Ch.600Chapter 23. Patriotic General Do Ji-hwan (4)

When people misunderstand a relationship between a man and a woman, what’s the best way to resolve it?

There are several methods, but there’s one that most definitively clears up misunderstandings.

“It’s true.”

Even if it started as a misunderstanding, once you admit to it, that’s the end of it.

This might create other problems, but if those problems don’t actually affect us, then there’s no real issue.

Ymir had patriotic relations with me.

Yoon Yi-seon had patriotic relations with me.

Since they coolly acknowledged it themselves and proudly announced it in front of everyone, there’s nothing left to cause problems.

If there is a problem, it would be the people gossiping about the two of them.

“I wonder if they’re so desperate to awaken abilities that they’d give their bodies to a man?”

“Right. Ugh, it’s disgusting. Really.”

The people sitting in the café were openly making targeted comments about someone.

There was no real reason to listen to them, but I came to the café wearing a scholar’s hat specifically to gauge public opinion.

“Disgusting indeed.”

Baek Seol-hee twisted her lips into a sneer toward those insulting Do Ji-hwan’s patriotic partners.

“If it were ordinary people saying such things, I could understand, but when people like them talk like that, it just looks ugly.”

“Who are they?”

“Students from Sejong Island Academy.”

It’s natural for those who don’t have to envy those who do.

Most of those insulting the patriotic partners were ability users.

The men cursed Do Ji-hwan, while the women cursed his patriotic partners.

Even if there were people who could manipulate public opinion, the current public sentiment in Korea shouldn’t be carelessly manipulated.

Why?

“What about mobilizing the Tavern Owner and merchants to defend them?”

“Even though those people get paid for keyboard battles, if every response they get is ‘Yeah, you leeches from the fallen Haeguneul,’ it would break their spirit.”

People accused those defending Do Ji-hwan and his patriotic partners of being Haeguneul sympathizers.

Even those with strong resolve against the Syndicate couldn’t tolerate it.

“I can endure personal insults, but being treated like Haeguneul spawn is unbearable. We can’t let our excellent Tavern Owner and merchants collapse from stress, so we decided to just let people say whatever they want on the internet.”

“That’s somewhat fortunate… I guess? Well, since I’m not directly involved, I shouldn’t speak carelessly…”

“You can speak freely. You went through something much worse.”

Baek Seol-hee smiled brightly as she stirred the whipped cream with her straw.

“The first time is always the hardest. That’s what being a senior is about. Whether Haeguneul manipulated public opinion or not, the words of those who sided with the leeches weren’t entirely wrong. The unicorns’…”

Poke.

“The heroine must be a virgin.”

“……”

“They interfere even more than with celebrities, really.”

This world was a Korean nationalist light novel.

No matter how many settings and tricks the author tried to employ, there were things readers couldn’t tolerate.

-So is the heroine a virgin?

The heroine’s virginity.

Among the female characters appearing, unless they were married women or widows, there were those who wouldn’t consider anyone but never-dated-before characters as heroines.

In this world, such people were mixed in among the “hero fans.”

In reality, they might not say it to someone’s face, but when Baek Seol-hee presented Do Ji-hwan with a pregnancy warrant on the internet, countless people burned down community forums.

-I’m burning all my Baek Seol-hee merchandise!

ㄴNo, those were made through a hard-won collaboration with Haeguneul…

ㄴShut up!

That was a massive fire incident that even the leeches couldn’t twist in any direction.

It’s the same now.

“Is Yi-seon keeping her social media open?”

“I told her to close it, but she kept it open. She’s probably being terrorized through DMs right now. Not as badly as you were, but it’s definitely happening.”

Almost no one would send hate comments directly to a hero.

Almost none, but all kinds of people exist in the world.

What if they become demons because of it?

There are two types:

Those who make excuses, saying they never expected things to turn out that way.

And those who say, “The pure virgin I knew is dead, so I don’t care if she became a demon.”

If the former is like an insurance fraud deer, the latter would be a true foreign car-hating deer.

The same goes for unicorns.

The former are those who enjoy heroes’ troubles and difficulties, anonymously cursing ability users out of malice.

