Chapter 168: Little by Little, Slowly (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 168: Little by Little, Slowly (3)
When I went to the hospital with Yubin to see Kruger, we ran into Silver from Team Special Force, who belongs to the same Seoul Branch as Yubin.
From the moment we met, I avoided her gaze as much as possible to prevent her from imprinting my face in her memory. Yubin, seemingly sensing this, made it easy for me to slip away.
I could accept the fact that Silver now knew I was Yubin’s boyfriend. It wasn't an ideal situation, but it wasn't necessarily a problem either; I just had to be careful from now on.
However, I discovered an unexpected fact: White, who is on the same team as Silver, apparently knows me as Hayoung’s boyfriend.
While it’s true that I am Hayoung’s boyfriend, the fact that she knew was something I couldn't just overlook.
“How does she know?”
I quickly asked Hayoung about how White knew of my existence.
“I think she saw us together by chance when we were looking at furniture while I was getting ready to move. I haven't talked to White directly, but Silver told me after hearing it from her.”
I sighed at the headache-inducing news and organized the information I had just received.
White must have seen me and Hayoung together and told Silver something like, “I think Blue has a boyfriend.”
And then, when Silver met Hayoung, she must have asked about it.
“So, what did you tell her?”
“Back then, I didn't know we’d all be meeting like this, so I told her you were my boyfriend.”
In response to Silver’s question, Hayoung had confirmed that the person White saw was indeed her boyfriend.
This alone wasn't a problem. Even if rumors circulated within Team Special Force, they wouldn't know anything specific about me, and even if they did, they probably wouldn't care much.
The problem was that Silver had seen me with Yubin, and Yubin had introduced me as her boyfriend.
First, the mystery of how Silver knew Hayoung had a boyfriend the day we met at the hospital was solved.
“She doesn't know what I look like, right?”
“Right. There are no photos, and Silver only heard about it from White. Though, White might know your face.”
Silver knows Hayoung has a boyfriend, but she doesn't know his face.
Silver knows that I am Yubin’s boyfriend.
And I am seeing both Hayoung and Yubin.
That last part was the biggest issue. There were already two people in Team Special Force who knew of my existence. One of them knew about the boyfriends of both Hayoung and Yubin, but didn't realize they were the same person.
“This is a real headache.”
Seoul is a big city. It’s large enough that you don't run into people you know every day, but the probability isn't zero.
Ever since Team Guerrilla started tailing me, I’ve had to be sensitive to my surroundings. While my true identity hasn't been exposed, the fact that information about me is spreading to some extent is a significant problem.
For starters, I had to be more vigilant when moving around outside, and even more cautious when going out with my girlfriends.
“But would they really be that interested in someone else’s boyfriend?”
Yura’s point made sense. In the end, it was just news that someone else was dating. They might be curious at first, but interest usually dies down quickly.
“It’s not a matter of interest or curiosity.”
Since we were all spending the night together, I had many things I wanted to do—dates and such—but now my actions would be restricted every time.
For instance, if I were walking through a busy area with Yura, could I completely rule out the chance of running into White, who thinks I’m dating Hayoung?
“I can't believe someone already knows. They wouldn't be talking about it amongst themselves, would they?”
“Maybe not now, but if we get caught, we’ll be the talk of the town forever.”
I was silenced by Su-ah’s blunt remark. Certainly, the talk of Hayoung’s boyfriend and Yubin’s boyfriend... they were both about me, but it would usually end as a minor piece of gossip.
However, the moment our relationship was discovered in any way, it would become a scandal, and the rumors would only grow louder.
“There are just too many things to be careful of, both inside and out.”
I felt like I could confidently say I was in the most difficult relationship in the world.
“You reap what you sow, I guess.”
Su-ah’s words continued to hit home, but I had no rebuttal for my current situation.
“I don't think there will be much reason for it to be mentioned.”
I tilted my head at Hayoung’s words, curious about her reasoning. She immediately explained.
“The reason Silver asked me after hearing it from White was because she saw White coming out of a furniture store and misunderstood, thinking I was preparing for marriage. I don't think they’ll care much about just a boyfriend. At least, that’s what I think.”
She laughed awkwardly as if she wasn't entirely sure, but that was enough to alleviate some of my worries. As long as I wasn't being talked about in places I couldn't reach, I could handle this by being a bit more observant of my surroundings.
Above all, while I was sensitive about the chance of running into them, the probability of not running into them was significantly higher.
“Well, it’s not something we can solve here. Let’s just wrap this up by agreeing to be careful for the time being.”
“Yeah. We’ll try to keep mentions of you to a minimum when we go back to headquarters, too.”
Even if we hoped there would be no issues within Team Special Force and assumed we wouldn't run into them, there was nothing we could do right now. There was no choice but to prepare for any situation that might arise in the future.
“When do you think you’ll return to headquarters?”
“I wonder. The reporters should have thinned out by now, so we should head back soon. I have a Director’s collar to grab, anyway.”
Before she knew my true identity, Yubin used to describe her work for the Hunter Killer meetings as a part-time administrative job, and she would badmouth her boss every time. It seemed that boss was the Director of the Earth Defense Union’s Seoul Branch.
“What did the Director do?”
Unaware of the internal affairs of the Earth Defense Union, I asked what had happened with the Director. Yubin let out a deep sigh.
“You know how our team and Team Guerrilla were swapped during a duel before?”
“Yeah, I remember.”
