You! Don’t Press that Button! - Chap 50

Suddenly, Karhan’s hand grasping mine tightened. It didn’t hurt, but I could feel his muscles moving.

As if Asmil’s words were true, Karhan couldn’t say anything. His tightly closed lips looked stubborn.

As Karhan and I stood still, Asmil once again displayed his originally gentle smile. The momentarily shown malicious sneer and shadowed eyes were concealed by a kind smile.

“Think carefully. Who can provide you with realistic help? Is it Karhan, who is holding your hand and offering empty words, or is it me?”

Asmil spoke smugly, raising the end of his sentence. His tone made my lips curve downward again, forming a sullen expression. Snot dripped from my nose, and I sniffled, pressing my lips tightly together.

Then, Karhan, who had been looking down at me, grabbed my shoulders. Slightly turning his body, he reached out his hand to the chair, took his jacket that had been hanging there, and wrapped it around my back.

I had forgotten that I would become naked when transforming from a bird to a human form. The fact that it felt natural seemed to play a part in not being cautious. I talked while being naked. Before becoming even more embarrassed, I quickly raised my hands and pulled the jacket tightly.

As I hastily put it on, I felt another surge of emotions and internally mumbled, “What does it matter if I’m going to die soon anyway?” My mood plummeted to the depths of the earth.

The third day of Atlena. The reality that I would have to endure the same pain again and slowly die hit me bleakly. Especially the fact that the solution to this situation existed, but that method was Asmil, made me feel depressed.

I didn’t think he would help me. Someone who enjoyed manipulating people as he pleased wouldn’t suddenly pity me and offer help. Even now, looking at him, he was merely making me aware of reality without saying a single word about helping me.

With reddened eyes, I stood there tightly gripping the jacket when Karhan reached out his hand and lifted me up. Sitting in that state on the chair, I naturally found myself seated on his thighs.

Karhan’s side profile was visible right in front of my face. Feeling the urge to seek comfort, I slightly lowered my head and rested my forehead on his shoulder.

Asmil had said that Karhan wouldn’t be able to provide me with any help, but I decided not to listen to those words. It was clear he was trying to drive a wedge between us with his wicked tongue. I tried my best to believe that and tightly closed my mouth, clutching Karhan’s lapel as if it were a lifeline.

Everything will be resolved, and I’ll be able to return home.

As if hearing my determination, Karhan patted my bottom, which was obediently sitting on his lap. Fortunately, the length of the jacket draped over my shoulders was long enough to cover my bottom. If it had been a little shorter, Karhan’s hand would have touched an awkward place.

Asmil, sitting across from us, let out a low chuckle.

“What are you worried about when I’m here?”

It was truly unpleasant how he was displaying a bright smile after making others feel unsettled. I furrowed my brows deeply and glared at Asmil. You’re the biggest problem.

“…That wicked fellow.”

I spoke nonchalantly, concealing my turbulent emotions. Clinging to Karhan like a baby monkey holding onto its mother, I showed hostility towards Asmil. I barely managed to grasp the same boldness I had when I performed a dance without music at the social gathering.

Come to think of it, why did I dance so passionately? Was I excited because it was my first time attending a social gathering, or was it because having a bird’s body made me oblivious to everything? Anyway, it seemed best for my mental and physical well-being to avoid recalling that incident as much as possible.

I interrupted my mind from delving deeper. After all, I was still half a bird, and this was a fantasy world within a novel. Ever since arriving here, I had consistently lacked a sense of reality.

A low voice spoke beside me.

“What do you want?”

“Are you asking that because you can give me anything?”

Asmil sank into the chair’s backrest and crossed his right leg over the other. His comfortably crossed legs swayed back and forth. The attendant named Asdion, standing behind him with a stiff and expressionless face, made Asmil’s demeanor appear even more casual.

“If it’s money you want, I’ll give you as much as you desire.”

“Money?”

At Karhan’s proposal, Asmil’s eyes widened. He blinked as if he couldn’t understand the words, and then he burst into laughter, saying “Aha ha ha” loudly. He slightly bent his waist and raised his hand to cover his mouth. Laughing while trembling slightly, he leaned back against the backrest.

Then, as he stopped laughing, he narrowed his red eyes and thoroughly examined me. With the hope that he would help me even a little, I deliberately looked at Asmil with a pitiful gaze.

After observing me for a moment, Asmil slowly lowered his gaze to the table. He didn’t take his eyes off it, as if analyzing the patterns engraved on the table one by one. He remained like that for a while, and then, as if a good idea had struck him, he exclaimed, “Ah!”

As he swiftly raised his head, his red eyes met mine. Ominously, his dark eyes were filled with delight.

“Give it to me.”

“Wh-what…?”

I asked, gulping down my saliva. What does he want me to give him? The only thing I had with me right now was Karhan’s jacket. It didn’t seem like he was asking for this… Could he be referring to what I had when I was in bird form? The sunglasses… I had dropped them a little while ago, and they were nowhere to be seen, as if I had stepped on them. Then, the only thing left was my feathers.

