abcnovels
Chapter 119: The Battlefield Of Proof, Ulleung (5)
Chapter 119: The Battlefield Of Proof, Ulleung (5)
Chapter 119: The Battlefield Of Proof, Ulleung (5)
Immediately after hanging up the phone, Baek Seol-hee began her investigation.
Yumir.
Age 20.
“Damn.”
Ability User. E-Class. Physical enhancement.
“Hmph.”
Profile picture.
“…Tsk.”
A mix of emotions ran through her as she was angered by Yumir’s youth, relieved by her being of a lower ability grade and irritated yet amused by the photo on the wiki.
“Right. I should’ve known.”
It wasn’t clear if he had kept it a secret until now or if this was a recent development.
Do Ji-hwan was a married man and had multiple relationships.
Given that he abided by his wife’s wishes and instructions, if he set his mind to it, he could potentially be with anyone.
But a 20-year-old university student?
Even for someone as free with women as he was, could he be this free?
With Baek Seol-hee around-
“…9 days, 21 hours, 34 minutes?”
Baek Seol-hee briefly activated her smartphone, opened an app, and checked the time.
It was a stopwatch app that had been running from a certain point in time, the specifics of which didn’t need to be stated.
A considerable amount of time had passed since the last time. Looking at previous records, they seemed to be spaced almost 10 days or two weeks apart.
The first meeting aside, since the time she sought mental care consultation on Ulleung Island, there had only been three occasions when the stopwatch was used.
“…Hmm.”
Baek Seol-hee pondered.
Would a wife be satisfied with such infrequent encounters?
Perhaps she might ask why they weren’t meeting more often and demanded a photograph?
-You know, I hurt my hand. With my wife…hahaha.
She remembered their last conversation.
While she was in a fierce battle in Gangwon Province, Do Ji-hwan was also fighting with his wife.
-How many times have I told you! Whether it’s pictures or videos, take as many as you can! Quality matters, but quantity does too!
-Okay, okay. Calm down, honey, okay?
-The next time you return to Sejong Island, bring at least one side dish per day! Understand?! If not, I’ll divorce you!
-Honey! I’m sorry! I’ll do better! Okay?!
“…Maybe not?”
She recalled a drama she watched yesterday.
It was about a man begging a woman. Some men criticized it, but the plot revolved around a non-ability man and an A-grade ability woman, which resonated with viewers.
Naturally, in a marriage between an ability user and a non-ability user, the ability user was the dominant one.
Perhaps Do Ji-hwan’s wife was an ability user.
Do Ji-hwan might seem like someone who might stray with other women, but the character Baek Seol-hee had observed wasn’t like that.
The basis of Do Ji-hwan’s affairs was love for his wife.
It might sound absurd, but the man Baek Seol-hee knew was precisely that.
-Ji-hwan, I like you. Would you divorce your wife and marry me?
-Huh? Seol-hee, I do that because my wife likes it. Don’t misunderstand, okay?
-Oh, um, okay….
Though she hasn’t asked directly and hasn’t yet discovered who his wife is, after hearing the shocking truth from Do Ji-hwan, Baek Seol-hee devised a plan.
To liberate Do Ji-hwan.
To free Do Ji-hwan from his current wife for his happiness.
Yes.
Everything then made sense.
“…Poor Ji-hwan. Because I couldn’t meet him often.”
She reached a conclusion.
As soon as she hung up, Baek Seol-hee felt that the time they’d spent together was sufficient. However, the “crazy woman” who broke Do Ji-hwan’s left hand was so demanding that she even used violence against him.
Because of his love for such a woman, Do Ji-hwan must have sought out the company of a new woman named Yumir.
“I don’t like this.”
Baek Seol-hee sat up.
She tapped her Taegeuk Watch, promptly displaying her calendar on her smartphone screen.
Tomorrow was the day she returned to Sejong Island.
Fortunately, on the day she was recruited for a government official event, there were no other lectures or events, except for one by the Hero Association.
In that case…
Beep beep.
[What’s the matter at this hour?]
“Chairman? I think I need to take a day off at home tomorrow.”
[Why? What happened all of a sudden?]
“Just… a day off.”
[…! Ah, I understand. Geez. Alright, rest well. If anyone looks for you, I’ll handle it. Rest, okay?]
“Thank you.”
Baek Seol-hee covered her Taegeuk Watch.
