128 – It’s rumored that there’s plenty to eat at a wedding feast #1
It’s always better to see things optimistically.
First, a toast to the fact that we faced the “Red King” and no one died, nor was anyone controlled, and we all returned safely.
However, it’s unavoidable to feel a little regretful.
It seemed like the perfect opportunity to bring down the “Red King” flew right by.
There’s no telling whether that man will acquiesce so easily again next time we go to meet him.
We might end up having to engage in the fight we anticipated, with bl**d being spilled.
Of course, I’m not afraid.
In fact, I find it exciting.
“So, Hanamjin, let’s get back to the main point—what do you think about becoming family with me?”
While boiling noodles to quell my hunger, Yu Yeo-reum poked me in the ribs with her finger.
“We would be a perfect fit. We both know how valuable bl**d ties are, don’t we? People with flaws, people with dark sides, helping each other—that’s what we do.”
“Ramen’s ready.”
Boil-boil.
I placed the boiling noodles on the table.
─Creak.
“Such a delicious smell…”
“That Baonoi has always wanted to try these noodles but didn’t know how to eat them…!”
Yining and the nymphs gathered around the table in a circle.
I shared the noodles with everyone.
Slurp, slurp, delicious.
As they say, eating with others is always tastier than eating alone.
Could it be because my stomach is full?
Yu Yeo-reum’s attitude seemed a bit more relaxed too.
She blushed red and gave me a warning.
“Hanamjin, all the things I just said? None of it was serious, so forget it. You know, sometimes I say strange things. I used too much of the «light» power when fighting the «Red King».”
According to what Bangdaengi told me, when I was enveloped in darkness and collapsed, the “Red King” scattered darkness everywhere and went on a rampage.
If Yu Yeo-reum and Seugal hadn’t used some fusion combination technique called the «Miraculous Light» or something, we all might have either died or turned into his marionettes.
But because of the power she exhausted then, Yu Yeo-reum seemed to be losing control to her own «darkness» a lot more often now.
She clicked her tongue in annoyance, clearly dissatisfied with this.
“So, what are you going to do now? Hanamjin. The whole world is talking about you. You might really have to get married and have kids.”
What am I going to do?
There are various options.
“First, I do not agree with this duty to marry and continue the lineage. To be honest, it means endlessly handing down debts to my children, doesn’t it?”
Think about the children I would have if I became the «Red King»—how painful and sorrowful their lives would be.
Yu Yeo-reum furrowed her brow as if she didn’t understand.
“But, now that foreign top agents are involved, what can you do?”
What can I do…
It’s a reasonable question.
“And if you’re going to be that way, then I…”
Yu Yeo-reum stopped in mid-sentence and soon put down her chopsticks before leaving abruptly.
“I’ve eaten well.”
Don’t you need to at least help with the dishes after eating so much?
Humanely!
But Yu Yeo-reum was already gone.
Soon, Baonoi laughed softly.
“What a cute and playful Kore!”
# # #
“Failure?”
Yu Dogwan’s office.
Yu Dogwan grimaced in undisguised disappointment when his adopted daughter, Yu Yeo-reum, reported her failure.
“How hard can it be to take down a high school boy who hasn’t even graduated? Did you even try your best?”
Yu Dogwan stared at Yeo-reum with narrow eyes.
There was something peculiar about the way a father spoke to his daughter.
Yu Yeo-reum had long known that this man viewed and used her merely as a tool.
However, Yeo-reum stayed close to him, utilizing his status. Their mutual interests lined up well.
This time was no different.
Yu Dogwan wanted Yu Yeo-reum to bear the next heir of the fairy kingdom.
“Didn’t I make it clear enough, even for your slow brain? Only by having you continue the fairy royal bloodline can I enter the «New Order»!”
The «New Order» was the name of the newly formed coalition command. It could be considered a supranational organization formed by great nations like the U.S., China, and Russia to prevent their own destruction by pooling their power.
‘Since I don’t understand why Nam Bada brought in foreign forces, if only my daughter Yu Yeo-reum bears the child of the fairy royal family, then I too could secure a solid position in the newly formed world government. I might even be invited into the «Council of Sages».’
The thought of becoming a member of the «Council of Sages», who operates behind the scenes of the newly established «New Order» and supposedly controls the world, was enough to make his spine tingle.
To have finally risen above everyone after growing up in a household of an old waste-picking man, enduring all sorts of discrimination and scorn—beating even that Nam Tae-geon!
It would be nothing less than a total human triumph.
But?
The fact that Yu Yeo-reum, on whom he had pinned his hopes, failed made Yu Dogwan exceedingly angry.
Nevertheless, pushing harder here wouldn’t be the right move.
Yu Dogwan was adept at managing people, and this skill was why he had become the leader of the opposition party.
“Yeo-reum, you haven’t forgotten the promise that if you succeed in this task, I’ll tell you where your mom and dad are and what they’re doing, right? Or, do you actually dislike Hanamjin?”
“…Not dislike, but…”
“I also got married just a month after meeting my current wife through a matchmaker the day after we first met. She was a famous rich family’s daughter in the neighborhood, so I thought I couldn’t let her slip away. Frankly speaking, her appearance wasn’t really my type.”
Yu Dogwan chose his wife purely for materialistic reasons.
A marriage without love.
“But we live well now, don’t we? Yeo-reum, I’m offering this choice because you’re my daughter. As I said the other day, if this plan doesn’t sit well with you, there’s another.”
Shuuh.
Yu Dogwan extended a small gem to Yu Yeo-reum.
A golden glittering stone, a «Concept Stone».
“It’s fine if you choose to swallow this. A highly powerful concept is embedded within. Its power rivals the «World» itself. If you can handle it well, I’ll be pleased too.”
