"...See you later."
"Okay, be careful."
Min Ha-yeon parted ways with Seong Suho, her voice tinged with regret.
As she crossed to the other side of the village, she began to ponder deeply.
'How many times has this repetition happened now? And why is it repeating like this?'
Min Ha-yeon started to rack her brain to understand this inexplicable phenomenon.
She tried to recall the last situation before she returned to the past.
Han Yeo-reum pushed Seong Suho.
Seong Suho was in danger.
She tried to save him, grab him, and pull him up.
In the midst of that, Seong Suho suddenly pointed somewhere.
In Min Ha-yeon's line of sight, Han Yeo-reum's head was pierced by a shock arrow.
'...That's the end. And Han Yeo-reum is clearly aware that this situation is repeating… That means…'
Min Ha-yeon concluded the cause of this repeating situation.
'Han Yeo-reum's death. When he dies, everything goes back to the beginning. Then… why is it that only I retain my memories this time?'
In the end, Min Ha-yeon couldn't figure out the reason for that.
By the time she arrived at the eastern entrance in that state…
"Hey! Min Ha-yeon!!"
"...?"
Han Yeo-reum, who had arrived there first, called out and approached her.
His expression was clearly filled with anger, and it didn't seem like an ordinary level of frustration.
When Han Yeo-reum reached Min Ha-yeon, he shouted again.
"Where the hell have you been!?"
"...? What are you talking about? Where?"
"You didn't come back to the room all day! Do you know how worried I was!?"
"Ah…"
Min Ha-yeon reflected as she looked at Han Yeo-reum.
'Did I raise suspicion by acting differently yesterday? This is annoying…'
Normally, Han Yeo-reum wouldn't have cared whether Min Ha-yeon was in the room or not.
He was always too busy looking for other women at night to pay any attention to her.
Min Ha-yeon spoke while looking at Han Yeo-reum.
"I wandered around yesterday and found another lodging, so I stayed there."
"Why would you stay alone in a place like that? What if something happened?"
"It's just a lodging place, no big deal."
Han Yeo-reum, oblivious to Min Ha-yeon's annoyance, continued to press her.
As he kept nagging, the other members joined them.
It was Park Sun-hee.
Min Ha-yeon glanced at her and then cut off Han Yeo-reum's words.
"Let's go hunting."
"I'm not done talking…"
"Other people will start entering the field soon, and it'll be harder to earn points because of the competition. Let's hurry."
Min Ha-yeon ignored Han Yeo-reum's words and left the village.
"Sigh…"
"Uh, yeah. Yeo-reum… We can talk after we earn some points, right?"
"..."
At the mention of points, Han Yeo-reum retracted his sharp nerves and followed Min Ha-yeon.
As Han Yeo-reum started moving, the two women also began to follow him.
Behind the two women, Park Sun-hee cautiously opened her mouth.
"Hey, I heard something interesting…"
"Huh?"
"What is it?"
Park Sun-hee grabbed the two women and started telling them the story.
...
...
...
During breaks in the hunt, Park Sun-hee detailed the earlier incident to the two women.
"No way…"
"But is that really true? They could have been lying."
"No. They didn't start the story for us to hear, so it's probably true."
"How could they do that to Yeo-reum…"
The three women continued their conversation, filled with gossip about Min Ha-yeon.
If the three women had met Min Ha-yeon under normal circumstances, they might have become close, but since she had entered as Han Yeo-reum's girlfriend from the start, they couldn't help but feel uncomfortable with her.
"Look at him now. He's clinging to that woman while ignoring us."
The three women could chat leisurely like this because of Min Ha-yeon.
In the two days since they arrived here, during breaks like this, Min Ha-yeon was usually alone, while Han Yeo-reum chatted with the other women.
Most of the time, Min Ha-yeon kept her distance…
But now, Han Yeo-reum was clinging to Min Ha-yeon, showing an obsessive side.
The three women could only watch with a sense of relative deprivation.
"But… without evidence, even if we tell him…"
"Right. And if we do, it might backfire on us…"
"That's why I came up with a plan…"
Park Sun-hee explained her plan to the other two women.
"Ah! That sounds good!"
"Definitely, if we do that…"
"Alright. I'll take it that both of you agree. I'll follow Min Ha-yeon first. Sun-hee, you keep an eye on Yeo-reum's room, and Hye-eun, wait in front of the Zephyrum Inn just in case."
""Okay.""
And so, the three women began to hatch a secret plan, out of earshot of the other two.
...
...
...
"Sigh… Can you stop already?"
"What!? Hey! I'm just worried about you…"
"It's not worry, it's nagging. Where's the danger here?"
Han Yeo-reum's nagging continued all the way back to the village.
