Chapter 37: Paradise (4)

Chapter 37: Paradise (4)

"Wow, you're so much more handsome in person!"

"My god! Can we take photos together?"

The two women who approached Ohjin chattered on with their voices filled with excitement.

"Ehh."

Ohjin looked at the two girls with an awkward expression.

'I did think that there would be people that recognize me, but they're way more aggressive than I imagined... Should I send them away?'

He didn't want to be needlessly involved with them.

"... Didn't you two come here to buy coffee?"

He spoke in a manner that clearly conveyed that he thought they were being tiresome.

"Don't be so annoying and get lost."

'Alright. There's no way they wouldn't get the message when I'm this direct, right?'

"D-did you hear him? He told us to get lost!!"

"Kyaa!! I-It's real!!"

'Huh?'

"Daddy? Can I call you daddy?"

"I'm going crazy! I love it...!"

'Yeah, you two really are crazy... why are you reacting like this anyways?'

"Can you give us your autograph?"

"..."

'Well, an autograph isn't hard.'

It wasn't like it was something that would cost him money.

He took the pen the women handed out.

'What am I supposed to sign?'

"Where do you...?"

"Here, right here!"

One of the women slightly unfolded her coat and pointed to her T-shirt. It was in a location where it would make contact with her breasts if he made a mistake, as it was close to her collarbone.

'...Are they actually crazy? What is this, a club?'

Even Ohjin, who was extremely skilled in controlling his facial expressions, couldn't hide his flustered expression.

"Hurrrry~"

"Hehe, staying like this is embarrassing~"

'Then don't do it.'

"...haa."

Tch—

Clicking his tongue, Ohjin held the pen up.

He seriously disliked the situation, but it would be over once he gave his autograph, anyways.

'Let's get this over with.'

He didn't want his day to get interrupted any further since it had been a while since he went outside with Ha-eun.

Just when he moved his pen in order to sign his autograph on the T-shirt...

"—Who do you think you are?"

A red-haired predator approached them.

"H-Huh?"

"W-Who are you?" the two women who were close to Ohjin asked while their bodies trembled.

A blazing killing intent that was hard for regular people to endure stimulated the women's instincts.

"Motherfuckers, what do you mean who?"

Ha-eun stretched out her arm and grasped the back of Ohjin's neck.

Nudge—

"I'm his girlfriend," said Ha-eun as her lips twisted up into a smile.

"G..."

"G-Girlfriend?"

The two women looked at Ha-eun from head to toe with a shocked expression.

An attractive height that exceeded 170cm with an impeccable body shape.

Facial features that looked as if a word-class sculpture had painstakingly carved them and milky skin without a blemish in sight.

"...ugh."

The two of them were quite confident in their looks, but the only parts they could compete with Ha-eun with were their two eyes and their nosiness.

An overwhelming sense of defeat.

There was a saying that looks aren't everything, but to those girls who approached Ohjin believing in their looks, Ha-eun's existence itself was a checkmate.

"W-What did you say? Seriously, what an asshole."

"We were only trying to receive his autograph, you know?

The two women that walked on eggshells in front of the frightening existence soon turned around and escaped the cafe in a hurried manner.

"Heh. Those detestable bitches dare to be so rash?"

Ha-eun exploded out in laughter with her arms crossed.

"Urrg-uh!"

"Ah, sorry."

She let go of Ohjin's neck that she had still been holding onto.

"Haa. Seriously, you're..."

"Why, what?"

"Nah, I'm saying that you did a good job."

Ohjin, who was sighing, laughed all of a sudden.

It wasn't like they had beaten them up. There wasn't a better solution than the opposing side running away with their tail between their legs on their own accord.

"Anyways, damn, you're seriously popular."

"I know, right? This is going to be a headache in the future."

He did predict that it would come to this to some extent. It would be extremely annoying now that his face became well-known.

'Well, it can't be helped.'

Wherever there is light, there are also shadows.

In order to wield the powerful weapon called 'North Star's apostle' as he pleased, this amount of annoyance had to be endured.

"...Don't go following them around, alright?"

Ha-eun narrowed her eyes and glared at him.

"I have no interest in meeting other girls."

"Huh? R-Really? Why... is that?" asked Ha-eun as her face turned a tint pinker.

"It takes money."

"Motherfucker."

"This bastard really doesn't change," she mumbled.

"Haa... Well, alright. I guess that's better than playing around with whoever comes by."

She sighed and pulled on Ohjin's arm.

* * *

* * *

"Then let's quickly head over to the next location!"

"What about coffee?"

"Nah."

There was a chance a similar accident would occur again if they stayed around any longer.

"Let's go to a place without people."

"Where are we going?"

"Hmm..."

Song Ha-eun, who was momentarily lost in thought, —click!, snapped her fingers.

"Karaoke! Let's go do karaoke!!"

"Huhu. Okay."

Karaoke was an area where even Ha-eun, who couldn't see, would be able to sufficiently play around. Though there was the disadvantage that she would have to completely memorize the lyrics of a song.

"Hurry! Hurry!"

Kyahaha!—

Ha-eun smiled cheerfully while pulling his arms.

Soon after, they exited the building after having a blast singing karaoke.

"...The sun's setting already."

Nights in December came early.

"Should we start to head back?"

