Ch.179Chapter 7. Crisis into Opportunity (3)

Morning.

Baek Seol-hee woke up from sleep with a hazy mind.

She felt like she had fallen asleep in an extremely tired state last night, but after sleeping, her whole body seemed refreshed.

It felt like everything that had been building up was now relieved.

A feeling like waking up from such a deep sleep that she might have been snoring, a sensation so blissful she wondered if it was possible to wake up any happier in the morning.

When had she felt this way before?

Right.

That day, on Ulleungdo—

“!!”

“Are you awake?”

Seol-hee’s heart sank at the voice whispering right beside her.

“J-Ji-hwan…?”

“You still seem half-asleep.”

“Why are you…?”

“Teacher, the soup is ready.”

“Okay. I’ll be right there.”

Another woman’s voice came from the direction of the kitchen.

For a moment she thought, ‘Who is that woman?’ but then realized it was Ymir’s voice.

But.

Why were they in her room?

“You left your Taeguk Watch behind. Ymir opened a space. Since staying in my room would be uncomfortable, we came over here.”

“Ah, r-right. I kept trying to contact…Ah!”

Seol-hee reflexively reached out to the bedside table.

“The contact…!”

“There wasn’t any. Nothing urgent. If there had been, we would have woken you up, right?”

“……Oh.”

Feeling like she had made a scene, Seol-hee’s face reddened for no reason.

“Checking your Taeguk Watch first thing after waking up. A hero’s work is truly demanding.”

“……Something feels off.”

“What is it?”

“We….”

Seol-hee alternately pointed at Do Ji-hwan, who was staring at her, and herself.

“Didn’t we agree to speak informally…?”

“Do Ji-hwan, who had been looking at her with a blank expression, was relieved that she remembered correctly.”

“What?”

“I said you remember correctly.”

Do Ji-hwan relaxed his expression and patted Seol-hee’s head.

“Get up. The food is ready.”

“The food….”

“I’m using ingredients from my refrigerator. Don’t worry. I didn’t look in your fridge.”

“!!”

Seol-hee’s mind snapped to attention once more.

Wait.

He came into my room?

Yes, he did come in.

Ymir had agreed to stay in this room first as a sort of sentry, and meanwhile, she had tested Do Ji-hwan to ensure his unwavering will wouldn’t break.

But Do Ji-hwan entering this room was unexpected.

If Do Ji-hwan had entered this room, it meant she hadn’t tidied up at all before going to his room—

“…Ah.”

While Do Ji-hwan went to the kitchen, Seol-hee quickly surveyed the room.

Everything was neatly organized.

The coat she had carelessly taken off and left on the floor, the underwear she had tossed into the laundry basket, even the empty beer cans she had stacked like bowling pins after drinking alone to relieve stress at night—all gone!!

“…….”

Seol-hee recalled Do Ji-hwan’s room.

Though not quite obsessive-compulsive, it was so meticulously organized it could have been a model home.

Of course, one could say it was because different people came in and out every day, but compared to Seol-hee’s own room, it was cleaned to hotel standards.

If that was the case.

This room, could it be that Do Ji-hwan…?

“Ah….”

“Unni.”

While Do Ji-hwan was busy serving food onto plates in the kitchen, Ymir approached and lowered her voice.

“I did all the cleaning. Teacher doesn’t know.”

“Ah.”

“While you were busy with the teacher, I cleaned your room.”

“…Th-thank you…?”

“Hehe. Get up. You need to eat breakfast. Don’t worry. None of the things you’re concerned about were found.”

“……Really?”

“Yes.”

Seol-hee felt both grateful and a little sorry toward Ymir.

“…I’ll treat you to a big meal later.”

“I didn’t do it expecting anything in return. But instead. Later, you know.”

Ymir scanned the kitchen with her eyes, then lowered her voice and held out her pinky finger.

“If I can’t handle it alone, can I ask for your help…?”

“…….”

Seol-hee felt ashamed of herself in the face of Ymir’s kindness.

While she wanted to monopolize him, this woman was showing understanding and consideration.

And she was even younger.

“…Of course. If there’s a next time, I’ll ask for your help then.”

“Yes. Let’s help each other. Against that vicious villain.”

“……!”

Seol-hee’s heart sank for a moment, and Ymir put her index finger to her lips and winked.

“We’ll talk about the details later, just the two of us.”

“…Okay.”

Seol-hee was a bit confused, but she also had another thought.

Was that “villain” just referring to the ferocious club he wielded at night?

Taking it literally would mean that Do Ji-hwan was the epitome of being gentle by day and fierce by night.

Indeed, his club was so ferocious that it made Seol-hee want to surrender everything, and she eventually lost all consciousness.

Without a clock, she couldn’t check the time, nor could she gauge when she had started and when she had lost consciousness.

If that’s what Ymir meant, it was just a malicious expression used as a joke.

But what if it was the expression as Seol-hee understood it?

-I know Do Ji-hwan is the Goblin, so don’t worry.

-I’m pretending not to know, so please cooperate.

-I’ll tell you later why I’m pretending to get close to him, but for now, please cooperate with me.

That’s what it seemed like she was saying.

Ymir.

If Platinum Sun knows that the Goblin is Do Ji-hwan and is still maintaining this relationship.

