089 – However, I Decline
“Miss Ga-eul, I’ve been waiting for you. I’m Gong Cheon-woo, the acting secretary to Mr. Yoo. Our representative will be arriving shortly, so please take a seat.”
Based on the reputation of a Michelin 4-star chef, Gourmet House was a renowned restaurant in City D.
Seo Ga-eul naturally took her seat without needing guidance from any secretary.
“Miss Ga-eul, it’s been a very long time.”
Shortly after, the maitre d’, with a towel over his arm, arrived with the menu, which Seo Ga-eul skimmed through briefly.
Among various menu items, one stood out:
「Fairy Rock Water: 300,000 won」
“Please give me the usual.”
With an air of familiarity, Seo Ga-eul placed her order and looked around.
A single glass of water priced at 300,000 won—it was expected that the people seated around wouldn’t be ordinary.
Middle-aged men flaunting their wealth, accompanied by younger women.
Most of the men were of the same type, middle-aged uncles, but the women were decked out in luxury as though they were the stars of the show.
With shoes, earrings, rings, bracelets, and designer handbags, they subtly vied with one another, glancing covertly.
Their gazes eventually turned towards Seo Ga-eul.
Seo Ga-eul, though lacking even a single piece of common luxury brand accessories, exuded an attitude that shone brighter than any precious item in the 300,000 won-per-drink establishment.
-Thoroughly irritating young woman.
-What’s this greenhorn doing here?
-I’ve seen this face somewhere before…
Jealousy and admiration filled the air. Receiving such stares gave Seo Ga-eul an underlying sense of pride and pleasure.
‘So, this is who I am originally, right?’
Ten minutes later. Another addition to the ‘usual uncles’ arrived.
“Sorry for making you wait, Miss Ga-eul.”
Yoo Dogwan was a plain middle-aged man. His full head of hair might be his only advantage. Of course, he was no ordinary uncle but the leader of the major opposition party.
“I thought while you had been away, you might not have had the chance to eat such food, so I took the liberty of choosing a place. Is that alright? Young ladies these days usually like this, don’t they?”
Yoo Dogwan was that kind of man. His path to success had been so relentless that he believed his intentions and words were always right, exhibiting an arrogant air.
Seo Ga-eul knew men like him well since her father, Seo Do-cheol, was similar. However, the difference between her father and Yoo Dogwan was a slightly lecherous glint in his eyes.
Soon, Seo Ga-eul noticed the looks from the women had changed to a shade of sarcasm.
-Oh, another one who plays around with rich uncles.
-Posing too much, aren’t you?
Seo Ga-eul didn’t want to be seen as a woman who provided her youth and laughter in exchange for money or power from some middle-aged man. Disliking the thought of being lumped with impoverished women who couldn’t even recognize the face of the opposition leader, she wanted to leave her seat but forced herself to restrain her anger, anticipating the cuisine of the 4-star chef.
The mealtime began.
“Why doesn’t it taste good?”
Seo Ga-eul felt peculiar as she carved the meat. Something seemed missing.
Her palate had been trained from a very young age with various fine cuisines. She pinpointed the exact deficiency.
“Ketchup. It lacks the taste of ketchup.”
Even to Seo Ga-eul herself, it was incomprehensible that the highest quality Hanwoo beef would be enhanced with ketchup. The feeling was like madness, wanting to sprinkle ketchup on such exquisite meat.
“By the way, do you know where Yeoreum is?”
Yoo Dogwan’s query snapped Seo Ga-eul back to her senses, reminding her this meeting was primarily to discuss Yoo Yeoreum.
“Worrying about my daughter Yeoreum. Thinking about how much my wife and son have struggled trying to find her keeps me awake at night. So, do you know where Yeoreum is?”
Seo Ga-eul was about to say she didn’t know.
Because she truly didn’t.
Even so, even if she did, she did not wish to honestly divulge that information.
“Yeoreum’s whereabouts are unknown to me. Even if I knew, I wouldn’t care to tell you.”
“Wouldn’t tell me even if you knew?”
“Because once you know where Yeoreum is, you’ll bring her for experiments, won’t you? I know you’ve experimented on her illegally. Even if you try to lie, it’s futile since I already know everything.”
“What? Experiments? What are you talking about?”
