Team Leader, Let’s Retrieve the Transmigrators First! - Chapter 5.2
It was a rumor about why Kangmu remained in the Underworld despite widespread speculation that he must already have exceeded the required performance quota.
“What rumor?”
Kangmu turned his entire body toward Iryeong as though his interest had been piqued.
“Uh, well. King Yeomra…”
As Iryeong cautiously began, Kangmu’s brows drew together. Seeing that, Iryeong began to think the rumor might actually be true. He briefly wondered whether it was really alright to repeat a true rumor in front of the person involved, but Kangmu’s eyes were already urging him to continue.
Feeling the sickening sensation of riding in a vehicle whose brakes had already failed, Iryeong continued.
Damn it, come to think of it, isn’t this a pretty private matter?
“There’s a rumor that he, uh, favors you, Team Leader, and that’s why he’s keeping you in the Underworld.”
The word Iryeong had actually heard wasn’t favor but love, but saying that directly to Kangmu’s face felt a little too much, so he’d softened it. Even that, however, had a tremendous effect.
“Favors me? Who does? Yeomra, me?” [1]
When Iryeong slowly nodded in confirmation, Kangmu’s face twisted as though he’d bitten into something bitter.
“…Keep going. Now I’m curious how far this goes.”
Kangmu’s smile, twisted upward on only one side, was menacing.
Damn it, I’ve stepped on a land mine…
He no longer knew where to begin fixing this or how he was supposed to finish.
“Uh, and I heard there was also… well, speculation that the feeling was mutual, but I didn’t believe it. Haha…”
“What’s the basis?”
“Pardon?”
“Even a rumor has to have some basis.”
Kangmu was smiling. So why did it feel as though he wasn’t smiling at all?
Iryeong awkwardly raised the corners of his mouth.
“Well… They say the reason the Soul Retrieval Team occupies a royal floor in the building where King Yeomra is located isn’t actually because of our performance, but because h-he wants to see you often, Team Leader.”
He’d told himself countless times to stop, but the rumors were already pouring freely out of Iryeong’s mouth.
“So that’s the rumor going around.”
Upon hearing this, Kangmu rose from his seat and walked toward him. Kangmu’s tightly set mouth made him look angry, and his clenched fist looked as though it might hit him. No, surely he wouldn’t actually hit him…?
Iryeong’s eyes darted around as Kangmu approached, and he finally found a way to deal with the situation.
“…I’m sorry.”
It was a sincere and immediate apology. But Kangmu showed no sign of stopping.
Kangmu was soon right in front of him, and Iryeong took one step back to avoid him. The cold glass of the window pressed against his lower back. There was nowhere left to retreat.
“What kind of relationship Yeomra and I have.”
Kangmu had apparently thrown all honorifics out the window, referring to the supreme authority of the Underworld in an astonishingly irreverent way. For a moment, sparks seemed to flash in his eyes.
“Were you that curious?”
Kangmu’s eyes gleamed sharply, as though he might devour Iryeong whole.
“N-No. I wasn’t that curious…”
Overwhelmed by the atmosphere Kangmu gave off, Iryeong dropped his head and politely clasped both hands in front of himself. He was biting his lip, unable to think of anything to say, when Kangmu spoke.
“If you go on vacation with me.”
“S-Sorry— …What?”
At first, Iryeong thought he’d misheard.
When he opened the eyes he’d squeezed shut and raised his bowed head, he saw Kangmu smiling with his eyes curved.
Ah, that expression…
It was already familiar to Iryeong. It was the expression Kangmu wore when he was messing with him.
“Vacation. I’m saying I’ll tell you if you agree to go with me.”
“…What? What does that have to do with anything?”
“If you want to know the truth, I can tell you everything while we’re on vacation.”
Kangmu’s voice tickled beside Iryeong’s ear. Then the body that had been close enough for Iryeong to feel Kangmu’s warmth pulled away.
He’s teasing me again. Again.
Just as Iryeong felt a surge of irritation, now certain it had been one of Kangmu’s jokes, Kangmu returned to his seat, picked up the tablet he’d been looking at earlier, and spat out sharply,
“Everyone must have fucking nothing to do. How dare they write some third-rate novel about their superiors.”
“…I’m sorry.”
Kangmu had brushed it aside with a joke, but it seemed being romantically linked with King Yeomra had genuinely gotten under his skin.
What? I thought he was joking, but he was actually angry?
Kangmu usually snorted at any rumor and ignored it, which was partly why Iryeong hadn’t thought much of bringing this one up. But right now, Kangmu genuinely looked angry.
“Huu…”
Note/s:
[1] ‘Yeomra’
– Kangmu drops the respectful title daewang (대왕) or Great King and simply calls him ‘Yeomra.’
– Additionally, the term used for ‘favor’ here was chongae (총애), which could mean more than simply linking someone. It has a courtly feel and refers to a special favor or affection a ruler shows toward someone who’s close to them. ↩
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