Part 1, Chapter 5 (20)

A week had already passed since Gwanggeom was resurrected as a monstrous human.

May 22nd. Saturday.

Baek Se-jun, who had temporarily taken over as acting authority in place of President Seonui Cheol, who had been confined to his home, bedridden, unexpectedly handled the aftermath of Gwanggeom’s death well.

Seonui Cheol, who had returned to work, decided to widely announce the good news from Seoul, holding back tears, to quell the public’s anxiety.

Although Gwanggeom had died, Seoul had been recovered.

The Villain Alliance in Seoul uploaded a video of them attacking the snake in the city hall to the Black Market Network, and it was called a prime example of a very successful Monster Raid, with its views already reaching ten million.

The government, the Association, New Seoul, Villains, Seoul, and Busan.

In the calm before the storm, everyone began preparations according to their respective roles.

* * *

New Seoul, Government Complex.

Crash!

A ceramic vase hit the wall and shattered. The expressions of the secretaries standing by the wall darkened.

“You still haven’t found them?!”

Seonui Cheol fumed, losing his temper. His tie was loosened, and one lens of his glasses had fallen out, dangling. It was hard to imagine his usual neat image; Seonui Cheol was utterly disheveled now.

“If you could just give us a little more time….”

“Shut up! You incompetent fools! How can you not even find one person?!”

“The Pine Tree Unit has also slowly begun to disobey orders. We alone have limitations in finding Cheongsong-nim-“

Thwack! An ashtray on the desk hit the secretary’s head and shattered. Red blood flowed down the secretary’s forehead.

“Find them! Find them no matter what! Find out immediately where that damn bitch disappeared to!!”

Knock, knock, knock.

“President-nim, this is Baek Se-jun.”

“Come in!”

A man with a benevolent impression opened the door and entered. He was the prime minister, Baek Se-jun, who was currently managing state affairs in place of Seonui Cheol, who was publicly suffering from a serious illness.

Even though he was much older than him, Seonui Cheol spoke rudely to Baek Se-jun. Seonui Cheol was under that much mental pressure right now.

“Did you find them?”

“…President-nim. The Pine Tree Unit is not the problem right now. Currently, inquiries and problems coming through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are piling up. You, President-nim, must decide on a stance-“

“I appointed a minister to handle it! What is that bastard doing?!”

“They’ve almost given up.”

Baek Se-jun recited the problems of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that he had compiled.

“The direction of response to the Association’s official request for support, an international investigation into Gwanggeom, willingness to dispatch to the Round Table, the international community’s joint response to the monster in Pyongyang, an alliance with the Villain Alliance established in Seoul, and a request to dispatch S-rank Hero Hwawon and Seolhwa Princess….”

“Why those two?”

“Japan requested support. An S-rank monster appeared in Okinawa, and they hope for support to deal with it quickly….”

“Ignore it. Absolutely do not do it.”

Seonui Cheol’s mind had somehow calmed down a little. To the extent that he was called the reincarnation of Heungseon Daewongun, he was pathologically reluctant to engage in foreign exchange.

“Dispatch two S-ranks to Okinawa? That’s ridiculous. Didn’t I tell you last time? They’re the kind of bastards who’d try to wage war while the S-rank spots are empty.”

“Surely, not such atrocities in the 21st century, not even in the Middle Ages…?”

“Aren’t they the kind of bastards who would commit atrocities? Look at Russia. As soon as they gave up the Far East, China and Japan rushed in, claiming it as their own land. In the end, it became a no-man’s-land due to the monsters.”

“Understood. Then we will ignore that.”

The prime minister moved to the next screen and asked for his opinion. The president answered each one, presenting the direction of state affairs.

Even if he showed considerable madness when Cheongsong was not present, his political sense was not yet dead. It was just a big blow to Seonui Cheol that, unlike before, there was a hole in the control network over the media and public opinion.

“Secretary. What’s the approval rating today?”

“It’s 84%. It’s still high.”

Seonui Cheol slammed his fist on the table.

“Still?! This is an approval rating that hit 95% when I stopped the dimensional gate incident! It’s already dropped by 11%!”

“…The failure of the Seoul recovery operation and Gwanggeom’s death were the direct causes. If things continue like this, it seems we won’t be able to avoid a continuous decline.”

“…Damn it! What about public opinion?”

The secretary next to him took over.

“Public broadcasters are still broadcasting, referencing our opinions. However, it’s difficult to completely block internet broadcasting stations or personal channels.”

“Tsk. It’s maddeningly frustrating that I can’t move the Pine Tree Unit. Is there no way?”

When Seonui Cheol asked for an opinion, the security team leader, who was an ability user, shook his head.

