Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Cat (Mirni) is Free (1)
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While Han Yuseong was at the police station wrapping up the settlement and sending off the corruption evidence he'd promised to expose—to the National Tax Service, the Prosecutor's Office, or straight to that trash heap of a company—Mirni came looking for him.
"Luke!"
"...What?"
"Keep your promise!"
"Jewelry and clothes? I'll give you the money, so go buy them yourself."
"Huh? But you're not letting us go out, right?"
"...I'll go with you."
"R-Really...!?"
"Is that such a big deal...?"
It was certainly something to be surprised about.
Yuseong had only taken them out twice before.
Once was to meet the lawyer, and the other time was when he'd dropped them off at the department store.
Other than that, there hadn't been anything worth calling an outing.
Yet here was Yuseong voluntarily offering to go with her...!
"I'm so touched...!"
"Cut the crap! Quit trembling like you've got the chills and get ready already."
"Aww, you're embarrassed~!"
"...You sure you're you?"
"......"
Unlike when they'd first reunited and she looked utterly worn out, Mirni now brimmed with vitality.
Flesh had returned to her gaunt, sallow face, giving it a healthy sheen. Her features, blooming like a perfectly ripened flower bud, radiated the fresh vibrancy of a spring fairy.
With her beauty—once called the kingdom's top alongside Alicia—shining once more, one of her nicknames came to mind.
'The kingdom's first love for a million hearts, or something like that?'
In Korean terms, it was like the nation's first crush.
The kind of looks that made anyone who saw her fall head over heels.
Yuseong thought the nickname suited her perfectly, yet he felt a swell of pride at his own utter lack of emotional stirrings.
'Guess I'm not some animal after all.'
If his heart raced for a beast like that, nothing could be more pathetic.
What a relief.
But apparently misreading the situation, another beastly wench piped up in protest.
"Why discriminate against people?"
"What?"
"Why are you only being nice to Mirni?"
"...?"
"I worked hard too!"
"......Where's your conscience?"
She'd gotten her allowance restored—what more could she want...?
"I demand to come along too."
"...Fine, tag along. But I'm not buying you anything."
"I-I can come?"
Alicia blinked in stunned surprise at Yuseong's unexpectedly easy approval, but he just replied in his usual light tone.
"As long as you promise not to cause trouble and not wander off alone."
"O-Of course! I swear...!"
"...Then go get ready."
"Got it!"
Alicia dashed into her room, her face lighting up.
Unlike a typical woman, she wouldn't bother with makeup—just a quick outfit change—so she'd be out in about a minute.
That's when it happened.
"Tch! Why are you taking that pointy-eared bitch too?!"
"She pulled her weight in this mess, whether she caused it or not."
"...Luke, you really stick to rewards and punishments."
"Why say something so obvious?"
"Hehe~."
"......What?"
"Nothing~."
"......"
Mirni's eyes curved into playful crescents, like she was coquettishly batting them. Approaching him just like a cat showing affection...
"Step out of line again, and you're dead."
"......"
About ten days had passed since Mirni opted for ten cheap outfits over jewelry and Alicia bought a sapling, both content and well-behaved.
Leon had suddenly thrown himself into learning Korean with fervor, Sylvia had moved past elementary school curriculum online into middle school material, and Luxy was already at a level where she could take the high school equivalency exam or even the college entrance test without issue.
She was proof that a genius who knew one thing could grasp ten, then a hundred.
Well, with a brain like hers, it wasn't all that surprising...
'Why does my stomach hurt, though...?'
She was just too damn capable, and he hated admitting it.
His guts twisted with resentment on their own.
'Goddamn...! What an unfair world-!'
Some people barely scraped by on the equivalency exam with a thick skull like his...
'......Screw that bitch. I'm done thinking about her.'
Ignoring people who just made you feel inferior was better for your mental health.
The more human learners were Valian and Alicia.
Despite his barbarian image suggesting brute stupidity, Valian showed decent average aptitude. Alicia had a sharp enough mind but was oddly lazy, putting her at about the same level as him.
She only learned what she could use right away and ignored the rest—it was easy to understand.
If Yuseong were some passionate teacher, he might've said something, but he had zero intention of dragging her along that far.
'If she wants to live her life her way, what can I do?'
It was her life; she'd succeed or fail on her own.
Finally, Mirni was...
'Similar to Alicia in some ways...'
Their commonality was picky learning—only what interested them. The difference was she dug deep into those interests.
"What kind of books?"
"Huh. Is that so...?"
The Mirni Yuseong knew was always brimming with obnoxious confidence.
But it was an undeniable fact that she had the talent to back it up.
'That's what pisses me off most about her.'
You've probably seen people like that around—ones who could do no wrong.
Like, you bomb every job interview, but some guy lands every one he goes to, hopping companies three or four times like it's nothing.
Or the slacker who lucks into a cushy life through sheer dumb fortune.
Mirni's life story was exactly that.
So starkly opposite to Yuseong, who'd clawed through failure and filth just to scrape by with basic human treatment... She twisted his guts in a whole different way from Luxy.
'If I'd had even half their talent, I wouldn't have lived like that...'
Even as his stomach churned and his luck sucked, he had to acknowledge her skills—which made him suspect there was reason behind her moves.
And right on cue.
"—Luke, I've got a favor to ask."
"...Spit it out."
"Invest in me a little."
"......"
"Just three days. I'll show results."
"......Got collateral?"
"Uh... My body?"
"......"
"H-Hey, don't make that face—even I get hurt by it."
"......"
"...Please don't look at me like that."
Mirni nearly took real emotional damage.
......
......
Three days after that promise, Mirni left the house.
Io grabbed Yuseong in a panic, pleading tearfully—or perhaps scolding desperately.
"......"
"...What exactly is so pitiful about it?"
"That 'training camp' isn't that kind of training camp."
"...It's a modeling academy. How many times do I have to say it...!"
"......This world and its war obsession..."
True to her status as the goddess who believed dying in battle sent you to blissful Valhalla, she equated any "training camp"—peaceful prefix or not—with combat. Her mindset was extreme.
"Who names an academy like that anyway...?"
She'd begged to attend a top 0.1% modeling academy, so he'd sent her—but why that one out of all of them? Now Io was scraping his back raw over it...
Yuseong felt irritation bubbling from the whiny goddess, yet thinking of Mirni left him incredulously amused.
He'd been skeptical when she first brought it up...
...But she'd actually gone through with it.
Top of the class, no less!
'...Damn cat girl's got an uncanny nose for what suits her. She instinctively finds what she's best at.'
The modeling academy Yuseong had sent her to—[Hard Training]—wasn't some place money alone could buy you into.
Linked to over thirty major agencies, it boasted a perfect success rate for its graduates.
'They've churned out famous models, actors, even idols, right?'
He'd thought she was nuts when the cat girl declared she wanted to be a model.
No matter how confident in her looks, this industry wasn't easy enough for an otherworld hick to conquer.
So he'd scoffed—yet Mirni had aced it on the spot with her self-made profile, edited videos, and photos.
He'd agreed to support her during academy time and push hard per their deal, but...
'Can that girl really stick it out to the end?'
He wasn't denying her talent or potential, but...
"If Mirni had to work freely without restrictions, how many days do you think she'd last?"
"You don't know that beast girl at all."
"Ooh, you think she'd last longer...?"
"If she lasts even a day, I'd call it a miracle. I'd bet my entire fortune she bolts within two."
"......"
"Hell, I'd throw in an arm if you want."
"......"
...And that was the testimony from his ten-year comrade(?).