“Yoon Iseon, what are you doing?”
“In the middle of a war.”
Yoon Iseon fervently typed something on her smartphone.
“I can tolerate people bad-mouthing me, but I can’t stand it when they bad-mouth my number one pick.”
“Is it some kind of idol competition?”
“Similar.”
With the fire blazing in Iseon’s eyes, Yumir found it awkward to say anything. However, she somehow felt the conversation concerned her.
“What kind of program is it?”
“Well, it’s not an idol competition. It’s more like an internet thread called ‘Matched Up’. Ah, but right now, that person over there is pushing some weird thing as their number one pick.”
Yumir was not the type to back down in such situations with just an ‘Ah, I see…’ response.“Let’s take a look.”
“…….”
“What? Platinum Sun is Goblin’s official…?”
“Oh, that’s….”
Yoon Iseon flinched as Yumir suddenly leaned in close.
“This is about you, Iseon, right? You said your parents are from Chuncheon. Hmm, I get the ‘Fire Fox’ part. So, Chuncheon Fire Fox’s number one pick is Platinum Sun as Goblin’s partner?”
“That, that’s…”
“Nice. Thanks. In many ways.”
“…Yeah.”
Yoon Iseon felt a surge of emotion at the menacing magical power pressing down on her shoulder. However, she was more startled by Yumir’s sudden affinity, which had closed the gap between them so quickly overnight.
“But why do you do this?”
“I, I think public opinion should start changing.”
“Public opinion?”
“People linked with the Goblin. Even if the government labels Goblin as a villain, he’s popular among the people.”
“That’s true.”
The Goblin was popular among the people.
His following was more than just a cult, yet not quite acknowledged openly by the mainstream.
“He’s popular, but you can’t openly declare your love for the Goblin, right?”
“It used to be like that.”
After all, he was a villain.
Officially recognized by the government.
“Until now, people have linked Snow White with him, right? They’ve clashed quite a bit.”
“Right, right.”
“Linking Snow White might bring down articles, but linking Goblin with someone else isn’t a problem.”
“Because he’s a villain?”
“Yes. Because he’s a villain.”
Of course, being a villain made it easier to stir up gossip.
“There’s a rumor that scary guys will come after you if you stir up gossip about villains, but it’s not like you’re insulting them or anything. The guys in black suits with dark sunglasses only come after you if you insult a hero. And the government.”
“…….”
“If you insult a hero, you might face a lawsuit, but at least villains don’t bring lawsuits like that.”
At least, whether it was management or the hero themselves, you wouldn’t get sued for stirring up some weird rumors online if you weren’t a hero!
“So, people have been creating couples with the Goblin for a while. The country even encouraged it.”
“Encouraged it?”
“By linking the Goblin with a female ability user and claiming him as one of their own, they’d pardon his past crimes and turn him human through legal deals.”
This plan existed not only in Korea but also in other countries.
“Thus, there have been many women linked with the Goblin. Ability users, celebrities, even businesswomen… Though Snow White was the most popular, now it’s different.”
“Now it’s time to link the Platinum Sun?”
“Platinum Sun has appeared with the Goblin a few times. Now she’s being called Goblin’s arch-enemy, or rather, arch-hero.”
“Platinum Sun?”
“Exactly.”
“…Hmm.”
Yumir felt inexplicably happy at the thought of being positioned opposite the Goblin.
“Once linked with the Goblin, Platinum Sun’s popularity will increase, and more importantly…”
Yoon Iseon clenched her fist, striking a fighting pose.
“I support Platinum Sun. Linking her with the Goblin.”
“But, didn’t you like the Goblin?”
“I do. As a fan.”
“So, what if the Goblin actually marries someone, like Platinum Sun or Snow White, or even has a child?”
“I’ve been asked this before.”
Yoon Iseon looked up at the ceiling with a detached expression.
“Then I should wish for happiness. I’m a fan inspired by the Goblin’s actions, not someone who wants to throw myself at him. Oh, by ‘throwing myself,’ I mean…”
“I get what you mean. And you don’t need to be so fiery about the comment you’re writing.”
“Why not?”
“Well…”
Because she had seen all there was to see.
Should she tell her?
Perhaps it was better not to shatter Yoon Iseon’s illusions.
And there was no need to give Yoon Iseon unnecessary information.
Unless the Goblin started the conversation.
Her heart was already pounding, wondering if she should reach out for counseling, but she didn’t want any strange variables to pop up.
“As for Platinum Sun.”
Yumir straightened up with a determined look.
“Even without this public opinion campaign, Platinum Sun is the official one.”
“…Really?”
“Of course.”
That was certain.
“No matter who was there before, now Platinum Sun will be by the Goblin’s side.”
Yumir, having made up her mind, was not going to back down.