“Even for a single A-rank, at least three people of the same level must attack for safe subjugation. Since Gwanggeom-nim passed away, not only the arrested villains but also the existing Pine Tree Unit have slowly begun to rebel. Judging by the fact that the emblem hasn’t disappeared, it seems Cheongsong-nim is still alive, but….”

“Right! So, who kidnapped Cheongsong, that’s what I’m saying! What did the National Intelligence Service say?! Is it Yuseong after all?!”

“…Except for Eun Yuha, whose whereabouts were unknown at the time, everyone has an alibi.”

“That wild child?”

Once suspicion began, everything became suspicious. Seonui Cheol stroked his chin, thinking, and came up with a drastic measure.

“Invite them officially. What is Eun Yuha’s business sector?”

“It’s the food service industry and the space industry. They especially operate around Yuseong’s ‘Starlight’.”

“Then roughly invite a few people from that side to join in.”

“President-nim, why that wild child…?”

The prime minister was flustered. Seonui Cheol lifted his glasses and gave a bitter smile.

“It seems I’ll have to take a hostage.”

* * *

New Seoul, Yuseong Group.

“Thank you, Prime Minister-nim. Thank you for letting me know.”

Eun Jaemin responded to the prime minister with a benevolent smile. The prime minister on the screen spoke with an anxious expression.

[Anyway, it’s a promise! When I retire later, you see!]

“Of course. Please tell me if there’s any position you desire. Aren’t you Yuha’s lifesaver?”

[Your love for your sibling is truly profound, hahahaha!]

Beep. Eun Jaemin, who had continued the trivial small talk, hung up the phone with the prime minister. At the same time, the golden aura in Eun Jaemin’s eyes disappeared.

“A room for violent criminals in prison will do.”

Eun Yuha, who had been manipulating other dolls while lying down, sat up. The Calculation Auxiliary Device worn like a helmet on her head was flashing, controlling other Machine Dolls.

“Hoo.”

Eun Yuha changed the Machine Dolls’ actions to autonomous behavior patterns and got out of bed. The person she was about to face was not someone easy enough to persuade while simultaneously controlling dolls.

“Time is up, young lady.”

“Thank you.”

Eun Yuha tidied her clothes and walked down the hallway, following the butler. Unlike Eun Yuha’s room, which was located deep inside, Eun Yuha, who arrived at the sunny reception room, took a deep breath.

“……I will succeed.”

With the sole thought of succeeding no matter what, Eun Yuha opened the reception room door.

Amidst the strong scent of grapes, the blond man held red wine in his right hand and white wine in his left. At the sight of him drinking wine straight from the bottle without a glass, Eun Yuha felt displeased, but tried her best to understand.

“It’s time, Elder.”

“Oh? Is it already that time?”

The man stroked his golden beard and gulped down all the wine. The man, who had emptied two bottles as if drinking cheap grape juice, sat down abruptly in front of the table.

“Then begin. Tell me why I should help you.”

Gwanggeom Heo Yun-hwan. The man who was resurrected as a monstrous human under Eun Yuha’s proposal. He suffered a narrow defeat against Phoenix and was handed over to Eun Yuha, taking up a room in the guest quarters.

Eun Yuha happily continued her conversation with Gwanggeom. Through various presentations of visions, she painted a rosy future for Gwanggeom and Seok Harang, but Gwanggeom refused with a smile.

“Have you found what I desire now?”

“…Yes, I have found it.”

“This is your last chance. If you miss this opportunity, our contract ends here. I’ll go kill that bastard again, and then naturally, I’ll die again. Will you still challenge it?”

“Of course.”

Eun Yuha handed over the approval board she had tucked into her waist. Gwanggeom took the approval board and asked.

“Are you confident this is the correct answer?”

As a condition for the contract of the secret PMC with Gwanggeom as its leader, Gwanggeom refused everything Eun Yuha and Yuseong proposed.

Money, honor, reason. Although Eun Yuha and Yuseong presented everything they could, Gwanggeom refused, saying it was an unsatisfactory contract condition, and made a bet with Eun Yuha.

If, after a week, she still couldn’t figure out what he wanted, he would leave this place.

From Eun Yuha’s perspective, she absolutely had to make the deal happen for several reasons.

And until today, Eun Yuha had suffered nine losses in nine attempts. Now, only one chance remained.

“In my judgment, I thought Gwanggeom-nim would desire this.”

“Oh? Then let’s see.”

Gwanggeom opened the approval board. Soon, his expression froze coldly.

“What does this mean?”

“It means exactly what it says.”

Eun Yuha pointed at the paper with her finger and smiled.

“Please give me your daughter.”

Inside the approval board was a marriage registration form, with ‘Husband: Eun Yuha, Wife: Seok Harang’ written on it. Eun Yuha calmly met Gwanggeom’s gaze and continued speaking.

The marriage registration form, with all its blanks filled in without omission, only needed Seok Harang’s signature.

