Surviving As An Obsessive Servant Chapter 184 - Evo (IF) Side Story Chapter 4

Lobel personally guided him through every corner of the company.

She explained in detail how Flor’s materials far outclassed those of other companies and even provided direct comparisons.

Seeing how naturally she confirmed the products’ locations and described them, it was obvious who had prepared this.

He had assumed everything had been arranged by Flor Trading Company, but of course—Lobel’s meticulous nature showed itself again, and Evo couldn’t help but smile.

But her enthusiastic approach made things a little difficult for him.

‘……’

With his attendants following close behind, he had to stay focused on the products to avoid suspicion, but his eyes kept drifting to Lobel.

Evo liked many sides of Lobel, but he especially liked seeing her absorbed in the work of the trading company.

Not only did they share a common interest that made conversation easy, but watching Lobel work hard always made him want to do his best, too.

Growing up with hardship had unknowingly trained Evo to give up easily—but Lobel had become a powerful motivator.

But it wasn’t just him who struggled to manage his gaze.

Lobel, too, would glance at Evo’s face occasionally as she explained things.

And from the startled look in her eyes, it seemed she might be thinking: “Why doesn’t he have a scar?”

‘…I really wonder how she found out.’

There was no sense of betrayal or resentment.

He was just genuinely curious how she’d obtained that information.

Was it some prophetic ability passed down from her ancestors who had entered the Forest of Dif?

It reminded him of the Mirror of Foresight from myth.

Whatever it was, Evo could understand her response to some degree.

He had tried to deceive her once too, so he chose to believe she had her own reasons.

Still, to say he felt no regret in this situation… would be a lie.

‘……’

Evo stared at the hem of her lively dress fluttering lightly.

Just as she had known about the scar that would one day appear on his nose even before they met, he also knew her.

That was why—he wanted to explain it all.

Evo clenched his fists tightly, suppressing that desire.

‘…No.’

It was because he didn’t want to disturb the peaceful life she was living now.

Lobel, smiling beside her parents, looked far brighter than she had during their first meeting in childhood.

He couldn’t just tell a child like that that she would soon fall gravely ill.

Besides, Lobel was the type who hated burdening others—just like him.

If she knew, she’d likely reject everything he had prepared so far and try to handle it on her own.

And that could make things spiral out of control.

‘…It would be hard to fool the Duke’s sharp eyes, after all.’

So just like now…

He needed to use his ambition as a cover to bring Lobel into Denkart, let her regularly share space with the now-recovered young master.

And when the time came, he would extract her—ensuring neither of them lost their strength.

‘Later… I can tell her about the young master, and let her choose for herself.’

Lost in thought as he looked at the goods, Evo slowly blinked.

If he stayed longer, he might say something unnecessary, so he spoke in a low voice.

“I’ve seen everything I needed to.”

…Already?

Though she didn’t say it, Lobel’s emotions were written plainly across her face.

Surprised and disappointed—her expression brought him a small sense of comfort.

Even if it was just to assess what benefits she might gain from him, it still made him happy.

If possible, he wanted this first meeting to overwrite their dirty and miserable meeting in the past.

But now wasn’t the time to reveal the truth—or his feelings.

‘…Today is enough.’

Making that decision, Evo turned away to leave.

But Lobel’s voice held him in place.

“Um, Master Evo!”

When he turned, there she was, awkwardly offering a polite bow.

Her curtsy, lifting the edge of her dress, differed from the usual hand-over-heart gesture she’d used as an attendant—but she did it with grace.

So to Evo, it felt both unfamiliar and perfectly natural.

“It was nice meeting you. I hope we’ll meet again.”

In this time—whether it was the past, a dream, or an illusion—Evo tried to fulfill his role, but there were still moments when he was overwhelmed.

Sometimes he felt like his entire existence was vague and meaningless.

Evo exhaled slowly.

But right now, seeing Lobel, so beautiful and full of life—it felt like a reward for enduring all those countless days.

“Come again sometime.”

He raised the corners of his lips into a polite, gentle smile.

 

 

****

 

 

 

After that, just as planned, Lobelia began visiting Denkart regularly, where Evo was stationed.

And throughout the entire process, Evo didn’t attract a single shred of suspicion.

Among the many merchant groups in Velican, forming a partnership with the Flor Trading Company wasn’t considered strange at all.

Nor was it odd that Flor sent Lobel, who was effectively the heir, to represent them.

Of course, Lobel’s recovery was the top priority—so Evo made sure that part was also taken care of.

He had arranged in advance for himself and Lobel to use the study Edric used to frequent.

It was part of his plan that the maids didn’t clean the objects in the study and that the windows were sealed tightly.

But today, Lobel had arrived earlier than expected, and Edric hadn’t left the study yet.

‘…Don’t tell me she’ll remember?’

Evo masked his anxiety with a smile as he looked at the two.

