Chapter 8
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Material Can't Fill the Heart, But a Face Can
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"How dare you."
With that chilling shout, the monster that had torn Han Jaewoo's clothes vanished without a trace.
The Heavenly Demon's rage was overwhelming enough to shake the ecosystem of an S-Rank Gate.
But the moment her vengeance was complete, she sheathed her sword and turned away without a second thought.
"Let's go."
"You're not taking out the boss?"
"My mood's ruined. Who cares about some small fry like that."
Ignoring the ogre lord standing there dumbfounded, she grabbed Han Jaewoo and dragged him out of the gate.
The soldiers and Association staff waiting at the entrance came running up, pale-faced.
"H-Heavenly Demon! You're already out? How's the situation inside..."
"Shut up. Get out of the way."
Her overwhelming presence parted the crowd like the Red Sea.
Everyone was left speechless at the bizarre sight of someone strolling in and out of an S-Rank Gate like it was a park.
But amid that tense atmosphere, Han Jaewoo's expression was as dark as if the world were about to end.
His gaze was fixed on the tattered remnants of his clothes hanging off his back.
"...Ah."
Han Jaewoo clutched the torn fabric with trembling hands.
The [Mithril Frock Coat Equivalent to S-Rank], a gift from Emperor Edelgart.
In the romance fantasy world, it was top-tier gear—and for someone broke and underpowered like him, it was priceless.
And now it was rags.
My lifeline! My bulletproof vest! My one safe haven!
Blood tears welled up inside him.
Without this coat, he was just a paper doll with B-Rank physical abilities.
How was he supposed to survive from now on?
A chill ran down his spine along with the despair.
What if this were the romance fantasy world?
What if that picky, possessive Emperor Edelgart saw this mess?
[How dare you let something tear the clothes I bestowed upon you? I'll rip your back open too!]
He could almost hear her thunderous wrath.
Han Jaewoo shuddered.
At least she wasn't here. Small mercies.
He gave a bitter smile and muttered.
"...She would've been furious if she'd seen this."
His voice carried a hollow emptiness.
"Maybe it's for the best that she's gone."
Whew, nearly got an earful from Edelgart. Felt like it aged me ten years.
But Baek Seorin's interpretation of the scene, watching from beside him, was entirely different.
In her eyes, Han Jaewoo was a tragic protagonist, gazing mournfully at the ruined clothes from his attempt to protect her, lost in nostalgic memories.
To pour such deep emotion into a mere piece of clothing...
Baek Seorin felt a sharp pang in her chest.
That "she" he'd mentioned.
What kind of woman could make a man this extraordinary cherish even a scrap of fabric from her so tenderly?
Does he still... not forget her?
Her mood soured.
The man who'd offered his back for her sake and bled (well, just took the shock)—he was grieving over another woman's traces.
The unidentified displeasure bubbling up was jealousy, but the love-cell-extinct Heavenly Demon hadn't realized it yet.
One thing was certain, though.
She never wanted to see that torn rag again.
And even less, him mired in sorrow over past ghosts.
"...Irritating."
Baek Seorin's eyes sharpened.
She recalled a characteristically straightforward, fiery murim solution.
Just replace it with something better.
Overwhelm that past woman's gift with one from her.
She strode over and seized Han Jaewoo's wrist.
"Let's go."
"Huh? Where to..."
"I'll repay that rag tenfold—no, a hundredfold."
Her eyes blazed with a strange competitive fire.
"We'll bury those past ghosts under my gifts."
"No, wait...!"
Han Jaewoo's protests fell on deaf ears.
Ignoring the commander's shouts about a waiting helicopter, she scooped him up by the waist.
"No time for that stuffy metal box."
A bad premonition flashed through Han Jaewoo's mind.
No way, not again?
"Hold tight. Seoul's quite a ways off."
Flash—!
No time even for a scream.
Baek Seorin's figure shot into the sky.
Gangwon's rugged mountains shrank to dots beneath their feet in an instant.
This wasn't human KTX anymore.
It was a human supersonic jet.
"Urk...!"
Han Jaewoo clamped his mouth shut and swallowed dry heaves.
No seatbelt, bare-body flight.
The wind wasn't slapping his cheeks—it was flaying his skin.
Before the gate nausea could even settle, a whole new level of high-altitude airsickness wrecked his guts.
Destination: Seoul.
The pinnacle of Korea's desires, Gangnam's top luxury department store.
Whether he'd walk in under his own power upon arrival was another question.
Gangnam S Department Store Luxury Hall VIP Lounge.
The place, buzzing with weekend elite shoppers, fell deathly silent in an instant.
A blood-splattered woman and a staggering man in tatters had entered.
Guards rushed forward in panic, then recognized the woman's face and nearly fainted, clearing the way.
The Heavenly Demon, Baek Seorin.
She'd come shopping. Dragging a half-dead man with her.
"Th-the... the very best! Right this way!"
The luxury brand manager trembled like an aspen leaf as he guided them.
Baek Seorin stood in the middle of the store, scanning the displayed suits.
She didn't even glance at the price tags.
She pulled a pitch-black card from her pocket and tossed it to the manager.
A black card.
"The most expensive, sturdiest ones."
She pointed to the left end of the store.
"From here."
Then slowly swept her arm to the right end.
"To there. All of it."
"...Pardon?"
The manager's eyes bulged.
Every piece of clothing in the store?
This had to be hundreds of millions—tens of millions in dollars?
"...Wait. Stop."
Han Jaewoo panicked and held her back.
