Ch.91Chapter 4. How to Conquer a Villain (4)

That time, at the Presidential Office in Busan.

“You stupid fool!”

The current President, Tae Chae-jin, shouted at the young man sitting on the sofa.

“I told you so many times not to fool around with just any woman!”

“Ah, I didn’t know!!”

The young man fiddling with his smartphone, ‘Tae Jo’, jerked his body in frustration while sitting on the sofa.

“You said the laws of humans can’t bind ability users! So I just had some fun with another ability user, why are you making such a big deal about it?!”

“Hey!!”

“What?!”

Privately, they were grandfather and grandson, but officially, they were the President and one of the country’s S-class heroes.

“Is that what you call talking or farting?! I’ve told you countless times! Men who can’t control their mouths and hands and this thing are doomed!”

“Ah, how was I supposed to know she was that kind of woman?!”

“Bring her here! Now!”

“How am I supposed to bring her? She’s already gone to Gangwon Province. And honestly, wouldn’t it be nice if she got preg—”

“You irresponsible idiot!!”

Their conversation was crude and explicit, hardly what one would expect from such figures.

Fortunately, the office was thoroughly soundproofed; otherwise, citizens would have been horrified to hear such talk.

“What do you think happens when an S-class ability user does that kind of thing with a C-class ability user?! Huh?”

“According to what I learned in health education, there’s a high probability of having a child?”

“How can you say that so casually when you might become a father?!”

“Wow! Am I going to be a dad?!”

“Hah…!”

The President covered his face with his hands.

He had raised his grandson indulgently because of his S-class status, and thanks to having S-class grandchildren, he had been able to rise to the presidency.

But since becoming President, most of his job had been cleaning up after this S-class troublemaker, Tae Jo.

“Fine. Why did you meet her in the first place?”

“Nothing special. We met at an airline event, exchanged contact information, and met up later. I left my Taegeuk Watch behind.”

“I told you to always carry your Taegeuk Watch!!”

“Come on, how can I wear that all the time? It’s not an electronic ankle monitor. Did I commit a sex crime? It was just young people having some fun after hitting it off…”

“Then you should have cleaned up properly afterward!!”

Bang.

“I-I used protection properly!”

“You should have tied it up and brought it back with you, not let that woman take it and run away!”

“I just threw it in the trash! How was I supposed to know she’d take it?!”

“You idiot!!”

When the President threw the booklet he was holding onto the floor, Tae Jo began to look nervous.

“Hoo, hoo. Tae Jo. Grandson. Listen carefully. This is a bigger problem than you think. Our agents are trying to protect that woman now, but if something goes wrong, she could be killed. Do you know why?”

“Um… why?”

“Because the genes of our country’s top S-class youth are more valuable than the granddaughter of a foreign airline’s ability user!!”

“Hehehe…”

“This is not funny!!”

The President pounded his chest in frustration.

At the same time, he displayed Juliana’s photo on the TV mounted on the office wall, and tapped the screen while shouting.

“Imagine if she goes back and has a child based on your genes! What would happen to that child?!”

“If it’s an ability user, they’d raise it; if not, they’d abandon it.”

“How can you say that so casually?”

“Because it’s reality.”

Tae Jo chuckled as he took a bite of the red bean jelly on the table.

“Grandpa. There’s no need to worry. Would she really have a child from that? I read in a health book that the activity dies quickly, so it’s fine!”

“Yes, yes. Our great S-class hero, the eldest son of the Tae family, unlike ordinary people, has exceptional genes from birth, so haven’t you considered that they might still be viable?”

“Uh…”

Tae Jo tilted his head.

“Is that scientifically possible?”

“You’re an ability user!!”

“Ability users are still human.”

“Don’t apply scientific standards to ability users!! What if she really gets pregnant? What if you spread your genes to women everywhere and end up with dozens or hundreds of sons?!”

“Well.”

Tae Jo shrugged.

“It’s not like I wanted to have the child, so why should I be responsible?”

“Ha, haha…”

The President collapsed into his seat, seemingly too exhausted to be angry anymore.

“I’ve raised a monster, a monster.”

“I am a being with monstrous abilities.”

“You always have to have the last word. Sigh. If, just if, she happens to die, you really…”

“Why would Juliana die?”

“……”

The President turned away.

Carefully suppressing a smirk so Tae Jo wouldn’t notice.

“Grandson. Think about it. Imagine you’re an ultranationalist. Would you just stand by and watch a foreign woman steal the great genes of the Tae family’s eldest grandson?”

