EP 4: The Blacksmith Hides His Identity

EP 4: The Blacksmith Hides His Identity

Samjin, as Korea's top conglomerate, had solidified its monopoly across specialized fields. It achieved this by acquiring essential technologies and unleashing overwhelming retaliation against any latecomers. Yet the world contained far more fields than one or two. Neither capital nor business capacity was infinite, and competition existed everywhere. That was why Samjin had completely abandoned several sectors. The cultural and media industries were prime examples.

Korea's media industry was represented by a single brand. The monstrous conglomerate that gripped every corner of Korean culture—publishing, magazines, broadcasting, newspapers, and entertainment management. The Baekje Group. Even amid criticism that it pursued only entertainment value and commercialism, it grew relentlessly, crushing competitors and earning both envy and jealousy. People called it the Baekje Media Empire.

Among its subsidiaries, Baekje Cultural Broadcasting (BBC) was said to pursue violence beyond mere commercialism. It was the very network that had monopolized coverage of the recent Samjin family's plunder marriage, raking in a thirty-percent viewership rating. It was the root of Korean public opinion, its name trending online all day whenever it aired a special. Receiving warnings for excessive violent broadcasting was routine, yet because the Baekje Group's chairman wielded such influence, it would offer a token apology and repeat the same behavior.

At the eye of that storm, the director of the BBC News Reporting Headquarters was currently drowning in an enormous dilemma.

"Which way do we go?"

Two proposals lay on the table. One was Llywelyn versus Hermes. The other was Taeheo Singun versus Wolgeuk Seongun.

The political department head pushed his glasses up and offered advice. "If we roughly assess it, Llywelyn just couldn't control her temper and picked a fight. Taeheo Singun carries more weight, so shouldn't we go with that side?!"

It was a reasonable point. Even if Llywelyn was at the Heaven and Earth Realm, she was ultimately an individual. Compared to the conflict between Taeheo Singun, the Republican mayoral candidate, and Wolgeuk Seongun, the Democratic mayoral candidate, it was nothing.

The culture department head, dressed in mine-patterned attire, raised a hand. "No. We should go with Llywelyn here."

"Hmm. Reason?"

"If you check Hermes's current internet search volume, Taeheo or Wolgeuk don't even compare. It's ten times higher. Ten times. We have to go all-in on Llywelyn. If we set it up right now, we're not too late. A fight between a Nobel Prize winner and a Nobel Prize long-hauler! Kya, that makes for a great picture, doesn't it?"

The news director continued to agonize. 'Haah. What do I do?'

He couldn't choose both. The key with these kinds of issues was to focus on one and blow it up. Handling two at once would leave them with neither fish nor fowl.

"Honestly, a Refined Realm versus Heaven and Earth Realm fight looks more entertaining...."

"Right? Right?"

"But considering future influence, the fight between Taeheo and Wolgeuk feels more important...."

"Exactly! Exactly!"

While everyone was in the middle of the meeting, someone burst through the door. A female reporter, panting, immediately slammed her forehead to the floor.

"How dare I—!"

The news director cut her off, extending a hand. "Enough! Get to the point!"

The reporter stood and delivered a brief report. "Llywelyn and Hermes's battle has ended! It's over! Hermes's overwhelming victory, and Llywelyn has already declared her submission!"

The newsroom froze. The core of news lay in real-time coverage of unfolding events. Matters already concluded were pushed to the back burner.

The news director snapped his fingers. "Okay. Pull every broadcast vehicle and send them to Wolgeuk General Hospital. Prepare the desk. And have the investigative reporting chief and culture department chief prepare coverage on Llywelyn and Hermes for a special. Tell the production department that if they touch it, I'll kill them. Dismissed!"

KUWOONG!!!!

A blinding flash and a roar that shook the entire building. In the spot where lightning seemed to have passed, the department heads and news director were gone. The female reporter's gaze belatedly fell only on the coffee cup atop the table.

After the broadcast ended, I sat on the rooftop and opened the community forums. It was quite the spectacle.

