The Tough Guy Hides the Villainess - Chapter 155



155 – Tap Water #3

155 – Tap Water #3

Seo Gaeul led Hanamjin towards the hastily constructed Seonam bunker, “D-6.”

Many bunkers had collapsed during the earthquakes that followed the Great Labyrinth’s destruction, so they’d have to confirm its condition firsthand.

Wooonnnnng—.

As Seo Gaeul clumsily started the generator, the air purifier whirred to life.

The sight of the stale, cellar-like air quickly becoming fresh eased her mind.

“It seems sufficient enough for a night. There’s plenty of canned goods we can eat, too.”

“Sit there and show me your leg.”

Hanamjin directed Seo Gaeul to sit down on a chair.

He wanted to see the injuries she had sustained in the fight against the “Whip Queen” a while back.

*Swish, swish.*

As the bandage came undone, the wound behind her knee had healed cleanly, without so much as a scar.

Yet, a lingering, tingling sensation troubled Seo Gaeul, leaving her on edge.

“No help for it, I suppose.”

“What the—!”

Ha Namjin seized Seo Gaeul’s foot.

A wave of shame washed over Seo Gaeul at the thought of her unwashed foot being touched.

Of course, Seo Gaeul held to the ideal of a “refined lady,” maintaining constant cleanliness of every part of her body, but still.

One had one’s feelings.

“Let go! Where do you think you’re touching! You pervert!”

“Hold still.”

Startled, Seo Gaeul thrashed, but Ha Namjin, unyielding, pressed his thumb – *firmly, firmly* – into the very center of her sole.

In that instant, Seo Gaeul felt as though lightning had struck her entire body. Could such intense pain pierce her so deeply simply from pressing on her foot?

This far surpassed any issue of embarrassment about having her foot touched.

“Pwaaack!!!!”

And as Seo Gaeul writhed like a pterodactyl being fried in a pan, Ha Namjin chuckled.

“The foot has a concentration of nerves, so even a little stimulation can cause a lot of pain. Judging by your ’emotions,’ pressing here like *this* will help a bit with the detoxification.”

It was a curious thing.

She’d always thought acupressure just hurt, but she felt as though all the blood in her body was rushing through her, and the knee that had ached all day since the poisoning felt as though its fatigue was melting away.

Seo Gaeul’s guarded heart, too, melted, warm and gooey, like cheese left in the drowsy sun. So she decided to admit it, honestly.

“Well, you’re certainly looking better than before. More importantly, how long are you going to keep touching me?”

*Whoosh-*!

Seo Ga-eul yanked her foot from Ha Nam-jin’s grasp.

To simply endure felt like a raw injustice.

And so, Seo Ga-eul decided to turn the tables, to launch a counter-attack of her own.

“Then why don’t you lie down, too.”

“What for?”

“I know how to give massages. My mother was ill for a long time, you see.”

With a look of hesitant curiosity, Ha Nam-jin sprawled onto the sofa.

Seo Ga-eul began to pummel his back with her fists.

As if she were kneading dough.

*Doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-*.

“Ooh, feels… nice. You’ve got a real knack for it.”

*Doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-*.

The rhythmic beat and vibration seemed to be slowly lulling Ha Nam-jin’s eyes shut, until finally, he succumbed, breathing softly and evenly – asleep.

No doubt the fatigue that had accumulated from the past few demanding days, combined with the cozy atmosphere of the bunker and the soothing massage, had caused his tension to release all at once.

Seo Ga-eul stared at the suddenly slumbering Ha Nam-jin, dumbfounded, yet relieved.

She could simply wait for morning to come, for the effects of the ‘Lure Potion’ to wear off.

“That aside…”

Seo Ga-eul gazed at the sleeping Ha Nam-jin.

It was a peculiar shift; the boy who usually spouted the strangest nonsense now held a somber silence, the air around him thick with a different kind of weight.

*Sreeeuk-.*

With a subtle sweep, she brushed aside the untamed fringe that obscured his face, revealing sharp features beneath.

“If he’d just tame that hair, he might actually be…passable.”

Seo Gaeul considered giving Han Namjin’s unruly locks a trim while he slept, perhaps snipping away the offending strands with scissors. But she quickly abandoned the thought.

A tidier appearance would only attract unwanted female attention, a nuisance she didn’t need.

So, instead, Seo Gaeul ran her fingers through Han Namjin’s hair, deliberately ruffling it into a more chaotic state.

“Puh-hehe, you simpleton.”

A mischievous streak taking hold, Seo Gaeul, emboldened, even dared to pinch his nostrils shut.

Lost in the depths of slumber, Han Namjin didn’t stir awake, only furrowing his brow and tossing his head restlessly.

