Judgment. Rest. And Aftermath (2)
Especially Sora... Sora, the only one besides Kim Seyeon I'd shared intimacy with... if she found out what we'd snuck out and done...!
Cold sweat genuinely ran down my back.
How was I supposed to explain this to the kids?
No, seriously—there was an actual kid (Seo Minji) here. How the hell was I supposed to explain any of this? As if I didn't already have a mountain of things to justify and scheme my way through.
Starting with my speech patterns... starting with my speech patterns... my speech patterns... the only thing looping in my head was how to explain the sudden change in the way I talked. Damn it!
"What are you fretting over so much, Jeong Hoon?"
"Hm? Seyeon, you're... not worried?"
"Worried? About what?"
"Well..."
Unlike me, Kim Seyeon looked perfectly composed. So I laid out my concern—that Han Sora might scold us over our secret rendezvous, or worse, throw a full-blown fit—and she just snorted a quiet laugh and shook her head.
"Sora? Hardly. I already sorted all of this out with her ages ago. Now, if it had been Yun Mina who'd spent that steamy night—well, dawn—with you instead of me, that might be a different story. But Sora isn't that petty. Ah, of course... whether she's tight down there or not, I wouldn't really know. Hehehe..."
Even the positive side of that remark was already scrambling my brain. And she'd tossed out a light sex joke like it was nothing! Granted, Sora's insides did grip in a completely different way from Seyeon's, and it felt incredible, but—
Thank god I didn't say that out loud. This was not the moment for dirty thoughts! I'd already gone at it hard enough last night to shrivel my lower half. Self-control. Please.
Ah—maybe what Kim Seyeon meant was that since Sora hadn't said much even after the last time we'd gone at it thoroughly, she wouldn't say much this time either?
...Right! Then it should be fine!
"O-Oppa! Why are the two of you having another secret rendezvous all by yourselves?! And from dawn, no less! And your first lover—me! Me again! Left out! Starting with Seyeon unnie! It's too much!"
She said something after all!
The moment we stepped into the officers' dining hall, instead of a greeting I took a full-body tackle from Han Sora.
No, seriously—she charged me, clung on, teared up, and squawked at the top of her lungs. In some ways it was as cute as watching a chick, but... at the same time, it was terrifying.
Because... her eyes... Sora's pure(?) eyes were blazing! Everything else about her behavior was so trifling it was ridiculously adorable, but still—scary!
Somehow those eyes and that body language seemed to scream the emotion jammed up in her throat: Why Kim Seyeon unnie and not me?!
"W-Why not me... only with Seyeon unnie... khhk...!"
Sh-she just said it outright!? I really stepped on a landmine today, didn't I!? What is going on here, Teacher Kim Seyeon! This is nothing like what you said earlier!
Caught completely off guard, I shot Kim Seyeon a look of pure protest. Fortunately she caught it, and as my accomplice she rested a hand on Han Sora's shoulder.
Then she leaned in close to Sora's ear and spoke in a whisper.
"Sora, just a moment..."
And she started whispering. My hearing had improved, so I thought about eavesdropping for a second... then stopped. Something strongly warned me I really shouldn't listen.
Instead, I turned my gaze elsewhere.
This officers' dining hall had originally been a luxurious restaurant the National Assembly Speaker used when entertaining outside guests. The interior design was similar to a Korean restaurant, but the tables and tableware were thoroughly Western—and top-tier at that.
Above all, the food itself was a far cry from Korean fare. A perfect Western breakfast. Scrambled eggs, bacon, a few vegetables, and... depending on preference, rice, kimchi, and seaweed had also been laid out.
Who made it? The butler? No. Former chefs and nutritionists among our residents had stepped up on their own to manage the menus. Among them was someone who'd run a hotel restaurant, and he'd volunteered to take charge of the officers' dining hall.
Which was how we got a breakfast this lavish and excellent. It was nice, but... how on earth had they gotten fresh eggs and meat?
And where had the vegetables come from? Electricity had only just come back, hadn't it?? Was this one of those things where thinking about it meant you lost? No—more importantly, was this even safe to eat?
