Chapter 643

〈Chapter 643〉 Part 2, Chapter 3, Scene 08

Good morning—

Click.

Seol Ji-young turned off the alarm as soon as she heard the morning call ringtone and immediately checked the time.

6:30 AM.

It was already thirty minutes past the agreed-upon time. Seol Ji-young hurriedly looked for any messages from her supposed contact who should’ve been waiting at Magical Gear.

“It’s… not here?”

Not a single message from Princess Baek Cheonghwa. Not even a peep from Seok Harang, who had promised to get in touch by 6 AM at the latest.

“What in the world is going on upstairs?!”

Seol Ji-young quickly tidied herself up and left her room. Her quarters were located just below the penthouse suite.

Even though she was the guildmaster, she had given up her own penthouse to Princess Baek Cheonghwa out of respect—and also to match the status of the commander that Baek Cheonghwa would be dealing with.

In other words, this hotel’s penthouse could technically still be considered Seol Ji-young’s room.

“Princess Baek Cheonghwa… nothing too serious has happened, right?”

Today’s date was February 28th.

By tomorrow, March 1st, heroes scattered across New Seoul would gather together and march toward Seoul. If anything happened to Seok Harang, who was supposed to serve as the focal point for this operation, it would undoubtedly lead to serious complications.

“…”

Beeeep.

Seol Ji-young carefully opened her door. The biometric lock registered her information through Magical Gear and unlocked like a ray of light.

The room was warm, filled with human presence. Neatly placed men’s shoes and slightly askew women’s shoes indicated that both occupants were still inside.

“Huh.”

A vibrant young man and woman.

Commander and S-Rank Special Ability user.

A stunning couple.

“…What nonsense.”

Seol Ji-young dismissed the absurd fantasy forming in her mind. Surely something like that couldn’t possibly have happened—right?

Gooch.

As Seol Ji-young stepped forward after removing her shoes, her foot pressed against something sticky. A strange yet familiar sensation sent shivers down her spine.

“K-keke.”

Only now did she notice the smell that had been lingering since she entered. It wasn’t unpleasant but rather an aroma that evoked a certain lasciviousness.

“What… what is this?”

Why did coming home feel so terrifying? Even though sunlight streamed into her apartment, Seol Ji-young tiptoed inside as if exploring a haunted house.

“Hmph.”

In the center of the living room sat a bed where two figures slept soundly. The silver-haired woman rested comfortably atop the golden-haired youth, breathing peacefully.

“Wha-what in the world…?”

Seol Ji-young felt dizzy. Despite thinking it impossible, she glanced around nervously.

Clothes scattered haphazardly across the floor. Sticky traces leading from the entrance all the way to the living room and bathroom. The lingering heat of passion still hung in the air.

And because the blanket had slipped away, the explicit connection between the two bodies was on full display.

“My goodness.”

“Shhh.”

“Shh?!”

The blond youth winked and placed a finger to his lips. Though initially startled, Seol Ji-young zipped her mouth shut and nodded.

Tap, tap.

[Around an hour ago.]


A text from Baek Cheonghwa arrived on Seol Ji-young’s Magical Gear. [Sorry, Guildmaster.]

[Would you mind covering us up a bit?]

Nod.

Seol Ji-young retrieved the fallen blanket and draped it over them. So rumpled it barely managed to cover their most private areas.

“…gulp.”

Seeing something she shouldn’t have seen was bad enough, but glimpsing the physical form of the Commander that she’d only ever monitored via cameras made her salivate involuntarily.

‘There goes my sleep.’

She’d need to take a quick nap later before afternoon activities commenced. But now, the image of a rigid, curved member kept flashing before her eyes.

[Did you eat breakfast?]

Shake shake.

[That’s good. How about we share a meal later? Once Harang wakes up, gets cleaned, and comes down… it’ll probably be around 8 o’clock.]

8 o’clock? Why? Seol Ji-young indulged in some wild imaginings.

A woman basking in sunlight, asking “Did you sleep well?” while tenderly stroking her hair.

Like a newly awakened kitten, the woman pouts cutely, begging for more time together. The man, however, firmly declares it’s time to wake up from dreams as he gently lifts her.

With plenty of time until morning, they decide to…

Drip.

“Ahhh…”

Was it the aftermath of staying up late planning the Seoul Recovery Operation and waiting anxiously for Seok Harang’s response? Seol Ji-young, unbecoming of an A-Rank Hero, suddenly found blood trickling from her nose.

