good sign.
[You were surprisingly composed for someone who was drunk.]
“R-really?”
Oh, thank god…
[Except for the thirty times you told me you loved me.]
…Thirty ways to commit suicide flashed through my mind.
Damn it, what the hell did I do? Can’t I go back in time just one more time? Please, god. If I could just shotgun the drunk idiot to death, I’d ask for nothing more.
“I apologize… deeply… really, very deeply…”
I squeezed the words out. I’m insane. Completely insane. Han Yujin, you crazy bastard. You only had to say it once, but you said it thirty… Damn it.
My neck felt hot. I’m dying of embarrassment. I already feel half-dead.
“I’m really sorry… I truly wasn’t in my right mind. You must have been very uncomfortable, and I sincerely apologize.”
[It’s fine. I wasn’t uncomfortable at all.]
…What?
My brain froze for a moment. W-wait? You weren’t uncomfortable? What do you mean? If it were me, I’d have thought, “This crazy bastard should just get drunk and pass out quietly,” and kicked him. But you weren’t uncomfortable at all?
…Don’t tell me that’s your type.
A chill ran down my spine. Just get mad, please. Why are you saying it’s fine? Please get mad at me. I want to hear you call me a crazy bastard.
“Well, um… but still, the place and everything… You couldn’t have felt good about it…”
Kim Seonghan laughed. Don’t laugh, it’s creeping me out.
[If it were anyone else, it might have been annoying and uncomfortable. But.]
But, but… but what?
I fought the urge to throw my phone and waited for him to continue.
[Um, I realize this might sound strange.]
…Should I just throw the phone? What… strange thing are you about to say?
[For some reason, when I look at you, Han Yujin, I’m reminded of my late grandfather.]
…What? Wh-what? Grandfather? Grandpa?!
–TL Notes–
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