"...Understood, Sora? That is the only path that serves not just you alone, but all of us. I've already told Jeong Hoon as well, so make sure you take it to heart. Jeong Hoon is no longer a body that belongs to you alone."
"H-Hing... I know. I-I knew from the start! But... s-still, please stop these secret rendezvous from now on! I-If you're going to do it, at least at the lodging..."
"My goodness... our Sora is surprisingly curious about other people's sex lives, isn't she? Were you that interested in how others spend their enjoyable nights? But we can't do that. You know why, don't you? There's a little child at our lodging. My daughter, no less."
"U-Ugh... if it weren't for you, unnie, I'd just... ughhhk...!"
Han Sora wore a face of pure frustration, but in the end she put on an expression of acceptance. That defeated look was a little pitiful, but... what could you do, Sora? This is the kind of man you fell for.
That I could casually invent such a ridiculous excuse... Lawful Good really must have vacated my mind for good (though I'd built a harem even while Lawful Good was still around).
"Hoon oppa, Seyeon unnie! What are you doing not coming already! We're hungry!"
"Mommy! Hurry up!"
"Everyone? Instead of chatting over there... I'd recommend sitting down here and chatting?"
"Coming."
Park Seeun, Seo Minji, and Yun Mina called out to us as we lingered near the entrance.
I moved first. Kim Seyeon followed with pure delight written across her lips, and behind her Han Sora trailed along, grinding her teeth.
"...You handled the persuasion properly, right?"
"Of course, Jeong Hoon."
Well, Kim Seyeon was making bold claims... so I had to trust her.
"Welcome. Jeong Hoon orabeoni, whose way of speaking changed overnight?"
"Good morning. Hoon o... ah, right!"
"Way of speaking?"
And it started the moment we sat down.
The second Yun Mina brought it up, Park Seeun tilted her head, then let out a little gasp of realization, while Minji—who understood nothing—just tilted her head.
Right. Thank god we had a little kid among us who didn't know how the world worked. It gave me an excuse I could get away with explaining lightly right here.
"Remember when I took a hit to the head during the vampire expedition, blacked out for a bit, then came to? Think of it as whatever restriction had been chaining my speech and behavior getting unlocked then. That doesn't mean I'm going to act completely different from usual, so... just treat me the same as always."
"W-Whoa..."
"It's a little... no, quite a lot awkward. Hearing that weird way of speaking for the first time was already a huge shock, but... now you're talking so comfortably and smoothly it's a shock in a whole different way. Orabeoni?"
Park Seeun still wore a dazed expression, while Yun Mina smiled playfully. What bothered me more was how little Han Sora said... she seemed far more focused on whatever Kim Seyeon had told her than on my change in speech.
"In that case I... even if it means staying up all night, I have to wring oppa dry... starting today!"
I think Sora just muttered something terrifying to herself... must have been my imagination. Anyway.
At any rate, breakfast began. The menu was mostly set, but each person's plate was filled according to their preferences. True to a high-end restaurant, there was even a variety of sauces. Salt and pepper, mayonnaise, honey mustard, parsley, and so on...
For drinks, everything from water and electrolyte beverages to fruit drinks and soda had been prepared. I'd heard coffee and tea would even be available for dessert.
"Alright, let's drink the grape juice a little at a time. Carefully. Okay, Minji?"
"Yeees... it's sweet."
Of course, there was also a children's breakfast set for the only little kid at the table. Chef, your preparedness is unreal! I'd heard the butler helped out too, but still—what a legend! Couldn't remember his name, though!
And so the officers' own cheerful, abundant breakfast continued. Someone drowned their scrambled eggs in ketchup, and someone else...
"S-Seeun... is that... lemon juice, by any chance?"
"Yes, Seyeon unnie. Lemon juice."
"On scrambled eggs... lemon juice?"
"It's good for nutrients and it's tangy... why? Plenty of people who work out eat it like this."
"No, I've never heard of people who work out eating it like that... l-lemon juice is usually for fish, isn't it? It's not even a common method in Korea, but still, rather than putting it on scrambled eggs...!"