“Then just retrieve it, why kill her?”

“Have you ever seen thieves left alone?”

“…Ah, that’s not right. Killing is a bit much.”

Tae Jo jumped to his feet.

“We promised to do it in my suit next time I go to Miami!!”

“…You’re really lucky you’re an S-class.”

“I act this way because I’m S-class. Kuhehe.”

Tae Jo approached the window.

“Where is Juliana now?”

“Don’t know. I heard she’s taking a plane from Yangyang to America. Why?”

“Why do you think?”

As Tae Jo opened the window, something like a steel mass flew toward him from outside.

Clank, clank, clank!

The steel pieces attached to Tae Jo’s body instantly formed armor covering his entire body, making him look like a steel man wearing royal robes.

“Saving women is a hero’s job.”

Crash!

Tae Jo jumped out, breaking the glass window.

Watching him leave, the President quietly reached for the antacid bottle on the table.

“That kid should have been born in America, not Korea… No, never mind. Yes, he’s the proud eldest grandson of our Tae family. Tsk.”

The President looked at the photo on the TV with a complicated expression.

“If there’s going to be a scandal, it should at least be with someone of equal status, like another S-class, not a C-class. C-class, really.”

* * *

Shortly after.

Having grasped the entire situation, I confirmed once more what the Syndicate’s position was.

“So we just need to make sure Juliana doesn’t die in Korea, right?”

“Yes. The government wants to cover up the scandal between S-class hero Tae Jo and C-class Juliana, and Hwalbindang wants to recover Tae Jo’s genes that Juliana stole.”

“What do we gain from this?”

“A portion of October Travel’s shares. And a favor.”

That word “favor” is truly frightening.

It’s just a word, but from the Syndicate’s perspective, collecting such small favors is the path to world domination.

“Wouldn’t it be better to bring October Travel to the Syndicate’s side rather than getting a headache trying to establish a new airline in their place? They’ll upgrade us to free first-class seats whenever we travel abroad.”

“Everything is for world domination, right?”

“Exactly. They’re an airline with a strong influence throughout Gangwon Province. If we recruit them into our Syndicate, they’ll be a great help in the future.”

“…Sigh.”

The conclusion was reached.

Like it or not, Juliana must not be killed on Korean soil.

“Then what about Tae Jo’s genes?”

“We eliminate them. So no one can misuse them.”

“What would anyone use them for?”

“Well, wouldn’t it be quite troublesome if someone kept them frozen and somehow used them in a test tube?”

“Tsk. Such a young guy already so loose…”

“Director, you’re loose too.”

“Director.”

“Sorry, sorry.”

I was about to kick Qiongqi’s behind but lowered my leg.

“It’s time. From now on, I’ll follow and protect the ‘thief’ from the shadows.”

“You don’t seem very enthusiastic.”

“From the perspective of Do Ji-hwan the human, not the Goblin of the Syndicate, Juliana is more unpleasant than Tae Jo.”

“Because you’re a man?”

“No. Because trying to have a child that way when there’s no love involved is itself unpleasant.”

“Hmm… I suppose from Director Do’s perspective, that makes sense. Our director is a passionate romantic. Not the type to charm women left and right.”

“……”

Whack.

“Ow! Did you hit my butt?! That’s sexual harassment!”

“It doesn’t even hurt, so your screaming is meaningless.”

“It’s the area that’s the problem! How can you hit a woman?”

“I don’t discriminate… I don’t practice gender discrimination. Next time I’ll kick your shin instead.”

“Honestly!”

Qiongqi frowned and rubbed her behind.

“Since we’re on the topic, Director. Can we consider Juliana… a villain?”

“Hmm…”

Qiongqi stared intently into my eyes, then lightly shook her head.

“Not to the extent of deserving death, I think?”

“Even though she’s a gene thief?”

“They did it by mutual consent, so no one can really blame her. If there’s fault, it’s on both sides. The man who didn’t dispose of it properly and the woman who tried to do something strange with it.”

“…Well, I understand it’s not enough to warrant killing her.”

Whirr.

I took out my mask.

“This is purely hypothetical.”

Transformation.

[If Juliana does something bad enough to deserve death.]

Clank.

[As the Goblin, would it be acceptable to kill her?]

“…Ah. Of course… Naturally.”

Qiongqi took out sunglasses from her pocket and put them on, raising her red lips in a smirk toward me.

“More important than these trivial circumstances are the Syndicate’s duties, the Goblin’s situation.”

Operation Protect Juliana.

Commence.