“Ugh… I smell blood…?”

Seok Harang rubbed his eyes groggily. Too preoccupied with the sight of her white shirt sleeve soaking in blood, Seol Ji-young froze stiff.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah, I slept well?”

“It’s warm sleeping like this… hmmph.”

Seok Harang nuzzled his face into Baek Cheonghwa’s chest before puckering his lips. Baek Cheonghwa smiled awkwardly and leaned in for a kiss.

Chuup, chik.

‘Oh no.’

Witnessing what seemed like a lovers’ or newlyweds’ intimate kiss, Seol Ji-young’s breathing became labored. No amount of magical power could calm her racing heart.

‘Morning deep kisses?!’

“Chuup, huh. Hey… I can still smell your essence lingering in the air…”

“This isn’t your blood?”

“…? Oh, sorry. Earlier at the entrance, I accidentally scratched your back pretty badly during…”

Pfft. Seok Harang’s head snapped to the side. His playful expression melted into stone-cold seriousness.

“…Uh, I came in because there was no contact after such a long time…”

“…”

Seok Harang buried his face deeper into Baek Cheonghwa’s bosom. His entire body, motionless, flushed crimson. Baek Cheonghwa gently patted his back with a faint smile.

“Guildmaster, please excuse us. Could you give us a moment?”

“Yes, yes! Of course! I’ll wait outside!”

Seol Ji-young rushed out the door, forgetting to put on her shoes in her haste to close it behind her.

– You idiot!! If you knew I was coming, you should’ve said something!

– Hahaha, Harang’s mad. An angry Harang is cute, isn’t he?

– Now I’ll never be able to marry! Ugh!!

– Hey, were you planning to marry someone else besides me?

– …Hmph! Die!

– Wait, hold on. If you squeeze down there… Grrr?!

“…”

Seol Ji-young sighed heavily, pressing her ear against the door.

“This is my house…”

How was she supposed to live here now? Ignoring her own sighs, the arguing within continued unabated.

The door finally opened, revealing the two individuals fully dressed exactly at 8 o’clock.

* * *

<A Little Later. Lower Suite Room>

“Korean breakfast today? Shouldn’t we order Western food instead?”

“Koreans thrive on rice spirit-”

“There’s one person who doesn’t.”

I ordered brunch through Seol Ji-young’s home service. Seok Harang, now an SS+ Rank Hero, lowered his gaze respectfully under Seol Ji-young’s watchful eye.

“Princess Baek Cheonghwa, there’s no need to feel embarrassed. This was entirely unexpected, and I failed to handle it properly.”

“Unexpected?”

“The Commander providing you with… magical energy supply was beyond imagination.”

“Ah.”

Things were starting to make sense. I understood why Seok Harang had invited me late last night.

“You wanted my input regarding the Seoul Recovery Operation?”

“That’s correct. Given how crucial this mission is for Korea’s future, I wanted your expert opinion-”

“None.”

I declared confidently,

“I have none.”

And firmly stated,

“I have no opinions regarding the Seoul Recovery Operation. If the Commander officially involves himself in this national situation, chaos will ensue worldwide, won’t it?”

Not just Korea but many countries have lost their capitals. If the sole remaining Commander on Earth openly supports Korea, both Korea and the world would descend into great confusion.

“And I don’t trust this country enough to step forward officially. Just look at the Patriotic Youth Corps watching me closely.”

“Did you know about that?”

“I know everything in this world except the unknown. Everything else is clear to me. And let me tell you, Sun Icheol is extremely incompetent.”

And Sun Icheol lacks the ability to mediate effectively between these parties. His apparent competence stems solely from fear politics and media manipulation. His actual political skill correlates directly with penis length.

‘Political prowess instead of scheming skills is max-level, that’s all.’

Jingle jingle. Breakfast arrived. We enjoyed our light meal in the cozy room while continuing our conversation.

“I’m participating in the Seoul Recovery Operation for two reasons. One, it’ll greatly benefit our team members’ growth. Two, because of him.”

“Me?”

“Yeah. He’s itching to show off his overflowing power, so I figured helping him unleash it in Seoul would prevent unnecessary accidents.”

“…Am I really that stupid?”

Harang jabbed me playfully in the ribs. The lack of magical force suggested self-awareness on her part.

