Chapter 245 - Day after day
"I need more time to think."
"What?"
"I can't make a decision right now."
Ryu Min didn't reject Min Juri's confession.
He decided to postpone it, saying he needed time.
"If I reject her here, Min Juri's mental state won't be the same."
It was a brave confession but filled with expectations.
But to outright reject it...
Wouldn't it crumble like a sandcastle, disappointed?
What if her mind breaks?
Will she survive until round 20?
Ryu Min's thoughts were pessimistic.
"Maybe she'll even turn her back on me."
Rejection is the worst outcome for Min Juri.
It could negatively affect both Ryu Min and Black Scythe.
That's why, if there ever was a confession, he would prefer to make it as late as possible.
"But it seems like today is the day..."
He decided to postpone it under the judgment that rejecting it immediately would be the worst option.
That's best for both of them.
"More time...?"
"Yes. It's too sudden... I need time to organize my thoughts."
"I understand. I'll give you time. Get in touch when you're ready to respond."
With those words, Min Juri got up from her seat and left the café without looking back.
Seeing that, Ryu Min frowned.
"What did I do wrong?"
A quiet room.
Ryu Min's gaze fixed on the wall clock.
Tick-tock... Tick!
The clock's hands pointed exactly at 12 o'clock.
"In just 12 hours, round 15 will start..."
Ryu Min plunged into indecision as he looked at his phone.
"Shouldn't the regretful one be the one to reach out first?"
He went over the messages he had exchanged with Min Juri.
-3 weeks ago-
[Min Juri: Have you finished thinking?]
[Ryu Min: Not yet...]
[Min Juri: I'll be waiting for your response.]
-2 weeks ago-
[Min Juri: Do you need more time to think?]
[Ryu Min: Uh, yeah, please, give me a little more time.]
-1 week ago-
[Min Juri: And the answer?]
[Ryu Min: Oh, just a little more.]
[Min Juri: After more than a week, you're still not ready?]
[Ryu Min: Sorry. I want to make a careful decision.]
Three weeks ago.
Since being unexpectedly confessed to by Min Juri, Ryu Min had been avoiding giving a response.
And today, with only 12 hours before round 15, he had to decide.
"I have to meet her somehow today..."
He couldn't keep postponing it day after day.
"I'll have to explain the strategy for round 15 and give her the invisibility potion..."
Under the name of Black Scythe, Ryu Min shared the strategy with the followers of the Church of the Four Gods.
He also handed the invisibility potion to Seo Arin and Yamti.
"The only one who hasn't heard the strategy is Min Juri."
Min Juri hadn't even attended the cult's regular meetings.
That meant she was mentally unstable.
"Did I go too far with my procrastination?"
He felt guilty, but it was better than breaking it off abruptly.
Because if he did, Min Juri might really shatter completely.
"I've avoided giving an answer so stubbornly that Min Juri must have realized I'm avoiding rejection."
Anyone with common sense would know.
Anyone who was paying attention would know.
Because there's something called intuition.
"Yet she probably keeps asking persistently because she wants a clear answer, yes or no."
But she lacked the courage to say it.
At this waiting moment, even if there's some hope, what if I reject her?
Wouldn't it just crush even that hope?
"It might even worsen things more than now. Maybe she won't even want to talk to me at all."
Well, it doesn't matter to my real self.
As long as my relationship with Black Scythe isn't affected.
"I want to keep our relationship as comrades as it is now, but will Min Juri be okay emotionally if I reject her...?"
That was his fear.
Losing Min Juri as a comrade.
Losing Min Juri as a friend.
"Anyway, I have to propose meeting her today. If I delay any longer, there won't be time...".
At that moment, a message came to Ryu Min's phone.
[Min Juri: I want to see you.]
Ryu Min responded immediately.
[Ryu Min: Yes, let's meet. How about the café where we met before by 2?]
[Min Juri: Okay.]
"I already wanted to see her, and she contacts me first."
Ryu Min smiled as he put on his coat.
-------------------
It's a good time for coffee, it's 1:30 in the afternoon.
Normally, the café would be bustling with people, but it was empty.
The outside view through the window wasn't any different.
"Things have changed a lot with all these survival games."
Now, finding a young person on the streets was harder than finding Kim Seo-bum in Seoul.
All the cafés had been automated.
"It's actually better this way. It's easier to have a serious conversation in a quiet place."
Though he had sent insistent but not overwhelming messages, he had always been turned down.
That's why, today Min Juri seemed to have a certain determination in her eyes.
"Today, I'll definitely get an answer."
The determination to hear Ryu Min's response to her confession.
Of course, Min Juri wasn't foolish.
She was not unaware of the fact that Ryu Min had subtly hinted his response during this time.
"Maybe she already knows what the outcome will be. But still...".
But still, she wanted to hear Ryu Min's direct answer.
Otherwise, she couldn't free herself from this torture of hope.
"He'll probably reject me...".
Her head was filled with complicated thoughts, but it was okay.
She had plenty of time to think, after all, she had arrived early at the agreed-upon place.
Ding-dong...
When the café door opened, she saw the face of her beloved.
Ryu Min, her high school companion whom she had been in love with for four long years.
Since she had gathered courage, she wouldn't give up now.
"Have you arrived?"
