Episode 366. Return (3)

“You’re amazing, Hoyeon-nim.”

“Daddy… That was a bit much this time.”

“….”

As I somehow managed to get out of the airport, avoiding the reporters, I saw Scarlet and Rebecca.

They seemed to have been waiting for me, and judging by their sour expressions, they knew what had happened at the airport.

“Life really isn’t easy.”

“Daddy, are you just going to brush it off like that?”

“I think you need to taste the real bitterness of life to get your act together.”

“…Sorry. But what am I supposed to do?”

I picked up my panties the moment they fell, so no reporter took a picture.

But plenty of people saw it.

If even one person managed to snap a photo, they’d spread it across all the news outlets, making it even worse.

“So, what exactly was that black panty?”

“It’s Liliana’s. I don’t know why it was in my pocket. I probably put it in by mistake while packing.”

“That’s a relief! I thought maybe you’d packed it on purpose, Daddy.”

“…As if.”

-No way. Lee Hoyeon definitely… Nngh.

I pressed down hard on Liliana, who had turned into a necklace, avoiding Rebecca’s gaze.

By the way, since when were those reporters there?

Rebecca and Scarlet left earlier while Alice was saying goodbye to her family, so they probably know the situation.

“But why are there so many reporters?”

“I don’t know where the information leaked from, but reporters were already swarming the place.”

“No way, is the security at the Iris Guild that bad?”

Or did the information spread from Korea?

Maybe an airline employee or another passenger spread it.

I don’t know if I’m that big of a deal.

“The articles are already starting to come out.”

“This is bad.”

I hope I’m not called ‘Panty Man’ starting tomorrow.

If I’m called the ‘Panty Mage’ instead of the ‘Genius Mage,’ I’ll really want to die.

“But there’s no mention of your embarrassing secret, Daddy.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I skimmed through them, and there’s nothing like that. The reporters who were close should have seen it properly, so it’s strange?”

I took Rebecca’s smartwatch and looked through the articles.

[Genius Mage Lee Hoyeon Returns Home. France’s Pride, Alice, Also Accompanies Him.]

[ (Photo) Lee Hoyeon and Alice Appear Arm-in-Arm at the Airport. Confident and Affectionate Appearance]

[Victoria Academy’s Special Exam. Controversy Over Lee Hoyeon’s Special Treatment?]

“There really isn’t any?”

There were tons of articles titled ‘Lee Hoyeon,’ but not a single mention of panties.

It was also strange that there was no mention of the black cloth at all.

“No way, did nobody see it?”

“…Did nobody see it?”

“Well…? If we saw it from afar, the people nearby definitely would have.”

“Hoyeon-nim. Speaking of which, where did those panties go?”

“Alice took them.”

“Ah…”

-That panty thief! She’s definitely trying to seduce Lee Hoyeon with those sexy panties!

Liliana trembled indignantly, and Scarlet nodded only after hearing that Alice had taken them.

“Why?”

“It’s nothing.”

“No, what is it?”

“Let’s hurry back home. Nam Daeun-yang is probably waiting.”

“Is that so? Let’s go home first.”

“Your girlfriend is quite lovely, Daddy.”

Scarlet’s right.

Articles like that aren’t important.

It’s good that there’s no mention of the panties, so who cares?

The exam should be over by now, so Nam Daeun will be waiting at home.

I shook my head and followed Scarlet, who was walking ahead, towards home.

*

Alice’s Mansion.

Alice, who had returned home immediately after arriving from the airport, lay down on the familiar bed.

“Yes. Block anything that includes the words ‘panties’ or ‘black.’ If we block the breaking news, the rest can be handled quickly.”

Click-

Alice hung up the phone and finally took off her coat.

From here on, it’s the domain of informants.

Although it was a rather complicated request, the influence the Iris Guild had built spread throughout the world.

Using the connections the Korean branch had established over time wouldn’t be too difficult.

“This should be enough.”

Honestly, considering how annoyed I am, I should embarrass him globally…

But seeing his flustered face is satisfaction enough.

There’s no need to broadcast the fact that my man is trash.

I’ll reveal my relationship with Lee Hoyeon eventually, and damaging Alice’s image then would be problematic.

“What is this, really?”

Alice smiled, recalling Lee Hoyeon’s flustered face, and took out the black cloth from her pocket.

I was disappointed he didn’t panic when we linked arms, but to think he’d cause such an incident himself.

“…”

Alice looked at the black panty from side to side, her eyes widening in surprise.

Can this even be called panties?

There were holes dotted all over, as if for ventilation, and a heart-shaped hole in the middle.

“Why is there a hole here… Ah.”

Realizing the purpose of the lewd and audacious hole, Alice threw the panties against the wall.

With a ‘tak-‘ sound, Alice glared hatefully at the piece of cloth lying on the floor and jumped up from the bed.

“Seriously… Just you try coming to get it.”

Alice shuddered, thinking of Lee Hoyeon’s libido, and walked towards the bathroom.

He must have intended to make some woman wear those panties for lewd sex.

What a crazy pervert.

‘…Wait a second.’

Alice, heading into the bathroom, stopped and looked back.

The black panties lying scattered on the floor.

Why did he bring those?

He was obviously going to come home with me from the airport.

But to put panties in his pocket, not even in a bag?

It was just too strange.

The Lee Hoyeon I know has a high libido and is sometimes naive, but he’s not stupid, at least.

‘Maybe he brought them for me?’

Alice blinked and licked her dry lips with her tongue.

Did he deliberately drop the panties to get my attention…?

‘No, that can’t be it.’

It doesn’t make sense for Lee Hoyeon to do something like that on purpose.

Alice slapped her cheeks lightly, losing her composure, and picked up the fallen panties.

