Chapter 781

〈Chapter 781〉 Part 2 Chapter 7, Episode 14: The Second Fall

The press conference froze.

An S-Rank Hero, and not just any hero but one visiting from abroad, had been hit with a shocking move by the journalist Cheon Ga-eun.

Time in the world seemed to stop; no one could utter a single word in this situation.

“…Haha, is this perhaps some kind of Korean joke?”

Saladin forced a laugh while shaking his head.

“Journalist, your sense of humor is rather foul. It would be wise for you to understand that the pen can sometimes be sharper than the sword.”

“Do you not think that making such an official statement here implies that I have solid evidence?”

Cheon Ga-eun’s bold words began to make the atmosphere heavier.

No matter how tabloid-worthy it was, she blew it right in front of the whole world?

“Alright then. Show me… the evidence that I am a pedophile.”

Saladin leaned back casually against his chair and smirked.

“But if I’m not such a person, I will officially protest to your country…”

His voice began to fade.

His expression started to stiffen, and the smile vanished completely.

Cheon Ga-eun simply pulled out a photo of a girl floating in mid-air.

The girl, strangely with jet-black hair and eyes, stared blankly ahead.

“Should I show more?”

“…Misunderstanding.”

Misunderstanding.

Upon seeing the photo, Saladin neither denied nor ignored it but labeled it as “misunderstanding.”

“I see why you might misunderstand me as a pedophile. Let me explain—I protect children who’ve lost their parents to monsters—”

-*Chomp*. “When I get to Korea… I’ll eat Roharang. *Smack*. My mouth’s watering already.”

Saladin’s own voice.

Cheon Ga-eun replayed the audio smugly.

“Falsification!!”

“Not falsified. This was recorded via Magical Gear’s magic-powered storage device.”

Unalterable proof without even a 1% chance of tampering.

As the magical audio file emerged, one by one, people began to distance themselves from Saladin.

“…This is unpleasant. I didn’t do what you think I did. I ran an orphanage purely out of goodwill—”

-*Chomp*, *suck*. “Master Saladin, is this how it’s done…?”

“Should I remove the mosaic?”

“……What are you?”

Saladin stood up from his seat.

People nearby quickly either aimed weapons at Saladin or began protecting Cheon Ga-eun.

“Here to expose someone who has defied natural morality.”

Cheon Ga-eun proudly pushed her chest forward.

Her overwhelming bust size made several onlookers gulp audibly, causing Saladin to furrow his brow in annoyance.

“How annoyingly big-breasted women…”

GooOOOoo…

Dark energy began to flow out of Saladin’s body.

Clearly preparing to use magic or force, the press room froze entirely.

“That’s enough.”

“Huh?”

“The rampage ends here.”

Saraak.

A small girl descended from the ceiling in a swirl of white light.

Dressed in a dress resembling hanbok, the girl stretched her hand toward Saladin and declared,

“To walk willingly into your own grave… the rest will be judged by international organizations.”

“So you’re Roharang.”

Saladin grinned sardonically, leaning backward.

His pants’ front bulged conspicuously.

“This won’t do. If you quietly become my wife, I’ll forgive this nation—”

*Crack.*

“What nonsense, trash.”

Saladin froze, his self-assured face now rigid.

“I already have someone, scum.”

Pedo monster, Saladin subdued.

Afterward.

The hunt began for the true pedophile whom Roharang claimed existed.

* * *

Meanwhile, as Shin-ra prepared to fry Saladin inside the game,

I went on a late-night date with Seok Harang.

“Good that there’s no one recognizing us.”

Seok Harang hid her hair under a gray hoodie.

She also wore a mask, ensuring no attention would come her way.

…But wearing hotpants exposed her smooth legs entirely, making it seem like all our efforts were wasted.

“Why do people keep looking at me? I tried hiding as much as possible!”

Everyone passing by glanced at Seok Harang, looked away, then turned back for another peek before continuing.

Is this what being a celebrity feels like?

The aura I’d only heard about?

I never really noticed because I was always with Shin-ra, but stepping out alone with Seok Harang makes me understand the vibe.

Beauty cannot be hidden no matter how much you try.

Thankfully, we avoided large crowds, but I worried her face might get captured somehow.

“Hey, does my accent feel weird to you?”

Seok Harang fidgeted with her fingers, clearly conscious of her surroundings.

By asking if her accent felt weird, she must be aware of her Busan dialect.

“Not at all.”

“Really? That’s a relief. I practiced a lot so I wouldn’t get teased in Seoul. People everywhere seem to do it.”

“People are the same wherever you go.”

Whether it’s Earth 20 years ago or now, humans remain unchanged.

Using a regional dialect after moving to the capital becomes a source of ridicule—not just here but probably elsewhere too.

“But don’t you freely use it during broadcasts?”

“Yeah, so now Busan is in chaos.”

Seok Harang giggled and opened her smartphone.

“In-game Seok Harang being from Busan caused a stir because the model provider, Seo Karang, is also from Busan. People are going crazy online. Hahaha.”

Seok Harang showed me countless videos from KyuTube.

They were filled with stories of people searching around Busan for information about streamer Seo Karang.

