21st Century Archmage

Chapter 218: Meeting Seo Yerin

Chapter 218: Meeting Seo Yerin

“What, that news is real? The A380 airplane that one kid was riding around is landing right now?!”

“It’s true. I just got word from the higher ups.”

“My god… How many years has it been?”

There was a legend being passed down in the Incheon Airport Protocol Team about a certain kid. None of the staff members could believe that the kid who went around using the most expensive aircraft on the face of the planet as a personal plane was a Korean person just like them. But even before that rumor could be confirmed, the kid disappeared. The students who departed with him returned, but the person named Kang Hyuk didn’t, and the A380 that was parked long-term in the Incheon Airport didn’t appear again after that day.

“Everyone, be on your best behavior. He may be young, but he is a VIP important enough that even the NIS was informed of his arrival.”

The head of the Protocol Team, Kang Hyemi, drilled her employees. As someone who had come in contact with countless VIPs, she instinctively knew that the man named Kang Hyuk was an extremely important figure despite his young age.

Ding ding ding!

As the ladies of the Protocol Team chattered, the signal informing them that the plane had docked went off, upon which they straightened their uniforms and lined up at the gate entrance, a protocol used only for the highest VIPs.

Brisk footsteps echoed from the other side of the door of Gate 9, which was used exclusively for receiving diplomatic figures. The employees of the Protocol Team wanted to look up and see who it was, but they had to keep their heads slightly bowed with their hands together at their stomachs as per the reception manual.

Whirr.

The electronic door slid open.

“Welcome back from your trip abroad,” greeted the women of the Protocol Team as soon as the door opened, bowing in unison.

“Haha, hello.”

Kang Hyuk responded back with a bright voice pleasant to the ear. The Protocol Team ladies whipped their heads up as they had been dying to do.

“Ah…”

“Mm…”

The women unintentionally breathed sounds of amazement. The kid they’d heard all about was nowhere to be seen—standing before them now was a man. He was wearing a black long coat, a handmade article of clothing said to be worn by the European upper ranks. Underneath the coat was a lightweight suit adorned with a simple pattern that glinted faintly with gold, another article that ordinary people could not easily acquire, along with an ivory shirt. He was 185 cm tall, had broad shoulders, and his charismatic, shoulder length black hair was tied back neatly. Even in the eyes of international airport employees who on a daily basis received countless foreigners, particularly famous people, he was dashing enough to make the celebrity considered Korea’s most handsome man cry in shame.

“P-Please come this way.”

Surrounded by her dazed employees, the Team Leader Kang Hyemi collected her bearings and guided Kang Hyuk.

“Thank you.”

The man smiled gently at her ushering. The women recovered their wits following Kang Hyemi’s lead, their eyes glinting with an unwavering light.

Their looks were full of the desire to do whatever it took to get closer to this Kang Hyuk, who was no longer a kid but a man.

* * *

After leaving the airport lounge, I was greeted by Korea in January. The air of the homeland I had missed so dearly filled my lungs.

‘The mana is polluted, yeah.’

Mixed in the air I was breathing was Earth’s mana. Unlike the mana in Kallian, it was neither clean, nor did it have a high concentration. But I still liked it. This was the mana of the planet I was born on, the planet that made it so I could exist. Just breathing it in made me happy.

Ring ring ring, ring ring ring.

My phone suddenly rang. It was the phone Marisol had slipped into my coat pocket, an iPhone X that was said to enjoy worldwide popularity these days.

“Marisol, what’s up?”

“Hoho. Hyuk, do you know the address of your house?”

“Huh? My house? Of course I know. Why do you ask?”

“Really? Did the previous Master tell you the address of the house your parents moved to? I didn’t report it, so… How did you know?”

‘What is she talking about?’

Marisol’s doubtful query disrupted the sense of peace I’d been relishing while enjoying the air of my homeland.

“Th-They moved?”

