Chapter 15 – I have a girlfriend

- Wlough

I woke up with a nauseating feeling.

I quickly ran to the bathroom and vomited.

I stayed there for a while, gagging endlessly.

I became covered with tears and mucus.

My head was dizzy.

Usually, when I vomited after drinking too much alcohol, the dizziness caused by the alcohol often subsided, but today this was not the case.

The effects of alcohol were as it was before, and the feeling of nausea tormented me as well.

After a while it seemed to calm down a little, so I got up, but suddenly the feeling of vomiting came back.

After struggling like that for a while, I seemed to have calmed down a bit, so I went out of the bathroom.

I looked around.

My room was still messy.

Drinking glasses and bottles were lying around.

And Luss was on my bed.

Everything was a mess.

'How much did I drink?'

I couldn't even remember how much alcohol I drank.

I was not like this with alcohol, so I was not able to understand why I was like this.

I didn't normally drink like this.

'I wonder when I started to drink a lot without remorse.'

As I was trying to think, the world started spinning around.

- Whoh 

I grabbed the wall and supported myself.

The first thing that came to my mind was that I needed to rest a little longer.

****

I already expected it, but it was a long-lasting hangover.

Even when I went to the bathroom frequently, I felt sick to my stomach.

I had a cold sweat and a headache.

It was a kind of hangover that made me want to die dozens of times.

What the heck did I eat yesterday, or was it because I drank too much?

It was to the point where I began to resent Luss, who wanted to drink for some reason.

Luss also worked hard all morning and came to her senses around lunchtime.

She even offered to make food to relieve my hangover, but I refused because I didn’t think I would be able to eat food anyway.

It was so painful and difficult that I forced myself to sleep to endure it.

I kept begging for a long night’s sleep, but I didn’t want this type of sleep.

How much more did I sleep?

I slept for a long time, but my body was suffering, so I felt more tired.

My whole body was broken.

When I opened my eyes, the outside was colored orange.

It was evening.

Luss also hadn’t gone home yet.

Is it over now?

The promise to Lily noona, Vienna, and even Luss was over and now it was my free time.

My throat was so dry.

However, if I drank water, I had a strange anxiety that I will vomit again.

So, I only wet my lips.

The last day off was coming to an end, and I still had work to do.

I needed to get a commission for tomorrow.

If I wanted to spend the little time left for me, I had to go out quickly

'I have to accept the request and come back home.'

But my damn body was tired and didn’t want to move.

I sighed.

'I have to do it.'

I simply washed up in the bathroom, changed my clothes, and headed outside.

****

“Ah, you are here. Starchis.”

A short, bespectacled male receptionist greeted me.

In response to him, I smiled and asked.

“How are you doing?”

“What I do is only sitting down. Mr. Starchis… Are you okay?”

He looked at me with a concerned expression.

“What are you talking about… ?”

“Your face doesn’t look good… I’m worried.”

At his words, I laughed. Because it was understandable that he was worried.

Receptionists saw deaths frequently.

If a party entered into a dungeon, there was a chance they will not be able to return.

In that case, the receptionist will hear about the death of the party through the words ‘Request Failed’.

No matter how businesslike they tried to treat each other, they constantly saw each other’s faces and had frequent conversations, and even if they didn't want to know, they learned the other person’s information and built intimacy, and through death, they learned the cruelty of the dungeon.

This receptionist also saw my expression and was worried that I might die.

“It’s because of the hangover. Don’t worry.”

Upon hearing my answer, he asked with a relaxed expression.

“What, did you have a drink because you were worried?”

“It’s not like that. Well, that’s no big deal, can you show me some requests?”

“Oh, wait.”

It was not like I didn't want or like his concerns, but it was an uncomfortable topic to talk about.

At my words, the receptionist rummaged through the papers.

“C-class party ‘Maenbal’, reliability… 6th grade. Now, these are some possible requests.”

He handed over the list of requests to me.

Naturally, I took the list and scanned it with my eyes.

I pondered for a while and returned the documents to him.

“Um… I’ll have to do this. Tiwit scorpion venom. We will bring this.”

The Tiwit Scorpion was a type of giant scorpion that appeared in dungeons. It also had dangerous poison that could lead to death if not treated properly when stung by the tail.

It was also used as a medicinal herb and had many other uses too.

The amount to be brought was roughly… The amount that would come out after catching three.

It was a monster I was not used to yet, but I thought it would be okay when I thought about the strength of the party.

The receptionist hesitated to receive the documents.

He seemed to have something to say.

“That… Mr. Starchis. I may be a bit presumptuous, but…”

“…Yes?”

