Chapter 1579: A New Normal (34) |
As I watched Commander Jin hurl things like a pitcher throwing fastballs, I couldn’t help but wonder if the bastard was really okay in the head. Even in the middle of all that, he was only throwing around Jin Young’s belongings, so it looked like he could perfectly distinguish between the things originally in the estate and the newly brought items.
The problem was that there wasn’t just one or two of Jin Young’s keepsakes.
Since he had gotten so worked up that he was throwing things without thinking, there was no way the other furniture and objects could survive his onslaught. Naturally, it didn’t take long for the room to become the site of a disaster.
He was the type who rarely got emotional and would never even breathe heavily, but now, he was gasping for air.
“…”
“…”
‘Damn… this actually makes me feel a little guilty…’
It felt like the deciding factor was receiving sympathy from Kim Hyun-Sung. I felt like he could endure everything else, but the gaze he got from that spineless guy had to have really gotten under his skin.
He probably believed he had hit rock bottom at this point. Sure enough, he grabbed and threw whatever was within reach again, and the noises echoed all the way out here.
‘What the hell? Why are you all looking at me?’
Moments later, a loud scream echoed, “AAAAAAHHH!!!”
It was a scream that was completely unlike the dignified Commander Jin. Naturally, the retainers toward me again with shocked faces. Since he was the type to care about appearances even in front of the retainers, it seemed that he had never shown them this side of himself before.
Seeing the stunned faces of Old Man Han and Yongwol, I unknowingly mumbled, "It seems he still hasn’t sorted out his feelings yet…”
‘So why the hell are you staring at me…’
Of course, I had no choice but to add another comment, saying, “I think that’s enough for one day. Until Commander Jin personally gives further instructions, I would like everyone to return to their duties and behave as though nothing happened. I…”
‘Come on, why do they keep looking at me?’
“I-I should go see the Commander…” I said.
“Yes, sir!”
‘Was that really the correct answer?’
After slamming their foreheads into the ground once more, everyone stood up in perfect unison. Naturally, I turned my gaze toward the room where Commander Jin was locked inside. At that point, I could somewhat understand how he felt when the retainers pushed him into dire straits earlier.
‘D-damn it, I don’t want to go…’
As I slowly dragged my feet forward, one of the retainers suddenly blocked my path.
‘Yongwol?’
The short girl with her hair tied in bun-like loops looked up at me with tears welling in her eyes.
“I have committed a sin worthy of death,” she said.
“…”
“I… have committed a sin worthy of death… I know very well that ignorance can’t be used as an excuse. I didn’t come here to apologize in hopes of covering up my mistakes… nor… am I saying these words in hopes of receiving forgiveness.
"If I must be punished, then I’ll gladly accept it. Even if you order me to leave the estate, I shall depart with a smile. Even if you command me to disappear forever from the Commander’s side, I’ll obey. Heuk… hnghhh…” Yongwol continued.
“...”
“But before that… before you decide how to deal with me… may I ask for one favor? I know it’s shameless of me to ask,” she said.
‘Wh-What the hell is she talking about now?’
“Please… please… save the Commander,” she said, begging me.
‘Come on, what the hell are you even saying?’
“I… wasn’t enough. I did everything I could to drive away the darkness and sorrow in the Commander’s heart… but I wasn’t enough. I am simply… not good enough to stand by the Commander’s side. Heung… hnghhh… heung… Within this darkness and sorrow that will never end… please… please save the Commander…” she muttered.
“…”
“Heungg… hnghhh… please save the Commander…” She repeated.
Why was she suddenly talking like the kind-hearted rival heroine making her exit in a romance novel? And her face was unbelievably serious, too. The tears pouring down her face made it look as though she was entrusting the broken male lead, burdened with trauma after realizing his own limitations, to someone else’s care.
She looked so miserable that even the other retainers were crying alongside her.
“Please… save the Commander… heung…”
Right on cue…
“AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!”
Another crash echoed out as Commander Jin proceeded to wreck the room again. The atmosphere became so intense that there was no escaping it now, so naturally, I nodded. Of course, I had no choice but to grab her hand, too.
“M-Mr. Lee Ki-Young…” Yongwol mumbled.
“You don’t need to worry,” I said, reassuring her.
“…”
“And you shouldn’t blame yourself so much. More than anyone else, I know that everything you have done until now wasn’t meaningless. You were there for him; you stayed by his side, and you tried so hard that the Commander was finally able to face the sorrow and darkness within himself.
"If he were alone, he would deny those feelings forever. The reason he can finally let those emotions out and confront them… is all thanks to you, Lady Yongwol,” I continued.
“Heung… hnghhh… hnghhh… Mr.Lee Ki-Young,” she said, crying.
‘Yeah, I’m not some evil woman. I-I’m a kind person, okay.’
“Please continue taking care of the Commander, Lady Yongwol,” I added.
I even gave her a gentle hug.
“Hnghhhh… heuuuung…”
The room drowning in darkness and sorrow was right in front of us, and I felt like a preview would suddenly pop up saying, “The story is heading to its final chapter!”
Unfortunately for me, though, I had to walk into that room right now.
‘So… after this, I will finally be able to eat, right?’
