“Sob.”

[Nari-nari~ You might catch a cold. The Master of Chaos pats your head.]

“I don’t know. Crying a lot today made me really tired now.”

Back at Busan Station after taking the bus again.

Nari, wiping away tears, sat on a bench on a street filled with flashy neon signs and signs, hugging her knees.

Although she came out near the station just because she was told to go out and have fun, being alone in an unfamiliar place, she had no idea what to do.

Around her, it seemed like families were gathering for meals or outings, as it was early December.

But Nari didn’t have anyone to meet.

“There are many places to have fun alone…”

Nari, grumbling discontentedly, took out her phone.

Since cutting off all human relationships after middle school, the only friend that came to mind for hanging out together was Kang Ihyeon.

[Shouldn’t contact her because of eavesdropping? The Master of Chaos glances at you slyly.]

“That’s a ‘Rude’ thing. And kids these days use messengers.”

Except for Kang Ihyeon and Jung Suho, no one knew that Rude was Nari’s alter ego.

Even Jung Suho couldn’t be sure until the end that Nari was Rude.

Anyway, if Kang Ihyeon is eavesdropped, it will only reveal that Shin Bitnari and Kang Ihyeon were close.
Actually, even that was burdensome, so I refrained from contacting, but Nari at the moment was in a state where she wanted to be with someone to the extent that she couldn’t care about such things.

[Are you okay?] 1

Nari opened the messenger app and sent a simple greeting. The ‘1’ disappeared, and soon a response came.

Nari nodded as she read it.

[I’m fine now! I’ve completely recovered.] [Thanks for your concern!] [How about Nari?]

Thinking that she used an emoji like this, Nari smiled.

Just as Nari was about to ask if she could come out, she paused for a moment.

“Well, considering the national competition, she might be busy, and I’m not sure if she can come out.”

The national competition was the day after tomorrow. First, she was doubtful if her body was completely recovered, and she also wondered if she wouldn’t be busy with preparations.

[I’m free now.] 1

[Shall we hang out together if you want?] 1

Anyway, in her current state, Nari was certain that she would spend the 24 hours she had asked to wait, just tapping her nails if she stayed alone.

Someone had to be there with her.

Suddenly, Nari remembered Nan’s words. The suggestion to hang out with a friend or go on a date made Nari clench her phone tightly.

“D-Date.”

[Date?! The Master of Chaos looks at you in surprise.]

“No! Anyway, the trend that if a man and a woman are together, it’s always considered as a romantic relationship is weird, right?!”

[Oh, sure~ I’ll figure it out myself~] The Master of Chaos says playfully.
Wearing Bluetooth earphones and chatting away with the Sovereign for a while, Nari suddenly felt something strange and looked at the messenger app.

The ‘1’ was gone, but there was no message from Kang Ihyeon.

“…What’s going on?”

It was never like him not to reply immediately; Kang Ihyeon always responded promptly.

[Maybe he just went to the bathroom? The Master of Chaos looks at you.]

“Is he really the type to respond immediately? If he’s going to be late by even 5 minutes, he sends a message… something seems strange.”

However, there still was no message. Feeling slightly uneasy, Nari immediately called Kang Ihyeon.

Even if it was an overreaction, it was okay. She was anxious.

Ring, ring, the phone rang for a long time.

And a few hours before Nari called Kang Ihyeon, on that morning.

Kang Ihyeon was also having a quite challenging day from the morning.

“Yes, Aunt. No, I’m getting discharged today. Yes, I came back last night. I recovered quickly. Yes, luckily, I came back before the national competition. Really.”

Finally, with his strength returned, Kang Ihyeon received a clean bill of health and was changing into casual clothes provided by Minjaewon for his discharge.

He wore a beige sweatshirt prepared for convenience and jeans.

[Anyway, your grandpa let go. Since Mr. Rude signed a contract, there won’t be any trouble extending grandpa’s life. He said you could just take it easy for this week too.]

“Oh, really?! Thank you so much, Aunt!”
Kang Ihyeon, who was temporarily using Minjaewon’s phone to make a call to prevent eavesdropping, smiled.

[Yeah, you know you have the national competition the day after tomorrow, right? My aunt reserved a styling shop, so come there by tomorrow morning.]

“Yes! Thank you, Aunt. Oh, Mr. Rude……”

[He’s included in this vacation schedule, so don’t worry. Well… seems like he’s going there because he has someone to commemorate personally.]

“Ah…”

Kang Ihyeon rolled his eyes. It seemed like Nari was going to commemorate her mother. With that thought, he shrugged his shoulders.

‘It might be a bit difficult to be together this time.’

With a regretful expression, he reluctantly put on the sports bag Minjaewon had provided.

Now, when his aunt asked what he was going to do, Kang Ihyeon, who was contemplating for a moment, answered.