Chapter 109
Chapter 109
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: My Sister and the Queen (4)
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After stopping by a nearby specialty ice cream shop.
They each held a cone in hand as they headed back to Oh-jin’s house.
“Is this your place, Mr. Oh-jin?”
Isabella licked her strawberry ice cream, looking around.
The house was a little under 1,000 square feet.
It was an ordinary family home with two rooms, one bathroom, and a reasonably sized living room and kitchen.
“To be exact, it’s my sister’s house. She’s the one who bought it.”
Well, some of his own money was mixed in.
Still, Ha-eun had saved up most of it herself and taken out a loan to buy the place.
“Wait… Ms. Ha-eun bought this house?”
Isabella’s eyes narrowed.
“Don’t tell me you two are living together?”
She had already found out where Oh-jin lived through her investigation.
But she hadn't considered that he might not be living there alone.
“Hmph. Ojini and I have always lived together.”
Ha-eun shrugged as if the question was obvious.
“Since loooooong before Ojini ever met you.”
“……”
“What? You got a problem with that?”
“N-No! Of course not!”
Isabella shook her head, a flustered look on her face.
Her curly platinum-blonde hair swayed like the fur of a frightened poodle.
“It’s not that I have a problem with it, but.”
After a quick glance around the room, she asked in a worried tone.
“Isn’t it a bit inconvenient for two people to live together in such a cramped and uncomfortable house?”
“Ugh!”
This time, Ha-eun’s shoulders flinched.
“Th-This is!”
Her face contorted, Ha-eun was about to say something when she suddenly froze.
The luxury residential-commercial complex Isabella had just brought as a gift.
The image of the apartment’s lavish exterior, which could put a five-star hotel to shame, flashed through her mind.
“……”
Even if it were the same size, that luxury apartment was clearly far more expensive than her current home, and Isabella had bought the entire building from the first floor to the top.
The difference in value was so vast it was ridiculous to even compare.
“Hehe. It is a bit inconvenient, isn’t it?”
“Shut up!”
Ha-eun bit her lip and took a step back.
Come to think of it, this house was also one she had given Oh-jin as a surprise gift.
—This is our home now!
She remembered puffing up with pride in front of a surprised Oh-jin, and her face flushed hot at the memory.
“It’s not inconvenient.”
The answer came from Oh-jin.
“…Mr. Oh-jin?”
“The place we lived in before was much smaller than this. I’ve never once felt uncomfortable living here.”
“……”
Isabella’s expression hardened slightly, while in contrast, a bright smile spread across Ha-eun’s lips.
“Heh heh, you hear that? My Ojini wasn’t uncomfortable at aaaaall.”
She deliberately pressed closer to Oh-jin, her nose held high in triumph.
“Heeey. But he said he wasn’t uncomfortable, not that he was comfortable, right?”
“Ugh.”
“I believe someone as great as you, Mr. Oh-jin, needs a home that befits him.”
A vein popped on Ha-eun’s forehead.
“Great, my foot! This house is more than enough for Ojini!”
“Hmm. For someone who’s been with Mr. Oh-jin for so long, you don’t seem to know him very well.”
“…What do you mean, I don’t know him?”
“Because Mr. Oh-jin is destined to become a world-renowned hero.”
Her voice was filled with conviction.
She turned a fervent gaze on Oh-jin, as if she didn't have a single doubt.
“…World-renowned hero, my ass.”
Ha-eun muttered, avoiding Isabella’s gaze.
Come to think of it, she’d heard something similar from Vega before.
—This child shall become a being greater than any other.
Words that were hard to imagine for the Oh-jin she knew, the one she had lived with.
‘Shut up.’
Why did they all talk as if they knew Oh-jin better than she did?
‘Who could possibly know Ojini better than me?’
She knew.
His true self.
The miserable, desperate memories.
Like a swan gliding gracefully on a lake, she knew how frantically his legs were paddling beneath the surface.