I didn't even have the luxury of time to drink a glass of water. The moment I entered the estate, I got swept straight into this insane mess. Honestly, leaving Commander Jin alone in there for about an hour would probably be enough for him to calm down and walk back out on his own, but…
Carrying everyone’s expectations on my back, I had no choice but to open the door and step inside. Naturally, what I saw wasn’t some tragic male lead drowning in sorrow and darkness, but an extremely angry Commander Jin.
“…”
“…”
“C-Commander?” I called out.
“…”
“Th-The estate is very fancy… everyone has been really warm to me, too…” I commented.
“...”
“Y-You know I didn’t do it on purpose, right? I was just standing there, and then the retainers suddenly went completely off the rails. And I never imagined Jin Young’s belongings would be displayed here. I had no idea what kind of situation that was, either… and you know how I get all intimidated in front of impressive people.
"The moment I saw this estate, I felt like I needed to get them under control… Ah, but I really didn’t throw the keepsakes on purpose,” I explained.
“…”
“There were some misunderstandings at first, but the retainers are actually all good people. They’re really loyal too, so I can see why you keep them around… Honestly, they can get annoying sometimes… but people like that are still good to have by your side, you know?” I continued.
“…”
“Y-You’re listening to my apology… right?” I asked.
“…”
“Still, it isn’t all that bad. From the looks of it, your retainers still think you haven’t been able to accept Jin Young’s death. Even before I came here, Yongwol kept telling me to take good care of you. Why do you think they placed all those keepsakes around the estate?
"They did all of that because they were worried about you, but there’s no need for that anymore,” I told him.
“...”
“Once the peace treaty is wrapped up and you start giving off the whole Commander Jin has overcome Jin Young’s death vibe… like you finally escaped your sorrow and darkness, nobody will worry anymore. It will look like you have really moved on after overcoming the grief of losing Jin Young,” I continued.
“…”
“Honestly, it sounds convincing, doesn’t it? I’m telling you, it’s not like I wanted things to turn out this way. I wanted to enjoy this game together with you too, but things somehow spiraled into this mess.
"Seriously, do you really think I’m insane enough to mess with even your closest subordinates just to put you in a situation like this? Out of all times and places, I was supposed to apologize to you. This was a chance for us to talk things out…” I said.
“…”
“I mean… I did leave you behind in the first life. Th-That alone makes me too guilty to pull something like this on purpose. I’m normally not like this either… but back then, I was fused together with Hyun-Sung, remember? You heard about it, right? Our souls ended up completely connected,” I said.
“...”
“I still don’t really understand what happened or how any of it worked, but I think that was probably the reason. Of course, I feel fine now, but when our souls were connected back then, things got a little confusing…” I continued.
Before I knew it, I was just rambling whatever came to mind. Right when I started thinking that I had come up with a pretty believable excuse, he suddenly muttered, “I see.”
“???”
“That actually… does sound possible…” Commander Jin said.
He was actually buying it.
“R-right?”
‘Did it work?’
No, it hadn't just worked. It felt more like he had completely accepted my excuse as the truth. Then again, if someone ended up fusing souls with a spineless idiot whose only talents were feeding caterpillars and four-legged eagles, it wouldn’t be strange at all for them to temporarily lose their mind.
He even looked at me with a concerned gaze.
“You’re… fine now, right?” Commander Jin asked.
“Huh?”
“It would be a serious problem if you became even more stupid than you already are,” he said.
“N-No. I told you, our souls merged, not our brains. There were only a few side effects while we were fused together. I’m perfectly fine now,” I explained.
“I see.”
“...”
“...”
“So… that was what happened. If that is the case, then I suppose it couldn’t be helped,” he commented.
‘R-Right?’
“I will acknowledge that what happened in my estate wasn’t intentional on your part. Strictly speaking, it’s also true that my subordinates were harboring negative feelings toward you,” he said.
‘W-Wait… why is he being so nice?’
“ I suppose it was just another one of those stupid things you did while trying to defend yourself. This was my mistake for not giving Yongwol clearer instructions beforehand. Since you were an important guest, I should’ve made things absolutely clear from the start,” he said.
‘Seriously?’
“I’ll apologize as well. I admit that you weren’t treated with the hospitality a guest of this estate deserves,” he said.
‘R-really?’
“It's a little late, but… I would like to correct that from this moment onward,” he added.
‘No way…’
Were we really going to reconcile just like this? It was definitely not what I had expected, but Commander Jin seemed to be handling the situation surprisingly well in his own way.
‘So… are we making up now?’
“Just this once, I’ll play along with your nonsense, but don’t misunderstand. " As you said, I simply don’t want the son you created to keep dragging me down,” he said.
‘Really? So we’re best friends again now?’
Somehow, it felt like he would even accept a handshake this time. As I cautiously held out my hand, he slowly nodded as well.
Right then, the door slammed open.
“Th-This is bad, Commander!” a retainer shouted.
"???"
"???"
“The protesters… the anti-peace treaty protesters have pushed past the guards and are trying to force their way into the estate!” they reported.
“???”
“???”
“The front gate… the front gate has been breached!” they yelled.