They were still incredibly lewd panties, but better than the first time I saw them.

“…Should I try them on? To see if they fit.”

Rustle rustle.

Alice slowly put on the panties.

Just for a moment.

She only intended to wear them once.

“Hiiik…”

But the power of the black panties was immense.

The panties were far more breathable than expected, letting a cool breeze brush between her legs. Startled, Alice took them off and threw them against the wall again.

*

“Unnie! Do you think Oppa remembers to buy delicious bread?”

“Of course. Hoyeon is smart.”

Lee Hoyeon’s House.

Nam Daeun, who was having a snack with her younger sister Nam Dahee, checked her smartwatch every few seconds.

He definitely got off the plane, so why isn’t he here yet?

Is the distance from the airport to home really this far?

“I’ve been waiting since morning. Hing. Oppa is a dummy. If he doesn’t buy delicious bread, I’ll hit him with Liliana unnie.”

“I’ll scold him together with you.”

Nam Daeun comforted the grumbling Nam Dahee while sipping her coffee.

She had waited for over a week, but now that the day had come, she felt strange.

She felt strange, wondering why she couldn’t wait those few moments.

Still, it was fortunate she didn’t show her distress to Dahee.

Ttiriring- Ttiriring-

“Oh! Oppa must be here!”

“…Looks like it. Let’s go out.”

Nam Daeun took Nam Dahee’s hand and went out into the yard.

And she smiled seeing Lee Hoyeon carrying bags full of luggage in both hands.

Behind him were Rebecca, Scarlet, and Liliana, who had returned to her original body, but Nam Daeun’s gaze was fixed on one person.

Ahem ahem.

Nam Daeun composed her expression as she watched Lee Hoyeon approach.

Showing too much joy would make her seem like a child.

I have to greet him like it’s nothing.

“Look, Daeun-yang and Dahee-yang are waiting over there.”

“Huh? Oh, they are. Why are they standing outside?”

“I told you, your girlfriend is really lovely, Daddy.”

Lee Hoyeon’s voice grew closer.

Even though he was right in front of her now, Nam Daeun couldn’t move.

She stood rigidly, as if her feet were glued to the ground.

“Oppa! Did you buy delicious bread?!”

“Of course. There’ll be enough to eat for three days straight!”

“No way. Half is mine! Succubi need to eat bread to live!”

While Dahee happily received Lee Hoyeon’s gift.

Lee Hoyeon, standing right in front of Nam Daeun, tilted his head, looking at her standing still.

“Daeun-ah. You’re still pretty after not seeing you for a while. But why are you standing still?”

“…”

Kku-uk-

She tried to say something, but the words wouldn’t come out.

Nam Daeun moved instinctively.

His warm body temperature and solid back.

Only now could she feel his presence.

Lee Hoyeon was slightly surprised to see Nam Daeun suddenly hug him, but soon smiled and spoke.

“I’m home.”

“Yeah. You worked hard. Hoyeon-ah.”

Nam Daeun, nuzzling against him and sniffing Lee Hoyeon’s scent, snapped back to reality at the voices behind them.

“See? How well-behaved she is.”

“She’s too good for a playboy, though.”

“…Could you stop making weird noises from behind?”

“Aah…”

Nam Daeun bit her lip at the attention focused on her and ran into the house.

*

“Unnie kept eating! Now I’m going to eat too!”

“No way. This baguette is still delicious even after eating it again.”

Liliana and Nam Dahee started fighting over the bread as soon as they returned.

They practically cleared out the bakery, so why are they fighting?

Why aren’t they thinking about yielding to the child in the first place?

“Did you just clean the house for a week? It’s incredibly tidy.”

“It wasn’t like that. The space for the two of us was small.”

Nam Daeun was looking at me with a smile, seemingly very happy about something.

It’s a bit burdensome.

“My Daddy’s girlfriend… is Daeun, right?”

“Yes. That’s right. Ms. Rebecca.”

“Very kind. Exactly to my liking.”

“…Don’t mess with Daeun-yang. She’s a pure child.”

“I’m pure too, what are you talking about? Scarlet-yang.”

Soon the women started chatting amongst themselves, and with so many people, it felt really noisy.

I took the opportunity to check my messages on my smartwatch.

I had sent out messages saying I’d arrived in Korea, so I need to reply too.

Replying is also work.

There wasn’t just one or two people, so paying attention to each one gave me a headache.

“…Huh?”

I was carefully replying to each message, but one caught my eye.

• Im Sol: You worked hard. Sorry to bother you right after arriving, but something urgent has come up, so please stop by the lab.

“Something urgent?”

“What’s this now?”

I frowned, looking at Professor Im Sol’s message.

Did this person usually talk like this?

The tone is too serious.

‘I have to go see Alice too…’

I have to go to Alice’s house, the one who stole Liliana’s panties.

Not just Alice.

I have to see Surin noona, and meet Baek Ahyoung too.

Tomorrow I’m meeting Lucy and Lumi as well, so I’m damn busy.

“Hoyeon-ah, is something wrong?”

“Yeah. The Professor is calling. It seems urgent, so I think I need to go.”

“Ah… Okay. You’ll be back today, right?”

“Of course. I’ll be back shortly.”

I gently squeezed Nam Daeun’s hand, who was watching me with worried eyes, and got up.

The others didn’t seem to notice me leaving anymore and were chatting while holding bread.

Yeah. That’s better, actually.

It’s uncomfortable to feel apologetic every time I leave.

Outside the house, the sun was still shining brightly.

Seeing the clear, cloudless sky and the drab buildings made me truly feel like I was back in Korea.

‘What could this urgent matter possibly be?’

She’s making me worry for no reason.

Taking in the scent of Korea after a long time, I ran towards Professor Im Sol’s lab.