It was the day the opponents were suddenly changed, and Team 3 won against Superhumans for the first time. I had been flustered by the sudden change without prior notice, but I had let it go after hearing there was an error in internal communications.
“The one who helped swap those duels was that human, the Director. No one else would do something like that.”
“...Hunter Killer fights Team 3 every time, and there wasn't any special reason, so why did he do it?”
“He was shifting results. Since we always beat Team 3, he thought Team 3 was a weak team and swapped them to fight Team Guerrilla instead.”
I understood what she meant. By viewing our team as weak and having Team Guerrilla fight us to secure a win, the overall win rate of the Seoul Branch would go up.
I didn't know what the specific merit was, but seeing as she called it "shifting results," he must have made that decision because there was some benefit for him if the performance looked better.
“But they lost, and now this mess happened.”
However, Team Guerrilla’s strength was nowhere near Team 3’s, and the Director’s plan to manipulate the results had ended in failure.
On top of that, Team Guerrilla had caused an even bigger incident, so he must be facing a chaotic situation right now.
“Maybe this incident wasn't something Team Guerrilla did on their own, either.”
“So you're saying there's a possibility the Director is involved in this too.”
“Exactly. Though if that’s the case, I don't understand why he would do such a thing.”
Yura also seemed to have a lot of grievances against the Director, as her brow furrowed the moment he was mentioned. It wasn't just Yura; everyone’s expression turned sour, so I could roughly guess what kind of reputation the man had internally.
“I have something I’m curious about. Is it okay if I ask?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
Yubin stroked her chin as if contemplating how to start, then quickly organized her thoughts and spoke.
“Why is Spacetro invading Earth? It’s already been twenty years, and I’ve been fighting for several years now, but I still don't know Spacetro’s objective.”
I knew that as someone protecting the Earth, she couldn't help but be curious. However, I had to think carefully about how to explain this.
Spacetro’s method of invasion is to preserve culture and establish a symbiotic relationship, securing technical resources and manpower while preparing the warp drive to move into deep space.
However, depending on how I explained it, it could sound like Spacetro wasn't taking a particularly hostile stance toward Earth, which could potentially affect future duels.
While it was true that Spacetro insisted on a peaceful approach, the duels within that framework were never something to be taken lightly.
Yet, lying felt uncomfortable. My position as a boyfriend and my position as a Spacetro soldier were clashing.
“The reason Spacetro is invading is to acquire what they want from Earth. They have no intention of forcing submission or ruling over it. That’s why they maintain a peaceful stance during the process. Since submission or rule isn't the goal, there’s no need for violent methods.”
Yubin and the other girls nodded. They seemed to understand that I couldn't disclose all the information, so they didn't ask any further questions. However, they still looked like they had many things they were curious about.
If they ever expressed an intention to defect like Hayoung or Su-ah and eventually came to Spacetro, I could tell them everything I knew then.
“I get it for now. We’ve talked about some heavy stuff for a while; shall we take a break?”
“Let’s do that.”
Before we knew it, over an hour had passed. Everyone nodded in agreement with Yubin’s suggestion, stretching and taking a short break.
Su-ah stood up, stretched her back, and then sat on the sofa, picking up a game pad.
“Are you going to play a game?”
“Should I?”
To clear my head, I sat on the sofa next to her and grabbed the pad I usually used. The other girlfriends, who had been chatting while resting, approached the sofa one by one as they grew interested.
“Is it fun?”
Yubin, sitting next to me, asked while looking at the screen. I gave a simple “Yeah.”
Su-ah and I focused on the game as usual, fighting with quick controls, but the result was my defeat.
I was never exceptionally skilled, but it seemed I’d have to play quite a lot for a while to regain what little skill I had.
Su-ah seemed to think so too; at some point, she started playing while observing my moves, seemingly thinking about how she should play for a while.
“Did A lose?”
Yura, who had leaned over the back of the sofa and rested her large breasts on my head, asked.
“Yeah, I lost.”
Since I had already lost countless times, a single defeat didn't mean much, and I habitually started the game again.
Then, I remembered the talk about moving that I had briefly forgotten. While my hands were busy with the game, I brought it up.
“Su-ah.”
“Yeah?”
“Can I move into your place and live with you?”
At that moment, the game screen paused. When I turned my head, I met Su-ah’s eyes as she stared at me. And when I realized the room had gone silent and looked around, I saw that all my girlfriends were staring at me.
“Huh? Why?”
“What did you say?”
Su-ah asked again, as if she thought she had misheard, and the other girls all focused their gazes on me, waiting for my answer.
“I asked if I could move in and live with you...”
Did I pick the wrong time to bring it up? I felt like I had made a huge mistake, and my voice trailed off. Before Su-ah could even answer, Hayoung stepped toward me.
“Why Yellow’s house?”
“Huh? That’s...”
And before I could answer Hayoung’s question, the others started questioning me in turn.
“Two people can live in my house, too,” Yura claimed.
“I’ll pack up my place as well, so let’s look for a house to move into together,” Yubin said.
“My place hasn't been long since I moved in, and it’s fine for two people...” Eunha quietly added her opinion.
I definitely picked the wrong time to bring it up.
And the moment I saw my girlfriends’ gazes clashing, a thought occurred to me.
Why did I think that having sex with everyone would resolve all conflicts?
Whether it’s a monopoly or a harem—in the end, it’s a choice to have me, and the competition between my girlfriends is far from over.