Ch.536Chapter 20. American Doblin (26)

The kind-hearted Ymir might not know, but most people who’ve seen the corruption of this country, Korea, up close tend to press the escape button.

“Yang Da-rin plans to use Desmond to escape to America if Korea collapses.”

In the empty space everyone had left, I spread a magic sound barrier around us and shared my theory with Ymir.

“Who knows. Someone might drop a meteor like a nuclear missile on Korea.”

“My goodness. Who would do such a dangerous thing?”

“Exactly. But many people have similar concerns. There’s a saying that the nail that sticks out gets hammered down, and there are those who envy Korea.”

Even our neighboring countries, jealous of the great God-Korea, are clamoring to extract resources from Korea.

“For Yang Da-rin, it’s not a losing deal at all. If Korea remains number one in the world, she can continue as the Haeguneul chairman’s wife and inherit his fortune when he dies.”

“And if Korea collapses, she goes to America to cling to Desmond… ugh, I feel uncomfortable even saying it.”

“But that’s the reality.”

Ymir cannot understand someone like Yang Da-rin.

To use the Japanese colonial period as an analogy, Ymir is a independence fighter, while Yang Da-rin is an opportunist who married a Japanese nobleman but also paved an escape route to America in case the Japanese Empire fell.

“But because Yang Da-rin is an opportunist, she’s very helpful to our Syndicate.”

“Does that help in bringing down Haeguneul?”

“Of course.”

It can deliver a severe psychological blow to the Haeguneul chairman.

“Even if the chairman can have any woman he wants, an A-rank female ability user is a different case.”

“Hmm…”

“Of course, he could freely embrace foreign A-rank ability users. Some of them would want to naturalize to Korea even if it meant becoming the second wife of an old man like Choi Ho-jung.”

I’m not making this up.

“You’ve seen such cases at the academy, right?”

“…As a D-rank, I didn’t mix with them much, but there were a few. Foreigners who wanted to obtain Korean citizenship and become Korean.”

Ermina was like that.

That first volume heroine who snorted mana powder and tried to kill Ymir was the most typical example.

Of course, she was also captivated by the protagonist, but at least until last year, she probably wanted to marry a Korean.

Anyway.

“While many people want to naturalize from abroad to Korea, there are also those trying to press the escape button from Korea. And Yang Da-rin is the most representative example.”

“Hmm…”

“Even though she realized Desmond is a collaborator with the Syndicate, she’s keeping her mouth shut? I’m 99% certain she’s planning to use Desmond and the Syndicate to flip the escape switch when Korea collapses.”

Or.

“Or maybe she’s trying to send her daughter to America somehow. She might be C-rank in Korea, but in America, she could receive treatment equivalent to a Korean B-rank.”

She might be paving the way to America in advance for her child’s sake.

“Either way, this is a secret from Desmond.”

“Why not tell the chairman? Wouldn’t it be more effective to approach if he knew?”

“Normally, I would. But since you sensed it with your woman’s intuition, I’m not going to tell him.”

There’s an effect to be gained by not telling him.

“If we tell Desmond about the NTR strategy and have him approach her, it becomes just a business relationship, but if we let him approach without knowing, it becomes pure love adultery.”

“Is it possible to combine the words ‘pure love’ and ‘adultery’?”

“You can attach any word before or after ‘pure love.’ Just like ability users insist on their ego.”

Any kind of pure love, if you claim it’s pure love, it can be pure love.

“Even if it’s two-timing, escape-Korea, asylum-seeking pure love, if Desmond isn’t accepting Yang Da-rin on someone’s orders, isn’t that pure love? Desmond is single anyway.”

“Ah.”

Chairman Desmond is currently unmarried.

He must have been married before, but currently has no wife.

“Then let’s keep it secret from Desmond, and start moving according to our purpose here.”

“Should I move with you?”

“No. Try that test. The thing you learned by watching from the corner of your eye when we entered Phoenix City.”

“…How did you know.”

Ymir pouted, then disappeared without a trace.

Of course, she didn’t completely vanish.

She’s just invisible to ordinary people’s eyes.

“I’ll call you when needed, so stay put.”

[Understood.]

It’s nothing special, but Ymir has mastered the method of becoming a ghost.

By letting virgin ghosts enter her doppelgänger, she figured out how to become a similar entity herself.

Though it’s different from my method.

Anyway.

Despite being genuinely surprised by the sudden meeting, our goal is the “item” that Desmond has secured.

“Let’s go.”

I picked up my americano cup and headed toward Desmond.

He looked quite tired, staring at his Taegeuk Watch with great anxiety.

[Is the date over?]

“…This voice.”

