I Was Confessed to by the Golden Sun

13 – 13. Kim Taeyang, Suspiciously Wealthy

“Well, you might be mistaken. Are you still upset?”

To clarify Lucia’s words, I wasn’t upset.

Even though Kim Taeyang, with his lustful thoughts, had tried to label me as a pervert, it wasn’t something that would upset me, it was just absurd.

“Oh, come on, relax!”

I don’t want to see her act cute as if she’s trying to relieve my mood.

I just want to stimulate Lucia’s guilt a bit and make her spend money without hesitation, even if it’s a little trashy.

It may sound a bit like manipulation, but I’m pretending to be upset for that purpose.

“But, where are we going? Are you planning to surprise me or something?”

Yes, I had been talking to Lucia throughout the process of navigating the complicated alleys until we were about to arrive at the implied market.

However, now it’s better to keep it quiet from here.

“Shh!”

As I, who had been walking quietly without saying a word, called her name, Lucia made a startled noise as if she were surprised.

She seemed really surprised. Is it that shocking?

“You need to follow quietly. Don’t get surprised no matter what happens inside.”

We’re almost at the eNT*Rance of the implied market, so hasty reactions would be detrimental.

It’s already a place littered with trash, and when a seemingly delicate woman makes a fuss, it’s easy to appear vulnerable.

“Of course, this guy won’t fall for that…”

Lucia is no pushover either. It’s not easy for average thugs to beat her.

But it’s not a good idea to attract attention, and it’s not good for Lucia’s face to be exposed.

Even though I’m an obscure artist in the outskirts, Lucia, with her position as a post-artist and her beautiful appearance, can still be recognized by some people.

So, I pulled down the hood of Lucia’s hoodie to cover her head.

“Ah! What are you doing?”

It was her, staring at me fiercely.

When I quietly pointed to the wall, her ferocious gaze quickly turned into confusion.

“..The wall? What’s over there… Eek?”

And when I went through the wall as it was, she stepped back in amazement.

Well, I didn’t explain, so it’s no wonder she’s surprised. I seem to be seeing a lot of surprised expressions today.

It was indeed fascinating to pass through the wall as if it were Platform 9 and 3/4 at the train station, without touching anything.

“This is the eNT*Rance. This wall is like an illusion, so don’t be scared and come in slowly…”

“Are you… Are you going somewhere strange? Why would you enter through this eNT*Rance?”

As I explained while putting my hand in and out of the wall a few times, Lucía distanced herself from me entirely, wary to the point where she was far away.

From her perspective, in this deserted alley, in a situation with a not-so-familiar man trying to push her into a strange wall… Oh, come to think of it, it’s a miracle she followed me here without running away.

“Phew…”

It wasn’t a good situation, so I had tried to postpone stating my purpose as much as possible.

But with the situation as it was, and the fact that the person involved was so anxious, I had no choice but to speak up.

Anyway, I should package it as nicely as possible, saying, “I’ve come to the Laborer’s Market.”

“Please come closer…”

“Help me, Lucía!”

I begged suddenly, lowering my head deeply to ensure that she couldn’t even react.

Right now, Lucía is suspicious of the unknown wall and me, so I have to bend over and get inside.

“What… What?”

“My precious friend is trapped inside there, and I don’t have the money to save him! Please help me!”

And then, with a desperate expression on my face, I continued speaking while holding her startled hand.

“I’ve been trying to raise money for months, but my father opposes it, and it’s hard for me to find work to earn money. If it weren’t for Lucía, I would have no hope of saving that friend…”

“So, um… I understand, but can you please clean up your face first…”

Ah, I got so immersed that I didn’t even notice how close we had become.

Before I knew it, I regained my senses and realized that Lucía and I were in such close proximity that you could consider it intimate.

“Um, I’m sorry.”

As I awkwardly stepped back, expressing my embarrassment, Lucía seemed to catch her breath.

“How much money are we talking about?”

“I’ll support you with around 8,000 gold, at least if it’s not too high,” he said, conveying a hint of positivity in his words.

Now I need to speak well here, as if buying an item at an auction, negotiating as much as possible…

“For starters, I can provide about 80,000 gold immediately. How does that sound?”

“…Yes?”

