The Tough Guy Hides the Villainess - Chapter 154
154 – Tap Water # 2
154 – Tap Water # 2
A tent erected near the department store.
Renowned scholars, geologists and biologists among them, gathered for endless meetings, a solution nowhere in sight.
Professor Ji Jin-hee, the foremost authority on soil in the nation, as a member of the Korean “Soil Fertilizer Regeneration Society.”
He tasted the handfuls of earth held in the cup, one pinch at a time – *ptui*, he spat it out.
“Hopeless, I say. Hopeless. The black rain and those fiends have utterly ruined the soil’s natural resilience. At this rate, not even beneficial microorganisms can survive. Therefore, I am in favor.”
“Ahem, I am opposed.”
A man with a beard like a sage raised his hand.
He rose from his seat, introducing himself as, “I am Dr. Kim Sagwa, chairman of the Korean Agricultural Advancement Society,” he was also one of the most famous researchers in the country.
“Everyone, observe this.”
Dr. Kim Sagwa held up a tree branch.
As everyone examined the identity of the branch, Dr. Kim Sagwa stated confidently.
“This is a baobab tree branch. The nymphs, those friends of mine, gave it to me. Research shows that planting this baobab tree will gradually regenerate and purify the contaminated soil.”
“And the duration?”
Professor Ji Jin-hee, of the proponents, adjusted his glasses and asked sharply.
Soon, Dr. Kim Sagwa, of the opposition, ahem – cleared his throat.
“It will take about a hundred years… but I still oppose the plan for the entire nation to migrate to the moon. Did you even hear exactly what that migration plan entails in the first place?”
They were currently debating the Korean people’s ‘Lunar Migration Plan.’
Support and opposition were evenly matched, each opinion carrying conviction.
Dr. Kim Sagwa, of the opposition, added.
“It’s not merely migrating to the moon, but that all of the people will be contained within something called a ‘Suspended Field.’ They say it will turn us all into frozen fish; how can anyone be for that!”
A stir rippled through the debate hall.
It was as Professor Kim Sagwa had said.
The moment Koreans migrated to the moon, they would enter the ‘Suspended Field,’ their entire life activities frozen as if taxidermied.
No aging, no need for life activities like eating or excretion.
Just stopped, inside the ‘Suspended Field.’
And so, as the years passed – 100, 200 years – and the monstrous things on Korean soil subsided to some extent, and the polluted land slowly began to regenerate, they would release the suspension and everyone would return to Korea from the moon──.
That was the full picture of the lunar migration plan.
Of course, the opinions of the pro-migration faction, centered on Professor Ji Jinhee, were just as forceful.
“It could take years for the land to regenerate. It could be 100 years, or, frankly, 1,000 years. To stay on Earth and purify it for generations is an even more unrealistic story. It’s difficult for ordinary people, non-Awakened ones, to even survive 10 years on this land.”
“No, you can’t know that until you actually try! Isn’t it cowardly to give up before even attempting a challenge, like a man should?”
“What’s there to try! Professor Kim Sagwa! You can’t even make your own hair grow abundantly, how are you going to make this land fertile again!”
“What did you just say, you little shit?”
The debate atmosphere was heating up.
However, public opinion was leaning toward supporting the migration.
Because the opposition hadn’t presented a plausible alternative.
The idea of living on this polluted soil and purifying the land for generations didn’t resonate much with the people.
However, the ‘Lunar Migration Plan’ wasn’t exactly a perfect operation either.
“Teacher Kogae. I heard you decided to send people to the moon.”
To send approximately 50 million Koreans to the moon, the help of the Awakened ones, rather than spaceships, was desperately needed.
Kogae-sensei, an Awakened capable of opening ‘Doors’ connecting spaces, was truly the linchpin of this operation.
“Besides myself, other Awakened with the concept of ‘Teleportation’ or ‘Delivery’ have agreed to help. The problem is, Song Dal-won, a Rank 4 ‘Transmission’ concept holder, has gone silent…”
“The *Changse Seongjeon*’s doing, right?”
