Ch.124Chapter 5. Do Ji-hwan’s Ambitious Project (1)

“Huff.”

It was a struggle to open my mouth.

Now all that’s left is to wait for Baek Seol-hee to become confused and give Do Ji-hwan a break.

‘Now I can finally rest a bit.’

At least I’m fortunate to have bought some time to lie in bed and rest.

-Usually, affairs end in ruin when you try to cover one lie with another.

I recalled a quote from a famous lecturer circulating online.

-It’s a complete disaster. How long can lies last? Your partner isn’t that foolish. They’re just as smart and perceptive as you are, but they deceive themselves because they love you more than you love them.

When in love, people deceive themselves, mistakenly believing they’re not wrong.

In other words, love can paralyze even an S-rank hero’s rational judgment.

So, rest-

Ding.

My Taegeuk Watch rang.

It was Mr. Jang, the pension owner.

“Hello?”

[Yes, Manager Do. Your ‘wife’ is coming up now.]

“……!”

I quickly jumped up from the bed.

“What, right now?”

[Wasn’t she supposed to arrive at this time?]

“Ah, well, but…”

That was Ymir’s schedule.

I just didn’t expect Baek Seol-hee to rush over from the sea so early in the morning.

“J-just send her up, please.”

[…Hmm. Alright. Good luck getting through this.]

Mr. Jang’s encouragement somehow didn’t feel like encouragement, but I immediately got out of bed and opened the door leading downstairs.

“Excuse me.”

“Ah, yes! Seol-hee.”

Damn it.

“I’ve been thinking about it.”

“Yes, yes.”

“…Why are you sweating so much?”

Baek Seol-hee tilted her head, noticing my nervousness.

No wonder she’s suspicious, given what we discussed earlier and how flustered I am now.

“Did you hear something from your wife? Did she say she met Baek Seol-hee or something?”

“…No, that’s not it.”

At this point.

“Ymir has arrived.”

“……Huh?”

Baek Seol-hee looked at me with half-open eyes, and soon the sound of someone entering came from below as the door opened with a thud.

Click, click.

Why do those high heels sound so cheerful?

Since this is Ulleungdo, she’ll take off her shoes at the entrance, but the sound of those high heels from the entryway echoed like thunder.

“Um, Seol-hee.”

“Ah, it’s fine. Ymir is just an academy student, right? You don’t need to worry at all.”

“Well…”

She’s coming up.

Following the stairs, approaching where I sense her presence, and unfortunately, that’s my bedroom.

“Seol-hee.”

“What? Are you hiding something?”

“Ymir doesn’t know about my situation yet—”

“Teacherrr! Mir is hereee!”

Damn it.

I maintained a facade of composure as Ymir loudly announced her arrival, loud enough for the entire island of Ulleungdo to hear.

Calm down, Do Ji-hwan.

Haven’t you dealt with similar situations when facing the four executives of the Syndicate?

It’s just that dealing with four S-ranks has changed to dealing with two S+ ranks, no, two EX-ranks.

Improvisation.

Isn’t that what got me this far?

And if there’s one more thing to believe in, it’s Ymir’s perceptiveness and prior knowledge.

Based on information that only Ymir knows and Baek Seol-hee doesn’t, I’ll overcome this crisis.

Before Do Ji-hwan becomes Do/Ji-hwan.

“Welcome, Ymir.”

“……Snow White?”

“That’s right. Hello?”

Ymir hesitated upon seeing Baek Seol-hee, while Baek Seol-hee casually greeted Ymir and then—

“Ji-hwan. Shall we continue our conversation from earlier?”

She sat down on the edge of the bed where I had been lying until just now.

Ymir frowned slightly at the sight, and I somehow felt the room temperature dropping, or rather, becoming humid.

Baek Seol-hee has ice attributes.

Ymir is the Platinum Sun.

When winter meets summer, when cold air masses meet warm air masses, a front forms between them.

A rainy season will come.

Cold sweat ran down my back, but I pointed behind Ymir.

“Ymir. What’s that luggage?”

“Oh, this?”

Ymir tapped the rather large suitcase with her hand, and without even looking at Baek Seol-hee, she smiled brightly at me.

“I was supposed to stay overnight today, remember? That’s why I brought it.”

“…The suitcase is bigger than I expected.”

“It has all sorts of things in it.”

“Ji-hwan?”

Baek Seol-hee called me.

“I need to hear your answer to the question I asked earlier.”

The shortness in her tone at the end was definitely not my imagination.

“Alright, Seol-hee. Ymir? First, unpack your luggage in your room….”

“Room? This is it, isn’t it?”

Ymir pulled her suitcase into the room.

She glanced at Baek Seol-hee once, then boldly pushed her suitcase to the front of the wardrobe.

“This is my room.”

