267 – Seo Ye-rim, Losing the Flame!? #2
Beep beep beep—!
As I heard the fire alarm ringing, cold water poured down like rain.
Fire?
While I was puzzled, Inoi, who was drinking warm peppermint tea, seemed delighted.
“Even indoors, it feels like it’s raining…! Perhaps I, Inoi, have discovered a new weather anomaly in 21st century Korea…!”
The nymphs seemed to be enjoying the sprinkler system set up for fire prevention, but I was slightly worried that there might be a fire somewhere in this café.
At least, it was a relief that I had two nymphs beside me who could spray a stream of water powerful enough to rival a fire truck’s hydraulic hose.
“Evacuate! Evacuate! Kkungkkungi, Ahn Ahn, help get people to safety!”
—Kkungkkungi…!
—Zzzi…
I evacuated the people inside the café as trained before heading to the restroom where the ruckus seemed to be coming from.
I suspected that Seo Ye-rim had started the fire.
“Hey! Seo Ye-rim! Are you alright?”
I opened the women’s restroom door forcefully and stepped inside.
There lay Seo Ye-rim facedown, scrambling around the floor with her hands.
“Squirrel Beast…?”
Having a Squirrel Beast as a pet and being one of the residents of Primal Village, I was familiar with the sight of squirrels digging in the ground.
Squirrel Beasts loved digging.
They would quickly claw at the ground with their forelegs, making a huge mess!
It was probably a habit of theirs to dig tunnels and hide to escape terrifying predators like tiger owls. Seo Ye-rim’s frantic digging resembled a squirrel’s frantic search.
“Hey! Come out! Where are you? Give me my flame back!”
Seo Ye-rim seemed to be in a panic.
Concealing my own bewilderment, I thought it would be best to drag her outside.
In the café where everyone had evacuated, I asked the now somewhat calmed Seo Ye-rim.
“What on earth happened? Why did you start a fire in the café?”
“I didn’t start it! Someone stole my flame! They stole my fire! That wicked thief!”
Seo Ye-rim appeared almost half-mad.
Her hair was drenched, and her makeup was smudged, but she looked so dazed that she didn’t seem to care about any of that.
Seeing Seo Ye-rim flustered like this was a first for me, and I felt unusually perplexed myself.
“Seo Ye-rim, calm down and explain what happened. Remember the anger management meditation program you took? Repeat after me. First. Anger cannot control me.”
“Anger… cannot control… me…?”
“Second. Anger cannot control me.”
“Anger cannot control… me… what the hell, I just said that!”
Seo Ye-rim yelled in frustration.
However, I was surprised by the lack of heat emanating from her despite her outburst.
Those with flame abilities would have their surroundings’ temperature fluctuate according to their emotions.
Seo Ye-rim’s fury not raising the temperature… could it be because she had completely controlled herself?
No, it couldn’t be.
“Was it someone who stole your flame? What exactly happened?”
# # #
In today’s world, trends and public opinion could change in the blink of an eye.
Only a few days ago, there was a buzz on the internet about me bringing the Saint of Midland, the people of the Pilgrim Village, and the Demon King Barbatos to the 21st century.
It was indeed just a few days ago.
“Title: Who is responsible for Gumihee being a Villain?
Content: Isn’t it neglectful to make a villain into an S-ranker?”
“Title: I think I should immigrate lol
Content: How can we feel safe in a country where a crazy S-ranker is terrorizing?”
“Title: Is it true that Seo Ye-rim lost her abilities?
Content: I heard that Gumihee steals other people’s abilities?”
Just days ago, people praised and glorified my achievements, but today’s internet was filled with provocative and despairing posts.
How could trends die down in less than a week?
To be honest, it was a pretty significant incident.
The new S-ranker Gumihee attacking Seo Ye-rim and stealing her flame ability meant that there were two gaps among Korea’s trio of S-rankers.
It wouldn’t be surprising for people to be in a panic.
Korea, especially, was a country that frequently experienced T-rank fissures.
It had become a superpower of the fifth industrial sector, ranking second in global GDP, but there were always downsides to everything.
With two S-rankers gone, could Cha Yura handle the recurring T-rank fissures on her own?
Still, a sliver of hope remained.
“I’ve decided to work in Korea until the situation stabilizes. We need to help each other as neighboring countries, right?”
Japan’s S-ranker Tsukki decided to be deployed long-term to Korea.
The Japanese Awakened Alliance, Kwan-gyeok-yeon, and the Korean government rushed to arrange things.
Yagami Tsukki, a physical enhancement-type Awakened with skills that predicted she would be an S-ranker single numbers, would surely be able to fill Seo Ye-rim’s void somehow.
