The Female Lead Saves the World - Chapter 277

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

Yeo Joo Saves the World
Part 2, Episode 98

Overwhelmed by shock, my knees buckled beneath me. As I knelt before Yeo Joo, the first thing I did was gently wipe away the tears streaming down her face.
“Hic…”
“Yeo Joo.”
At my tender voice, trying desperately to console her, she only wept harder, her tears flowing more freely.
“Were you upset because of those drunk men earlier?”
Kang Han asked, barely concealing the fierce turmoil churning within him.
“No, it’s not because of them. It’s the children…”
“Yes, the twins.”
“They’ve grown up so fast…”
“Ah.”
My hand, which had been continuously wiping away Yeo Joo’s tears, suddenly froze.
“This is all because of those wretched adults. This damned world…”
I had to clench my lips tightly to suppress the laughter threatening to escape.
“Is that why you’re so sad?”
“Even though they don’t say it, they must have endured so much hardship. They’ve matured far too quickly.”
“Still, if the twins knew how much you care about them, they’d be happy.”
“Hic…”
Thinking of the twins, fresh sobs welled up in her throat, and a small dimple formed beneath her tear-stained, reddened lips.
Despite all the terrible injuries, the pain, the moments when death loomed near—she hadn’t shed a single tear. Yet now, because of a few words from the twins, she wept with such profound sorrow.
As I wiped away her tears again, a trembling sigh escaped my lips.
“Why is that woman crying so hard? What happened?”
“Isn’t that Kang Han and Yeo Joo?”
“Wait, why is she crying?”
“Did Kang Han make her cry?”
Great.
Only then did I notice the gazes fixed upon us. I quickly stuffed Yeo Joo’s phone and other belongings into my coat pocket and stood up.
“Let’s move somewhere else first.”