Yoo Dogwan’s expression instantly twisted. He looked like someone who had been punched in the solar plexus, his forehead veins visibly popping out. Seo Ga-eul felt a great sense of satisfaction for having struck down the overconfident man.
‘I can kind of understand how Hanamjin feels now. He’s been enjoying this all to himself, hasn’t he?’
Yoo Yeoreum’s father, Yoo Dogwan, was a bad man. Seo Ga-eul suddenly thought, if it hadn’t been herself but Yoo Yeoreum who had returned home, wouldn’t Yoo Yeoreum have ended up in experiments, suffering at the hands of this man?
‘Maybe Hanamjin knew this and deliberately sent me instead of Yoo Yeoreum.’
Definitely, she concluded. Seo Ga-eul trusted Hanamjin more than Yoo Dogwan. Though Hanamjin was a kidnapper, Yoo Yeoreum would probably be happier with him than here.
‘Am I actually defending a kidnapper? How strange.’
Was she suffering from Stockholm Syndrome—or perhaps the Scorpion Syndrome? Dismissing this thought, Seo Ga-eul pounded the table and stormed out of the restaurant.
Gug-gurh.
Having eaten little, she still felt hungry. After some deliberation, Seo Ga-eul entered a nearby convenience store and bought ramen and a triangle kimbap, frowning despite the meal.
“…I’m human-grade premium Seo Ga-eul. It’s not supposed to taste good, is it?”
Beeep-bibbik!
At that moment, a call came through on Seo Ga-eul’s phone. For a brief moment, her heart sank, assuming it might be from Hanamjin.
“…Jang Bo-reum? And who’s this?”
# # #
Ding-ding-ding-ding!
Upon seeing the number on the phone, a mysterious smile crept onto my face.
「Yoo Dogwan」
“Hoo.”
The fact Yoo Dogwan had called me suggested the high probability that Seo Ga-eul had been uncooperative in her meeting with him. He probably tried to get Yoo Yeoreum’s information from her but failed, and now it was my turn.
But, I wouldn’t answer.
Some things need time to develop.
“What? Hanamjin, who’s calling that you’re so cheerful?”
At that moment, Bangdaengi nudged my ribs.
Her expression was as serious as if it were a seasoned detective catching a criminal.
“Is it Seo Ga-eul’s call?”
“No, it’s an Uncle with a belly.”
“An Uncle with a belly? Why are you so happy about it? And you’re not even answering?”
Bangdaengi aka Baek Yeo-ul looked like she couldn’t comprehend me.
We had met Chang-sik, separated, and were now heading back to our respective homes. Since we lived in the same neighborhood, Bangdaengi and I ended up walking in the same direction. Incidentally, Bangdaengi didn’t stop talking for a moment.
“Still, it’s good, isn’t it? Seo Ga-eul has returned, right? You like Seo Ga-eul, Hanamjin, don’t you? After you heroically rescued her from the kidnappers, wouldn’t it be natural for you two to start dating?”
“Is that so?”
“Definitely, it will! Why…because when people are in distress, they never forget the person who helped them. I know this very well.”
That’s right. There was a time I too struggled, and Seo Ga-eul helped me.
The Seo Ga-eul of the future, though.
The person who extends a helping hand during the most difficult moments. How can one not fall in love with that person?
“…Then, our partner contract will end soon, won’t it?”
Bangdaengi mentioned it with a hint of wistfulness.
Partner contract. Right, there was such a thing.
I helped isolate Bangdaengi from being ostracized, and Bangdaengi connected Seo Ga-eul and me.
“Even without me, you’re doing well now. Aren’t you?”
“Of course, I’m doing well! I’ve done multiple interviews with the broadcasting station! Thanks to that, my parents’ business is flourishing again. We might even move back to a better house!”
Bangdaengi was about to return to being a rich girl.
From pobbippi to a ragamuffin, then back to pobbippi again. Such a glamorous life path.
“…But honestly, I’m still unsure. I always feel like I’ll ruin everything again. I’m unlucky, after all. Those who get involved with me end up unfortunate… like Brother Woojoo…”
Bangdaengi lacked confidence. She thought she brought misfortune to others.
“Bangdaengi, do you know how four-leaf clovers grow?”
“Four-leaf? I don’t know.”
“Three-leaf clovers, representing peace, become four-leaf clovers when wounded. The wounded gain the right to fortune. It’s all a matter of perception.”
