Chapter 188: A Woman's Enemy Is... (10)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 188: A Woman's Enemy Is... (10)
When I was asked to step out for a moment, I didn't argue. I just threw on my coat and headed outside. The winter air was biting against my skin, but it felt less cold than being inside that house with Yubin and Seira.
Part of the reason I left was to give them space to talk, but mostly, it was because I couldn't bear the atmosphere. Things might have smoothed over slightly, but the room still felt like it was covered in a thin layer of ice. I simply didn't have the confidence to endure it.
I’d always had to be mindful of the mood when I was with my girlfriends, but the tension between Yubin and Seira was on an entirely different level.
"This is turning into a real headache."
My head throbbed so much that I briefly considered taking up smoking again, a habit I’d quit long ago.
Until now, Luche was the only one who knew I was dating everyone in Hunter Killer. During the two weeks I was bedridden, Luche hadn't reported anything regarding me to the higher-ups, and even now, she was keeping it as a secret between the two of us.
It didn't seem like Seira had found out about my situation through Luche. When I introduced Yubin as my girlfriend, her reaction wasn't that of someone who already knew.
Regardless of why she had suddenly shown up, the important thing was that the number of people who knew my secret had increased by one.
Seira wasn't the type to go around gossiping, but the probability of her knowing I was in a relationship with the enemy and not reporting it was almost zero.
If Seira were to report this to headquarters, a massive number of people internally would find out about my circumstances, and it would undoubtedly bring harm to my girlfriends.
Su-ah and Hayoung had said they wanted to join Spacetro, and I had agreed to help them once I finished some investigations. If everything came to light now, it would be incredibly problematic.
There would certainly be those who would look to exploit my girlfriends' abilities, given that they possessed top-tier specs even among Superhumans.
I knew the best course of action was to persuade Seira before things took a turn for the worse, but I couldn't think of a single thing to say to convince her.
In the past, I never had to walk on eggshells like this when talking to Seira; the words used to come easily. Had the wall that grew between us over the last ten years made things this uncomfortable?
"I wish I knew what the hell she was thinking."
Recalling something Seira had said, I let out a sigh-filled mutter to myself.
For a long time, she had frequently told me to do nothing, and that had been a source of invisible, constant stress for me.
Since coming to Earth, the opportunities to see her had decreased significantly, but because she told me to do nothing every single time we met, it felt like I heard it even more often than before.
Ultimately, that stress had caused me to explode a month ago—on the day of the terror attack—when I was already exhausted and on edge. I had poured out all my accumulated irritation on her.
Then, two weeks of being bedridden. While living on the ship, I had received Seira's help, and for a moment, it felt like our relationship had returned to something closer to how it used to be.
But now, shortly after returning to Korea, things had ended up like this. Even without a situation like this, I wouldn't have known what to say to her if we were alone, and now it had become even harder to bring anything up.
I racked my brain as much as I could until I realized quite a bit of time had passed. Thinking it might be okay to head back in now, I stretched to shake off some fatigue and steel my resolve.
And that brings us to now.
They hadn't physically fought, but the atmosphere felt even worse than before I left.
As the leader of her team, Yubin had a personality that didn't easily back down in a battle of nerves. She never directed that side of herself at me, but during conversations, she would occasionally reveal a side of her character she usually kept hidden.
I had felt that even more clearly this time when we were all together with the other members.
Seira, likewise, was not the type to lose to anyone. While no one wants to lose, Seira had been exceptional in that regard since she was a child. I could confidently say I knew the evolution of her personality better than anyone.
Sitting between these two women, neither of whom had any intention of giving an inch, I felt like frost was forming on my spine from the chilling atmosphere.
"Did you have a good talk?"
"More or less."
In response to my strained question, Yubin gave a short answer that suggested she didn't want to talk at length. Seira didn't answer at all.
While I had a clear idea of how to talk to Yubin about this, I had no clue what to say to Seira. My eyes naturally drifted toward her, and I ended up making eye contact as she turned her head.