The latter could be described as fans whose devotion has turned dark.

But I have no intention of comforting them.

Even if some people turn dark, it’s absurd for heroes to be stressed out of concern for them.

“You know what? I’ve had a realization. Women are destined to be criticized the moment they become someone’s woman.”

“Huh?”

“If you become someone’s woman when you’re young, they criticize you for using your body carelessly. If you maintain your purity and age, they criticize you for not having done it at your age. And if you find a man when you’re much older, they say, ‘That old hag is so desperate she’ll grab any man.'”

Baek Seol-hee shook her head irritably.

“In that case, isn’t it best to stay with the first man you have a relationship with for life? If you’re going to be criticized anyway, why get married and have children? If everyone just criticizes each other, doesn’t marry, and doesn’t have children, the birth rate will drop and eventually the country will perish.”

“……”

“What’s wrong? Did I say something too harsh?”

“No. It was a scary story because it seems like it could actually happen.”

Perhaps.

In this world where patriotism equals the future, this might not apply, but perhaps some country in some world will naturally disappear in the future.

A people who choose to disappear by not having offspring, saying their race is hopeless.

There’s no greater irony than that.

“I wish people would have more open minds about patriotic relations. Ah, I don’t mean being promiscuous or anything. What I’m trying to say is that we need to be more tolerant of others’ patriotic acts. Especially if they’re heroes.”

“I understand your thoughts, Baek Seol-hee, but I think we can end this topic now.”

I pointed at the women who were just leaving the café.

“It’s like preaching to deaf ears.”

“…I wonder if they really heard. I meant for them to hear it.”

They heard what Baek Seol-hee was saying.

Through the lingering magical energy, they heard Baek Seol-hee’s nagging like white noise in this café full of people.

That’s why they left.

Blushing, stomping their sneakers, constantly muttering about how annoying it was—all because something struck a nerve.

Of course, we didn’t say anything that could identify us specifically.

Baek Seol-hee just gave a polite warning in her own way to make those who were trying to slander Do Ji-hwan’s patriotic partners as sluts feel ashamed of themselves.

“…They can’t be young women of the world’s greatest country forever, so how long can they keep their noses in the air?”

“Who knows. After the World Cup?”

“Right away? I think it would take at least three years to drain all that kimchi premium from their bodies.”

“You never know. They might leave for America soon. They entrust their self-esteem to the nation, yet try to tear down those who actually raise the national status just to boost their own pride. They’ll probably take the traitor tech route.”

“No, dear. It’s just that the country they put their hand on their heart for won’t be Korea anymore. In their own way, they’ll continue to be patriots.”

“That’s harsh.”

“There’s nothing more frustrating than being a hero and not being able to say what you want to say.”

Baek Seol-hee turned her eyes toward the window.

“Look at Yi-seon. As soon as you gave permission, she immediately became proactive. I never imagined she would actually hold a press conference at that hotel in Jeju Island.”

“Neither did I.”

Yoon Yi-seon.

Following Baek Seol-hee, she dropped a bomb on the entire world.

“So when is she going to confess?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“How am I supposed to handle something that isn’t even true but is being stated as fact?”

And now, she’s preparing a second nuclear warhead.

“I’m fine with it. Even if it’s a lie, if it makes the curses and hate comments return to those who send them, there’s no more effective method.”

“A lie… I feel like you’ll turn it into an ‘established fact’ later.”

“Me?”

“That’s what I did. And if Yi-seon wants it? Ymir is being reserved for now, but if Yi-seon goes all out, Ymir might change her mind too.”

“Is that so…”

Perhaps there is such a possibility.

“I don’t know. Let it be. Having something is better than having nothing.”

“My, my. Listen to you. So you have been thinking about it?”

“If things are going this way anyway, it might be better to drive home the misunderstanding completely to protect Yi-seon.”

Do Ji-hwan’s awakening story.

“People get stronger through patriotic relations. If I can make that misunderstanding more certain, if I can protect Yi-seon’s mental health with it, I’m willing to be trash.”

Even if.

“Even if the whole world condemns me.”

“Uwah…?!”

During the ongoing live interview, the nuclear warhead exploded.