Ch.54Chapter 3. Ulleung, the Island of Miracles and Patriotism (3)

The sudden phone call honestly caught me off guard.

Wait, why is this woman calling me at this hour?

It’s almost 10 PM, isn’t it?

Why is she calling me when we should be having a meeting about the Doppelgänger demon and Goblin that appeared today?

[Where are you right now?]

“Excuse me?”

[Could we meet now?]

Her voice sounds choked up.

I immediately sensed what it meant when a woman asks to meet this late at night, but unfortunately, I’m physically unable to get anywhere near her.

“Well… I hate to say this, but I’m currently outside Sejong Island.”

[What?]

“I’m on Ulleungdo right now.”

[…….]

Baek Seol-hee fell silent.

I felt guilty even though I hadn’t done anything wrong.

To be honest, it is my fault.

When a woman calls with a depressed voice at night, it’s a man’s fault if he’s in a location that’s more than an hour away.

Especially when the woman in question isn’t married, doesn’t have a boyfriend, and lives alone(?).

I don’t know why she called me, but considering what Yoon Yi-seon said, I seem to be doing a good job as a counselor for heroes.

She probably called for counseling.

That’s why she wanted to meet.

“Um, did things go south at the meeting again?”

[Pfft…!]

I took a shot in the dark, and it was right on target.

Most heroes’ grievances stem from armchair theories and hasty administration causing countless civilian casualties, and naturally, S-class heroes suffer the most damage.

“Did someone confront you again about why you couldn’t catch the Goblin, why you didn’t attack on the spot and let it escape? Was it that balding man with the potbelly?”

[He’s not balding. Do you have spies somewhere? Or can you gather information through the phone?]

“I can tell just from your voice. You want to meet me and vent about those ‘higher-ups,’ right?”

As a reader of the original novel, and considering Baek Seol-hee’s voice, situation, and this world’s background, it’s obvious.

“I’m happy to listen over the phone. I’m at a pension in Ulleungdo right now.”

[…A pension?]

“Yes.”

[……With whom?]

What’s this?

I’m clearly soaking in a hot spring, but somehow I feel a chill down my spine.

It’s cold.

It feels like magical power is flying like a dagger and piercing my heart.

Is this what it means to make someone tense with just a voice?

“I came alone.”

[That’s a lie. How expensive do you think Ulleungdo pensions are? And you went alone? To ‘Ulleungdo’ of all places?]

She emphasizes the word “Ulleungdo” when asking me.

Considering the social status of Ulleungdo, going there alone suggests only two possibilities.

Either I went with someone to Ulleungdo for some “patriotic activity” and I’m lying about it.

Or I met a woman in Ulleungdo for some “patriotic activity” and I’m lying about it.

It’s no different from saying I went to a Gangnam club to dance.

“Want to video call?”

[What?]

“I’m soaking in a hot spring right now, so I can only show my upper body, but we can video call on the Taeguk Watch if that’s okay.”

[R-right now? …Okay. Let’s do it. Right now.]

I took my hand out of the water and pointed the Taeguk Watch toward me, and soon Baek Seol-hee’s face appeared on the small screen.

[Oh.]

Wearing a white shirt, Baek Seol-hee blushed with embarrassment when she saw me.

I had no intention of having a Goblin chest party, so I was submerged up to my collarbone during the video call, but she still blushed with embarrassment.

“Do you believe me now?”

[You’re really alone at the pension? It looks like a really nice pension.]

“It’s a pension with a hot spring.”

[……Is the water warm?]

“Yes. It stays above 40 degrees constantly. Ulleungdo is a volcanic island, you know. The hot spring water is heated by geothermal energy from there.”

[How nice….]

She genuinely envies me.

If I wanted to continue the conversation or persuade Baek Seol-hee, introducing this place would be the optimal choice, but I feel a bit awkward talking about it.

‘This is a place to increase mana?’

The world’s most efficient spot for mana recovery and maximum mana enhancement.

A place where I can not only recover my depleted magical power overnight but also watch my magical power stat increase in real-time.

It’s about 0.1 stack per hour, but considering others increase by 1 at the fourth decimal place, it’s incredibly efficient.

I can’t stay here forever.

There’s something like a built-in cooldown.

Perhaps it’s nature’s way of saying not to camp here, or a device designed to facilitate appropriate light novel-like activities through hot springs.

But.

If I could recruit Baek Seol-hee by revealing this place?

If I could make Baek Seol-hee an ally, even if it means giving up this place?

‘Definitely Baek Seol-hee.’

I’m not being a simp.

It’s a rational choice based on strategic considerations.

‘Today’s Baek Seol-hee is wavering. Now’s the time to make my pitch.’

If I can listen to Baek Seol-hee’s complaints after being thoroughly chewed out by the higher-ups because of the Goblin, and recruit her into our Syndicate?

“Um, Seol-hee.”

[Can I come?]

“Pardon?”

[Can I come there directly? Ulleungdo isn’t that far.]

“…At this hour?”

[Ah.]

Baek Seol-hee smiled brightly at my question.

