episode_0104

“Thank you. Hey, let’s go.”

Leaving only an insincere greeting, the man with a clumsy and nervous appearance turns around and strides away.

The elegant-looking woman and the masked male student also turned to follow him.

“… ”

Until the moment they passed through the blind spot in the passage and disappeared, Seoyeon’s golden eyes watched the three people as they walked away in silence.

“… They say time is fleeting.”

Someone’s voice with a terrible cynicism awakened Seo-yeon’s feelings.

Her biological father was smiling a strange smile with the corners of his mouth twisted.

There was no trace of the friendly and kind expression from before.

What was there was the face of someone who was greedy and thirsty for power.

“Are you sure that’s really the black lion I knew? Where on earth has that arrogance that soared through the sky disappeared?”

Seoyeon asked, wondering if she had been arrogant enough just now.

“… Is he really his biological son?”

“That’s nonsense.”

However, her father immediately responded that it was not funny.

“The hostess is already at a biologically impossible age. Unless you have achieved Category 1 like Haewolhwa… ”

He turned and walked in the opposite direction where Black Lotus’s group disappeared.

“But it looks like the talent is real. There is no need to say anything about the name of Black Lotus. How on earth did you find such a gemstone?”

Seoyeon followed him silently.

“It’s really unfortunate. If only it had gotten into my hands first… ”

“… ”

Hearing the words of the man who continued to treat the masked male student like an object, a strong sense of repulsion somehow rose in Seo-yeon’s head.

She pursed her lips slightly to avoid showing him off as much as possible.

“Tsk. A tricky obstacle has arisen. After all, the Black Lotus is returning to the Supreme Council at this time. And the unexpected second child… ”

The man clicked his tongue as if he felt sorry.

Then he asked without even turning his head.

” was done. What is the use of regretting the past? How about the Northern Army?”

“… We are recruiting smoothly. We are continuously investing funds to make up for insufficient supplies and budget. The Northern Army is already like our semi-private army.”

“Good. Very good.”

The man finally nodded as if he was a little satisfied.

A deep and heavy greed shined in his eyes.

“Just proceed with that. It will be our great strength in the future.”

“… Yes.”

I nodded obediently, but not everything I said to him was true.

There was a subtle difference in that their loyalty would be directed to one person rather than to the Paecheon family.

“I will ignore past mistakes. However, when you return to the cradle this time, don’t delay any longer and join the student council. Now that the black lotus is back, I can no longer afford to mumble.”

It was a rebuke to Seoyeon, who had raided Jeokhwa on her own without permission.

Moreover, the heir of Jeokhwa and the male student of the mask were not dealt with properly, which ultimately led to the return of Black Lotus, which was not a very good outcome for the loser.

Seoyeon was guaranteed quite a bit of autonomy in return for her achievements so far.

For example, candidates could turn down numerous engagement proposals in the name of not being satisfied, or reject their father’s request to join the student council.

Treatment that cannot be compared to other members of the family who were consumed like cogs in their father’s orders.

Based on that, Seoyeon was able to concentrate on her work.

However, using this failure as an excuse, her father seemed to have a knack for significantly reducing her autonomy.

It’s not just his political opponents that he keeps in check.

His children, who could threaten his absolute power in the future, were also a potential source of anxiety for him.

“We must never lose our influence in the cradle. By any means and methods.”

“… Yes.”

But this time she just nodded obediently.

To Baek Il-yong, Seoyeon had to be an obedient and obedient child.

Only then could he use Paecheon’s power for his own purposes and knock him off guard from the highest place.

A comfortable death could never be tolerated.

He deserved to be dragged to hell, experiencing the greatest despair.

From the day I was born until now.

Because most of his misfortunes were caused by him.

Baek Il-yong, seeing the reporters camped outside the Capitol, once again let out a twisted cynicism.

“The bottom of the garbage is full of bugs. Gross things… ”

He looks genuinely disdainful, but then changes his expression in an instant.

After adjusting his appearance, he stood in front of dozens of camera cameras with a bright smile on his face.

“Chairman Baek! Please tell us about the return of Black Lotus to the Supreme Council!”

” Suspicions were raised that the surprise attack on enemy fire was largely politically motivated… !”

“About Baek Seo-yeon’s fiancé… !”

“Now, now! I’ll answer them all, so please take your time and ask questions one at a time!”

At first glance, he looked embarrassed and waved his hand.

“The return of Black Lotus is something I hope for. Not a wasteful debate, but a sincere debate for the future of our republic… ”

Behind the man who was speaking as if he were putting oil on his mouth, Seoyeon was standing with her hands folded neatly and with a bright smile, like a father and daughter on good terms.

I genuinely find him disgusting, but at the same time, I feel extreme self-loathing at myself for treating others in exactly the same way.

Clearly, everything was nearing completion.

But now. Her inner mind was full of confusion and questions.

Seoyeon replayed that day’s meeting hundreds of times.

Below her belly button. There was still a tingling sensation in the area where the masked male student’s fist had struck.