"Can we look around a little mo—"

"I need to sleep early since I have business to take care of next morning."

"...oh."

After a long period of silence...

Gently biting her lips, Ha-eun nodded her head.

"... Let's go."

"Yeah."

On the way back to their home—

"Ah, it's snowing."

—snowflakes drifted from the dim night sky.

"Heh. No wonder I felt some cold things falling on my head."

Laughing bashfully, Ha-eun increased her grip on Ohjin's arms.

Step, step—

In the tranquil path fluttering with snowflakes, only the quiet sound of footsteps could be heard.

"..."

"..."

Although the silence continued on and on, it wasn't awkward.

She solely hoped that—this moment...

This point in time...

—would never come to an end.

'...But.'

A stinging pain radiated from her tightly bit lips.

"Hey, Ohjin."

"Yeah?"

"How much... have you saved?"

Carefully...

She spoke gently as if treading on thin ice.

"I saved it all."

"...Y-You saved it all? Ten million?"

"Yeah."

"..."

Ha-eun's lips shuddered.

She did think that he would save it all before long, but she hadn't imagined that he had saved $10,000,000 already.

"Y-You earned money really fast."

A speed that was unbelievable, even for a North Star's apostle.

"I was quite lucky, and I also had the money I saved up until now."

"I-I see..."

Grip—

Strength entered her clenched fists.

Fingernails dug into flesh.

The snowflakes that settled on top of her head felt freezing cold.

"Well then... I guess there really aren't many days left of being together like this."

"Yeah, I guess."

"..."

It was a sharp reply that seemed to cut away at her...

Her chest hurt as if her heart were being gouged out.

"Are you really... going to Paradise?" she asked, even while knowing the reply that would come.

"I'm going. That's why I saved up money until now, after all."

"..."

It hurt.

It hurt and tore at her so much...

She felt like some part of her was going to break down.

"Don't..."

'Go.'

'Don't leave me.'

The words that tried to escape her mouth were forcefully suppressed.

"Hm?"

"N-No! It's nothing. Hehe."

"Hey, tell me."

"Shut up!"

Tap! Tap!—

Getting angry for nothing, she hit his shoulders.

"..."

Silence set down once again.

"Don't... forget me, okay?"

She wrung it out.

"...Why would I forget you."

With that last reply, their conversation ended.

The night sky of December was dark without a speck of starlight in the sky;

It was akin to the darkness she lived in every day.

* * *

The next day...

"I'm going to head out because I have some business to take care of at the bank."

Ohjin went outside early in the morning.

"Haa."

A deep sigh flowed out of Ha-eun's mouth as she was left alone.

She grabbed her phone and turned on the news.

[There is an increased amount of attention on December's auction in Yongsan that takes place today...]

Beep—

"...Should I try going?"

Ha-eun, who was continuously contemplating on the bed, soon got up.

She didn't care about the other items that came out in the auction.

There was just one item she was interested in.

'Dragon's Cursed Eye.'

A 6-star relic that possessed the power to dispel various kinds of curses—including ones from dragons.

"..."

Ha-eun's gray eyes faintly trembled.

If only she could get her hands on that item.

Perhaps...

Perhaps the Thousand Curse Dragon's curse could be—

"Ha, haha."

The sound of empty laughter filled the room.

"There's no way I would be able to buy it..."

The Dragon's Cursed Eye was a star relic you could obtain from a dragon-type monster ranked 6-star or higher by an extremely rare chance. Due to the low chance, Its supply was so nonexistent that you wouldn't be able to guess if a single one would make its appearance during an entire year.

As its price would exceed $6,000,000~$7,000,000 at the minimum, there was no way for her to obtain it when all of her assets totaled a little bit over $300,000.

'Still... maybe there's still...'

Her lips dried up...

The sweet whisper called 'Hope' led her away.

'Maybe there won't be many competitors today.'

It wasn't something without possibility.

Although it had never happened to the Dragon's Cursed Eye, there were occasionally cases of 6-star relics being sold at a cheap price.

"T-That's right! How many cursed people are there in this day and age anyways!"

In reality, there weren't many monsters that used curses. To that day, a monster that could use special curses like the 'Dragon's Curse' didn't appear aside from the Thousand Curse Dragon, Barbatos.

If that was the case...

If there was no reason for anyone to 'dispel' a curse in the first place...

Couldn't the Dragon's Cursed Eye be bought at a low price?

"..."

Gulp—

'There's no way... there's no way.'

Ha-eun tried to suppress the feeling of hope with negative thoughts, but the hope that had started to spread eroded the mind faster than any other poison.

"Alright, let... let's go! I have nothing to lose!"

Ha-eun energetically lifted her body off the bed.

'Just maybe...'

From the thought 'Maybe an incredible miracle will happen', she was fired up.

'If the curse gets dispelled...'

—There was a chance of being able to go to 'Paradise' with him.

Imagining that, her lips turned into a smile on their own.

"Let's wash up and get going!"

After entering the bathroom, she poured cold water over herself.

The freezing cold water somehow couldn't feel any warmer.

Click—

She opened the door and headed outside.

Hitting the cane against the ground, she moved her feet.

Tap, tap, tap!—

The sound that came from the cane hitting the ground felt delightful.

'That's right, I can buy it if I'm lucky enough!'

Her grip on her bank card and ID tightened.