Ch.122Chapter 5. Battlefield of Proof, Ulleung (8)

Baek Seol-hee is a hero.

And I am a villain.

Therefore, it’s only natural for a villain to deceive a hero.

If I had to make a comparison, I’m a con artist.

I scam Baek Seol-hee, and when the scam is exposed later, I’m the type who shamelessly yells, “It’s the victim’s fault for getting scammed!”

Such con artists have no qualms about packaging themselves.

They don’t even hesitate to sell out those around them.

Of course, feeble excuses don’t work against an S-rank hero.

Therefore, I cleverly hide about half of the truth, making Baek Seol-hee misunderstand and overthink on her own, causing what you might call “digging her own grave.”

“Seol-hee. You know, more than anything, I want my wife to be happy.”

I casually threw out the topic as if I were just having an ordinary conversation.

Baek Seol-hee gave me a wary look, but at the same time, she seemed to be mulling over what I had said before bringing this up.

“For my wife’s happiness, I can do anything, and if she wants, I would gladly pluck the stars and moon from the sky for her.”

“Stars and moon aren’t about two-timing or adultery.”

“If those are the stars and moon my wife wants, then that’s what I must do.”

Confusion flashes across Baek Seol-hee’s face.

It’s definitely strange, certainly abnormal, and clearly an irrational situation.

No matter how much I consider this another world, these aren’t words that would be accepted in my original world either, and anyone who did such things would likely be treated as insane.

But the existence of such people is possible, and this is a world where “anything is possible” can explain everything.

There are people who stop planes from taking off with ice nets, so why wouldn’t there be people who feel ecstasy watching their husbands share love with other women?

“My wife is that kind of person.”

“It’s hard to believe, but I understand for now. I confirmed it briefly at that place last time. However.”

Baek Seol-hee pointed at my left hand.

“Are you going to stay silent while suffering domestic violence over such issues?”

“Seol-hee.”

“How did you hurt your left hand? Please tell me clearly.”

“……”

“Was it really an accident in the bathroom? Was it not an accident but broken by someone?”

I have no choice but to lie.

Because there’s no way I could tell the truth.

-You see, I’m the Goblin. I was fighting with you, Baek Seol-hee, in Gangwon Province, and when I blocked a punch with my left hand, my hand broke. It’s your fault, so can I sue you?

-…I won’t let you escape, Goblin!!

No matter how gentle Baek Seol-hee might be in some ways, she becomes fiercer than anyone when facing the Goblin.

The moment I reveal I’m the Goblin, this woman would immediately imprison and restrain me, lock me in a basement, and keep me tied up until her anger subsides for playing with her feelings.

“…It’s difficult to speak freely about matters between a husband and wife.”

“Just be honest. I won’t say anything about that part. Was it an accident, or were you hit? Really, honestly.”

“…I was hit.”

By you.

“To be precise, it happened while I was blocking an attempt to hit me.”

“No!!”

Baek Seol-hee immediately flushed red with anger.

“How could…!”

“Um, Seol-hee. Please calm down…”

“How could you be with someone like that…!”

“Baek Seol-hee.”

When I lowered my voice and used her full name, Baek Seol-hee hesitated and sat back down.

“If we look at the cause, you have some responsibility too.”

“M-me…? Ah, could it be…!”

Baek Seol-hee’s expression suddenly turned pale.

“Because I contacted you…?!”

Whether it’s because she’s a hero, or it’s her natural disposition, or perhaps both creating a negative synergy—

Baek Seol-hee thinks it’s her fault that I was hit.

…That’s true.

“Well, it is because of you, but it’s a bit different from what you’re thinking. My wife wasn’t angry because of my relationship with you…”

Transcend common sense.

“…She complained that while Baek Seol-hee was contacting me late at night, why did I come up to Seoul to meet you instead of staying on Sejong Island.”

“What?”

Her eyes began to fill with confusion.

“Right? I felt the same way. Haha. My wife is… I wouldn’t say peculiar, but she has her own world and a somewhat strong ego.”

Even as I speak, I don’t understand my own words, but that’s precisely why I could say them more convincingly.

“I came all the way to Seoul to meet her, and she scolded me saying I should have either not come at all and gone to Baek Seol-hee’s house, or gone to a pension in Ulleungdo, or even secretly invited you home. Haha…”

“No, is that… really true…?”

“It is.”