I scrolled through the screen, checking public opinion. New posts were being written nonstop, pushing the page down. Of course, none of them had any substance. Most were just spam like [Llywelyn got bodied lololololol] or [Hermes delivers.].

...I had seen a similar scene recently. The plunder marriage between Lee Ah-rang and Lee Ji-eun at Samjin Hotel. Internet opinion had gone crazy there too. Thanks to that, Lee Ah-rang was now stuck with the nickname "High School Dropout General." Though in reality, she hadn't even attended high school, so her education level was middle school graduate. Well, that didn't really matter.

The problem was that I was currently being hunted. Or rather, Hermes was.

The incident during the Magic Cooking qualification exam had caused a huge commotion throughout Daejeon Metropolitan City. The merchants of Daejeon who suffered damages at the time had put a bounty on my head, so the guilds were now targeting me. "Targeting my neck" didn't mean killing me. Rather than killing, they would capture me, make me work, and have me pay off the bounty plus several times that in fines. If my identity was discovered in the process, things would get even more complicated.

'I wanted to be slowly forgotten...'

Llywelyn beside me caught my eye. She was kneeling next to me like a samurai who had resolved to commit seppuku. Her mournful gaze was directed downward. Her fists rested lightly on her knees. She remained in that posture, as if waiting for judgment.

When she thought I had come back to life, she had kept smiling. But once the broadcast ended and I was just staring blankly at my phone with a sullen expression, she had fidgeted nervously, glancing at me, before eventually sitting properly in that state. It felt like I had become some cruel person ignoring an upset lover as punishment.

Classic. Scenes like that appeared in ancient video media from long ago. I wasn't particularly angry, though.

"Hey. Llywelyn."

"Ah! Yes! Yoo Ji-tae-nim!"

She lifted her head sharply, looking up at me like a puppy waiting for a command. It was somehow embarrassing. Still, it wasn't without gain. I had realized something.

Indeed, when I was certain I wasn't in danger, my body didn't tremble. Of course, if the other person moved or used force, that was a different story. This morning, when I woke up and saw Lee Se-rin staring straight at my face, I had panicked. But right now, I was fine. Probably.

I clenched and unclenched my fist. Llywelyn interpreted the gesture as a threat or anger, closing her eyes and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠lowering her head.

'It wasn't meant to imply anything in particular...'

Still, I should definitely say something about this incident.

...I'll be honest. I felt no positive emotions toward Llywelyn whatsoever. Why? Because she had suddenly flown from England to Korea saying she would kill me, and until just moments ago she had been hostile, so dislike had built up inside me. Human emotions weren't switches that turned on and off. First impressions. The first image Llywelyn had shown me remained far too strongly within me.

"...Hey."

Llywelyn hesitantly opened her mouth. "If you have something you want to say, you can say everything...."

It was servile. An expression one wouldn't expect from a woman who had reached the pinnacle of the mage's realm and the peak of alchemy. Llywelyn was originally an outgoing person. She liked alcohol and gambling, and had a bold personality that enjoyed meeting people. If I had been a woman, this kind of reaction would never have come out. Thinking about that, I felt I should say a few things here.

"Llywelyn-ssi."

"Yes."

It wasn't education or anything like that.

"Llywelyn-ssi, you're really selfish."

"...Yes?"

I was simply saying what I wanted to say.

"Llywelyn-ssi came here to kill me, right? Suddenly, without even thinking about talking to me."

"......That's because I didn't know you were male."

I smiled brightly and clapped my hands. "Aha. I see."

"Yes. If I had known that from the beginning, I absolutely would have—"

I cut her off. "Then you mean you would have beaten me up if I were a woman? If I weren't a man, you would already be dead. Is that it? Well then, should I thank you for sparing my life?"

Sweat drops rolled down Llywelyn's cheeks. "Uh! Uhh... Ah, no. That's absolutely... absolutely not..."

"So it's okay to beat up women, but not men? Your principles of action are a mess. Beating women is something to be proud of and enjoyable, but when it comes to men your hands tremble with guilt? Even though it's the same act, your attitude changes because the target is different? You think that's normal?"