Only she knew.
‘Ojini… is no hero.’
Tightly.
Ha-eun clenched her fists, her expression anxious.
She suppressed the uneasy feeling that the Oh-jin she knew might disappear somewhere far away.
“Well… let’s talk about that later.”
Isabella’s eyes sparkled as she looked around the house.
“Which one is your room, Mr. Oh-jin? I’d like to see it.”
“It’s this one.”
Oh-jin pointed to one of the rooms.
“Would it be alright if I took a look?”
“There’s not much to see, really.”
“Hehe. I’d still like to see it.”
Isabella smiled innocently and opened the door Oh-jin had indicated.
“Wow. So this is Mr. Oh-jin’s room…”
Snap.
Her exclamation was cut short.
Two beds stood on one side of the room.
She rubbed her eyes in disbelief and scanned the room again.
“D-Don’t tell me… you two share a room?”
“Yup. So?”
Ha-eun tilted her head as if it were no big deal.
Isabella turned to Ha-eun with a dumbfounded expression.
“B-But there are two rooms, aren’t there? What about that other room?”
“That one’s a storage room. Well, even though we call it a storage room, it’s mostly empty.”
“…Then why on earth.”
Isabella stared at Ha-eun and Oh-jin with a stunned expression, like a Native American seeing the British army for the first time.
“Why? It’s only natural for Ojini and me to share a room.”
Her expression said it all—what an obvious thing to ask.
She showed not a hint of hesitation about two grown adults, a man and a woman, sharing a room.
“……”
Isabella’s face stiffened.
“I… see.”
Click, click, click.
She began to bite her nails, looking somewhat agitated.
Her gaze, once as gentle and soft as a spring breeze, turned icy cold.
‘Shit.’
Watching from the side, Oh-jin’s eyes widened.
A gut feeling that this was dangerous shot down his spine.
Oh-jin quickly stepped forward and explained.
“My sister’s body is a bit weak. We share a room so I can look after her.”
“Ah.”
A short gasp escaped Isabella’s lips.
Her gaze shifted to Ha-eun’s right leg.
Though Ha-eun stood so naturally that it was unnoticeable to the naked eye, it couldn't fool her.
“Hehe. So that was the reason.”
A warm smile formed on her lips.
Her icy gaze returned to its original warmth.
‘Phew.’
Oh-jin breathed a sigh of relief.
‘Damn, this is nerve-wracking.’
It felt like sitting next to a bomb that could go off at any moment.
The tension pressing down on his shoulders was several times greater than when Vega and Ha-eun had their verbal spars.
“Oh, speaking of which, it’s almost time for dinner.”
After looking around the house for a while, Isabella clapped her hands.
“Would it be alright if I borrowed your kitchen?”
“Yes, but most of the ingredients we have are for Korean food.”
“That’s fine.”
Isabella rummaged through the fridge, took out some ingredients, and skillfully began to cook.
—Sizzzzzle!
She stir-fried pork, then took out gochujang and mixed it in.
She chopped vegetables into bite-sized pieces, sprinkled a little sugar, and seasoned it with soy sauce.
“…Isn’t she Italian?”
Ha-eun, who had been watching Isabella cook, nudged him in the side and asked.
“Yeah.”
“Then how does she know how to make Jeyuk-bokkeum?”
“…I have no idea.”
In fact, she was making it several times more naturally than Ha-eun ever did.
“I practiced the recipe before coming to see you, Mr. Oh-jin.”
“Why go to such lengths…”
“Hehe. I wanted to cook for you myself, just like last time.”
Isabella, wearing a gentle smile, placed the plated Jeyuk-bokkeum on the dining table.
“Please, have a taste.”
“Thank you for the food.”
Oh-jin and Ha-eun sat at the table, picked up their chopsticks, and put a piece of meat in their mouths.
“……!”
“H-Holy crap.”
The smoky aroma and the spicy flavor of the gochujang exploded in their mouths.
