Chapter 163
Chapter 163
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 163
Chapter Title: We Need to Talk (3)
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Who are you?
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ (+_+) ‘World Tree of Purity’ beams a smile. The World Tree of Purity, who had vanished one day.
Shiba's mother. The runaway wife who came back without even knowing her place.
"...You disappear out of nowhere, and now you pop up? Why?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ ‘World Tree of Purity’ cheekily sticks out her tongue! "Trees don't have tongues."
This was bewildering. Back then, she had suddenly vanished, leaving me with a lingering sense of unease. So why show up now?
Of course, I wasn't that resentful anymore. Both the fondness and negativity had faded with time.
If I had to nitpick something to blame her for, it was neglecting Shiba.
She left without even paying child support for our kid. What nerve does she have showing her face?
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ (Shock) ‘World Tree of Purity’ lowers her eyes. "Kuhuhu. Good to see you."
I tossed out a joke and flashed a grin.
There was still some sentiment from when I first arrived in this world.
-Rustle, rustle.
As I was chatting away with Purity, the blanket shifted, and Se-young's face poked out.
"...Why are you talking to yourself?"
Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.
Maybe because I'd disciplined her last night, her gaze had softened a bit.
"Come here quick. I'm cold."
"It's the middle of summer, though..."
"You're buck naked. If I'm cold, I'm cold, you little shit."
She grabbed my arm and yanked me onto the bed, her solid weight pressing down on me.
Se-young's slender hand cupped my cheek.
-Flop.
The blanket covering us carried a faint sweaty scent.
"You did something really bad last night."
"What did I do?"
"...I'd been holding back all this time, and you made me explode."
"Oh, is that why you were screaming so much? Scratching with your nails and all."
Instead of answering, Se-young hugged me tight—too tight, almost suffocating. Her soft breasts squished like hotteok pancakes.
Her skin was so pale that blue veins showed through.
It was the same flesh I'd buried my nose in, sucked with my mouth, licked with my tongue, and toyed with to my heart's content last night.
"You're done for now. Die, you bastard."
"Keke. Says the one who passed out first."
Se-young repeated that lispy sound, her eyes like a cat about to pounce.
Her three-dimensional face looked ready to leap out at any moment.
Gazing at her sharp, upturned nose, she suddenly thrust her lips forward.
A kiss?
-Smack.
It was just a light peck on the cheek.
Then she pulled me into another embrace.
"I'm no good at showing affection, never really got any myself... so I don't know how to give it either. You get me this time, you little shit."
"Out of nowhere? Yeah, got it."
"...I. Really like you."
"I like you too."
She closed her eyes and gently stroked my cheek.
Her fingers lifted my chin. Her moist eyes locked onto mine.
"Probably for life."
"Didn't you hate cringey stuff?"
"Fuck, you always get shy at times like this."
"So you don't love me?"
"...I love you."
Smack—
A light kiss.
At the same time, an acorn popped out from between her hair strands, and we both looked at each other and giggled.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ -That's how it went.
Se-young's husky voice came through the phone.
You could tell just how much love she'd gotten, even over the line.
'...'.
Y-you bitch... you fucked all night.
Star caressed the prominent vein on her forehead as she hammered the keyboard.
Her wrist gripping the phone tensed up.
"You fucking bitch!!!"
A barrage of curses burst out loud.
-...
"Crazy, you made all the plans to take down Flower... and then suddenly you go and fuck? All night?"
-...S-sorry.
"Se-youngie. No, Se-young. This isn't something a 'sorry' fixes. I've been holed up for months without seeing Si-heon, covered in cobwebs, double-checking plans... And then you hit me with 'That's how it went~♡'? What am I supposed to do, just go 'Oh, Lady Se-young had a whim'? Huh?"
Her rapid-fire rant poured out.
An utterly flustered response came from the other end.
Of course, the plan could be scrapped anytime.
It was still in the conceptual stage, precisely because of the risks—they were proceeding with utmost caution.
"Yeah, I get it. You know what I'm saying."
But still.
"But. But..."
Star's pitiful whine, like her neck was in a noose.
"I... like fucking too, wahhh."
Hunter Association Vice Chairman. Starfruit Star.
Could someone in such a high position feel this pathetic over the word 'fuck'?
Star glanced at the mirror by her monitor.
Her face with dark circles was utterly pitiful.
Dark circles from late-night gaming, but right now, they fueled her emotions perfectly.
"I can't take it anymore."
-Huh?
"Plan's fucked anyway, can't end it like this. I'm the vice chairman, and I even came to the front lines myself... All to help Si-heon! Huh!?"
The vice chairman on the front lines. In military terms, it was like a corps commander showing up at a random unit for no reason.
She'd come here personally and handled the work—she couldn't leave empty-handed.
In short, what Star wanted was one thing.
"...I deserve an engagement ring."
She meant it.
"Se-youngie, we gotta team up. How about... poking holes in condoms? Wait, but Si-heon always cums inside anyway. Why haven't I gotten pregnant?"
-...Hey.
"Yeah?"
She was brainstorming 109 ways to make him take responsibility when Se-young cautiously spoke up.
-Si-heon's... right here.
