The Boss Wants to Die

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The Boss Wants to Die

“N-no.”

“No?”

Akt asked back in a sweet tone.

The back of my neck tickled for no reason.

I scratched at my neck reflexively and nodded.

“I didn’t say I’d become your real girlfriend.”

Once the words started flowing, thankfully the rest followed.

“I’m just acting for you. Don’t forget that. I’m just a fake lover for your happiness.”

‘Though saying this probably won’t help his happiness.’

Yet even if the world turned upside down, I couldn’t bring myself to say, ‘Do whatever you want.’

Because I had no idea what Akt might do.

He was the kind of person who seemed likely to baffle me with actions I could never even imagine.

‘Living as the Evil God, there was never a situation I couldn’t control.’

I realized why I was so flustered.

‘But Akt is different. I can’t handle him carelessly, however I please.’

Akt was certainly doing as I told him.

He obeyed commands meekly, and I was the dominant party in our contract.

‘So why can’t I wrap Akt around my finger?’

He was, how should I put it…

Too sweet and too eccentric to manipulate at will.

When I bit my lower lip tight and glared at him, his expression clouded with a look of helpless trouble.

“Why are you angry again?”

I wasn’t angry.

I was frustrated.

To make matters worse, he wasn’t even doing it on purpose.

Unbelievable.

I couldn’t believe I was being swayed by his affection.

“I’m not angry.”

I bit my lower lip hard and turned around.

We were on our way back to the inn.

“Then what’s wrong?”

Akt easily matched my pace with his long legs and asked.

“Why do you want to know?”

“So I can make you feel better.”

“Forget it. I’m fine.”

“Then there’s no point in pretending to be lovers. It’s no different from before.”

“Just how much vicarious satisfaction are you trying to get?”

“I have to get my money’s worth.”

When I stopped in my tracks and glared, Akt instantly wiped the playful look off his face, playing innocent as if he’d never teased me at all.

I poked his chest repeatedly with my finger and demanded:

“How long are you going to keep harping on about getting your money’s worth? You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you? You’re trying to mess with me, right?”

“But you were the one who said you wanted to die first……”

Akt protested sullenly.

“What?”

“……”

“Are you seriously holding this much of a grudge just because I said I wanted to die?”

Akt wrapped his hand around the finger poking his chest and lowered it.

“I told you not to say that you want to die.”

“……”

“Just that. Don’t say that one thing.”

Because everything else is fine.

Akt lowered his voice, his demeanor uncharacteristically forlorn.

Feeling my heart soften for no good reason, I raised my voice.

“Ridiculous. Just get mad instead.”

“How do you know how I’ll react when I get mad?”

He smiled bitterly.

“You’ll end up regretting those words.”

“You’re not scary even when you’re angry, so don’t worry and just get mad, why don’t you? A mere level 40 worrying about the most pointless things……”

Akt didn’t answer, merely smiling.

“Anyway, fine. I won’t say I want to die.”

“……”

“Have a little faith when someone tells you something.”

Akt nodded, but he didn’t look convinced in the slightest.

His distrust toward me ran so deep it made me wonder if I had done something terrible to him.

‘Did he live his whole life being deceived?’

I put my hands on my hips.

“Let’s talk about your happiness instead.”

Conveniently, there was a bench in the plaza.

I turned toward the plaza and sat down near the fountain.

The water robbed the sunlight of its scorching heat, lending a refreshing coolness to the air.

“Are you sure you really want to date?”

Sitting beside me, Akt replied while looking solely at me.

“Something like that.”

“Then I’ll play along reasonably well.”

When I crossed my legs and spoke haughtily, the passing people glanced over at us.

With the Evil God’s acute hearing, I could pick up their whispers.

“She looks like the rumors.”

“The rumors?”

“The Evil God, I mean.”

“Are you stupid? Why would the Evil God be here? She probably just polymorphed to look like her.”

I smirked and continued.

“I’m going to pretend to be your lover, so be grateful. Make sure you do your utmost to be happy. Got it?”

“I’ll try, but it probably won’t work.”

Akt said, staring a little too intently at the group of whispering male players.

“You can’t make me happy.”

“You don’t know that.”

A streak of stubborn pride sparked within me.

“Who knows? Maybe if I kiss you, you’ll reach paradise and find absolute bliss? Then it’s game over.”

“I’m not that simple of a man.”

What a truly ridiculous guy.

I burst out laughing, openly mocking him.

“You’d be thrilled even if I just held your hand.”

“Probably. You’re beautiful, Rowoon. Dazzlingly so.”

He was probably referring to the Evil God’s appearance, but hearing him call my name made my heart flutter.

