What was she?
[ (+_+) The World Tree of Purity smiles broadly. ]
Since that one particular day, the World Tree of Purity had vanished.
Shiba's mother, a runaway wife who lost her way, returned.
"Why pop up all of a sudden after disappearing?"
[ The World Tree of Purity sticks out her tongue refreshingly! ]
"Since when did trees have tongues?"
It's a bewildering situation. This creature vanished without a trace, leaving me feeling out of place, and now it returned. But why now?
Of course, I wasn't too angry about it. Both my positive and negative feelings towards it had faded over time.
If there's something to blame it for, it's neglecting Shiba.
How dare she show her face here after leaving our child behind without paying child support?
[ (Shocked) The World Tree of Purity narrows her eyes. ]
"Kehehe. Glad you're here."
I threw a joke and smiled at it.
After all, there was affection when I first arrived in this world.
-Rustle, rustle.
While we were deep in conversation about purity, the blanket trembled once, and Seyeong's face appeared.
"Why are you talking to yourself?"
Suspiciously wide-eyed.
Perhaps due to the adjustment she received yesterday, her eyes seemed gentler.
"Come inside quickly. I'm cold."
"What do you mean, in this summer…"
"I'm stark naked. If I'm cold, I'm cold, kiddo."
As I was pulled by the arm and laid down on the bed, a solid weight pressed down on my whole body.
Seyeong's slender hand wrapped around my cheek.
-Whump.
The blanket that enveloped us both was faintly soaked with the scent of sweat.
"You really messed up yesterday."
"What did I do wrong?"
"…I've been holding back, but you let it all out."
"Oh, so that's why you were screaming yesterday? Scratching with your fingernails."
Instead of answering, Seyeong hugged me tightly, pressing her soft chest against me like a hotcake.
Her skin was so pale that blue veins were visible beneath.
The skin that I had freely touched with my nose, sucked with my mouth, licked with my tongue, and played with to my heart's content yesterday.
"You're finished now. You're dead."
"Keke. The one who couldn't take it and fainted has a lot to say."
Seyeong, making a short tongue sound, had eyes like a cat about to play a prank.
Her face, seeming to pop out any moment, was lively.
Seeing her perky nose made me impulsively pout my lips.
A kiss?
-Smack.
It was just a light peck on the cheek.
Then she hugged me.
"I'm not good at showing love, never having received it… I don't know how to give it either, kiddo. Just understand this once."
"All of a sudden? Yes."
"…I really like you a lot."
"Me too."
She closed her eyes and gently stroked my cheek.
Lifting my chin with her fingers, her moist eyes stared into mine.
"Probably for a lifetime."
"I thought you hated cheesy stuff."
"You always get so cheeky at times like this."
"So you don't love me?"
"…I love you."
Smack-
A light kiss.
At the same time, we laughed together as an acorn popped out from between her hair.
-That's what happened.
Seyeong's rich voice came through the phone.
How much love she must have received, it was clear even through the phone.
'....'
This, this woman… had been affectionate all night.
Byeol, typing on the computer keyboard, gently touched the veins on her forehead.
Her wrist, holding the phone, was tense.
"You b****!!!"
A volley of curses burst out loudly.
-....
"Crazy, you made the whole plan to crush Flower and now you suddenly bail? Bail?"
-...Sorry.
"Seyeong-jjang. No, Seyeong-ah. This isn't something we can just brush off with an apology. I haven't seen Shiheon for months, hanging plans and spiderwebs while you suddenly go 'That's what happened~♡'. What am I supposed to do, go 'Oh, our dear Seyeong has suddenly changed her mind'? Am I supposed to just accept that?"
A rapid-fire of curses.
From the other end of the phone came a very flustered response.
Of course, plans could always be canceled.
There was risk involved, so we were being extra cautious, which is why it was still in the planning stage.
"I get it, I know what you're saying."
But here's the thing.
"But, but…"
Byeol's pitiful single line was choked up.
"I also… like rice cakes, sob."
Vice President of the Hunter Association, Starfruits Byeol.
Could someone in such a high position be so miserable over just the word 'rice cakes'?
Byeol glanced at the mirror next to her monitor.
Her face, laden with dark circles, looked pitiful.
The dark circles were from playing games until late at night, but at this moment, they were enough to trigger her emotions.
"I can't stand it."
-Huh?
"If the plan's fallen through, we can't just leave it at that. I came out to the Flower frontline despite being the vice president… I did all this to help Shiheon! Eh!?"
The vice president has taken to the frontline. It's as if a corps commander appeared in a unit without any reason.
Having come all this way and handled the work, she couldn't leave without gaining anything.
Essentially, Byeol had one thing in mind.
"…I should get an engagement ring."
She was serious.
"Seyeong-jjang, we need to cooperate. How about… poking a hole in the condom? But Shiheon almost always finishes inside. Why am I not getting pregnant?"
-…Hey.
"Huh?"
While she was brainstorming about 109 ways to make him take responsibility, Seyeong spoke up cautiously.
-Shiheon is… right here.
Chills!
Byeol trembled and collapsed into her seat.
Why tell her that now?
Before she could even attempt an excuse, a man's voice, sounding amused, came from the phone.
-Noona?
"...."
