Ch.119Chapter 5. Battlefield of Proof, Ulleung (5)

As soon as she hung up the phone, Baek Seol-hee immediately began her investigation.

Ymir.

20 years old.

“Tsk.”

Ability user. E-rank. Physical enhancement.

“Hmph.”

Profile picture.

“…Tch.”

A complex situation: angry that she’s young, relieved that her ability rank is lower, and feeling both irritated and amused looking at her wiki photo.

“Right. I guess I was naive to think otherwise.”

She didn’t know whether he had deliberately kept quiet about it until now, or if it was something that suddenly developed.

Do Ji-hwan is a married man, and he’s juggling multiple women.

Moreover, he’s in a position where he follows his wife’s permission and instructions, so if he decides to make a move, there’s nothing stopping him from meeting anyone.

But a 20-year-old college student?

Even for someone who has relative freedom in meeting women, could he really be this free?

There’s a person named Baek Seol-hee—

“…9 days, 21 hours, and 34 minutes?”

Baek Seol-hee briefly turned on her smartphone and checked the time on an app.

It was an app with a stopwatch running from a certain point in time—a point she didn’t need to specifically mention out loud.

But quite some time had passed since that point.

And comparing with previous times and intervals, there were records only about once every 10 days or two weeks.

Setting aside their first meeting.

After going to Ulleungdo for direct mental care counseling, the stopwatch had only counted three occasions.

“…Hmm.”

Baek Seol-hee thought.

Would such a wife really be satisfied with meeting only once every ten days?

Maybe she’s asking why they aren’t meeting more often, demanding photos right away?

-Well, I hurt my hand. With my wife… hahaha.

She remembered their previous phone call.

When she was fighting in Gangwon Province, Do Ji-hwan was also fighting with his wife.

-How many times have I told you! Take as many photos or videos as possible! Quality is important, but quantity matters too!

-Ah, I got it. Honey, calm down, okay?

-When you go back to Sejong Island this time, bring at least one side dish per day! Got it?! If you don’t, I’m filing for divorce!

-H-honey! I’m sorry! I’ll do better! Okay?!

“…Surely it’s not like that?”

She thought of the drama she watched yesterday.

It was about a man begging a woman, and while some men criticized it, the setting where the man was a non-ability user and the woman was an A-rank ability user made people empathize with the story.

-When an ability user marries a non-ability user, of course the ability user is in charge.

Perhaps Do Ji-hwan’s wife is an ability user.

Despite saying it’s his wife’s request, from what Baek Seol-hee has observed of his character, he doesn’t seem like someone who would fool around with other women.

At the core of Do Ji-hwan’s infidelity lies his love for his wife.

It might sound absurd, but that’s the kind of man Do Ji-hwan appeared to be to Baek Seol-hee.

-Ji-hwan. I told you I like you. Will you divorce your wife and marry me?

-What? Seol-hee. I’m only doing this because my wife likes it. Please don’t misunderstand.

-Ah, um, okay…

Although she hadn’t asked directly yet, and hadn’t found out what kind of person his wife was, after hearing the shocking truth revealed by Do Ji-hwan, Baek Seol-hee had made one plan.

Do Ji-hwan’s liberation.

For Do Ji-hwan’s happiness, she would liberate him from his current wife.

Yes.

Then everything would make sense.

“…Poor Ji-hwan. Because I couldn’t meet him often.”

She reached a conclusion.

Baek Seol-hee thought the current interval was sufficient, but that “crazy woman” who broke Do Ji-hwan’s left hand was a violent thug of a woman who found even that insufficient and resorted to violence against Do Ji-hwan.

Even with such a woman, because he loves her, Do Ji-hwan sought a new relationship with a woman named Ymir.

“…I don’t like this.”

Baek Seol-hee got up.

She tapped her Taeguk Watch, immediately bringing up her schedule on the smartphone screen.

Tomorrow was the day to return to Sejong Island.

Fortunately, on the day of return for the official government event, there were no separate events or lectures, and apart from the Hero Association event, there was no other schedule.

Then.

Beep beep beep.

[What’s going on at this hour?]

“Chairman? I think I need to rest at home tomorrow.”

[Why? Did something suddenly come up?]

“…It’s just, it’s my day off.”

[…! Ah, I see. Well then. Okay, get some rest. I’ll cover for anyone looking for you, Seol-hee. Just rest well. Got it?]

“Thank you.”

Baek Seol-hee covered her Taeguk Watch with her hand.

“…Ah, aah….”

And then she covered her face with her hands.

“To go this far….”

In Baek Seol-hee’s heart.

The moment the corner of the triangle touched the floor, fragments of conscience scattered across the ground.

