Chapter 968

EP.969 Part 2 Chapter 9 Section 24

Rose Boy.

It’s a name I don’t recognize.

But it’s the kind of name every gamer would know, and in this world, he’s particularly famous.

An S-Rank Hero who, alongside Hwakwon “Kim Chul-soo,” formed Korea’s top duo up until 2012.

Standing at 180 cm, this young man proudly wore a full-body spandex suit adorned with Rose patterns and the Taeguk symbol for the sake of patriotism.

Little did anyone know that his growth had stopped prematurely during elementary school due to an unusual condition, making him an S-Rank elementary student—a fact only known to those playing the game.

“Do you know anything about Rose Boy?”

“Uh…that he’s passed away? Aside from what’s on the Hero Wiki, not much.”

The Hero Wiki entry for Rose Boy boils down to this:

Nationalistic hero.

Fire-type.

Has a *ridiculously* large member.

Honestly, if he were American, they’d probably call him Superman, but because he was in Hell Joseon, he got shafted.

If he were still alive today, he’d either be shamed for his past antics as Rose Boy or have overcome all that to become a beacon of hope and dreams for everyone.

Most people thought something along those lines.

“Ah, it wasn’t until the flowers wilted that I realized spring had come.”

The positive perception of Rose Boy, also known as Baek Cheonghwa, solidified after his mysterious disappearance.

During the Pyongyang Incident, he was classified as MIA, presumed dead alongside other S-Ranks, though in reality, he had drifted all the way to Siberia.

Just like how Rusalka once drifted from Siberia to Korea, Rose Boy Baek Cheonghwa drifted in the opposite direction.

Thankfully, he washed ashore completely naked, leaving behind any trace of his rose-adorned spandex suit.

Only Sun Icheol knew his true identity, and Sun Icheol has kept his mouth shut, ensuring Rose Boy’s secret remains hidden.

And even more thankfully, the fact that “the Commander is Rose Boy” is something that doesn’t need to be brought up unless absolutely necessary.

Thus, it’s best not to mention Rose Boy at all.

“It’s not without reason that he’s treated as black history.”

The ridicule surrounding the in-game alias of Rose Boy is solely reserved for the players.

Ask 100 players whether they’d prefer being called “High Priest,” “Commander,” or “Rose Guy,” and 50 would choose High Priest while the other 50 would go with Commander.

There are those who retire from hero work simply because their alias turned out poorly.

An alias is important.

Choosing one based on mythical creatures or legendary figures might make you look ridiculous, but there’s a certain charm to it.

Like Blazing Phoenix.

“Yuna, do you understand how aliases are decided?”

“Of course. Most are chosen by the Hero Association, but the Commander can assign them too, right?”

“That’s right. The former is decided by collective intelligence, while the latter is my personal choice.”

Thanks to the god-tier freedom in this game, I can name heroes however I want.

Default names like “Maiden,” “Soaring Cloud,” or “Wild Yellow” are available, but absurd ones like “Lady Bottoms,” “Momma Tongue,” or “Scissor Head” are also possible.

In some cases, overly strange aliases have led heroines to take their own lives after facing relentless online harassment.

Just as no parent names their child Hitler, Commanders should think carefully when naming heroes, as if giving their child a name.

Considering how crucial aliases are, Sun Icheol named Baek Cheonghwa “Rose Boy” purely because he thought it sounded nice.

—Seriously.

– It’s no different from Tae Kwon Boy or the Owl Brothers!!

Truly, he must be some fearsome villain.

Fortunately, nowadays, Rose Boy only appears in polls like “Funniest Hero Names.”

Because no one on Earth knows his true identity anymore.

“Naming stuff really stresses me out, don’t you think?”

“But wouldn’t you take naming a child seriously?”

“That’s…true?”

“Huh.”

Yuna smiled gently and placed my hand on her lower abdomen.

“Names matter, right?”

For some reason, despite this being Yuna’s usual teasing behavior in the game, it feels heavier than usual.

[Heh. Yeah, names matter.]

It’s definitely not because a certain Yuna is hugging me from behind, resting her chest atop my head.

* * *

Busan Port.

Inside a shipping container, many people had gathered.

They threw hastily delivered sleeping bags into the abandoned container and sweated profusely under the sweltering heat as they entered an emergency meeting.

“If we keep going like this, we won’t meet the Commander—we’ll just get killed by Seok Harang!”

All these individuals had come to Korea to meet the Commander.

