Part 1, Chapter 7 (4)

5:00 PM, Hero Association, Korea Branch.

“You seem excited, hyeongnim?”

Lee Seung-hyung smiled faintly, watching Yoo Young-ho, who looked as if he could fly from joy. It was also strange to see Young-ho, who usually dressed casually, now impeccably dressed in a suit.

“I just got a business trip to Seoul.”

“…Ah.”

Only then did Seung-hyung realize why Young-ho was so happy. He wondered if going to meet Kang Soyeon in Seoul could make him that delighted. Young-ho immediately read Seung-hyung’s expression and made an excuse.

“No, that’s part of it, but there’s another matter first. Beast Tamer. It seems some leniency has been granted regarding the Villain named Cheonghwa.”

“Leniency?”

Young-ho nodded. In his hand was a tattered document covered in pen marks.

“The Association found out what happened during the Seoul Reclamation Operation. Only those in the know are aware, but a major upheaval is likely coming soon. The Pine Tree Unit will probably be forcibly disbanded.”

“Is that so?”

Seung-hyung was calm. Young-ho nodded at Seung-hyung’s unperturbed attitude, even in a situation where he himself could be subjected to investigation if things went wrong.

“Yeah. You don’t need to be intimidated. If there’s any fault, it’s only the sin of having a bad uncle.”

“Haha, ha….”

“You’ll also go through a lot of emotional hardship. Those who’ve been suppressed until now will openly tear into you, and the repercussions will reach you too. …For now, let’s go get some fresh air before that. I’m scared to go alone, so I think I should have someone who took down a Fire Dragon by my side.”

“How about going with Harang?”

Young-ho shivered.

“He’s holed up. You know reporters are swarming Seok Harang’s house, right? I heard a delivery meal went in a bit late at lunchtime, and that was it. He still hasn’t come out.”

“Perhaps the shock was too great?”

The rumor of Gwanggeom’s survival. Seung-hyung also thought there was some truth to it. It was hard to believe he was defeated by an unknown enemy, and Seung-hyung had reached a stage where he could gauge Gwanggeom’s level. Young-ho clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“Gwanggeom-nim is truly cruel. Even if it’s me, he should at least have given his disciple a heads-up before pulling such a surprise stunt.”

“…Thanks to that, Harang also rose to SS-rank, didn’t he? The whole world is in an uproar now that the Round Table has dispatched a representative.”

“Hey. This is when you should be regretting it. If it weren’t for Harang, you could have filled that vacant spot on the Round Table.”

Seung-hyung shrugged.

“I’m not interested. After this incident blows over and the investigation is complete, I plan to move to Seoul and join a defense unit.”

“……What?”

Young-ho barely held back from spewing profanities. If they had been alone, he would have surely smacked Seung-hyung on the back of the head, but he restrained himself with superhuman patience.

However, his voice was anything but gentle.

“Hey, say that again. Did I mishear you? That definitely didn’t sound like you were going to follow me on my business trip, did it?”

“Yes. I plan to move to Seoul permanently. Since my Hero license will be revoked anyway, I’ll go to Seoul as a hunter and catch monsters. I’ve already dealt with most of the named monsters, and with Harang’s abilities, he’ll be able to handle everything from Busan to New Seoul sufficiently.”

“……You’re going to atone that way?”

“I have to do it this way. At least the best I can.”

After Seung-hyung’s words, they were silent for a while. Seung-hyung calmly closed his eyes and meditated, while Young-ho pulled a Zippo lighter from his inner pocket and repeatedly opened and closed the lid. Young-ho spoke first.

“……If I go to Seoul, you won’t have anyone to protect you anymore. Are you really okay with that?”

“Hyeongnim, aren’t I past the age of needing someone to look after me?”

“Shut up. In my eyes, you’re still a fledgling. An S-rank with only a big build. Ugh, why did I pick a kid like this that day?”

Young-ho grumbled and stood up. Outside the window, a car that had come to pick him up stopped.

“I’m leaving. Brace yourself.”

“You too, hyeongnim, please be careful. …Thank you for everything.”

They shook hands. Hoping this farewell wouldn’t be the end, Young-ho got into the car, following those who had come for him.

‘Hang in there.’

Seung-hyung waved to Young-ho until the men in black suits approached him. Young-ho couldn’t bear to look and squeezed his eyes shut.

* * *

6:00 PM, New Seoul Government Complex.

“Sit.”

Seung-hyung obediently followed the instruction and sat down. Seonui Cheol handed him a cup of herbal tea that smelled just like the one he was drinking.

