[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-childhood-friend-of-the-zenith":3,"chapter-childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-131":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Childhood Friend of the Zenith",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1240157,1667,"Chapter 130: Why Are You Here Again? (1)","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-131",131,"\u003Cp>༺Why Are You Here Again? (1)༻\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The breeze was chilly as the clouds blocked the moon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I remembered the look on that person’s face as they asked me while holding a sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>– The night is cold. What brought you outside?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The person’s tied gold hair was shining even in the dark.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When was this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were too many scenes like this, so I could not exactly pick out one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-Why are you worried about whether or not I am cold, and not anyone else?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The question may not have been asked in the warmest of tones, but my response could not have been shittier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was difficult to see myself as inept.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even with my harsh tone, her expression remained the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>– It must be your time then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>– Screw off if you have realized.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>– Will you be alright?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>– What?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike the person’s hair that was shining in gold, their eyes were silver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>– It’s the most dangerous around this time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>– So, you’re telling me to crawl on the ground cause I’m weak?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>– I’m not saying that…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In response to her question, I burst into flames.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It really was a pathetic sight to behold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The flames that expanded disappeared right away when she made a single swing of her sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She responded to me with a frown, bothered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>– How could you attract attention like this? Perhaps you want them to come here?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>– I’m telling you to stop your pointless chatter and go inside. I’ll be fine on my own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>– I think we should just wake the Water Dragon-\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>– Should I make a bigger flame this time?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She let out a sigh and proceeded to walk away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she was about to enter the barracks, she asked me a question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>– Young Master Gu, once you manage to escape this place, what will you do?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>– Did you become sentimental because it’s nighttime? You’re asking a pointless question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I responded to her while dumbfounded. The question came out of nowhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I leave this place?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could I even leave in the first place? The Abyss was a hellish, hopeless place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>– Putting me aside, what will you do?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t have an answer for her, so I asked her the same thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if I managed to escape this place, the only thing I had left in the world was to continue the tasks given to me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So I asked what she wanted to do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wi Seol-Ah thought for a long time, then opened her mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>– I’d like to wander around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>– Wander? Just do that now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After hearing me, Wi Seol-Ah made a disdainful expression, which was unusual for her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>– I’m saying that I’d like to go where many people are.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>– What’s the point of having such a hassle of a dream?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>– I don’t know myself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wi Seol-Ah laughed. I was able to feel the fatigue from her laugh, but I didn’t comment on it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>– I wonder myself why I want to do such a thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She looked exhausted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wasn’t exhausted physically, as she was a martial artist who had already overcome her wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stared at Wi Seol-Ah who slowly entered inside, then turned around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t think much of it back then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All I had to do was survive that day and live to see tomorrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who knew that the time we would spend there would be that long?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even after surviving in this place for a long time, after losing everything, I went back in there with my own two feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this memory of mine helped me a lot in the future. It was the fuel that allowed me to go through many changes as I thought about you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone may have forgotten about you, but I still remembered you, and that was enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if my decision turns out to be an end in despair, I won’t regret it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>｢The deal is established. Small flame.｣\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I prayed that you felt the same way as I did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>* * * *\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was shocked after seeing Namgung Bi-ah arrive all of a sudden, but I just let it be since I could never get a proper read on her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>｢What’s the problem? A whole waterfall raged on as soon as you heard her say that she wanted to see you.｣\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘That’s because I was just shocked for a second.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>｢Yeah, I’m sure that’s the case. That’s why you said something random like asking her if she ate.｣\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Elder, you are becoming meaner as time passes.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After we ate, Namgung Bi-ah wanted to take a nap in my room, as if she had waited for this moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, why sleep in my room?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She even grabbed my personal blankets and slept under them like she had no problem with it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sis must be really tired.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s not the pro-… Never mind.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nothing would come out of me complaining, so I let her be.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of her sudden arrival, I also had to stop my training. I didn’t know if I wanted to continue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And more than anything, I was concerned about Wi Seol-Ah who, for some reason, seemed to be down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you want a yakgwa?” I offered her a snack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She refused, adamantly at that. This was an emergency.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I tried to think of hundreds of things I could do in this emergency, but I only had a few options to choose from.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, I had to resort to asking her. “Why is your face looking so sad?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s just not working out for me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A bunch of stuff…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had almost never seen Wi Seol-Ah so down like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t know what her problem was, but she seemed to have these bouts of sadness in recent days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I may have been slightly neglectful of her, but I couldn’t help but be concerned when I noticed her cheeks gradually losing weight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While looking at her shoulders, which were down, I said, “Let’s go out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wi Seol-Ah looked at me in confusion after hearing my words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s go outside for a bit, for a walk.