“How about taking a slightly safer request? Ah! Of course, other things are also dangerous, but the tiwit scorpion is a little…”

His cautious expression contained deep concern and a warm heart.

“I’ve been collecting them before, are you worried?”

“That… Ah, no, then. Actually, what do I know? Mr. Starchis would know better.”

Then, hastily, he withdrew his advice and dipped the quill in ink. But I had a quick change of heart as well.

There was nothing wrong with trusting the receptionist's intuition.

“No. This time I'll do as you say. Next to this... I’ll take the King boar’s Horn request. Was it six horns?”

His expression brightened.

“Yes.. six. Initially, I was hesitant to say this because the pay was going down, but I feel very comfortable now that you listened to my request.”

“Is there something that bothers you?”

When I asked, he looked at me carefully and nodded.

“Yes. There is. Anyway, I wish everyone in the party good luck.”

****

When I returned home, it was already nighttime.

After eating dinner, I thought of taking a good rest until lunch when I would meet the party members the next day.

The scars of the hangover were still there.

-Kikkik

'…?'

As I was thinking about that, suddenly I felt the presence of people in my room. 

So I silently opened the door and entered.

It was the sound of someone cooking.

Soon there was the sound of someone running from the kitchen.

The person opened the door and welcomed me in.

“… Luss?”

“Oh, Chis, are you here?”

“Why… Why are you here?”

'Didn’t she go home?'

'What about my free time?'

“Ah, since you were suffering from a hangover, I tried to make you something to eat. Are you okay now?”

Looking at her blankly for a while, I silently nodded my head.

She also nodded brightly and led me into the room.

'I…I want to rest.'

It wasn’t until midnight, but Luss finally went back.

****

Lily couldn’t sleep well for four days.

This was because the fight she had with Starchis plagued her all day.

‘It was a perfect day.’ She thought.

‘I had fun smelling his fragments, seeing his boyfriend look, eating delicious food, and playing.’

At final parting, Starchis asked Lily not to hold him till this late in the night.

Lily, thinking that of course he was just whining, shot him in the hopes of correcting him.

But he was different from usual.

Unlike usual, he didn’t lose to Lily, but he snarled in a low voice and pressed Lily.

He followed words one by one and drove her against the wall.

But even as Lily was driven against her will, her heart was pounding because of her love for him.

Even though she knew that this was not the case, her heart raced wildly.

And when she thought she couldn’t run faster, Stachis asked.

-‘Lily noona, do you like me?’

“Ugh..!”

Lily's heart tightened just thinking about that time.

She grabbed her heart and thought.

'Do you like me?'

'Why does he ask something so obvious?'

'Likes. I love him. I can’t live without him.'

Her world shined beautifully just by his existence.

At that moment, she wanted to reply that she liked him.

But the moment she heard his sigh, she couldn’t.

'If I think about it....'

'I had never seen him so angry in my entire life.'

'I can perhaps confess in a perfect situation, but should I confess in this situation?'

'Then what if he rejects my heart?'

She vividly imagined him leaving her.

So, for the first time, she came up with her perfect lie.

The easily nervous Lily disappeared, and neither her voice nor her face revealed the truth.

She replied resolutely-

'She doesn’t like him.'

-And that painful memories haunted her for days.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts.

Lily was going to the meeting point faster than usual.

When it came to the time they break up and meet, she said she will never back down, but in the end, she was Lily. In the position she was in, there was no way she could win him over as his favorite.

In fact, she knew that too.

As he said, only lovers do hang out for that long.

She couldn't have him yet so she needed to back off a bit.

Lily thought that if she reconciled with Starchis, and as they grew closer, maybe things will get better for her.

However, there was also a sense of anxiety nagging at her.

‘What if the only reason he asked me to part ways early was because he wasn't really interested in me?’

Lily knew she needed to find out the truth without asking Starchis directly. 

'If only it were that easy...' she thought.

She also realized that if her friends- Vienna and Luss- found out about her uncertainty, they would see it as a weakness.

When Lily arrived at their meeting point, she saw that Vienna had already arrived.

“Hey, Vienna. How are you?” Lily asked, trying to appear calm. 

However, Vienna frowned when she saw Lily, and the tension between them was palpable.

“Hey Lily, you made it so hard for Starchis! He was exhausted when he was with me” Vienna exclaimed.

Lily tried to defend herself. 

“It's not just because of me, isn't Vienna making it too difficult for him?” she retorted.

But then Lily remembered something unpleasant. 

“You probably stayed up all night with the wish ticket. It's no wonder Starchis is having a hard time.” she said.

“If it wasn't for you, we could have eaten together until dinner on the second day!” Vienna complained.

