The Tough Guy Hides the Villainess - Chapter 129



129 – A Well-Known Wedding Feast Has Plenty to Eat #2

129 – A Well-Known Wedding Feast Has Plenty to Eat #2

Being a high school senior is tough.

Even under martial law due to the ‘zombie incident’ and the ‘black rain’, we had to go to school.

With the college entrance exam approaching, there was no time to relax.

‘Not closing the school is truly legendary.’

Hwang Geum-seo was the epitome of a high school senior girl who grew up in a typical middle-class family in South Korea.

Her mom and dad were stable civil servants, so they never put Geum-seo in financial trouble.

She attended all the academies she wanted and received enough allowance.

But being a high school senior was still tough and challenging.

The vague fear of the future weighed heavily on her.

“Ah, damn, I didn’t even have breakfast, and now the weather is like this.”

Swoosh-

Geum-seo moved her heavy steps, blocking the ‘black rain’ with her umbrella.

The Man-gye High School for Girls in D City, where Geum-seo attended, was renowned for sending many students to top universities.

There were many students who were so dedicated to their studies that during the “Zombie Incident,” some of them were said to have memorized English vocabulary even while being bitten and injured by zombies.

For Geumseo, the thought of competing with such kids was suffocating, making it hard for her to enter the classroom…

Today, the classroom atmosphere was strange.

Buzzing-.

A noisy classroom.

Wondering what was going on, Geumseo slowly stepped into the classroom.

“Hey! Geumseo! Have you seen this?”

Her friend, Gyuchun, shoved her phone screen right in front of Geumseo’s face. As a result, Geumseo’s nose wrinkled for a moment.

“South Korea’s next-generation hero, Han Namjin, is holding a public matchmaking event!”

“Eligibility – Any unmarried woman”

“Preference for foot size under 240mm”

“Han Namjin is holding a matchmaking event! And it’s a public recruitment. Doesn’t that mean we have a chance too?”

Gyuchun was a friend who was part of a fan club for Han Namjin, commonly known as “Namsoonies.”

For Geumseo, who had lived an ordinary life, Han Namjin was not a subject of interest, but the idea of a matchmaking event open to everyone piqued her curiosity a bit.

With that feeling, after school.

Geumseo headed to the matchmaking venue with her friend Gyuchun.

“We are now in front of Han Namjin’s house, who returned after 20 days of being cut off from the Great Labyrinth!”

“Congratulations on your safe return, Han Namjin!”

A large crowd, including broadcasting station personnel holding cameras, had gathered in a secluded alley, surprising her once.

She was surprised again by the appearance of women who were dressed up as if competing with each other, blooming like roses.

‘The competition is fierce.’

After all, it was a situation where the most famous male student in Korea was publicly looking for a marriage partner. It was only natural that many women with various desires would flock.

“Ah, everyone, it’s Seraming. Do you see the people over there? Will it be my turn? If I twerk in front of Han Namjin, it’s a mission for 10,000 bottle caps? Call!”

Of course, most people seemed like opportunists trying to make a quick buck through this event.

However, seeing their faces full of smiles and anticipation made Geumseo feel strange.

“Zombie Incident,” “Demon Nam Woojoo,” “Black Rain,” “Genesis Holy War,” and so many other calamities had struck one after another.

In a gloomy world where there was rarely anything to laugh about, this public matchmaking event was absurd and, at the same time, a grand event that allowed people to laugh freely.

But?

“Look over there, it’s Seo Gaeul.”

“She’s really pretty. Not a single blemish on her skin.”

“Is Seo Ga-eul also participating in this matchmaking audition?”

Ordinary Geum-seo felt even more insignificant when she saw the extraordinary girls her age.

‘I should just study. What am I doing here?’

Geum-seo, who had been contemplating her future, realized her true nature. She wasn’t special, and because she was ordinary, she had to make ordinary efforts.

“Participant number 124, Hwang Geum-seo. Please come inside…!”

At that moment, a strange fairy-like girl shouted.

It was odd that her turn had come already.

Geum-seo entered the old yard and stepped into the living room. The house was so old that the wooden floor creaked.

It was surprising that such houses still existed in the 21st century, where new apartments towered everywhere, but soon it didn’t matter.

When her eyes met the boy sitting on the sofa, Geum-seo’s face flushed instantly.

