The Saint Wants to Rest - vanish into fiction

This is a common type of date that celebrities often go on in the early stages of a relationship.

“A home?”

Only then did Vermouth gain enlightenment. So this was why Ian had told him to look for a house instead of a hotel.

“Then I suppose I must buy a house first. A hotel is not a home, after all.”

“T-That’s right, isn’t it?”

“Do I have the assets to obtain a house?”

“You do! You’ve closed several Gates. Besides, you received a large allowance from the Citadel of Blood that you raided this time.”

Large sums of money always followed Awakeners who entered Gates at the risk of their lives.

“What kind of house do you want? The Management Bureau will help you find one!”

“In that case.”

Vermouth calmly spoke about the kind of house he desired. However, his standards were very, very different from those of Yoon So-ra. The things he wanted were somewhat reminiscent of a medieval noble’s mansion.

“T-That seems impossible. We can’t get a house like that yet. And in the first place, such houses don’t exist unless you build them yourself!”

“I see. Then do most people live in houses like chicken coops?”

“You mean apartments?”

“Yes.”

Even Hong Seo-yun’s penthouse didn’t seem particularly impressive to Vermouth. This was because he had originally lived in castles or mansions equivalent to them. Though he often spent time roaming battlefields, he was fundamentally of high noble blood. Consequently, Yoon So-ra had to explain the merits of apartments to Vermouth with a feeling of coughing up blood.

“Ah, additionally, it would be good if the location was near Ian’s house.”

“N-Near there?”

Although Choi Jae-heon had bought up most of the surrounding area, there were still houses left on the outskirts. However, most of them were houses that failed to meet Vermouth’s standards. Should he tear one down and rebuild it? For now, Yoon So-ra informed Vermouth about the situation.

“There’s a decent apartment if you go just a little further. How about that area instead?”

“No. As long as I can be even a little closer to Ian, even a dilapidated house is fine. That shall be the way I express my heart.”

After talking for a long time, they decided to remodel a nearby house. It would cost some money, but if they used a company that included Awakeners, it could be fixed quickly.

“Then until the house is ready, we must have outdoor dates.”

Can’t you just postpone that thing called a date? Yoon So-ra desperately suppressed the words she wanted to say and looked for a private cinema.

“But does the date necessarily need to be ordinary?”

Yoon So-ra asked upon her belated realization, but the answer that returned was firm.

“Yes, it does.”

Vermouth recalled the warmth Ian had left on his cheek. That brief contact that came along with the praise of being “good.” It exerted a binding force more powerful than any medal ever bestowed upon a knight. If Ian wanted an ordinary start, he had to become the most perfectly ordinary person in the world.

In that way, Vermouth’s plan for an ordinary date was created through Yoon So-ra’s sacrifice.

***

Ian woke up in his own bed for the first time in a while.

The sunlight shining through the window was peaceful, and the house was quiet. This was thanks to Choi Jae-heon deploying agents to fundamentally block the access of reporters. While drinking a glass of water in the kitchen, Ian suddenly saw a family photo with his older brother placed in a corner of the living room.

‘I did the right thing by saying we should remain as family, right?’

Choi Jae-heon’s despairing eyes kept weighing on his mind, but Ian shook his head. He believed that keeping him by his side for a lifetime would be less hurtful to each other than becoming lovers and seeing an end. Moreover, to him, Choi Jae-heon was just an older brother.

At that moment, the phone he had left on the dining table vibrated.

[Vermouth: Ian, good morning. To practice the ordinary date you mentioned yesterday, I have prepared a meal and a movie. May I go to the front of your house at 2:00 PM today?]

Ian burst into a laugh while drinking water. His way of speaking was still incredibly stiff, but the tension contained within it seemed to be felt right through the screen.

[Sure, sounds good. See you later.]

After sending the reply, Ian headed to wash up while humming a tune pleasantly. However, he did not know just how severely Vermouth had badgered Yoon So-ra for this “ordinary date.”