The Tough Guy Hides the Villainess - Chapter 138



138 – The Fear(?) of Summer Vacation #3

138 – The Fear(?) of Summer Vacation #3

An unknown entity had mimicked Chang-sik and mixed among us─.

I informed everyone gathered in the villa lobby of this fact.

“I thought the suspicious person was Wang Ja-geon, but he was just a suspiciously kind person. He was being sneaky and confusing people for no reason.”

Jin Eun-byeol nodded as if something had dawned on her from my explanation.

“The source of the discomfort I felt was the fake Chang-sik. No wonder he acted awkwardly when I asked him to apply oil on my back. We’re not at the stage where we’d feel embarrassed about such things anymore.”

Chang-sik was a guy who used to lock the beautiful Jin Eun-byeol in a container and perform perverted and luxurious acts like wiping her body with a wet towel.

Such a guy hesitated to apply oil on Jin Eun-byeol’s back now, so it was natural to feel discomfort.

Anyway.

“There is a chance that ‘it’ that transformed into Chang-sik has transformed into one of us again. I don’t know what its purpose is, but deceiving others can’t be good.”

The children looked at each other’s faces with anxious eyes, thinking that anyone could be a fake.

Soon, Bao-noi, the nymph of the stream and a great lover of baobab trees, jumped up like Archimedes discovering the principle of buoyancy.

“This Bao-noi knows who the culprit is…! The fake is none other than Ino-noi…!”

“What…! This Ino-noi is a fake, that’s something even this Ino-noi didn’t know…! And this Ino-noi doesn’t even know what’s going on right now…!”

“In Bao-noi’s view, Ino-noi is the fake…! If Ino-noi wants to prove that he is real, he should shout ‘I am bald’ three times and donate all the bottle caps he has to Bao-noi…! Then his innocence will be proven…!”

“This Ino-noi is not bald…! And this Ino-noi cannot accept just giving away the bottle caps he worked so hard to collect…!”

“Then Ino-noi is indeed the fake…! If he were the real Ino-noi, he wouldn’t have left Bao-noi alone in the forest to be bored and lonely…!”

The nymphs started bickering.

Most of Bao-noi’s words were nonsense, but surprisingly, there were many helpful parts in this situation, especially the way to prove one’s authenticity.

It would be good if everyone could present alibis, evidence, etc., to claim their innocence.

Because the missing fake Chang-sik might have disguised himself as someone else again.

First, it seems best to focus on investigating the timeline of ‘after dinner’ when the fake Chang-sik existed.

“This Baek-yeoul feels like I’m in the scene of a detective novel I’ve only heard about…! Joyful Hee(喜) Heeheeheehee…! By the way, this Baek-yeoul was with the big Baek-yeoul…!”

“I was also with Mi-bbang at the lodging after dinner. Eun-byul was with us too, so our alibi will be proven!”

Jin Eun-byul, Bbang-daeng, and Mi-bbang had no time to be switched with fakes─.

Is that how we should see it?

“Wang Ja-hyun, what about you?”

“I, that Chang-sik… no, that fake disappeared saying he was going to the bathroom, and I’ve been alone in my room since then. I’m not a fake! I’m real!”

“Wang Jja-hyun! So you are the fake! I thought something was suspicious since you invited us to the villa! Wang Jja-hyun would never do something so kind!”

Bbang-daeng clenched his fist and threatened to hit Wang Ja-hyun. Wang Ja-hyun, feeling wronged, desperately claimed his innocence, but his alibi was lacking.

For now, on hold.

“…I was with Mori. Kim Mori. We were talking in the garden…”

“I was with Deok-hee too.”

Wang Ja-hyun’s new girlfriend Kim Mori and Deok-soon were in the garden, so their alibi was somewhat satisfied?

Then what about Yoo Yeoreum?

Yoo Yeoreum answered simply.

“I was taking a bath alone. But what’s going on now? Explain it in three lines so I can understand. What’s fake?”

Yoo Yeoreum’s alibi is also weak.

For now, Wang Ja-hyun and Yoo Yeoreum became the main fake suspects.

In this situation, the sinister Seon-in Wang Ja-geon smiled while petting the retriever Chun-seong.

“…Khehehe, this will be a very special memory. A special memory of the last summer vacation that will never come back… Kukukuk…”

「Name: Wang Ja-geon」

「Status: 《Satisfied》 – It’s pitiful that everyone is anxious. But since I made a joke, everyone must have relaxed a bit. As expected, I can control people’s emotions!」

Truly a perverted human.

We thus isolated Wang Ja-hyun and Yoo Yeoreum in their respective rooms.

Knock knock knock-. Ding dong-!

At that moment, someone knocked on the villa door and rang the bell.

“Let’s all go.”

Heading to the front door, Seo Ga-eul stood there with a sullen expression.

“Why did everyone come out? Are you all so happy to see me that you came out to greet me? I guess I’m pretty amazing.”

Seo Ga-eul seemed to find it funny that we were all huddled together.

Baek Yeoul frowned at Seo Gaul.

“What! Why are you empty-handed! I sent you a message to bring an ice cream cake when you come!”

“Did you? My phone is broken, so I didn’t know.”

“No wonder there was no reply!”

The appearance of Seo Gaul.

Whether it will be a variable in solving the current case or not.

I explained to Seo Gaul what had just happened.

“Are you a shapeshifter? If you have a concept like ‘transformation’, it’s quite possible. I also have the concept of ‘imitation’, so if I polish it well, it’s not difficult to imitate others.”

“As expected, Gaul, I like how quick you understand. In that sense, you also need to prove that you are real. If you are real, you can lick your elbow while moonwalking. Right?”