A perfect harmony of salty and sweet sauce.
‘No joke, this is like 50,000 times tastier than what my sister makes.’
It wasn’t just that Ha-eun was a bad cook; Isabella’s culinary skills were simply outstanding.
“N-No way.”
Ha-eun trembled, feeling a deep sense of defeat as she held her chopsticks.
“Is it to your liking?”
“Yes. It’s delicious.”
Oh-jin nodded and began to devour the Jeyuk-bokkeum.
“Hehe. I’m so glad.”
Without touching the food herself, Isabella rested her chin on her hand and watched Oh-jin eat.
Her gaze was tender, like someone watching a beloved partner.
“……”
Oh-jin looked at her with a complicated expression.
‘Is this an act or is she being sincere?’
Even though he knew her true identity.
It was hard to tell if the image she was showing him now was a meticulously crafted performance or genuine.
‘If… it’s genuine.’
Did the bizarre obsession she showed him mean it wasn't just the obsession of a predator for its prey?
It made sense.
Thinking about it logically, no matter how ridiculously rich someone was, they wouldn't give a gift worth hundreds of billions to mere prey.
There would also be no reason for her to show such blatant jealousy toward Ha-eun.
‘In that case.’
Oh-jin studied Isabella with narrowed eyes.
If she truly felt favorable toward him.
‘—I can use her.’
The third-ranked Executor of the Black Star Guild.
The blood-starved Leech Queen.
He could manipulate her to his liking.
‘It’ll be difficult right now, but.’
If he could completely win her over to his side.
It would undoubtedly be a tremendous help in dealing with the Black Star Guild in the future.
‘Then I can naturally prevent the catastrophe two years from now.’
In any case.
There were more than enough reasons to maintain a good relationship with her.
“Well then, I should be going.”
After the meal was finished.
Isabella rose from her seat.
“Once the construction on the apartment is finished, please feel free to use it as you wish, Mr. Oh-jin.”
“Thank you.”
He planned to remodel the apartment Isabella had gifted him and use it as a training facility.
“Oh, right, could I ask you for a favor?”
“Please, ask me anything.”
She gave him an entire apartment building; what favor could he possibly refuse?
‘If she asked me to go outside in my underwear and breakdance, I’d do it.’
He was confident he could pull off everything from windmills to air tracks.
“Could you—just call me Isabella?”
“Pardon?”
“Adding ‘Miss’ makes it feel like there’s a distance between us.”
“…Is that really all?”
“Ah. And please speak informally with me, too!”
Isabella exclaimed, her eyes sparkling.
“Alright.”
Oh-jin let out a chuckle and nodded.
“Hehe. Thank you.”
A bright smile graced Isabella’s lips.
“You can speak informally too, Isabella.”
“Hehe. No, I’m more comfortable this way.”
Isabella lightly shook her head.
“Well then, I’ll be on my way.”
“How long will you be in Korea?”
“I’m planning to stay for a while. I have something to do.”
“Something to do?”
“Yes. There’s something I need to investigate personally.”
For a moment.
A chilling killing intent flickered in Isabella’s eyes.
‘Something to investigate.’
Oh-jin’s eyes narrowed.
It wasn’t hard to guess who she was planning to investigate.
‘The Owls.’
There was no one else worthy of the Leech Queen investigating personally.
‘I knew it. She didn’t come to Korea just to see me.’
Oh-jin nodded and saw her off.
“Alright. See you next time.”
“I’ll be upset if you don’t contact me at all like last time, you know?”
She placed a hand on her hip and feigned an angry expression.
“Haha. I’ll keep in touch often.”
Isabella turned and walked away.
Watching her receding back, he smirked.
‘They’ll be thrown into chaos when they find out the Leech Queen is on the move.’
In that case.
“A perfect time to hunt some Owls.”
The method he had only thought of before to build up his power explosively in a short period.
The time had come to put that plan into action.