Episode 7. How to Tame Predators
Episode 7. How to Tame Predators
Episode 7. How to Tame Predators
The atmosphere in the abandoned factory was still the middle of hell.
On the left, Kim Sia's [Obsession] was turning into golden shards, carving away at the space, and on the right, Han Sohee's [Shadow] was coiled like a giant snake, aiming for Sia's throat.
They were supposed to be rivals and comrades-in-arms who swore loyalty to each other in the original story.
But the eyes of the two women looking at each other had already lost all reason.
Every time their gazes collided in the air, a sound like the tearing of eardrums echoed from the rupture of mana.
'If this keeps up, one of them will die, or I'll get caught in the crossfire and die.'
I protected So-jin, who was trembling in my arms, and desperately racked my brain.
The knowledge of the original story, which had become as meaningless as torn scraps of paper.
I had to mobilize every last bit of that remaining knowledge to find a way to resolve this catastrophic situation.
First, Kim Sia's [Wish] had now corrupted into [Obsession].
Han Sohee's [Shadow] was contaminated by possessiveness.
The reason both powers had mutated was, in the end, the 'possessiveness' and 'obsession' regarding my very existence.
If there was only one reason they were acting so crazy right now.
It was the fear that the other person might take me away.
If so, the solution might be unexpectedly simple.
'Screw it! It's do or die!'
I took a deep breath and screamed until my lungs felt like they were going to burst.
"St-stop! Anyone who keeps fighting in front of me from now on... I'm really going to hate you!"
My shout echoed through the abandoned factory.
My childish threat, which would be close to half a century old if I added my past life to my current age of 20.
It was a threat that even an elementary schooler might make, and a shout that made me want to hide in a mouse hole, but.
At that moment, like a lie, all the noise stopped.
The shadow snake that had been lunging as if to bite my throat froze in mid-air, and the golden spears that were corroding the world fell to the floor.
Sia and Sohee's heads turned toward me at the same time.
In their eyes, instead of the killing intent from just a moment ago, there was a sense of bewilderment, as if they had lost the world because of my childish words, "I'm going to hate you."
"Haneul-ah...? What do you mean by..."
"Haneul-i hates me...? I hate that!"
Huh? This actually works?
I had just blurted it out with a 'come what may' attitude, but seeing them actually stop, I gathered my momentum and continued with the next line.
"You say you want me, but you're both making me terrified! If you're going to keep acting like this, I'm just going to go and die!"
Of course, I didn't have the slightest intention of actually dying, but to Sia and Sohee-nuna, it must have been a threat more terrifying than anything else.
The fact that both women's faces turned pale was the proof.
'Good, I've created a lull for now. Now for the next step...'
I suppressed the shame that was washing over me even though I was the one who said it, and pulled out the 'Beauty Trap' strategy, something I had never tried in my life.
My face was burning, and I wanted to dig a hole and hide right then and there, but to survive, I had no choice.
"...A-and. To the person who listens to me the best and doesn't fight... I, I'll give you a kiss!"
Damn it, I really blurted it out!
I had the intention of biting my tongue and going "Gwaek!" if their reaction was weird, but.
For a moment, the air stopped.
What is this? What kind of reaction is this?
Is it time to bite my tongue?!
When I was shuddering in embarrassment at my own statement, their reaction was beyond imagination.
"...A kiss?"
The word that flowed from Kim Sia's mouth was clearly a much higher level than the 'peck' I had mentioned.
Hey, hey, missy.
Why are you raising the stakes while taking advantage of the confusion?
I was momentarily dumbfounded, but the madness that had been lingering in their eyes instantly turned into bizarre joy.
"You said kiss? Did Haneul-i just... say he would kiss me?"
"No, I said a peck...!"
Please listen when a person talks!
"Haneul-ah, I was wrong! Shadow? I'll clear that away right now! I can listen the best! So, therefore... ki, kiss."
Han Sohee also changed her attitude 180 degrees.
Where did the villainous aura that seemed like it would destroy the world just a moment ago go? She hurriedly deactivated her Shadow Armor and tried to run toward me like a puppy.
'...This kind of thing works? Really?'
I know the setting of the original story is Gender Reversal, but I didn't know it was to this extent.
That women with overwhelming force would become gentle lambs over a mere 'kiss' from me.
My face felt like it was going to explode from shame, but I decided not to miss this opportunity and take the initiative.
"Don't come any closer! The fight isn't over yet!"
At my shout, both women were rooted to the spot.
"Now, listen to my proposal. If you don't listen, don't even think about a kiss, and I won't even acknowledge you for the rest of my life!"
I continued speaking with a (pretend) dignified expression.