Park Seeun's saucing method briefly left everyone aghast. Ah, why was I only finding this out now? Why do you think—because until now there hadn't been any eggs to eat...! Fresh... egg dishes...!
But seriously, where had they gotten the eggs? Had eggs always had a longer shelf life than common sense suggested? Still, more than a month had passed since the collapse... curiosity meant defeat. These scrambled eggs were good. Nom nom!
"By the way, orabeoni?"
Yun Mina, incongruously wrapping rice in seaweed, spoke up. Han Sora and Kim Seyeon sat on either side of me, and the table seated three to a side. In other words, Yun Mina was naturally addressing me from the seat across.
"What are you going to do about him?"
"Him?"
"That bas—no, Han Daegeon. Han Daegeon. And his girlfriend too."
For a second Yun Mina almost spat something crude, then caught sight of someone and corrected herself. She'd seen Seo Minji. Even so, tossing rough language in front of a little kid was definitely a bit much.
"That bas—that guy? What about him?"
Park Seeun also nearly let a full curse fly on instinct, then awkwardly corrected herself. I had no idea how we'd managed to gather only good people who knew how to be considerate of others at this table. Everyone was scrambling to fix their language the moment they looked at the kid.
...Honestly, without Lawful Good I probably would have been tossing out curses without a second thought myself, so I was always careful about it too.
"We can't just stick him on the gallows as-is, Seeun. We have to go through at least a minimal trial."
"Huh? Mina unnie. Can't we just ki—put him on the gallows without a problem? He's the kind of guy who did that dogsh—that kind of awful stuff."
Just as I was about to patiently explain for the bewildered Park Seeun... Kim Seyeon stepped in.
"Seeun. We can't do that. We've become the people who govern a kind of nation, with Seoul as its capital. That means we have to confirm the charges through proper trial procedures, weigh the severity of the crime, and hand down a fitting punishment. Of course, the judge will be Jeong Hoon."
"Ah... do we really have to go through that kind of annoying crap? For a bad bas—guy like that, I feel like nobody would complain if we just executed him..."
"My goodness, don't say something so obvious. We didn't come out of some barbaric civilization, did we? We must not forget that we were born into a modern civilization where a system called society clearly functions. The same goes for everyone else. Those who commit crimes receive judgment from the judiciary and then punishment—that is a kind of social contract we all share. Maintaining that is one of the best ways to grant legitimacy to our right to own and rule this territory. What do you think would happen if we arbitrarily decided someone was guilty and ki—punished them however we pleased? How many people do you think would voluntarily stay by our side?"
"Seyeon... Teacher Kim Seyeon is right, Seeun."
I took the baton naturally and continued. Ahem—this was the first time I'd spoken at length after discarding the Lawful Good speech patterns.
"Regardless of whether the crime is light or heavy, judging it through a trial whose procedures are properly carried out—even to an outsider's eye... and properly establishing that precedent is how we can rule Seoul without major problems. From ancient times, a lord's representative duties have been military affairs, trials, and diplomacy. One way to prove I can do that job well is nothing more fitting than actually demonstrating a case in front of the residents."
"Ah, i-is that... so?"
Seeun nodded at my words with a rather awkward face. That expression wasn't so much that my words were difficult as it was that my way of speaking still felt strange to her. That much was clear.
I know. It's awkward for me too... damn...
"Th-then...! Then, um... a-are we dividing up the roles among ourselves? L-like... defendant, plaintiff, prosecutor, defense attorney, jury... the kind of things they do in a courtroom..."
Han Sora, who'd been quiet on her own, finally opened her mouth. Oh ho—I'd figured she had no major interests outside of games, but she knew more than expected. Good on you, Sora.
I thought about explaining, but at a moment like this, former teacher Kim Seyeon was the right person for the job.
"That's a good point, Sora. Of course Jeong Hoon will take the role of judge. And I'll be the prosecutor. The jury can be drawn at random from among the residents. Ah, and you may not have known this, but... surprisingly, Seeun, you hold something like the role of police chief for our territory."
"...Huh? I did?"