“Until Harang marries someone she truly loves, I will be her breakwater.”

“Are you saying you’ll have a same-sex marriage now?”

Eun Yuha shook her head.

“I have the ability of a . I will use the public scandals that Gwanggeom-nim knows about. I will publicly register my marriage with my older brother, Eun Jaemin, to make Harang ‘sold out’.”

“Do you think true love will come for a child who already has a husband?”

“I believe one must have the spirit to win love against the wife of the chairman of Korea’s top group, number one in the business world. Otherwise, I cannot hand Harang over at my level!”

“…Ah, really?”

Gwanggeom took out the marriage registration form with a reluctant expression and folded it in half. A momentary look of despair flashed across Eun Yuha’s face.

“It seems I’ve made you worry too much.”

“……Huh?”

Gwanggeom folded the marriage registration form, put it in his pocket, and extended his hand to Eun Yuha.

“Just help our Harang well by her side. As a confidant.”

“…Is that what you desire, Elder?”

She was a chaebol from birth, and it was the moment a crack appeared in Eun Yuha’s world, who had believed that everything in life was made up of transactions where people discussed their own interests.

Gwanggeom asked back with an expression that said, “Why are you asking something so obvious?”

“A father only wishes for his daughter’s well-being, what more could I wish for beyond that?”

Gwanggeom smiled and waved his hand. Eun Yuha nodded, looking dazed.

“Instead, I’ll ask for one thing. Please protect my daughter from that damn bastard’s clutches.”

“Yes, that’s a given.”

Eun Yuha squeezed the hand she held with Gwanggeom, showing strong resolve.

“A future where customer Phoenix and Harang have a child or anything like that, I will bet my entire fortune to stop it.”

Eun Yuha’s eyes were sparkling like starlight.

Monstrous human Heo Yun-hwan. He became Eun Yuha’s subordinate.

* * *

New Seoul, Hero Association Headquarters.

The Praetor was revived.

He, who had been abstaining from food and drink like a wreck after losing Team Leader Kang Soyeon, came back to life like a water-soaked sponge as soon as Team Leader Kang Soyeon returned.

Kang Soyeon told Yoo Young-ho a truth that wasn’t quite the truth.

The government kidnapped the ten Heroes to make them the Pine Tree Unit, and the Heroes safely escaped with Yuseong’s help. In that process, she, who had stepped forward as a helper, was captured and brutally tortured, but fortunately, she escaped like this, she lied to Yoo Young-ho.

…Although the facts were heavily twisted, Kang Soyeon returned to Yoo Young-ho’s side anyway. The Praetor hid Kang Soyeon’s return with all his might.

“Praetor-nim, I’ll be away for a moment.”

“Hm? For how long? Where are you going?”

If there was one problem, it was that the Praetor had developed a slight obsession with Soyeon. Soyeon blushed and cleared her throat.

“I’m going to wash my hands.”

“Hands? That’s just….”

As the Praetor was about to continue speaking, Soyeon’s action of clutching her stomach made him turn his head. Soyeon excused herself and hurriedly left the spot, moving to her private room.

“This, damn it.”

Her lower abdomen throbbed. The area below her navel throbbed as if burning.

“Haa, haa.”

Soyeon entered the toilet stall, exhaling roughly. On Soyeon’s lower abdomen, after she quickly pulled down her skirt and stockings, a blue emblem resembling a heart was imprinted.

“Uhh, uhhh….”

Forcibly swallowing the strange sensation, Soyeon turned on her smartwatch and connected to the network. The woman who called Soyeon was waiting with a mask on her face.

Soyeon bit her lower lip and asked in a trembling voice.

“Suddenly, what, is it!”

[I just called you, you know? Why, are you in heat? Hehe. Interesting.]

At the blunt words of the other party, Phantom, Soyeon slammed her fist against the toilet wall. Fortunately, there was no one in the next stall.

“You’re doing this as a joke…!”

[Be grateful you’re alive. Do you want to walk around the middle of Seoul without your head too?]

At Phantom’s threat, Soyeon shut her mouth. Phantom fiddled with the brush in her hand and laughed.

[Anyway, do well. Don’t forget that your Tattooist’s ability is also something I possess. Understood?]

Phantom lowered the screen after saying that. Soyeon was dumbfounded that she had truly just called her for no reason, but with the increasingly hot sensation, she left the bathroom and immediately lay down on the bed.

“Ah, haa. Haang.”

Her fingers brushed the tattoo, satisfying her desires. Soyeon bit the pillowcase in anger and shame, surrendering her body to the sensation.

“Haaah, Praetor-nim, haaaang!”

Squishy sounds and smells filled Soyeon’s room.

In the end, the time it took for Soyeon to return to the Praetor’s side was 30 minutes. Although the Praetor didn’t notice, Soyeon’s stockings were a different color from the ones she had on before leaving.