Chapter 141
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 141
Chapter Title: The Mayor and Chuseok
-----------------------------------------------------------------
What is Chuseok to a Korean?
The biggest national holiday that paints the calendar red.
The symbol of abundance. The beauty of sharing. A chance for overseas travel.
A warm and beautiful time when scattered family gathers in one place, checking on each other's well-being and honoring the ancestors' grace.
But to me—to me, who has become Lee Garam—what is Chuseok?
A trial ground. The pinnacle of discomfort. A survival game where my identity might be exposed at any moment.
To me, family is like a minefield.
Unknown where it's safe to step and where it will explode.
A place where every single step demands full alertness.
But...
The atmosphere is better than expected.
No, not just better. It's harmonious. Heartwarming.
"Oh my, our Nero. Look at you eat so well."
It's thanks to that tri-colored furball, Nero.
The guy who's monopolized Grandma's lap is devouring a whole box of gold-dusted songpyeon rice cakes, completely captivating her.
That sly tail-wagging charm offensive.
Thank you, Nero.
Your capitalist cuteness saved me today.
I salute your dedication.
"With such a huge disaster hitting the house... It's a relief that at least you're unscathed."
Grandpa spoke in a heavy voice.
Disaster.
"Gain... what a shame."
The genius eldest son of the family.
Grandpa called that incident a "disaster."
"Ga-eun grew up too cold."
A ruthless, emotionless psychopath.
"The Lee family has devoted itself to the nation for generations. Everyone fulfilled their duties to the best of their abilities. But you..."
Here it comes.
Lecture time.
All the Lee family members are powerful superhumans.
Except me.
I'm powerless. The sole mutant in a great lineage. The family's disgrace.
"I thought you'd live your whole life as a spoiled brat."
A faint smile crept onto Grandpa's lips.
Huh?
"It's good you've finally come to your senses. Blood will tell, after all."
Pardon?
Come to my senses?
I'm plotting my escape every single day!
"If you lack power, use your head. I've heard all about what you've done."
"Y-You're too kind."
"No. What you've accomplished deserves praise."
Grandpa shook his head firmly.
"Your methods may be peculiar and unpredictable, but results prove everything. No ordinary mind could pull that off."
No, Grandpa. It was all coincidence.
Just good luck.
I just wanted to get impeached!
I barely swallowed the words rising in my throat.
"You must have been five. You spent all day splashing in the mud in the courtyard, trying to catch an arm-thick bullfrog. Finally, as the sun set, you brought it back and proudly declared, 'I am the Frog King!'"
"......"
Frog?
Pond?
Me at five?
No way I'd remember. I wasn't even there.
Sweat trickled down my back.
I could only nod awkwardly with a laugh.
"Y-Yeah. That's right. Haha."
I desperately pretended to rack my brains and brushed it off vaguely.
"I was little, so I don't remember well... Kid stuff, you know. Hahaha."
"You don't remember? You begged your grandma to grill the frog's hind legs and got a proper scolding. The whole house was in an uproar."
But Grandpa's memory train showed no signs of stopping.
"Do you remember following your brother around with a wooden sword for sword training, tripping over your own feet, and bawling your eyes out?"
"O-Of course! Ahaha! Back then, even I thought I was pathetic!"
The stories were getting more specific.
This might lead to questions I have to answer.
"Burying Ga-eun's doll in the dirt secretly and spending a whole month avoiding her after getting caught?"
"Absolutely! I remember it vividly! That kid was so scary!"
No good. This is getting too dangerous.
My cover might blow.
I need to change the subject. End this perilous memory game somehow.
"Ah! Anyway! Grandpa, Grandma! I have someone to introduce!"
I shot to my feet and shouted.
"My secretary, Seria Park! Come over here and say hello!"
A cowardly tactic, shoving Seria out as a human shield.
"A-As you can see from the name, she's overseas Korean! She had nowhere to go for Chuseok, so I pitied her and brought her along! Right! The compassionate mayor, Lee Garam!"
The gaze flying toward my side felt like a blade.
'Me?'
'Pitied?'
'Nowhere to go?'
Her turquoise eyes pierced through me.
I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them, desperately attempting eye contact.
Please! Play along! Do you want to see me die?!
A moment of silence.
And then.
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Seria Park, the mayor's secretary. The mayor worried about me spending the holiday alone and graciously invited me to this precious gathering."
Seria bowed deeply.
Flawless posture. Precise movements. Elegant etiquette.
"I've heard a lot about you."
Grandpa nodded as he looked at her.
"They say you've had a hard time because of our Garam. Thanks to you, our grandson is finally acting like a proper person."
"You're too kind, Assemblyman."
Seria raised her head.
And.
Smiled.
"......!"
I doubted my eyes.
A smile?
Seria smiling?
That gentle, humble, kind smile?
"The mayor has always been exceptional."
Lies!
"I've merely added a small pebble to the mayor's great journey."
Bald-faced lies!
"All of it is the result of the mayor's foresight and decisiveness."
The world's biggest liar!
'This isn't the Seria I know!'
The Seria I knew had only two kinds of smiles.
One: a cold sneer of contempt toward me.
Two: a wicked grin mocking me.
But what was that warm spring breeze, magnolia-elegant smile?!
Who are you?! What did you do to my secretary?!
