The Pope Who Returned After Having Three Children
That was it?
I grabbed Liam's cheek and pulled him toward me. It wasn't like I'd done anything wrong, but I just felt like doing it.
Naturally, the demigod warrior showed no sign of pain. Instead, he kept sweeping his eyes across my lower body with a grin.
But something about the look on his face was starting to feel off.
The expression I'd seen multiple times over the years. I'd spotted it again recently. The same one I'd caught the night I had dinner with In-ha.
「……No. That's not happening.」
Since I could tell exactly what he was after, I cut him off before he could finish.
Liam just laughed, unfazed.
"What exactly is not happening?"
"Whatever it is you're thinking of right now. Not for a while. Not at all."
I kept it vague because the kids were listening. Rohan couldn't understand any of it anyway, but the twins definitely could. I needed to be careful.
Five-year-olds were still too young to understand adult concepts, yet I still had to watch my words. After all, kids mirrored their parents.
"What is it?"
"What?"
When I warned Liam, the twins perked up and looked at me. I ruffled both their heads and gave a half-hearted excuse.
"It's snack time. Dad's been putting on some weight lately, so we're skipping it for now."
The excuse was rushed and weak, but it seemed to work. Both Erina and Evaila sighed dramatically.
"Daddy's so pitiful…"
"Mom's being so mean…"
Even the way they glanced at Liam with sympathetic eyes was almost cute. It made me feel a little guilty. Like I'd suddenly become the villain in their eyes.
To keep the conversation flowing smoothly, I decided to send the kids off somewhere else.
I watched the girls' affection for their dad soften as they ran toward the kitchen to grab snacks, hips swaying playfully. The pity in their eyes had vanished. They were already too distracted to even look back at me.
I wiped the playful smile off my face and turned to Liam. He was still wearing that shameless grin that gave away exactly what he was thinking.
"If you're not going to do it, then you don't have to worry about it."
"Why not?"
"I can't keep relying on you every time."
The last time Seoyun had been the one to make special time for me. I didn't want to ask Liam to keep stepping in and letting me off the hook again.
"So if I don't interfere, you'll say yes?"
"…"
I hesitated for a moment, then looked away. It was enough to make Liam nod quietly.
And he whispered so softly I almost missed it.
"Alright. I'll figure something out soon."
「……Absolutely not!」
The second I heard that, my head snapped up. I couldn't stop myself from raising my voice.
Liam was going to figure something out? That was the textbook sign of a massive disaster.
"Then what about this?"
"Just sit still until we find a house. Good news is coming soon. You remember the support plan the NIS agent In-ha gave you last time?"
"That… I only looked at the front page."
"I thought you'd say that. Important stuff, so pay attention."
I gave Liam's chest a light tap as I continued.
"The government has decided to provide housing for our family."
"Really?"
Liam scratched his arm and frowned a little.
"Did I ask for a house to be built? My memory's fuzzy."
"I didn't expect such a big favor."
The demands I'd made to In-ha were all for the sake of my family and the church. One of them had been for financial support when we found a place to live.
I hadn't asked for the full amount. Waste not, want not, so I went halfway. I even added that half would be more than enough.
But this time the plan In-ha had brought included the government building a house for our entire family. The support was far larger than I'd requested.
Why would they do something I hadn't even asked for? It was a little suspicious given that Korea was the only country taking an active interest in returnees.
'They spent a long time debating just granting citizenship.'
Accepting my family as Korean nationals had taken a surprisingly long time. My own status had been processed even later. The response felt far from enthusiastic.
The government must have seen my family as a potential source of trouble. And the man sitting right in front of me was the source of that concern.
"Liam, the government probably finds your existence burdensome."
"Me?"
At those words, the way Liam's eyes had been roaming across my lower body froze. It took him a second to catch up.
"You don't trust my power, so you'll try to butter me up as much as possible? Smart."
It sounded like he was trying to leverage the goodwill of an asymmetric power, the kind you only see in stories from other countries.
It wasn't a bad idea, honestly. I wouldn't have minded the government at all if they hadn't been hostile to begin with.
'What do you think I'm made of?'
I was a modern person. I didn't want to act like some foolish fool who clashed with the state as part of the intelligent society I lived in.
Other returnees probably felt the same way.
There was no reason to make trouble. If I stayed quiet, I'd get every benefit the government offered.
Plus, mana in this world was scarce. Most people couldn't fully use their abilities. They were barely at half strength.