As I spoke, I unconsciously let out a bitter laugh. That seemed to have been the fatal blow to Llywelyn. Her posture began to crumble.

"I, I..."

"Llywelyn-ssi."

"...Yes."

"That's usually called a double standard."

"Uh... uhhh..."

Llywelyn's shoulders trembled violently. The single thread of will that had been supporting her body was being gnawed away, precarious like a rope about to snap. Even an outsider could see it.

"And I hate that kind of person the most in the world."

I severed it thoroughly, as if cutting off a neck.

"......Ah."

Llywelyn covered her head with both hands and collapsed to the floor. "Ah.... that.... ahgh.... that...."

Was she trying to escape reality? I placed my hand lightly on her head as if patting it. Llywelyn looked up.

What would my mother have done here? She probably would have whispered in her ear to die....

'As expected. I don't know.'

My mother's standards weren't normal. But that mother's blood flowed in my body. I had inherited my mother's ideology. So when I thought of it as punishment, I felt the other person needed to be in pain and suffering. Wouldn't it be right to crush even the dust of their soul as punishment for attacking me? I ended up having such cruel thoughts.

It wasn't that I wanted to do it. It wasn't a personality that enjoyed such things either, and if possible, I didn't want to hurt anyone. It was simply that I thought that was the correct response. When I defeated someone who had attacked me, even if they bowed their head, I had to punish them thoroughly so they could never rise again. I had to murder and eradicate even a fragment of their soul, and finally display them nakedly like a taxidermy specimen. Such thoughts rose unconsciously.

That couldn't possibly be normal.

"...Did I say something harsh?"

"...Yes?"

Llywelyn asked back as if she didn't understand. Somehow feeling sorry for the trembling Llywelyn, I patted her head. I draped her jacket over her shoulders, which looked cold.

"Let's just pretend this never happened."

"Uh... then our relationship..."

"Our relationship?"

Our relationship was nothing more than two people who had tried to kill each other. If we settled that.... Hmm. Nothing remained, right? I smiled and answered.

"What are you talking about. We're nothing to each other."

"...Ah?"

THUD. Llywelyn, who had been trying to stand, collapsed back to the floor.

*****

As we descended the stairs from the rooftop, Llywelyn followed closely behind me.

"Uh, um. Yoo Ji-tae-nim."

"No. Just speak casually. You're older than me anyway."

While helping the collapsed Llywelyn up, we had already reached an agreement about honorifics. Of course, it had become a structure where Llywelyn accepted what I said, but since we had decided on a lower position for honorifics, I felt no particular guilt.

Llywelyn fidgeted with the hem of her leather jacket before opening her mouth. "...Ah. Uh... Ji... Ji-tae-ya?"

She looked extremely frightened, as if my angry command might fall at any moment.

"Yes. Llywelyn-nim."

"Augh.... uh... yes."

"I told you to speak casually."

"Ah... u-uh. Ji-tae... ya...."

Llywelyn was an alchemist respected by everyone. Though the community bashed her, the very fact that they bashed her was proof that her original position was overwhelmingly high. The British count title wasn't given to just anyone. In the first place, since community opinion was closer to a sub-stream rather than the main stream, mainstream opinion still regarded Llywelyn as the world's best. It meant Llywelyn was an existence that shouldn't be compared to someone like me, who was being hated on by the community.

Yet someone like that was being spoken to casually by a community top-tier high-level nickname, and moreover, that person was using honorifics toward me? I would earn the hostility of alchemists worldwide who respected Llywelyn.

"Please continue doing so from now on. Llywelyn-nim."

"...U-uh. Ji, Ji-tae-ya."

Before returning to the restaurant, I used Kynee again in front of the mirror.

"I look stupid."

It was the appearance of a dazed woman.

"Ah. No. You're incredibly cute."

"......Do as you please."

I returned to the restaurant. The moment I did, everyone inside made a huge fuss, enough to shake the restaurant.

Because I had told them not to follow, and because they had turned off the cameras before the fight, half of them were worried, and the other half were cheering because they had seen the subsequent footage.

