The Inevitable Expansion of the Family
"When did you start planning this?"
I had a feeling that Kang A-jin's method of finishing off Park Hyun-jun wasn't some spur-of-the-moment improvisation.
"I'll be honest with you."
With the mood shifting, we sat down in the living room to talk. What Kang A-jin shared was about her visit to see Jo Dong-geun a few days earlier. With a somber expression, she laid it all out plainly.
"I realized I couldn't keep this bottled up alone. More than the insult I suffered from him, I saw his very existence as the real threat. It kept me up at night. Thinking I could resolve it by meeting him was my misjudgment. I didn't know Jo Dong-geun as well as I thought."
"That's..."
Kim Seol-bi bit her lip.
"Are you okay, A-jin?"
I was furious. The fact that she'd gone to such lengths to deal with Park Hyun-jun made my anger boil over. I didn't think Kang A-jin's decision to meet Jo Dong-geun was a huge mistake at the time. If he'd been a man with any common sense—or even a shred of rationality—he would've granted her request rather than letting Park Hyun-jun run wild. Controlling him wouldn't have been much trouble for Jo Dong-geun.
But according to Kang A-jin, he'd given off the vibe of someone who saw himself as a god. All humans were mere toys to him. Even her threats barely registered; he just snorted dismissively.
'Yeah, that tracks.'
What did a guy like that have to fear? His commission to Kang A-jin to silence the reporters was probably just to avoid a hassle. He had the power to shut it down before it blew up.
But her visit had backfired, stirring up an even greater potential danger.
"Park Hyun-jun coming here today definitely had Jo Dong-geun's permission," Kim Seol-bi said.
According to her, Park Hyun-jun was in no position to defy Jo Dong-geun. His presence here meant tacit approval from the top—which explained why no one else was making a fuss despite the chaos.
"We can't just sit back," Kang A-jin said with a serious face.
"It's not just about what Park Hyun-jun did to us. He'll see us as toys to torment. I have a bad feeling about it."
We'd just taken down a major enemy, but the atmosphere was far from celebratory. I'd heard everything, grasped the full picture. And unexpectedly, I realized I had a way to get past this crisis.
Truth be told, using my ability like this felt a bit off-putting. But the enemy was wielding his immense power to oppress and torment others. If I held back out of some moral qualm, I wouldn't have the face to look at Kang A-jin after all she'd sacrificed to resolve this.
After meeting Jo Dong-geun, she'd sensed something was wrong and prepared countermeasures in case Park Hyun-jun acted out. The sorcery she'd used today had consumed a ton of time and mana. Sorcery had limits without preparation—major rituals demanded extensive setup.
If she hadn't felt that unease after the meeting, she couldn't have prepped those spells. And without them, Park Hyun-jun would've left her in ruins.
I steeled myself and spoke.
"Does Jo Dong-geun care about his little sister at all?"
Kang A-jin answered my question.
"She's his only family. Before awakening, his life was miserable, and the one thing that got him through was his vow to find the sister he'd been separated from as a kid. Once he did, he dotes on her obsessively. It's probably the only shred of humanity he has left—tied to her."
"Then his sister could be his weakness."
"Yes. But touch her clumsily, and you'll unleash hell. He'll lose all reason."
"I have something to say too."
I told them about running into Jo A-young at the Hunter Management Office with Kim Eun-bi. The meeting itself wasn't the point. The key was that even Kim Eun-bi hadn't noticed it, but Jo A-young seemed exposed to my Unreasonable Favor skill.
"Ah..."
"No way..."
"For real?"
The three women were stunned, at a loss for words. That's why I hadn't brought it up lightly. Our balanced life with the three of them was still new, and there'd been plenty of drama before. Adding another...
A heavy silence followed.
If I'd blurted it out without context, it would've just soured the mood. But we shared a common goal: taking down Jo Dong-geun. And we'd just discussed his Achilles' heel being his sister.
Kang A-jin was the first to regain her composure.
"That's perfect."
"Huh?"
"Sis!"
Kim Seol-bi and Kim Eun-bi reacted instinctively to her response.
"We can't approach this emotionally. I'd already braced myself. Sung-gi’s ability triggers on an unpredictable few. Even he doesn't know who it'll hit. It could be ten, or a hundred. If I can stay by his side, I'll accept them all."
"That's..."
"A hundred?!"
Kang A-jin's mindset was anything but ordinary—coldly pragmatic, too. Not that I'd ever go that far, but it made sense. If they didn't want me dead, acceptance was the only option.
But it wouldn't be easy. Kim Seol-bi and Kim Eun-bi's reactions felt all too natural.
"We need to handle the cleanup first. It should be fine— with Jo Dong-geun's approval, word won't spread. Let's head to my place while they fix the house and sort the mess. We can discuss how to deal with Jo Dong-geun there."
Kang A-jin said.
"Got it."
Kim Seol-bi replied and made a call. The bodies were gone, but traces remained. The house was wrecked in spots. After summoning the cleanup crew and briefing them, Kim Seol-bi and Kim Eun-bi packed essentials. Since I'd moved in on short notice, I had nothing of my own—Kim Seol-bi's stuff was still in my inventory anyway.
Once the crew arrived, Kim Seol-bi explained, and we headed to Kang A-jin's house together.
#
All four of us were exhausted, so the night passed quietly. The next morning over breakfast, Kang A-jin spoke up.
"We need to bring Jo A-young into the fold."
"Huh?"
"Sis!"
Kim Seol-bi and Kim Eun-bi had the exact same reaction as yesterday. But Kang A-jin, her resolve firm, spoke calmly.
"We can't avoid this. And she's our only leverage against Jo Dong-geun. It's inevitable—and we even have a justification for it. Emotions won't help. We need to find a way to live together and be happy."
Kim Seol-bi and Kim Eun-bi fell silent. No immediate rebuttal meant they knew she was right.
"It'll get easier over time. I wasn't joking about ten or a hundred. I'll stick by Sung-gi no matter what."
With that, Kim Seol-bi nodded.
"Alright. Honestly, when A-jin suggested sharing you among three, it felt insane. But once it happened, my heart settled. I can't imagine a world without you, Sung-gi. If it's unavoidable, I'll choose my happiness—being by your side."
"Sis, you too..."
Kim Eun-bi pouted. Looking at me, she said,
"Me too... I can't live without you, oppa."
Ah, damn... I could barely swallow my food, unsure if it was going down my throat or my nose. Awkward vibes all around. We'd reached an agreement, but it felt like declaring a modern harem.
Was this really okay?
"Good. Now, let's discuss how to convince A-young and bring her in."
Kang A-jin swiftly moved the conversation forward.
"We're hitting the dungeon together tomorrow," Kim Eun-bi said. "I'll bring her back after."
Kang A-jin and Kim Seol-bi nodded.
"You sure I don't need to come?"
Kim Seol-bi asked, and Kim Eun-bi shook her head.
"We agreed just the three of us, so it'll feel more natural."
"I'll keep watch," Kang A-jin said. "Seol-bi, stay nearby the dungeon."