A Korean Office Worker Who Became a Nuisance Villainess in a Zombie Story - Chapter 122

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 14. There Is No Such Word as Destiny in My Dictionary
Someone sleeps in a place because that place is comfortable, or at the very least, because they trust the person beside them—
or so Praha thought.
This was his thought as he watched Yusara sleeping beside him, her lips parted ever so slightly.
‘There’s no way a costume room she’s visiting for the first time could be comfortable. She must be trusting me.’
If Yusara heard this, she’d roll her eyes—the same woman who could sleep soundly on the subway during her commute, in the company break room, even in a Movie Theater.
Regardless, Praha was unaware of this fact, and he’d drawn his own conclusions, which lifted his spirits considerably. His chest swelled with equal parts satisfaction and a sense of responsibility.
– She trusts me.
With that thought, he genuinely wanted to live up to her expectations, so Praha found himself scanning their surroundings with newfound vigilance.
The Boutique Owner, who had been wrapping clothes with his assistant, flinched at the loyal, protective gleam in Praha’s eyes.
The man had been irritating him since earlier—smooth-featured, laughing glibly, speaking in a torrent of trivial remarks.
“Why… why are you looking at me like that, sir?”
“…It’s nothing.”
The man had made some tasteless joke, and Yusara had laughed.
Was that the kind of humor in fashion these days?
Or had she laughed because she found the man charming?
If she kept laughing at him like that, could affection bloom? Praha’s jaw tightened.
‘They say fate can strike anywhere, at any moment.’
Who could say for certain?
In this beautiful Coastal City they’d stumbled upon by chance, a city they’d never planned to visit, among the countless costume shops lining the streets, what if they’d entered precisely this one to buy clothes, and there met a man who was kind, attentive, with beautifully shaped fingers—
and fallen in love like something out of fiction?
If the Village we visited before arriving here hadn’t caught fire, we would never have come to this city, and we would have remained strangers forever, exchanging such conversations.
When he measured our dimensions, his fingers sliding across our skin, his hands gently correcting our shoulders and waist—perhaps both of us would have felt that thrill.
Perhaps that’s what destiny truly is.
‘How irritating.’
Praha clicked his tongue.
I should erase the word “destiny” from the dictionary entirely.
Fortunately, this handsome costume designer had a wife who loved him completely, and Praha’s fantasies ended there.
On second thought, the owner was a sincere and good man.
Praha, who had declined another plate of the Costume Room’s specialty Macaron, asked casually.
“Your wife is older than you, then?”
“Pardon? Ah, yes! Six years my senior! I chased after her quite a bit!”
“I support you.”
“We’re already married, though… In any case, thank you.”
Well then, I should erase words like “infidelity” and “divorce” from the dictionary too.
Death penalty for any man who looks at another woman while having a spouse.
If I lead by example and follow that law first, no one would complain…
While entertaining such petty thoughts, he turned his gaze toward his fairy sleeping against the sofa—his god, the owner of the axe that had shattered the back of his head last night.
“…”
The only woman whose dreams from last night he wished to know.
And even now, I’m desperately curious what dreams she’s having.
Could there possibly be a place for me in those dreams?
You might wonder why I’m so fixated on this—it’s because you appear in nearly every one of my dreams….
“Pardon me, but shouldn’t we wake the lady soon? There are quite a lot of packages for one person to carry alone.”
“I can carry them alone.”
Praha flatly rejected the Boutique Owner’s cautious suggestion. True to his word, there wasn’t the slightest tremor in Praha’s movements as he cradled the adult woman while carrying the boxed clothing.
Sensing her body being lifted, Yusara rested her head against Praha’s back.
“….”
Yusara has no idea what I’m thinking every time our bodies draw this close, every time our skin brushes against each other.
When she smiles so brightly, when her fingertips graze mine, when I meet her upturned gaze. In those moments, I feel my heart skip, my eyes fixate, my body betray my control. I curse myself.
For constantly trying to become an “untrustworthy man.”
“Anyway, sir, just give Macaron one chance, will you? You’re already an exceptionally handsome gentleman, but if we just adjust your hair and clothing style a bit… you could transform into a charming man who captivates every woman’s gaze even more than you do now….”
“…Is that even possible.”
I can’t even believe in myself.
Why did I have to be a man? It’s agonizing.
* * *
Among those who are now twenty years old, is there anyone who looked up at the sky as a ten-year-old Little Girl and thought, “Ah, I’ll grow up in the blink of an eye and become twenty”?
I’d wager thirty will arrive just the same way.
It’s not a curse.
It’s a prophecy.
‘I’ve never experienced thirty before….’
