episode_0039

… … … … …

“Hehehe, it’s not that great of a skill.”

“No, Autumn Army’s cooking is really special. My first meal of the day was really delicious.”

“Is this your first meal…? Not just one or two meals, but a whole day? And it’s nighttime?”

“I don’t eat much. I usually just eat protein bars.”

“Ah… … .”

She works all day and does vigilante activities at night like the video we saw earlier, so even two bodies might not be enough. It was understandable that she couldn’t eat properly.

It may be a bit presumptuous, but I felt a little pity for Seo-ah, who worked day and night without even being able to eat.

“That, Seo-ah. It’s important to eat regularly, right? I’m Seo-ah’s assistant, so I’ll cook for you often.”

The moment those words came to her lips, Seo-ah’s eyes lit up with an inexplicable emotion.

“… … Haha, is that so? Then I’ll look forward to it. I hope I can have more time like this with Gaeul-kun in the future. “

“Yes!”

I wanted to be of some help to this incredibly great, yet somehow precarious person, to repay the favor, and to do my part. I nodded vigorously.

After finishing the meal in such a cozy atmosphere and washing the dishes, Seo-ah’s cell phone suddenly rang.

“Ah, the quick service has arrived.”

Ms. Seo-ah immediately left the kitchen and headed to the front door, returning shortly afterwards carrying a large box.

“Autumn Army, please wait a moment. I’ll set it up right away.”

She opened the box and took out the laptop. She turned it on, changed the settings, and installed various programs.

As I looked over my shoulder at my laptop monitor, a program name in English words I didn’t know well appeared and disappeared. At first glance, it seemed to be called screen monitoring…

“Okay, that’s it.”

“Wow, thank you so much, Seo-ah!”

I accepted the notebook cautiously and expressed my honest joy and gratitude.

In fact, it was a huge burden to receive a gift of a high-performance laptop worth over 8 million won, but I thought it would be rude to feel burdened by receiving such an expensive gift.

“I’m glad to be Seo-ah’s assistant! I’ll work hard using this. This is the first time I’ve received such a wonderful gift.”

Although it was burdensome, a gift was a gift. Thinking that I could use this laptop while I was here (since I had no intention of really receiving such an expensive gift), a bright smile spread across my face without me realizing it.

What should I say? It felt like I was receiving all the birthday presents I never received properly while living in the orphanage all at once.

Compared to me who was happy, Seo-ah, who was watching my reaction, had a peculiar expression. There was a smile on her lips, but there was a sad look in her eyes. It was as if she was remembering something she had lost long ago.

“I’m really happy that Ga-eul likes you. I hope we can spend more time together in the future.”

I could feel her voice trembling slightly. I felt that Seo-ah’s eyes were red, but I couldn’t be sure because she quickly turned her head away.

… … … … …

A few days later.

The bright afternoon sunlight poured in through the large windows of the association president’s office.

In contrast to the wide open skyline of Seoul visible through the window, Park Seo-ah’s eyes, sitting elegantly across from the association president, looked somewhat anxious.

She wanted to quickly return to the secret base. She wanted to go back and see the Autumn Army, the one who existed only for her. That was her honest inner feeling.

“It’s been a while, Seo-ah. Two months?”

The president spoke softly. His voice, whose gender could not be guessed, was calm as always.

“… … That’s right. About two months.”

In Park Seo-ah’s eyes, the president of the association was a mysterious figure. He was the president of the Awakening Association, a CEO of a multinational company, and a figure of influence who had a foot in the political world.

To be honest, it didn’t seem like one person. I seriously suspected that there might be multiple hidden twins of the Association Chairman.

“Yeah. I called to hear about your recent activities.”

Park Seo-ah hesitated at the chairman’s question. She unconsciously gripped the armrests of her chair tightly.

It wasn’t easy to talk to the president of the association. However, he had been supporting her since Park Seo-ah murdered her parents, and until now, when she had a very special hobby called ‘implementing justice’. It was a relationship that he didn’t want to break off, but he couldn’t easily.

Park Seo-ah wished this conversation would end quickly, and drew Ga-eul’s face in her mind. She could now only feel true peace when she was with the boy.