“Nnghh-auh-uh…”

“Puh-heh-heh-heh-.”

It was amusing.

The fact that she, usually the recipient of his antics, was now the one tormenting Han Namjin, filled her with a peculiar satisfaction.

Perhaps that was why Han Namjin suddenly seemed…a little adorable.

‘Ack, if a man starts to look cute, it’s all over, they say…’

*Whoosh-whoosh-* Seo Gaeul shook her head, dismissing the thought.

The effects of the “Lure Potion” were indeed extraordinary.

Even she, who truly disliked Han Namjin, was seeing him in a new, endearing light, thanks to its magic. If Yoo Yeoreum had ingested such a thing, then even Han Namjin, in all his Han Namjin-ness, wouldn’t have stood a chance against the temptation.

“Huhu… Seo Gaeul… that Pterodactyl is mine….”

“Huh? Is this brat…what dream is he lost in right now?”

A sudden anger bloomed within me.

Here I am, suffering and toiling, and Ha Namjin is blissfully asleep, oblivious to it all.

And so, Seo Gaeul struck Ha Namjin’s head, thwack-thwack-, with the flat of her hand.

“Heh heh….”

But Ha Namjin, as if wrapped in a sweet dream, remained deeply slumbering.

“Won’t you wake up even now? Even now?”

Thwack-thwack- thwack-.

Seo Gaeul struck Ha Namjin without restraint.

Yet, Ha Namjin continued his sleep.

“So, you truly won’t wake, will you.”

Thump-thump- thump- thump-.

Seo Gaeul’s heart pounded fiercely within her chest.

The effect of the “Lure Potion,” it was.

Seo Gaeul’s drawing near to Ha Namjin… that too, was for the very same reason.

Smack-.

Finally, Seo Gaeul’s lips brushed against the boy’s cheek.

The boy remained, lost in his sleep.

# # #

I was never one to sleep deeply.

One never knew when, where, or *who* might strike.

So even in sleep, a certain weariness clung.

Yet, succumbing to Seo Gaeul’s massage, I’d crashed, quite literally blacked out, like a film snapping.

Morning arrived.

The deep slumber was welcome, truly, but facing the mirror revealed a peculiar mottling.

“What’s this then?”

Red blotches blooming on my cheek.

And on my neck as well.

Quite a profusion, actually.

“Seo Gaeul, you wouldn’t happen to know what this is, would you?”

“No clue.”

Perhaps mosquitos had found their way in?

In any case, setting out with a refreshed spirit, I noticed Seo Gaeul behaving oddly.

“…24 hours passed. 24 hours passed!”

She muttered “24 hours” in a small voice, and I couldn’t fathom its meaning.

Though to be honest, Seo Gaeul acting strange was nothing new.

She was *always* a bit off.

That’s part of her charm, though.

Together, Seo Gaeul and I reached the City Hall building, now commandeered as the New Order’s joint command center.

Machine gun nests positioned everywhere added a certain… forceful flair.

“Ooh, Namjin-gun! We were awaiting your arrival!”

An exotic face greeted me as I entered D City.

The clumsy Korean, though imperfect, held a certain warmth.

“Mineral, was it?”

“Minerva of ‘Bomb’!”

A U.S. CIA operative, Minerva, an Awakened One who’d honed the concept of ‘bomb’ to the fourth degree.

She ushered me to the operations room and dove straight into the matter.

“Namjin-gun, the worst sort of happening has occurred. The Korean government and the terrorist Genesis Crusade have, against all odds, joined hands! What the hell!”

What fresh madness was this?

Even Seo Gaeul, who’d been acting off since earlier, seemed jolted awake by the news.

“What are you talking about? Why would those two join forces?”

“Allow me to elaborate. You do know that the Genesis Crusade has been opposed to the lunar migration plan, yes? They believe Awakened Ones should remain here, on Earth.”

It was a story I already knew well.

But the Korean government joining forces with them? That was…peculiar.

“Nambada’s government is opposing the lunar migration of Koreans. Why he, known for his serpent-like wisdom, made such a styoopid choice, I do not know, but he and the Genesis Crusade now share a mutual interest. So, they joined hands—”

Yesterday’s enemy could become today’s ally, and today’s ally could become tomorrow’s foe. The world’s changes were as unpredictable as the waves on the ocean.

But even so, I had anticipated an incident of this magnitude to some extent.

“Nambada and Gu Sejun. Both of them could bolt off in any direction.”

“Hanamjin, I don’t know if you are the right one to be talking about such things.”

What about me?

Where else could one find someone walking the proper path, so orthodox and upright, as I?