“So. You’re going to become a civilian and move to Seoul?”

“Yes.”

Seung-hyung calmly nodded. Seonui Cheol didn’t say anything specific about it either. Seonui Cheol fiddled with the scar on his left eye.

“You’re going to completely disregard all the material and financial support I’ve given you so far and move to Seoul? Me, who provided all your living expenses in place of your deceased father, and found you all sorts of masters to help you reach A-rank by showing your supernatural abilities as a Hero?”

“……I am truly grateful for that. Thanks to you, uncle, I was able to become an A-rank very quickly.”

“Then why!!”

Seonui Cheol roughly slammed his cup down. The cup didn’t break, but the tea spilled slightly.

“Why are you doing things your own way?! Have you forgotten what you said when you recklessly decided to become an actor, swayed by Cheon Gaeul?!”

“I said I’d follow whatever you said, in exchange for making me Cheon Gaeul’s co-star.”

“Why is a guy who remembers that talking nonsense now? Is it because of Seolhwa Princess? Is it because a girl several years younger than you reached SS-rank?!”

“……It’s not that kind of jealousy, uncle.”

Seung-hyung manipulated his smartwatch and sent some data to Seonui Cheol. Seonui Cheol snorted and received the data.

“What is this?”

“…This is content that will soon be revealed to the entire world. This is a backup copy; the original has already been secured by the Association.”

Seonui Cheol gasped. The video was all too familiar to him.

“The hidden truth of the Seoul Reclamation Operation. …You tried to massacre the residents of Seoul using the Pine Tree Unit.”

“…….”

Seonui Cheol remained silent. Seung-hyung took a sip of tea to moisten his parched lips.

“I wondered why the residents of Seoul adamantly refused New Seoul’s support. I wondered why they feared New Seoul’s superhumans so much in Seoul. Was it simply because they survived with the help of Villains? It wasn’t.”

“This is a manipulated video. False information. Isn’t this Hero the one who was kidnapped by a monster during the Seoul Reclamation Operation? I still remember. He must have been kidnapped and his mind must have snapped somewhere.”

“Do you intend to deny it to the very end?”

“What? I know nothing about it. I don’t recall. This is truly regrettable. I personally set up a program to guide criminals, but it seems it didn’t have much effect. The Pine Tree Unit must be disbanded. They should be thrown back into prison right now.”

Seonui Cheol spoke without hesitation. Seung-hyung let out a sigh that was clearly audible to Seonui Cheol.

“……This is a tip from ‘Cheongsong’.”

Seonui Cheol’s hand, which had just picked up the teacup, froze.

“He voluntarily reported it to the Association. The information went directly to someone high up whom you, uncle, cannot touch.”

“That can’t be. The branch manager also had a hand in it with me-“

Seonui Cheol couldn’t finish his sentence. Seung-hyung nodded.

“It couldn’t be handled at the branch manager’s level. The Round Table moved directly. Oracle, Undine. Did you truly think the reason those two are coming to Korea was merely to offer Seolhwa Princess recruitment?”

“H-how? …That’s it! Cheongsong wasn’t the Association’s, but the Round Table’s pawn! He tried to trap me!”

Perhaps he instinctively knew he was checkmated. Seonui Cheol seemed unable to make a calm judgment. Seung-hyung calmly stood up from his seat.

“I will also be investigated. I’m telling you in advance, I will cooperate faithfully with the investigation.”

“……Cheongsong won’t be safe either. Do you think I’ll die alone? I’ll tell you in advance too. I’m definitely not going alone. I’ll drag at least two hundred people down with me.”

Seonui Cheol took off his glasses. Without the glasses that softened his sharp impression, Seonui Cheol’s gaze alone seemed capable of intimidating several people.

“…One last question. Who told you this?”

Seung-hyung, who was about to leave the office, opened his mouth with a bitter smile.

“It’s Phantom.”

* * *

At that moment, Cheonghwa Syndicate’s hideout.

“I’m ready to drop the bomb. Are you ready?”

[Of course. You, on the other hand, do it properly. Don’t make any slip-ups in the middle.]

“What are you talking about? You couldn’t even get me strawberries properly.”

[Why is that coming up here?!]

Eun Yuha shrieked. Cheon Gaeul twisted the corner of her mouth under her mask, mocking Yuha.

“You boasted you’d import the insufficient quantity directly from Japan, but you couldn’t even catch the culprit. Yuseong’s master is truly incompetent. Couldn’t even get a single strawberry.”