Lee Se-rin clasped her hands together, her eyes sparkling. "Are you alright?! I didn't think she was that low-level, but that Llywelyn didn't harm Hermes-nim, did she!?"

Wi Seol-ah was breathing heavily as if she had dyspnea. "I believed in Hermes-nim's overwhelming victory! But from now on, if something like this happens, please take me along too so I can protect Hermes-nim from getting hurt...."

Han Ye-jin stomped her feet behind the crowd. "Hey. Everyone, get away from Hermes op... I mean unni. You're too close.... O-op... I mean unni... Did something happen, by any chance?!"

The others were all talking at once, making it hard to understand. With more than ten people speaking simultaneously, my mind was cluttered and my stomach churned.

"Everyone, quiet down a bit."

I walked over slowly and lay back on the sofa.

"...That aside, what happened to Wolgeuk Seongun now."

Llywelyn raised her hand. "I neutralized her with the magic circle from earlier...da." Llywelyn cut off her words. Honorifics came out automatically. Well, she would adapt somehow with time. Well, it wasn't important.

"That's not what I'm asking."

I conveyed the true meaning of my words to Llywelyn. "...Wolgeuk Seongun is still alive, isn't she."

I knew Llywelyn's magic circle had been effective. Because the giant had burst. But it was hard to believe that someone at the Sacred Lotus Realm had died so easily. I didn't know how the situation was unfolding.

"...Should we watch the news."

I flipped through the channels. I kept pressing because I couldn't remember which number the news channel was. Home shopping, sports, commercials, commercials, commercials. My gaze stopped on the BBC news channel.

[Breaking News) Taeheo Singun and Wolgeuk Seongun clash at Wolgeuk General Hospital]

"......"

"......"

"......"

Everyone fell silent. The screen showed the parking lot of Wolgeuk General Hospital. On one side of the parking lot, a woman who appeared to be Wolgeuk Seongun was arguing with people wearing Democratic Party jumpers while being supported by medical staff. On the opposite side, Taeheo Singun, Heo Shin-ah, had a relaxed expression as she warmed up while drinking an energy drink. The screen changed. A female reporter quickly read something.

["Yes. I'll summarize the current situation. Under an agreement between the Democratic and Republican parties, a duel will take place. The content of the duel is the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠forfeiture of the right to run for mayor of Daejeon Metropolitan City. In this case, no replacement candidate will be fielded either, so this ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠duel is essentially no different from electing the mayor of Daejeon Metropolitan City. Some are asking why Wolgeuk Seongun Yoo Sun-ah, who was leading in approval ratings by over twenty percent, and the Democratic Party accepted this proposal—whether they're trying to hide something bigger—"]

As if cutting off those words, Wolgeuk Seongun, who had been at a distance, jumped around while screaming. Even as she cried and jumped, the concrete floor cracked each time she landed.

["I really didn't do that!!! It's true, so why are you only listening to that bitch?! It's unfair!! It's unfair!! Really aaaaaah!!! It's unfair! Am I the kind of person who would do that!!"]

Soon a familiar face appeared. Secretary Yoo Hyun-ah. I belatedly opened my phone's text message inbox.

[Yoo Hyun-ah]: [There were quite a few unexpected situations while trying to subdue her. Not only was Wolgeuk Seongun's resistance fiercer than expected, but Wolgeuk Seongun contacted high-ranking realm achievers and requested help. So quite a lot of people gathered.]

It was the factor I had been wary of from the beginning. People in high positions created connections in preparation for emergency situations.

[Yoo Hyun-ah]: [We almost lost, but thanks to Taeheo Singun-nim, it was handled well.]

"?"

[Yoo Hyun-ah]: [Evidence of Wolgeuk Seongun's instigation of male murder. Through that, there was a deal between the two parties. Instead of publicizing the criminal facts, the duel would determine that one of the two would be finished. At this rate, Wolgeuk Seongun will lose and be finished. You must have ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had a really hard time mentally.]

"...?"

I couldn't understand the situation well. Behind her, Wolgeuk Seongun was screaming at the Democratic Party officials.

