It all started with the discovery of Kong’s secret.
The fact that…he was very small.
…A surprising piece of information that explained so much.
Why Kong dreaded bathing with , why he always bundled up in formal attire, even in the heat.
[Restroom….]
[Hey, hey. Kong. I’ll help you get there. You’re going to collapse if you keep that up.]
[…No, no! I-I’m not drunk!! I can go…by myself!!]
'Even drunk, he insisted on going to the restroom alone.'
Even back before the regression, I’d never gone to the restroom with him.
All because of that complex of his.
It all suddenly made sense to now. I spent the entire bath subtly averting my gaze from Kong.
"Yujin, so…you’ll keep this a secret from others, right?"
"Of course. If you want, I could erase my mory of it with hypnosis."
"N-No, that’s okay! Friends are allowed to see this kind of thing, you know. I even saw yours."
"…Right. This much is natural between friends."
Still, I couldn’t help but respect him.
Despite what must be a trauma, he held himself together and stayed.
Tough guy. He’s definitely my lifelong friend.
"I used to think you were a bit feminine, but you’ve got so manly traits too, huh? I see you in a new light."
"…Let’s drop this conversation!"
"Got it."
But I felt the need to change the topic.
It seed like Kong’s trauma gauge was reaching its limit.
"Alright…let’s talk about sothing else. Like who Colonel Seo was, the man I resurrected, and why I did it."
"Yes, please. Anything but that."
"Alright. So, there’s a demon nad Paimon…."
Switching topics, I began explaining.
Paimon, the Demon King who would burn the world three years later.
The creature that escaped during the first S-rank Gate outbreak.
I was planning to hunt it down with Master before it could cause any trouble.
Colonel Seo was revived to gather information due to his involvent in past experints.
"So what was with that? He didn’t look like soone freshly resurrected. He knew about the General’s promotion and your na."
"No idea."
"…What?"
"I really don’t know. He only ntioned that his soul had been watching over us sohow."
As always, with matters related to “???,” there were more questions than answers, but that was the gist of it.
And Kong’s reaction after listening?
"Is there anything I can help with?"
"Huh?"
"I’ve got connections worldwide. Built them up while taking S-rank Gate missions. I could help track down Paimon."
"……."
He was ready to help, just like that.
A warm feeling washed over —this is what friendship is all about.
"I couldn’t ask for that much. Just bringing the Necromancer here was already a huge help."
"For you, this is nothing."
"It’s far from nothing. If I couldn’t get help, I was ready to take Colonel Seo’s body and fly to Vietnam."
"…That really would have been sothing."
"Exactly. So, is there anything you want? I’ll do anything I can for you."
I made the offer.
It wouldn’t be right to accept all this without offering sothing in return.
It was the kind of reward that would make people’s eyes widen.
After all, the rising star who reached the 7th rank of the S-class within nine weeks at the Academy, Seo Yujin, was offering a favor.
If Kong were smart, he’d realize he could use my reputation to speed up the reconstruction of Vietnam.
Indeed, Kong, with a sowhat excited voice, asked…
"…Can I keep this in reserve?"
"Huh?"
"I’ll let you know later. Who knows what might co up."
I thought he’d be excited, but instead, I got a “save it for later.”
"You sure you don’t want to use it now? If we started a business together, we could make tons of money."
"Right now, it’s not about money; it’s manpower we’re short on. Sure, funds would help, but it’s not that urgent."
"Even so…."
"And hey, I’ve been working hard all this ti, haven’t I? I’d like to save this ‘gift from a friend’ for sothing truly aningful to ."
"……."
I couldn’t exactly argue with that.
Kong, always with his sharp sense of purpose.
"Alright. Then I’ll repay the debt when you call it in."
"Heh. You better believe I’ll get my money’s worth."
"Do whatever you like~."
And just like that, I was officially in Kong’s debt.
* * *
Having secured a promise from Yujin, Kong smiled in satisfaction.
It was the kind of smile that would have made Yujin complain, ‘Why do you look so cute even when you’re laughing? So annoying.’
‘Worrying he’d stop seeing as a friend after seeing this… Well, that was just overthinking.’
Of course, Kong was simply happy.
To know that his friendship with his only true friend, Yujin, remained unchanged brought him pure joy.
"Anyway, enough of the heavy stuff. Kong, I have a serious question…."
"Sure. Ask anything…."
"What do you think makes a woman fall for a man?"
"……."
The happy mont didn’t last long.
Yujin’s unexpected question was like a bombshell.
Kong’s mind went blank.
-Huh?
'…Why is he asking ? He probably knows better than anyone.'
It was Yujin, after all.
Currently the most popular guy in the world.
Good-looking, skilled, and a genuinely good person.
Honestly, most people would fall for him just because his na was Yujin.
As for Kong?
Surrounded by countless female acquaintances, yet zero confessions.
In fact, he’d even received more advances from n than from won.
Not that he was interested, of course—he had firmly rejected them all.