“Yes, the previous Master prepared a new job for your father and a new house.”

“What! Master did?”

“Yes. The previous Master is more considerate than one might expect.”

‘Jeez, you old geezer. How come you didn’t say anything about it to me…’

When I asked how my parents were doing, Master Bumdalf just flippantly said that they were probably doing well. Once in a blue moon, this old coot really touched the heartstrings like this.

“Also, I highly recommend taking this opportunity to get your driver’s license. There are hundreds of sports cars from brands all over the world parked by the previous Master in each of the Group’s parking lots. Most of them have never been driven.”

‘Oh! My driver’s license!’

It hadn’t even occurred to me. The realization that I was a resident of Korea finally struck me.

“I will read out the address now. Jongno-gu Pyeongchang-dong…”

The new address came flowing out in Korean tinged with the smooth lilt of a French accent. I quickly memorized it. I told Marisol I would make my own way around in Korea, so no one from the Magician Group was waiting to pick me up.

“Taxi!”

In my wallet was a hefty wad of cash and an unlimited platinum card. I set my sights on a limousine taxi that looked the most dignified out of all the airport taxis.

‘I don’t have Bebeto here, so maybe I should buy a helicopter?’

All while making full use of exclusive benefits that no one in Korea could ever imagine.

* * *

“Woah!”

In front of me was one of those legendary gated neighborhoods in Pyeongchang-dong.

“O-Oh my god, this is our house?”

It was nothing compared to my palace on the Kallian Continent, but in Korea, this mansion—with a yard!—was a place only rich people could live in. The house I found at the address Marisol told me was large and grand enough to make most people feel intimidated at the very sight of the front gate. The wall towered a good 5 meters high, and it was made entirely of rugged high-class stones.

“That’s right, an emperor’s main house has to be this grand, at least.”

It still fell short of being a suitable residence for an emperor ruling over the Kallian Continent, but the house wasn’t completely off the mark. Satisfied, I pressed the doorbell next to the nameplate with my father’s name on it, Kang Chansoo.

Ding dong, ding dong.

The bell was cheerful and bright.

“Who is it?”

An unfamiliar lady’s voice came over the intercom.

“I should be asking that, who are you?”

“Me? Someone working in this house… We won’t buy any useless products, we’ve already found Jesus, and we don’t believe in flat earth, so if you don’t have any business here, please go away.”

‘Haha, this lady’s got spunk, that’s for sure.’

She wouldn’t be able to survive with the prickly thorns that were my parents otherwise.

“I’m the son of this household. Please open the door.”

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“What? The son of this household?”

“Yes,” I responded firmly.

“Goodness, I haven’t heard a word from the owners of the house about them having a son…”

“Gugh…!”

The woman’s suspicious reply was like a punch to my gut.

‘Sob sob. This is too much, don’t you think? It’s thanks to me you’re living so grandly… yet you seriously wiped me off of the family register?!’

Tears of sadness threatened to fill my eyes. I might be a son who grew up fending for himself in the wilderness, but how could they forget their one and only flesh and blood?

“I’m sorry, but this is really suspicious. I can’t open the door, so please wait until the owners of the house return.”

Click.

The connection cut off mercilessly.

A stunned breath escaped my lips as I looked up into the clear January sky of Seoul.

What good was being an emperor on the Kallian Continent if you were a poor bastard who couldn’t even go into their house on Earth?

* * *

“Father! Mother!!!!”

It was late at night. I made do with instant ramen for dinner at a PC cafe and went back to my supposed house. The housemaid had gone home for the day, leaving two people who greeted me with eyes of shock.

“Ha-Haha. Son, you’re back.”

“O-Oh, I don’t know whose son you are, but what a truly strapping man you are. Hohoho.”

The two greeted me with forced happiness.

“Why did you even give birth to me?! Can you understand my feelings, as someone who cannot call his parents, his parents and his house, his house?!”

I tearfully reproached my parents with a melodramatic way of speech.