“Tsukki, I’m really glad you’re here.”
“Well, I’m not doing this for free. In future diplomatic matters with Korea, Japan will have some priority. More than that…”
Tsukki appeared more concerned about something other than diplomacy or security.
“I’ve known Ye-rim for a long time, but it’s the first time I’ve seen her looking so downcast. She’s changed into someone completely different; she’s so quiet and calm now.”
Tsukki looked at Seo Ye-rim sitting on a bench in the yard.
Seo Ye-rim looked as if a boxer who had been running nonstop for several rounds had gone pale.
—Kkungkkungi…!
—Zzzi…!
—Hioong…?
Kkungkkungi, Ahn Ahn, and Bang Bang climbed up and down Seo Ye-rim’s shoulders and knees, sitting on top of her head, yet she didn’t budge at all.
Under normal circumstances, she would have patted the little animals or waved her hand to shoo them away, pretending not to care, but today, Seo Ye-rim resembled an immovable rock or tree in nature.
It was understandable.
She had lost her ability, ‘flame.’
What is Seo Ye-rim without her flame?
Touch-!
Suddenly, Seo Ye-rim reached her palm toward the air as if trying to radiate a flame, but nothing happened.
“…”
Seo Ye-rim gazed at her palm.
It seemed she still couldn’t believe her situation.
Vroom—.
At that moment, several black cars entered Primal Village.
I was momentarily alarmed at the sight of men in black and a strike team outfitted with state-of-the-art combat suits. Their suits were emblazoned with the word “Tel” in English.
They were the strike team called “Illuminators,” known as the troubleshooters of Mega Corp Telos. Among them was the woman Ahn Young-eun, whom I thought could not fit the title of “secretary” any better.
“Ye-rim, let’s go. It’s dangerous for you to be outside. From now on, you’ll need to stay in a safe house 24 hours a day. Your father is looking for you.”
Several people grabbed Seo Ye-rim’s shoulders and arms and lifted her off the bench.
Then, what had been calm until now changed as Seo Ye-rim began to struggle and flail as if it were a lie.
“Let go! I’m not going! Why should I hide in a safe house? I’m going to catch that thief! I won’t go back until I catch her…!”
I heard that the strike teams of Telos were formidable Awakened individuals, but even they seemed to struggle to forcibly drag an S-ranker like Seo Ye-rim.
While she had lost her flame ability, she had not lost her enhanced physical abilities from mana.
“Il-do! Do something!”
Ahn Young-eun, who was watching the situation unfold, called out to me.
“Me?”
What was I supposed to do?
But considering things carefully, it might not be a bad idea for Seo Ye-rim to receive protection in Telos’ safe house.
Since news had spread that Seo Ye-rim had lost her powers, who knew what kind of people might target her next?
Seo Ye-rim was the princess of Mega Corp.
Many terrorist groups would want to hold her hostage and demand a ransom.
“Seo Ye-rim, let’s head to your company for now. Kkungkkungi, Bang Bang, Ahn Ahn, you come too. Inoi! You come along! Tsukki, you go as well.”
I climbed into the Telos vehicles.
Then, Seo Ye-rim, who had been thrashing, clicked her tongue and got in next to me.
Swoosh—.
The cars smoothly exited Primal Village, and in less than an hour, we arrived at the headquarters of Telos.
The building, over 100 stories high, was immensely grand and powerful.
“I feel like this nymph-friendly height almost reaches the sky…! I, Inoi, one day want to live in such a grand castle!”
“Of course…! This building exemplifies the power of capitalism…! The headquarters of Industry Telos is truly a nymph-friendly building…! Let’s enter…!”
We headed up to the top floor of the building.
On the top floor was the office-cum-personal library of Seo Sang-yong, the man whose strategic and legendary prowess had made Telos a world-class extrajudicial corporation.
I had seen Seo Sang-yong before, but he left a strong and sleek impression as a man of significant influence.
Being one of those who wield power in the world, despite not being an Awakened, he radiated a force that could easily overwhelm most S-rankers.
“Seo Ye-rim, from now on, you will not leave the safe house at the coordinates I provide until the situation is resolved. This is not a request as your father but an order as your superior.”
Seo Sang-yong spoke in a cool, collected tone.
Immediately, Seo Ye-rim flared up.
“This is my mistake; I should handle it! Yet you want me to hide and leave it to someone else. That’s unacceptable!”
“Seo Ye-rim, this incident happened because you couldn’t handle it. And since it has come to this, let me say this. Frankly, I see it as a good thing. I opposed you becoming an Awakened.”