“O! Ooo! I don’t really understand what you’re saying.”
“To be honest, I just made it up to sound cool.”
“What?! Hahaha!”
Bangdaengi laughed loudly. As her laughter gradually subsided, she rummaged through her pocket and handed me something.
Seeds.
“Recently, my mom has been into growing flowers, but it seems like our new house won’t have a garden. Your place does, though, so maybe you could try growing some here…”
“These are hibiscus seeds, these are lettuce seeds, and this looks like poppy seeds. This is even poison hemlock and belladonna seeds!”
“I… I don’t know the exact types either! How do you know all this? Is it your 「Empathy」?”
“No. My mom used to love growing flowers. So did I. Before becoming an awakened one, do you know what my dream was? A gardener.”
It was an incredibly old dream. Bangdaengi burst out laughing.
“Gardener? That doesn’t suit you.”
Bangdaengi’s honest appraisal made me nod.
“I agree. It doesn’t suit me. I tried mimicking it, but it’s difficult.”
The soil in the post-apocalyptic world was barren, and it was hard for flowers to grow. Even when spring came, seeing even a single flower was challenging.
Or, had spring even come?
Bangdaengi hesitated momentarily, scratching the back of her head uncomfortably.
“Ah… No! Actually, that’s not really true. Becoming a gardener does suit you well when I think about it. Wearing a mud-stained apron and carrying a large pair of scissors around.”
Puduk, Puduk.
As we were about to part ways in different alleys, a female soldier approached us.
What was her name? Jang Bo-reum Lieutenant.
“There you are. Team 「No Leftovers Day」. You’ve received a command from the higher-ups. You need to listen carefully as you’ve been selected for the 「Demon Nam Woo-joo Eradication Squad」.”
Huhk.
Bangdaengi audibly gasped.
It must have been hard for her to contemplate eradicating her cousin Nam Woo-joo.
“Hanamjin, you’ve been assigned a special mission. Moving forward, you…”
Jang Bo-reum seemed to choke on her words. She tried to compose herself, lips moving a few times before clenching her fists.
“You are Korea’s new «Supernova». This is the Colonel’s last wish. Recapture and claim ownership of the «Star»’s concept. This secret mission is unknown even to Chief Nam Bada and others of the eradication squad.”
«Supernova».
How long had I dreamed of being called that by people?
In a dilapidated tin-roofed house, gazing at the stars, looking at the lights of humanity’s final city, I wished more than anything to shine like a star.
However, there was something I cherished more than shining like a star.
“But, I decline.”
Saying ‘NO’ to those trying to manipulate me was what I liked more.
“…W-what!?”
Jang Bo-reng was greatly flustered.
It seemed I should offer an explanation for understanding.
“I can’t win.”
Judging from my expertise in demons, the ‘Star Demon’ was beyond our current level to defeat.
“Or, do you have something reliable to trust?”
The captain of the eradication squad was Nam Bada.
The Nam Bada I know would never engage in a battle without a chance of winning. If he’s conducted repeated human experiments on demons and concepts, he would understand how absurdly powerful the ‘Star Demon’ is.
Yet, organizing an eradication squad implies there must be something trustworthy.
“I won’t participate, so I will not be informed of any classified information. That’s the captain’s orders.”
Jang Bo-reum maintained silence.
That alone was an answer to me.
When I returned home, surprisingly, someone was waiting for me in front of the house, causing even me to be startled.
“Why are you here? And what’s with that sword?”
It was Seo Ga-eul, with a long sword strapped to her waist. Her appearance was very similar to the one I saw that day in the tin-roofed house, the person I fell in love with at first sight, making my heart race.
As our reunion momentarily fixed the previously malfunctioning emotions of Nam San-ho, Seo Ga-eul boldly spoke up.
“Is my training commission progressing smoothly? If you want to be rewarded with ‘softness,’ you’re going to need more than average effort.”
“Wha…? How do you know about…?”
‘Only Seo Ga-eul from the future and I know about the training commission and ‘softness.’
That means the person in front of me is perhaps…
“Before explaining everything, if you haven’t eaten dinner, shall we eat together? I’m hungry.”
In a convenience store bag Seo Ga-eul carried, there were plenty of ramen packages and Spam.
There was no reason to refuse.