The terrorists of *Changse Seongjeon* were carrying out various operations across the nation, aiming to sabotage the lunar migration plan.
“Namjin, have a look at this.”
*Flap-*
I examined the paper Kogae-sensei offered.
「Humanity, Awaken.
The time has come.
A time to overcome hardship and advance to a grand state.
That which cannot kill us only makes us stronger.
Upon the ruins of collapsed earthen walls, let us build new cities and ramparts ourselves.
A Genesis begun anew by our own hands.
Participate in the war for a new era─!」
“A leaflet the *Changse Seongjeon* is scattering. Those b*stards believe the Awakened are the ones who will rule the world of tomorrow. That’s why they’re trying to artificially awaken everyone.”
“But, artificial Awakening doesn’t work well for everyone, does it.”
“Their intention is to discard those who are left behind. Making sacrifices for the greater good is, after all, the modus operandi of terrorists.”
Such extremists.
To the members of *Changse Seongjeon*, who aim to turn this land into a paradise solely for the Awakened, the ‘lunar migration plan’ must be a thorn in their side.
Therefore, they’re targeting key personnel, and Kogae-sensei might be a target too.
“Namjin, you must never forget that we Awakened exist to guard and protect those who are not special. In that vein, this is an official communique from the World Government.”
From ‘New Order’? A communique to me?
A feeling of unease pricked at me. The paper held only a short sentence: “Regarding the Relocation Plan, consultation required.”
From noble mtl dot com
If I want the full story, I’ll need to go to the World Government’s United Headquarters.
If I make haste today, perhaps I can arrive before the sun dips low.
It struck me that taking Seo Gaeul along would be wise.
And so, I found Seo Gaeul muttering to himself in a back alley, and as luck would have it, I was parched. I gulped down the water he was carrying.
The taste of water beneath the blazing sun was truly refreshing.
Seo Gaeul, however, was not pleased.
“Why the hell did you drink it…!!!”
Perhaps Seo Gaeul was also incredibly thirsty.
# # #
Seo Gaeul found himself heading to the World United Headquarters with Ha Namjin.
Traveling from D City to D City, it would normally be an hour’s drive by car.
However, with the roads severed and crumbled by the earthquake, rendering transportation impossible, they had no choice but to walk.
And so, Seo Gaeul walked the ruined roads with Ha Namjin.
Ha Namjin, as if impressed by the sight of a massive overpass collapsed and debris scattered about, remarked,
“It takes days to build, but only a single day is enough for destruction.”
“Indeed,”
Seo Gaeul replied blandly.
But truly, for Seo Gaeul in that moment, there was something more pressing than collapsed roadways.
“Why did you drink that water of all things!”
It was that Ha Namjin had swallowed every last drop of the “Alluring Potion.”
Originally, it was something the sly Yu Yeoreum had prepared to seduce Ha Namjin. Seo Gaeul had snatched it away, pondering how best to dispose of it, when Ha Namjin had appeared and downed the whole thing.
The potion’s effect: to heighten one’s allure, drawing the opposite s*x.
Lasting, so it was said, for roughly twenty-four hours.
And perhaps it was because of that, but Seo Gaeul found herself acutely aware of Ha Namjin.
‘This kid, has he always been this tall?’
Seo Gaeul was herself tall, for a woman.
She’d even received the odd modelling offer from time to time.
But Ha Namjin was a full head taller than Seo Gaeul.
“Ah!”
Just then, Seo Gaeul’s body lurched violently.
She’d been glancing at Ha Namjin and hadn’t seen the cobblestone beneath her feet.
“Are you made of bread dough? Tripping over a pebble.”
Thwack-!
Ha Namjin’s hand grasped her waist.
Even through the layers of her clothing, the clear strength and vitality that radiated from his grip startled Seo Gaeul.
‘This kid, has he always been this strong!’