‘They’re doing well, that’s great.’

Unlike my expression, I was relieved to see that they both looked healthy.

“Son, your words are a little offensive.”

“…?”

An unscrupulous glint quickly replaced the shock in my father’s eyes.

“Wj-What do you mean by that?”

“The joy we felt after having you cannot be measured with money. Looking at how you fault us, your dear and loving parents, is making me feel a severe sense of betrayal. Because of you running away from home and your occasional immaturity, we raised you nice and strong with the fist of love according to our family creed, yet you know nothing of our feelings. This goes beyond sadness into betrayal.”

‘Holy moly.’

I suddenly had the feeling that I had misstepped. On the Kallian Continent, I was an emperor who could do whatever he wanted, but this was undeniably my parents’ turf. The powerful counterattack of my dad, a male lion who had claimed this territory as his, had me at a loss for words. I had grown soft from the years away.

“Indeed! Hmph! You go off to who knows where and come back raising such a ruckus. Can’t you see how thin and sallow we are from worrying about you? We can’t sleep properly or digest our food, no matter how delicious it is. But to think we were worrying about a brat who’s baring his teeth at his parents just because the maid didn’t open the door for him… Haah, and it’s not like we can spank you, at your age.”

I had nothing to fear in this world, but there was exactly one person I feared. That person was my mother, who was calmly lying through her teeth about being thin despite her plump, rosy cheeks that looked as though they had been recently botoxed.

“And Hyuk, do you know how old you are now? While you were away, the law changed, and  children now become legal adults at eighteen. You’ve already had your birthday, so you can’t be like this. I remember very clearly that we even wrote up a contract to promise each other that once you’re an adult, your parents’ house will no longer be yours. A fully grown lion must go off on their own to conquer the world.”

‘Ngh, it’s my loss.’

My verbal combat prowess was still far too lacking to spar with these wily old foxes. My mother thoroughly crushed me with her LVL 100 speech skill, bringing up the contract I unknowingly signed when I was in elementary school. I really did promise them that I would go out independently into the world when I became an adult, as strong males should.

‘I have to bow my head.’

After playing lord and emperor in Kallian and having to bow to no one, I briefly lost sight of my parents’ wide array of attack skills. These parents of mine could make a dragon take out its own heart and offer it with two paws with their SSR tier eloquence. The realization that I was in the wrong for reproaching such beings struck my head like a lightning bolt.

“Hahaha! Your son has been away for so long and just thought it would be amusing to play a little joke. How could I possibly forget the kindness of my parents, who gave birth to me, raised me, and flung me—I mean, waited so lovingly for my return? Father, Mother, you know that this son of yours isn’t that kind of person, no? Also, it’s nothing much, but I have some gifts here for you…”

I tucked my tail in a hurry, whipping out the presents Marisol had prepared. Among them was a sizable diamond ring my mother would surely take a shine to, as well as a necktie pin set encrusted with a ruby and other gems for my father.

“Hoho, that goes without saying. Our son is a filial child.”

Upon seeing the ring with a diamond that was easily at least 2 carats, my mother beamed at me like a flower blooming in spring as if she had never been mad.

“Ahem ahem. Hyuk, I have always thought of you as the pillar of the future who will make our Kang family shine.”

My father’s change in expression was in perfect step with my mother’s.

‘Sigh, this really isn’t an ordinary household.’

It was amazing that they could greet their son like this after several years of being apart. They had complete faith in my survival abilities and cast me out even though I wasn’t some repeat runaway adolescent. In any other house, the parents would have put out a missing persons notice, sold their house, and gone around the world with pamphlets to find their son. But not in our house. I was their one and only son, but my parents had raised me with far too strict a hand.

‘Still, I became an emperor thanks to them… I’d better raise my kids like this, too.’