“…Ymir?”

“I don’t know why Baek Seol-hee is here, but this room is mine.”

Ymir was calmly lying on her own.

With so many rooms in this pension, why would she claim this one, where I’m currently staying, as hers?

We haven’t even assigned rooms yet.

“By the way, teacher. Were you supposed to meet with Baek Seol-hee at this time? I thought you had an appointment with me.”

“That’s right, initially.”

Initially.

“Originally, it was Ymir’s ‘counseling’ time, but Baek Seol-hee came first, so we started counseling. You two are meeting for the first time, right? This is Baek Seol-hee. Snow White. We became acquainted in Busan and now exchange messages on social media. And this is—”

“I’m Ymir. Nice to meet you.”

“…Yes. Nice to meet you, Ymir.”

Ymir boldly extended her hand, cutting off my introduction.

An E-rank offering a handshake to an S-rank?

Even for a Westerner, that could be considered rude in Korea.

But who cares about that right now?

“Wow. This is my first time meeting an S-rank hero up close. I’m a fan, really.”

“Thank you.”

She’s not thankful.

And you’re not a fan.

“You were amazing fighting that Goblin in Gangwon-do. It was like watching a dance.”

Ymir is now pretending to be rude, trying to take control by acting more boldly and confidently than the somewhat timid Baek Seol-hee.

“Is it true? About you and the Goblin being… you know.”

“Not at all. Ymir… you speak quite bluntly.”

Don’t be so rude.

“I can’t help being curious. You’re not offended, are you? Oh, I’m sorry. It’s just that everyone’s been talking about it.”

Are you really getting upset over that?

“Mr. Do. Were you in the middle of counseling with Baek Seol-hee? Um, this is a bit awkward. I thought this time was reserved for me. I had an appointment.”

Ymir was being brazenly forward.

“Even if you’re an S-rank, I’d appreciate if you respected the schedule.”

She looked like someone at a bank who had made an appointment through an app, only to have an elderly woman from another counter suddenly sit down saying, “The seat’s empty, so I can talk now.”

“I apologize. But it was an important matter.”

She showed no sign of actually being sorry while asking for understanding—very hero-like.

It might be a bit odd to call this hero-like, but anyway, to resolve this situation—

“Ymir. I was discussing my ‘wife’ with Seol-hee.”

A sudden acceleration is my answer.

“…Your wife, teacher?”

“Yes. My wife. About her inability to get pregnant.”

“…….”

Ymir silently stared at me.

She frowned, looking back and forth between Baek Seol-hee and me with an expression that clearly said, “What insane nonsense is this man talking about?”

“…Hmm.”

I prayed desperately.

For Ymir to please take the hint.

“Well, if you’ve gone that far, I won’t say anything more.”

Ymir’s voice lightened.

“If you’re discussing that with her, it means you trust Baek Seol-hee enough… and at the same time, she’s someone suitable for that.”

Ymir shrugged lightly, as if she “understood everything.”

“So today, will it be the three of us?”

“W-what?”

Baek Seol-hee was taken aback.

Like an Asian exchange student surprised by a Westerner’s social skills, Baek Seol-hee’s ice-cold face began to waver with confusion.

“The counseling, I mean. Though it’s not ordinary counseling.”

Ymir looked at me with a meaningful gaze.

If I were to read her eyes.

-I’m saving your life right now, so you owe me big time later.

As expected.

Ymir truly is the protagonist.

“Phew. I thought Baek Seol-hee was approaching you without knowing you’re married with child issues.”

“Um, excuse me?”

“Is this your first time hearing about it? It’s okay. It might be a bit thought-provoking, but… look at the teacher. He’s trying so hard to manage.”

That’s what makes a hero and protagonist—helping someone in an unfair situation, even if that person might be a villain.

“If Baek Seol-hee helps with the teacher’s situation alongside me, I have no reason to dislike her. It’s really nice to meet you!”

Look at Ymir, who was guarded and sharp-voiced just moments ago, suddenly addressing Baek Seol-hee with a bright voice.

“From now on, let’s share our concerns and talk together with Teacher Do Ji-hwan. The kind of worries we can’t tell others.”

As if Baek Seol-hee had joined a secret club “after” her.

“Oh, by the way, teacher.”

Ymir approached me with a beaming smile, staring at me with crescent-shaped eyes.

“Did you tell Baek Seol-hee about me?”

“Not yet.”

“I see. Then.”

Ymir closed her eyes briefly, then opened them and made a gesture toward me.

Something like.

I’m. Saving. Your. Life. Right. Now.

“Then I should also share my secret with Baek Seol-hee.”

“Secret…?”

“Baek Seol-hee?”

Ymir bowed her head slightly and smiled.

“I am the Platinum Sun.”

Baek Seol-hee was confused.