So, when Yujin asked Kong about this, he couldn’t help but feel a bit irritated.
-Clench.
'Does he really need to ask? He knows why I can’t get a girlfriend.'
Given that he’d even seen Kong’s…situation, he should already know.
Kong bit back the words that rose to the tip of his tongue.
"Why are you even asking this? It varies from person to person, obviously."
"Of course, but…"
"And why are you asking specifically?"
The edge in Kong’s voice was noticeable.
But did the clueless young man catch it?
'Why is he being so touchy? He must have had plenty of confessions.'
"Because you’re the only one who’d answer this honestly."
Yujin opened up, not even considering that he might have touched a nerve.
Of course, Kong was a bit sensitive about this topic, given his “small” size.
But all I did was ask when won tend to fall for n.
Nothing inappropriate.
In fact, objectively speaking, Kong was quite good-looking.
His androgynous look could be polarizing, but there were bound to be won who liked it.
And with so many female acquaintances, he’d probably received loads of confessions.
[Captain, what’s your type when it cos to won?]
[I’m not interested in won. My only goal is Vietnam’s freedom.]
[Aw, co on~ Let’s grab a al over the weekend.]
[Busy.]
'In reality, he’d never received a single confession.'
Kong hadn’t ever received a confession from a woman.
With his unique appearance, his own ironclad walls, and the added difficulty of being around Awakened with complex loyalties, no one had dared confess.
Of course, Yujin, who effortlessly attracted people, couldn’t have known.
'Just tell honestly. What do won say they like about when they confess?'
"Answer based on your perspective. Just think it over."
That’s what he ant.
To answer lightly, as if he were recounting stories of confessions.
-Freeze.
"……?"
'Based on my perspective? Does that an he thinks…?'
To Kong, it sounded different.
Asking about the monts when won fall for n, from Kong’s perspective?
Did he an for him to imagine it from a woman’s perspective?
A bit of an overreaction, maybe…
But given Kong’s history of awkward advances from other n and so scarring questions about his gender…
Kong was understandably sensitive.
Almost to the point of male phobia.
'No matter how close we are as friends, this is kind of gross. This isn’t sothing you joke about.'
Kong’s whole body stiffened with instinctive rejection.
No matter how much he liked Yujin, the idea of getting hit on by another guy was a disturbing thought…
-Sneak glance.
'But…if I were his type, he wouldn’t be acting so nonchalant right now.'
But only for a mont.
Kong quickly regained his composure.
After all, Yujin’s gaze was calm and unshaken.
Realizing it was his own trauma making him overthink, Kong breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
Thank goodness he caught himself before he said sothing awkward.
"Just drop your pants, and any woman would fall for you. You’re that kind of guy."
"Hey, be serious!"
"I am serious! Any girl without male phobia would be swooning."
The mood lightened considerably.
Kong’s sharp tone relaxed, and Yujin’s earnest question took on a brighter tone.
Just two close friends, casually chatting.
"Besides that… let
’s see. Granting a woman’s wishes would do the trick."
"Wishes?"
"Yeah. Like, in my case, defeating the Necromancer…."
-Pause.
"……."
"Well, sure, doing sothing like that would raise your popularity, but you can’t exactly grant a wish like that. Most won don’t ask for sothing like that."
"…You’re right."
Given the topic, it was a bit challenging for the single Kong.
But in any case, the two continued to chat in that friendly manner.
"So why the sudden question?"
"Well, Kong, don’t be shocked. This is a secret… I like my Master."
"Not much of a secret, considering you blurted it all out the last ti you got drunk."
"…What? I thought I only ntioned how pretty she was."
"You made it so obvious, it would’ve been less confusing if you’d just said you liked her."
"……."
Yujin opened up about his feelings.
"Seriously. I was wondering what brought this up…so it’s because you want to date Ninomiya?"
"Yeah. So I was hoping you’d help think it over. You’re the only one I can confide in for stuff like this."
"Just drop your pants in front of her, or go over to the won’s bath and ask her out right now. Simple."
"Quit joking. I’m serious."
"Sigh… You’re hopeless sotis."
So Kong gave him his best advice for a 200% success rate.
And the two best friends continued to enjoy each other’s company.
"Well, should we head out now? We’re getting pruney in here."
"I’ll stay and wash up a bit more. You go ahead."
"Huh? Why don’t we just…."
-Quick glance.
"…I’ll wait in the lobby!"
"Sigh."
'My clueless friend, what am I going to do with him? Still, I like him that way.'
Though a re towel separated them, the two friends were closer than ever.
* * *
anwhile, in the won’s bath…
"Will you quit throwing yourself at Dad, you pig-headed dumpling that’s long past her expiration date!"
"If Whitey becos Dad’s mommy, you’ll starve because the baby won’t be able to eat. Crying, hungry, wah-wah."
"You…you guys…."
-Quiver, quiver.
"Why are you saying such harsh things…? I just want to be closer to him…."
The cruelest, most selfish exchange was underway.
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