Unlike yesterday, he didn't care about points at all and kept clinging to Min Ha-yeon, nagging her.
Min Ha-yeon couldn't understand it.
'Why is he acting like this? Last time, he wasn't like this. Is he really this upset just because I was gone for a bit?'
Han Yeo-reum's behaviour was so different from the last time that it felt jarring.
'Come to think of it, he didn't party with Suho this time… And last time, he badmouthed Suho…'
There were countless conclusions Min Ha-yeon could draw, but the most plausible reason was one.
'Is it because he saw me and Suho getting close during the boss fight?'
Min Ha-yeon knew that Han Yeo-reum was usually oblivious.
But if Min Ha-yeon gave off any sense of closeness with a man, he would pester her.
'Ugh… That must be it.'
Han Yeo-reum hated it when Min Ha-yeon even had a simple conversation with a man.
She concluded that the reason for Han Yeo-reum's behaviour was the camaraderie she showed with Seong Suho during the boss fight.
Normally, Min Ha-yeon kept her distance during hunts to avoid drawing attention, but during the boss fight, the situation was urgent, and she didn't have time to worry about others' perceptions.
To summarize why Han Yeo-reum was acting like this…
Before dying, he saw Min Ha-yeon getting close to Seong Suho.
So, if they meet again, who knows what might happen?
Han Yeo-reum, feeling anxious, excludes Seong Suho.
But after excluding him, he notices Min Ha-yeon's changed behaviour.
Han Yeo-reum's anxiety amplifies.
This was the final conclusion Min Ha-yeon reached.
'…This won't do. I need to be careful today. Suho doesn't have his memories like I do. If Han Yeo-reum does something weird, it'll be trouble…'
"Alright, I'll be careful. Stop nagging."
"...Okay, sorry. I was just worried."
Han Yeo-reum still looked displeased, but seeing Min Ha-yeon's 'fake' surrender, he seemed to decide not to press further.
Min Ha-yeon forced a smile at Han Yeo-reum's expression of worry.
'Sigh… I need to figure out how to shake this guy off.'
In her heart, Han Yeo-reum had long since disappeared.
But for Seong Suho's sake, she decided to play along with him.
'Well, if I pretend to sleep early tonight and sneak out, he won't notice.'
Min Ha-yeon forced a smile at Han Yeo-reum and headed to the hotel.
***
He was always lucky.
If he wanted an item in a game, it would drop immediately.
He once rolled dice at a casino he happened to visit and won hundreds of millions.
A lottery ticket he bought on a whim even won the jackpot.
But the luckiest thing in his life, without a doubt, was one thing.
Min Ha-yeon.
He proudly considered meeting her the greatest fortune of his life.
And he wanted to make her his.
If she even briefly talked to another man, he would berate her.
Fortunately, Han Yeo-reum, who knew Min Ha-yeon's family well, was aware that due to religious reasons, she wouldn't easily turn her eyes to another man.
Moreover, since she usually showed no interest in men, Han Yeo-reum always believed...
That she was deeply in love with him.
After lying in his room for a while, Han Yeo-reum got up and muttered.
"That alchemist bastard… I brought him along because he kept saying he'd be useful. But it's no good. Let's just form a party with only women."
Han Yeo-reum recalled the scene just before his death.
Min Ha-yeon saving Seong Suho while leaving him behind.
That scene didn't look like just saving a comrade.
"Since I didn't include him in the party, there's no variable. Ha-yeon wouldn't approach a man first… That alchemist must have done something."
Han Yeo-reum felt relieved inwardly as he left the room.
As soon as he stepped out, his eyes turned to the next room.
And he suddenly remembered Min Ha-yeon's changed behaviour.
"Did she change like that because that alchemist guy disappeared? No… Maybe she was just feeling unwell."
Han Yeo-reum retraced Min Ha-yeon's actions and reached a conclusion.
"Not every situation stays the same. Even a small change can cause a shift."
He usually didn't pay attention to his surroundings, so he didn't notice minor changes.
But Min Ha-yeon was different.
Even Han Yeo-reum, who was usually insensitive to changes in Min Ha-yeon, felt something was off.
"...Should I test her?"
Originally, Han Yeo-reum planned to find another woman to relieve his sexual desires.
But for the women, it was a new encounter, while for Han Yeo-reum, it was different.
He was getting bored.
And seeing Min Ha-yeon's changed behaviour, he felt an unreasonable sense of anticipation.
"...This might be an opportunity. Yeah, let's try…."
Knock, knock, knock!
Han Yeo-reum, filled with anticipation, knocked on the door.
"...?"
When there was no response, he tried knocking again.
Knock knock knock!
With an urgent knock, Han Yeo-reum, feeling anxious, tried to force the door open.
Click! Click!!
