Chapter 659: Probability of Winning (1)
Looking at the stained floor, I wondered if Doom Hyunsung was more serious than I thought.
‘It’s kind of weird if it’s a ‘BAAM’…’
Of course, I felt happy to have the enraged people, who shattered the light of the continent with meaningless instigation and fraud, scolded, but it was better to deal with them at an undisclosed place or get rid of them without other people knowing.
If he had been so corrupted that he didn’t even know what’s going on around him…
Aside from everything else, it was worth considering whether Kim Hyunsung should be returned to his original self. Of course, I couldn’t force such an irrational notion.
It was also a problem whether it was possible to get Kim Hyunsung back to his original self, and if it were possible, it wouldn’t have ever been a task that could be successfully done in a short period.
Park Deokgu’s awakening situation or Doom Kiyoung’s slapstick directing and story were needed, but unfortunately, I couldn’t afford to spend that much time and effort at the moment.
Especially when considering that the entire continent was in danger in many ways… There weren’t many options.
The people wanted Doom Hyunsung, not Kim Hyunsung.
It bothered me that Kim Hyunsung’s power wasn’t his own and that it was much more powerful.
Although it was a double-edged sword, I didn’t intend to deny that it was a tempting card.
‘I have to carry it with me.’
Since even Jung Hayan was lagging behind, then the only talent to look forward to was Doom Hyunsung, who had been buffed.
I felt a little uncomfortable, but I had no choice but to greet him with a smile for the time being. First of all, maintaining the status quo was the best choice.
“I’m looking forward to it. Hyejin and Jihye…”
“Maybe they’ll be here soon. Oh, there they are.”
It was natural to wonder if Doom Hyunsung had apologized properly.
‘If he didn’t do that, he’s gotten a lot worse than I imagined…’
As I turned my eyes slightly, I could see Lee Jihye and Cho Hyejin walking slowly.
The first thing I noticed was Cho Hyejin’s expression. She had a smile on her face.
‘So he did apologize… he’s not that crazy yet.’
She was trying not to smile as much as possible, but the smirking laughter seemed to leak out as if she couldn’t easily resist it.
Although I was sweeping down my chest, it also was a little uneasy.
‘She’s really, really just herself.’
“…”
‘Cho Hyejin, you’re so pathetic. You’re really pathetic.’
“You’re right. They are coming.”
‘Really…’
“It’s a relief that Hyejin looks much better.”
“Oh, yes, that’s a relief.”
“I was worried that my apology might not be enough…”
‘No, Hyejin. Wasn’t it a great opportunity to leave Hyunsung with some burden?’
“I feel like she has forgiven me…”
‘If I had at least made a big face, Hyunsung would have done something about it later. I’m sure he would have.’
I wasn’t in a position to think about that, but I felt sorry for her when she kicked the golden opportunity with her own two feet.
‘You should have reacted a little more uncomfortable. Sh*t, Kim Hyunsung would’ve felt more sorry and gave more interest in you. If it were me, I would have been kept bringing that back up for ten more years.’
As soon as Kim Hyunsung’s voice of apology came out of his mouth, I could bet that she nodded her head mercifully.
I wasn’t certain, but he must’ve been thinking of what I said before.
What I was certain of was that Kim Hyunsung realized that he made a mistake, and he’s feeling sorry for it. He probably meant it when he apologized, and he was relieved of some of his burdens when Hyejin forgave him.
Of course, I expected that he would’ve acted that way, but it was still frustrating from the standpoint of an observer. I didn’t know exactly how Kim Hyunsung apologized, but at least her expression seemed like she would have no regrets even if she died right at that moment.
‘What’s wrong with her?’
She seemed to misunderstand that she had received a confession, not an apology.
‘I’m really…’
I wanted to return to Lee Kiyeon for some time just to be able to tutor Kim Hyunsung.
“I’m sorry, I’m probably interrupting you two eating.”
“No, it’s fine. Jihye, you’ve been doing a great job. I’ve been getting a lot of help from you, and I’ve been wanting to treat you to a meal. I think today is a good day for that.”
“It’s an honor. I don’t know that many people who Hyunsung has invited for a meal.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t invite you earlier.”
“It’s alright. There’s been no point of contact since the tutorial dungeon. And I just did my job, didn’t I? It’s my job to help Kiyoung Oppa, so you don’t have to do this. I’m satisfied with my work right now… Still, thank you for inviting me.”
“…”
“Thank you, Hyunsung.”
“Noona, that was nice.”
“By the way, today’s meeting was a little weird, wasn’t it?”
“…”
“I didn’t expect it to end this easily…”
‘Don’t bring that up, Noona. I think he decided to hide it.’
I decided not to think about it either. When I gave a slight look, Lee Jihye nodded her head as if she knew to shut up.
I signaled not to dig into things anymore, so she probably wouldn’t say anything else.
“Well, does the reason matter? All that matters is that it ended well. We shouldn’t talk about this here. I think it’s better if we go somewhere else. I made a reservation, and it wouldn’t be polite for us to be late.”
“Yes, as Jihye said, we’d better get going right away. It’s a short walk away, so let’s take our time. The same goes for Hyejin.”