I was definitely a product of my parents’ strict upbringing. I decided to raise the innumerable children I would father in the future the same way, giving them special survival training that would allow them to survive even if they were dropped off in the middle of an orc village by becoming buddy buddy with the orcs and one day becoming an orc warrior.

‘You reap what you sow’ was a law prescribed by God.

* * *

“Kyaa, your kimchi stew is really the best, Mother!”

“Hoho, it is, isn’t it?”

Next to all the precious gems stuffed in my treasury and pocket dimension back on the Kallian Continent, a mere 2-carat diamond would only be suitable to adorn a sock. But that one diamond ring made my mom so happy that she even cooked me a kimchi stew. After neatly tucking away two bowls of rice, I gave her a big thumbs up, to which she responded with a beaming smile.

‘I finally feel like I’m back home.’

What was home, if not the place where my loving parents were?

“But Hyuk, do you have a girlfriend?”

“What? A-A girlfriend?”

I unconsciously stuttered a bit at my mom’s smiling question. My list of girlfriends lodged itself like taffy in my throat. How could I say that on the Kallian Continent, I had not just one, not just two, but so many future wives that they couldn’t be counted on both hands?

“Yerin is your girlfriend, right? She is, isn’t she?”

“Y-Yerin?”

My heart dropped at the mention of Yerin, my long-forgotten first love.

“Yeah. You hadn’t come back yet, but she came over not long ago asking if you were back.”

“I see…”

‘Dummy…’

I felt my heart ache at those words. A relationship between us was no longer possible. A Korean woman who grew up in a monogamous society could never tolerate a bunch of other women having the same ‘wife’ title as herself.

“Get in contact with her, Hyuk. I think she really likes you. She asked us to let her know if you ever came back, and said that her phone number hasn’t changed.”

My heart became even heavier.

“Alright. I’ll take care of it.”

“O-Okay…” Mom trailed off upon seeing me so suddenly grim. 

“But Father, which company are you working at? Did you win the lottery or something?”

Even though I already knew how they ended up here, I brought up my dad’s new job and the house to change the subject.

“Haha. The companies abroad were all aware of your father’s skills, son. After coming back from the cruise vacation you sent us on, Herman Investments appointed me right then and there to a director position. And they even gave us this house as a bonus.”

“Wow! Dad, you’re really amazing!”

“Well, this is nothing…”

“Hyuk, you have to take after your dad and become a great man too. Hohoho.”

“Of course, I will surely become a great, capable man like Father.”

“Hahaha. Gosh, my face is getting hot from embarrassment.”

It had really been a long time since I felt the warmth of a harmonious family.

‘Master, thank you.’

Unlike the things he said, Master Bumdalf was quite conscientious about worldly affairs. I would surely repay him for taking care of my parents for me.

* * *

“Hyuk!”

“Oh! Joong-hyun~!”

“Wahhh, you were alive after all!”

‘What’s a man doing, crying like that…’

After sleeping at home and waking up the next morning, I called my best friend, Joong-hyun. We decided to meet up right away, which led to our tearful reunion at a cafe called Modran in Sinchon.

“What, were you hoping this Hyungnim of yours would die?”

“Shit, man, how could you just up and disappear without a word? And it’s been 3 whole years of radio silence!”

The conscientious Joong-hyun I knew wasn’t a good swearer, but after three years apart, the curse came easily to his lips as he grilled me.

“Sorry. The master I met in Europe had me do special training, so I couldn’t contact you.”

“Special training?”

“Yeah. Don’t ask, you’ll only get hurt. I’m only telling you, but it’s top secret info protected by the state.”

“Oh… I see.”

Even I thought it was an immature answer, but Joong-hyun nodded seriously. My heart warmed at Joong-hyun’s trust in me. By merit of our friendship, he believed something even elementary school kids these days wouldn’t fall for.

“What about school?”

“Oh, you know… Just Seoul U.”

“Seoul U? Wow! Congrats, man!”

Most people who went to Daehan High got into the best university in Korea, Seoul University.

