Chapter 142
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 142
Chapter Title: The Mayor's Little Sister
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Dinnertime had arrived.
A lavish feast fit for a king, with the table practically groaning under the weight.
Steam rising from the fresh vegetable hotpot, glossy braised short ribs glistening invitingly, a colorful array of nine-section dishes.
It was like they were declaring, 'This is what a holiday spread looks like!'—the food lined up as if ready to snap the table legs.
But for some reason...
The glossy short ribs looked like lava from hell, and the vibrant japchae felt like a coiled serpent.
I couldn't tell if the food was going in through my nose or my mouth.
And the culprit behind it all? Sitting right across from me.
My secretary, eating with perfect posture, not a single flaw in her composure.
Seria Park.
Every time she moved her chopsticks, my eyes flicked over involuntarily.
Graceful as jade fingers.
That neat, elegant handiwork.
Those same fingers had probably dismantled, reassembled, and discarded the lives of my blood relatives.
'We're accomplices, right?'
Her voice echoed in my ears like an auditory hallucination.
Accomplices? Hell, I wasn't even an accessory.
I was just a random passerby number one.
And on top of that, I wasn't even the original Lee Garam.
This was unfair. Double unfair.
"Mr. Mayor, you can't be picky."
A thick slab of pollock pancake landed on my rice bowl.
I was too stunned to speak.
That flawless facade. That spine-chilling dual personality.
But no one knew her true face.
Grandpa smiled contentedly, and Grandma had that 'Our Garam's lucky' look.
My eldest brother, Lee Gain, had already cleared three plates and was charging toward his fourth helping of short ribs.
And me?
I just smiled. Haha.
Awkwardly chuckling as I shoved the pollock pancake into my mouth.
No taste. Just chewing a lump of fiber.
One silver lining, though: hardly any guilt.
My brother over there with sauce smeared on his face, or my cousins supposedly recuperating overseas.
They were strangers to me anyway.
What would the original Lee Garam have thought?
The family disgrace, the wastrel, the incompetent.
Constantly compared to his brother, ignored by his little sister, treated like an enemy.
He might've even felt vindicated.
'Serves you right, you bastards!'
Thinking that way eased my mind a bit.
In that sense, maybe I wasn't so different from the original Lee Garam.
Once I'd rationalized it, I felt much calmer.
The food even started tasting like something.
I casually reached for a pickled perilla leaf with my chopsticks, pretending to be relaxed.
But two salty, seasoned leaves were stuck together, refusing to separate.
As I struggled to pry them apart...
Smooth.
Seria's chopsticks glided over my bowl.
She lightly pressed one leaf, and the other peeled off effortlessly.
"Let me help you."
She smiled kindly.
Grandma and Grandpa beamed at us warmly.
"Tch. Look at Garam fumbling with his chopsticks. How old is he to still eat like that?"
"Aigoo, our Garam's chopstick grip hasn't changed since he was little. Still holding them in an X."
I like it this way, though.
Isn't this the standard Korean grip? Doesn't everyone eat like this?
Meanwhile, Seria's chopsticks maintained a perfect parallel like a ruler, elegantly shuttling between plate and mouth.
The textbook chopsticks. The gold standard.
"If everything's perfect, it makes you unapproachable, doesn't it? These little flaws are your charm points, Mr. Mayor."
"She sees you in such a good light. Keep supporting Garam by his side from now on."
Seria bowed her head slightly at Grandma's words.
"Don't worry. Supporting Mr. Mayor in everything is my job."
Seria replied with that angelic smile again.
Scary.
Truly terrifying.
Support me in everything? Starting from my chopsticks and going all the way to ruining my life?
No thanks. Hard pass.
It was around then that the hellish dinner was winding down.
A sleek black sedan pulled up in front of the mansion's entrance.
Its headlights sliced through the darkness, illuminating the windows of the annex.
A late visitor.
The driver's door opened, and a woman in a black uniform coat stepped out.
Long, jet-black straight hair. A jawline sharp as a blade.
Lee Ga-eun.
My little sister.
"Oh, Ga-eun!"
I shot up from my seat and rushed to the entrance.
Excitement surging.
Not for my little sister, of course—just an otaku's inner thrill at meeting a memorable character from the original story in the flesh.
She was a villain, but a cool one.
"You're late! It's Chuseok—how could you come so late? Work kept you busy, huh?"
I approached her, acting the part of the affectionate, doting big brother to the fullest.
The picture of a perfectly normal brother welcoming his long-lost sister.
Not awkward at all. Perfect execution.
Nyaang nyaang.
Plus Nero's support, zeroing out women's wariness!!
Click.
A cold metallic sound, followed by a chill on both my wrists.
"...Huh?"
Looking down, I saw gray handcuffs clamped tightly around my wrists.
Nyaack-!
Nero, bounding up beside me, got a tiny shackle on too.
Wait, what? What's going on?
Is this how family reunions go during holidays?
"Don't act familiar."
Her red eyes glared at me with contempt.
I swallowed hard.
Lee Ga-eun.
An S-rank ability user, one of Neo Incheon's city hall power duo alongside Kang Jiyeong.
Warden of K-Impeldown, the super-villain prison on Ganghwa Island.
Lord ruling the mysterious isle of Ganghwa.