“But you do want to flaunt your magic, don’t you?”

“That’s… true. Wouldn’t it be fitting to debut my SS-Rank abilities here?”

As a chance to showcase his strength as an SS-Rank hero.

“This time, I’ll just deal with the S-Rank monsters in Seoul.”

“Eh… Guildmaster… didn’t you naturally slip into Busan dialect?”

“…Just ignore that. Damn it, because of you, my image is ruined!”

“Ho ho.”

If word got out about my hobbies, I might have to retire as a hero. I took a bite of my strawberry cake.

“Hem. The most common cause of death among awakened heroes is losing control and dying after getting promoted, right? As the Commander, I can’t let Princess Baeg Cheonghwa die like that.”

“Could you reconsider that? Princess Baek Cheonghwa is the nation’s sole S-Rank hero, now upgraded to SS-Rank. Regardless of your position as Commander…”

“Isn’t that why I foresaw this?”

“Really?”

Seok Harang swallowed hard, tense.

“Oracle foresaw it?”

“Yeah. Though it’s just one possible outcome.”

For instance, being captured by Tentacle Blob creatures, suffering mental breakdowns due to tentacle pleasures, and Light Blade going berserk. Such bad endings are quite common.

‘So much death flag everywhere.’

Seventy percent of bad endings before the Great Penril War cluster around the Seoul Recovery Operation, including Seok Harang’s case.

“As long as I can manage those around me, but your situation is delicate. It’s weird having a regular foreigner bossing around Princess Baek Cheonghwa.”

“True.”

“Unpredictable things happen in the field. Honestly, the moment we establish ourselves in Seoul tomorrow to start monster extermination, a Dimensional Gate could open.”

“A Dimensional Gate will open?!”

“…This is hypothetical, okay?”

Calm down the overly reactive Seol Ji-young.

“So, I intended to prepare beforehand, especially for Harang. Though I didn’t expect to summon you so late at night.”

“I actually have a question.”

“What is it?”

“Are the two of you… acquaintances?”

Seol Ji-young’s question carried multiple layers of meaning. Excited, Seok Harang opened her mouth to respond, but I immediately grabbed her thigh.

“Ahaha, destined soulmates, right? I’ve never met anyone like her. She conquered me within half a day.”

“…”

“Same age, great compatibility. Besides, she’s beautiful. What’s wrong with getting along well with the only SS+ Rank special ability user in Korea? Ah… Did my casual attitude bother you? Please understand.”

I pulled Harang closer and kissed her cheek.

“Sex changes relationships, according to my principles.”

“That… makes sense.”

While Seol Ji-young bowed her head, Seok Harang shot me a questioning glare, silently wondering why I hid my past.

‘I’ll tell you everything later. Not now.’

Already nervous someone might catch on, adding Seol Ji-young into the mix would endanger my life.

‘If they find out I’m Baek Cheonghwa… Light Blade will kill me!’

Seok Harang remained silent.

* * *

“Through repeated playthroughs, I learned that while courting heroines using foreknowledge makes it easier to win them over, it also brings significant problems.”

“Both Seok Harang and Baek Hee-a become easier to pursue through backdoor connections, but that increases difficulties proportionally.”

“Same goes for Seok Harang.”

“Though secured via childhood friend cheats, the relationship draws more threats trying to tear them apart.”

“As a father, regardless of how useless he may be… would he let the guy who stole his daughter’s first kiss live?”

“Not to mention taking her virginity without becoming her lifelong partner, potentially reducing her to concubine status?”

“Indeed. The moment you court Seok Harang before Light Blade dies, an assassination event by Light Blade begins.”

“Commander? Even with Dark Legion officer influence embedded within? Before Light Blade’s death, he treats Seoyea like a Rusalka.”

“Well… honestly.”

“Who dates knowing the girl’s dad knows everything? Here’s an easy tip. Hem hem.”

“Light Blade’s level 97, so ensure Seok Harang hits level 98 via whatever magical energy support necessary. Then, when Seok Harang activates barriers during intimacy, it remains undetected.”

Back when he was stronger at level 99, Light Blade wouldn’t have dared touch Seok Harang.

“And that concludes Seok Harang’s courting process.”

If you think it ended too easily, there’s one reason.

“Spirit nature.”

A spirit in love cannot be stopped by anyone.