Now that she looked, Ha Namjin’s shoulders were broad, and beneath the sleeves rolled to his elbows, the muscles of his arms were almost unnervingly defined, stripped clean of any excess, tightened to the limit, bringing to mind a diamond honed to its breaking point.
*Thump-.*
Seo Ga-eul’s heart, a frenzied drum.
She felt it then, the «Allure Draught» that Hanamjin had swallowed, coursing, taking hold.
Everyday things, unremarkable moments, now charged with a new, strange hue.
The trouble was, this draft didn’t seem to restrict itself to Seogaeul alone.
“Help me!” Someone, please! My mother! She’s trapped, pinned beneath the rubble!”
A girl’s voice, raw with desperation, rose from the shattered remains of the building, pleading for her mother’s life.
Her uniform marked her as a high schooler, perhaps not unlike Seo Ga-eul herself.
“A man’s got to do what a man’s got to do. Huzzah!”
*Kwarrrr-!*
Hanamjin strode toward them, and with arms like steel, effortlessly shifted the concrete debris.
“Mother!”
“Ah, Sunyeong-ah!”
The sight of daughter embracing mother was moving, indeed.
The crowd murmured, struck dumb with awe.
“A hunk of concrete that wouldn’t budge for ten strong men, and he lifts it like it’s nothing.”
“These Awoken ones really are something else.”
“Thank you for saving my mother. Our house is nearby; would you like to come in for a cold drink?”
Seo Ga-eul watched, a prickling unease forming as she saw the unnaturally strong interest in the girl’s eyes as she looked at Hanamjin. The flushed face, the body squirming like an squid on the grill, the fidgeting fingers were all particularly suspicious.
Worse still, not only the girl, but even the mother, freed from the rubble, now looked at Hanamjin, her own face coloring with some inexplicable flush.
‘It’s the effect of the love potion!’
Hanamjin, right now, was unintentionally seducing those around him.
A walking emotional contaminant, so to speak.
“It’s Hanamjin!”
“First time seeing him in person!”
“His face is so small.”
If they remained like this, many women would fall victim to Hanamjin’s indiscriminate allure.
Thus, Seogaeul had no choice but to grab Hanamjin by the scruff of his neck and drag him towards a less crowded place.
“What’s wrong?”
Of course, Hanamjin acted as if he knew nothing.
And, in truth, he probably didn’t.
“You know nothing, Hanamjin!”
“What is it I don’t know?”
“That water you drank earlier—”
Seogaeul abruptly shut her mouth, just as she was about to reveal the truth.
If Hanamjin were to learn the truth, what would happen?
No one could predict what Hanamjin, unpredictable as he was, would do.
‘I have to keep this a secret from him, no matter what. And, is it even the right thing to do, bringing him to the World Government’s Joint Headquarters like this? It’s full of women seeking his genes.’
If Hanamjin, in his current state, were brought to Joint Headquarters-.
A world war, sparked by female Awakened Ones vying for Hanamjin’s genes, wouldn’t be at all surprising.
If that were to happen, the world’s reconstruction would shatter like brittle dalgona candy.
The thought brought Seo Gaeul to the stark realization: she needed to make a decision, now.
‘The “Allure Potion’s” effects last for 24 hours, they said. Which means, all I need to do is get through 24 hours.’
Ahem—Seo Gaeul cleared her throat.
She utilized the concept of “mimicry” to its fullest, maintaining a facade of composure so Hanamjin, who possessed the concept of “emotion,” wouldn’t catch on to her true intentions.
“Me, my legs ache something fierce today, I don’t think I can walk any further. That poison I got back when I saved you, Hanamjin, it doesn’t feel completely gone. There’s a bunker built in the Seonam area nearby, let’s rest there a while.”
Seo Gaeul decided that isolating Hanamjin for the 24 hours until the potion wore off was the best course of action.
Moreover, she vowed to keep a vigilant eye on him to prevent him from getting any strange ideas.
‘If I, who already knows about the Allure Potion’s effects, can endure its charms, then this is something I absolutely must do for the sake of womanhood’s purity and world peace.’
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