[Asking about the time means it’s okay if the time is fine, right?]

“Ah, well, that’s true, but wouldn’t it be uncomfortable? If people found out a man and woman were together in Ulleungdo in this situation, it could cause a lot of trouble for you.”

[Don’t worry about that. I can get to Ulleungdo in 10 minutes.]

What an outrageous S-class move.

“10 minutes?”

[Yes. If I move underwater, it takes 10 minutes. And I won’t get wet.]

“You’re saying you’ll use your ability to come here?”

[Of course. How else would I get from here to Ulleungdo in 10 minutes?]

She’s right.

If I used mana power, if I used the Goblin’s club with imagination, I could make the one-way trip between Sejong Island and Ulleungdo in 20 minutes at most.

[Tell me the address. And… I’ll be there within 15 minutes, so please open a window.]

“No, wait. If there’s a scandal….”

Click.

The call ended.

Hanging up unilaterally is essentially silent pressure to send the address.

If I don’t send the address now?

My relationship with Baek Seol-hee ends here.

It’s essentially the same as saying goodbye to Baek Seol-hee myself.

“…Tsk. Ah. Message to Baek Seol-hee. Ulleung Special Administrative District….”

I sent the address to Baek Seol-hee via text through the Taeguk Watch.

Her reply was just a short [Okay.]

“…Huh.”

I’m becoming suspicious about why this woman suddenly insisted on meeting me.

Since it’s an open-air bath, she doesn’t need to open a window; she can just land here when she sees me, but honestly, I’m quite flustered.

“Ah. Text. Please leave your Taeguk Watch behind.”

I left a message just in case.

S-class ability users’ locations are tracked in real-time on the Hero Association’s information network.

And she’s just going to wear it and come here?

[SHOCK] Hero S, spends the night with a man at a pension in Ulleungdo.

[BREAKING] Snow White’s prince appears? Dwarfs in tears

[EXCLUSIVE] Librarian Do, who is he?

That’s bound to happen.

“Ugh, this is crazy….”

I checked the text message through the Taeguk Watch, but frustratingly, the ‘1’ next to the message I sent after her ‘Okay’ hasn’t disappeared.

What should I do?

Should I call her?

“…No.”

There’s no reason to be flustered.

No, this is actually what I wanted.

If I become involved in a scandal with Baek Seol-hee here, it would become huge gossip, and my chances of approaching people around Baek Seol-hee might increase.

Specifically, the protagonist.

Baek Seol-hee is also one of the heroines in the original novel, and she’s in the “teacher position.”

Yoon Yi-seon as the student.

Baek Seol-hee as the teacher.

As one of the two most popular heroines—according to the original setting—the protagonist will surely become entangled with Baek Seol-hee.

Then I can meet the protagonist through Baek Seol-hee.

And use Baek Seol-hee, or work with her to…

“Tsk. I’m such garbage.”

Using a woman’s feelings to achieve my goals.

Exploiting a hero’s weak and wavering heart to corrupt them for the benefit of the Syndicate.

“…It is the standard brainwashing method for an evil organization executive to target a hero when they’re mentally vulnerable and turn them into a villain.”

This might be the “Goblin enchantment” operation that the Goblin in the original novel failed at numerous times.

‘But can things really go this smoothly?’

I’m worried.

Baek Seol-hee has been involved in numerous scandals with male heroes, celebrities, and chaebol family members.

Of course, all those scandals were rumors spread by men trying to somehow get involved with Baek Seol-hee, and she flatly stated she had no interest in them.

But what if.

‘If it were anyone but Baek Seol-hee, this would be a 100% green light!’

What if Baek Seol-hee is actually interested in me?

‘Damn. This is driving me crazy.’

What is Baek Seol-hee’s true intention?

Is she seeking face-to-face therapy from a mental counselor to stabilize her wavering mentality as a hero?

Or is she visiting a man she’s interested in at night?

From an ability user’s perspective, it’s the former.

But considering the countless stories of fresh-faced men and women in their early twenties in modern times, it’s definitely a green light.

My intuition as a man, my hope as a man, is telling me.

If I’m not careful…

“Wow.”

In the distance.

Something like a dark silhouette flashed from the sea.

I can see it well because I’m sensitive to mana, but the soldiers guarding the outpost probably just see it as seawater reflecting moonlight.

SPLASH!

With a powerful sound, waves splashed up.

And she appeared before me as I soaked in the hot spring.

“…I arrived a bit early.”

“……You really came?”

“Of course I really came.”

Baek Seol-hee appeared, bundled up from neck to ankle in a black long padded jacket.

“Um, why did you come?”

I just asked whatever came to mind, forgetting any prepared lines.

“I need counseling.”

Baek Seol-hee looked at me calmly and answered.

“I thought you would listen to whatever I wanted to talk about.”

“What kind of content?”

“…Complaining about the minister?”

“…First.”

I decided to address one unbearable thing first.

“Even though it’s an open-air bath, your shoes…”

“Ah.”

“Take off your shoes and go through there to leave them at the entrance.”

Even an S-class hero must never do certain things in this country.