One gold equated to the currency of South Korea, in other words, about 1,000 won. So, this person is essentially saying they can immediately give me 80 million won.

“If you need more, I can manage a bit extra. So, how much do you need?”

To own a laborer entirely, it would require around 50,000 gold. However, Grayson is currently in a state where he can be purchased for about 15,000 gold due to his weakened condition. Even so, considering the true value of this individual, it’s an unbelievably low price.

“I do need 15,000 gold… Will you really give it to me?”

However, even such an amount was difficult for a student to come up with. He expected to receive at most about 5 million won, but they simply handed over the entire sum.

Let’s think about it; when converted to won, it’s a whopping 15 million. Even if she were the daughter of one of the Empire’s highest-ranking nobles, it wouldn’t be easy…

“Okay, take it.”

She handed it over too easily. I scrutinized the money pouch she offered, looking inside.

“…It seems like there’s more money in here?”

Not only did it contain 15,000 gold, but there was clearly more money inside.

In a rush, I asked, and Lucia casually waved her hand as if it were no big deal.

“My man can’t be disrespected wherever he goes, so I figured an extra 5,000 gold might help.”

If 5 million won could be considered “extra” for a student, just how wealthy was she?

No, there was one issue more important than that to address.

“I’m not Lucia’s man.”

“Do you want me to take the money back?”

“…”

It seemed like there was just too much money to reject. She was quite the diverse tutor. What a troublesome woman.

“But, is she really a troublesome woman?”

From the actions you’ve taken so far, you seem even kinder than Heidi..

“This is insane.”

I lightly slapped my cheek to clear my blurred mind.

No matter how well Lucia treats me, the possibility of her being fake to make me fall for her is high.

If it goes on like this, she will probably play with me for a while and then throw me away like a toy she doesn’t need anymore.

Most people who steal someone else’s lover are usually that kind of person.

“hehehe.”

While I was trying to gather myself, Lucia suddenly closed the distance between us that she had kept wide.

..Her physical abilities are ridiculous. Wasn’t she about 5 meters away? How did she get so close in the blink of an eye?

Anyway, after getting close to me like that, Lucia would make a demanding expression every time she tried to shake me and speak.

“If you date me, I can give you something even better than this. What do you think?”

“..I’m not interested.”

As I refused, Lucia approached a few steps closer as if even the close distance was not enough.

I naturally took a few steps back to avoid getting caught.

I strongly felt that if she caught me here, it would be a very difficult situation..

-Chin!

..Chin? I shouldn’t make that sound, right?

When I looked back quietly, there was no longer a path behind me.

It means that my back has hit a dead end wall. There was no way out anymore.

“Ugh!”

As I stared at the wall that Lucia was pushing me against, feeling lost.

I let out a scream of a desperate man as she grabbed my tie.

“Hmm..”

And along with that damn delightful lemon scent, her face came almost nose to nose with mine.

“Hey, don’t you like me?”

As she tightly twisted my tie and smiled mischievously at me.

She must be at least 20 cm shorter than me, but it feels like I’m facing a giant.

Of course, no matter who the opponent in front of me is, if they ask about my liking for Lucia, this is the only answer I can give.

“..I don’t like you. Of course not.”

I don’t like her. Of course I don’t. I don’t have the same certainty as before, but she is a woman I don’t want to get closer to.

After hearing this response, I had hoped for a little disappointment and distance from Lucia, but she smiled even more than before and pressed her chest against mine.

“When I asked you before, you had a quick response, but now you’re taking your time,” she said.

As she spoke, what I found more troubling than her was my own hesitation in answering such a question.

Naturally, I should have said no right away upon hearing it. Why on earth am I hesitating?

“So, this means…”

Lucia hesitated for a moment, then slipped her leg between my thighs to immobilize me and forcefully tightened my necktie.

This person is suffocating me.

“If you think of it as I’ve become even better, then?”

“Not at all.”

With that, Lucia, who had pushed me, suddenly took the money pouch that was in my hand back into her own hand, shaking it.

“I initially just wanted to give it to you, but it’s too unpleasant to say it.”

And without waiting for my response, she hugged me tightly and whispered in my ear.

“To accept this money, you’ll have to be mine all day one day.”

Can’t I just buy Grayson with my own money?