“Ah… Hi, you’re Han Nam-jin, right? I saw you on the news.”

Geum-seo wasn’t a member of Han Nam-jin’s fan club, “Nam-soon,” but meeting a celebrity up close made her so nervous that she stuttered.

Han Nam-jin said to the nervous Geum-seo,

“Hwang Geum-seo, it wasn’t originally your turn, but your name was so unique that I called you first.”

Srrr-.

Geum-seo felt slightly uncomfortable with the boy’s blatant gaze, scanning her from top to bottom. Having attended all-girls middle and high schools, Geum-seo had little tolerance for boys.

‘He must think I’m ordinary compared to my shiny name. I’m crazy. Why did I come to this place and have such an embarrassing experience─.’

“Do you have any special skills?”

“Huh?”

“Do you have any special skills? Imagine a kidnapper abducts you and threatens to beat you unless you show a special skill. What would you show, Geum-seo?”

Special skills?

Geum-seo was at a loss for words when asked about her special skills.

What was she good at?

“…I… I’m good at eating live octopus.”

In fact, Geum-seo had been praised for eating live octopus well as a child. She had even appeared on a TV show for it.

Of course, eating live octopus at Geum-seo’s age was no longer a big deal. In her otherwise ordinary life, it was the only thing she could boast about.

“Muhaha, this Bao Noi has prepared live octopus for such an occasion…! Hurry and taste this disgusting wriggling creature…!”

Thud-!

The live octopus in the bowl.

Its wriggling form resembled her own situation.

‘What am I doing here right now?’

Geumseo Yang swallowed the whole live octopus with a feeling of not caring what happened next.

Chew, chew-.

‘It tastes good.’

It was at that moment.

“Whoa! You swallowed that huge thing in one bite! You really eat well! A live octopus! In one bite! In its living state! Swallowed whole!”

The male student, Han Namjin, exclaimed with eyes wide open, almost exaggeratedly.

“What is this Baonoi looking at right now? It’s truly what the nymph…!”

“This Inonoi doesn’t know what’s what, but thinks it’s really amazing!”

Everyone seemed genuinely shocked and impressed.

Geumseo Yang felt rather embarrassed, but honestly, it didn’t feel bad to be praised.

Tap-.

The male student, Han Namjin, grabbed Geumseo Yang’s shoulder.

“Your name is Geumseo, right? You look so happy eating. How about doing a broadcast where you eat live octopus? I think you have a talent for it.”

Talent.

Geumseo Yang was flustered.

From noble mtl dot com

It felt like he was teasing her.

But, thinking back, she had always eaten well since she was young.

Maybe her talent wasn’t eating live octopus, but just eating well.

“Then I’ll let you know the interview result. The result is─.”

“No, it’s okay.”

Geumseo Yang covered Han Namjin’s mouth with her palm.

The result was obvious.

She would surely be rejected.

She didn’t want to hear it.

But Geumseo Yang’s heart felt unusually light.

Because she had clearly realized what she was good at and what she wanted to do.

‘I liked showing others how well I eat! Should I study mukbang after the college entrance exam?’

Geumseo Yang left the living room like that.

The “black rain” that had been falling since the morning had stopped, and the sunlight was pouring in.

Thanks to that, the way back was unusually bright and refreshing.

# # #

“That’s really amazing. To swallow this ‘Mountain Octopus’ in one bite.”

The ‘Mountain Octopus’ was a creature found in the Great Labyrinth.

It looked similar to an octopus, but it wasn’t actually an octopus; it was an alien creature.

Even the nymphs didn’t know its true nature.

A root mollusk that lives buried in the ground like ginseng? Something like that, they say.

Still, its effects were as beneficial as combining ginseng and octopus, excellent for women’s skin beauty and greatly good for men’s stamina replenishment.

It was a material that couldn’t be sold because it was always out of stock.

However, the nymphs disliked it.

“A girl who swallows this squirming and highly resistant ingredient alive in one bite, even Inonoi had never seen such a thing…! I wanted to give her high marks for her courage, but she left…!”

Indeed.

I was also going to give her a passing score, but it’s a pity.

Anyway, I was gathering people like this and conducting a public matchmaking event.

The atmosphere heated up with a big event.

It was truly a famous feast!