“Oh, on the second day, you couldn't have dinner together? That… That’s too bad.”

Lily smiled weakly.

As the little fight between Vienna and Lily escalated, Luss approached them.

“Luss, how are you… ?”

“… ?”

Luss didn't respond at first, and the atmosphere among them became tense. 

But then she approached them with a relaxed expression and tapped her lips with her index finger.

There was a ring on the index finger of her left hand.

Lily and Vienne were both surprised and kept their eyes fixed on the ring. 

“How are you, Lily?”

Luss asked with an exaggerated gesture.

“...”

“...”

“What are you looking at… Ah..! This one! This is a friendship ring.”

Luss laughed and said.

Lily felt her jealousy flare up.

‘I fought with Starchis… She came wearing a ring?’

Luss noticed Lily’s serious expression and smiled.

Everything was as expected.

This time, it was Luss who was convinced it was her own victory.

“Ah, Lily, you saw Starchis’ boyfriend look, right?”

Lily flinched and moved, and Vienna looked at them alternately.

Vienna couldn’t keep up with the situation at all.

Luss matched her friendship ring with him, and Lily saw her boyfriend’s look?

But there was nothing for her,

‘They both have special, but what do I…’

Vienna clenched her fists. she wondered if she would have left the most special memories this time, but when she opened the lid, she was most pathetic.

“Maybe you crossed the line a bit… I think he wondered why someone who shouldn’t be a lover was curious about his boyfriend look?”

Luss didn’t even glance at Vienne, who was overcome with a sense of defeat.

Vienne was no match for her. She was concentrating on Lily.

“Oh, why can't I buy him the clothes…! You… Luss, also got a ring-”

“It's a friendship ring..”

Lily's expression hardened coldly at Luss's words.

“...”

“You can do it with friends. Don’t be fooled, Lily.”

Luss slowly walked up to Lily and whispered.

“Treaty. Do you want to keep it?”

****

Starchis arrived, and they entered the dungeon together.

After hunting for a long time, they were left with only the last enemy, King Boar.

It wasn’t even a difficult request, so it was progressing a bit effortlessly.

“Let's catch it quickly!!” Starchis shouted.

King Boar, despite its large size, was running away like an arrow.

“Lily noona!! You should walk slowly!!”

“Ha ha...ha... It's hard to move quickly with all these trees around. I need to catch my breath.”

At her words, Starchis put strength on his legs to catch King boar first, but unexpectedly, the speed didn’t come out.

He felt something was off about this situation.

He didn't seem to have the same strength as before and was getting tired quickly.

Starchis couldn’t help but looked at Luss.

Luss met her eyes with Starchis and nodded her head, then sped off and chased King Boar first.

Moments later, they heard a loud bang and the sound of a shield being struck. 

-Kkuik!! 

And the howling of a monster followed.

Starchis ran toward the direction of the sound and suddenly a road appeared in the forest.

All the grass was flattened, and there were no trees growing on the path. 

At the end of the road were Luss and King Boar.

King Boar got up again to avoid Luss, and this time ran to Starchis.

‘It was a mistake.’ Starchis thought to himself.

He gripped the tonfa in his right hand tightly as he prepared to face the charging King Boar with its head down.

“[Slow!!]”

Lily’s timely spell activated.

King Boar was noticeably slower, but it was so fast that it was hard to ignore even now.

But she had done more than enough for him.

Just in time, he swung his tonfa.

And that moment.

- Uh?

Starchis blinked his eyes once, his expression was turning dark and then bright as his body lost and regained strength. 

However, his weapon slipped out of his hand.

And...

- Bang!!!

A loud bang echoed throughout the area, as the head of the king boar collided with Starchis' body.

He flew backward and fell to the ground.

“…Uh…?”

“Chis!!!”

“Ohh!! Starchis!!”

The moment everyone thought it was over and Starchis was killed, the dust fumes cleared, and Vienna rushed to Starchis' side.

King Boar, on the other hand, looked for an opportunity to escape after being hit by Starchis.

– Shook!

However, King Boar lose its balance and fell to the ground.

Its front legs were flying in the air.

Lily gritted her teeth and attacked it.

‘You Dare… Dare!!!’

“You can’t die in peace.”

Lily said as she approached the king boar that was lying down and whining.

It felt like something had snapped in her head, and she was about to inflict further torture on King Boar when Luss intervened and stabbed its throat.

Lily's eyes turned red with anger, and she glared at Luss. 

However, Luss seemed uninterested.

“Luss? What are you doing—”

Luss pushed Lily.