Chill!
Her roots trembling, Star slumped into her chair.
Why tell her now?
Before she could even make excuses, a man's voice—clearly amused—came through the phone.
-Noona?
"..."
-Kh, kkhum. Ahem. Poke holes in condoms?
Anyone could hear the half-shock, half-teasing tone.
Star's yellow hair shot toward the ceiling, carried by mana fueled by emotion.
Her face flushed beet red.
"S-Si-heooon~ It was a joke, you know that, right~?"
-Listen to that voice, you bitch.
-Kuhuhuhu.
Her brain froze. The neurons firing at full speed burned out in an instant, halting all thought.
Star despaired.
Not only had she blurted out crude talk in front of the guy she liked, but his 'first wife' had witnessed it firsthand.
It had to be that petty Lee Se-young trying to sabotage a rival candidate.
Star's voice grew lifeless.
"Yeah... I'll just kill myself. Loved you, Si-heon."
-Wait, hold on, pfft... Noona. I'll call you later. Don't cancel the plan.
"...What?"
-Killing Flower. I'll do it with you instead of Se-young. Let's plan together.
-Hey, don't switch to casual speech all sudden.
-Doesn't matter.
-...Fuck.
The back-and-forth banter filtered through the phone. They made such a compatible, fun couple.
But Star didn't register Se-young's words.
'Together?'
Yeah, yeah. Together.
'Plan... together?'
Together on the plan!
A flag planted with a thud in Star's stalled brain.
This was straight-up fuck o'clock.
Talking in the office, serious discussion leading to booking tickets to Hong Kong for the mill.
"Take care of me, Si-heon... I mean, Supervisor Si-heon."
-Pardon?
"You're the boss from today on."
Star's pleasure circuits overloaded.
Compiling data from all the novels, Japanese manga, and games she'd binged in her room— the plot ahead was crystal clear.
Lee Si-heon's cool plan. But the Hunter Association rejects it for being too risky.
But what if I, Star, show up here?
St! a! rfruit!
'Association Chairman... long live. That old man's been quiet lately.'
Proceed as is! No one but the chairman can stop it. Show off dramatic protagonist-level action.
This'll snag a huge flag with Si-heon! Arrow straight to the heart!
Teach him the charms of a spectral beauty.
"Hehe... hihihi."
-She's imagining something weird again.
A broken smile bloomed on Star's lips.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "See ya."
"You're heading out tomorrow? No need to pick you up, really?"
At my question, Se-young blushed shyly and placed a hand on her lower belly.
The passion from last night's romp showed on her face.
"...Got plenty of send-offs."
Plenty, yeah.
Se-young had turned all meek overnight, which threw me off a bit, but she'd probably go back to her aggressive self starting tomorrow.
I knew from spending days with her.
I spread my arms for a hug, and after glancing around, she came over and snuggled in.
"W-well, take care, you punk."
-Thud!
The door shut, and I immediately grabbed my phone and headed down to the dorms.
Azalea... Cornus. Lots of people to see, but first, I picked up my phone again and dialed.
-Riiing, click!
Morning call—she'd pick up for sure.
[Oppa~ What's up?]
Voice thick with aegyo, familiar nickname. Oppa turned to 'dongsaeng'—sweet yet oddly bitter.
The hum of a hairdryer came through the line.
"Called 'cause I missed you. Drying your hair?"
[Yeah. Drying Shiba's hair.]
"Put Shiba on."
[Shiba? Hmm... not today.]
Hwangdo dragged out her words at my request, sounding like she was hiding something, laughing awkwardly.
"What?"
[Later, after training camp.]
"...Yeah. Okay. Doesn't matter."
Me wanting to talk to my daughter once, and she's blocking it?
Is she hiding something?
-Whiiiir.
The dryer blared, and Hwangdo hurriedly said,
[Gotta teleport soon... gotta hang up!]
Anyone could see she was scrambling. Clearly hiding something.
Or maybe Shiba was mad at me? My daughter who goes nuts whenever she sees Daddy?
Weird. I went back three months in the past, but the gap was only a few days.
When she was in the dorm, we were together except when I was out. I played with her tons.
She even understood me going to training camp to some extent.
Our girl gets what I say.
'...Hmm.'
After training camp ends.
Only two days left—I'll find out soon enough.
I stared at the ended call screen, then went back to my contacts.
The futures I needed to fix now: Cornus, Cheon-do, Baek-do, Hwang-do. Unclear futures, at least missing—three people minimum.
Of course, first I had to take responsibility for what I'd started.
Azalea, under [Affinity Anomaly: Obsession].
I had to give an answer to Azalea, who'd confessed while drunk.
'How do I... handle this?'
What do I even say if I call?
From the one who'd been confessed to... starting the talk wasn't easy.
I'd already rejected Azalea's confession once, embarrassing her, so maybe I deserved the same shame. She'd have no retort, but it wasn't like with Lee Se-young.
With Se-young, we'd spent enough time to see right through each other.
Anyway, no more agonizing.
I dialed Azalea straight from contacts.
-Rin.
It cut off before even one ring finished.
[H-hello!?]
Azalea's voice came immediately, pitch high with utter bewilderment.