The place he was aiming for was her most precious and secret place. A place that no one but the rightful owner can dare invade.

So, originally, he should have been crushed to death on the spot just for daring to violate her body.

But Seoyeon didn’t do that.

It would have been more accurate to say that it was not possible.

When I close my eyes, the sensations from that time still vividly run through my body.

The sound of his mask breaking and fragments falling to the floor rings loudly in my ears.

And the next moment I encountered… Eyes that feel clearer and more transparent than anything else in the world.

At the same time, for some reason, Seo-yeon remembers something most precious that she had lost in the past.

The very thing that can never be recovered due to one’s own fault.

Then, a tingling pleasure along with pain wells up in his lower abdomen, but he turns around in a split second and disappears behind the fog.

“Ugh… ”

This time, there was some similarity between her father’s and her views.

Although they were worn out and worn by the world’s turbulence, those soft eyes were definitely far from the sharpness unique to black lotus.

Seoyeon was on the verge of going crazy.

He was one of the most hated people in the world.

But after that day. As soon as she encounters him, her hatred melts away without a trace.

Like spring snow.

And there was no way for Seoyeon to resist it.

Without realizing it, a gentle worry escapes my lips, and just receiving a cold answer in return makes my heart sink and I can’t breathe.

A masked male student.

This person entered the cradle after receiving a letter of recommendation from Black Lotus after 15 years.

Due to his unique appearance and somewhat twisted personality, he was ridiculed as a traveler, but he has proven his abilities and is overturning the perception of himself from the ground up.

And the person who can be said to be closest to him at the moment… her nemesis. I pity you.

After the Southern Incident. Seoyeon had seen them walking together on campus from afar.

I was putting on a cold expression so as not to be funny, but… Seo-yeon was able to easily notice the change in Yeon-sik’s eyes.

It was because his eyes once lit up like that when he looked at someone.

But I just thought it was funny and passed it on.

They made all the pretense of being polite, but in the end, they were just among themselves…? while doing.

So I laughed at them.

But for some reason, now, just thinking about them being together makes me break into a cold sweat and feel my chest tightening.

“… Young lady… question… One word… ”

“… ”

“Daughter Baek Seo-yeon?”

“Oh my, I’m sorry. After thinking about something else for a moment… So what I think is… ”

A reporter’s question awakens Seo-yeon.

Although she answers with a bright smile, her head is full of other thoughts.

It was an almost certain question about a possibility.

There is only one way to solve him.

I had to face him again somehow.

***

When the great chaos was almost over, I visited the headquarters of the General Intelligence Service in the capital again.

There were a few things I wanted to ask. Also, there was no one better than me who could tell me things about the situation that I didn’t know much about.

“… Is it locked?”

As darkness fell on the street, I hid myself with my hood and looked for the silver moon halo again, but for some reason, the entrance to the bar leading down to the basement was firmly blocked with an iron shutter.

Was it a closed day? ? Even though the thought occurred to me, this isn’t even a real bar in the first place.

Moreover, it was Mok Jin-woo who told us to come anytime since it is open all year round, day or night.

What should I do? Once you go into the cradle, it will be difficult to get back out for a while.

I have a lot of school work behind me, and the surroundings will be noisier than before…

Upon closer inspection, traces of the sensitive circuit being inserted and soldered can be seen in various places on the shutter.

“… ”

I ended my short worry. Whatever it is, let’s go in first.

If no one is there, you can come out again.

I put my hand near the edge of the shutter.

And the particles were sequentially injected according to the pattern he had told me earlier.

Then click click click click. It felt like some mechanism was running, and then suddenly a small passage opened in the middle of the shutter with a rattling sound.

I walked down the dark stairs with no light at all into the basement.

And I feel a strange mixture of air that I haven’t felt before.

What should I say about this?

Fishy. wetness. Sticky. Lukewarm… ?

It gets stronger with every step you take.

“Ugh… Tsk… ”

“… ah… ”

At the same time, a sound similar to someone moaning began to be heard.

A strangely thin voice touches my ears very faintly.

Then, a thought suddenly passes through my head.

Fishy. wetness. Sticky. Lukewarm.

I reflexively think of blood flowing out of the body, and moaning… ?

Just thinking about the possibility puts my body into a state of tension in an instant.

I carefully walked down the stairs and put my ear to the inner door, but I couldn’t feel anything anymore, perhaps because of the good soundproofing.

What if Mok Jin-woo was attacked of some kind and was on the verge of death… ?

“… ”

I was able to decide to rush in with less difficulty than before.

Aside from being a collaborator who helps me both materially and spiritually, he is also a close friend of the leader.

If Mok Jin-woo dies, the leader will be very sad.

After gathering my thoughts and taking a deep breath.

It seemed to fall slightly from the door, so I kicked it with all my might.

-Quaaang!

The door instantly becomes a rag and falls to the floor without its hinges.

I was immediately able to see the scenery inside the bar.

“What, what!”

“Aaaah!”

And what caught my eye was a tall-looking man who was making obscene gestures with a woman dressed as a farmer sitting on his lap…