Chapter 157

EP.157 Bottom of the Barrel Life

*Thwack!*

The crisp sound of a bat hitting a baseball.

Propelled by the cheers of the crowd, the baseball soared and landed in the center of the outfield.

The one who caught the home run ball was a young adult man.

He generously handed the ball to a little kid who was on the verge of tears for not catching it.

A heartwarming scene. The crowd erupted in applause.

Dr. Jennifer Cash, who had been watching from the upper central seats, smiled softly and turned to me, asking,

“How was that?”

“Warm and fuzzy.”

“Right? Humans are complex beings with a mix of emotions. With so many different tendencies, it’s natural for all sorts of things to happen when people interact.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“Don’t look at the world with a sour face. And you’re not that kind of person anyway. You’ve always been wise, kind, and cool. I think you’re just stressed and a bit irritable right now.”

I silently placed my hand on Dr. Cash’s shoulder and pulled her into an embrace.

Feeling like she had the upper hand, Dr. Cash continued,

“Remember the old man who took our photo in front of the art museum? He was a good person too. He showed us kindness without expecting anything in return, and thanks to that, we became close.”

That’s not it… The photo was just a trigger. Even without it, you would’ve come to me.

“Do you think so?”

“I do.”

“Why are you being so cheeky today? I feel like hitting you right now.”

“…Shall we watch the game?”

“Sure.”

We were currently on a trip to the United States.

After booking a hotel, we were watching a home game of an MLB team based in San Francisco.

A baseball stadium with a view of the ocean. The wind blowing from the bay made Dr. Cash’s short hair flutter, giving off a mysterious vibe.

And soon after, Dr. Cash appeared on the large screen next to the scoreboard.

A scene of her cheering while hugging me, who had a bored expression when the home run was hit.

It was already the third time. By now, she was probably trending online as the beautiful female spectator.

I quickly shoved a hotdog into my mouth, chewed, and swallowed before saying,

“Shall we go back?”

“Already? It’s only the 7th inning.”

“The result is already decided. It’s 8:0, no chance of a comeback.”

“Don’t be like that, let’s watch together… They say baseball starts from the bottom of the 9th with two outs. As long as the ball is round, anything can happen.”

“You seem to be in a good mood today? Alright.”

“Of course I am… Being here with you, not thinking about anything.”

Later, there will be plenty to think about.

During the trip, and even after, many things will happen.

**

There are days when bad luck clings to you.

Days when nothing goes right, and luck is just not on your side.

For me… no, for Dr. Cash, today was that day.

After the baseball game, as we were driving out of the parking lot, we got into a minor collision.

It was a small accident, just enough to dent the bumper. Normally, we would’ve called the insurance or just let it go.

But Dr. Cash was furious.

“Excuse me! It’s clear that you were at fault, so you should apologize. Why are you acting like it’s our fault?”

The attitude of the other driver was utterly disrespectful.

A middle-aged white man with a stubborn look shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly even after hearing Dr. Cash’s scolding.

“Funny. I was trying to go first, but you guys came out first. It’s your fault.”

“What… So you’re saying you hit us on purpose because you’re upset? Are you kidding me!?”

“On purpose? No. If you had yielded, this wouldn’t have happened.”

There are many crazy people in the world, and he was definitely one of them.

Dr. Cash, exasperated, let out a hollow laugh.

“This is ridiculous. Are you out of your mind… Ugh!”

I, who had been silently listening to the conversation, covered Dr. Cash’s mouth.

Then I said to the middle-aged man,

“The bumper looks fine. It’s not badly dented, so let’s stop arguing here.”

“Sounds like you’re just going to let it go… Is that right?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“Aren’t you going to call the police or the insurance?”

“We’re in a hurry.”

“Suit yourself. You’re a reasonable young man.”

I restrained Dr. Cash, who was about to explode in anger, and practically shoved her into the passenger seat.

Then I got into the driver’s seat and started the car.

“Jihyuk! If we don’t call the police now, we’ll be in trouble when we return the car…”

“Don’t engage with crazy people. Especially in the U.S., it’s better to just avoid them. You should know that better than me, right?”

In a country where guns are common and major incidents happen occasionally, it was better to avoid trouble.

Even if we fought more here, even if it escalated to the brink of violence, that middle-aged man couldn’t harm us.

Why? Because that middle-aged man was Marcella.

To be precise, Marcella in disguise.

“Well, that’s true… But it’s so unfair… I’m really angry.”

You were all about being understanding and saying it’s just a momentary irritation, but now that it’s you, you’re furious?

The epitome of double standards. You really do suit me.

“Bear with it.”

“It’s not something to just let go…”

“Unnie.”

At my low voice, Dr. Cash quickly corrected herself.

“Ah, alright… I’ll bear with it…”

Dr. Cash’s bad luck didn’t end there.

When we returned to the hotel to pick up our laundry, it was stained. We had paid for three days, but they charged us for two and demanded extra payment. While drinking at the bar, a man approached her with a sleazy pick-up line while I was in the bathroom.

Marcella caused these incidents while disguised as various people.

Well, the last guy who hit on her wasn’t Marcella, though.

One day, two days, and then three.