“Shucks, no need for that… But what about you? Aren’t you gonna go to college?”

“W-Well…”

“I don’t know what you’re up to, but you still need to graduate from college, don’t you? Do your GED this year and go to university with me. With your brains, you can definitely get in.”

These were definitely the sort of worries any kid in Korea would have, but not me. More important than Seoul U were my responsibilities to feed and protect my people as an emperor of the Kallian Continent. I just sideskirted Joong-hyun’s serious question with a grin.

“Yerin is doing well… right?”

I hadn’t been able to call Yerin.

“W-Well…” Joong-hyun dithered, avoiding my gaze.

“What? Did something happen? Is she sick?”

I had no idea what happened over the last three years. Hearing from my parents that she had come over to our house wasn’t enough to go by, but from Joong-hyun’s expression, there was definitely a problem somewhere.

“Yerin’s family is struggling these days. Yerin was accepted to Seoul U too, but… it seems they have no money for her enrollment.”

“W-What did you say?”

I’d heard that Yerin’s family operated a fairly robust mid-size company. It didn’t make sense that they lacked the enrollment money.

“I tried calling her to have my dad help them out, but she didn’t pick up. Yesterday, my dad said that the company Yerin’s dad was running went bankrupt.”

“Mm…” I hummed pensively.

“Even though I heard they were doing well up until recently as an Ohsung Group subcontractor…”

“The Ohsung Group? The same Ohsung that Hwang Sung-taek’s grandpa’s in charge of?”

“Yeah. That Ohsung Group.”

The mention of the Ohsung Group brought my mind to crystal clarity. Despite being run by an old codger who didn’t have any dreams, it was one of the three mega conglomerates in Korea. A subcontractor of such a huge company went bankrupt? Something was wrong.

“What about that jerk Hwang Sung-taek? What’s he up to?”

“He also got accepted into the business administration department.”

“Tch.”

I felt a wave of nausea just thinking about that rude brat, who took after his grandpa and thought that money was the answer for everything.

“Try calling Yerin, Hyuk. She might pick up if it’s you.”

I was worried about how much Yerin, a prideful girl, must be suffering right now.

‘I’ll have to look into it.’

And I couldn’t ignore the bad feeling that took root in my heart, either. I decided to look into the Ohsung Group and the company Yerin’s dad was managing.

“Got it. That aside, let’s go eat something good. Your bro will treat you for the first time in a while.”

“Really?”

“Of course! You have no idea, but this hyungnim of yours isn’t someone to be underestimated.”

On the Kallian Continent, you had to be around the level of a king to have an audience with me. And even then, you could only bump your chances up to 50/50 if you brought over a carriage full of gifts.

“Hehe, thanks. I get to eat like a king today thanks to you.”

My friend who had always lived with a generous and kind heart, Joong-hyun, beamed at me with a good-natured, happy smile.

* * *

“So what you’re saying is, Sampung Precision, a company that produces processor pumps for the heavy chemical industry, recently went bankrupt, and that bankruptcy is related to Ohsung Heavy Industries, a subsidiary of the Ohsung Group?”

“Yes, Master Hyuk. Did something happen?”

“Not yet.”

‘As I suspected.’

During my meal with Joong-hyun yesterday, I was able to find out the name of Yerin’s dad’s company. Then, I asked Marisol to look into any connections between Sampung Precision and the Ohsung Group, making use of the Magician Group’s worldwide information network.

“Marisol.”

“Yes, Hyuk.”

“Find out everything about what kind of company the Ohsung Group is and what weaknesses it has and report it to me.”

“Understood. The Group should already have that kind of information on the Ohsung Group on file.”

“Okay. Please take care of it.”

“Yes, Master Hyuk.”

I ended the call with Marisol.

“This bastard dares to hurt Yerin?”

Everything else aside, my first love was the pure and lovely angel Seo Yerin. I was displeased with the Ohsung Group, who stirred up dark clouds in her future. Or rather, it was more correct to say I was displeased about the company president’s lack of dreams.