But her true nature? A control freak sadist.
"Grr, argh! My strength's draining... because of the cuffs..."
The moment the cuffs locked on, my energy started draining away. Her superpower.
Nerorong-
But Nero casually liquefied her body like it was nothing.
The cuffs slipped harmlessly through and clattered to the floor.
She shook herself off once and calmly groomed her front paw like nothing happened.
"...?"
Lee Ga-eun's eyebrow twitched.
Her gaze locked onto Nero.
"What is that?"
"My cat. Why?"
"A cat? Ridiculous. No cat could escape my restraints."
"Nero's special."
An unexpected variable.
Her voice sharpened with wariness.
Ga-eun scanned Nero and me briefly.
"Lee Garam is trash."
Flat declaration. Straight ball.
A 150 km/h fastball right down the middle, no fancy spin.
"Incompetent, pathetic, excuse-spewing disgrace to the family. A pitiful human."
"..."
Couldn't argue.
"And now trash like you suddenly plays hero? Gains public support? Saves Neo Incheon?"
'I wonder why my approval ratings keep climbing too.'
She stepped closer.
A chilling pressure bore down on me.
"Don't make me laugh. You're definitely pulling some scam."
Why is she so prickly? Puberty?
No, she's a full adult.
"Ga-eun, it's a misunderstanding. I just... got lucky."
"Lucky?"
She scoffed.
"No way someone like you gets lucky."
I had to dispel her suspicions.
Somehow.
"Ga-eun, we played together as kids, remember?"
I racked my brain desperately.
Time to borrow Grandpa's memory recall skill.
"You were five... We played dolls together!"
"I've never played dolls."
Lee Ga-eun cut me off.
"We played dissection."
"..."
"Oh, right! Dissection! Haha! I forgot for a sec—I've been so out of it lately! Haha."
I laughed, cold sweat beading.
The cuffs dug into my skin, tightening. It hurt.
"You should be drunk at a casino or chasing skirts by now. That's normal for you."
'Wait, that's normal?'
Her gaze shifted past me to Seria, who had approached silently.
She saw me as history's worst playboy.
What the hell was Lee Garam's life?
"Holding back because of Grandpa and Grandma."
Click.
The cuffs released.
Red marks ringed my wrists vividly.
"Ga-eun."
"Scram."
She shoved me aside and strode into the mansion.
I rubbed my swollen wrists, staring blankly at her retreating back.
Nyaong.
Nero came over and licked my wrist.
Warm, raspy tongue.
"You and your sister get along so well, Mr. Mayor."
Seria sidled up, her tone dripping sarcasm.
An irritating smile played on her lips.
"Isn't that how siblings are? Haha."
'Can I survive this holiday unscathed...?'
I sighed.
*
After dinner, we gathered in the living room.
Awkward. Suffocating. Why does this damn Chuseok have to drag on so long?
I sat on a premium silk cushion, fiddling idly with a dried persimmon.
Grandpa dominated the space with heavy silence, while Grandma peeled fruit for him.
"Nyaang! Kitty! Fluff ball!"
Myaau-
My brother Lee Gain was rolling around on the sofa with Nero, laughing uproariously.
That pure soul. Enviable.
And Seria?
Sitting demurely beside me, sipping tea—so naturally she looked like the lady of the house.
Finally, the source of this tense atmosphere.
My little sister, Lee Ga-eun.
Arms crossed, glaring daggers at me.
Not joining any conversation, not touching any food.
Just a Lee Garam surveillance tower.
"Oh, look at that."
Everyone's eyes turned to the TV on the wall at Grandma's words.
This Year's Heroes Who Saved Neo Incheon! And... The Sleeping Dragon, Lee Garam!
Oh god.
Change the channel. Kill it somehow.
But my body was frozen stiff.
With epic BGM swelling, my face filled the screen in close-up.
Heavy photoshop filters making me look disgustingly handsome, even to myself.
Exclusive Footage: The Mayor Becomes a Hostage to Save Citizens! Heart-wrenching Scene!
On-screen me shouted with a grim expression.
[Screen Garam: Take me hostage! Release the citizens instead!]
No. I just wanted a long vacation.
"Heh. That kid's got showmanship in his blood."
Grandpa muttered, but his lips curved in satisfaction.
"Oh dear, our Garam must've suffered so much then. I hope he at least ate properly."
Grandma dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief.
"Wow! Hyung! It's Garam hyung! You're so cool, hyung! The best!"
Lee Gain jumped up, clapping at the screen.
That innocent cheer. Thanks, but poison right now.
I wanted to burrow into the cushion.
Then—
"Tch."
A contemptuous sound from beside me.
Lee Ga-eun.
She glared at the screen like it disgusted her.
"Staged for sure. Pathetic."
Her quiet mutter reached me clearly.
I couldn't send her back to Ganghwa Island with those suspicions festering.
If she returned to the prison full of doubts?
She'd pull something drastic.
One day, drag me there for interrogation.
I didn't even want to imagine her methods.
Anyway, everyone heads back to their posts in a few days.
I had to clear her doubts before then.
One way.
Back to the original Lee Garam.
In other words, revert to trash wastrel alcoholic playboy.
The Chuseok Special: The Return of Trash—curtain up.