Chapter 36 : The crony fight begins

Five months after Hong Seomin’s arrest.

June after January.

Midsummer weather hit Seoul.

The sound of cicadas chirping.

Heat haze shimmering on the roads.

It’s not called the Hellfire Peninsula for nothing.

Still, the Republic of Korea overcame the minor storm of January—the Capital Hospital Gate, the Hong Seomin incident—and regained a calm peace.

The same was true for a certain coffee shop in Korea.

Jingle- The door chime rang as a customer entered.

A small citizen running a small cafe. Kim Yeon came out stretching from the break room. The cafe is well-decorated, but there aren’t many people.

Because it’s not crowded.

“Welcome.”

“Ah, yes.”

Another customer, that’s good. She assesses their appearance. Light and neat.

One woman, one man. They’re obviously a couple.

Kim Yeon, who had a hard time in the military because she couldn’t read the room. Even she could tell at a glance that they were attached at the hip.

“They must be a couple.”

Kim Yeon could say with certainty. She tied her loose apron and attended to the customers.

It was just after the lunch rush, so her stamina was restored to 100%. She felt confident that she could even deal with difficult customers.

“What can I get for you?”

“We, um, might need some time to order. Can we use the kiosk?”

Kim Yeon, standing demurely at the counter, nodded.

“Of course!”

Lunch is employee-only.

It’s also written on the menu.

The company’s customer service policy. A policy from over 30 years ago. Of course, the staff take care of it on their own.

Sometimes there are customers who are reluctant to talk. For Kim Yeon, who wants more break time, it’s a good thing.

“Ah, just press the screen. Sir, Ma’am~”

“Thank you.”

A stiff tone, an ordinary woman. Not a difficult customer.

It’s fine. These kinds of couples usually spend a lot of money. Kim Yeon decided to stay quiet.

A chatty man ordering side dishes, this is more profitable.

Kim Yeon loitered around the counter for a few seconds while waiting for the order, then scurried back into the break room.

“Hmm. They’re gone.”

Kang Jinyoung glanced at the counter for a moment.

That woman was definitely looking at Lee Sunghan with a strange look. It was brief, but she could sense it.

Is he really a genius at seducing women?

“Sunghan.”

“Yes.”

“Am I, um, quite pretty?”

Flick.

She flipped her short hair up, revealing her neck.

She saw it on a community site, so it’s credible. Women need confidence! There’s no tree that won’t fall after ten hits.

“Huh?”

Kang Jinyoung casually pressed the kiosk screen with her index finger. She perked up her ears, waiting for an answer.

Lee Sunghan was looking at the menu when a dagger flew at him, leaving him stunned.

What is it.

What’s the point?

The intention?

The solution? The defense?

He doesn’t know.

He can’t figure out how to deal with it.

“You’re pretty.”

“Where?”

“Everywhere.”

Hmm. If he had to give a score, it would be a 65% answer.

But it’s fine.

It’s clear that there’s affection.

‘Hehe, I scored more points than my sister. I’m definitely better than her. If I keep this up… hehehe. Maybe we’ll even hold hands?’

Kang Jinyoung giggled ominously.

Lee Sunghan signaled with a “What’s wrong with that kid” face.

Of course, the signal didn’t reach her. Because they don’t have a Khala like the Protoss.

Even if they did.

“Ugh! Amon, get out of my head! True love is mind-control-hypnosis-rape-true love!”

She would probably cut it off herself.

She’s a crazy b*tch.

A crazy b*tch starved for love.

A genius who has fallen into her own world can’t be understood by ordinary people.

Lee Sunghan just decided to go along with it.

“Wipe, wipe your drool. It’s dripping on your mouth, it’ll get on your clothes.”

“Huh? Ugh.”

“Stay still.”

Kang Jinyoung froze as she tried to wipe her mouth with her arm.

Lee Sunghan took out a few napkins and wiped her mouth.

‘That man probably doesn’t know. How many women are after him right now!’

You told me, so I know.

Lee Sunghan wanted to say something, but Kang Jinyoung’s reaction suddenly changed. He tilted his head.

“Ugh! It’s expensive!”

Kang Jinyoung clicked her tongue.

Prices are crazy these days.

It was like that for awakeners.

It’s safe to say that as much as they earn, they spend.

“Th-the price of coffee is 20,000 won?!”

What was the daily wage for awakeners again? Kang Jinyoung groaned in front of the kiosk.

Every time she remembers the price, she thinks of low-cost coffee like Levi’s.

‘No, thinking about it is a luxury!’

She shakes her head. The current minimum wage for awakeners is 22,000 won. Awakeners have additional expenses. There’s a tax.

As Benjamin Franklin said, nothing is certain except death and taxes.

Lee Sunghan leaned his head towards the kiosk.

“It is expensive.”