Dr. Cash endured these minor but irritating incidents over three days.

But she tried to act more composed.

Though she was quite irritated.

Originally, I planned to season these small incidents and then hit her with a big one when she least expected it.

I intended to repeat this long-term plan to gradually wear down Dr. Cash’s spirit.

But I underestimated Dr. Cash’s mental strength and mature values.

Yes, Dr. Cash’s values are aligning with mine, but they’re not fully aligned yet.

In this situation, these petty tricks were useless.

Well, not entirely useless, but it would take an enormous amount of time for Dr. Cash to become significantly worn down.

‘Do I need drastic measures?’

Forget about seasoning. What if I just hit her with one big wave?

That’s better. It’s better to hit her with a big wave.

Lying down and looking at the San Francisco sky through the wide window, I sat up when Dr. Cash, in her underwear, brought a bottle of water.

“What were you thinking about?”

I took the water and replied,

“Just thinking how annoying it is to check out.”

“Really? Then shall we stay longer? There are still many places we haven’t seen… Let’s stay a bit longer and then move.”

“You really hated staying here.”

“That’s true. Nowadays, anyone can slap the name ‘hotel’ on a place and call it a business.”

“Really angry, huh?”

“With staff who don’t even know the basics of service everywhere… Wouldn’t you be angry? I think I’ve been cursed.”

How did you know? And not just any curse, but the purest form of evil.

Pure evil itself.

I chuckled and gulped down the water, then tossed the bottle onto the floor without closing the lid.

*Thud!* The water spilled and soaked the carpet.

Dr. Cash, startled, scolded me.

“Why are you acting like a child?”

“Just a small act of revenge. By the way, you look good with some weight loss.”

Poking her belly with my finger, a faint smile appeared on her lips.

“Really?”

“Yeah. And the lenses look good, but glasses suit you better.”

“I’m wearing glasses right now.”

“I meant don’t wear them when we go out.”

“That’s up to me…”

Before Dr. Cash could finish, I grabbed her arm and pulled her down on top of me.

“Why are you talking back so much lately? Want to be punished?”

“….”

Dr. Cash gave a seductive smile.

Her eyes began to fill with pleasure.

She exuded a vibe of ‘punish me if you dare.’

Well, if that’s what she wants, I’ll have to oblige.

**

That early morning.

After sending Dr. Cash off with three rounds of sex, I left the hotel while she was sound asleep.

I then found a secluded spot and sent a signal to the secret base.

A portal quietly opened, and Marcella, disguised as Minji, popped out.

“My lord, you called?”

“Yes, you’ve worked hard tormenting Dr. Cash for three days.”

“Th-thank you…”

Marcella’s breath quickly grew hot.

She gets like this with just a little praise.

Not that it’s a bad thing.

Every time Marcella acts like this, I feel like hugging her right away.

I feel the same now, but there’s more important business to attend to.

Before Dr. Cash, who is a light sleeper, wakes up and looks for me, I need to give Marcella her orders.

“Marcella.”

“Yes… My lord…”

“I have a task for you. A very simple one.”

“Just say the word!”

She quickly became enthusiastic, her determination burning brightly.

Her cuteness made me chuckle as I said,

“By today, secretly insert a piece of information into the World Union database. Make sure Dr. Cash can find it.”

“What kind of information…?”

“Information about future technology being leaked somewhere in the U.S. and being used to create weapons. Remember when the saber-toothed tiger appeared at Mount Fuji? One of Leona’s cluster bombs misfired, and a Japanese yakuza picked it up, tried to analyze it, but couldn’t, so they sold it to a major U.S. crime organization… Something like that.”

“Ah… I see. You’ll need evidence too, right?”

“Exactly.”

“I’ll prepare it and contact you.”

Dr. Cash had been checking the World Union news every morning recently.

In case any incidents occurred, she wanted to help.

Since she wasn’t going to the lab, this was her way of easing her troubled mind.

She focused on major information.

I planned to use this to create a situation similar to what happened in Syria.

Though similar, it wasn’t exactly the same, and there was a crucial difference.

“And I need to unseal the evil energy for a while.”

“Huh…? Why…? What if Adeline notices?”

“The events that will unfold are too dangerous for a human body. And Adeline is in Uijeongbu right now, so as long as I don’t use too much power, what you’re worried about won’t happen.”

Marcella looked worried at that.

She fidgeted and said,

“Dangerous? If there’s someone to eliminate, just tell me…”

“It’s something I have to do. To make Dr. Cash completely turn her back on humanity.”

“Ah… If that’s the case, then I have no choice… But could you give me a hint about your plan? I need to prepare too…”

“I plan to go to prison.”

Marcella’s big eyes widened even more.

“Wha…!? P-prison…?”

“Yes.”

In a place where the dregs of humanity gather, I plan to live the life of the dregs.

Dr. Cash… This is your fault.

Because you’re so steadfast, I have no choice but to drag you down after I’ve been worn down.

From today, you’ll experience a series of enormous events.

I’ll fall falsely, so you fall truly.

I smiled at Marcella, who was gaping, and thought,

‘Let’s see if your righteous values can withstand this.’

To be continued―――――――――――――――――――――

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