I looked at Akt’s face, trying to discern his intentions.

He was still watching the group of male players.

The group seemed unnerved by Akt’s gaze and quickly vanished into the distance.

I fought to regain my composure and spoke.

“Of course. A god as strong and beautiful as me is personally gracing you by holding your hand—how could you not be happy? It’s not easy to be miserable when someone like me acts as your girlfriend.”

Akt watched me putting on airs with warm eyes.

Somehow, it made me embarrassed.

When I say things like this, you’re supposed to talk back.

Tell me that this level of narcissism is a disease or something.

Instead of scoffing, he just looked at me as if everything spilling from my mouth was absolute truth, which only made me feel more humiliated.

Feeling my face heat up red, I pushed through and kept talking.

“But keep this in mind. I set the pace. I’ll hold your hand when you do well, and I’ll give you a hug when you behave nicely.”

“Rowoon-ah, wouldn’t that make me a pet rather than a boyfriend?”

Akt’s gentle question made my face burn even hotter.

Because when I thought about it, he was right.

‘How humiliating!’

I desperately suppressed the trembling in my body.

Akt’s eyes curved softly.

Looking at me like I was some adorably cute creature……

‘Calm down. I can’t let him dictate the pace like this.’

I pressed on with my argument, pretending to be as unaffected as possible.

Either way, I couldn’t let Akt seize the initiative, so I couldn’t back down.

“The one in need has to bend. What choice do you have? It’s the law of the jungle in this world.”

“All right.”

Fortunately, Akt nodded and yielded.

“Good. Then we start from now. Let’s do well.”

At my completely unromantic proposal, offered like extending a hand to close a business deal, Akt’s gaze turned peculiar.

He reached out and took my small hand in his.

The hot, dry palm of a man firmly closed over mine.

It was a large, muscular hand.

My black nails poking out past his grip looked as tiny as grains of rice.

“There’s something I want to ask.”

He spoke up.

I raised my eyebrow sharply.

“What?”

“Rowoon, you’ve never had a boyfriend before, have you?”

I put strength into my hand with a smile.

Even if he was much bigger than me, I held the upper hand in strength.

“Do you think the Evil God would need a boyfriend?”

“Ugh, no.”

“Then of course I haven’t!”

“Then how about letting me take the lead?”

His gentle face asked shyly.

‘So sly! As if I wouldn’t see right through your schemes!’

Seriously, I couldn’t lower my guard for even a second.

“Just you try! I’m the one leading, so don’t even dream of it.”

“I got it, so ease up on the grip. You’re really going to break it.”

Seeing Akt’s hand turn pale from cut-off circulation, I smirked maliciously.

Catching my expression, Akt shook out his numb hand and remarked:

“Do you know you look truly villainous whenever you smile like that?”

“The Evil God is evil, of course. Did you expect me to be good?”

I flicked the tip of his nose with my finger.

“So don’t get cheeky.”

“Ouch.”

Clutching his reddened nose, he scrunched his teary eyes.

“If you promised to take me as your pet, you should dote on me. If you treat me this roughly, I’ll cry, Master.”

“What are you talking about?!”

Horrified, I glanced around.

Thankfully, it seemed nobody had overheard Akt’s perverted remark.

I backed away at least three steps, glaring at him in fierce disgust.

“Disgusting.”

“So mean.”

Akt pretended to be hurt, though he didn’t look damaged in the slightest.

Shaking my head, I started walking toward the inn.

Locking myself in my room was the safest way to keep my distance from Akt.

I planned to stay cooped up until late at night.

‘I need to meet Mihael.’

Whatever the case, the plan was progressing smoothly.

***

At four in the morning, the hour when people fell into their deepest slumber.

After checking three, four times that Akt’s breathing had deepened into sleep, I slipped out through the window.

Thankfully, there was no distance restriction on the leash.

As long as he didn’t notice, I could roam around as I pleased.

Gripping the windowsill, I lowered myself against the outer wall, swung my body a couple of times, and leaped up to the roof using only the strength of my arms.

My body soared upward, cutting through the star-studded night sky before landing softly on the steep roof.

I caught balance by holding onto the chimney with one hand.

“I should’ve put them on beforehand.”

Grumbling, I took out the [Cursed Red Shoes That Make You Dance Forever] and put them on.

“Heart.”

“Yes, Master!”

With a soft chime, a round bat popped out from the shadows.

Being up so high, the wind blew fiercely.

Holding down my wildly fluttering black hair with one hand, I asked:

“What about Mihael?”

“I have spoken to him. He is already waiting for you at the rendezvous point, Master.”