A One in Three Chance (1)
A One in Three Chance (1)
After the hectic Saturday passed, Sunday arrived.
When I woke at dawn for my morning workout, I was greeted by
[23 Missed Calls]
[Công: seriouslyithassobeensohardthankyouuu]
[Công: hhelpppedalotfightinggtheNecromancerrr]
'What was wrong with this guy?'
A mountain of missed calls.
And text messages that became increasingly riddled with typos.
Every one of them came from Công.
...A man had gotten blackout drunk in the middle of the night and called me while sobbing.
Who wanted content like this?
My brow furrowed.
'What had gotten into him? He had avoided drinking whenever possible until the Necromancer was defeated... Wait. Could it already be over?'
—Tap, tap.
[No. 1 Real-Time Search — Liberation of Vietnam]
'...I knew you could do it, damn it!!!'
My eyebrows returned to their normal position.
Wow. It had only been a little over a week since I gave him the strategy, and he had already defeated the Necromancer?
He had earned the right to be a little dramatic.
My shoulders rose with pride.
'Let us see how people were reacting.'
My finger naturally moved toward Outstar, the social-media app for Awakeners.
I never searched for my own reputation because I'd been burned too badly before my regression, but...
this was different.
Công was literally the hero who had saved his nation.
The internet would already be plastered with embarrassingly effusive praise.
I planned to memorize a few examples and use them the next time we drank together.
Mostly to tease him.
'His account first....'
[Võ Chí Công — Official]
(Photo of a bound villain, Công, and Awakeners lined up behind him)
(Vietnamese flag planted in the ruins of the Presidential Palace)
Countless people sacrificed their lives in this brutal war, but today we regained our freedom.
Vietnam now enjoyed true freedom.
To the citizens of Vietnam and the support sent by nations around the world.
To my comrades in the Liberation Army who fought beside me.
To Nguyễn Xuân Thiên, Nguyễn Quốc Nguyên, and the others who gave their lives in battle......
.........
......
...
Lastly, to the Korean Awakener Seo Yujin, who freely provided the crucial information needed to defeat the Necromancer.
Thanks to every one of you, Vietnam had reached its day of liberation.
I could only offer my gratitude again and again.
I would never forget this debt for as long as I lived.
Submitted by Võ Chí Công.
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'...Why did he mention me?'
Search for teasing material: canceled.
Why had he placed my name beneath the comrades who had died during the operation?
That made me look like the greatest contributor.
My face twisted again.
'I understood why he did it from his perspective... but this was wrong. He was the one who had done everything.'
I knew exactly why Công had written it that way.
The strategy I gave him was something he would otherwise discover only after another ten years of suffering.
I had handed it to him outright, so naturally he was grateful.
But from my perspective?
I had merely stuck my spoon into an achievement that rightfully belonged to Công, one my friend had won through unimaginable hardship.
I didn't like it.
It felt as though I was exploiting my friend because I had regressed.
'I needed to downplay this.'
—Tap, tap.
Seo Yujin [Going this far over one little tip is a bit much;;]
└ Seo Yujin [I told you that you'd have figured it out anyway]
└ Seo Yujin [Anyway, you worked hard. Let us have a drink when you come to Korea]
└ Seo Yujin [And remove my name when you see this]
I had written the comment for everyone except Công.
It was an attempt to minimize my contribution and make Công look as though he was exaggerating.
'I should text him too, just in case.'
[You useless lightweight Rice Cake, remove my name from your Outstar post when you sober up]
[I do not want to piggyback on all the work you people did]
[If you don't edit it, I'll permanently post your drunken messages on Outstar. Good luck]
I even threatened him directly to stop arguing and take all the credit.
Would it work? Honestly, I had no idea.
I knew how to receive less hatred, but not how to receive less praise.
Still, there could be no harm in trying.
That was what I thought at the time.
* * *
"Seo Yujin, there are rumors that you're romantically involved with S-rank No. 7 Võ Chí Công. Is that true?!"
"......."
'Wow. I had almost unleashed a stream of profanity.'
There had been plenty of harm after all.
I had finished my morning workout and stopped at the hospital to deliver the promised mental-illness-treatment highlight reel, only to face questions like this.
I felt as though I would develop a mental illness myself.
—Murmur, murmur.
"Who is Võ Chí Công?"
"He is one of Dad's friends. He is Vietnamese...."
"Does he make lots of baby food?"
"...Haru, he is a man."
"Okay. Sorry."
My expression must have looked terrible, because even the eternally unbothered Haru apologized immediately.
The reporter who had asked the question merely stared at me with bright, sparkling eyes.
I sighed.
"It is not true. I have no intention of condemning that orientation, but Công and I are both firmly heterosexual."
"Then please explain the comment you posted on Outstar this morning!"
"It meant exactly what it said. I contributed nothing to the defeat of the Necromancer."
I answered while openly radiating displeasure.
I didn't swing that way. Enough with the fabricated controversy.
"And I do not understand why I should be forced to explain a controversy you invented. This is offensive."
"It is not fabricated...."
"You're with the Seoul Daily. I will reconsider granting interviews to your newspaper in the future."
I blacklisted her outlet to show that I was genuinely angry.
Finally, I glared sharply at her...
'Right before you pull down your underwear in the bathroom, lose control and piss yourself. Soak your panties completely.'
—Ding!
[The target falls 'completely' under hypnosis.]
A small act of revenge as well.
She was wearing a very short miniskirt, so that punishment would be enough.