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Wi Seol-Ah realized what I said, her eyes finally brightened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>* * * * *\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sis Hongwa told me to buy many tasty things on my way back.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Really?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, so I plan to buy a good amount!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good amount, huh… All right, let’s do so.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I went to the streets with Wi Seol-Ah.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wondered if I should’ve come here after telling Muyeon, but I just went out anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was already at a point where I didn’t need escorts with me after all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Young master, did you plan to go somewhere?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nah, just wandering around.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Really?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed like this succeeded in cheering her up, as she looked excited right now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>｢Are you sure you have spare time?｣\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I put on a bitter smile after hearing Elder Shin’s question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Spare time?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t have any.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My demonic Qi was still in the process of being purified, and it would do me good to continue training at this crucial time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Young Master, over there!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Skewer!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Right, you can eat it, but only if you finish everything in your hand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I thought about it while looking at Wi Seol-Ah who was having a good time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Taking a day off shouldn’t be that bad. After all, the future had a lot in store for me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I also asked Namgung Bi-ah who was taking a nap, but she thought about it for a few seconds with her eyes half-open, then fell back asleep after wrapping herself in my blanket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed like sleep was more of a priority for her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I looked at Wi Seol-Ah who was hopping around in excitement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her face, which was filled with boundless joy, always felt new to me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>｢A little child like that is the future’s hope, huh?｣\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Elder Shin, who had seen my memories, questioned that, but that was the reality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Young Master! Let’s eat this together!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a bright smile, she brought some fruit that I didn’t know the name of.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was in the middle of taking out my money, but Wi Seol-Ah spoke proudly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I already bought it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh? How?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Umm? I just did…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She then took out a small purse and showed it to me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I checked inside the purse, there really was money inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that I thought about it, it did make sense that Wi Seol-Ah got paid for her work as a servant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a kid who never paid for any yakgwa to buy something with her own money…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘She changed a lot in that short time.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She should’ve already done this a long time ago, but her common sense was lagging behind her age, so it was a fascinating thing to see from Wi Seol-Ah.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Eat this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I took the fruit that Wi Seol-Ah had offered me and took a bite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as it entered my mouth, I tasted sourness that filled my whole mouth, making me cringe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When she saw that, Wi Seol-Ah started to laugh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is this funny to you…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Young Master’s face is so funny.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s an insult, right? That has to be an insult.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wi Seol-Ah vehemently denied this until the end.This girl, I swear…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We walked around the streets while chatting around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had been a very long time I had seen this place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I hadn’t been here ever since before I had left or Mount Hua. I hadn’t come here even after my return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, if I had to point out one thing that surprised me…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, you’re here Seol-Ah!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hello!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s been a while! Where is your sis?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sis is busy right now. I’ll take one of these, please!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, it’s Seol-Ah!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I noticed that many people in the streets knew who Wi Seol-Ah was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did she come out here with other servants a few times without my knowledge?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When they mentioned “sis,” I assumed it was Hongwa.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Does that mean that the Sword Emperor allowed this?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without his approval, she wouldn’t have been able to come out here, so it was the only answer for why she was able to strut around the streets like that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The world may still be at peace, but it still wasn’t safe enough for her to wander around like that with her beauty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t cover Namgung Bi-ah or Wi Seol-Ah’s faces not because I didn’t want to get involved, but more for their own good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, Young Master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was surprised for a moment after seeing Wi Seol-Ah that appeared right in front of me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I may have been thinking about many things, but I still failed to notice that she was right in front of my nose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I quickly hid my shock and asked back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s up?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Everyone calls the Young Master ‘Sir.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What is she talking about all of a sudden?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sis Soyeol calls you that often. I guess Sis Bi-ah doesn’t seem to do so.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most people did indeed call me that, since they couldn’t just talk to me informally right off the bat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, that’s because…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because people had different social statuses. That was the simplest way to describe it; however, it was rather hard to say it with my own mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wi Seol-Ah couldn’t just stay as my servant forever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl then started talking in a playful manner. “Sir Gu!” She wanted to try it herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t help but stop for a moment after hearing her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>– Sir Gu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because I was reminded of that damned memory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In front of me was a more mature face than the one the current Wi Seol-Ah had.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice and expression were also slightly different. I could still vividly remember my interactions with that Wi Seol-Ah.