130 – The More Famous the Wedding Banquet, the More Food There Is #3
Seugal disliked Hanamjin.
He had kidnapped her recklessly, released her just as arbitrarily, and now he was trying to mold her according to his own whims alongside some dubious future version of herself, “Future Seugal.”
However, even Seugal had to admit Hanamjin possessed a certain “manliness.”
Then what was this “manliness,” exactly?
It was his refusal to bow to predetermined fate or destiny, his unwavering determination not to give in to pressure, and his refusal to ever give up. In situations where Seugal would have likely faltered many times over, Hanamjin had always found a way out. Because of witnessing these qualities, Seugal couldn’t simply dislike Hanamjin outright.
“There’s something to learn from him,” she thought.
Even though it was only slightly, she had grown to respect and admire Hanamjin, so much so that it felt like with Hanamjin by her side, she could overcome any difficulty. He was like a stack of crisp bills in her pocket—always dependable.
In fact, Seugal had recently implemented something she called “Think Like Hanamjin” in her daily life, and it had led to many positive changes.
For instance:
“Hey Hanamjin! I need to pick out what to wear today, and it’s such a big issue! I don’t have a single thing to wear!”
“Stop overthinking! You’ll look stunning no matter what you wear, Seugal. But, solving this little problem will help grow your aesthetic sense.”
“Hey Hanamjin! The reporters keep bothering me, and all I want to do is stay at home today. But I feel like it’s a sin to just roll around in bed.”
“Hey, good girl. Even mighty lions take their well-deserved rest after a hunt. Seugal, you’ve worked hard; it’s okay to take a break once in a while.”
And thus, deep inside Seugal’s mind, a persona called “Hanamjin Soft Software” had taken root. This version of Hanamjin had dismantled many of her worries and had become her rock, a wellspring of infinite positivity.
In Seugal’s eyes, Hanamjin was a sort of all-purpose problem solver. And yet, how could this be happening now?
“Blind recruitment.”
Seugal felt deep disappointment when Hanamjin decided to hold a grand recruitment event to find his bride. Submitting to outside pressure by preparing to marry someone—what had happened to that “manliness”?
“Pushover! What kind of man are you?”
And so, Seugal decided to become the strict examiner, acting as if she were his sister-in-law and carefully overseeing this blind recruitment.
Of course, her real intention was to ruin it entirely.
“Name: Kim Aro. Age: 21. Majoring in flute at a prestigious university? Your father is the CEO of Aro Corporation.”
“Hello.”
The princess-like woman bowed her head delicately.
Seugal couldn’t understand why such a poised woman would join this absurd event, attempting to become Hanamjin’s bride.
“Exactly why do you want to participate in this blind date? Given your situation, you could easily meet much more suitable men, and surely there are plenty of men who would already follow you willingly.”
To Seugal’s direct and harsh question, Kim Aro blushed and replied.
“The zombie incident nearly injured my mother. If Hanamjin hadn’t acted, the situation could have escalated, hurting many people…”
“I see, thank you. I’ll let you know the result via text.”
“Wait! Let me play a tune on the flute before I go!”
“No time. Next!”
Seugal tossed Kim Aro’s application into the “rejected” box. Watching this, Hanamjin asked,
“Wasn’t that sister enough to be approved? She plays the flute, after all. I respect people who are skilled with musical instruments.”
“Hmph, playing an instrument isn’t that difficult. I can play violin, piano, and harp too. Also, look at her ‘Instagram stars,’ her upload frequency is too short. Total SNS addict and pushover.”
“Hmm. A SNS addict pushover, huh…”
It was indeed a very strict evaluation criteria. Many women failed to pass through Seugal’s tight net, and they were quickly placed into the “rejected” bin. Seugal had made all sorts of nitpicky criticisms, like “Your mouth is too big! You’ll eat your husband up!” or “Your dream is to be a virtuous housewife? Women should be more independent, like a lioness!”
Most of these were baseless complaints, but Seugal was trying so hard to find reasons for rejection that she was even getting exhausted.
“Why are women of this caliber participating in something like a blind recruitment? Don’t they have better things to do? When it rains black rain, just stay home quietly, will you?”
In less than an hour, she had reviewed thirty candidates.
Only two more remained.
“Finally, it’s my turn. I’m Mara Hyun.”
A woman with waist-length hair dressed in a black suit. She appeared to be in her late twenties, exuding the air of a mature, sophisticated woman.
“Hmm.”
Even Hanamjin, who rarely lost his poise with mature women, seemed intrigued from the start. Seugal glanced at Hanamjin’s own evaluation sheet; he had already given her a “10/10” for her appearance.
Still determined to find flaws, Seugal threw out an absurd request.
“Lady Hyun, can you perform the moonwalk?”
“Of course.”
Thump, thump, thump – with high heels on, Mara Hyun executed a high-difficulty dance move.
“Wow!”
Hanamjin added another “10/10” to his evaluation sheet for “Skills,” while Seugal started feeling a bit uneasy at how effortlessly the woman passed the first trial.