Yu Yeo-reum knew well, through the events she’d experienced with Hanamjin, how much destruction an incomprehensible concept could bring.
She couldn’t predict what would happen if she swallowed that golden concept stone.
“Yeo-reum, the choice is yours.”
Just as Yu Dogwan smiled with satisfaction,
Wooouuung.
The vibration of his phone ringing unexpectedly irritated him.
“Director Kim, why are you calling so late at night? What? Turn on the TV?”
# # #
—Our «Temple of Creation» demands three things.
—One. We demand President Nam Tae-geon’s voluntary resignation.
—One. We demand the withdrawal of the alliance «New Order» from Korea.
—One. We demand custody of Hanamjin and the «Witch».
—If these demands are not met, the Free Republic of Korea will officially enter a state of war with us, the «Temple of Creation».
—I am Goo Se-jun. The prophet of a new creation and order. Awakened Ones, awaken and come to me.
I turned on the TV without much thought, and there was the terrorist’s manifesto being broadcast.
The illegal armed group ‘Villains’ formed by unregistered Awakened Ones and its leader Goo Se-jun had apparently rebranded themselves as the «Temple of Creation».
The world federation «New Order» and the illegal armed group «Temple of Creation»—both were familiar names to me.
These were the people who had split the ruins of our destroyed world and were incessantly playing land-grabs.
The only one I paid more attention to was the old man standing beside Goo Se-jun with a microphone in hand,
“Isn’t that Old Man Hugi?”
I was surprised to see my mentor, Old Man Hugi, standing like a backdrop beside Goo Se-jun. So, Old Man Hugi was collaborating with the unregistered Awakened Ones, the terrorists?
Old Man Hugi hated unregistered Awakened Ones more than anyone else.
He used to criticize them constantly, saying, “If you received a gift of power, you should use it for the country and its people, not secretly carry out terrorist acts! They have no patriotism!”
How do I know?
Because back then, I was an unregistered Awakened One without patriotism.
“Old Man Hugi becoming a terrorist…”
As I was lost in thought about all these things while I was unconscious, my phone rang.
“Director Gim, it’s been a while.”
—Right outside your house. Open the door.
When I opened the door, Uncle Gim was standing in the doorway with an umbrella.
He came in and, looking at the «Temple of Creation»’s broadcast, clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction.
I was about to be assigned a task. A task from above. I had to arrest that man.
“But me?”
“Junior Officer Hagi-hun is an experienced veteran who became an explorer in the Great Labyrinth despite being a civilian. He knows a lot of confidential information that could endanger Korea. If we let him be, many people could get hurt.”
Arrest the elder?
It just doesn’t feel right.
It’s obvious that he wouldn’t surrender quietly.
“A lot of people might get hurt even if I go to arrest him.”
“That’s why I’m asking you. If someone you know personally tries to persuade him, the situation might be resolved without fighting. By the way, the person who leaked your information to the CIA—that is, the World Federation—was Junior Officer Hagi-hun.”
Old Man Hugi leaked my information to foreign countries…
Why did he do that?
As I was pondering this, Director Gim added,
“A car is waiting outside. There’s someone in it who can explain things better than I can. Have a conversation with them. Be careful not to get wet.”
I stepped out with the umbrella Director Gim handed me. A sleek black sedan, which doesn’t fit in this run-down neighborhood, was purring like a content predator.
When I opened the back door and got in, there was someone sitting in the passenger seat.
Recognizing the individual who was incredibly famous was almost harder than not recognizing them.
“President.”
“Nam Tae-geon. Let’s cut to the chase. While you were unconscious, we conducted genetic identification. Thanks to that, it’s certain that you share my bloodline. You’re not Hanamjin but just Nam Jin.”
“But I’m Hanamjin. And by the way, I dislike Nam Namjin even more.”
“Let me apologize to you first. My choice led to the deaths of your parents. You’re entitled to blame me. However, there is one thing that will never change. The fact that you and I share the same bl**d, and that you are Nam Jin.”
The first time we met, Nam Tae-geon was a very arrogant person.
That’s a common trait for self-made men.
They succeed repeatedly their own way, building a massive castle to the point they believe their opinions are always correct.
Nevertheless, there was a time when I wanted to meet this man.
Because I had so many questions.
“Exactly why did you do it? Why k*ll your own son?”
“I swear, I didn’t know my son was there. I had lost touch with him. Moreover, until recently, I didn’t know that my son, who was supposed to be infertile, had a child like you.”
“Then, let’s continue living without knowing each other forever. Don’t let me see your face again. I already think of your existence as nothing. You are completely unconnected to me.”
It felt like a weight had been lifted.
How long had I wanted to say this?
So, how will Nam Tae-geon react?
Will he get angry with my rudeness?
“Look, you’re really just like me. There’s a proper backbone there. Hahaha!”
Nam Tae-geon laughed heartily.
But his laughter didn’t last long.
“You know everything about you bringing the «Witch» isn’t it? Stealing the nation’s strategic assets is clearly a criminal act. You, the one who inherited my bl**d, should be well aware of that.”
“I don’t know.”
“Find Junior Officer Hagi-hun. If you do that, I might pardon your sins using my personal authority. It’s not impossible to forgive all your wrongdoing.”
I got out of the car, sensing the waste of time.
Hugi’s face came to mind.
Despite everything, the time I spent with him was enjoyable.
It’s unpleasant to follow Nam Tae-geon’s orders, but I wanted to meet Hugi and figure out what he’s up to.
Where can I find him?
It was simple.
“Good fighters move their feet, but the masters make others come to them.”
Instead of finding the opponent, let the opponent find me.
And now, an excellent plan came to mind that could resolve the current situation.
The title is “Hanamjin’s Wedding Project.”