I was a man proceeding without deviation down a road laid straight as a railway track.

Of course, Seo Ga-eul pursed her lips as if in disagreement.

“Mr. Namjin, even for us, taking on both ‘Genesis Sanctuary’ and the Korean government at once is quite a burden! So, we’d like you to handle the Korean government on your end!”

“And the price?”

“We can’t very well ask Mr. Namjin to work for free. Give and take. Win-win. The fundamental principle of capitalism, after all. The reward will be accruing a debt from our ‘New Order’ to you─.”

An opportunity to accrue a debt with the Allied Forces.

Not bad.

A few rights I could demand from them surfaced in my mind.

Anyway, that was the feeling with which the deal was struck.

Preventing the out-of-control Korean government─.

There was a perfect method, actually.

“Ha Namjin, what are you planning?”

“You’ll see. Mineral-ssi, I have a favor to ask. You have some ability users who can fly, right? And preferably a facility capable of printing paper.”

# # #

Watching Gu Se-jun and Nam Bada shake hands, Gye Bok-soon was filled with apprehension.

To join hands with a terrorist like Gu Se-jun… it felt somehow precarious.

‘…In my opinion, the lunar migration plan seemed better.’

Gye Bok-soon resided in the Presidential Office, but she had spent a terribly uncomfortable night last night due to a water outage and blackout.

That was how severe the power shortage in Korea had become.

Whispers, too, of the nearby nuclear plants, their dangers sung in an unsettling refrain.

Even to Gye Bok-sun, a woman with only an elementary school education, it seemed Korea only worsened with each passing day, little hope for a brighter future.

Better, perhaps, to migrate to the moon, wait for Earth to cleanse itself of its ills.

But Nambada, her superior, he would have none of it.

Even released a statement opposing the exodus of Koreans.

For this, the barely-functioning internet was ablaze with daily condemnations directed at Nambada.

From noble mtl dot com

「Subject: That b*stard Nambada, Reason for Opposing Lunar Migration」

「Content: If everyone goes to the moon, he can’t play president anymore, that’s why lol」

└ㅋㅋㅋ Exactly, he needs people to kowtow to him

└The country’s in this state because Nambada had to poke at the Red King for no reason

└Where are all the b*stards who trashed Ha Nam-jin? ㅅㅂ If only Ha Nam-jin had become president, things wouldn’t have ended up like this

Nambada’s approval rating dwindled with each passing day.

Gye Bok-sun couldn’t fathom why the usually astute Nambada acted with such recklessness.

So, when it was just Nambada, she asked him carefully.

“Was joining hands with Gu Se-jun truly the right thing? In my opinion, wouldn’t it be better for everyone to simply migrate to the moon?”

“Bok-sun, since when did you start offering opinions? You just bark when I tell you to bark, sit when I tell you to sit, fetch when I tell you to fetch.”

“…….”

Gye Bok-sun, a middle school dropout, had been on the verge of being sold off here and there to settle her father’s debts.

How a newly awakened middle schooler would have been manipulated by shady adults was uncertain, but a dreadful future undoubtedly awaited her.

It was Nambada who had paid off all of Gye Bok-sun’s debts.

“Well, look at this one? Eyes burning with venom. You want to work with me, eh?”

Gye Bok-soon regarded Nam Bada as her life’s savior, and at the same time, deeply respected and revered him for rising to the apex of power from circumstances similar to her own.

If Nam Bada told Gye Bok-soon to bark, she would bark.

That was how much she followed him, cherished him.

And that’s why she felt a pang of regret.

‘Nam Bada-ssi is broken. Ever since Ha Nam-jin showed up, that’s when.’

Gye Bok-soon hated Ha Nam-jin.

Ever since Ha Nam-jin appeared in this world, Nam Bada had been choosing only the wrong answers, like a machine gone haywire.

It was then.

Weaaaeng-.

As if a blaring siren had sounded, the security personnel stirred in noisy agitation.

“An air raid?”

“Papers are falling from the sky!”

Gye Bok-soon hurriedly went outside to assess the situation.

Flap flap flap-.

Paper raining down from the heavens like precipitation.

Picking up a single sheet, she examined it, and a peculiar story was inscribed upon it.

「Ha Nam-jin Presidential Candidate Registration!」

「Make Korea Great Again!」

「Key Pledges」

“1: Upon Election, a Photobook of Hanamjin for Every Citizen”

“2: 10,000 Bottle Caps to Each Parent After Childbirth”

“3: All Current National Assembly Members Sentenced to Life Imprisonment—”

“…Is Hanamjin seriously trying to hold a presidential election? In this situation where we can’t even get running water, never mind voting?”