* * *

It was well past two in the morning when the two of us arrived at the Justice Guild Jongno Branch, located just before Cheonggyecheon.
Though no one used the building anymore, the company maintained it with regular cleaning and upkeep, making it more than adequate for a single night’s stay.
“Wow, home!”
During the short journey from the pojangmacha to the Jongno Branch, Yeo Joo’s intoxication had only deepened, and she broke free from Kang Han’s embrace, dashing forward.
But she barely made it a few steps before her body swayed dangerously to one side.
“Yeo Joo!”
Kang Han threw himself forward just in time to prevent her shoulder from colliding with the stairwell railing.
His alarm was evident—beads of cold sweat had already formed on his forehead.
“You’re going to hurt yourself like this.”
Until now, he had been careful to merely support her, worried about what others might think if they saw them together.
But now that they were inside the building with no one watching, Kang Han didn’t hesitate—he scooped her up into his arms.
Under normal circumstances, she would have shrieked and protested, but completely drunk, Yeo Joo only giggled with delight.
“Take the stairs! Not the elevator—the stairs!”
As he climbed the steps at her command, a smile had already spread across Kang Han’s face.
The walk to the room Yeo Joo had used before moving to the Doksan Gate Branch felt far too short.
At least, that’s how Kang Han perceived it.
“Ahhh, the bed is so comfortable….”
“You should take off your shoes and jacket.”
“No. I’ll just sleep like this.”
Watching her burrow into the blankets with her eyes already closed, Kang Han exhaled softly and knelt on one knee beside the bed.
As he removed her sneakers so she could rest comfortably, her small feet—wrapped in socks—emerged with a soft sound.
After tucking both her ankles beneath the blanket, his gaze fell upon the padded jacket she was wearing.
“….”
It was nothing special—just a thick winter coat.
But in the quiet room where only Yeo Joo’s soft breathing could be heard, the sound of the zipper being lowered seemed unnaturally loud.
It was then that Kang Han, startled, paused mid-motion.
Tap.
Yeo Joo’s hand had grasped his wrist.
Cold sweat—the kind he’d never shed even before an S-rank monster—trickled down his spine beneath his sweater.
“Don’t misunderstand. I just thought it would be uncomfortable for you to sleep in….”
But Yeo Joo, her eyes barely open, suddenly sat bolt upright and threw her arms up in the air like a child being dressed in fresh clothes.
“Thank youuuu.”
Her slurred gratitude came as a bonus.
Should he feel relieved that she hadn’t misunderstood, or should he be frustrated by her complete lack of caution?
His frown lasted only a moment amid the swirling confusion of his emotions.
Watching her obediently move one arm at a time in sync with his guidance as he removed her jacket, Kang Han found himself smiling faintly.
And that smile caught her attention.
“You’re really handsome.”
“You say that quite often.”
“Because you are.”
“Does my face please you that much?”
“Of course it does.”
“Then look at it more closely.”
Kang Han drew Yeo Joo’s hands toward him, guiding them to cup his face as he spoke.
The sight of him—so large yet so docile, like an obedient puppy—made her giggle softly.
“Look, look. Kang Han, your deep-set eyes and that prominent nose are truly captivating, you know? And your smooth forehead is wonderful too. But then your thick, beautiful eyebrows and lashes—they’re all so perfect.”
Kang Han kept his eyes gently lowered, appearing serene on the surface.
Yet each time Yeo Joo’s touch traced across his face, the large hand gripping the blanket trembled helplessly, over and over.
“Guild Master.”
“Yes, Yeo Joo.”
“Am I doing this right?”
Kang Han’s loosened green gaze turned toward her.
“Why such a sudden thought?”
“I just wonder if this is how I should be living. I thought I was doing my best in my own way, but now it feels like maybe I’m not.”
Instead of answering, Kang Han laughed.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Because it’s the exact same worry I’ve been wrestling with lately.”
“Huh? You have worries like that, Guild Master?”
Yeo Joo’s eyes widened in surprise.
“You don’t need to worry about such things. It’s truly pointless.”
“Is it?”
“Of course. That’s why I came here.”
“That’s right—you came to me.”
Kang Han smiled faintly, remembering that first meeting when she had suddenly appeared at the Jongno Branch office with a bag of money in hand.
But that smile didn’t last long.
Tap.
Yeo Joo leaned forward, pressing her forehead against his.
The sensation of her presence transmitted through skin alone left Kang Han completely frozen.
“You mustn’t doubt yourself. The path you walk is the right one.”
Her whispered comfort struck him like a potent drink, and in an instant, heat surged through his chest.
The blanket beneath his grip rustled as his large hand crumpled it roughly.
‘Why do you.’
Why do you always look into me like that?
His body, worn from struggling against helplessness, trembled finely.
“Do whatever you want. I’ll make it happen for you.”
Do you know how those words sound to me?
Kang Han wrapped his hands around Yeo Joo’s hands that held his face and asked softly.
“Is it truly all right to be greedy?”
“Of course, of course.”
“But Yeo Joo might not like it.”
“Hmm.”
After a moment of hesitation, I let out a soft laugh.
“Still, if Kang Han wants something, I should give it to him.”
“How do you know what I want?”
“What do you want?”
He didn’t answer.
Instead, he drew his face closer.
As the distance closed, our breathing mingled softly between us.
Just as Kang Han’s gaze traced the outline of my lips with each shallow breath, he began to lean in further.
“Mm.”
My head tilted suddenly, slumping down onto his shoulder.
Kang Han sat there for a moment before letting out a wry laugh.
Then he carefully laid me back down on the bed, cradling me as I leaned against him.
After tucking the blanket up to my neck, Kang Han remained by the bedside for a long time.
It wasn’t until the sky began to brighten with the approaching dawn that he finally became aware of how much time had passed.
Reluctantly rising from where he’d been sitting on the edge of the bed, Kang Han took one last look at my sleeping face before turning to leave.
But soon he returned to the bedside, bending down slowly.
He pressed his lips to my forehead—where our body heat had once mingled—and whispered.
“Sleep well.”
Whether I heard that voice in my sleep or not, the smile that crossed my dreaming face also bloomed on his as he left the room.

* * *

When I opened my eyes, I saw a familiar ceiling.
My heart sank in an instant.
Did I regress on top of everything else—possession wasn’t enough?
I quickly sat up and looked around.
This was definitely my room at the Justice Guild in front of Cheonggyecheon.
“No, this can’t be!”
Was I supposed to go through all that suffering again?
All the countless trials I’d endured to get the Justice Guild on track flashed before my eyes like a panorama.
That’s when, as the door was knocked on and Kang Han entered, the moment I saw his head, a sigh of relief burst from my lips.

⟪ ♥ 65 : Separation Anxiety ⟫

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