-Ke, kehup. Kuhum. Poke a hole in the condom?
A voice that was half surprised, half teasing.
Byeol's yellow hair, powered by her emotions, shot up towards the ceiling.
Her face turned beet red.
"Shh, Shiheon-ah. You know it's just a joke, right~?"
-Listen to that woman's voice.
-Kehehehe.
Her brain froze. The cells that had been whirling rapidly burnt out in an instant and stopped thinking. Byeol despaired.
As if speaking rudely in front of the person she liked wasn't bad enough, it was directly witnessed by the 'first wife' no less.
It was clear this was Seyeong's cruel method to reduce her competition for the position of wife.
Byeol's voice died.
"Okay… I might as well kill myself. I liked you, Shiheon."
-Wait a minute, pfft… Noona. I'll contact you separately later. Don't cancel the plan."
"…What are you talking about?"
-The plan to kill Flower. I'll do it with Seyeong. Let's plan together.
-Hey, don't suddenly use informal speech.
-It doesn't matter.
-…S**t.
The playful banter over the phone sounded like a happy couple that got along very well. But Byeol didn't catch any of Seyeong's words.
'Together?'
Yes, together.
'Plan together…?'
Plan together!
A flag 'rice cake' firmly planted itself in Byeol's mind, which had stopped thinking. Seriously, this was a rice cake situation. Talking in the office, after a serious discussion, they both booked a ticket to Hong Kong to go to the mill – a grand plan.
"Please take care of me, Shiheon… no, Superior Shiheon."
-Yes?
-From today on, you're the boss.
Byeol's happiness circuit began to overload. Drawing from all the novels, Japanese comics, and games she had seen while holed up at home, the development before her was crystal clear.
A wonderful plan proposed by Lee Shiheon. But the Hunter Association rejected it because the risk was too high. But what if she, Byeol, appeared?
Star!
Fruits!
'The Chairman… Mugung. That old man has been quiet lately.'
Let's proceed! If not the Chairman, then no one could stop us. She would exhibit a dramatic, protagonist-like action. This would surely capture Shiheon's attention and simultaneously pierce his heart.
She'd teach him the allure of a widow.
"Hehe… Huhu."
-She's imagining weird things again.
A smile began to form on Byeol's malfunctioning mouth.
"Then, go inside."
"Are you leaving tomorrow? Do you really not need me to see you off?"
At my question, Seyeong shyly blushed and placed her hand on her lower abdomen. The lasciviousness etched from last night's mischief was evident in her expression.
"…I've received enough of a send-off."
I certainly had.
Seyeong's suddenly docile appearance was a bit surprising, but she'd likely become assertive again starting tomorrow. I knew this well after spending several days with her.
Let's give her a hug before leaving. As I spread my arms, she looked around and then came in for a tight hug.
"Then, take care, you bastard."
-Thud!
As soon as the door closed, I picked up my phone and headed down from the lodging. Jin Dallae… Sansuyu. There were many people I needed to see, but before that, I picked up my phone to make another call.
-Turu, click!
The morning call, I was definitely going to answer.
[Little Brother~ What's up?]
A voice filled with aegyo and the familiar term of endearment. Not Big Brother, but Little Brother.
It felt sweet yet somehow bitter. I could hear the sound of a hairdryer through the phone.
"I just thought of you and called. Are you drying your hair?"
[Yes. I'm drying Shiba's hair.]
"Can you put Shiba on?"
[Shiba? Um… It's a bit difficult today.]
Hwangdo prolonged her answer to my request, laughing awkwardly as if she was hiding something.
"Excuse me?"
[Come after the retreat is over.]
"…Oh. Alright. Though it's not a problem."
Was I being prevented from talking to my daughter? Could they be hiding something?
-Wheezing.
The noise of the hairdryer got louder, and Hwangdo hurriedly spoke.
[Ah, I have to use teleport soon… I'll hang up!]
Clearly flustered. It's obvious something was being hidden.
Or could Shiba be mad at me? My daughter, who adored seeing her dad?
Strange. I had been to the past for three months, yet in reality, the gap was only a few days.
When she was in the dorm, we were always together unless I was outside. I played with her a lot.
Shiba somewhat understood that I was going to the retreat.
After all, our daughter did understand what I said.
'…Hmm.'
Come after the retreat was over.
With only about two days left, I guess I'd find out soon enough.
I looked at the disconnected screen before returning to my contacts.
The future I needed to overcome involved Sansuyu, Cheondo, Baekdo, and Hwangdo. The future was uncertain, but at least three were missing.
Of course, I had to take responsibility for the issues I had started.
[Affection Level: Obsession] with Jin Dallae.
I had to give an answer to Dallae, who confessed while drunk.
'How should I handle this?'
Even if I called, what should I say?
It's not easy to bring it up from a position of rejection once.
I had already embarrassed Dallae by rejecting her confession, so I might have to face embarrassment myself. I couldn't say much if that's the argument, but it was different from Lee Seyeong's case.
With Seyeong, we really spent a lot of time understanding each other's true feelings.
But the pondering stopped here.
I immediately contacted Jin Dallae.
-Turu.
The call was connected before even one ring ended.
[…Hello!?]
Jin Dallae's voice immediately came through, her pitch higher as if she was taken aback.