"Hey! Min Ha-yeon!!"
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!!
Han Yeo-reum thought she might be sleeping, but it was strange that the room remained quiet despite his loud knocking.
The door wouldn't open because it was someone else's room.
"Sigh… Is she sleeping? Min Ha-yeon!!"
Just as he was about to knock on the door again.
"Ah! Yeo-reum."
"Huh?"
It was Park Sun-hee.
Han Yeo-reum stopped knocking and forced a smile as he asked.
"Haha… What are you doing here?"
"Ah… I wanted to talk to you… Do you have time?"
"...Talk?"
Han Yeo-reum started feeling strange again as he looked at Park Sun-hee's behaviour.
'Is she coming to me like this? Did I not notice because I was usually away?'
Han Yeo-reum dismissed Park Sun-hee's actions as unimportant and said.
"Sorry, I need to talk to Ha-yeon for a bit. Can I come find you later?"
Seeing Park Sun-hee, Han Yeo-reum felt the urge to sleep with her.
He decided to resolve Min Ha-yeon's issue first and then go find her.
"Um… but where is Ha-yeon now…?"
However, Park Sun-hee couldn't answer immediately, fidgeting with an uneasy expression.
Han Yeo-reum, sensing something was off, asked, "What's wrong?"
"It's… it's nothing. Ha-yeon was wandering around the village, maybe to get some fresh air. I last saw her in front of the inn earlier…"
"Sigh…"
Han Yeo-reum felt anger rising as he recalled how Min Ha-yeon had ignored his words.
But for now, all he could think about was finding her.
"Where did you see Ha-yeon?"
"Um… near the Zephyrum Inn…"
Park Sun-hee cautiously gave Han Yeo-reum the details of the location.
But Han Yeo-reum scratched his head in frustration and said, "Ugh, how am I supposed to know with such vague directions…? Just take me there."
"…Okay."
Park Sun-hee turned around to guide him, bowing her head and forcing an awkward smile.
...
...
...
The two of them arrived in front of the Zephyrum Inn.
"Did she go inside here?"
"I didn't see her go in. But since she mentioned the inn earlier, I thought she might have gone inside…?"
"…No, why would she want to stay in a place like this?"
Han Yeo-reum didn't even consider the possibility that Seong Suho might be here and stepped inside the inn.
As soon as he entered, the strong smell of alcohol hit his nose.
"Ugh! The smell…"
Empty liquor bottles were scattered across the tables, and the innkeeper was in the middle of cleaning up.
"Oh my, we've had quite a few guests this time…"
"Did a pretty woman come in here?"
"…Haha."
The innkeeper forced a smile, veins popping on her forehead as he replied.
"I have no reason to tell you that. Guest information is private… Hey, wait!!"
Han Yeo-reum ignored the innkeeper and headed up to the second floor.
And the moment he reached the second floor…
-"Haah! This position feels the best! Haah! It's hitting deep!"
-"Kuh! Isn't your stamina too good? Haah!"
-"Heehee! I'll keep going like this until you build up your stamina! So hurry up and get stronger! Hah! Haah~!"
The soundproofing was nothing like a hotel.
"Disgusting… Who would want to do that in a place like this…? Why would Ha-yeon stay here…"
Just as he was about to move to another room to look for Min Ha-yeon, a faintly audible word stopped him in his tracks.
-"I'm gonna cum! Ha-yeon!"
-"Haah!! Cum inside me!!"
"…What? What…? What??"
Han Yeo-reum couldn't believe his ears.
Without realizing it, his legs carried him to the door of the room where the couple was engaged in intercourse.
Normally, he wouldn't barge into someone else's room, but their door wasn't properly closed.
That's why the soundproofing was so poor.
But Han Yeo-reum didn't care about that right now.
Feeling as though his heart had stopped and his brain had shut down, Han Yeo-reum instinctively grabbed the doorknob and slowly opened the door.
And when the door opened, what he saw was…
"I'm cumming!"
"Haaahhh!!!"
Min Ha-yeon, her brown hair dishevelled, was naked on top of Seong Suho's pelvis, her face contorted in ecstasy.
Min Ha-yeon, unaware of Han Yeo-reum's frozen presence, was breathing heavily, fully immersed in the sensation of Seong Suho's member.
"Haah… Suho… I love you."
"Hah… Ha-yeon… By the way, what about your boyfriend?"
"Ugh… don't ruin the mood… Right now, my boyfriend is… Hah!"
Min Ha-yeon lifted her hips, kissed the tip of Seong Suho's glistening cock, and then looked up at him with a sly smile.
"My boyfriend is right here~~ Heehee."
At that moment, Han Yeo-reum's rationality snapped.
"I'll kill you!!!!!!"
***
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