"What?"
"No, I was just wondering... what brought you here today?"
It was one of the things I was most curious about. Since coming to Seoul ten years ago, Seira and I had almost never spent time together privately.
In fact, it was safe to say we hadn't at all. I thought there might have been a time when it was just the two of us, but I couldn't remember it, so I just told myself it was "almost never."
I couldn't even remember the last time we were alone, so why had she suddenly come looking for me?
"I tried to contact you to talk about Luche, but you didn't pick up, so I came here."
Because I had been so flustered, I hadn't been able to talk properly with Seira after finding out that Luche’s true identity was A.T.
"Should we talk later? I'll contact you next time. Or I'll go to headquarters."
"Let's talk later, then."
I couldn't discuss internal Spacetro matters with Yubin right there. I could have to some extent, but with Seira present, I had to be careful with every single word.
"What are you going to do?"
"Ah..."
That short question carried a mountain of meaning. It was almost strange how I understood her intent instantly. Yubin also seemed to realize I was in a tight spot; she didn't look at Seira, but she was clearly focused on her.
"Are you going to report this?"
"Depends on how you behave."
Her nuance suggested I should start by telling her everything she needed to know, but unfortunately, I had nothing to tell her other than the fact that I was dating all of Hunter Killer. There was no other "information" to give.
If there was one thing I could say...
"Luche knows too."
"What? She knew and didn't say anything all this time?"
"Yeah. I don't know why she didn't, but..."
Seira started to say something, then stopped and stared into space. It was an expression she often made when she was fitting pieces of a puzzle together in her head. Soon, as if the puzzle was complete, she sighed and pressed a hand to her forehead.
"That idiot."
She had likely realized something on her own while thinking about Luche.
"So Luche knows. What's your plan going forward?"
It was a bit embarrassing to say to Seira, but I felt that if I could just overcome the immediate embarrassment, I could convey a lot of meaning. I made up my mind.
"I'm going to look for information regarding Superhumans with my girlfriends' help. My ultimate goal is for them to be happy."
Yubin, who had been staring into space while listening intently, shifted her gaze to me. Seeing her face slightly flushed as she turned toward me, a smile naturally formed on my lips, and we took each other's hands.
"Are you in your right mind?"
Seira frowned as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. It was a natural reaction, and I had fully expected her to respond this way.
"It's not like it's unheard of to enter a relationship with the opposition on an invaded planet."
Spacetro had invaded many planets, and in the process, countless couples and even married pairs had been born. This had been happening since the very beginning of our expansion and continued to this day.
For example, Kirk from Team 1 had married an ordinary Earth woman, though she wasn't a Superhuman, and they even had a daughter. There were many others who had already started families on Earth.
It was just that there was no precedent for someone becoming lovers or spouses with a Superhuman who was an active combatant.
"Fine. It's not unheard of. But becoming lovers with an entire team is unprecedented."
She was right about that, too. As I said, it wasn't rare for a Spacetro member to form a relationship with a local.
But there was no case of someone dating an entire opposing team. I had never seen such a thing either, which was why I had been so worried about seeing the whole team at once.
I had no intention of letting go of my girlfriends' hands now, but if I told anyone else, they would surely shake their heads at the absurdity of the situation.
"Dating an entire team might be unprecedented, but a harem isn't. There's no problem with that."
Yubin, sitting next to me, might not have understood, but based on universal standards, this was a valid point. As proof, Seira didn't have much to say about the concept of a harem itself.
"Then let's say the invasion ends. What then?"
Seira was talking about the distant future. But I hadn't really thought about the distant future. Whether I would stay on Earth or go into space with my girlfriends—it was impossible to know.
Maybe we would break up before then, or maybe I would still be carrying out invasion activities long after my girlfriends had passed away at the end of their natural lifespans.
Since I didn't know what would happen when, I didn't want to indulge in vain delusions or get ahead of myself.