“Huh? You want me to do something so disgraceful?”

Seo Gaul seemed displeased with the process of proving innocence.

However, it was possible that a shapeshifter had transformed into Seo Gaul and approached this villa. So we acted like strict inspectors, and eventually, Seo Gaul licked the elbow while moonwalking.

Seeing that, the ordinary person Kim Mori was horrified.

“Oh, what is that. It’s disgusting.”

“Is it enough now!”

Seo Gaul blushed.

I poked Seo Gaul’s side.

“Ah! Why again!”

“Name: Seo Gaul”

“Status: 《Ticklish》 – It’s ticklish!”

Seo Gaul growled in response to being poked in the side, but the reaction was a bit dull. If it were Yoo Yeoreum, who had been trained to be insensitive to all kinds of pain and stimuli since childhood, it would be different.

Wasn’t Seo Gaul extremely sensitive to tickling? If it were the real Seo Gaul, just poking the side should have made them jump up to the ceiling.

The status should not just be 《Ticklish》 but 《So ticklish that it feels like going crazy》.

Does that mean─.

“Fake?”

“Tch!”

Sreung-.

A sharp weapon-like object sprang from the palm of the fake Seo Gaul who revealed their true colors. It scattered in all directions, ferocious like an angry wasp whose nest had been disturbed.

Shushushushung-!

The weapons flew in all directions.

At that moment, as if waiting, Bbangdaengi shouted.

“Baekdangbigi, Mancheonhaou!”

Shushushung-!

Bbangdaengi also threw chopsticks that he had taken out from somewhere.

Changchangchang-! Changchangchang-!

The situation where the fake Seogaeul’s thrown secret weapons and Bbangdaengi’s chopsticks perfectly offset each other.

The fake Seogaeul was surprised to see that.

“No way…!?”

Bbangdaengi was also surprised.

“Huh! How is this even possible…!?”

Could he not believe what he had done himself?

Wasn’t that what he was aiming for from the beginning?

Anyway, the important thing is that the fake has revealed itself.

If I miss this opportunity, I will have to become the protagonist of a detective novel that I never wanted to be!

I started up my legs, which had fully recovered from today’s helicopter tug-of-war training and Wangjageon’s conspiracy.

As I pulled up the strength from my heels with the feeling of utilizing “Leap” 100%, it felt like a thrilling and intense power, like a lightning strike, was charging my whole body.

Riding on that momentum, I jumped with all my might.

At that very moment, I had an amazing experience where everyone’s faces, which had been clamoring until just now, slowly slowed down and then completely stopped as if someone had pressed the pause button.

A frozen world.

I was the only one moving inside it.

“With repeated challenges, the level of ‘Leap’ increases.”

“《Leap Lv.3》 → 《Leap Lv.4》”

“《Leap Lv.4》 – You have reached the sky like a soaring hawk. You can not only make your body float but also overcome certain rules and fixed notions.”

Achieving level 4 of “Leap”.

For a very brief moment, I was able to move at a speed that made it seem as if even time had stopped.

I surpassed the speed of living beings!

I surpassed humans!

“Wooriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

Dudududududududududududududududududu-.

In less than a second, the fake Seo Ga-eul, who had been hit by dozens of punches, screamed as time began to accelerate again.

“Aieee (アイエエエ)!!!”

Thud-.

The fake Seo Ga-eul, who had let out an ugly scream, finally collapsed.

Bang-!

His body was engulfed in a small explosion of smoke and transformed into the shape of a stranger. It was as if a disguise spell had been lifted, and my explanation would be spot on.

「Name: Chiba Tsubaki」

「Possession: 《Ninja Lv.4》: An elite ninja of the highest level, capable of doing everything a ninja can do.」

「Status: 《Pain》 – It hurts so much desu!」

He seemed to be Japanese.

He had short, round eyebrows that gave him an interesting look, and soon he let out a single scream, “Huh!” and put on the goblin mask that was hanging from his waist.

Now it was a familiar face.

“You are from 「New Order」…?”

He was a special agent dispatched from abroad.

Was this woman a Japanese agent?

I didn’t know why such a woman had mingled into our vacation, but it didn’t seem like a good reason.

So I tried to beat her up and subdue her, but the startled Japanese agent raised her palm and shouted.

“Wait! I had no intention of doing anything bad! I just wanted to peacefully transform into one of the women here and take Namjin’s genes!”

Was she trying to seduce me disguised as Yoo Yeoreum or Seo Ga-eul?

“If you transform into me and do something weird, Hanamjin will misunderstand! And taking genes! If that’s not a bad thing, what is! You thief!”

I was outraged by the conspiracy to reveal my butt.

However, the Japanese agent Tsubaki quickly added an explanation before the misunderstanding deepened.

“Yeoreum-san is daijoubu desu! I had no intention of transforming into Yeoreum-san! Because if I transform into Yeoreum-san, the probability of seducing Namjin-san becomes infinitely low!”

“…Sh…shut up! And how do you know that probability!”

“If the mission fails, at least my task is to retrieve the treasure with the power of 「Recovery」! Please help me! In Japan, too, 「Black Rain」 is falling, and many people are suffering!”

The Japanese agent Tsubaki lay flat on the ground.

She shamelessly asked for the treasure of 「Recovery」 that was sleeping somewhere in this sea.

However, it seemed that being a special agent was not an illusion, as Tsubaki handed over some amazing information that made me hesitate.

“Namjin-san is acquainted with Lieutenant Ha Gi-hoon, right? We know his location! It was Lieutenant Ha Gi-hoon who gave your information to 「New Order」!”