"Sohee-nuna. Nuna, go back to the Black Wings. But don't do villainous things like before. Become a double agent who leaks information to the Association and the Academy. This is an important job that only Nuna can do."
Although it was from the middle of the original story, Sohee-nuna's role as a double agent was important.
Han Sohee's eyes welled up with disappointment, but at the words 'double agent' and the fact that it was my request, she soon burned with a sense of duty.
"...Understood. If you, Haneul-i, want it, I will go back into hell. Instead, since I listened to you, Haneul-i... you know what comes next without me saying it, right?"
"Th-that, I'll think about it later. And Sia, you have to go back to the Academy with me."
Sia's expression brightened.
She wore the smile of a victor and mocked Han Sohee, but I immediately drove a wedge into it.
"Instead, I'm going to take So-jin and protect her. She's Nuna's sister, so I'll take responsibility and look after her. So that Sohee-nuna can work with peace of mind."
Actually, this was a hostage to keep Han Sohee tied down, and a masterstroke to disperse Sia's jealousy.
Both women looked full of complaints, but as long as the 'kiss reward' was on the line, they couldn't disobey me.
A few days later, the Korea Hunter Academy regained its vitality.
Of course, the process wasn't smooth.
The runaway of [Obsession] that Kim Sia unleashed while awakening left a huge issue for the Hunter Association and the media.
The Association hunters who were dispatched to the abandoned factory luckily didn't die, but they were suppressed by Sia's overwhelming pressure, leading to a situation where they fainted in groups.
But surprisingly, the punishment for Sia was light.
'200 hours of community service (free Gate subjugation) and mental counseling.'
This was the entirety of the disciplinary action taken against the mastermind of the incident that turned South Korea upside down.
It was a level slightly heavier than a student caught dozing off in class.
"Hehe, Haneul-ah! I cleared a C-Rank Gate for community service today. Did I do well?"
Sia, who would have been struggling in an F-Rank Gate at this point in the original story, hugged my arm and acted cute.
The remnants of [Obsession] still flickered around her, but in front of me, she was just an ordinary (a bit overly obsessed) female college student.
'My prediction was right after all.'
In my opinion, behind such a light punishment were the calculations of the high-ranking officials in the Association.
The force Kim Sia showed while awakening had already far exceeded the level of a first-year student.
Instead of throwing such a national-level strategic asset into prison, they probably intended to use her for free for Gate subjugation under the pretext of 'community service.'
Furthermore, the Association, having learned that I was the only key to controlling her, gave me the special title of 'Sia's Dedicated Mental Care Agent' and fully supported my return to the Academy.
"Yeah, you did well, Sia. It's really good to see you dedicating yourself to society without causing trouble."
"Really? I'm really listening to Haneul-i well, so... th-that, kiss..."
Sia's face flushed red as she leaned her head on my shoulder.
I tried to slide my shoulder away from that burdensome contact, but Sia didn't fall off and rubbed her head against me skillfully.
Thanks to that, I could feel the stinging gazes of the female students around me, but I tried my best to ignore them.
'The process was a bit, no, very hectic, but the result is a great success.'
Han Sohee decided to hand over high-level information to me while acting as a spy inside the Black Wings, and Kim Sia is becoming the strongest shield by my side.
On top of that, with So-jin safely under my protection, where could there be a more reliable lifeline than this?
Even though my lips are like a ticking time bomb that could be stolen at any moment, isn't it enough that I saved my life for now?
I looked at the blue sky outside the window and grinned.
Groundless confidence welled up that I, who made the protagonist and the sub-protagonist my allies at the same time, might be the true designer of this world.
Of course, while trying my best to ignore the fact that Kim Sia was behind my back, touching every single strand of my hair as if it were precious and sniffing me.
"Haneul-ah, today, instead of the Academy Dormitory... can't you sleep at my house? My parents also want to see you, Haneul-i... I, I'll only hold your hand and sleep, I promise?!"
Uh-huh, where are you trying to change an all-ages work into a 19+ adult work!
You should open your eyes straight when you lie.
You're huffing out hot breath and your eyes are bloodshot, and you say you'll only hold hands and sleep!
"No. So-jin is receiving recuperative treatment in my Dormitory. She still needs my healing ability."
"Tsk, what a waste. Then just for a moment here... there's no one around..."
No, you said you'd only hold hands?!
Sia's eyes began to flicker with a dangerous golden light again.
I thought peace would come if I returned to the Academy, but I had a bad feeling that life here would be even more dizzying than the abandoned factory.
'...Save me, will it really end with just my lips being stolen?'
The true era of suffering for me, Park Haneul, was now beginning in earnest, wearing the mask of stability...