So I hadn't thought about the far future, but Yubin was also staring at me, seemingly curious about the answer to that question.
"I don't know yet."
In the end, the honest answer was the best. I didn't know what would happen. Therefore, I didn't know yet.
I felt this answer suited my personality better than spinning some uncertain hope born of delusion. And it was the truth—I really didn't know.
"Fine. I get it."
It wasn't a definitive answer, but it seemed to be enough for Seira. I couldn't tell exactly what Yubin was thinking, but I got the feeling she understood my response.
No matter how you sliced it, the surface relationship between Yubin and me was Superhuman and Spacetro. Enemies.
It was only natural not to know what would happen or what should be done.
"Should we wrap it up for today? The house is a mess, too."
"What about sleep?"
"I'll have to figure that out. Maybe go to Yubin's place."
"...Do whatever you want."
Looking at the wrecked interior of the house, I decided to end the conversation there for today. With Yubin and Seira together, I couldn't say the things I needed to say.
Since I’d agreed to talk to Seira privately later, she didn't object to finishing up.
Yubin showed no sign of objection either. If anything, she probably wanted to get away from Seira as quickly as possible. If Seira hadn't come, we would have been spending time alone right now.
"I'm sorry."
As I stood up to get ready to head out, I heard Seira's voice softly from behind me.
"Huh?"
I turned to look at her and saw her standing with her head bowed.
"For making your house like this. I'm sorry. I'll make sure to compensate you later."
"It's fine. Between you and me, what's there to compensate?"
It was true that there was damage, but was it because we had known each other for so long? I had no desire to take compensation from Seira. It felt easier to just think of it as a flustered mishap.
After answering her, I left her standing there and began tidying up what I could.
I cleared the immediate mess and decided to leave the big stuff for a professional service. Since I was planning to move anyway, paying the landlord for repairs would be enough to settle it.
There were things I couldn't take with me when I moved, so I figured it would be better to just buy new things for the new place. Come to think of it, I hadn't mentioned that I wanted to move into Su-ah's place.
"Well, I'm off."
After tidying the house, I stepped outside. Seira still couldn't look me in the eye, seemingly still feeling guilty about damaging the house.
"Yeah. I'll contact you later."
After a brief goodbye, I watched Seira's retreating back. Beside me, Yubin was shooting glares at Seira until the very end.
"I wanted us to be alone... but we ended up using a lot of time."
"It's okay. It's partly my fault too. I'm the one who's sorry."
Only then did Yubin's face brighten as she uncrossed her arms. Seeing her in a much better mood made me smile, and as we looked at each other, we shared a light kiss.
"What are you going to do today? Are we really going to my place? Or a motel?"
"A motel might be a bit difficult, but there is one place that comes to mind."
Since the house was a wreck, a motel wasn't ideal for a long-term stay.
"Then let's go there."
Did she mean she'd go anywhere as long as I decided? Without even hearing where it was, Yubin made the decision to go. So, we decided to head to the first place that had come to mind.
Leaving the apartment with her back to Red, who was standing side-by-side with A, Seira took the subway home in a daze.
Her mind was a total blank the entire way back. Seira herself didn't want to think about anything, and just as she wished, no thoughts came to her.
When she entered her home, the lights came on automatically. She trudged into her bedroom.
Once the door closed, Seira leaned against it and slowly slid down to the floor.
The moment she saw Red in A's house. The moment she heard that A and Red were lovers. Questions had kept bubbling up, and she’d wanted to ask so much, but the final question that had formed suppressed all previous curiosities.
'Between you and me...'
The words A had said when she offered compensation—between you and me—wouldn't leave her head. Thinking of the time they had spent together, she buried her face in her pulled-up knees.
"What exactly is 'between you and me'?"
She threw the question into the empty air, and since there was no one to hear it, there was no answer.
Even though no one answered, Seira kept asking, and with every question, her grip on her knees tightened.