["I didn't do it! I didn't do it! Why won't anyone believe me?! Why would I do something like that! I don't know! I don't know! I don't knooooow!!! I didn't do that!!"]

She was crying loudly. The puzzle pieces fit together. First, Secretary Yoo Hyun-ah had delivered evidence through Heo Shin-ah to the Republican upper echelons that Wolgeuk had tried to kill me. Through that, some conversation must have taken place between the Republican and Democratic upper echelons. And the result was this. A situation where everything would be swept under the rug through a duel in which one of them would fall into the abyss.

Of course, Wolgeuk Seongun had no chance of winning. Because Heo Shin-ah was at the Deity Realm. Being told to walk down a path to the abyss that was clearly visible, Wolgeuk Seongun was jumping around and having a fit like that.

["It's unfair! It's unfair! It's unfair! I didn't do that!!!"]

Wolgeuk Seongun stomped her feet loudly with an expression of extreme injustice. Come to think of it, Wolgeuk Seongun hadn't known I was a man, had she...? Suddenly hearing herself called a male murder instigator out of nowhere, that reaction made sense too.

The female reporter thrust the microphone toward Secretary Yoo Hyun-ah.

["The Male Management Department has decided to oversee this match. What do you think about the claim that there might be some behind-the-scenes agreement?"]

["I cannot comment on related matters. However, I hope that whoever wins this match will become a good mayor who will beautifully develop Daejeon City. That is all."]

["You damn bitch!!!"]

Wolgeuk Seongun lunged out from behind. The surrounding guards restrained Wolgeuk Seongun. A thrown medicine bottle grazed above Yoo Hyun-ah's head.

["Hey!!! You!!! Come here!!! Say it clearly right here! Don't spread rumors!!! When did I do that?! When did I do that!!"]

["Well, that makes sense. It's natural you don't remember."]

["What?"]

Wolgeuk Seongun looked at Yoo Hyun-ah with a shocked expression. Yoo Hyun-ah smiled brightly.

["Originally, perpetrators don't properly remember what they did."]

["Grrrrgh."]

Wolgeuk Seongun grabbed the back of her neck and sank to the spot.

The camera panned. Heo Shin-ah, wearing a boxing champion hoodie, was throwing punches into the air. Each time she threw a punch, her long hair swayed. Beneath the hoodie, she wore only a black sports bra and a long Vietnamese skirt. An unbalanced fashion sense.

["Hello! This is BBC reporter Lee Ji-min! I dare to behold Taeheo Singun-nim's honorable countenance! Please, a word about your aspirations before the match."]

Heo Shin-ah received the microphone and smiled. ["I will dedicate this victory to my husband."]

["As expected, Deity Realm practitioners are different from the very posture!!!"]

I rummaged through my phone's message inbox. There was a message from Heo Shin-ah.

[Heo Shin-ah]: [Nanggun-nim. I heard about the terrible incident that happened to you through the secretary. I feel a deep sense of responsibility that this happened while I was away. The sin of failing to support my husband as his wife, I will repay it over a lifetime.]

[Heo Shin-ah]: [As Nanggun-nim's wife, I will carry out revenge thoroughly.]

[Heo Shin-ah]: [I will definitely behead that disgusting Wolgeuk Seongun and bring it to you as a gift. Please watch the scene of me cutting off that disgusting Wolgeuk's head!]

A photo of Heo Shin-ah giving a thumbs up was attached. In the background, Wolgeuk Seongun could be seen in the distance. Heo Shin-ah had positioned her other hand's finger between Wolgeuk Seongun's head and body, as if taking a photo where the head had been cut off.

I made a call. But she didn't answer. She must have turned it off before the fight. Thinking of Taeheo Singun coming here holding a severed head made me feel distant.

I stood up, slamming the table. The distance to Wolgeuk General Hospital was three kilometers. If I hurried, I could arrive before the match.

"Let's go. To Wolgeuk General Hospital."

As I quickly descended the stairs, I scanned the news with my eyes.

[All S-rank hunters have been dispatched to Wolgeuk General Hospital in preparation for emergencies.]

...This is driving me crazy.