Chapter 661

〈Chapter 661〉 Part 2, Chapter 3, Section 26

<March 2nd, 3:33 PM, Café Padre Juan>

“Excuse me…?”

Dressed in a coat and sunglasses to conceal her identity, Sun Gyeoul cautiously opened the café door. Though Baek Cheonghwa had instructed her to return to work starting three days from now, knowing what her teammates had faced in Guro made it impossible for her not to come.

“Hmm? Isn’t that Miss Gyeoul? Isn’t today your day off?”

“Ahh, hello. Is the boss upstairs by any chance? I thought maybe we could surprise him with cake and tea to celebrate our safe return…”

“He’s there alright. As far as I know, Baek Cheonghwa is alone in the office right now. The others all went out on temporary errands.”

“…I see.”

Perfect timing. Gyeoul ordered an appropriate amount—what seemed like the entire strawberry menu specially prepared for Yang-Baek Cheonghwa—and then sat near the counter facing Huan.

“Isn’t the boss busy working alone?”

“I was about to hire some part-timers, but Cheonghwa introduced me to someone.”

“Really? Starting when?”

“Tomorrow. The people upstairs are currently shopping for this person’s work clothes. She’s a runaway high school girl; she looks a bit rough around the edges…tsk tsk.”

Crack. Gyeoul clenched her teeth and balled her fists. Huan continued drinking his coffee casually as he spoke.

“But still, you can tell she’s had a tough life since she was young. It doesn’t seem like Cheonghwa just picked her up randomly to give her a job…there must be some reason why he brought her here. Anyway, she’ll be working here while living independently until she turns adult age.”

“That’s…actually quite fortunate…hehe… But ‘rough’?”

“My apologies. That wasn’t something I should have said. My mistake.”

Suddenly, Huan stared intently at Gyeoul’s face.

“Come to think of it, you…you kind of resemble someone?”

“Common faces, you know. Ah, just wondering though…”

Gyeoul covered her face slightly as she issued a veiled threat.

“This face isn’t plastic surgery, alright? This is how I naturally look.”

“Is that so? …Ah, I see. You must’ve been mistaken often. They call someone who looks like you ‘<NAME>‘ don’t they?”

Gyeoul felt her insides twist into knots.

* * *

<At that moment, Yu-Sung Department Store Clothing Section>.

“How about this one?”

“Buy it.”

“What about this one, sister?”

“Buy it.”

“Sister, what if we add this one too?”

“Let’s buy first and think later.”

The four women moved through the store at lightning speed, gathering clothes as they went. With Baek Cheonghwa’s permission, they were free to choose whatever clothing they liked, while Xroid employees followed behind collecting items.

“…Um, I don’t really need that many clothes…”

Gaeul watched helplessly as the expenses piled up. Raon, Nuri, and Gaon scoured every corner of the store, selecting casual wear, underwear, seasonal outerwear, and more, swiping their cards repeatedly.

“Can we even afford all this? Didn’t we already pass ten million won?”

“The products here at Yu-Sung are overpriced compared to their quality. This is peanuts.”

“We’re spending within the approved budget!”

Raon and Nuri compared their finds with Gaeul’s current wardrobe, adding them to the purchase list. Every time an Xroid employee collected another item, Gaeul grew increasingly terrified.

“…Am I dreaming? At this rate, they’ll only buy me billions worth of clothes.”

“You’ll be lucky if it stops at mere billions. You’ll get used to it.”

Gaon smiled wryly as she pointed towards Raon and Nuri entering the lingerie section. The two, differing in height by nearly thirty centimeters, faced each other and scanned Gaeul’s body from top to bottom.

“A-cup, right?”

“Nope. I know best. It’s AAA.”

“Hey…”

Even if she could endure everything else, this was unbearable. Gaeul bit her lip and glared at the pair.

“I’m originally a G, okay?”

“But you have to maintain this body until August, don’t you?”

“And remember, you have to sleep in this body too.”

“Damn it! What’s with all this monitoring-”

“Gaeul-ssi?”

Gaon nudged Gaeul’s side with a smile. Unlike Raon and Nuri, there was an A-Rank Heroic pressure bearing down on her.

“Don’t forget. I’m your supervisor.”

“…Yes, yes. Understood. Where would a villain dare act arrogantly before an A-Rank Hero? …Shit.”

“Please refrain from swearing. The boss doesn’t like it.”

“Which boss? Ugh. Really hard to keep up sometimes.”

With both hands raised, Gaeul entered the lingerie section. Her body shape was instantly digitized into a MagiGear avatar as she stepped onto the scanning machine. Based on her measurements, Raon and Nuri swept up various types of lingerie.

