Resurrection Chapter 134 - I’m Saying Let’s Date

“Imae.”

At my call, he let out a scoffing sound.

“It really must have been nothing special that night. I told you my name then, you know.”

I might have heard it, but I couldn’t remember. I wasn’t really interested in my one-night stands.

The man looking at me seemed to have a truly diverse identity, perhaps because he usually went around with his face covered. He was the person who used to wander around Nowhere looking for a partner for a one-night fling, he was also an underling working for Park Gyu, and he was the raid leader of Imaemangnyang and one of the few S-class Awakened.

I couldn’t tell if I should treat him as my one-night stand or as the Magic King, Imae. As if he had read my thoughts, the man told me what I should call him.

“It’s Do Jiheon. Call me Jiheon.”

It was a more normal name than I had thought. I repeated his name in my mouth to remember it, then realized I was still holding his hand and subtly let go. At that, he smiled mischievously.

“We haven’t escaped yet.”

“It’s enough that we broke through the encirclement.”

I looked at him with a suspicious eye, unsure whether I should thank him for his help. Imae… I mean, Do Jiheon had indeed gotten me out, but I couldn’t think that he had helped me with a pure heart.

He had helped me before, but my situation was different from then. He too would know that I had Resurrection, so he could pretend to help, then stab me in the back and try to kidnap me.

Unfazed by my glare, Do Jiheon gestured with his chin toward my neck and said.

“That’s going to be a problem.”

I became conscious of the chain dangling around my neck. From the feel of it in my hand, it had a physical form, but the end was hazy. It seemed to be connected to somewhere or someone, transcending space.

I tried to pull the chain off over my head, but it wouldn’t pass through my head. It seemed to tighten again whenever I tried to take it off. Seeing me struggle, Do Jiheon shook his head.

“That’s not going to work. You’ll probably only be able to take it off when you go to where the chain is connected and it takes its complete form.”

“Damn it, so if they pull from the other side, I’ll be helplessly choked?”

“They wouldn’t just do that out of the blue. It would be a problem if you died.”

“Where is the end of this thing connected to?”

“Seol Woochan, perhaps?”

An unwelcome name popped up, and I grumbled mightily.

“Geez, that old man is so greedy. He has all the money and power, so what more does he want that he’s targeting me? Does he plan to achieve eternal life with Resurrection or something?”

“It seems to be because of Min Gongchan, I think?”

“What?”

“With Resurrection, even if Min Gongchan is an ordinary person, they could make him the chairman of the Hyeopjukdohoe.”

I was bewildered by Do Jiheon’s words. I knew from Park Gyu that Min Gongchan was Seol Woochan’s son. But it was hard to imagine that Seol Woochan would make him his successor. I thought Seol Woochan was keeping Min Gongchan by his side because he needed comfort in his old age. Was that not it?

As I was about to protest, asking how the young, non-Awakened Min Gongchan could possibly rule the Hyeopjukdohoe, I remembered that he had become a Royal Vampire. With that much power, even a non-Awakened would be able to seize control of the Hyeopjukdohoe. With the addition of Resurrection, his succession would certainly be more persuasive.

Of course, I didn’t have the slightest intention of being used in such a matter. As I was worrying about how to deal with this chain, Do Jiheon approached me. When I reflexively stepped back, he followed me and said.

“I’m trying to help you.”

“How can I trust you?”

“I’ve already helped you twice. Isn’t that enough to be trustworthy?”

“The fact that you’re helping me without asking for anything in return makes me trust you even less. What’s your angle?”

“I think my angle is pretty obvious.”

“So you’re also after Resurrection…”

“I told you I liked it.”

Having already closed the distance between us, he brushed my cheek with his fingertips. The sweet scent of his signature perfume wafted from his wrist. It was a fragrance so rich and deep that it would linger even with a brief touch.

Even though I stared at him intently, trying to read his intentions, he didn’t avoid my gaze. With eyes that shone as if they held stars, he continued.

“That night, I couldn’t forget it.”

I let out a short laugh.

“Are you saying you’re after my body?”

“Not exactly. Just because it started as a one-night stand doesn’t mean we can’t date.”

“You want me to date you in a situation like this?”

“It’ll be good for you if you date me. You can use the abilities of me, the Magic King, as you please.”

“You’re overlooking a very obvious fact. I already have a partner. Do you think I’ll use my resurrection skill for you just because I’m dating you?”

“I’m not really interested in Resurrection. I reached S-class without it, after all. I don’t really have any desire to reach the max level and become a Transcendent. And I’m not trying to push Seo Heesoo aside and become your partner. I don’t want to work with the person I’m dating.”