Lobel looked a little startled to see Edric, but it was only for a moment.

Instead, she showed a strong interest in the merchant business.

“This is the contract I need to review, right?”

“……That’s correct.”

Evo looked down at Lobel, who examined the document as if she knew nothing.

Just earlier, Edric had passed by her without recognizing her either, and that gave Evo a strange feeling.

He felt strangely heavy-hearted, as if he were hiding a sin.

But when Lobel smiled at him, all those thoughts melted away.

“So, this trade with Resen—we at Flor can handle it just fine. I actually came up with a good idea.”

“Is that so.”

“But, Evo-nim.”

“……?”

“How long are you going to keep speaking formally with me? I told you, when we’re alone, you can relax.”

Lobel said with a playful smile.

In the past, he hadn’t realized it, but it now seemed she was genuinely fond of him.

Which was why she was saying things like that—or asking small questions like what he did after work.

Caught in a wave of memories, Evo spoke—half on impulse.

“Then you should call me orabeoni.”

Seeing Lobel’s slightly surprised face, Evo was startled himself.

Back then, as soon as she was found out to be a girl, she’d called him orabeoni—maybe it was her way of being considerate.

‘…Maybe she had to pretend to be a boy often, too.’

Female merchants often faced greater hardships than male ones, so it wouldn’t be strange if she took precautions not to be underestimated.

And as proof—wasn’t Lobel incredibly good at dressing as a boy?

While considering all this, Evo quickly added as Lobel still looked surprised.

“If you want, you can call me hyung instead. Or hyungnim.”

“…So that was it. You liked being called that.”

Lobel gave Evo a peculiar look, and he couldn’t help but laugh.

Whatever the title, they had clearly grown closer.

Just like before, she was showing her desire to be friends again.

Evo liked that—but it also pained him.

It was sad, carrying those old memories alone. As time passed, that feeling only grew heavier.

Still, he couldn’t bring himself to reveal the past.

‘…Unless one of them remembers, and I can step in to help midway.’

Was it really right for him to tell them?

‘Even so, maybe it’d be better—for Lobel’s sake…’

While Evo was sinking deeper into those thoughts, a special day came around.

“…Why isn’t she getting out of the carriage?”

Evo narrowed his eyes, having stood at the window watching the main gate for a long time.

Far off in the distance, the Flor Trading Company’s old but sturdy carriage had stopped—but the door hadn’t opened.

A punctual person like Lobel should’ve gotten out long ago.

‘…Could she be sick?’

Evo had never witnessed Lobel’s illness directly, but he’d heard how dangerous it could be.

The moment the thought crossed his mind, he rushed down the stairs.

It was rare to see him this anxious, so the staff looked on with worried faces.

At last, when he reached the gate, the carriage door swung open.

With a strangely flushed face, she looked at him and let out a sigh.

“Evo ora— I mean, Evo-nim!”

“…What were you doing in there?”

“Ah, well…”

When he looked at her seriously, Lobel stepped out and suddenly held something out.

“This is a gift. Um… I’ve been learning so much from you about merchant work lately.”

Resting on her politely outstretched hand was an eyeglasses case.

It was the second pair of glasses Lobel had given him in his life.

Evo instinctively fell silent for a moment, then finally managed to speak.

“…Thank you.”

“Mm, it’s a little early for thanks.”

Lobel winked and added:

“Seonsaengnim, it’s not like I’m only allowed to give you one thing, right?”

“Seonsaengnim, it’s not like I’m only allowed to give you one thing, right?”

At those words, Evo felt like time had stopped.

Even though her hair and clothes were different, her smiling face overlapped perfectly with the one from before.

And as always, Lobel moved quickly and diligently.

She reached a hand behind her back into the carriage, then pulled something else out.

“Tada.”

This time, it was a luxurious brown envelope.

Evo didn’t even have the presence of mind to wonder what was inside or take it properly.

Just taking in the sight of Lobel in front of him made his heart feel like it was going to burst.

He didn’t say anything for a long moment—something very unlike him—so Lobel teased him.

“You’re really touched, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“….”

“I’m so happy, I feel like I might die.”

When Evo admitted it without hesitation, her violet eyes widened.

Evo had grown in a different direction from the version Lobel remembered.

But that was all.

He was always composed, intelligent, and even kind—enough that Lobel respected him even more after meeting him in person.

So, on this Teacher’s Day, she had prepared a gift for him.

And as the one who gave the present, seeing how delighted he was made Lobel feel warm and proud.

But then, with both hands still holding her gifts, Evo quietly said:

“Lobelia. I believe this isn’t a dream.”

“…You like it that much?”

Was it really that good, to the point he was confusing dreams with reality?

She looked at him, puzzled, and Evo replied with a half-smile:

“No, more than that. That’s why I’m sorry.”

And then, as if making a firm decision, he added:

“I can’t give up this time.”