Hard Times
"Indeed, I do think that Hyung's help is what I need the most right now," Nam-woon nodded.
"Hmm, what is it?" Haru asked if it was something like combat training or something he wouldn't mind. Nam-woon was all about getting strong and Haru didn't mind him getting stronger since it would be helpful to him in the end.
"How do you start a conversation with the girl you like?" Nam-woon asked as Haru was dumbfounded, first of all…
"You have a girl you like?" Haru spoke in whispers as Nam-woon nodded, Haru didn't know how glad Nam-woon was because he didn't speak loudly.
'Hyung was the correct person to ask about this,' Nam-woon punched the air in his mind as his idea was perfect.
And from any outsider's view, Haru seemed like the perfect person you'd come to in order to ask about such things. Yeah, appearances can be deceiving.
"Yes," Nam-woon also nodded making sure his voice doesn't get overheard.
Well, the girls seemed to be a bit too engrossed in their talk to listen anyway. So they were safe, no one was hearing them.
"Oh, I see," Haru nodded, he could feel like the recent change in Nam-woon's behavior wasn't random but justified.
'That is quite normal when you are that age,' Haru knew that acting in front of your crush is a normal thing for boys around Nam-woon's age. In his case, he left the Chuunibyou behind since it would be embarrassing for him.
"So, How do I do it?" Nam-woon asked.
Haru could see that Nam-woon was serious about it so he also took on a serious expression in order to help him.
"Hmm, does the girl you like has someone she likes or dating?"
Yes, the thing about Haru being serious ...He is serious.
'It would be really heartbreaking if he does so many preparations and the girl already has someone she likes, The heartbreak then is going to deal extra damage,' Haru can see that this was the first time Nam-woon was interested in a girl, this was courtesy to previous behavior and comments.
"…I don't know," Nam-woon shook his head.
"Do you know anything about her?" Haru tapped his chin since the difficulty was going up.
"Not much since I have only seen her recently," Nam-woon answered as it has only been a day since he met her.
"Hmm, what do you like about her?" Haru was narrowing down the candidate in his mind.
"She is very blunt and also very powerful, her fierce nature is also something I like," Nam-woon said slowly.
'Isn't that Lee Ji-hye? Jung-hyuk's disciple? Wait, if that is true ...haven't I ruined his chances? That guy surely won't agree to this, He'll try to get back at me by using this,' Haru was sweating a little as this was an important matter, like a really important matter.
"Hyung," Nam-woon sounded confused seeing Haru space out.
"Yes," Haru answered back a bit nervously.
"Can you not help me with this Hyung?" Nam-woon seemed a bit nervous, he was thinking if he really had no chance.
"No, I'll do it, just wait for a second, I'll be back quickly," Haru stood up and walked towards the toilet.
'I'll need to get serious about this, I can't let this ship sink before it even goes into the sea,' Haru took in a deep breath, he was going to make sure this works.
No one has really ever asked him for dating advice, save for a few …Who ended up regretting it afterward.
Haru went into the bathroom and started to make plans for Nam-woon, he made plans for every situation for Nam-woon to somehow get Ji-hye as his girlfriend. They were both the same age as well and they were very energetic in their own ways.
Haru made a plan if she is single, one if she is interested in someone else, and one if already has a boyfriend, this guy even made one in case she is already engaged. He was really getting serious over this. He was stopped by Kurumi before this guy made a plan regarding the possibility that Ji-hye was already married.
'Ok, I think this much is enough,' After about 10 minutes Haru came out and was greeted by a shit storm.
"WAHAHAHAHA, Die vermin, The Vanguard is here, To think I was fooled by the mortal desire, you have played very well forces of the underworld, But never again shall I fall for this trickery, Now give me your dog's life!!!" Nam-woon was going on a rampage in the middle of the monster swarm cutting them up while shouting weird lines, no that was the normal Nam-woon.
"What the hell?!" Haru was shocked while looking at the scene.
Jin-ah, Alea, Sang-ah, and Hee-won seemed to have noticed Haru as he came up to them.
"Ok, Hee-won explain what happened," Haru spoke directly.
"W-what? Why are you assuming that I caused this?" Hee-won questioned.
"I never said you did, But it seems like you did, so explain," Hee-won could only avoid Haru's eyes as he had caught onto it.
"Well, after I woke up I asked Nam-woon if he was interested in someone, since you know how he was acting all normal and stuff, and it seemed like I was right as well," Hee-won was trying to explain the situation in a way that it doesn't look like it was her fault.
"Just tell me what you said to him, no need to talk in circles," Haru understood what Hee-won was doing, it caused her to smile wryly while scratching her face since this guy was sharp in some matters, but not so sharp in others.
"I told him to ask the girl he had a crush on has someone she likes since it would be helpful ...I said that as a joke, I didn't know he'd actually do it," Hee-won answered like a child owning up to her mistake after failing to lie about it.
"Hmm? But Ji-hye isn't here, so how did it end up that way?" Haru was confused by this news.
"Ah, wait did you think Nam-woon had a crush on Ji-hye? Haru that is like a new low at being unable to read the room, even for you," Hee-won was barely holding in her laughs, as she said this guy was surprisingly not so sharp in certain matters.
"Go into the corner and repent," Haru said with cold eyes.
"Eh? B-But I was just joking," Hee-won was perplexed by this sudden.
"Repent. Now." Haru wasn't backing down and Hee-won could only turn to the other three with teary eyes asking for help.
"Well, Hee-won isn't at fault here," Alea said with a strained smile.
"What?" Haru tilted his head before he finally got it.
"Yeah, I told him I already have someone I like, maybe I could've done better?" Alea said with a sigh, she wasn't used to it even if she had done this multiple times after coming to this world.
"No, I think this was better," Jin-ah said since it would be worse if things go further from this point. It was better to clear it up in advance so that the other party doesn't get too hopeful. She seems to also have such situations but she was much more straightforward about how she handled them.
"That is a tricky situation, so I don't think it could get any better than how Alea dealt with this," Sang-ah also had a somewhat strained smile on her face as she remembered how hard it was for her to refuse others back at work when they tried to offer her rides back home or invite her to dinner.
And since most of them were her superiors, For Sang-ah that part was much for stressful than her actual job. Myung-oh went as far as to steal her bike so that he can give her a ride back home. So, she has also had her fair share of problems regarding this issue.
"But shouldn't we pull him up? He might get injured like that," Hee-won said trying to divert the topic, she felt a little embarrassed that she seemed to have the least experience in these types of situations.
"Yes, but he is cutting the thread every time I try," Sang-ah was worried that Nam-woon might get hurt because the monsters were swarming him from all directions.
"Leave him be, The first heartbreak is always painful, I'll step in if it gets dangerous," Haru sighed heavily, if things had got to this point, there was no going back. Nam-woon would need t pick himself up that is how you deal with this stuff.
"You are talking as if you have experienced heartbreak yourself?" Hee-won couldn't believe that Haru of all people had his heart broken by a girl.
"...Go into the corner and repent," Haru slowly pointed to the corner as Hee-won realized her mistake. She might've been safe if she kept quiet.
And that is how we arrive at the present situation with Nam-woon standing in the middle of the empty first floor and Hee-won still repenting on the left side of the transit stairs.
"Sit down I need to heal your injuries," Queresha said as she looked at Nam-woon.
"I, The Vanguard of the Unholy, Do not need your Holy gift of Healing," Nam-woon said while looking at Queresha.
"...Sit down," Queresha spoke with a cold tone looking straight into Nam-woon's eyes.
"…Okay," Nam-woon sat down.
....
4 chapters from week from Monday to Thursday. have fun reading em.