* * *

It was a series of shock and horror.

Ymir reviewed and reflected on what had happened from evening until midnight.

And her conclusion.

“He’s trash.”

The Goblin is trash.

To recruit Magical Girl Platinum Sun, he deliberately didn’t point out that Platinum Sun could be exposed to dangerous situations, even though he knew it.

He did offer some unsolicited advice, but based on that advice, the Goblin tried to manipulate the situation so that Platinum Sun would join his side.

First, the Goblin is trying to recruit Platinum Sun by any means necessary.

That’s okay.

Because he’s a villain.

But…

“My goodness. How could he do this?”

Ymir went to the Hero Wiki and immediately looked up the “Baek Seol-hee” entry, again and again.

There were many rumors.

Someone confessed to Baek Seol-hee, some celebrity revealed she was his ideal type, an S-rank hero from another country said he’d like to spar with Snow White if he went to Korea.

There was even a separate page titled “Baek Seol-hee/Controversies/Courtship” because there were so many men—and even women—pursuing Baek Seol-hee.

Under all these documents with Baek Seol-hee’s name, there was nothing with the name “Do Ji-hwan.”

That’s normal.

If there had been, not only South Korea but the whole world would have exploded.

“S-rank ability user Ms. Baek in relationship with librarian Mr. D?!”

If stories about patriotism or Ulleung spread, suitors from around the world would appear to beat up Do Ji-hwan.

That is, if they didn’t know Do Ji-hwan was the Goblin.

Because Do Ji-hwan is just a librarian at Sejong Academy.

Moreover—

“Ah…!”

While searching for the name Do Ji-hwan, she was redirected to a strange site.

“No way, this is crazy?”

And Ymir’s heart sank.

-Library parachute sweet deal lol

ㄴHey, he came in as a parachute hire and succeeded in seducing an ability user.

ㄴAccepted because he’s a foreigner. If he were Korean, I would have reported him immediately.

ㄴIsn’t he talented for making a foreigner a Korean daughter-in-law? Instead of organizing books like he’s supposed to!

There was a photo of her and Do Ji-hwan coming to the dormitory together.

“Seriously, what are these people…!”

Ymir began to feel genuinely afraid.

Her information was spreading in real-time, mixed with rumors, in places she didn’t even know about.

It was stressful enough that Platinum Sun’s information was spreading, but seeing information about Ymir herself spreading with her own eyes was incredibly stressful.

“So that’s why he said those things.”

Ymir roughly figured out Do Ji-hwan’s intentions and thoughts.

Through the fact that what he said was true, that he was more familiar with the dark world than she was, and that he knew more about how people viewed things, Ymir realized the purpose behind Do Ji-hwan revealing the truth to her.

Either he was cutting off his relationship with student Ymir and only approaching her as Platinum Sun.

Or he was saying that if Snow White was confident as an S-rank hero or whatever, she should come in and try.

Yes.

That’s exactly it.

“He thinks he can handle two S-rank or higher heroes by himself.”

Whatever that meant, whether it was actual fighting or fighting in another sense, a struggle was inevitable.

Whether fighting over Do Ji-hwan.

Or fighting over the Goblin.

“…Heheh.”

Ymir chuckled as she reached for the closet.

“I do have the advantage.”

Inside the closet.

Though hard to see due to the fluorescent light, to an ability user’s eyes, there was a faint golden light flowing on the wall.

When Ymir put her hand inside the closet, the wall crumbled, revealing a new set of clothes inside.

A black durumagi.

Ymir’s golden magical power was spread over it like plastic wrapping, and Ymir took out the black durumagi and covered herself with it like a blanket.

Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale.

Ymir put her face against the durumagi and took deep breaths.

With each deep breath through her nose, her eyes became dreamy, and though it’s a bit inappropriate to say, she looked more languid and happy than those who inhale mana powder.

I’ll win.

And under the durumagi, she muttered silently, only moving her lips.

Snow White may have done it with Do Ji-hwan.

Snicker.

But I did it with the Goblin.

With her eyes closed, clutching the durumagi tightly and twisting her legs, Ymir—

“Ah!”

She jumped up from the bed as if her body had been sprung.

“…But it’s Ji-hwan oppa who’s going to Ulleungdo.”

Not the Goblin.

Feeling somehow wronged, Ymir gritted her teeth while fidgeting with the durumagi.

“Ugh…. Then.”

Ymir could only stare at the calendar on the desk and her lecture schedule.

“…Should I use the cheat key only available to women…?”

That morning.

Two women took time off from their schedules for certain reasons.

Sick leave and absence due to illness.

The specific reasons were unknown due to privacy concerns.