I knew Wu Tong was feeling complicated after seeing that fabricated future, but this was too much. He really went ahead and boiled some potatoes for them. Calling this his 'cooking'.
Xiao Man and Xiao Yin only seemed to showcase their poverty by eating like this was a hearty meal.
Fucking potatoes…
"What's with the invitation?" Xiao Yin asked as her daughter looked around at the shabby apartment.
No decorations. No colours. Everything was as dull as the personality of the person who owned it,
Wu Tong seemed embarrassed too.
"It's because I don't come here often." He looked away and tried to defend himself with nonsense.
"Really?" (Xiao Man)
"Totally. This place is closest to the slum district everyone avoids." His words made them sigh.
Of course this was…
"What are you planning by bringing us here?" Xiao Yin didn't sound strange. Her face was inquisitive.
Like she was genuinely believing he had a reason.
"If you two continued as you were, then there was no way you wouldn't encounter a bad situation." A serious look appeared in his eyes, but Xiao Yin merely looked back at the man's eyes, unfazed.
This made him cough…
"A warning would've been enough." There wasn't any reason for him to take them in out of nowhere.
"It would, but there is something else." Wu Tong cleaned up their plates after eating and started to wash them. As there was no sinks, he used a bowl of water and a clean cloth to wipe away the grime.
In front of the girls, no less.
He continued with a frown: "There has recently been incidents of young woman disappearing. I'm planning to investigate this because an old friend of mine will get involved. I need to help him."
"And you want to use us as bait?" (Xiao Yin)
"I swear it isn't that!" Wu Tong seemed more flustered by the fact she'd thought he'd do that.
The man put down the plates and went around to hold Xiao Yin's hand respectfully on his knees.
Then spoke: "I only wish to protect you two. I'm extremely sorry for the injustice I caused you both."
It looked like not even an unmentioned amount of years within some fabricated memories could make him forget. This guilt seemed to have matured into a weakness for my minions to take advantage of.
But Xiao Yin didn't agree to him easily.
Taking his hand off her own in rejection.
"We have our own lives. Just because you feel regret, will you keep us here?" Xiao Yin asked him.
"I won't stop you from leaving if you want." The man didn't seem to believe of a better choice.
There was only one problem that was left.
And that was that Xiao Man had no idea why her mother was being so generous to this murderer.
To her, it looked like her mom had some connection with the person who had nearly taken her life.
"Why the big change?" Xiao Yin ignored her daughter's gaze, and Wu Tong avoided it too.
To him, the 'sister' of the woman that he'd accidentally caused the death of was too familiar.
Not wanting to remember the traumatic memory,
"I'd always believed that my ideals were true, but an incident gave me the chance to re-examine my life choices." When he said this, the girl who had been eyeing him until now suddenly softened up.
He put the plates back and left the keys to the apartment to them. Making his thoughts clear:
"You can do what you like to this place. I saved enough money to redecorate, but never got around to it. If there's anything you want, just tell me straight and I'll get whatever you want." (Wu Tong)
These words he said before leaving caused Xiao Man to cross her arms. She then thought out load:
"He has some kind of terminal illness." (Xiao Man)
It took a lot of effort for her mother to stop herself from laughing. This was an unusual circumstance.
But none of us could be bothered correcting her.
Wu Tong seemed like the type to clear things up if she'd ever brought this thought any attention.
I cleared my throat and focused my attention to this tin man. What did he mean by his 'friend'?
Since the fabricated memories were geared towards his regrets, he likely did this to have less guilt in life. That was a good this, but… why was he heading deeper into the slums? To a certain place.
"Why are you immediately going to the Redlight District after taking two beauties home. I guess you couldn't hold it in anymore?" When I said that, it looked like he was offended enough to ignore me.
[…]
"But seriously. Where are you going now?" (Adam)
[I have to go meet an old friend of mine.]
"You…? Friends? Is that a bad joke?" (Adam)
[…Former friend.]