Why wouldn’t she tell others and instead help hide that he’s the Goblin?

Perhaps there’s something she doesn’t know.

Unlike herself, who is merely an S-class hero, Ymir possesses an ability like that of a “god” who can purify demons.

“……Huh.”

Seol-hee decided not to think too complexly.

“Sit down.”

“…Western food.”

“It’s easier to prepare.”

Though he said that, seeing Do Ji-hwan who seemed to have prepared only her favorite foods for breakfast, Seol-hee gave up thinking any further.

“What’s wrong?”

“Just, I’m tired of thinking about anything.”

Yes.

What does it matter if Do Ji-hwan is the Goblin?

What does it matter if he’s a man with a wife?

After all.

“Do Ji-hwan.”

“Yes?”

“…Aahn.”

It’s all the fault of this man who has fallen for her.

If.

If that’s a lie.

Then….

* * *

“I think I said something unnecessary.”

“Heheh. But it worked out well, right? I calculated everything before saying it.”

After serving breakfast to Baek Seol-hee and exchanging greetings, I grabbed Ymir as soon as we returned to my room.

“Now that I’ve drawn her attention, she’ll ask me rather than you. Why are you hiding that you’re the Goblin? What’s the reason?”

“What are you going to say?”

“That there’s more benefit in hiding that I’m the Goblin?”

“Benefit?”

“Yes. Solving it like a hero would.”

Instead, Ymir grabbed my shoulders and pushed me against the wall.

“Even if a villain walks the path of a villain, it’s a hero’s mission to guide them in the right direction and make them a hero.”

“…Are you trying to persuade me?”

“A Goblin on the side of justice. Sounds plausible, right? And it’s actually producing results, right? The Goblin is now avoiding killing people.”

“…You’re not wrong.”

“Hehe. It won’t unfold as seriously as you’re worried about. If you get stabbed in the stomach with an ice spear by Seol-hee unni, it won’t be because you hid that you’re the Goblin….”

Ymir’s index finger brushed across my lips.

“It’ll be when she finds out you lied about falling for her.”

“…….”

“Honestly, Seol-hee unni probably won’t care much that you’re the Goblin. It’s not like the Goblin sexually harassed her, or made fun of her for being bald, or played with villains in front of her while cracking people’s skulls.”

“I haven’t done anything bad.”

“Yes. So there’s nothing to worry about. About being the Goblin. You basically revealed everything yesterday, and the persuasion with the club is all done.”

“I won’t deny that.”

Ymir is right.

Even if Baek Seol-hee definitely finds out that I’m the Goblin, she won’t feel betrayed.

Rather, she would feel more betrayed by the words “I did it because I like you.”

“Haa. I was the one who didn’t need to think so complicatedly.”

There’s no need to think about it in such a complicated way.

I should just accept the situation as it is.

“It would be easier to think by reversing the order of events.”

I exposed my identity to Baek Seol-hee because I like her, and because I want to impregnate her.

Among the many heroines and women on this island, there was only one reason why I specifically became close to Baek Seol-hee.

Because I.

Want to make her mine.

I want to make Baek Seol-hee mine and have her bear my child.

Honestly.

If I disliked Baek Seol-hee, I wouldn’t have approached her in the first place.

“That’s right. Maybe I did like Baek Seol-hee.”

“…….”

“What?”

“…Huh? This isn’t right?”

Ymir rolled her eyes with a serious expression.

“Um, teacher? Weren’t you a bad man who plays with women’s feelings?”

“I was. But thanks to you, I thought about it for a moment. If I didn’t like Baek Seol-hee, I wouldn’t have touched her in the first place. I don’t do patriotic service for people I don’t like.”

“…Why do you like her?”

“She’s pretty, has a nice body, good personality, and looks like she’d bear children well?”

“Wow….”

Ymir gaped in astonishment.

“Then what about me?”

“You are….”

I was about to answer, but instead pushed Ymir’s face away with my hand.

“Forget it. When you look at me with those eyes, I don’t want to answer even if I wanted to.”

“Aw, tell me. Don’t be like that.”

“You want to hear it?”

“Yes!”

“Then listen carefully.”

I pulled Ymir’s ear.

“I never had any intention of using a condom with you in the first place.”

“…….”

“Satisfied? Now let’s go. To exorcise demons.”

“…Do you plan to use one in the future?”

“No.”

That is.

“I’m a patriot.”

Because it’s treason.

* * *

Swoosh.

Gentle waves rise at Busan Port.

A massive white passenger ship, much larger than other vessels, has arrived at the port.

As numerous people gather at the harbor, one-ton trucks line up and begin moving toward the docked passenger ship.

The white-painted trucks were all special vehicles, and each carried a container that filled the entire truck bed.

The Korean Hero Association’s logo was prominently stamped on the outside of the containers.

Rumble rumble.

As trucks carrying one person each in the containers boarded the passenger ship one by one, a brown-haired woman in a black suit standing on the ship’s deck tapped her Taeguk Watch to make a call somewhere.

“Yes. Yes. Boarding has begun. We will move everyone to the destination. Yes. Everything is for the eternal development of the nation and people.”

Click.

“I will ensure that the ‘traitors’ are moved to the laboratory as soon as they arrive on the island.”