However, due to Seok Harang’s threats, none of them could approach him.

“Come on, realistically, who can defeat an SS-Rank Special Ability user?”

“So you’re saying defeating him means getting to meet the Commander? Sounds like he doesn’t want us to meet him at all.”

“But who are we?”

“When someone tells us not to do something, it only makes us want to do it more—it’s human nature!”

With desperate determination, they returned to Korea, including those who had previously emigrated and were now prepared to face egg-throwing protests.

All because the Commander was here in Korea.

Just that single factor brought them back to a land they didn’t particularly want to step foot in.

“Should we head to New Seoul? I heard negotiations with the government and the Hero Association are ongoing there.”

“What’s the point? Even the new government forming in New Seoul will likely move to protect the Commander—or maybe even establish a government centered around him!”

“Or perhaps the Commander’s magical girl will step into politics.”

Everyone fell silent.

The person who dominated every aspect of the nation—politics, economy, society, culture—was none other than the Commander. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say the entire country was now under the Commander’s influence.

And as someone pointed out, if a political figure awakened to special abilities through the Commander?

“Have you heard the news? Over 70% of the country supports giving Yeouido to ensure the Commander stays in this nation.”

“What about the remaining 30%?”

“Probably remnants of Ex-President Sun Icheol’s faction.”

“Incredible. We might hit 90% support.”

To them, Yeouido was merely a small island in the middle of Seoul.

“Even with the Commander making such concessions, only 70% approval?”

“It’s hard to believe we came all the way from America to Korea.”

“In America, they’d probably give up an entire theme park, or maybe even an entire state.”

“For the white oil flowing from beneath the Commander, nations would wage war. Khkh…”

That’s why they couldn’t comprehend it.

So many countries could treat the Commander better.

So many places offered better conditions and treatment than Korea.

Even the U.S., where he was supposedly originally from, could provide him with far more than what Korea currently offers. Why choose Korea?

“Maybe he has ties here?”

“What ties? He’s clearly Hispanic now.”

“He might’ve gotten plastic surgery.”

“Hmm. Somehow, it feels more believable that he’s Korean but pretends to be Western.”

People couldn’t grasp the reasoning.

To understand why the Commander, who could possess all worldly power, chose Korea would surely help them approach and persuade him more easily—but no matter how they thought about it, they couldn’t find a plausible explanation.

“Maybe…”

Someone quietly spoke up.

“Does the Commander have a fetish for East Asians?”

“…Oh.”

Though said jokingly, this idea made everyone consider the possibility.

“He doesn’t favor China or Japan specifically; maybe he just has a thing for Koreans.”

“Fetishes can’t be helped.”

“Does he prefer slim women? No, most of the magical girls are curvy.”

“Or maybe he goes crazy over hearing ‘oppa.’”

As the conversation veered toward speculating about the Commander’s fetishes, a cloaked figure silently slipped out unnoticed.

Swoosh.

When the hood was removed, a demure black-haired woman emerged.

Late at night.

Amidst the containers at Busan Port, where no one could see her, the woman discarded her cloak.

“Suuuuck, haa, suuuuck, haa.”

The woman stood bare, arms spread wide.

Even in such a desolate place, it was rare—no, unprecedented—to see a woman with hair so long it trailed across the floor exposing herself like this.

“Ssuuuuck.”

Her hand briefly moved downward.

But she shook her head, grabbed her hair from behind, and swept it forward.

Then…

Swoosh, swoosh.

She began wrapping her body with her hair, using it like a bandage.

Covering her chest, pulling her hair down past her groin and hips, looping it around her back, and tying the ends together.

It resembled a sleek black string bikini, and with her hands clasped, she stepped forward toward the sea.

“This is Busan, so…”

The woman tapped the Magical Gear button.

A map of Korea appeared, and starting from Busan, she began tracing an odd route along the coastline, which eventually led to “Seoul.”

“If the land route doesn’t work, I’ll swim.”

Her eyes brimmed with certainty.

Not just certainty, but a burning mission to meet the Commander.

“…Only the Commander can stop him.”

Biting her lower lip, she climbed onto the railing.

The cold sea breeze wrapped around her, and she shivered slightly before licking her lips.

“…It’s not just a Korean fetish. It must be an East Asian fetish.”

Speaking fluent Korean, she dove into the night sea.

“Yeah, it’s fine. At least while supplying magic power, I won’t have to use Chinese…”

Plop!

A faint splash echoed through Busan Port.