A Calculated Kindness
The next day, during a required major lecture. The moment I stepped into the classroom, I noticed Sehwa’s expression was far from cheerful. She must have heard about Yu Seunghyeon’s situation.
After greeting my classmates brightly, I handed Sehwa a banana milk. “Want one? You don’t look so good.”
“Huh…? Oh.” Sehwa flinched, shoulders jerking, then turned her head. When she finally looked at me, her face softened ever so slightly. “When did you get here?”
“Just now. What were you thinking abo—”
—Ooooh!
I never got to finish. My classmates had spotted me offering Sehwa the drink and let out exaggerated, teasing exclamations. If she accepted it now, she’d be teased right along with me. I could see the panic flickering across her face.
With a casual shrug, I tossed the milk to the male classmate I’d grown closest to yesterday. He caught it cleanly and began peeling the straw. “What, giving it to me because you’re embarrassed?”
“Your voice is the loudest, so consider it a request to shut up.”
“Jackpot. Thanks!”
Grinning, he chugged the milk in one go. I shot Sehwa an apologetic glance before finding an empty seat a little distance away from her.
Before class started, I pulled out my textbook and then my phone. I sent a message to the number I’d gotten from Sehwa yesterday.
[Did you get home okay last night?]
Sehwa checked the message, glanced sideways, then replied.
[No. It was a total disaster.]
I cheered inwardly. I’d expected a curt “Yeah” or “No,” but she’d actually told me how she felt. Keeping my expression neutral, I typed again.
[Too much to drink?]
[I didn’t even finish half a bottle of soju. What about you? You okay?]
[Okay with what?]
[Your stomach.]
[It was a bit rough this morning, but after having hangover soup on the way to school, I’m fine. There was a really good place.]
[I want hangover soup too…]
Sehwa, don’t use such cute phrasing. You’re supposed to be the savior who becomes a warrior of justice. Show a little dignity. …Still, it’s kind of adorable.
[Then let’s go eat. Want to have lunch together?]
[You just said you already had some.]
[So what if I eat again? The place is tucked away in a corner. Let’s go with the others. I don’t think anyone else knows it’s there—only office workers were around.]
[Look ahead.]
Without waiting for an answer, she told me to look forward. I did as she said and couldn’t hold back a smile. Over her shoulder, she was flashing me an okay sign.
**
After several classes, lunchtime arrived. The five of us met at the back gate right on time and followed my lead to the hangover soup restaurant. There, we practically inhaled the food.
“Ughhh… I feel alive again.”
One of the guys, looking much better after his sweet potato main course, picked his teeth with a toothpick from the table and asked me, “How’d you even know about this place?”
“I just happened to find it today. Pretty good, right?”
“Good? It’s insanely good. I’m definitely coming back. Cheap, too.”
“Let’s keep it a secret from everyone except first-years in the Department of Future Science. I don’t want this place getting famous.”
“Ooh… sense of belonging. Not bad.”
The others looked satisfied as well. Their expressions didn’t matter to me, but Sehwa’s did. When people gather, someone always tries to take the lead. One classmate offered to pay with a card and asked for money. That’s when I noticed Sehwa hesitating as she reached into her wallet.
‘Hmm… Did Yu Seunghyeon ask to borrow money? No, he’s not that kind of guy…’
I’d look into it later.
The others suggested going to a café, either for coffee or to keep talking, but I had no intention of joining. “I’m going to take a walk to help digest. There’s a small mountain behind the university. Thought I’d check it out.”
“Ah… You know one person bailing kills the whole plan, right?”
After apologizing, I headed straight for the hill behind campus without looking back. I was walking along the quiet trail, reviewing my plans, when a pretty voice called from behind.
“Jihyeok!”
It was Sehwa. Honestly, I hadn’t expected her to follow me all the way here… Had we already progressed this far? Whatever the reason, it was a good thing. It meant I could get closer to her and find out what had happened between those two.
“What are you doing here?”
“Oh, I wanted to take a walk too. The auntie at the restaurant gave us way too much food. I feel like my stomach’s about to burst.”
“Really? Then… want to walk together?”
As Sehwa matched my pace, I asked, “What about the others?”
“The guys are skipping and going to a PC café. The girls are heading to a café.”
“You didn’t go with them?”
“Not really… I didn’t feel like drinking anything.”
She was clearly skipping to save money. I nodded casually and pulled a latte from my bag—the coffee I’d bought earlier to drink on the way up the hill. I held it out to her.
“Want some?”
“It’s fine. I said I didn’t feel like drinking anything.”
“Your voice is cracking, so don’t pretend. Just drink it. I already had plenty of water earlier.”
Sehwa hesitated, then accepted the latte. “Thanks. I’ll buy you the same thing later.”
“Don’t worry about it. By the way, feeling any better?”
“Feeling?”
“You said it this morning. That your mood was the worst.”
“Ah… that…”
Sehwa paused. It must be something serious if she was being this careful. I gave her a reassuring smile. “You’re too kind for your own good. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
“No, it’s not that serious… Can I ask you something?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
“What would you do if someone you loved was going through something big and insisted on handling it alone?”
Aha. I could already see where this was going. Yu Seunghyeon had probably explained everything to Sehwa and told her he’d take care of it himself. But Sehwa, who loved him dearly, must have wanted to help repay the debt or report it as insurance fraud. I needed to give her the answer she wanted to hear.
“Hmm… If it happened to me, or if I heard about it from someone I loved, I’d want to face it together.”
“Right? That’s what I thought.”
“At least, that’s how I am.”
“Me too.”
“Looks like you fought with your boyfriend over the accident. Am I right?”
Sehwa flinched. She stared at me, startled. “How did you know?”