[Oh, for goodness sake. You keep getting on my nerves, don’t you? Don’t you know that Core embedded in your chest was originally meant for me? You’d be an ordinary A-rank if it weren’t for the customer-nim. You know that’s completely like pearls before swine, right?]

“That’s why the City Hall’s snake Core went to you. Hey, I caught that, you know?”

[It became stolen goods! You knew that too, didn’t you?!]

Gaeul flinched slightly at Yuha’s outburst.

“Then why use an S-rank Core to revive Gwanggeom? That old man would be strong even without an S-rank Core.”

[Of course, we have to use an S-rank Core. Do you think someone like abeonim is common? Someone who sacrifices his life for his daughter and stops the world’s destruction?]

“‘Abeonim’? …Hehe, oh my. Is our Eun Yuha agassi really thinking of taking Seolhwa Princess-nim as a bride? What should we do? It looks like you’ll really be registering your marriage at this rate?”

[……Outwardly, yes. But remember this.]

Yuha scoffed at Gaeul.

[Even if I have to throw money into the ocean, I’ll legalize bigamy.]

“…At this rate, you’ll legalize same-sex marriage too?”

[Should I? If I just deposit ten sheets into each politician’s account-]

“Calm down. You know Phoenix isn’t a woman.”

Yuha chuckled.

[Indeed, I can’t have this kind of conversation with anyone but you. So, did you find any more clues?]

“Yeah. Xiaolin and Unjang are undeniable. They were flirting without even realizing it. How annoying.”

[So, me, you, Harang, plus Xiaolin. And that person you mentioned in passing last time….]

“Lee… Yuna? Anyway, he said he really wanted to see her.”

[It’s not certain, but if we add that young lady, that’s five people. Wow, that’s already total trash, isn’t it?]

Yuha counted them on her fingers.

[Eun Yuha, Seok Harang, Xiaolin, Lee Yuna, Cheon Gaeul. Given the customer-nim’s personality, he wouldn’t have loved multiple people at once, so-]

“I told you I was right. He’s a regressor. He must have regressed several times already.”

[But doesn’t his behavior seem too reckless for that? No matter how much the customer-nim is a bit of an idiot… ahem, naive, he wouldn’t be that stupid.]

“……Ugh.”

Gaeul and Yuha sighed simultaneously. On the day of the forbidden ritual that revived Gwanggeom, they secretly formed an alliance without Phoenix knowing.

“It won’t increase further, will it?”

[That’s why we joined hands, isn’t it? Don’t forget, fair play. I’m trying my best to hold back from living in Seoul right now.]

“Alright. You just prepare ‘that’ well. Give Seonui Cheol a taste of his own medicine.”

[Understood. Then, I’ll be counting on you, S-rank Villain Phantom ajumeoni.]

*Beep*. Yuha lowered the screen. Gaeul clenched her fist tightly under the table. Her tentacles felt like they would burst.

“……*Pfft*.”

Gaeul finally let out the triumphant smile she had barely held back. On Gaeul’s lap, out of the screen’s view, a Mini Phoenix was soundly asleep.

“……Hehe, he didn’t notice, did he?”

Gaeul carefully stroked the Mini Phoenix’s flames with her hand. It was one of the spoils she had brought back from her business trip to China, following Phoenix. A guardian spirit exclusively assigned to Gaeul so that Phoenix could come to her anytime, anywhere.

“Oh, my mind’s wandering.”

Gaeul adjusted her mask in the mirror. The makeup applied under the mask added a little vibrancy to Gaeul’s skin.

“*Ahem*. Well, I should start. Ah, ah, this is Phantom.”

[……Didn’t you say you were just going to fix your makeup for a moment?]

On the connected screen, Beacon, Kim Ji-hwa, appeared with a tired face. Gaeul, hiding her true feelings, retorted instead.

“You’ve never been on a date with a woman, have you? Don’t you know how long it takes to fix makeup?”

[Yes, you’re pretty because you take so long with your makeup. Happy now?]

“Of course I’m pretty. Just prepare for the recording.”

[It’s been ready for 40 minutes already. …Are you ready? Is it really okay to do this?]

Ji-hwa nagged but checked on Gaeul’s condition with a worried voice. Gaeul calmly nodded and smiled brightly.

“Of course. I’m Cheon Gaeul. Do you think I act carelessly? If I don’t like it even a little, I’ll reshoot it. For a perfect film. Ah, ah, hello. …Isn’t the lighting too weak?”

[It looks like it won’t be uploaded today.]

Ji-hwa sensed his fate.