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe because my expression was twisted in a weird way, Wi Seol-Ah seemed a little sad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I knew it. It doesn’t fit me after all…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I finally woke up from my daze after seeing Wi Seol-Ah’s disappointed face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean it doesn’t fit you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sis Tang is pretty, and Sis Bi-ah is pretty so it fits them, but I guess it’s weird when I do it… Young Master’s face turned ugly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hey, how could you just bluntly say it was ugly…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her words, filled with her naiveté, always stabbed at my heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is she really disappointed by that? I don’t think that’s all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Putting everything else aside, when it comes to beauty, I think you too are…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My words got stuck in my throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I tried to tell her that she was pretty too, but this small little thing prevented me from speaking as if a boulder was blocking a door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wi Seol-Ah seemed to have noticed what I was trying to say, as her eyes started to smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? What is it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You are doing this on purpose, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, Seol-Ah knows nothing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was certain. She definitely picked up some nasty habits when I wasn’t watching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you don’t tell me, I’ll snitch on you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? What did I even do that you can snitch on me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You ran away from Grandpa Ryoon last time when he was looking for you, saying that he was a hassl- “\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re pretty.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wi Seol-Ah smiled after hearing my words that had been forced out of me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because her cheeks had been losing the little bit of fat they had, she was slowly starting to look like herself in my past life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her beauty shone brightly, but her grin amplified it, and her charm reached far and wide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hehe.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had she purposely made herself look disappointed?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If that was the case, it really wasn’t like her to behave like that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>｢You really are clueless, huh? This child is much more of a fox than you think.｣\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘You sure she’s not more of a cub or a puppy?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wi Seol-Ah, a fox? Both the current her and the one from my past life didn’t fit that description.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elder Shin laughed after hearing that thought of mine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>｢In my opinion, you brat, I think you need to train your eyes more than anything.｣\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Putting aside Elder Shin, it seemed like Wi Seol-Ah’s mood had brightened up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m fine now!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After saying that, she walked forward with a bright smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did me saying “you’re pretty” really make her that happy?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a warm but difficult emotion I was feeling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘It’s heavy.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The way that the girl felt about me and the way I felt about her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even so…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t just afford to let it all go now. I was living so stubbornly because I hated that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re going to trip if you run like that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Young master will help me up if I do.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her cheerful laugh while shining like the sun stopped my feet time to time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>– If I do fall, you can help me stand back up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it a coincidence, that the current you was saying the same things as the Wi Seol-Ah of my past life?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>– So I’ll be fine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So I’ll be fine!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt like you were doing this so that I wouldn’t forget, which only made my heart bleed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wi Seol-Ah, who was running around with a happy face, tripped over a rock as expected and fell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ougfgh!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a strange sound, she fell to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I ran toward her in shock, but even more shockingly, she managed to save the food she was holding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I told you not to run.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I reached out my hand to her, and Wi Seol-Ah grabbed it and got up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do I do… I have dirt all over me…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, Hongwa will yell at you as soon as she sees you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh no…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I laughed when I saw her realize her biggest problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll make sure to help you talk it out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Young Master, you said that last time but snitched on me anyway!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Okay, guilty as charged.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How did she find out…? I could’ve sworn I snitched on her in secret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So cruel…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even while she was talking in a disappointed tone, she hugged the food she was holding tighter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What part of her did he see in her that led him to call her a fox?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Could you buy me more since I’m sa-“\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I laughed once more, seeing Wi Seol-Ah in shock with her eyes wide open when I rejected her right away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, I still bought her all the food she wanted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The last of our purchases were dumplings, and when we arrived back at the clan, she seemed to want to give them to me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Along with a half-asleep Namgung Bi-ah, the three of us filled our stomachs with dumplings before dinner time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Additionally, Hongwa had noticed Wi Seol-Ah’s dirty uniform and reprimanded her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl signaled me for help with her eyes, but since I had no way to help her, I pretended not to see her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I still remembered the cute face Wi Seol-Ah made as she felt betrayed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>* * * * *\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had been a week already, and the day of my going to the Tournament of Dragons and Phoenixes arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was something I’d planned for quite a while, but something happened that I had not expected, which turned all my plans upside down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the area where everyone had gathered around the carriages, there was a boy standing in front of me. He seemed at least a head taller than me, and he had a sharp, handsome face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Soyeol, who was next to me, was glaring at the boy for some reason, but he didn’t feel pressured since the girl looked so innocent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this absurd situation, I said to the boy,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yep…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t just me who didn’t like this. His expression wasn’t any better than mine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he did seem rather nervous, as his body looked stiff.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re coming with us?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boy flinched at my question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I let out a sigh after hearing the boy’s response.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In front of me stood the grandson of the First Elder and the genius of Gu Sunmoon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Please take care of me,” said Gu Jeolyub.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You can rate\u002Freview this series here.\u003C\u002Fp>",3053,"2026-06-05T15:09:39.031Z",1,"novelbin.me","a7b9958aa65083c56578d8c2ea6e14dd3452b5a30e3d7fa6057cb3650f075e1a","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-132","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-130",974,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fchildhood-friend-of-the-zenith-cover.jpg"]