"Ah, you got here early?"
"Yes."
"Well, would you like something to drink? My treat."
"No, I can't keep taking advantage like this. I'll treat, sit down. A double espresso, right? With an extra shot."
"Yes."
As he brought the coffee, Ryu Min seemed a bit perplexed.
"Here you go."
"Thank you."
The two sat in silence as they drank their coffee.
"Oh, what should I do? I can't gather the courage to ask him."
Though she was scared, she had to do it.
Even if she heard rejection.
Finally, Min Juri found the words.
"Hey... is there something you want to tell me?"
"Ah."
Ryu Min let out a somewhat awkward laugh.
Or perhaps, should I say it was a embarrassed laugh?
"Do you want to hear the answer to what you asked before?"
"Yes."
"I'm sorry to say this, but I need more time...".
"Again?"
When he tried to postpone his answer again, she felt a lump in her throat.
"How much more time do you need?"
“…….”
"Isn't giving three weeks too much? That should be enough time to sort out your thoughts, isn't it?"
"But this isn't an easy decision..."
"Ryu Min!"
Min Juri shouted, staring Ryu Min straight in the eyes.
"Don't drag this out anymore. Make a decision already. How long do you plan to prolong this? Don't you understand that this causes me more pain? It's like torture of hope."
"...."
"While you were taking your time, I've also been thinking a lot. Is there sincerity in my feelings towards you? Or is it just a fleeting flame?"
Min Juri's gaze was extremely serious.
"But the more I think about it, the more certain I am of my decision. I didn't make a mistake. Though I might regret it, I need to clearly know what I feel."
Everything starts off difficult at first.
Min Juri was someone who, once she opened her heart, expressed her feelings without hesitation.
"So now I want to hear. Your sincere heart. I can't wait any longer."
"...."
"Answer me. Do you like me?"
Ryu Min lifted his head and spoke with a serious look.
"Yes, I do like you."
Min Juri's response surprised, but only for a moment.
"But only as a friend, not romantically."
Min Juri's expression stiffened at the firm rejection.
Though she expected that response, hearing it was like being stabbed in the heart.
"I'm sorry. It wasn't the answer I expected."
"Oh, no. Thank you for being honest."
"...."
"...."
The silence fell between them again.
The silence now felt more uncomfortable than before.
"It hurts."
That's how it feels to be rejected by someone you secretly love.
Min Juri didn't know what else to say anymore.
Her mind was blank as if it had been formatted.
When the awkward silence threatened to suffocate her, Ryu Min broke the silence first.
"I'm sorry. But you're really a great friend to me. I can't afford to lose you."
"...."
"So, can we forget about this and continue being friends like before?"
"Friends...?"
It was awkward.
The word that until recently united them now seemed distant.
"Can we go back to how we were before? Can we pretend the confession never happened?"
Min Juri began to have doubts.
Perhaps she had opened a Pandora's box.
Perhaps, delaying and delaying the answer, as Ryu Min had suggested, was the real answer after all.
"Min Juri."
"Yes?"
"You didn't answer. Are we still friends?"
"Umm, yes... friends, friends."
Min Juri suddenly wondered.
Are there cases where someone confesses and then they become friends again?
Is it right to go back to being friends as if nothing happened?
"It's a relief to be able to keep being friends."
"...."
"Now, let me explain to you how to get through level 15."
"Um, yes..."
Once her confession seemed to have been forgotten, Min Juri was left in a state of confusion.
--------------------
"Did she understand?"
After parting ways with Min Juri, Ryu Min worried.
Throughout the explanation of how to get through the level, she seemed distracted.
"I see no sign of her withdrawing, so I had no choice but to reject her confession..."
But he wasn't sure if he had done the right thing.
Min Juri's complicated thoughts, wondering if they could return as friends, also sounded.
"Anyway, what does it matter? If we just conquer the level, that's it."
He also passed her an invisibility potion and taught her how to conquer level 15.
Although rejecting a confession would be difficult, for Min Juri, she would have no choice but to move forward to survive.
"Honestly, I also thought about erasing memories with the forgetfulness potion. But using such a valuable item to erase a confession would be a bit regrettable."
Contrary to what he feared, Min Juri did not show such a shocked face.
Erasing memories wasn't something she considered.
"If we keep being friends like before, Min Juri will also calm her heart someday."
With those thoughts, Ryu Min returned home and lay down on the bed five minutes before midnight.
And when midnight came, his eyes closed without him realizing it.
-------------
When he finally opened his eyes, he found himself in a completely different world.
"Level 15 begins."
People began to appear one after another in the colorless space.
Ryu Min stood, mentally reviewing what he had to do in this level.
"The five key members who received the invisibility potion shouldn't have any problems in the first mission, and in the second, we could easily defeat the followers of the Church of Despair. And in the third mission, Christine's performance is crucial."
Since he had temporal healing abilities, protecting Christine wouldn't be an issue.
He also intended to closely monitor Berber, so no unexpected surprises should arise.
"However, the variable factor of this level is the archangels...".
He didn't know when the archangels would return.
They could intervene with the players as they did last time.
"I can't afford to let my guard down."
Just as he was watching his surroundings.
"Oh, hi, Black Scythe."
Someone approached and greeted him.
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