Park Seeun looked like this was the first she'd heard of it. Time for some supplementary explanation. From me.
"Have you already forgotten, Seeun? You received the post of Military Minister as one of our territory's aides. That's why you got the stat buffs to Strength and Agility."
"Ah, aaaah...! I forgot! But wasn't that just a combat post? You're saying it was like police chief? Ugh, my head suddenly hurts."
"You don't need to worry too much, Seeun. Jeong Hoon and I will advise you from the side, so for the time being just listen to us and act accordingly. For the time being."
"For the time being? So later on I have to think with my own head and judge and act on my own!?"
"My goodness, you're an adult too—what's with the sudden fuss... isn't it about time you started thinking and moving for yourself?"
"Ugh, I haven't even been an adult that long... I haven't even been drinking for a full year. Mumble mumble..."
Groaning, Park Seeun went back to chewing her lemon-juice-drenched scrambled eggs. Wow, she was actually eating that. Couldn't she taste the sourness on her tongue? She'd poured on a ton.
"However, that leaves us with one serious problem. We'll need someone to play the role of that man's... Han Daegeon's 'defense attorney.'"
Ah. That... I'd completely, naturally forgotten about it in my head.
A "defense attorney." In modern society, even a suspect who'd committed the most heinous crimes clearly had the right to legal counsel.
But in our current situation... the question of who would voluntarily step up to defend that bastard slammed into my skull.
A good portion of the residents here held a grudge against him. The kind of grudge where, if I hadn't stopped them, they would have beaten him to death on the spot. Well—he was the one who'd sold most of the survivors to that vampire bastard. He'd even gotten a lot of people sacrificed and shamelessly survived alone (plus his girlfriend).
Among our residents, who would dare volunteer to defend that guy? Setting aside the abuse they'd take as his attorney... there didn't seem to be a single person with even a fingernail's worth of willingness. In the end, that bastard would have no choice but to defend himself (a pathetic excuse dressed up as self-representation)—
"Don't worry about that, unnie."
Hm? At that voice, my auditory nerves snapped to attention on their own. I shifted my gaze to the source of the sound... and there was Yun Mina, looking at me with a triumphant expression.
"I'll take Han Daegeon's defense."
"Huh?"
Freed from Lawful Good's interference, I made a dumb sound, and every gaze at the table—everyone who'd been enjoying their food—swiveled toward Yun Mina.
"W-What...? M-Mina... are you serious?"
Even Kim Seyeon wore a look of dismay.
Anyone hearing such an abrupt, hard-to-believe offer of volunteering would have reacted the same way.
"I'm serious, unnie. And since I've volunteered... I intend to do my utmost in the defendant's defense, you know? I'd be grateful if you'd do your utmost to meticulously point out the defendant's wrongdoings as well, Prosecutor Kim. Se. Yeon. Unnie?"
Smiling brightly, and at the same time showing not even a speck of playfulness in her eyes, Yun Mina left our entire party around the table unable to mount a single counterargument.
Even Han Sora, who was always butting heads with Yun Mina...
"Hehehe... a-anyway, tonight... I'm going to have a s-steamy all-nighter with oppa...!"
She'd been lost in fantasy and hadn't heard a single word. Fine...
And so, the roles our officers would take in the trial were decided.
Kim Seyeon pulled her briefly blanked-out mind back into place, then gave us a heads-up in the calmest tone she could manage about the trial date and when it would begin. But the way her hand trembled holding a glass of cool water made it plain how she felt, unable to guess at Yun Mina's intentions.
"Mina... let me ask one more time. Han Daegeon's defense—are you truly going to take it on?"
"Yes. Really."
"...Understood."
Faced with Yun Mina's serious yet composed demeanor, neither I nor Kim Seyeon raised any further objections. No—that unreadable expression of hers... it drained the will to even speak.
And...
"Yes, the negligee lingerie I stocked up on—finally a chance to use it...!"
I was extremely curious what that negligee lingerie looked like, but...!
Don't, Sora. Tonight, night activities are strictly closed for business.
Two days in a row is too much, seriously! At this rate my lower back is going to give out!