The Tough Guy Hides the Villainess - Chapter 145



145 – Hiding Pangdaeng # 1

145 – Hiding Pangdaeng # 1

Pangdaeng, who had fallen into a deep sleep, opened her eyes.

“Hanam-jjin, you’re making so much noise, my head is pounding!”

“I thought you were dead because you weren’t moving at all.”

Pangdaeng’s hand was terribly cold, and I couldn’t hear her breathing.

So I thought she had definitely crossed the river you shouldn’t cross, but she hadn’t.

“Pangdaeng, whatever it is, I’m so glad you’re alive.”

“…So, where is this?”

Pangdaeng stared at the collapsed and ruined church building.

This place was a church located on the outskirts of D city.

The reason I brought Pangdaeng here was because an amazing doctor lived here.

A doctor who could heal any sickness just by laying his hands on it.

“Gusejun! You’re here! Please heal her! You have the concept of a 「savior」. Like you fixed my broken leg back then, treating an injured person should be easy for you!”

I called out to Gusejun, who should be in this church.

Then a man appeared, opening the door as if he had been waiting.

“Hanamjin, I knew you’d come to me someday. We’re the only ones who can perfectly hide you, as we’ve been living in hiding for a long time, since you are being chased by the world.”

“Terrorist!”

Bbangdaengi growled, like an enraged raccoon, glaring at Gu Sejun.

It was only natural to be wary of Gu Sejun, the head of the “Genesis Crusade.”

At that moment, Gu Sejun chuckled.

“Just now, a warrant for your arrest was issued. Probably Nambada’s doing. It means you’re fugitives now, just like me. You’re the terrorists too.”

“I don’t care about that. Just treat Bbangdaengi, quickly. She was shot. It looks like she avoided the vital points, but she’s lost too much blood, she’ll die if we leave her like this.”

I pleaded with Gu Sejun.

But Gu Sejun calmly shook his head.

“Unfortunately, that child is beyond the realm of what I can heal. Reviving the dead comes with many risks. Think back to the time of Namsanho.”

“…I’m alive though!?”

Bbangdaengi shivered, startled by the news.

Gu Sejun reached for Bbangdaengi’s wrist.

“Don’t touch me!” Bbangdaengi snapped, snatching her hand away, but Gu Sejun explained as if he was already done, unfazed.

“Her pulse is completely stopped. Medically speaking, this child is dead. However, in the world of Awakened beings, there are realms that ignorant doctors and scientists cannot grasp. Young lady, you consumed a Concept Stone, didn’t you?”

“…How did you know? Yes. Before going to save Hanamjjin, I had a feeling that my own strength wouldn’t be enough, so I ate the Concept Stone I had.”

“That’s it then. The young lady died, not because she was shot. Not because her heart and pulse stopped and her breathing ceased. It’s because of that Concept Stone. You were already dead then.”

Gu Sejun’s explanation shocked me too.

Bbangdaengi was already dead.

I focused my senses on Bbangdaengi.

「Name: Baek Yeoul

Possession: Expand to View Details ☜

《Misfortune Lv.3》 – Unlucky like the cry of a winter raven.

《Luck Lv.4》 – Lucky like a bluebird from a fairytale.

《??? Lv.5》 – ???

State: 《I Don’t Know What’s Going On》 – I’m hungry and sleepy!」

Bbangdaengi had a Level 5 Concept.

I was desperate to know what it was, my eyes straining with focus.

I felt like a blood vessel in my brain was about to burst, tiny veins popping in my eyes, but I didn’t care.

「《Death Lv.5》 – The end of all living things. The final destination for all that lives and breathes, and the wall that must be overcome.」

The Concept of Death.

That something so ominous existed.

Why on earth did Baek Yeoul swallow such a concept stone?

“…I didn’t know it was the concept of death!”

Even Bangdaengi seemed flustered by my explanation.

Tears welling up in Bangdaengi’s eyes.

“So am I gonna become a minion, like Eunbyul used to be?”

Bangdaengi was trembling a lot.

Was she afraid of losing her reason and becoming a minion of 「death」?

‘A minion of 「death」?’

I remembered a being I’d only heard rumors of long ago.

A story of a death angel descending upon a world infested with zombies and consumed by darkness, ending people’s long suffering.

As far as I knew, that death angel was the very core of the world’s destruction, the ‘third calamity.’

Though I’d never seen it myself.

How likely was it that Bangdaengi would become such a being?

Grumbling, Bangdaengi said.

“I hate becoming a minion! I hate getting ugly! If I have to become one, I want to be a pretty minion!”

No, is being ugly or pretty the problem right now?

Though, of course, it was an important problem.

What could be more important than a pretty face for a girl nearing twenty?

# # #

“Just a quick check, please.”

Choi Changshik was stopped by a group of Awakened on his way back from the convenience store. They scrutinized his student ID, verified his phone number, and then nitpicked over the cup noodles in his bag.

“Youngsa High School third-year Choi Changshik, why did you buy two cup noodles?”

“And two drinks. You’re not planning to eat them alone. Who are you eating with?”

An intrusive interrogation, delving into his private life.

They pressed him, driving in the final nail.

“You wouldn’t happen to be hiding Han Jin and Baek Yeoul at your house, would you?”

“Did you buy all this food for them?”