—Hey Hanamjin! What should I do? She’s performing the moonwalk in high heels!
—Calm down, pushing overthinker! You’ve got more trials you’ve prepared. You can do this, Seugal. Keep working hard!
Receiving courage from the “Hanamjin Soft Software” in her mind, Seugal thought about the next demand, making sure it would force Mara Hyun into an embarrassing situation.
“Can your tongue reach your elbow?”
“What’s the purpose of that?”
Of course, licking your elbow held no meaningful purpose, but Seugal persisted.
“To live with an Awakened One, you need flexibility. You’re unfit for blind dating Hanamjin if you can’t do that. Do you understand?”
It was all lies, of course. Seugal just wanted to force Mara Hyun into trying, letting Hanamjin see the effort fail, thereby lowering her score.
However, an unexpected turn of events occurred:
“Whoa! She’s actually licking her own elbow! How flexible is that?”
SCHLURP!
Watching Mara Hyun lick her own elbow, Hanamjin was so impressed that he even started breaking out into breakdance.
“I did ballet when I was young, so flexibility is something I’m confident in.”
Was there such a woman as this?
Seugal was flustered but had one more ace up her sleeve.
“Do you use social media?”
Pretty women typically always use social media. Boasting and showing off oneself has been an instinct passed down through the ages.
But?
“I don’t use that stuff. I think it’s a waste of time. In my free time, I practice calligraphy or enjoy a cup of tea. Recently, I’ve been into flower arrangement, but before, I went hunting boars with a g*n.”
Such women exist!
Unbelievably perfect, this was someone Seugal couldn’t fathom, someone even willing to marry Hanamjin. When Hanamjin placed the evaluation form marked with “10/10” for “Spirit” into the “passed” box, it marked the first success of the day.
“Lady Hyun, I’ll contact you separately. We’ll have a deeper conversation later. Next!”
*
They say those who have eaten meat know how to eat it best. With Seugal as the examiner, the previously slow process moved along swiftly. Truly, women know best when it came to judging other women.
Finally, the last participant arrived and loudly announced herself:
“Hanam Jin!”
“Whoa, it’s Bangdaengi. Are you here for a blind date with me?”
Having an acquaintance show up as a marriage candidate was certainly amusing.
Ho ho ho!
Hanamjin heartily laughed, but then Bangdaengi continued,
“Hanam Jin, I figured this might be the only way I could get some time to talk to you. Mibang is missing! I don’t know where she went during our escape from the Great Labyrinth.”
Mibang was missing?
It seemed like government agents hadn’t captured her, given that President Nam Tae-geon had asked the day before, “Do you have the witch?”
Was it then the terrorist organization “Genesis Temple”?
No, they wanted “the witch” too.
“Find her quickly! Mibang might be in danger! She’s not in good health!”
PANT, PANT, PANT!
Bangdaengi grabbed and shook my shoulder anxiously.
“I don’t know where Mibang disappeared to, not immediately.”
“Impossible!”
“Alright, Seugal, how did Bangdaengi do? Pass or fail?”
Ever since Bangdaengi arrived, Seugal had been silent. But, deciding she should do her job, she placed Bangdaengi’s scorecard into the “rejected” box.
“GHAAAA! Why am I rejected? I hate you, Seugal!”
Anyway, that finishes today’s quota.
It’s not easy handling blind dates with so many women, but the results were sufficient.
“Mara Hyun.”
I recalled the name of the only woman who passed the first round of evaluations today. She was exceptionally competent, passing all Seugal’s nitpicky tests without problem—a perfect woman in both literary and martial arts.
“Seugal, after all.”
“What?”
“You helped me choose exactly the person I was looking for. Mara Hyun.”
“How? You’re actually serious about meeting her?”
I nodded in response to Seugal’s question.
“High heels don’t stop her from moonwalking. Her flexibility lets her lick her elbow. Skills like that aren’t common.”
“I could do that too! There’s nothing special about it!”
THUMP THUMP!
Seugal, performing both the moonwalk and licking her elbow simultaneously.
Impressive, but Baek Yeo-ul couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight.
“Seugal, what the heck are you doing? You’re acting weird!”
True, it’s weird.
But isn’t it impressive?
Of course, impressive only by ordinary standards.
“In reality, moves like moonwalking and licking your elbow aren’t that hard for people like us as Awakened Ones. Mara Hyun’s abilities suggest that she’s also an Awakened One, likely an unregistered one. Her refusal to use social media probably means she’s covering something up.”
Which implies Mara Hyun is likely an unregistered Awakened One, probably tied to the old “Villains” and the current “Genesis Temple.”
That Seugal was able to so meticulously weed out her true identity through her evaluation criteria was impressive.
Seugal blushed upon hearing my explanation.
“Hmph! Fine, it was all planned. I knew you were using the blind recruitment to lure terrorists! Acting along with you is exhausting.”
“I was unaware! Hanam Jin! Incredible, whatever this is!”
Then, let’s meet the terrorist Mara Hyun.
I should go see what she has to say.