“Isn’t that dangerous?”

“It’s the Capital Region, not Busan.”

“True, but aren’t stalkers kinda dangerous?”

“I’ve dealt with worse before.”

Seok Harang laughed lightly and dismissed it nonchalantly.

“All because I’m pretty, right? A little beauty never hurts, right?”

“Exactly. Won’t you become famous later when you do joint streams and people start finding you? Like a real celebrity?”

“Big brother, wasn’t I more famous than an S-Rank celeb in my past life? Hmm…past life? Anyway, among the world’s 6 billion people, I could count on one hand those who didn’t know my name.”

“True.”

Seol Hwa Gongju, Seol Ryeong Hwa, Seol Hwa Ryeong.

And her iconic title: “Phoenix’s Nemesis.”

Famous worldwide as the sole hero capable of opposing the monstrous Phoenix, she became even more renowned as the counterbalance to Phoenix.

I made it that way.

Instead of Light Blade Heo Yoon-hwan, I positioned Seok Harang as the pillar of the nation and the destined guardian of Earth’s peace.

Perhaps carrying such immense responsibility at age 21 is too much.

As someone whose experience with heroes comes solely from games, I can barely imagine the pressure Seok Harang faced as both a hero and idol.

“You’ve really worked hard.”

I placed my hand atop her hood.

She smiled through her eyes and rested her head on me.

“Now it’s time to relax.”

“Of course. From now on, I’ll live luxuriously.”

“Just honey?”

“Hmph, why not? Want me to suck on you when we get home?”

Seok Harang subtly flirted and tapped my lower back.

Her fingertips ventured dangerously low, prompting me to glance at her.

“We’ll see when we get home.”

“Scary, hahaha. By the way, Big Brother, Gold Horse said the guy they’re targeting is Saladin, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Is he really a pedophile?”

“…”

It was an awkward conversation for a public place, but Seok Harang had already erected a faint barrier to block sound from escaping.

In this state, others wouldn’t hear our conversation.

“He’s a pedophile. The one targeting Nuri.”

“…”

Having briefly cared for runaway teenager Kim Nuri, her expression grew complicated.

“If we hadn’t taken care of Nuri back then, things would’ve ended like in the game, huh?”

“Yeah.”

Unfortunately, that’s the truth.

Kim Nuri endured misfortune until adulthood and only found happiness after meeting the protagonist.

“Big Brother.”

“Yeah.”

“If I ever have a daughter, I’ll name her Nuri.”

“Uh… really?”

Why suddenly?

“Why not? Don’t you want Nuri to be your daughter?”

“Not that I don’t want her to be… It just feels strange hearing you say that.”

Suddenly, goosebumps ran down my spine.

“And Hydra’s already planning to reincarnate through Yuna’s body. Hearing you say this makes me scared it might actually happen.”

“Nah. Personally, I think it’d be fine.”

Seok Harang reopened her smartphone and scrolled through the game’s heroines one by one.

“Nuri would be better off staying in this world instead of crossing over. I asked her what she thought about Phoenix, and she said…”

Seok Harang giggled then stiffened her expression.

“Idiot. You’re not just any idiot, so anyone with ordinary intentions wouldn’t dare approach you.”

“…Did Kim Nuri really say that?”

Though she acted sweetly asking for pocket money and cores earlier, she talked about me like that behind my back?

“…Hmph. Just let me rot forever.”

“Why are you cursing him? He’s an idiot, alright? Don’t you know that pure-hearted kids’ opinions are usually spot-on?”

“…”

Struck by reason, I had nothing to say.

“So, Big Brother, what I want to say is…”

Seok Harang walked ahead of me, opening her arms toward me.

“If you don’t want to get scolded by Mommy Nuri later, you’d better behave. Got it?”

“It’s already decided that Nuri will appear? What if it’s a boy?”

“Hmm…”

Clap.

Seok Harang clapped and suggested.

“How about Yoon-hwan?”

“…Isn’t that name radiating pedo-energy?”

“He’s a pedophile, but don’t insult someone else’s dad like that.”

Saladin.

Drug King.

Even more infamous than them—Death Dina Studios’ certified genuine pedophile.

Light Blade, Heo Yoon-hwan.

Seok Harang’s father is a pedophile.

What? Didn’t he get raped by Rusalka?

“Big Brother, do you know? Dad once ordered an Xroid identical to Mom.”

“I know. I used that to create Rusalka’s spirit fragment. The body used when Rusalka attacked Light Blade was exactly the same. So what?”

“Do you know that body is the current Roharang?”

“…Yeah, that makes sense. Since you escaped, Rusalka’s modeling was directly applied to Seok Harang—”

Swish.

Suddenly, Seok Harang shrank beside me.

I quickly scanned the area, but fortunately, no one was around.

“You, you, what incredibly dangerous thing did you just do—”

“What’s wrong, Big Brother?”

Now standing only as tall as my chest, Seok Harang opened her arms toward me.

“Are you a pedophile, Big Brother?”

“Of course not.”

“But… if I eat you, would that make you a pedophile?”

“……That’s not the case.”

Loving someone who happens to have a small adult physique doesn’t make me a pedophile.

Yeah, that’s right.