“What are you talking about? I haven’t seen those friends for over a week. And these cup noodles… well, they’re for a girl I’m close with….”

“What? A guy like you has a girl he’s close with?”

“Suspicious!”

It was a rude search.

Of course, it had been happening frequently over the past week, so Choi Chang-shik was used to it.

A full week had passed since Ha Nam-jin and Baek Yeo-ul escaped and disappeared.

Now that Nam Ba-da had taken all the power, replacing the self-resigned president Nam Tae-geon, Nam Ba-da was monitoring, searching, and censoring citizens under the guise of catching heinous fugitives.

「Title: This house is a total mess.」

「Content: It’s Mom’s 60th birthday today, and we were having a small family BBQ, when suddenly cops and Awakened ones from the Superhuman Management Office burst in and made a mess of the place under the pretense of a search lol」

└Why’d they confiscate the BBQ grill lol

└Our house got searched too smh. Isn’t Nam Ba-da going too far doing whatever he wants?

└Watch your comments, you’ll get sued

「Title: Damn, even during the military dictatorship it wasn’t this suffocating」

「Content: Nam Ba-da is using the excuse of catching Ha Nam-jin to throw all his opponents into prison, right?」

└Isn’t it true that Nam Ba-da framed Ha Nam-jin as a kidnapper?

└Seo Ga-eul also said she wasn’t kidnapped, she just lived with him

7 days since Nam Ba-da seized power.

Under the pretense of protecting innocent citizens from terrorists, many people were subjected to surprise searches, their homes were ransacked, and they were even arrested for vague reasons.

People in the 21st century weren’t fools.

They knew these actions were Nam Ba-da’s way of consolidating his political power.

“They’re saying Ha Nam-jin ran away because he knew Nam Ba-da would pin crimes on him if he got caught.”

“From Nam Ba-da’s perspective, Ha Nam-jin must have been such a thorn in his side. Still, they’re capturing terrorists well, right? They should have done this sooner.”

“Even so, isn’t the 8 pm curfew a bit much?”

From noble mtl dot com

When people gathered, they talked about how stifling and suffocating Nam Ba-da’s rule was.

Awakened ones had just as many complaints.

「Summons for the Suppression of the Red King」

「You are hereby ordered to gather at the designated location by 00:00 on 00th of the month.」

Veteran Explorer Jeon Su-ho couldn’t hide his tense expression at the sudden summons.

“Wait, suppress the ‘Red King’?”

Jeon Su-ho recalled the fairy swordsman he had met during the operation to suppress the Mind Nam Woo-joo. He was a powerful opponent.

His superior, the “Red King,” was bound to be an even more powerful and dangerous being.

To control the ticking time bomb that was the “Red King,” having Ha Nam-jin take his place would be the most peaceful option.

Jeon Su-ho went to see Nam Woo-joo, who was hospitalized.

He wanted to confide in his old colleague about this whole thing.

“Woo-joo, if we go to subjugate ‘Red King’ like this, we’re all gonna die like dogs. Shouldn’t you talk to President Nam Tae-geon and get him to stop Nam Bada?”

“I think the same way you do. It’s too early to go up against ‘Red King.’ But the President is in recovery in a private room, so I can’t even reach him. His chronic illness has worsened.”

“Hey, our Nam Tae-geon, our esteemed leader, is resting comfortably next to the doctors I personally brought in, so don’t worry. He’ll probably live another 10 years, wouldn’t ya say?”

*Screeeak-*

Nam Bada enters the hospital room.

Jeon Su-ho, with his fiery temper, couldn’t hold back and yelled at him.

“Hey you! Subjugating ‘Red King’! Isn’t this going too far! Why are you trying to poke a hornet’s nest? Let’s talk this through!”

“You don’t have to be so scared. ‘New Order’ will be providing support. This is just a more certain method to deal with things, rather than depending on that unreliable brat, Ha Nam-jin.”

Nam Woo-joo realized that Nam Bada had something up his sleeve.

Maybe he was trying to use the concept of ‘World’ that only the President could access.

But using it might mean it’s truly irreversible.

It’d be like detonating a nuclear missile in their own country.

“Bada, does it really have to go this far? You were the one who followed President Nam Tae-geon like he was your own father. The President wouldn’t want you pushing Ha Nam-jin this hard.”

“Like you said, brother, I’ve always been loyal to President. While you were being hailed as the crown prince of 7th Section, I was the one behind the scenes doing all the dirty work, but I’ve never really resented anyone.”

Nam Bada’s eyes flickered briefly with a memory.

His murky eyes, shining with tender recollection for a moment.

Then, the corners of his mouth turned up wickedly.

“You should worry about taking care of yourself, brother. I saw the baby’s ultrasound. Seems like it takes more after your wife than you.”

Nam Woo-joo had known Nam Bada for a long time, so he knew his methods. By mentioning the baby in the womb, it meant that if needed, he could take the baby hostage so they should just stay quiet.

Nam Woo-joo felt frustrated by his loss of the power of ‘Star’.

Now, the only one who could stop Nam Bada in this country was Ha Nam-jin.

‘Ha Nam-jin and Yeo-ul. Where are you two and what are you doing now.’

# # #

“Ha Nam-jjin, look at this! I grew wings!”

“Eeeek! You mon-sterrrr!!!”