Chapter 110
Chapter 110
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 110
Chapter Title: End and Beginning (5)
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Of all places, the shop I got hired at turned out to be a women-only establishment!
Yoon Mi-so asked me, watching as I returned to my seat with a dazed expression.
"What's with that face? You really had no idea?"
"Yeah... The sign was so faded you could barely read it."
"Oh, right. We do get the occasional guy who wanders in without noticing. Maybe we should replace it."
She scratched her head, then looked at me and let out a quirky "Hee-hee."
"I figured Jun-young had heard about it from Chae-yeon sis, of course."
"Is it really okay for me to work here?"
It wasn't impossible for a male masseur to handle female clients, but in a one-person operation like this, problems cropped up pretty often—or so I'd heard back at the academy.
Places like the neck, shoulders, arms, or legs were usually fine, but full-body massages involved kneading the chest and buttocks too, which sometimes led to sexual harassment claims.
Sure, there were real cases of harassment, but there were also times when women tried to extort money with false accusations.
Of course, you couldn't just install surveillance cameras in the massage rooms either, so when issues arose, they turned into massive mudslinging fights.
"What if you end up losing business because of me..."
That would be a huge embarrassment not just for Yoon Mi-so, but for Chae-yeon sis who had referred me.
But despite my worried question, Yoon Mi-so just smiled her namesake smile.
"It's fine. I can handle the full-body sessions myself. And some clients specifically request male masseurs from time to time."
I'd heard about this at the academy too. Despite the occasional harassment scandals, some female clients preferred male masseurs for one simple reason: strength. Men had power!
Technique mattered, but raw muscle power made a difference too. Insensitive clients who needed that deep pressure often sought out men.
"I'm sorting out schedules with the current clients, so I should be able to text you details by this weekend. Think you could come in about three days a week?"
"Thank you so much."
"No problem. But after all this trouble, don't you dare mess up—or you're fired! Ohohong... Kidding, of course. Uheng."
Damn. I just can't keep up with this woman's laugh and energy.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Over the past few days, the internet and TV had been buzzing nonstop with coverage of Seori.
The online news article I was reading was no different. The attached video featured interviews with supposed eyewitnesses and regular citizens.
-Around 11:30, I was heading out from home. Then this woman with a huge black knife comes chasing after me. I got scared and bolted to the police station. That's all I know.
-Yeah, that face from TV lately. That's her.
-Mangwon visits a lot. I think I survived purely because I wasn't there that day.
Even Seori's relatives were being questioned and interviewed.
-The kid's always been a bit off since she was little.
-She killed a pet once, so her mom—uh, her mom's name—she even came to me for advice...
Finally, the reporter wrapped it up briefly.
-As such, suspect Han Seori has shown cruel behavior since childhood. Psychology experts say this points to a psycho...
Click.
I paused the video, my face hardening.
"Fucking hell, these con artist bastards."
Those interviewees were obviously paid actors.
Seori had insisted she never attacked unrelated people. Except for me.
But every media outlet was painting her as a deranged psychopathic killer, even linking her to unsolved cases where civilians died.
Citizens were flooding the Blue House with petitions, leaving comments on news articles, and hitting 'like' to vent their collective anxiety.
Hell, cable TV had dragged out famous psychologists and fortune-tellers for some creepy special broadcast.
I scrolled through the comments on the article.
📰 Breaking News [Terrifying Serial Killer's Childhood Revealed] 💬 Comments — powe**** Where'd all those Dark Knight simps go? Turns out she's the Joker lol — wmfr**** Insanely hot lmao half the murders are prolly from simps — qorh**** Would totally date her. — dusk**** ↳ Reply Incels judging killers by looks. Misogyny in Korea is real af. — dhkd**** This post has been weighted down. — podo**** Yang Du-chan - married women, hookers, villa sex parties. No charges. | Kim Ho-jin - chaebol heir... Besides these, she was getting bombarded with all sorts of sexual harassment comments, and amid it all, men vs. women and left vs. right were picking sides and spewing whatever they wanted.
I shut off the monitor and stepped out of the room.
In the living room, two people and one little one were glued to the TV.
'Thank goodness Seori only watches cartoon channels.'
If she saw the news, it'd crush her.
As I was slipping on my shoes at the entryway, Pomi finally noticed and tore her eyes from the screen.
"Junyongie, where you going?"
"For a walk."
"Bring back something yummy!"
At the word 'yummy,' Seori and Byeori's heads swiveled my way too.
"Sure. Be back soon. Gonna take a longer stroll."
"Ung!"
"Byeee."
Before I even shut the door, they'd already turned back to the TV.
Once outside, I immediately activated the status window.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ ⚡ Target: Oh Jong-hyuk (Human Male, Lv. 26, 35 years old) *Monster Contractor (Frog) 📏 Height/Weight: 178cm, 78kg 📍 Location: Seoul, Gangnam-gu, Yeoksam-dong YPARK Oh Jong-hyuk's location had been stuck there for days now. Probably holed up tight.