"Now that checks out." I'd have called him out as a liar if he told me he really had a friend right here.
A straight-lace like Wu Tong had quite the famous personality of being the most boring man alive.
Although he was a symbol of loyalty, that didn't only come with a beneficial influence on others.
Especially in the slums.
Here, Wu Tong was only considered to be a dog of the Sect. A lucky-to-be-adopted orphan boy.
A man who belonged nowhere…
Regardless, he walked into a nearby brothel without hesitation. Even though it could damage the image he'd built up all these years. Wu Tong didn't even glance at whores making eyes at him.
"A guard came for a good time? Wouldn't that be dishonourable?" An old woman asked him.
The brothel he was in seemed to freely allow men to mingle with their prostitutes socially at a bar.
A side-business that helped them financially.
The customers who were always coming over saw his attire and couldn't believe he'd wear that here.
Some recognised him and hid just in case Wu Tong was here to drag them to the Sect for judgement.
But there was something even THEY didn't expect.
Wu Tong looked at the calm face of the old woman acting as the owner of this… 'great establishment'.
Then referred to her by a different title:
"Mother…" Although he said it softly, all the bustling noises in the background had stopped.
Everyone turned to take a look at him.
Wu Tong continued respectfully: "I've come here to meet Brother Kang. Can I make an appointment?"
The firsr name (or last in this case) made me remember a certain annoying pixie, but I let it go.
Couldn't be…
No way…
"You think calling me 'Mother' after all this time makes up for everything? Also… you know this is working hours." The old woman seemed to be unable to hide her complicated emotions right now.
"I don't mind who hears." (Wu Tong)
"That wasn't the point. You want to meet Little Kang NOW? You know he won't welcome you after so long." She seemed to be hinting at something else, but Wu Tong was too stupid to understand.
"It's urgent." (Wu Tong)
"If you say so…" She called a promiscuous girl over and spoke to her: "Go bring him to Hyuk for me."
Those words suddenly made me slam my foot into the ground and spring jump in front of the screen.
"DID SHE JUST SAY HYUK?! Ahem… Is your friend's name 'Kang Hyuk' by chance?" (Adam)
[…Why?]
"It's important. Is he a perv you only meet once in a thousand years?" I asked while thinking of a fairy.
A certain 'Helper Fairy' called Zeus that betrayed me. This crazy bastard having caused my bad luck.
I'd tear him apart the moment I saw him.
But obviously, if I took a step back and thought a little more, then there was no way that was real.
Zeus was an Imaginary Spirit. Even if the person here was based off that, I couldn't quite hate him.
Unlike that Odin bastard who almost killed me.
Moreover, what Frankenstein did to help me for a long time made me realise they all had intentions.
Maybe all their interests weren't REALLY aligned.
If there was someone who needed a beating, then I'd better find Odin instead of a version of Zeus.
This was still just a theory at this point.
[It's only because of his… certain occupation.]
"Prostitute-" (Adam)
[Don't say it like that…!]
For the first time, I felt some intensity in his voice towards me. It looked like they really were friends.
That guy had a friend?
Moreover, it was this damn brick for brains?
"Fine. Let's say he sells sex. From what I'm guessing, there are secret female customers." If he wasn't fucking a dude right now, then the person in question was most likely a female 'buying' secretly.
With the divide and double standards between genders, it was no wonder they were a secret.
It wasn't like no one going to this brothel didn't know about them. It's likely purposefully ignored.
If they could afford and were free enough to have these services, then a smart person would be able to figure out that they girls could likely: 1. Spend on their own… 2. Have protection (not just guards).
3. They were definitely dangerous figures.
The more higher the woman, the more there would be family members treating them like treasures.
Dangerous indeed…
Of course, only I had figured that out at this point.
There wasn't any need for me to say anything and ruin the delightfully awkward moment incoming.
Maybe then he'd listen to me some more.