“… … There’s nothing wrong. Just look at this quarter’s performance――”

Park Seo-ah briefly reported on her recent activities. The association president nodded and listened to her about her justice implementation activities and the state of her business operations.

“Yeah. You’re doing very well. But, you know, I think your activities have changed a little recently, so… … .

Even when you do your hobby of ‘justice implementation activities’, you don’t seem to injure criminals more than necessary. And you don’t kill them either.

Have you been in a relationship with the boy you’re looking after at the secret base lately?”

The moment the president of the association put the boy in his mouth, Park Seo-ah’s pupils contracted sharply. She gritted her teeth and barely managed to answer.

“What… … are you talking about?”

“Oh, don’t be like that. I’m just curious.”

The association president’s explanation did not reach Park Seo-ah at all. Her eyes turned cold.

“That child is just being temporarily protected by a radical group called the Human Defense Association. There is no special reason.”

The president of the association watched her reaction closely, then raised his hand and waved it gently.

“Honestly, Miss Seo-ah. In fact, that child’s… … older sister is a member of our association. She’s on a mission beyond the dimensional gate. That’s why I was curious about that boy’s current situation.”

Park Seo-ah’s expression twitched at the word ‘sister’. The word brought about a very uncomfortable feeling in her heart.

“Don’t worry too much about me for asking this question. I really have nothing to do with it.

I don’t want to get too caught up in it and become weird, like you and them… ”

“They… …?”

Every word the president said brought anger, suspicion, and anxiety to Park Seo-ah. Did Ga-eul have another woman?

The president of the association seemed slightly taken aback by her reaction, and then smiled awkwardly for a moment.

“Oh, don’t worry about it. It was my mistake. What’s important is your change. I’m glad to see you’ve stabilized a lot these days.”

Park Seo-ah didn’t respond to those words. She just bit her lips tightly.

“Maybe the wounds in your heart are slowly healing. Maybe that boy was a good influence.”

After saying that, the president of the association slowly stood up and gave the order to dismiss the guests.

“Let’s end this meeting here. You should go back too.”

Those were the words that Park Seo-ah had been waiting for, so she got up, gave a mechanical greeting, and left the Awakening Association.

… … … … …

Park Seo-ah drove home, mulling over her conversation with the association president. Every word he said disturbed her.

“You’re saying you’re getting too deep and you’re going crazy? You’re talking nonsense… … !”

She gripped the steering wheel tightly, muttering to herself. A mixture of annoyance and confusion washed over her.

“I’m just… …protecting. I’m just taking care of them to prove that I’m better than those piece of trash.”

Park Seo-ah quickly rationalized her actions, but her reason continued to question her own actions.

Eventually, she stopped thinking about the president and sighed deeply. At the same time, Ga-eul’s face appeared in her mind.

Her cute and innocent smile, the way she relies on you, and the peace you feel when you’re with her.

Clearly… … that child was special. There was no denying that.

“… … I will take care of Ga-eul-kun. She is mine alone. That girl who calls herself Noona can’t take that child away… … .”

She was startled by her own monologue. It was clear that Park Seo-ah cared for her ward, but was this really a normal feeling?

Suddenly, Park Seo-ah realized something.

She was still driving towards the secret base. She had never been back to her original ‘home’ since she decided to protect the Autumn Army.

The secret base was ultimately just a temporary residence for her ‘hobby’. However, Park Seo-ah was practically living in that temporary residence, and Ga-eul was always at the center of her life.

It’s just like… … no different from a couple or a married couple living together.

As soon as that thought crossed Park Seo-ah’s mind, a slight blush appeared on her face.

“Do I love that kid?”

The moment she said those words, Park Seo Ah’s heart started beating faster. She felt quite embarrassed because she had never felt this level of excitement or this kind of excitement before.

Although she tried hard to deny her feelings, the thought had already taken root deep in Park Seo-ah’s mind.

“No, no no no no. This is just――”

just.

She couldn’t continue speaking after that.

The more she tried to deny it, the more her feelings for the lovely boy became clear. Her love for him as a human being and as a woman filled her heart.