“So, Gaeul-ssi, who exactly did you transform into?”

“I said I can’t tell you.”

“No, really. Your face seems familiar somehow.”

“It’s the typical Gangnam Beauty archetype. No knife to the face yet, surprisingly.”

Because she kept getting teased, there was a hint of sarcasm in Gaeul’s voice.

“Yeah. No surgery done.”

“…?”

“Incredible, isn’t it? This much power, let’s be satisfied, huh?”

“…I might not understand fully, but there’s one thing I’m sure of.”

As Gaon looked at the clothes brought by Raon and Nuri, she became certain.

“The boss won’t lose sight of you, Gaeul-ssi, whether you grow bigger or smaller.”

“…Huff.”

When Gaeul reached the end of the store and saw the total purchase amount displayed on Gaon’s MagiGear, her mouth dropped open in shock.

“Crazy! Did we really exceed a billion won?! Is this madness?!”

“Our boss is in a different league. Sister, you’re just a part-timer now, but…”

Nuri smirked as she patted the tight-fitting tights hidden beneath her coat, different from regular clothing—an expensive battle suit imbued with magic power.

“When you become a full-time employee and receive your uniform, you’ll be able to wear an apartment-sized outfit. Heehee.”

“That’s because the boss cares most about employee welfare. Right, Raon-ssi? We’ve finished circling the store, haven’t we?”

“That’s correct. Let’s circle back again. Since we’re buying, we might as well pick up a few things for ourselves too. After all, the budget…”

“…Twenty billion?”

Could the hardships endured in Seoul have been preparation for this day? Gaeul suddenly felt tears welling up in her eyes.

* * *

<4:00 PM, Oracle Studio>

“Yuna, did you get permission?”

“Yes. It was a little difficult, but saying it was a pajama party to celebrate our safe return worked. I’m allowed to stay out tonight.”

Her words made me blush.

“Tonight…isn’t that the event?”

“Of course.”

That innocent child who refused to participate in group dates claiming she needed to study, even until the end of her first year in academy, has now obtained permission to stay out by lying to her parents.

“About Raon and Nuri?”

“They arranged to slip away after handing things over to Gaon-ssi. By the way, boss, doesn’t Gaeul-ssi resemble Gyeoul-ssi somewhat?”

“Very much so.”

Except for the slightly different nipple angles, their faces and bodies were incredibly similar. One could almost consider Gaeul as a remodeled version of Cheon Gaeul.

“Doppelgangers aren’t called that for nothing.”

“…It feels a bit strange.”

“What is?”

“Doesn’t Gaeul-ssi’s transformed appearance look exactly like Gyeoul-ssi?”

“…If Yuna thinks so, then it must be true.”

This isn’t a joke or mockery. The word of the goddess must be followed as law. Though Yuna’s suspicion may be valid, I didn’t particularly care.

“So what? If she wants to take that form, that’s her choice. In a world where a sixty-year-old grandma can cosplay as a thirty-something, it’s not bad for a thirty-something to pretend to be a high school student.”

“But boss, the difference in bust size…”

“Yuna. I didn’t hire Gaeul because of her chest. I saw the fiery will inside her heart and the hope for world peace.”

“Is that so…”

Ding-dong. The doorbell rang. When Yuna opened the office door, none other than the topic of conversation, Gyeoul, entered carrying boxes in her arms.

“I told you to rest today, so what brings you here?”

“I came to congratulate you on surviving. …Oh, Yuna-ssi is here too?”

“Yes. Why?”

“I thought only the boss would be here…”

Gyeoul set down the cakes and tea on the table with an embarrassed expression. Only strawberry-themed menus filled the table, accompanied solely by strawberry lattes and caramel macchiatos.

“Mr. Huan’s new menu, I’ll enjoy it. Thank you, Miss Gyeoul.”

I took a sip of the strawberry latte and lifted my fork. A piece of cake adorned with sweet strawberry cream greeted me. The celebration for our safe return from the Seoul Recovery Operation melted smoothly in my mouth.

“…Sorry. If I’d known Yuna-ya was here, I would’ve ordered one more.”

“Eh, it’s fine. I mean…”

Glug. Yuna lifted the cup I had drunk from and took a sip of the strawberry latte. Then, without hesitation, she picked up the fork and ate a piece of cake.

“Wa, wa…”

Gyeoul looked at Yuna in disbelief, while Yuna stared blankly back with the fork in her mouth. I momentarily lost my composure but decided to ignore it.

“So, Miss Gyeoul. What did you want to say despite tomorrow being your official return?”

“…I wanted to express my gratitude. Thank you for your efforts during the Seoul Recovery Operation.”