So humbly accepting the government's support was actually the smartest move for everyone.
"Anyway, just hold on a little longer. I'll be meeting with the contact soon for the details."
"Alright."
Even though there was no concrete plan yet, Liam nodded obediently. He even leaned in and whispered in my ear.
"But when the house is ready, I'm making a fourth child. You ready for that?"
「……"
It wasn't a joke. Liam never lied. The idea of making a child, and the warning that I should be prepared, was completely serious. A chill ran down my spine. The corners of my mouth twitched upward at the same time.
"Sounds good?"
"…I don't know."
It was worrying, but exciting at the same time. The stamina of a demigod was something else.
"Waaah!"
At that moment, Rohan suddenly reached both arms up and babbled happily. Liam stroked the baby's face with a bright smile.
"Rohan, I'll make you a baby brother."
"Da-da!"
"You want a baby brother? I can't control that."
I let out a laugh while watching the father and son. It was still a heartwarming sight, no matter how you looked at it.
Liam glanced at Rohan for a moment longer, then turned to me.
"But are there clothes even more impressive than these pants? I bet there are."
"…There are."
"Wear those too."
「……"
Once again, the guy had something fundamentally wrong with him. I grumbled to myself and took out my phone to open the shopping app.
I bought every single piece of clothing I'd been eyeing and saving for, even though I knew my conscience would hate me for it.
"I'll come by tomorrow."
"Really? If I can't hold out until the house is done, what then?"
「……"
It seemed the leggings had lit a fire under Liam's skin. The thought of Rohan growing up to look like them was terrifying.
Still, it helped me realize how well the pants suited me.
If that was the case, I should probably follow through on In-ha's other suggestion too.
I made my decision and immediately pulled a yoga mat out from under the bed in the bedroom. Seoyun had bought it for exercise, but she'd never used it once. It was still in perfect condition.
I carried the mat to the living room and laid it on the floor. All the preparation was done.
"Liam, film this for me."
I handed the phone to Liam and gave him instructions. He picked it up quickly.
"What are we filming?"
"It's nothing fancy. Just a simple experiment. Remember the app called Itube?"
"Yeah, I know it."
"We're filming videos for it."
Seoyun was the one who had officially started running Itube after she resigned. We'd decided to record a few test videos beforehand.
And the one we were about to film would be the very first upload for my channel.
"Alright, let's start."
I stood on the yoga mat and channeled holy power throughout my body.
The goddess had blessed the sun blocker until it was almost empty, but there was still enough left for light use.
"Everyone, this is my original holy power workout called 'Sacred Motion.'
I didn't look at the camera and spoke naturally while spreading thin layers of holy power across my skin. The result was my entire body glowing pink.
I placed both hands on my hips and leaned my upper body back.
"When you exercise with holy power like this, you feel way more tired, but the efficiency skyrockets…"
My sentence got cut off before I could finish.
Thud, thud, thud.
A sharp sound echoed from my waist. Pain shot through me. My lower back felt like it was about to snap. I had to stop the exercise.
"Eugh…"
I collapsed onto the yoga mat, too sore to move. I lay there for a while groaning, then finally whispered,
"…Liam. Stop filming. Let's start over."
I couldn't upload a video that showed me writhing in pain on a mat. No one would want to watch that.
***
"How is it?"
I showed Seoyun the workout video I'd filmed that afternoon when she got home. I was sure she'd think it was genius.
"Hmm…"
After watching the entire video, Seoyun narrowed her eyes and muttered to herself for a moment before speaking up.
"This isn't going to work."
The negative reaction was more than I expected. It was exactly the kind of thing that would leave me bewildered.
"Why?"
"It's too provocative."
Once I heard the reason, I still didn't understand.
"Provocative? There was no nudity at all."
"It is, but your body is really showing."
"…That's true."
It was the leggings that made my figure stand out. I'd thought it was wholesome enough, but apparently not.
Seoyun was far more objective than I was. That's exactly why she'd agreed to be my manager when I'd asked her to handle this kind of thing.
Her firm refusal had only made me more stubborn. I carefully chose my words and said,
"If I come up with a title that fits the video, there won't be any problem."
Showing it directly wasn't the way to go, so I opened the notes app and started writing.
-(Warning) Pope's Figure Management Vlog
"What do you think of this?"
"…"
Seoyun alternated between the title and my face before snatching the phone.
"Don't make titles like that anymore."
The punishment was far stricter than I'd anticipated.