Even if it was Snow White, the executives of Yi Maengmangnyang, or even their ‘Chief’ at the top, she wouldn’t back down.
Her goal, as Yumir, a woman of today, was to reach a position equal to or higher than the Chief.
For that goal, Yumir would keep moving forward.
“If that’s what you think, okay. But I should discipline this troublemaker who’s stirring things up.”
“…What if it’s not a troublemaker?”
“It is. You can tell they’re an ability user just trying to have fun by stirring things up.”
“What do you mean?”
“Think about it.”
Yoon Iseon pointed at each comment and chuckled.
“There are S-class male ability users in this country, and it’s not like there’s a huge age gap or anything. Why would they stir up rumors with the Goblin? They’re just making trouble. Maybe they don’t like the other S-class men and are pushing the Goblin instead.”
“…….”
The gender ratio of the S-class was currently 4:3, four men to three women.
The two eldest held the 1st and 2nd positions in the S-class, while Armored Taejo claimed the 7th place, nearly in order of age.
“Or maybe they’re deliberately linking Goblin with trouble to associate him with Baek Seol-hee or other S-class heroes.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just watch. Look, the serious scholar is approaching.”
Someone posted a comment.
[Hong Gil-dong]: What are you talking about? Of course, our country’s S-class should patriotically produce heroes. How can we expect our S-class to marry someone whose Korean identity isn’t even confirmed?
“…See, there are those who oppose international marriages.”
“What if the Goblin is Korean?”
“Then, naturally, they would try to match him with Snow White or others. For the patriots, it’s crucial to marry Koreans to produce ‘Korean heroes’.”
Yoon Iseon shrugged with indifference.
“Well, I don’t think bloodline is that significant. Nationality is what truly matters. Look at how many Korean ability users are scattered all over the world. We live in a global era now. International marriage isn’t a bad thing, is it?”
“Um… Look.”
Yumir spoke softly, believing it was safe since the topic was about her.
“I haven’t told anyone, but actually…”
She whispered.
Yoon Iseon’s eyes grew wide.
“Really?”
“Truly.”
“No matter how I look at you…”
“I drink a lot of maple syrup.”
“Ah, uh, that’s surprising. Wow… Thanks for sharing. It’s really unexpected. …Hehe.”
Yoon Iseon briefly laid her head on Yumir’s chest, then bit her lower lip.
“… I’m envious. So, it’s a matter of genetics.”
“Listen closely.”
Yumir lowered her voice once more.
“There’s a method to enhance abilities.”
“…Really?”
“Yes. Let’s try—”
[Ah, an announcement. We will be arriving at Sejong Island in 10 minutes. Students, please prepare your belongings for disembarkation. Once again…]
The announcement interrupted them.
“Perfect. Then… as soon as we get to the island, let’s get to it. We’ll be on break for the rest of the practice anyway.”
“…Huh?”
Yumir’s face stiffened.
“We’re doing it right after we arrive?”
“Yeah. Why? Is there something urgent?”
“Well, not urgent, but…”
Yumir looked distressed.
Having a friend who was sensible, considerate, supportive, and put in effort for her was great, but…
“Why? My room is safe. No one else will find out. The student council president’s room is a single.”
“It’s not that.”
“We became friends during practice, so nobody will think it’s strange. Hehe, I’m looking forward to working with you.”
“Sure.”
Unfortunately, the kindness shown to a friend has now become a predicament for her.
While Brewer boiled pork for lunch, I, having finished my shower, reviewed the documents about the movements of the secret society with Doul, who had just come out of the shower.
“With the Goblin stepping in, the chaos has subsided, and now it’s time to counterattack using Duoexini’s death.”
Doul handed me a photo.
It looked crude, like a public document photographed with a mobile phone camera, but discerning the contents wasn’t too difficult.
“The people who were turned into Zenros and made to enter Sejong Island was the Chief’s decision.”
“As expected.”
If they deliberately came to Sejong Island, they would surely be hiding something that justice-driven people couldn’t easily meddle with.
“Fifty-two people in total. If any of them are swapped or their whereabouts become untraceable…”
“They must have been taken to the devil’s lab.”
Even with Duoexini’s death, they wouldn’t want to lose fifty-two test subjects.
“Once we confirm their location on Sejong Island, we’ll immediately raid all the devil’s labs there.”
“Just the two of us?”
“No.”
Doul winked at me.
“If you’ve had fun flirting with two heroes, isn’t it time to have a messy, sticky time with two villains?”
“Who’s coming?”
“Gunggi.”
That’s what we were going to do.
“If you’ve played house with the heroes.”
Using the Zenros demons, we would destroy all the devil research labs on Sejong Island.
“Now, it’s time for us to have some real fun, right?”
Like true villains.
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