“I can hardly call myself a man if I can’t even comfort an angel in pain.”

Steeling myself, I took out my phone. I still clearly remembered her phone number. How could I possibly forget the number my first love gave me on a rainy day while sharing an umbrella with me?

010-99xx-1179.

I slowly inputted Yerin’s number.

‘What if she doesn’t pick up because it’s an unknown number?’

Since she wasn’t even picking up Joong-hyun’s calls, she might not pick up unknown numbers. The number Marisol gave me was registered in Europe.

Riiiiiiiiiiing, riiiiiiiiiing.

I listened to the signal tone as the phone tried to connect. Even though she was a young girl, she hadn’t set any background music, and all I heard was simple beeping.

‘She’s not picking up.’

What good was being a 9th Circle mage? I couldn’t teleport to someone who refused to pick up and force them to tell me why. My call to Yerin wasn’t going through. I quietly lowered the phone.

“Hello…”

Just then, I heard Yerin’s very low and feeble voice from the phone.

“Y-Yerin.”

Quickly bringing the phone to my ear, I called her name.

“…” For a moment, there was no response. “H-Hyuk, is that you?” asked Yerin in a rush.

“Hahaha! Seo Yerin, you haven’t forgotten my voice. It’s me, Hyuk.”

“Hyuk!!!”

After confirming it was me, she called out my name. The depressed and weak voice I’d heard in the beginning was gone, replaced by a joyful tone.

“I’m back now, so I called. Yerin… I want to see you.”

If you didn’t have confidence, you weren’t a man. I couldn’t craft a beautiful love story with Yerin since I had to return to the Kallian Continent, but I didn’t want to sit around with anxiety burning a hole in my stomach like an idiot.

“Okay, where should we meet? Let’s meet right now. Yeah! Hyuk!”

Despite things being rough at home, Yerin was overtaken by happiness and instantly agreed to meet at my suggestion.

“Let’s meet… at the place where we had our first date.”

“Got it. I just need 2 hours. See you there.”

Yerin was full of strength as she gave me the time and hung up.

“Whew…”

Thankfully, Yerin picked up my call and agreed to meet me. I suddenly thought of our first date together.

“Yerin, I don’t know how much I can be of help to you, but I’ll do my best.”

I had enough power to dismantle the Ohsung Group if I really wanted to. But I still didn’t know the full details about their misdoings. I started changing my clothes, hiding a dagger inside my heart.

* * *

‘Aren’t all these people cold?’

I was a mage who didn’t feel the cold, but even I could feel that the air was pretty damn chilly. The Marronnier Park on Daehangno was bustling with the ladies who swarmed out to enjoy their Saturday.

‘Huhu, there are some brave folks here.’

Some of the women in the crowd were far and away more noticeable than the rest, both in mentality and looks. They were wearing mini-skirts even in the bitter cold. Having arrived on time by taxi, I appreciated the passing ladies’ slender legs as I waited.

‘…’

While I was distracted, I felt a certain presence slowly come up behind me. When I reached the 9th Circle, everything I had experienced in the past was reimagined in the colors of mana.

Heels clicked to a stop behind me.

“Dummy…”

The warmth behind me drew closer.

‘Yerin…’

When we had our date here in the past, all we did was hold hands, but the woman leaned her forehead on my back.

“You’ve been well, right…?” I asked, looking straight ahead. I couldn’t turn around—I was scared that if I did so and saw her face right now, I might accidentally end up hugging her.

“Yeah. I’ve been well, while waiting for a dummy…”

I could feel Yerin’s lips move on my back.

“Yeah. That’s good then.”

With a moment of gratitude simply for the fact that she was alive, I met my first love.

* * *

“Sounds nice.”

“I still like the jazz you played for me more.”