I let out a deep sigh as if relieved.

“…Please don’t tell anyone else. For my wife’s honor.”

“No, that kind of honor…”

“Let me say again, I love my wife. So I’m really sorry to you, Seol-hee. I feel like I’m constantly using you.”

I apologized just now.

If we ever meet as the Goblin and she accuses me of playing with her all this time, I’ll counter with, “I apologized for using you when we met in Ulleungdo in April!!”

A trashy thing to do?

What’s wrong with a villain doing trashy things?

“Um, can I see your left hand for a moment?”

“Why my left hand…?”

“I want to take a look. Me.”

Baek Seol-hee looked at me with a complicated expression.

Her downcast eyes showed a determination to confirm something, and I extended my left hand with a reluctant expression.

“……”

Baek Seol-hee immediately took my left hand and began pressing it with her white hand, trying to confirm something.

I can feel it.

Baek Seol-hee’s mana flowing through my left hand.

It’s not completely penetrating my skin; she’s trying to check if traces of her magic remain on my left hand.

If I were to guess Baek Seol-hee’s thoughts, they might be something like this:

-How could a wife be such a person?

-Is he just saying crazy things to hide an unbelievable truth from me?

-Isn’t it more plausible that Do Ji-hwan is the Goblin rather than his wife being a pervert who gets excited watching her husband with another woman?

-The injury is even in the same place.

-Yes, it makes more sense that he’s the Goblin making strange excuses. If Do Ji-hwan is the Goblin, everything fits.

-What woman in the world would hit someone because her husband came to her instead of cheating with another woman?!

That’s probably what she’s thinking.

Like Ymir, Baek Seol-hee’s thought process is even easier to read.

She’s a character from the original novel and a heroine, but she’s also a woman I’ve been conversing with as both the Goblin and Do Ji-hwan.

“Seol-hee?”

“Ah, yes… no?”

Baek Seol-hee removed her hand from me, but her expression was slightly frightened.

Of course.

If I were the Goblin, her magic should remain on my hand, but there’s not a trace of it.

Baek Seol-hee’s freezing magic and mana are like glass shards.

While visible glass pieces can be removed with tweezers, it’s difficult to remove tiny glass dust embedded in the skin.

Especially if it’s mana.

Baek Seol-hee probably hoped to find even a little of her mana remaining on my hand, but unfortunately, the truth is closer to the “Do Ji-hwan’s wife has NTR fetish theory” than the “Do Ji-hwan is the Goblin theory.”

‘This is why I worked so hard with Qiongqi to replace the mana beforehand.’

She has no idea how much I suffered removing her mana that had penetrated my left hand.

Baek Seol-hee doesn’t know.

How incredibly painful her mana’s damage over time really is.

“It’s fine. The bone has healed quite a bit, and they say it will heal quickly if I soak it in warm water.”

“That’s good. Um, Ji-hwan?”

“Yes.”

Her voice softens considerably.

If she knew I was the Goblin, she would immediately restrain me with an ice net, but since she knows that’s not the case, confusion is consuming her.

“…Why does your wife have such preferences?”

Now, Baek Seol-hee has completely fallen for it.

Through continuous adultery gaslighting, Baek Seol-hee has now become aware that she’s a woman who fits my wife’s preferences.

Her mental push for the “Do Ji-hwan is the Goblin theory” until now might have been an unconscious echo of her denial about being an adulteress.

But what can she do?

Baek Seol-hee is an adulteress.

She’s a woman who approached a married man knowing he had a wife and used him to satisfy her own emotions.

To the world, she’s a righteous hero.

But in her relationship with Do Ji-hwan, Baek Seol-hee can be defined as this:

A homewrecker.

“Seol-hee. Why my wife developed such preferences—that’s not what’s important. What matters is that she’s a woman with those preferences, and I love her as my wife.”

A twisted pure love.

“If there’s a reason… No. I shouldn’t say this much—”

“Ji-hwan. It’s okay. Whatever the situation, I’ll understand. I won’t get angry carelessly. I’m just a bit shocked because it’s hard to understand, but…”

No sooner had I given a slight opening than Baek Seol-hee looked at me seriously and asked:

“…I’ll do my best to help in any way I can, so please tell me the truth. When did your wife become like that?”

“……”

Misunderstanding.

Digging her own grave.

“My wife.”

Since everything begins with language.

“Right now, she cannot conceive.”