Chapter 380

〈Chapter 380〉 Part 1, Chapter 16, Section 15

August 24th.

Finally, the international organization acknowledged South Korea’s sovereignty over the former North Korean territory. The Chief Administrator of the Guild played a significant role in this acknowledgment, and it was largely due to the Nuclearian’s existence being publicly announced by the Oracle that Seok Harang’s achievements were confirmed.

In truth, no one believed Seok Harang when he testified about the existence of an SS-Rank Monster. Those who feared Baek Hee-a’s growing power criticized her surprise operation and downplayed her accomplishments. They even demanded a public apology for misleading the nation regarding the operation start time.

Of course, such people were only a small minority. The public was ecstatic about securing the North Korean land and didn’t want the festive mood to be dampened.

And right in the midst of this celebration…

An accident finally happened. A scandal so big that it overshadowed even South Korea gaining sovereignty over the entire Korean Peninsula swept across the nation.

A sex scandal.

Even celebrity marriages and divorces can dominate search portals all day, but when it involves S-Rank Heroes—people above mere celebrities—the situation becomes serious.

I sighed as I saw the damn disciple’s face plastered across all the news, overshadowing everything else about the military and economic value of the newly acquired North Korean territory.

Lee Seung-hyung.

Affectionately nicknamed “Monster Fucker,” his sexual scandal partner turned out to be none other than the S-Rank Apostle Garura.

I stormed into the apartment where Lee Seung-hyung and Garura were hiding.

* * *

“Forgive me, Master.”

As soon as he saw me, Lee Seung-hyung prostrated himself and admitted his guilt. At least he wasn’t making any cowardly excuses; admitting his mistakes was a good sign.

“…Forgive me.”

Garura knelt beside him, bowing her head respectfully. Though she looked more composed amidst the chaos of humanity, her attire seemed younger thanks to Lee Seung-hyung’s influence. She resembled a blonde version of myself, though dressed much more casually.

“So let’s confirm this first.”

I pulled out a detailed article about their scandal and began summarizing it aloud in front of them.

“On August 23rd, a paparazzi spotted a sports car entering an unmanned motel near Daejeon. Checking the vehicle with magical gear, they found it belonged to Lee Seung-hyung. Following them, they heard suspicious sounds from the neighboring room. There was already a pinhole drilled in the wall, so they filmed through it using magical gear and… well, you two were going at it on the bed, weren’t you?”

“Yes…”

“Tch.”

I couldn’t help but sigh. As I clicked my tongue, both of them shrank further under my glare.

“First question: how did the paparazzi have magical gear?”

“That… wasn’t it one of the ten prototype magical gears we distributed during our trip to Russia? Right before the battle with Rasputin, we held an event while flying to Moscow as part of the special envoy team. One of the recipients just happened to be the paparazzi following us.”

“Guess the marketing for magical gear is going great then. No wonder Yun Yuhwa didn’t interfere much.”

Yun Yuhwa prioritized promoting the recording capabilities of magical gear over preserving Lee Seung-hyung’s image. I sent him a quick text to get updates on the situation.

[All videos uploaded to domestic servers have been deleted. However, it’ll take some time to remove those on overseas servers or deep web links. Honestly, completely erasing these kinds of videos is impossible.]

I almost consulted Hikari but stopped myself.

‘If fans flip out over their idol’s rumored romance, imagine what happens with a sex scandal.’

I sent Hikari a simple comforting message, and she replied with a single emoticon:

🙁

“What are you planning to do? Thanks to you, there’s a teenage girl crying her eyes out like a waterfall.”

“Wait, people still like me? After Sun Icheol’s downfall, I thought my reputation hit rock bottom…”

“At least one hardcore fan existed until now… maybe.”

“…I deeply apologize.”

With a look of utter despair, Lee Seung-hyung bowed his head. I replayed the video several times to verify its authenticity.

It was definitely them.

“Sorry, I made the magical gear too good. If the quality had been worse, you could’ve denied it, saying it wasn’t you. But this…”

Although the attached footage in the article was already removed, the adult-rated video uploaded to YouTube showed every detail through a pin-sized hole. It was clear enough to rival professional concept shooting for a Blu-ray.

“Haaak! Harder! Harder!”

“Ughh… Faster!”

“I’m dying! Ahhhh!!”

Every expression on their faces was crystal clear. The camera quality was so impeccable that it might as well have been shot with a high-definition camcorder instead of a hidden camera.

“You two really gave it your all. Next question: Garura, didn’t you notice people in the next room?”

“W-well, I was too caught up in the moment…”

“Lost in bliss, huh? That’s understandable.”

For a brief second, Garura’s expression in the video radiated pure happiness. Unfortunately, her tongue-sticking pose directly at the lens became the epitome of ‘Ahoge’.

‘There must be plenty of perverts watching this.’

I was genuinely surprised to see Garura capable of such expressions. Absurd thoughts crept into my mind, wondering if Chang-yeom would someday react similarly.

“Master, why are you here?”

“Why?”

“Because… it doesn’t seem like you came to scold us.”

“Not at all. Why would I scold you? This is more of a consultation visit. Hmmph.”