Could it be that he was asking for my feathers…? Asmil’s gaze directed at me seemed even more wicked, so I slyly raised both hands and hugged my body. Not the feathers.

“Why are you taking that posture?”

“N-not the feathers.”

I said, hunching my body. If I became a plucked chicken, it would be quite unsightly, wouldn’t it? At my words, he widened his eyes again. Then, after blinking a few times, he tilted his head as if he couldn’t understand.

There was a brief silence. Suddenly, Asmil made an “ah” sound and shook his head, laughing, “Ha ha.”

“Feathers are nice, but it’s better to have everything while we’re at it.”

“Everything…?”

What does he mean by having everything? Could it be that he wants me to lay golden eggs like a goose and give them to him whole? But I’m a male.

In this incomprehensible situation, my eyebrows couldn’t curve any further. I asked, dragging out the end of my words.

“What are you talking about? Giving you everything…?”

“Yes. From head to toe.”

Before he could finish his sentence, Karhan’s arm wrapped around my shoulders tightened. I also pressed closer to Karhan and hunched my neck.

“If you come to me, I’ll give you my blood.”

“Come to you?”

I wondered if I was properly following the conversation. He would give me his blood if I came to him? I didn’t understand what kind of nonsensical statement that was.

My mouth opened wide in shock, but the expression of Asmil, who had made the shocking remark, remained unchanged. As I couldn’t say a word and only opened and closed my mouth, Karhan spoke on my behalf.

“What are you saying right now?”

“You understand everything, so why are you asking more? Give me that. I’ll try raising it.”

He wiggled his index finger, pointing at me. Referring to me sitting on Karhan’s lap as “that,” he said he would try raising me. His attitude of treating me like an object rather than a living being was unpleasant. I pressed my lips together and abruptly stood up from my seat.

“Don’t treat me like an object.”

Recalling the incident in the Sabon region, I clenched my fists tightly, trying to hide my trembling hands. The pain still frightened me when I remembered it. But I couldn’t endure it any longer.

No, honestly, from the moment I saw people at the social gathering treating animals like accessories, I had already endured a lot. And now, being subjected to that treatment myself, anger naturally welled up within me.

As I glared at him fiercely with raised eyes, the corners of Asmil’s mouth that had been lifted gradually lowered. As if avoiding my gaze, his eyes naturally lowered and stopped at a certain point. Did he perhaps get scared by my intensity? Just as I was about to feel a little triumphant, the finger that had been pointing at my chest area also shifted lower.

“You’re cute.”

“…?”

Just like that, so suddenly? Well, objectively speaking, I was indeed a bit cute and handsome. But why would he say that in this situation? I couldn’t keep up with the abruptly changing topics in the conversation with Asmil.

To grasp the situation, I looked at Asmil’s outstretched finger. Then, I slowly moved my gaze to where that white finger was pointing.

“Cr-crazy…”

I had never directly cursed since coming to this world, but for the first time, I placed a swear word on my tongue. I hurriedly gathered the ends of the jacket draped over my shoulders and desperately, with all my might, covered my important area. Only then did I look at Asmil with a completely reddened, dumbfounded face.

“A-are you crazy? It’s not cute!”

“No, no. It’s plenty cute.”

“No, don’t just call it cute as you please!”

I’m a man too! How would you feel if someone called that part of you cute? I was so dumbfounded that I couldn’t speak properly. Is he really calling my important area cute right now? Isn’t he basically saying it’s small? It was a big scratch to my self-esteem.

“I’m just average…”

I mumbled softly and slightly bent my legs. Fortunately, Karhan’s jacket was large enough to easily cover my important area.

Westerners… I bit my lips intensely. I repeated to myself that mine wasn’t cute at all, but my face was already burning hot. The one attached now isn’t small either, but my real body is even more… even more robust. I lowered my head deeply and glared at the innocent floor. As I remained still for a while, feeling embarrassed, Karhan, who had been behind me, stood up from his seat and grasped my shoulders.

“It’s okay.”

At those words, I deeply inhaled, “Huk.” Okay…? What’s okay…? What about my wounded heart? Karhan’s expression as he looked down at me was genuinely transparent. At that pure expression, I opened and closed my mouth like a goldfish.

Receiving too many invisible, transparent attacks in an instant, tears began to well up in my round eyes. It was truly a pitiful situation. I wasn’t usually this tearful… Rather, I tended to endure and endure again.

I glared at Karhan, who maintained his usual expressionless face, and Asmil, who was grinning smugly. At this point, I started to wonder if the two of them were playing with me.

They must be intentionally calling it cute. In reality, it’s just average. Repeating the same words in my upset heart, I felt like tears would drip down due to the humiliation, but I held them back, thinking that if I cried here, it would be like admitting it.

As I silently glared at the ground, I heard Asmil’s annoying laughter. The sound of him tapping his fingers on the table in a regular rhythm also reached my ears.

“I don’t show kindness to anything that isn’t mine. If you come to me, I’ll help you right away.”