His stomach was still churning like he might die, but the scene unfolding was even dizzier.
Was she insane?
No matter how rich you were, who bought clothes by the pound?
Besides, what he needed wasn't pricey fabric scraps.
He needed dungeon gear with solid defense to block monster fangs.
"I don't need this stuff. Something practical..."
"Put it on."
Baek Seorin cut him off firmly.
"It's ruined because of me, so it's only right I replace it with something better. I won't stand seeing you in those rags until dirt's in my eyes."
Her gaze was dead serious.
Refuse here, and she'd probably blow up the whole department store.
Han Jaewoo went mute as honey, pushed into the fitting room by the staff.
A moment later.
The curtain parted.
"..."
Everyone in the store held their breath.
Han Jaewoo stepped out.
A deep navy suit tailored perfectly to his frame.
Swept-back black hair, blue eyes gleaming deeper under the lights.
Broad shoulders, narrow waist, long legs.
SSS Plausibility.
That overwhelming visual didn't make the luxury clothes shine—it was the clothes basking in his glow.
Every step turned the department store floor into a runway.
"Wow..."
"Insane."
"Is that a person or a sculpture?"
The staff covered their mouths, squealing.
Passing customers froze, entranced.
Han Jaewoo broke into cold sweat under the stares.
Argh, stop staring already. It's embarrassing as hell.
To hide his shame, he schooled his face into colder, more arrogant lines.
Casually adjusting his tie in the mirror—every gesture a photoshoot.
Baek Seorin, arms crossed on the sofa, froze too.
She swallowed hard.
Handsome.
She'd known, but stripped of rags and properly dressed, the impact was beyond imagination.
Her heart started racing wildly.
Suddenly, a legend from her murim days flashed through her mind.
The Heavenly Lecher.
The demonic figure who could make chastity-sworn swordswomen untie their robes with just a glance.
She'd scoffed back then.
A pretty boy was just a pretty boy.
But seeing Han Jaewoo now sent chills down her spine.
If the legendary lecher looked like that...
She imagined it.
That face, those soulful eyes approaching her, whispering, "The moon's so bright tonight."
...Even I might've been in danger.
Whoosh.
Baek Seorin's face flushed beet red in an instant.
What kind of delusion was that?
Was she possessed by a lewd demon?
She ducked her head and slapped her cheek.
Get a grip, Baek Seorin! You're the Heavenly Demon! Swayed by a man's face...!
But her eyes honestly traced his fit.
Perfect. Utterly perfect.
The fact that what wrapped that man's form wasn't another woman's gift, but clothes she'd bought, satisfied a strange sense of conquest.
"...Next."
She cleared her throat and beckoned.
It was the prelude to a hellish fashion show.
Han Jaewoo became a dress-up doll.
Tuxedo, casual suit, long coat, trench coat.
Each outfit drew gasps; Baek Seorin nodded approvingly, swiping her card.
"That one too."
"And that."
"All colors, packaged."
Han Jaewoo wanted to cry.
Please stop... I'm exhausted... I wanna go home...
But even his weary expression read as decadent charm, boosting store sales sky-high.
When shopping ended, the sun had set.
Department store VIP exit.
No shopping bags in Han Jaewoo's hands.
Too many—the store called a truck for home delivery.
In his hands: just one.
The premium black long coat Baek Seorin had forced on him: "Wear this now."
"...Hah."
Han Jaewoo sighed deeply.
He'd received tens—hundreds of millions in clothes.
Luxury to others, but his heart wasn't at ease.
Would these pricey threads protect him like the mithril coat?
No way.
One ogre swipe, and they'd shred with him.
"...So flashy."
He fiddled with the collar, sighing deeply.
"But no silk can fill this hollow void of loss."
Defense stat's zero. How can I wear this without anxiety?
Baek Seorin halted at his words.
She looked up at him with soulful eyes.
Under the streetlamp, her red irises flickered.
"Not enough?"
"Trying to fill the heart with material things."
He shook his head, reciting bitterly.
"Some things can't be traded for anything... It was my one true shield."
It was S-Rank defense gear...
Baek Seorin smiled wryly.
Material couldn't fill a heart's void, after all.
Only one way left.
Protect what that past woman couldn't.
She stepped closer to Han Jaewoo.
And declared.
"If it's lacking, I'll fill it with my strength."
"...Huh?"
"From now on, I'll always be by your side. I'll guard your back."
Her eyes gleamed with obsession and possessiveness.
"You won't need anything else. No shield firmer than my sword."
Han Jaewoo's jaw dropped.
What was this?
Instead of clothes, she'd be his human shield?
Thanks, but...
Does that mean 24/7 surveillance now?
One devoured shirt, and he'd gained Korea's strongest human weapon as bodyguard-slash-stalker.
Freedom: over.
Get caught slacking or fleeing? He'd be dust.
"Let's go. I'll take you home."
Baek Seorin hooked her arm through his, satisfied.
Unyielding grip.
Half-dragged, Han Jaewoo walked the night streets.
And beyond the glass.
A paparazzo's lens flashed from the shadows.
Click, click, click!
Two figures arm-in-arm against shopping bags.
The Heavenly Demon buying clothes for a strange man, escorting him sweetly.
To anyone: lovers incarnate.
[Exclusive] Heavenly Demon Baek Seorin's Man, Han Jaewoo... Department Store Date Captured! "Official Lover Declaration?"
The 'quiet life' Han Jaewoo wanted was now shattered to dust and scattering in the wind.