Though neither Lee Seung-hyung nor Garura knew it, I’d faced similar situations countless times, accumulating considerable expertise.

‘Paparazzi chasing protagonists and heroines around?’

Almost half of my actions outside the flagship Desdinas’ bedroom ended up captured by cameras.

‘Mostly because the world’s attention was focused on us.’

Most of those incidents involved Yuna, occasionally leading to videos like this getting leaked during outdoor sessions with other heroines.

“Legally speaking, you two haven’t done anything wrong. The ones who filmed without consent are at fault.”

“Yes. Legal action has been taken.”

“Baeck Hee-a will assist in various ways, and Yu-Sung also feels morally obligated to help. The real issue now is how you two handle this.”

Heroines aren’t AV actresses; having intimate videos spread publicly can cause severe psychological distress.

“I’m sorry, Master. I failed… I deserve death… waaaah…”

Even Garura, an apostle, appeared mentally traumatized.

The person responsible for distributing the covertly filmed content had already been arrested by the Blue Wind Sect and detained in Seoul, but the shock waves from the leaked video continued to affect them deeply.

“What should I do? Because of me, Master’s honor has been tarnished… waaaah!”

“Ah, so you’re worried about that.”

Garura seemed troubled by the exposure of her body, which resembled mine.

While I paid little attention to such matters after incidents involving transformations by Cheon Gaeul and human-shaped puppets by Yun Yuhwa, it appeared Garura felt differently despite foreseeing such outcomes since the moment her appearance mirrored mine.

“Did you think I’d blame or criticize you for external leaks? Your body is clearly distinct from mine.”

I leaned back, revealing my chest. Lee Seung-hyung awkwardly averted his gaze, but Garura glanced upward while keeping her head bowed.

“What I’m trying to say is this: there’s absolutely no need to feel ashamed. The fault lies entirely with the leaker, not you two. Don’t live like sinners.”

This was advice Xiao Lin (from the original work) once gave to other heroines affected by paparazzi leaks. Though somewhat ironic coming from her, the essence of her words wasn’t entirely wrong.

“So stop worrying too much about it.”

“If you were in this situation, what would you do, Master?”

Lee Seung-hyung countered with a question. He seemed more concerned about the exposure affecting Garura and indirectly harming me.

“Ho ho, worried Garura might end up like Qinghua?”

“Because of our mistake…”

“That’s not your fault either. If you’re truly concerned, here’s something you can do.”

Memories from the original work surfaced. While I recalled the specific incident, I shook my head twice and continued explaining—it wasn’t necessary to disclose the exact details to them.

“Announce your engagement. That’s what I did.”

“Master?”

“Lord?”

They both tilted their heads simultaneously, confused despite understanding the word ‘engagement.’

“Why? Is there a problem?”

“Could it be you’ve done this before?”

“Lord, please give the command. I’ll return to my true form and burn everything.”

“…Slip of the tongue. What I meant is, I would recommend doing that. Let’s set that aside for now and focus on your current predicament. Marriage might be excessive, and there’s no need to hide forever, right?”

They nodded. Given their prominence, staying hidden was impractical, and they’d inevitably remain in the public eye moving forward.

“So instead, stand confidently. Admit you’re in love, explain it as a developing relationship, and ask for understanding. …Though those who’ve seen the video might consider it hopeless.”

“Confidently…”

“…Yes, understood, Lord.”

Lee Seung-hyung seemed to make a significant decision, and Garura appeared calmer.

“My words end here.”

I stood up, opening the balcony door. Despite someone filming us with a large camera from afar, the barrier ensured they saw nothing.

‘They’ll manage somehow.’

Surviving in a world filled with malicious romantic dramas requires strong mental fortitude. Hoping they develop resilience, I returned to Seoul faster than ever.

Arriving at the Blue Wind Sect headquarters in New Seoul, I found the culprit detained on the rooftop.

“Good job. You probably didn’t want to do this.”

“Yeah, after what happened to Garura, there’s no way to forgive this.”

Gaeul, disguised as Cheongsong, reverted to her original form. A geometric heart pattern drawn with great effort glowed pink on the paparazzi’s abdomen.

Surprisingly, the initial distributor of the video turned out to be a woman.

Tracing the leak backward, I identified the woman standing before me as the perpetrator.

“Director, I have a report.”

Ji Hwa succinctly summarized the information extracted from the culprit.

“The paparazzo was engaged and debated whether to blackmail or sell the video. During the upload process, they accidentally posted it on their personal YouTube channel.”

“…It must’ve garnered insane views before being taken down.”

“It hit 40 million views before removal. Left alone, it would’ve easily surpassed 100 million.”

Even illegal views likely accounted for at least a quarter of the global population.

“Well… considering this serves as a textbook example of how S+ Rank Special Ability users conduct themselves, people’s curiosity is understandable…”

“You’re awfully calm about this. I’d have wiped everyone out by now.”

Gaeul shivered dramatically, her tentacles trembling. Apparently, she threatened the culprit using her distasteful tentacles.

“Maybe… because it’s familiar to me from the future?”

Thanks to the absurd melodramas involving leaked videos of intimate acts with heroines causing both mental debuffs and buffs, I’ve become rather indifferent.