“I’m not sure if that’s something to thank me for.”

“No, it is. If you had given your all…certainly greater damage would have occurred. If the heroes had crossed the Han River…”

Due to the great efforts of the commander, if participants in the Seoul Recovery Operation were to cross the Han River, at least ten game-over flags would easily increase. Hence, I intentionally limited myself to subduing only Gaeul in Guro, but from Gyeoul’s perspective, she was merely grateful.

“…Surely the heroes would have suffered heavy losses, and everyone else too.”

“Still, Miss Gyeoul, isn’t your father the one who suffered the most damage in this incident? Are you alright with that?”

“Yes… Honestly, he deserves it. Please don’t talk about it elsewhere.”

“Of course. You never know who might be listening.”

Though I don’t yet know how many members of the Patriotic Youth Corps have been reduced, New Seoul remains Sun Icheol’s empire. Even if the number of existing members has decreased to less than forty, the villains captured in Seoul will surely fill those positions, so caution remains necessary.

“…So, boss. From here on out is the main point…”

Gyeoul started eyeing Yuna carefully. I pulled Yuna closer to me by her waist.

“If there’s something you shouldn’t hear, Yuna, I’ll make sure she doesn’t.”

“…But I haven’t even said anything yet!”

“I knew why you came from the moment you walked in.”

“…Sigh. Alright. Ugh…”

Gyeoul covered her face with her hand in frustration, then straightened up after taking a large bite of cake.

“In exchange for our deal, I will grant you one wish.”

“Wish? Wasn’t that last time-”

“Do you desire immense wealth? Or perhaps the whole country? Any wish you have, I will grant.”

“…”

A trace of madness appeared in Gyeoul’s eyes. Yuna began to look uneasy and glanced at me, while I tightened my grip on her waist and asked Gyeoul.

“If I wish for the assassination of Sun Icheol for the sake of world peace, would you grant it?”

“…If that is your wish.”

Despite clearly crossing a line, Gyeoul remained calm. As if she were a transcendent being making an offer, she gazed down at us serenely.

“…Hmm. How do you intend to grant wishes?”

“I shall fulfill them using the energy of the universe. I’m not joking. I truly mean it. Any wish, I can fulfill.”

Involuntary laughter escaped me.

“To fulfill any wish…then the answer is simple. Yuna, would you mind stating it for me?”

“Baek Cheonghwa desires to have sex with Sun Gyeoul.”

“Ye, yes…what?”

Gyeoul’s eyes widened dramatically. The ominous aura that had enveloped her disappeared, replaced by expressions of confusion and anxiety.

“Yuna, I didn’t hear that properly. Could you repeat it?”

“Baek Cheonghwa wishes to have non-consensual sex with Sun Gyeoul. Is that sufficient?”

“A-Ah!!!”

Sun Gyeoul jumped up from her seat.

“B-But sir! Don’t you like the boss?! How can you calmly talk about having sex with another woman?!”

“What’s so surprising?”

There was a sense of enlightenment in Yuna’s voice as she blew a raspberry. My interlocked fingers began to ache slightly.

“Miss Sun Gyeoul says she’ll grant any wish, doesn’t she? Boss, what’s your wish?”

“My wish is to fulfill whatever Yuna desires.”

“Then may I make a wish too? Got it. Here’s how: Yuna and Sun Gyeoul lie naked together in the same bed, engaging in a threesome with Baek Cheonghwa.”

“Th-Th-This…!”

Sun Gyeoul’s face turned beet red, as if it might burst. Meanwhile, Yuna maintained her gentle smile as she extended her hand towards Gyeoul.

“Don’t worry. I’ll help you. Actually, don’t you want to be with the boss too, Gyeoul-ssi? I know everything.”

“N-No! I-I’ll see you tomorrow!!”

Gyeoul grabbed her coat and hurriedly left the office. Yuna calmly moved to the seat Gyeoul had vacated, sat across from me, and picked up the fork.

“She said she’ll come back tomorrow. Seems like she’s not completely uninterested.”

“Exactly. Talking so meaningfully, you’d think she really had something special.”

“Right.”

I thought she had a Cube too.

“Anyone hearing this would think you’re dating a genie from a lamp.”

“…But boss, what if there really was something like that?”

Yuna leaned in close with a sleepy smile.

“Could I…grow as big as Gaeul-ssi or Gyeoul-ssi?”

“…It wouldn’t be impossible.”

If there was a Cube, even Seonkko Sam could reach 18 cm. And turning an AAA into a G wouldn’t be entirely impossible—

“—No way.”

I erased the hypothetical scenario from my mind.