Desmond turned around with relief upon hearing my voice.

“I’m sorry. I suddenly got caught up in something like an accident…huh?”

“First time seeing each other since Jeju Island. Seeing you dating a married woman and all, I’m relieved you’re doing well.”

“…No, that.”

Desmond pointed at my face with his eyes.

“Is that some kind of mask…?”

“Everyone has masks, personas.”

“That’s psychological… well, never mind. What does appearance matter anyway.”

Perhaps it’s because he’s the chairman of a major airline.

Just as his hair is white but without a single bald spot, he knows the surest psychological management method to prevent hair loss stress.

“It wasn’t a date with a married woman, just business. I’m interested in that golf course they’re building in North Korean territory.”

“While playing golf together?”

“Our hobbies just happened to match. She plays well even without using abilities. If she weren’t an ability user, she could have won international tournaments as a professional golfer.”

“But she’s married.”

“Regardless of whether she’s married… no, why do you keep trying to link me with that woman? I’m not some kid. Jokes should have limits.”

Desmond showed obvious displeasure.

“She’s the Haeguneul chairman’s wife. If something goes wrong by getting entangled in that direction, it’s not just me or Faygreen who would suffer, but the Syndicate as well.”

“Oh ho.”

“Why are you looking at me like that? I’m now on the same plane as the Syndicate. Of course I should think of the Syndicate first.”

That was somewhat unexpected.

“Isn’t that why you called me here? I’ve been staying in Japan for weeks, but the person who called me hasn’t shown up and instead became the protagonist of a funeral.”

“That was an unavoidable accident.”

“I know. A crazy demon appeared that turns people into women.”

Demons appearing is commonplace, and schedules being delayed or problems arising due to villains or demons is just one of the common accidents in business.

“Do you know how much mental suffering I’ve endured while holding onto that item?”

“You’ve been through a lot.”

“Of course. As soon as I secured it in Japan, people came and… whew. It was quite a scene. I never expected to sit through lectures from Japanese politicians about the traditional history between Japan and Korea.”

Desmond finished his remaining tea and stood up.

“Let’s go to the room. I need to dispose of this quickly, then return to America to handle business before going to Korea.”

“Korea?”

“If the Syndicate has no specific instructions for me, I can enjoy my freedom, right? That’s why I put a professional manager in place with a hefty salary.”

Desmond turned his eyes toward a poster with eyes full of determination.

“I’m going to watch the World Cup from the preliminaries to the end. Let those salaried folks handle the company business.”

“Is it okay for the chairman to be absent?”

“I worked my bones off when I was young and saved money, what’s the point if I can’t enjoy freedom with that money when I’m old?”

“That’s profound.”

No matter how much the generations have been sharply divided by the Great Transformation, the truths of human society remain unchanged.

“Let’s go up. At least with the Haeguneul chairman’s wife beside me, I could ward people off, but with just a handsome young bodyguard like you—”

“Mr. Faygreen—!”

“…Fuck.”

Uttering the crisp pronunciation of his homeland briefly, Desmond put on a friendly smile.

“Well, Mr…Fujimura.”

“Thank you for calling me Mister, Chairman Faygreen.”

“……”

I quickly scanned the person who had called out to Desmond from head to toe.

It’s a woman.

A black-haired beauty.

A woman who looks like she could be the default output of an AI image generator.

“You are…”

“My bodyguard.”

“I don’t think I’ve seen them until now…?”

“Ah, that’s.”

“I’m an ability user.”

Whoosh.

I quickly transformed into a spirit form, then immediately returned to my original appearance.

“Oh, oh…! The invisibility ability?! Amazing. As expected of Mr. Faygreen. Having an ability user with invisibility powers as a bodyguard. I’m envious. That…”

The woman called Fujimura licked her lips and gave Desmond an intense, pleading look.

“Do you happen to know an ability user who can turn women back into men?”

That’s right.

This woman was a “man” until the first day of the Osaka Comic Market.

[Teacher. Search complete. She’s a member of the Osaka district council, a middle-aged bald man.]

‘If a middle-aged bald man becomes a slender beautiful girl, is that a blessing?’

It might be a blessing for some, but for someone who is a “council member,” it probably has a different meaning.

“Haha. That’s beyond my… So why have you come looking for me?”

“Ah, well.”

Fujimura (female) straightened her posture.

“Regarding that ‘Pensive Bodhisattva statue’ that Mr. Faygreen purchased at the auction, we received a report that it might be fraudulent.”

“……”

“You see, Mr. Faygreen, you bought it believing it was a Korean cultural artifact, but…”

“Actually, it’s a cultural artifact from our Japan.”