Without even thinking about retrieving the sword lodged in King Boar’s neck, she went to the place where Starchis had fallen with his eyes wide open.

“Hey Chis!! Are you okay?”

Lily was taken aback by her actions.

Thinking that the situation was over and that it was safe with nothing to threaten Starchis, she ran towards him, clutching her sobbing chest.

There were quite a few thin trees he knocked down.

However, Starchis was better than expected.

It wasn’t that he had fainted or had any major injuries.

Lily let out her first sigh of relief.

Instead, Starchis sat there silently with both hands on his head, looking very remorseful.

Originally, he was supposed to reassure them that he was okay.

At that look...

No one could speak to him except Vienna, who was praying and treating minor wounds.

Everyone didn’t know what to say.

It was because it was the first time Starchis looked like that.

****

'What is happing...?'

I kept thinking back and forth.

My eyes went dark and my body lost strength.

It was as if the process of fainting was vividly felt through my body.

The scene after that kept replaying in my mind.

The feeling of my weapon slipping out of my hand. 

The dull pain and my flying body. 

The surprised looks of my party members. Lily and Vienna breaking away from the battle line to stand in front of the monsters.

I clenched my hands.

My weapon fell from this very hand.

It was not my first time fighting, but I, who was trying to make a living with weapons, lost mine.

“Don't worry. Everyone can make a mistake like that… okay?”

Vienna comforted me, but I still didn't feel at ease.

The opponent was King Boar, so it ended like this.

It was a monster that I had already faced several times, so it shouldn't have been this difficult.

But what if… I hadn't listened to the receptionist yesterday? 

What if it was a fight with a Tiwit scorpion?

Tiwit scorpion, unlike king boar, was warlike.

Instead of running away, they rush to kill the enemy standing in front of them.

What if I lose my weapon when fighting it?

I closed my eyes tightly.

The party would have been in crisis because of me.

On this floor where one mistake could kill, Can I unburden my heart with the excuse that it can happen to anyone?

The fact that the one standing in front of me was not a Tiwit scorpion but a King Boar... It all came down to luck and the help of the receptionist.

Once again I clenched my hands.

It shouldn’t be like this.

Our party had now arrived at the entrance of the dungeon.

Now, if I only bring these horns of the King Boar, I can rest for another 5 days... Most likely.

But I continued to struggle.

Why did I have to experience this situation?

Because I was out of strength?

Why did I lose my strength?

Because I couldn’t take care of my body.

Why couldn’t I take care of my body?

That…

I turned my head and looked at my party members.

“Shouldn't I meet for two days this week? Didn’t I see him only one day last week?”

“How can you be so bold? You know why, Lily!”

“I think it would be good if I, who had a little more influence on this quest, meet him more.”

Hahaha…

I couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Are you still doing this at this moment?

They shouldn’t be like this… I started to get a little angry.

If they are so worried for me, why don't they know that I’m having a hard time?

I took a deep breath and exhaled.

I tried to hold back my anger over and over again.

But it didn’t work out.

Okay!!

That’s all I had to do!!

I didn't know how would my brother’s advice help me.

But I knew that this situation should not continue.

It was entirely my fault for missing the weapon, but they obviously had a share in overexerting my body.

Looking at the topic of conversation confirmed me that I was not only the problem.

And honestly, do I have to do this again next week?

Oh, no more.

I don’t know how long I can lie without getting caught, but I will do it now.

I won’t feel guilty.

If they are going to pout? Then let them be. 

If this continued I’ll die anyway.

Little by little I understood when my older brother said to leave them alone if they were upset.

“How is it Chis? What do you think about it?”

“Are you meeting me for two days this week?”

“Ah… That, Starchis. I’m sorry about before. I won’t insist on hanging out till  late night, so will you meet me for two days?”

They all leaned in together and asked me.

“Ah, everyone. I actually have something to say.”

I had a bright smile.

At my words, the three opened their eyes wide.

“I don’t think we’ll be able to meet even one day this week.”

All three made the same frown.

Why are you making such faces?

It’s not like you like me or something.

Why does it matter whether you would meet me or not?

“Chis, I think you should explain it straight.”

“You! You’re not sick! I checked!”

“Starchis!! Maybe it’s because of me? Don’t be angry, I was wrong!”

Vienna and Luss looked at Lily noona.

“What else did you do?”

“Lily ssi, what have you done?”

I waved my hand.

“No, no, it’s not because of Lily noona.”

“...”

“...”

“...”

I took a deep breath and opened my mouth-

With the determination to never get caught in a lie, as naturally as possible, and trusting my brother's word that everything would be good, I finally said:

“I have a girlfriend.”

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