He'd be scared shitless and fortified to the teeth, but better this than bolting overseas.
Like I even have a passport.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ A blindingly bright room that hurt the eyes.
Oh Jong-hyuk was dozing off inside it.
"Ugh... Hngh, shii, hngh, hngh."
He groaned in pain, then snapped his eyes open, bloodshot glare scanning the room. Finding nothing amiss, his breathing steadied.
Six days ago, he'd barely escaped Han Seori and reached out to his connections. He'd mobilized the media for an immediate APB, but a slippery bitch like her wouldn't get caught easily.
He wanted to flee abroad right then, but abandoning all his hard-built businesses after all these years felt wasteful.
So he'd delayed, planning to grab what he could and bounce.
'Just hide out a few years at most.'
He remembered clearly. That first day in Lee Chung-jae's office when he'd met Han Seori, the mutterings she'd let slip.
-Detection level... please. I want revenge before I die...
She didn't have long. Her powers were on another level from his—powered by her lifespan. Figures. God wouldn't be that unfair.
LED lights filled the room to erase shadows. Her ability was tied to darkness.
He'd lit it up to minimize shade.
Underlings waited outside too. Useless cannon fodder, but they'd buy time for him to go invisible and slip away.
"Ribbit."
A frog appeared in his palm. He stroked it with a strained smile, then closed his eyes.
How much time passed?
Bang bang! Bang bang!
-Boss! Boss! ... Bro! What the hell, bro!
-Hey, move it.
-Who the fuck are you!
-Gangnam Police Station. Oh Jong-hyuk in here? Hey now, obstructing official duties.
Crash.
'What... what the hell is this?'
Startled by the sudden noise, Oh Jong-hyuk's eyes flew open just as he'd nodded off.
The locked door burst open simultaneously.
"Ugh, what the—too bright."
"What is all this crap?"
Unfamiliar men poured in through the doorway.
Even in the chaos, Oh Jong-hyuk glared at them.
"Who the hell are you!"
"Heh heh. We heard that from outside the door. You Oh Jong-hyuk, right?"
A rough-looking guy with messy hair scratched his head as he asked, looking every bit the thug himself.
"Yeah, that's me. Who the fuck are you!"
"Kim Ji-man from Gangnam Precinct. Why make this hard? You turned yourself in and all."
"Turned... myself in?"
"Yup. Drunk when you did it? Can't ignore that, though. Crimes too damn many."
Oh Jong-hyuk couldn't follow the dialect, but his gut screamed following this guy would end him.
Thinking fast, he nodded.
"I'll come quietly. Since I surrendered."
"..."
Detective Kim Ji-man furrowed his brows at the compliant response but nodded.
"Alright then."
"Mind if I hit the bathroom first?"
"...Sure. Nowhere to run from the 12th floor."
It worked.
Amazed at his own wits, Oh Jong-hyuk entered the bathroom. Footsteps of several cops shifted toward the door behind him.
Listening, he let out a gleeful chuckle.
"Heh heh."
He'd barely held back laughter passing the detective.
Nowhere to run? Sure. But what if I just... vanish?
Grinning wickedly, he uttered one word.
"Ribbit."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "You're so late! Starving over here!"
"Hungry..."
Back home, I tossed two fresh chickens from my inventory to the whiny duo and plopped down at the computer again.
"Junyongie, cola?"
"We got some left from last time."
"...But Byeori drank it all."
"I did not! Lady Pomi, how dare a demon realm highness—"
"Waaah! Waaaah! I did it, I drank it! Junyongie!"
"...?"
What the hell are they even doing?
Shaking my head at the noisy living room, I logged back into the portal site from earlier.
[Record-Shattering Heatwave This Summer: 'Multiple Records to Fall']
[Company Funds for Luxury Villa? P Corp Chairman Summoned by Police]
['Father-Daughter Deaths' in I Univ Fire: 50s Dad Suspected Arsonist]
[The Chilling Childhood of a Horrific Serial Killer.]
Scroll, scroll.
"Not up yet?"
Still no sign of the article I wanted, even after scrolling.
"Did they bury it?"
That'd be rotten. I'd spread it around everywhere just in case.
But my worries were unfounded. After ten minutes or so, the articles started popping up across sites.
[(Breaking) 8 Years Ago: Assemblyman's Villa Party Kidnapper Turns Self In.]
[(Breaking) Secret Deals Between Organized Crime and Assemblyman.]
[(Breaking) Serial Killer Suspect Han Not Random Murderer?]
[(Breaking) Police Receive Confession Phone, But Trace Untraceable.]
"Phew..."
Confirming the fruits of my labor, I leaned back in the chair, feeling the energy drain out of me.