Just as it felt like we’d just welcomed the new year and suddenly it’s already February, thirty and forty will arrive the same way, and an unmanaged body will rust away.
I, who remained perfectly fine even after spending a week at school preparing for the festival, am now a worn-out office worker whose entire body aches and stiffens from merely twelve hours in a Cave—doesn’t that say it all?
“I really need to cut back on sugar and live a healthier life….”
I can’t keep pretending to manage myself by just quitting coffee while eating garbage every day….
“But milk with a generous caramel syrup is truly delicious. How am I supposed to give that up?”
Cyprus sat across from me in the Inn’s Recreation Room as I cradled my head over a spread of maps and an intermediate ancient language textbook.
He deliberately sipped the syrup-sweetened milk while needling me. I could see the syrup pooled thickly at the bottom of the transparent glass cup.
“Isn’t it sweet?”
“It is. I actually held back from adding whipped cream.”
If I wore such cozy clothes and got cream on my lips too, I’d become far too adorable, Cyprus boasted.
Today Cyprus had his bright blonde hair comfortably swept above his forehead and wore a cream-colored sweater. The stubble that had grown rough on his chin from sleepless nights and constant travel between the Island and Mainland had vanished without a trace.
His neatly trimmed fingers tapped rhythmically on the table.
“If you hate sugar, shall I get you some tea? Pink hibiscus is excellent for antioxidants and obesity prevention.”
“Where did you buy that scam tea…?”
“It’s not a scam—it’s genuine. They said if you drink it and see no results, they’ll give you a refund. It’s not officially on sale yet, but they offered to sell it exclusively to me, so I bought a whole box.”
“…How much did you pay?”
“(whisper whisper)”
“What?!”
He’s lost his mind!
“Let’s get a refund right now!”
“Can’t refund it. I’ve already opened it.”
Cyprus squinted one eye with a grin, saying that if I didn’t like it, he’d drink the whole thing himself. Ugh….
“So you’re saying you’d drink even my saliva if it was good for maintaining beauty!”
“Oh. Will you give it to me?”
“Ugh!”
“What’s the matter?”
Tangerine and Yujein, who had just entered the Recreation Room, approached me as I fumed.
“Where are the children?”
“All taken care of! Cherry is playing with General!”
“What about Praha?”
“He washed up and went right back out. Said he had something to do.”
“Did he say when he’d be back?”
“I saw him on the lower floor as I came up! He should be coming up soon!”
Yes, this was another problem.
While I’d foolishly fallen asleep in someone else’s establishment, everything had been taken care of.
Praha, without waking me from my slumber, had ransacked the Magic Shop alone, purchased a mana measurement device for Yujein, and handled all manner of errands.
I never even got to mention the bracelet Mascarpone had given me—the one that would’ve let me shop without paying. I was too busy sleeping.
I’d dozed off and woken to find myself already in the Inn’s bed.
Consumed by self-reproach at my diminished stamina, I’d scrubbed myself thoroughly, eaten a hearty meal, then come to the Recreation Room to unfold a map and study it.
Cyprus gestured at the comfortable clothes I wore and the training uniforms Yujein and Tangerine had on.
“Did Praha buy those clothes for you?”
“Yes.”
“Rare to see him exercise such taste. He has no eye for clothing.”
“The Boutique Owner had excellent judgment.”
“Praha also brought clothes for the children and snacks to send with them.”
“And he purchased the mana measurement device from the Magic Shop as well.”
While you were buying hibiscus like some traveling medicine peddler. I packed all that meaning into my words.
For reference, after using that mana measurement device, Yujein was confirmed to be a mage. I tried it myself on a whim, and the device shattered.
Cyprus, reading my glare with uncanny precision, laughed.
“Come now, why the look. I brought something too, Grand Duchess.”
“Hibiscus that’s good for antioxidants and cancer prevention?”
“Hibiscus that’s good for antioxidants and obesity prevention.”
“Ugh….”
I thumped my frustrated chest.
Then the Recreation Room door opened and Praha entered. I turned around without thinking, but the moment I saw him, I shot up from my seat.
“….”
“….”
“…Oh.”
Cyprus let out an exclamation.
Praha, now the center of everyone’s attention, scratched his eyebrow awkwardly.
[What Praha purchased from Emmanuel Clothing Shop]
Yusara’s clothes, Yujein’s clothes, Tangerine’s clothes, Cherry’s clothes, various children’s clothing, General’s clothes
Cyprus: Wait, why didn’t you buy me anything…?
Praha: Do you actually want clothes I bought for you?
Cyprus: What?
Praha: Get lost.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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