“For these things, women usually-“

“I’ll buy it.”

“?”

“???”

Where does a man get money? They collect things like activity fees. Moreover, he heard that his family isn’t well-off.

But Lee Sunghan isn’t without money.

He has cash piled up in his bank account from killing monsters.

The important thing is that he’s the only one who gets money from the system for eradicating monsters.

[‘
(EX)’ is tilting its head, saying, “Hmm, did we have something like that?”]

[‘Auto Battle’ says that a small amount of money has been continuously flowing into the bank account.]

[‘Ultra Reconnaissance’ struts around, saying, 『MONEY is always right.』]

“Sunghan. Women can’t stand being indebted to men. Me, Kang Jinyoung! The genius of the National Intelligence Service, the magician of Namsan, being indebted?!”

Kang Jinyoung said, crossing her arms dramatically.

“Hmm, you don’t look happy.”

She added a bridge to her words, saying that elite bodyguards like her are always around.

Lee Sunghan examined Kang Jinyoung’s attire.

A transparent underboob crop top.

Her black bra was completely visible, making it hard to know where to look. Is this normal in this world? I don’t know, I don’t know!

“Huh? Is my outfit strange? I dressed up because we were going out together.”

It’s real.

This attack from Kang Jinyoung was a purely innocent question without any ulterior motive.

“I-it’s not strange. It’s just… that.”

“What is it?”

“I just think you’re exposing too much skin.”

Skin?

Exposing skin?

‘Don’t we see each other naked all the time?’

Men and women isolated in a hostile place, waiting for death.

Doesn’t it just smell fishy?

Moreover, she even said she would marry him if things didn’t work out there.

This stupid human.

He doesn’t even remember that.

Does he have amnesia or something?

[‘Ultra Reconnaissance’ is cheering, saying, “As expected of Mother! The god of true love!”]

[‘Block’ says that the true wife is indeed Kang Jinyoung.]

Lee Sunghan, who was flustered with his arms crossed. Now he looked at those guys wondering why they were acting like that.

To be fair, [Ultra-Reconnaissance] and [Block] did receive help from Kang Jinyoung.

Especially since the [Mental Barrier], the origin of [Block], came from Kang Jinyoung.

“Sunghan? Why are you so flustered?”

Kang Jinyoung came closer.

Sniff sniff.

Even if he didn’t want to smell it, he couldn’t block the fragrance. It smelled good. It was obvious that she had put in effort to prepare.

“Hmm. You didn’t put on perfume?”

Her black eyes look up at him. He gets a burning sensation in his gut whenever this happens.

“Do I have to?”

“Sunghan, you don’t have a strong scent. Should I say your smell is weak? Here, put this on.”

She hands him perfume.

A brand that Kang Jinyoung often uses.

She had given it to him last time too.

It’s a strange reaction considering how angry she got when she found out the scent had disappeared.

“Do you think I would lie?”

‘If you smell this strong scent, any woman will fall head over heels…’

The sense of chastity in this world is indeed strange.

“Put it on quickly.”

Her expression changes drastically.

Her eyes looked like dead fish eyes.

He has no choice.

Lee Sunghan quietly sprayed the perfume.

After a while, a pleasant lavender scent wafted up.

How she chose a scent that suits him is still a mystery.

‘It was worth it to conduct surveillance every day!’

Ah.

So that’s it.

She’s a stalking expert, after all.

Beep beep beep.

“Is this enough?”

After a long discussion, they decided on 『Awakener’s Special Iced Americano』. With a few side dishes.

The price was exactly 22,000 won.

The decisive factor was the small print in the corner that said, ‘50% off for couples!’ They’re not a couple, but if they pretend to be a couple, they get a whopping 11,000 won discount?

Hah, this is a crazy country. It only goes up and never comes down.

“I’ll pay~”

“Yes.”

Kang Jinyoung held up her check card. A product of the Kangcheon Group, which dominates the business world. The luxurious gold trim is distinct.

Beep.

As she inserted the card, a clear voice was heard.

[-Order complete.]

“Buy me something better next time. Okay? And you owe me your life. I have to reduce it little by little like this.”

“R-really, it’s fine.”

“It’s just my nature to repay debts.”

Jingle.

The door chime rang. A large man, dressed all in black, came running in and pressed the kiosk. It was the cancel button.

Beep.

[-Order canceled.]

[-Please select again.]

What is this, a new type of villain? Lee Sunghan turned around.

Blonde hair.

Red eyes.

A voluptuous figure that can’t be hidden.

A flustered and flushed face.

“Y-you… don’t drink that low-class black water. Drink pure fruit juice. You made a mistake, Kang Jinyoung.”

“What is it?”

How did she get here? The busy person. A chill ran down Kang Jinyoung’s face.

She was smiling, but her eyes weren’t.