“Ah, oh my…”
She then covered her face with her hands.
“What have I done…”
In Baek Seol-hee’s heart,
The moment the tip of the triangle touched the ground, fragments of her conscience scattered.
It was a series of shocks and horrors.
From evening to midnight, Yumir ruminated on the events and reflected on them.
The conclusion?
“He’s trash.”
The Goblin was trash.
To recruit the Magical Girl Solar Platina, he deliberately didn’t mention the dangerous situations she could face.
Based on his vague advice, he tried to manipulate the situation so that Solar Platina would side with him.
To put it bluntly, the Goblin aimed to recruit her by any means necessary.
That was fine.
Because he was a villain.
However…
“My goodness. How can this be?”
Yumir quickly logged into the Hero Wiki and repeatedly searched for the entry titled ‘Baek Seol-hee’.
There were many rumors.
There were stories of men confessing to Baek Seol-hee, celebrities naming her as their ideal type, and even international S-Class heroes expressing a desire to spar with Snow White.
Given the extent of courtship she received from both men and even women, there was a separate page titled ‘Baek Seol-hee/Controversies/Courtship’.
There was no mention of ‘Do Ji-hwan’ under the data on Baek Seol-hee.
And that was expected.
If it had been there, there would’ve been an uproar globally.
If a rumor like ‘S-Class Ability User Miss White is in love with D, a librarian from the academy?!’ had spread, suitors from all over the world would’ve hunted down Do Ji-hwan.
They would do it without knowing that Do Ji-hwan was the Goblin; he was just a librarian at Sejong Academy.
And then-
“Oh…!”
While searching for the name Do Ji-hwan, Yumir accidentally clicked on a strange site.
“What the-? Are you kidding?”
She felt her heart sink.
-‘Library parachute is awesome lol’
?Lucky. She got in as a parachute* and successfully charmed an ability user.
?Must be because she’s a foreigner. If she were Korean, she’d be reported immediately.
?Isn’t she an ability user for marrying a foreigner? Don’t do the assigned book sorting!
Photos of Yumir and Do Ji-hwan entering the dorm together had been uploaded.
“What on earth are these people doing?!”
Yumir started to genuinely feel fear. Conversations about her, blending facts and rumors, were rapidly spreading in places she didn’t even know of.
While it was stressful enough to have information about Solar Platina circulating, seeing personal information about Yumir spreading was even more unsettling.
“So, this is why he told me.”
Yumir had a rough idea of Do Ji-hwan’s intentions and thoughts. From his honest words to his familiarity with the darker parts of the world and his awareness of public perceptions, Yumir understood why Do Ji-hwan had revealed the truth to her.
Perhaps he wanted to sever ties with Yumir, the student, and only approach her as Solar Platina.
Or maybe he was challenging her, suggesting that if Baek Seol-hee, being an S-class hero or whatever, was confident, she should step up.
Yes.
Exactly that.
“He thinks he can handle two people of S-class or higher on his own.”
Whether it was a real fight or another kind of battle, confrontation was inevitable.
Whether the fight was over Do Ji-hwan.
Or over the Goblin.
“…Heh.”
Yumir smirked and reached into her closet.
“I do have an advantage.”
Inside the wardrobe, a faint golden light shone dimly due to the fluorescent light. When Yumir reached in, the wall faded, revealing a new set of clothes.
A black robe.
Yumir’s golden power seemed to spread around it like a plastic wrap. Taking out the robe, Yumir draped it over herself like a blanket.
Inhaling deeply through her nose, Yumir’s eyes became drowsy with each breath. Her eyes resembled someone inhaling ‘mana powder’, looking even more languid and content.
“I will win.”
She then whispered beneath the robe.
“Snow White might have been with Do Ji-hwan.”
She giggled.
“But I, I was with the Goblin.”
With eyes closed, clutching the robe tightly and wriggling her legs, Yumir-
“Ah!”
Suddenly jumped up from the bed.
“… It’s Ji-hwan oppa going to Ulleungdo.”
Not the Goblin.
Yumir grumbled, feeling somewhat wronged as she fiddled with the robe.
“Ugh… In that case.”
She stared intently at the calendar and her lecture timetable on the desk.
“…A cheat key only usable by women; should I use it once?”
The next morning.
Two women took a break from their schedule for some reason.
Sick leave and sick day.
The specific reasons were confidential and couldn’t be known.