The reporter's face immediately turned crimson.
"Y-yes... I'm so sorrry...."
—Mutter, mutter. Dash.
"Wow, am I a masochist? Why did that feel so good?"
She fled in embarrassment.
Neither I nor the other reporters spared her a glance.
Anyone could see that a minor newspaper had made a reckless grab for attention.
And...
Any reporter in their right mind already knew what to ask me.
"Seo Yujin, may I ask what information you provided for the Vietnamese Liberation Army to mention you directly?"
What information had led to the Necromancer's defeat?
...Now that was a proper question: substantial and guaranteed to draw clicks.
What the hell had been wrong with the previous reporter?
My expression softened.
"I can't disclose it yet, but it truly was nothing important."
"The Necromancer was defeated only eight days after your visit to Vietnam, and you call it nothing important?"
"Yes. Even without me, Công would have noticed it before long."
'It had taken him ten years in the First Round... but the clue itself was simple enough that he could plausibly have noticed it tomorrow.'
I downplayed my own achievement.
I made it clear that I would not take anything from my friend's accomplishment.
"Vietnam's liberation was achieved through the struggle of Công and the Liberation Army. If I acted as though I had contributed despite doing nothing, it would insult them."
I drove the point home.
I had truly done nothing. Công had done everything.
—Murmur, murmur.
"He is obviously lying. If it were truly nothing, would Võ Chí Công give him credit?"
"It looks like he is trying to raise Vietnam's prestige, does it not?"
"Public opinion there will explode—in a good way."
The reporters whispered among themselves.
What was this? Were they complaining that there was no story?
I quickly spoke again.
"That should be enough about Công... Do you not have other questions?"
Were they struggling because they lacked juicy prey?
Had they forgotten that I promised them something good yesterday?
That was the message behind my question.
The reporters' eyes changed.
"Do you believe the freshmen Alice Littenwood and Yoo Sia will also reach S-rank?"
"What was it like learning swordsmanship directly from Aika Ninomiya?!"
"Now that Winterer's background is public, some people argue that forced labor—effectively military enlistment—is excessively harsh. What is your position?"
"Patients are waiting, so I'll answer briefly. First...."
The real interview began.
Would my wives reach S-rank? They had more than enough potential.
Master's training? My stats were rising every day. It was the best.
Winterer? She was pitiful, but a crime was still a crime. Congratulations on fulfilling her duty of national defense.
I had anticipated those questions, so they were easy to answer.
"I heard that Winterer has many psychological problems. Do you intend to treat her with hypnosis?"
"My current ability is not enough, but I'd like to help her someday. She cared deeply for our Haru."
"Ah. This must be...."
After the flurry of questions, everyone's attention shifted to Haru.
No one took her picture without permission.
The Chairwoman had probably explained what Haru was by then.
Unlike perpetrators, victims could not be photographed casually.
"Would an interview be possible?"
"Her mind is still immature, so...."
"Dad. I want pictures too. V."
"You'll edit out anything inappropriate she says, correct?"
"Would anyone be foolish enough to play games after seeing you angry earlier? No matter what reporters are like, nobody crosses that line with someone like her."
The mood changed when Haru said she wanted the interview.
Everyone raised their cameras with extreme care. They'd clearly wanted the opportunity.
Haru's first interview began under my supervision.
"Seo Haru, what do you think of Winterer... ahem, your big sister? How did she usually treat you?"
"She talks really mean, but she is super nice."
"Do you remember any specific examples?"
"She gave me yummy food."
Most questions concerned Haru's relationship with Winterer.
It was the natural choice for the reporters.
The more they uncovered about the sisters' childhood, the easier the story would be to write.
"Did your big sister share delicious food with you? That was kind...."
"No. She made me eat Spam and bread and lots of stuff, but she only ate weird things because she didn't want to get fat. Her tummy went grr every day."
"......."
'Even amnesia had not made her forget the Spam.'
Haru's heartbreaking memories came to light.
Because of her child regression, she hadn't even known she had a big sister until I told her. Yet she remembered this.
For a moment, I felt sorry for the Wannabe Villain all over again.
'The questions were entering unpleasant territory. It was time to end the interview....'
"What about your dad? Is there anything you want from him?"
"......?"
I was about to stop the interview, but the reporter moved first.
They must have sensed that probing further would uncover sensitive subjects.
Haru smiled brightly.
"Ah! I want Dad to hurry and pick a mom!"
"Haru, save that joke for later...."
"Pinky and Flatty are good too, but I strongly recommend Whitey."
—Stretch.
"Look. I'm pretty big too, but I can never beat Whitey. If Whitey becomes Mom, the baby can eat until its tummy is full and smile. If she lets us eat, she'd be perfect."
"......Haru!!!?"
———I hadn't expected her to drop a bombshell.
—Murmur, murmur.
"Pinky, Flatty, and Whitey...? Could Whitey be Aika Ninomiya!?"
"Come to think of it, Seo Yujin, you are even living with Aika Ninomiya, correct?"
"There are also eyewitness reports that you tightly embraced Alice Littenwood inside a Gate."
"Wasn't there something between Yoo Sia and Seo Yujin too? They supposedly walked around Cheonhwa headquarters holding hands like a couple."
The pack of jackals stirred at the sudden prey.
And then,
"I apologize. Haru is still mentally young, so she says strange...."
"Seo Yujin, I won't ask for details, but... do you like one of those three women?"
"......Eek."
The Breeding Guy faced a life-or-death crisis.