Where's that vicious secretary who called me "stupid mayor," and why is this polite, sweet girl sitting here?
"My goodness, you speak so beautifully. Thank you so much. Please take care of our lacking Garam from now on."
Grandma took Seria's hand affectionately.
"On the contrary, I'm learning so much from the mayor. He's finer than anyone I've ever met."
Hahaha. Hohoho.
Grandma and Seria's laughter filled the sarangchae.
Grandpa nodded with a pleased expression.
I gaped blankly at the scene.
'Scary.'
That pretense. That perfect acting.
Truly terrifying.
This woman is a monster.
But thanks to her, I survived.
Brought her for a good reason.
"I know you're busy, but it's so nice to see your face. Drop by occasionally from now on."
Grandma pressed a bankbook into my hand.
"Pocket money. Don't starve out there—buy yourself something tasty."
I absentmindedly opened the bankbook.
And doubted my eyes.
0.
00.
000.
So many zeros I forgot how to count for a second.
A chaebol grandma's pocket money scale defies imagination.
"The mansion used to be much livelier. But in recent years, relatives have met with accidents, fallen ill, or fled overseas, so this Chuseok is quiet."
Grandpa said bitterly.
Accidents? Illness? Fled?
"Now, go unpack and rest. Say hi to your brother too."
My steps leaving the sarangchae felt as light as cotton fluff.
Relief.
The sweet liberation of having passed the biggest hurdle.
Like a student after finals.
Thanks to Seria and Nero's combo play, I cleared the greatest crisis.
The assigned room was surprisingly modest.
No ornate mother-of-pearl furniture or expensive screens.
Unlike the vast mansion, it was just an ordinary student's room.
A faded hero poster on the desk, worn comic books crammed into the bookshelf.
'The corrupt mayor who would one day shake Neo Incheon grew up in a place like this?'
It doesn't fit.
Not at all.
I tossed my bag in the corner and flopped onto the bed.
So fluffy.
Strangely comfortable.
The only space in this massive hanok mansion where I could breathe.
Meow.
Nero jumped onto my stomach and settled in.
I stroked his soft fur and sank into thought.
'Anyway, I survived the day. Gotta endure the rest of the holiday somehow.'
I wanted to nap, but sleep wouldn't come in this unfamiliar space.
"Nero, wanna go for a walk?"
Meow.
He just wagged his tail lazily, as if annoyed.
In the end, I scooped him up and left the room.
I walked the endless corridors, and walked some more.
As Grandpa said, the labyrinthine mansion was quiet.
Then.
"Bro!"
I jumped and turned at the voice from behind.
A massive man, a head taller than me, stood there.
Solid shoulders, a body honed by exercise.
But his face bore the innocent smile of a child.
"Big bro! Garam bro!"
The man charged and enveloped me in a hug.
"Ugh!"
Breath caught in my throat instantly.
This overwhelming physique.
Destructive grip strength!
This isn't a hug—it's a bear hug!
"Bro, I missed you! When did you get here?"
Bro?
Calling me bro?
"Uh, uh. Just now."
"Good timing! Play with me! Yeah? Wanna game? Or blocks?"
He grabbed my arm and whined like a kid.
If not for his size, he'd be the perfect little brother.
Lee Gain.
Lee Garam's older brother. The family's eldest son.
The tragic genius who, four years ago, ended up with the intellect of a five-year-old due to an unexpected superability overload accident.
Faced with this bizarre mismatch, I could only manage an awkward smile.
"Y-Yeah. Later. Gotta unpack first..."
"Now! Play now! Now!"
Lee Gain started throwing a tantrum.
How do I soothe this giant child?
As I sweated in bewilderment—
"......"
Lee Gain's movements stopped abruptly.
His gaze fixed on a single point behind me.
My secretary, Seria Park, who had been silently following me.
"Ugh... Ah... Aah..."
Incomprehensible groans leaked from his mouth.
His whole body trembled like an aspen leaf.
"G-Get away! Stay back! Monster! It's a monster!"
He convulsed and backed away.
Lee Gain wailed and fled without looking back.
It happened in an instant.
Silence filled the corridor.
I stared blankly in the direction he vanished.
What was that reaction?
Seria is scary, sure... but she's stunningly beautiful?
No way it'd provoke that kind of fit.
Wait.
Unexplained superability overload accident.
Infantile regression.
No way.
I slowly turned to look at Seria.
She stood there as always.
Her beautiful face showed no emotion, as usual.
But.
"You really have terrible taste, Mayor."
A low whisper.
"What."
"Oh, pretending not to know now?"
Seria took a step closer.
"Think about it, Mayor. To make an incompetent, worthless you the mayor of Neo Incheon, how many stumbling blocks did I have to remove?"
"......!"
Blood turned ice-cold in my veins.
I covered my mouth with trembling hands.
Seria.
This was all her doing.
To install Lee Garam as a puppet mayor.
She ruthlessly destroyed not only his election rivals but his family and relatives too.
"You're not regretting it now, are you, Mayor?"
Seria whispered in my ear.
Her breath was chillingly cold.
"We're accomplices, aren't we?"
Accomplices.
I'm innocent.
I didn't do anything.
"Haha."
I laughed.
I had no choice but to laugh.
"Seria, you sure know how to joke! What are you talking about? Let's go! Dinner time's almost here!"