“Then why…”

“Let’s date.”

He gently cupped my cheek and lowered his head. I dodged his lips as they suddenly came down, but he didn’t seem to mind. He kissed me next to my lips, then lifted his head and smiled.

“I think I’ve fallen for you. I’m confessing to you right now.”

My face was about to turn red in the suddenly sweet atmosphere. I tried to retort, asking what he knew about me to be talking about liking me, but it didn’t work out well. It was because it was the first time I had ever heard a confession from someone.

The only comfort in my bleak and desperate life had been Heesoo hyung. I had never been in a proper relationship. Naturally, I had never confessed to anyone, nor had I ever received a confession. I had lived my life thinking such things were not in the cards for me, so when I suddenly heard a confession, I didn’t know how to react.

I fumbled awkwardly, and the fact was not just embarrassing, but infuriating. I pushed him away and snapped, “Is this the time for such bullshit?” but I couldn’t hide my reddened face.

Seeing me like that, Do Jiheon chuckled. Then he wiped the smile from his face and said.

“It certainly isn’t a good time for a confession. They’re closing in, so let’s get out of here first.”

“No, I can’t do that. I didn’t come all this way just to get this thing stuck on me.”

I jingled the chain on my neck, reminding myself that I had yet to achieve my purpose for coming here. I needed to catch Park Gyu and get the necessary information, but with this strange thing hanging from my neck, it was quite annoying. As I was debating whether I should deal with this first, Do Jiheon said.

“I also know what Seo Heesoo went through in the demon den.”

“Really?”

“You came to find Park Gyu because you wanted to know that, right?”

“That’s true, but it’s not enough to just hear that something happened in the demon den. I need to know everything, accurately and without omission.”

“In that case, I have a good method.”

I debated whether I could trust Do Jiheon’s words. It was a stretch to take his claim of not being interested in Resurrection at face value. I was suspicious that I might be walking into another trap of my own volition. Seeing me on guard, Do Jiheon smiled and spouted some nonsense that broke the tension.

“So when should we have our first date?”

Instead of answering, I glared at him.

“…I can’t fully believe you, but with this thing on my neck, loitering around here doesn’t seem like a good idea either.”

I decided to follow Do Jiheon and get out of here for now. I wasn’t worried about Park Gyu’s schemes, but if Seol Woochan was targeting me, it seemed necessary to be cautious. I decided to solve the chain issue first and then try the method Do Jiheon mentioned.

As a minimal safety measure, I decided to teleport out of Hyeopjukdo-gil with Do Jiheon. But the Hyeopjukdohoe guys seemed to have gone all out and blocked the entire area. In the middle of teleporting, I was thrown somewhere with a shock like hitting a wall.

“Aargh!”

After landing on a pile of garbage with Do Jiheon, I reflexively shouted and then shut my mouth. It wasn’t a good idea to make a loud noise when I hadn’t even gotten out of Hyeopjukdo-gil.

A foul smell rose from the garbage beneath me, and startled rats ran over me in a swarm. As I shuddered and got up, Do Jiheon, who had quickly righted himself, offered me his hand. I pushed his hand away and got up on my own, saying.

“They’ve blocked the teleport. Looks like we have no choice but to force our way through.”

“If you don’t mind, I’ll summon the darkness again.”

“You mean that pitch-black thing?”

“No light works in the Abyss. In there, only I can see ahead. With that, it won’t be difficult to shake off the guys guarding the path and escape.”

The idea of holding hands with him again to get out of here didn’t sit well with me. But I didn’t want to waste my energy on a pointless fight, so I reluctantly held out my hand to him. But before Do Jiheon could take my hand, a strange phenomenon occurred in the area. A bluish energy rippled out in all directions, passing through Do Jiheon and me. Seeing it, Do Jiheon muttered in surprise.

“Blood Line…?”

I also recognized what it was.

‘Is it Min Gongchan?’

Instead of taking Do Jiheon’s hand, I ran out of the garbage dump where we had fallen. By the time I climbed over the iron gate and got out of the alley, I could see the shocking scene unfolding in the middle of the plaza, which served as the main gate of Hyeopjukdo-gil.

The guys who had been guarding the path to prevent us from leaving Hyeopjukdo-gil were stuck flat to the ground like barnacles. They had succumbed to an invisible force and couldn’t even lift their heads from the ground. The one standing in their midst, exuding an overwhelming presence, was the person I had expected.