I saw Commander Jin freeze for a second before turning to look my way. Naturally, I revealed a faint, smug smile. His expression soured, clearly struggling to keep his composure, but I knew he wouldn’t risk doing anything rash.
Explaining or making excuses to the kids about what just happened wasn’t exactly his style. Asking me what kind of nonsense I was saying this time wasn’t the answer either.
If he didn’t want to end up at that hospital with Hyun-Sung, staying silent and playing dumb was the right choice to make here.
‘I did say it was for work.’
He probably wanted to cause a scene, but the line between work and personal matters had already been drawn, so neither of us crossed the boundaries we silently agreed to keep.
For now, all he could do was accept the role of a “bad father.” As expected, he didn’t react and just stared at me as if telling me that this wasn’t over.
Then, he muttered, “Damn it.
He turned around once more and walked away as fast as he could.
“...”
“...”
— You jerk.
"Careful on your way back, Commander Jin. You’ve been a great help."
— What a pitiful little stunt... You’d better look forward to our next meeting.
"Why are you being so childish? I’m not exactly in the best emotional state right now. You, of all people, shouldn’t be stooping to this level. Do you really want to pick a fight with a kid? And blaming me for something that happened by chance... You were the one who cursed first, Commander Jin... Maybe if you behaved..."
— By chance? Yeah right.
"Anyway, be careful on your way home. I’ll be looking forward to your performance review. If the results are good, I’ll make sure that you'll get the funding you need..."
Seeing that he had left open the communication channel he claimed to have blocked, it was clear that he wanted to get the last word in.
Sure, the idea of a rainbow cotton candy actually showing up at the meeting next month was mildly horrifying, but at that moment, I couldn’t help but smirk at having landed a solid hit on him.
Kim Myung-Won and Aryl’s stunned faces said it all.
‘If a villain has a tragic backstory, a redemption arc is basically mandatory.’
The guy who seemed to be capable of nothing but being rude and arrogant. He was full of pride and couldn't care less about the opinion of other people. He was raised in the Republic and had a cold heart, but deep within, he had been harboring a secret.
Was he truly a villain? Or was it all just him struggling for his father’s approval?
Making them have those thoughts didn’t seem like a bad idea. It felt like one chapter was closing, and another was about to open. However, what could go wrong would go wrong.
I was surprised to learn that Kim Myung-Won truly carried the Blue Guild’s blood.
Kim Myung-Won reached out to Jin Cheong and stopped him from leaving.
“You...” Kim Myung-Won said.
“...”
“How dare you say that?!” Kim Myung-Won shouted.
‘Wait... Myung-Won. Confidence is good, but...’
“Apologize right now,” Kim Myung-Won demanded.
“What...?”
“Take back what you said just now! Apologize to Jin Young,” Kim Myung-Won said.
Kim Myung-Won’s fiery gaze made me uncomfortable, even embarrassed. Normally, I wouldn’t feel sorry for Jin Cheong, but for once, I genuinely reflected on myself.
— Damn it, Lee Ki-Young. Do something about him...
"Hold... on."
I was sure that Commander Jin wasn’t very fond of children. It was actually hard to imagine him talking to a kid. I could feel that children instinctively repelled him.
I saw Jin Cheong’s flustered face. He was feeling flustered when the kid grabbed his sleeve and unleashed the Blue Guild’s DNA inside him. I was sure Commander Jin was feeling baffled. He definitely had no idea how to respond to a child screaming at him.
"Wait... I didn’t expect this to happen. I’m really... really sorry."
— Now isn’t the time to apologize. Get this kid... Shit! Do something!
“I... don’t know who you are... but this—Whatever your reasons are, it doesn’t matter. Apologize at once. Simply being a father doesn’t give you the right to verbally abuse someone,” Kim Myung-Won demanded.
“First of all, I’m not—”
“Ugh! Don’t make me laugh! Is that how you're going to avoid this issue? By saying that he’s not your son?!” Kim Myung-Won interrupted Jin Cheong.
Jin Cheong's first attempt to extricate himself from this situation ended up in a spectacular failure.
“Damn it. I’m tired of explaining things...” Commander Jin mumbled.
“You!”
"Just shake him off and leave. No point in getting all worked up."
— Lee Ki-Young, you scum. Shit...
"I-I’m sorry about this. I’ll make sure you get a big budget."
On his second attempt, he shook Kim Myung-Won off using brute force.
“Stop right there!” Kim Myung-Won shouted.
However, Jin Cheong vanished swiftly into thin air, almost as if he teleported out of here.
— Shit! You piece of trash!
"I didn’t expect this to happen."
— Don’t make me laugh! Shit! Shit! I can’t believe you’re making me go through this. I don’t care what you do, but don’t drag me into something like this!
"You’re the one who came here! I wasn’t thinking about getting you involved..."
— You just had to bring that up... Shit! I shouldn’t have said anything. I shouldn’t have come here, damn it.
"L-Let’s just pretend this never happened."
He went radio silent after that, and an awkward silence hung in the air.
The boy, who had come out for a walk with Miss Kim Mi-Young and Aryl, was quiet. I was sure they felt like they had witnessed something they weren't supposed to witness, so they were at a loss for words.