In such a place, many people come with their own circumstances, and it wouldn’t be surprising if old man Hugi or members of the ‘Creation Holy War’ sneaked in.

That’s how I would contact them.

“So, who’s next?”

The line was long, so we had to proceed quickly.

As I called the next turn, a woman entered through the main door.

She was a student with red-dyed hair, and her fluttering skirt matched well with her black stockings.

Pretty.

“I’m Foxy from America, Hanamjin, I’m your fan.”

A fan of mine, that’s very nice.

When someone says they like me, I naturally become interested in them too.

“Do you have any skills?”

“I’m good at everything.”

It was Foxy, the confident American exchange student.

To see through the truth of that confidence, I decided to ask a few questions.

“Can you even do twelve times thirty-six?”

“That’s not hard. 432.”

“Then how about 441 times seventeen?”

“That’s, uh, 7,497.”

“Damn, you’re good. So, good at massages too? Try massaging my leg for a test. I gotta keep my legs in tip-top shape, you know. If you wanna date me, you gotta know how to give a massage.”

*Schwoop-.*

I stuck my foot out and the American exchange student, Foxie, looked flustered.

I bet I’m the first guy in Foxie’s life to ask for a foot massage on first meeting.

“Can’t do it?”

“No, I can.”

The American exchange student, Foxie, reached out and started pressing my foot hard with those firm hands.

*Kwak-kwak, Kwak-kwak-kwak-.*

Pressing like he was channeling some hidden spite. It kinda hurts.

But pressure points are supposed to be a little painful, right?

“Oh, good grip. Feels like all my pent-up stress is melting away.”

“Okay, done, right?”

“That was great. I wanna return the favor. Come here, I’ll give you a kiss. Get over here!”

*Pat-.*

I grabbed the American exchange student, Foxie, in a bear hug.

He started thrashing around like some animal suddenly caught in a hunter’s trap.

“What is this! We just met!”

*Smoooch-.*

I laid a wet, intense kiss, threatening to absorb all the flesh of Foxie’s cheek.

“Bwaaawk!”

The American exchange student screamed, like some pterodactyl, drinking water, getting attacked by a plesiosaur.

I burst into laughter watching him. *Khahaha-.*

“Yeah, that’s more like Seo Gaeul. And what’s with the hair? Dyed it? A wig?”

“…Since when did you know?”

“Since you walked in. What do you think my ‘sense’ for things is like? Pretty good disguise, but it couldn’t fool my nose. You’ve got a ‘Seo Gaeul scent’ all over you.”

*Sniff-Sniff-.*

As I twitched my nose, Seo Ga-eul, who had disguised herself as an American student named Foxy, frowned and swiftly took off the wig she was wearing.

“You knew all along and still did that! It’s really annoying!”

Honestly, I was also unsure.

Just by putting a dot on her face and changing her expression, she could transform into someone else.

For Seo Ga-eul, who had the concept of “mimicry,” it wouldn’t have been difficult to imitate someone else’s appearance and facial muscles.

Soon, Seo Ga-eul, who had erased all the dots on her face, spoke as if making an excuse.

“As soon as I came to my senses, there was a public matchmaking event. I was trying to monitor if you were up to something suspicious. There was no other intention, so don’t misunderstand, okay?”

What misunderstanding?

“A love comedy development where Seo Ga-eul, who secretly likes me, tries to have a matchmaking event with me? Don’t worry. Even if it were someone else, there’s no way you, Seo Ga-eul, would do such a thing.”

“…Hmph, you know me well.”

“Just in time. Women are good at understanding other women, aren’t they? There are about 30 people lined up, so you can help me score the matchmaking candidates.”

“What? Are you really planning to continue this weird matchmaking recruitment or whatever it is? And you want me to help with that?”

“Yes, it’s an opportunity to meet someone like me, a famous person. You never know what kind of women might come. There could be dangerous ones mixed in.”

Having Seo Ga-eul by my side was beneficial in its own way.

Given the uncertainty of how the terrorists from the “Genesis Holy War” might act, Seo Ga-eul would be a reliable force.

Since I hinted that we didn’t know what kind of women might come, the quick-witted Seo Ga-eul, like a sly fox, would have understood my intention.

“Fine, if that’s how you’re going to be, I’ll thoroughly help you score them!”

Thus began Seo Ga-eul’s judging, which was as harsh as a sister-in-law’s.