“Yes, Guild Master.”
We happened to sit in pairs. Come to think of it, it felt like a strange combination.
Wasn’t that the first time Cho Hyejin, Kim Hyunsung, me, and Lee Jihye had done something together?
Nevertheless, it felt amazing that we were maintaining a warm atmosphere.
Of course, Lee Jihye was leading the warm atmosphere. That was because Kim Hyunsung was more favorable to Lee Jihye than I thought.
‘I guess his internal evaluation of her has gone up.’
It was probably his way of appreciating her for delivering important information about the kidnapping. Still, it seemed to me that he was more grateful to work with me as an a.s.sistant minister.
I was also grateful to Noona. If Lee Jihye hadn’t been with me, I would’ve really been lying on my bed with some bone disease by that time.
In the meantime, the sad thing was that Cho Hyejin was drunk with the warmth of the moment.
To be honest, I didn’t think there would be an answer to whether I could connect the two, which gave me a headache.
We talked so uselessly and had a good time in our own way. Most of the conversations weren’t very useful, but we got to lay off the complicated thoughts from the previous events.
Of course, there was no way that we could continue our daily lives under the current circ.u.mstances.
By the time the meal was almost over, Lee Jihye had thrown in a new topic of conversation. I wanted to keep spending time uselessly, but I also had to listen to the questions Lee Jihye asked.
“It’s a big problem, by the way. We only have a few days left. What do you think, Hyunsung?”
For Kim Hyunsung, the question was bound to be sensitive, but it didn’t take long for him to answer.
“Well, I think it’s right to do what we can for now. Let’s clean up the inside first and prepare. I was a little surprised, but… For some reason, I already knew we didn’t have long.”
“Well, that’s a little… surprising.”
“What’s in there… I can feel it.”
“That’s also surprising. So what is it?”
“An enemy.”
“…”
“…”
“How strong?”
“Extremely so.”
“Can we deal with it?”
“It’s hard to say that I’m perfectly ready, but… It’s already happened. It’s not something I can back off from.”
“Do you have a secret plan? You seem very calm, considering you knew it beforehand…”
“I’ll just do what I can. I’ve been doing what I can for a long time now.”
“What do you think is the possibility of you winning?”
“Well, in my personal opinion…”
“…”
“I think it’s about 10 percent.”
“…”
“What?”
“If I’m lucky, it’ll be 15 percent…”
Kim Hyunsung spoke calmly. Lee Jihye looked a little shocked.
Maybe she knew that Kim Hyunsung was not a person who talked nonsense, so wouldn’t she have taken that statement seriously?
I was also confused because I hadn’t talked about dealing with pigeons and outsiders with my current strength.
‘Really?’
“That’s as hopeful as I can be.”
‘No, I don’t think it’s going to be that bad. You’ve been working hard.’
I glanced at Lee Jihye, but she’s long lost in thought. Maybe she was already on Noah’s Ark.
‘Oppa, let’s just drop it.’
I could feel her saying that.
‘I’m a little shocked, though…’
I thought it would be at least 30%. Lee Jihye was seen standing up from her seat, wiping her lips with a napkin with a visibly cold expression.
“I’ll go to the bathroom for a second.”
“…”
“Let’s go together, Hyejin.”
“What?”
“Let’s go together.”
“I’m fine…”
“Let’s go together.”
“Do you really need…”
“Let’s go together.”
“Oh, okay.”
Cho Hyejin, seemingly pushed by a strange spirit, got up from her seat, wondering if she was fl.u.s.tered.
Of course, she might not have gotten up from her seat because she wanted to go to the bathroom with Cho Hyejin.
Were they telling me to confirm if that’s true right at that moment?
She seemed to wonder if there was really only that much probability.
After Lee Jihye and Cho Hyejin left, I immediately set up a barrier with magic. When I opened my mouth, Kim Hyunsung answered right away.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, it is currently impossible to deal with them with the power of the whole continent.”
“But the odds are very low…”
“I’m just telling you the truth.”
‘Oh, really? Sh*t, should I ride Noah’s Ark now?’
It was natural to think seriously. Wouldn’t it be better to throw everything away and tidy up the Ark plan instead of wasting time planning the continent’s defense?
It might’ve been best to leave Benignore and fly into the sky on a ship made by Park Deokgu.
It would be nice to shout out to the continent’s people who would look at us with a dumb face, ‘Goodbye, everyone. I’m abandoning all my bonds with the world and travel far away in search of my happiness.’
It was better to leave my mark as a son of a b.i.t.c.h in history than it was to die.
No, I wouldn’t even leave my name.
‘The continent itself might be gone. History would mean nothing.’
I wondered if I was going back and forth too much, but my heart began to lean towards the ending of ‘Goodbye, everyone.’
Ten percent was ridiculous. Kim Hyunsung looked at me anxiously, unable to manage his expression.
“…”
“…”
“Don’t worry. I’ll do my best to protect the continent as you wish.”
‘Wait, save that effort, just keep it in your pocket for a few days.’
His eyes looked more serious than ever.