Given that we weren’t even close, I was sure it was hard for them to offer comfort or even say something. If they had been more mature, it would have been easier for them to do that, but they were still just kids.
Miss Kim Mi-Young whispered, “Young Master...”
The one who broke the silence wasn’t Kim Myung-Won or Aryl. Instead, it was me. My face was twisted with inexplicable anger and self-loathing as I turned to them and asked, “Who said you could get involved?”
“What?! Aren’t you being rude? Myung-Won did it for you...” Aryl shouted at my cold words.𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎
“I don’t understand which part of that was for me. Arrogant fools... are you pitying me now? Well? Are you satisfied? Must feel great to see me like this, filthy bastards,” I cursed.
“That’s not it...”
“Get away from me this instant. Also, forget what you saw today... This is a warning. If you disgrace my father’s name in the slightest... I swear, I will destroy you all,” I warned.
This was the least I could do to apologize to Commander Jin.
“Even after hearing that—”
“It’s none of your business,” I interrupted her.
“Y-young M-master...” Kim Mi-Young stuttered.
“It’s the same for you, Rina,” I added.
The loud slam of the door was an obvious sign that I didn’t want to talk to them anymore.
From here on, it was all up to Miss Kim Mi-Young.
I told her to try getting closer, and judging by how things had gone, it seemed like they had gotten really close, so it made sense for me to leave things to her.
I hadn’t filled her in ahead of time, but she was more than capable of putting the story together on her own.
I sprawled out on the bed and turned on the Goddess’ Hand Mirror. Sure enough, I saw Miss Kim Mi-Young and the two kids. They still looked stunned and speechless. Kim Myung-Won was biting his lips, and his fists were shaking. Strictly speaking, it wasn’t even his business, but for some reason, he was furious over what Commander Jin said.
‘He’s too nice.’
Miss Kim Mi-Young also seemed quite satisfied with her son’s behavior. I wondered if he was being overly dramatic, but compared to the kids from the Republic, he was relatively tame.
At least he wasn't the type to get overly excited about things like black magic.
Perhaps the silence was becoming unbearable because Aryl quietly opened her mouth.
"We worried for nothing... Tch... it's not like we wanted to see all that anyway..."
"..."
"Now I just feel awkward... and uneasy... It might’ve been better if we hadn’t seen anything at all. I don’t even know what I just saw, and I’m not sure if what I heard was even true... D-Don’t you agree, Myung-Won?"
"Yeah..."
"I’m annoyed... How could the person who symbolizes the Republic... do such a thing..."
"..."
"He’s the Hero of Shadows... a symbol... so how could he do that to his own son? He receives so much support from the denizens of the Republic, so how... I never thought I'd say this, but I feel really bad for Jin Young... No one deserves to be treated that way. He's kind of annoying and rude, but no one deserves to be treated that way."
"..."
"This is exactly why you can’t trust the image that the media creates for people. He’s definitely a bad person. He can’t even take care of his own family... so how could he manage the affairs of a nation? The hero of the Republic? Hmph. More like a child abuser... If I were Jin Young, I wouldn’t be able to take that abuse," Aryl rambled on.
Aryl was yapping, but her continuous chatter did little to break the silence. When they quietly moved to their secret base, Kim Myung-Won turned to Miss Kim Mi-Young and said, "Rina."
"Yes?"
"Could you tell me what happened to him?"
‘How will that help you?’
Teenagers who take matters into their own hands without any help from adults only existed in dramas, so I believed this kid wouldn't do something just by hearing my story, but for some reason, he seemed ready to listen.
There was even a glint of determination shown in his eyes. The situation was so unexpected that Miss Kim Mi-Young was flustered. She had no idea what story she was supposed to tell or what exactly she was expected to say.
"That’s..."
"Please, Rina. I know it’s hard, but please tell us."
"I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you anything about the young master."
"Please."
"Myung-Won is right, Rina. It won’t resolve the issue if we don’t do anything. I don’t think we’ll really be helpful... but I at least want to understand that idiot," Aryl chimed in.
‘Don’t try to understand me.’
At first, Miss Kim Mi-Young seemed like she wanted to remain silent, but she probably couldn’t ignore the kids’ wishes. After a while, she cautiously said, "I don’t know the details either because I merely serve the young master."
"..."
"The young master has not been... acknowledged by the commander."
"How does that make any sense? If he can’t gain the commander’s recognition, then who on earth can? It’s kind of annoying, but he’s a genius. You can even say that he has god-given talent. Don’t you recall what Miss Jung Ha-Yan said?"
"It’s a curse, not a talent. It would be more fitting to describe it as a nightmare..."
Miss Kim Mi-Young continued the conversation after clearing her throat once.
"The young master’s mother... so the lady of the house..."
"What about her?
‘What?’
"She passed away because of the younger master... to protect him."
‘Wait... that’s a bit sudden...’
I had never heard of that before.
"The young master has to endure that cursed power, as he's part of a cursed family."
"..."
"..."
‘Are you a writer or something?’
The story was changing so quickly that I couldn’t keep up with it.