“Your boyfriend had an accident, you went to see him, and your mood’s been terrible all day. It’s not hard to connect the dots. Still, I didn’t think I’d guess exactly right… Maybe I should become a shaman.”
Sehwa let out a small laugh and took a sip of the latte. Then she let out a long sigh. “Haa… I’m really worried. Everything feels dark. Like I’m completely trapped.”
She was revealing her true feelings without realizing it. The Sehwa before her awakening was always refreshing to see. To think this girl would keep putting Tyrat—putting me—in tight spots every time. Unbelievable.
“First, you should get a lawyer’s consultation. If it’s insurance fraud, we need to dig up whatever we can, right?”
“That’s true, but…”
You don’t have the money, do you? I know. So I’ll help. That’s why I set this whole scheme in motion. And don’t worry—I have no intention of completely ruining Yu Seunghyeon’s life. I’ll just make sure he has very little time left to spend with you.
I took out my card wallet and rummaged through it. As all sorts of business cards spilled out, Sehwa’s eyes widened. I picked one out, studied it for a moment, then handed it to her.
“Go see this person.”
Sehwa read the card and muttered, “A… lawyer?”
“He used to be the dedicated lawyer for my parents’ company. After they passed, he opened his own firm. Take your boyfriend there. I’ll make sure the consultation is free.”
“J-Jihyeok, this is too much…”
“You have to help your boyfriend, don’t you?”
Sehwa, who had been about to return the card, froze at my words. I continued, “In exchange, if anything ever happens to me, help me out.”
“What could I possibly do…”
“You underestimate yourself too much. So? Will you do it or not?”
“…I’ll do it. Thank you so much.”
I smiled darkly inside. By now, Marcela should have finished all the preparations. Sehwa would soon meet my advisor, disguised as a sharp lawyer.
**
Antarctica. Tyrat’s base.
“Why do I have to do something this trivial… Can’t we just kill him? Master really… I wonder what he’s thinking…”
Marcela grumbled as she threw on a suit. Time for me to make my entrance.
“You seem quite dissatisfied, Marcela.”
“Hic! Master!”
Startled, she dropped flat to the floor. Her tail vanished, her long ears shrank to normal size. Before she prostrated herself, I caught a glimpse of her fangs disappearing as well—she had transformed completely into a human. This level of transformation was possible… but since she’d badmouthed me behind my back, it was canceled, you wretch.
“I was going to reward you, but I’ll have to cancel that.”
“A… reward…?”
“I was planning to, but…”
I walked over leisurely and sat on a random chair. Marcela scrambled over on all fours and rubbed her head against my feet.
“M-Master… What was the reward…?”
“Who knows? I’m starting to wonder myself. After hearing what you just said, I’m so shocked I’ve forgotten. What was it you said again… ‘Something this trivial’? ‘Can’t we just kill him’?”
“Master… I’m sorry…”
Marcela’s human form, wearing a sulky expression, was surprisingly cute. Then again, even in the game, her whining had been cute—right up until she modified monsters to an insane degree and made me grind my teeth.
“Report.”
At my command, Marcela slowly rose and returned to her original form. Long fangs extended from both sides of her mouth, dark wings unfurled from her back, and the tail that had disappeared grew long again, its tip sharpening. Her claws lengthened and became razor-sharp. Anyone who saw her now would immediately think “demon” or “succubus.” That was Marcela’s true appearance.
She turned the monitor toward me and operated the screen. On it appeared three people seated around a round table in a well-furnished lawyer’s office: the disguised Marcela, the ever-beautiful Sehwa, and the gullible Yu Seunghyeon. He wasn’t exactly handsome, but he had the kind of honest face that naturally drew goodwill. With a worried expression, he gave weak responses to Marcela’s explanations.
Good grief… What a pushover. How did I ever think that was me? Just remembering the past made irritation surge through me.
Through a long consultation, Marcela had carefully chosen words that Yu Seunghyeon and Sehwa wouldn’t want to hear. Without evidence, there was no way to resolve this. There were no recordings, no copies of the contract documents—it was a perfect dead end. With every word, she pushed their expressions deeper into despair. Yet at the very end, she offered a sliver of hope.
—You said you were fired, correct? Even so, there might still be employment records on file. I’ll contact the company and review everything thoroughly.
At that, Yu Seunghyeon and Sehwa’s faces brightened just a little.
—Since Young Master Song Jihyeok personally asked me… I’ll do my best. Please don’t lose heart.
She even brought me up at the end. Yu Seunghyeon told Sehwa they should meet Song Jihyeok together when he had time—to express their thanks. Sehwa nodded with a bright expression. The two of them thanked Marcela repeatedly before leaving.
After watching the entire scene, I burst into laughter. Marcela’s face lit up.
“Excellent. Truly excellent.”
“Really?”
“Well done, Marcela.”
“Thank… Thank you, Master.”
“Listen carefully. From now on, I’ll tell you exactly what I’m aiming for.”
I explained my entire objective to Marcela today. The long-term plan to turn the powerful Beast Slayers into my subordinates.
After hearing everything, Marcela clapped like a seal. “As expected… As expected of you, Master! Marcela will work hard to assist in your great endeavor!”
Thank you for understanding. Now stop whining. When you gossip behind my back, it startles my heart. It’s terrifying!
“The company Yu Seunghyeon worked for—can you control it as you intend?”
“Of course. Small and medium-sized enterprise types are easy for me to handle. If needed, I could even send Amon to hypnotize them all—”
“You’re getting ahead of yourself. Don’t act rashly. Do it like this. At first…”
I laid out the guidelines for what came next. Thanks to Marcela and me, Yu Seunghyeon would be relieved of one burden—but it wouldn’t be a complete solution. That way, he’d have to work himself to the bone for several months. And that was when I planned to approach him. I’d offer him a very good job. One that, if Sehwa found out about it, would spell disaster.