We went to the same jazz cafe where I had once played piano for Yerin, Prius. The hum of the bass accompanied us as we took a seat in the back, where we could talk.

‘It’s just that she doesn’t have wings. She’s an angel in every other way.’

I took in the first woman I had liked as a man, Seo Yerin. She had become more mature in the time I’d been away, but she still had her characteristic pale white skin, large eyes, and the graceful beauty of an elegant orchid. She gave off the same feeling as Aramis on the Kallian Continent. I felt my heart choke up as I looked into Yerin’s shining, easy gaze. 

“What are you gonna do now? You’re going to school, right?” I asked, pretending not to know anything.

“I-I should, yeah…” Yerin’s face turned bitter at my question.

“Wow, you’re going to become a new uni student then, huh? I’m jealous. You’re going to college while a certain someone was going to hell and back,” I groused, hiding my true feelings with difficulty. “I’ll definitely get my GED this year and go to school, too.”

“Really? Hoho, then we’ll be able to go to school together, Hyuk.”

“Of course. I may not look like it, but I’ve got a good brain, at least. I just have to learn a few English words, solve a few math problems, and memorize a few things. It’ll be a breeze.”

“Hmph, aren’t you being a little over-confident? Mr. High School Dropout Kang Hyuk.”

“Guh… d-dropout.”

“Hehehe… Hehehehe.”

Yerin the angel giggled brightly at my scowl. Her unrestrained laughter lit a bright candle in my heart. 

‘While I’m around, I’ll protect you. As the man who once loved you…’

I smiled along with her. She was someone I could be happy just being next to, but also someone who made my heart ache because I couldn’t be with her. I began to think that protecting such a woman while I could was part of what it meant to be a man.

Ring ring ring, ring ring ring.

We were laughing together and enjoying a joyful time when Yerin’s phone rang. Upon glancing at her phone, Yerin’s face turned rock hard.

“H-Hold on one sec…” Looking flustered, she got up and went towards the bathroom with her phone.

‘Hm, can’t be helped.’

I felt something off from Yerin’s uneasy expression, so I focused on her mana.

“Why did you call me? I’ve told you time and time again that I don’t want to hear from you!”

She took the call in the bathroom, speaking into her phone with obvious irritation.

“My dad is my dad, and I am me. And my parents aren’t the kinds of people who will be defeated by such dirty threats. No matter what you do, my parents won’t abandon me. You dirty, unfair, money-reliant insect!”

Coarse words were being spat out of the pretty Yerin’s mouth.

“Hmph! Do as you please. I can never, ever date someone like you. Hang up already! And never call me again!”

Yerin angrily snapped her slider phone closed. I wasn’t watching, but I could hear every sound she made from the mana concentrated around her.

“Sob, sob…”

And then, she began to cry. I felt a part of my chest grow icy cold.

“Hwang Sung-taek… you bastard… dirty jerk… sob sob.”

‘Wh-What did she say? Hwang Sung-taek?!’

I, too, was familiar with the rude Hwang Sung-taek. He was definitely the person Yerin had been talking to just now.

‘You son of a bitch, how dare you covet the angel without knowing your place. You little demon bastard!’

Rage surged within me towards the fucking rat who dared to covet someone even I couldn’t bear to love, my first love Yerin.

‘I’ll give you some proper mental education. I will make you realize how futile your precious money is.’

Like his grandpa, he tried to solve everything with money. He had to be nipped in the bud. He wasn’t qualified to run a conglomerate that was a pillar of this country.

“H-Hyuk… sorry.”

Yerin came back after wiping her tears to try and hide the fact that she had been crying, but she couldn’t hide the redness tinging her porcelain white nose.

“Haha, I’ll treat you today, so eat as much as you want. Let’s go somewhere nice afterwards.”

“Okay…”

Yerin made a pained smile at my laugh. At that moment, my hand curled into a tight fist under the table.

‘Hwang Sung-taek, you’re dead meat. Fuck!’

—-

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