Chapter 225

EP.225 Kyoto Cave

I shouted from under the sharp, protruding stone eaves at the cave entrance, where I was taking shelter from the rain.

“Ms. Silvia! How much longer!?”

“Ugh, so noisy! Stop talking!”

“It’s already been 30 minutes!”

“Just five more minutes!”

Hearing Silvia’s annoyed shout, I kicked a pebble in frustration.

Who takes a shower for over 30 minutes?

If we were at home, I’d understand, but we’re outside. Can’t she hurry up?

As I was cleaning rainwater off the rocking chair, Silvia came out, drying her face with a towel, looking refreshed. I asked her,

“How much water is left?”

“Two bottles.”

Hearing her answer, I stretched out my hands in disbelief.

“…Two bottles? We brought seven, and you used five already?”

“Stop whining and go wash up.”

“I’m going crazy… I’ll just brush my teeth.”

“If you’re not going to shower, why are you making such a fuss?”

Are you serious?

“Don’t you think it’s because you used up all the water that I can’t shower?”

“Two bottles are enough, aren’t they?”

“Then you should’ve showered with just two bottles too.”

“My hair is long, you know.”

“Ah… whatever.”

I grabbed the back of my neck like my blood pressure was rising, and Silvia giggled.

But weren’t you so tense yesterday that you slept stiff as a board?

Seeing you act so casually now is both baffling and amusing.

Though I guess you might be doing this on purpose to hide the awkwardness.

After meticulously brushing my teeth, I plopped down next to Silvia, who was sitting on the rocking chair enjoying the view.

Seeing me like that, Silvia apologized.

“Sorry.”

“For what?”

“For using five bottles to shower. I should’ve saved some. It’s my fault.”

“Now you’re making me feel like I’m being petty. It’s fine.”

“That’s exactly what I meant. You understood perfectly, huh? You’re so smart.”

I let out a dry laugh and muttered.

“I’m so drained… I just…”

“Just what? Are you planning to pounce on me like yesterday?”

Silvia’s face was bright red as she said that.

Yes! That’s the spirit!

With a dry laugh, I leaned in close to her face.

“Pounce? What… Do you want me to show you what pouncing really means?”

“N-no, I was joking… Let’s go back now.”

“Go back where? The atmosphere is nice. Let’s enjoy the view from the entrance.”

“…Fine by me.”

I like you too.

And so, we watched the thin drizzle and admired the peaceful scenery of the Grand Canyon.

“Jihyuk.”

Silvia called after a long silence.

I replied.

“Yes.”

“Will… you come here often?”

“Not often, but I’ll ask you whenever I feel like coming.”

“Okay… got it.”

Silvia was deliberately avoiding talking about Adelle.

If we were to talk about Adelle, Silvia would likely say things like, “Let’s stop this,” or “We shouldn’t be doing this,” overwhelmed by guilt.

And she knew herself well enough to know that.

That’s why she was avoiding mentioning it—to maintain or even develop this ambiguous relationship with me.

Starting today, Silvia will grow distant from Adelle.

Why? Because I’ve taken up a big space in her heart.

Though hearing Adelle’s innocent voice last night still bothers me a bit, Silvia, who’s already fallen for me, won’t want to miss this opportunity.

The only concern is if Silvia, unable to overcome her guilt, confesses everything and swears never to do it again…

But that won’t happen.

I’ve worked hard to build up her affection and show her what a man is like.

“It’s raining, but it’s not as cold as yesterday. Is it because it’s morning?”

“Maybe… huh? Jihyuk! Look over there, it’s a deer.”

Silvia excitedly pointed, and sure enough, a group of deer was leisurely walking by.

I observed them and said,

“Those are mule deer. And they’re in a herd.”

“Of course they’d form a herd. It’s instinct.”

“That’s true. But I heard their numbers were so low they were hard to spot… It seems the tentacle and moth demons have taken care of all the predators, so they’ve reappeared.”

“So the demons unintentionally helped the ecosystem?”

“Probably.”

“There’s a Korean saying that even dog poop can be used as medicine. This is exactly like that.”

Dog poop? Are you belittling me now?

Yesterday you called me pure evil, and now you’re getting on my nerves.

**

Back in Korea, after parting ways with Silvia, I met Chae Boyeong in the office of a food franchise.

I wanted to check on Stella Hailey, the last Beast Slayer, and set up the plan we discussed earlier.

But I heard something unexpected.

“Stella’s younger sibling is causing trouble?”

“Yes… The school keeps calling Stella. The homeroom teacher has visited a few times, but there’s been no improvement.”

“What kind of trouble?”

“School violence, smoking… Last time, they even got marijuana from somewhere and smoked it with friends…”

“Must be hanging out with the wrong crowd. But isn’t the school Stella’s sibling attends a pretty good one? The district is excellent.”

Why do parents want to send their kids to good school districts?

Because problems like these are rare.

Good school districts don’t have many troublemakers, and incidents are fewer.

Students are more academically driven, and teachers are more involved.

Parents are well-off and influential, so the PTA has a lot of power.

If something like school violence happens, they step in immediately. Word spreads fast.

The school, aware of their influence, would see Stella’s sibling as a troublemaker, a thorn in their side.

Especially since they’ve even dabbled in drugs… They’d be expelled or transferred in no time. It’s strange.

“Ah, well… They’ve been suspended.”

“Just suspended?”

“Yes…”

“Did ABC Entertainment’s CEO lobby or something? No… A new agency’s lobbying wouldn’t work on a school like that.”

Boyeong looked troubled.

Her expression was filled with worry.

Seeing her like that, I figured it out.

“You stepped in, didn’t you?”

“Y-yes…”

Boyeong is Korea’s top star.

A globally famous celebrity, and it seems her influence worked since Stella’s sibling is someone she’s been nurturing.

I clicked my tongue and said,

“If this gets out, your image will take a hit… Did you consider that?”

“B-because you value Stella so much… I thought I’d do what I could… I’m sorry…”

“No. You did well.”

“But Stella’s sibling was a model student in the U.S., which is why they got into a good school here… I don’t understand why their personality changed.”

Their good looks and decent build probably played a part.

The comfortable environment must’ve been a factor too.

Unlike their struggling life in the U.S., in Korea, their sister has incredible talent, and a new agency is going all out to support them.

Even a superstar like Chae Boyeong is giving them private lessons… No wonder they’re not worried about the future.

They’d want to show off and make up for their past hardships.

With people around them praising them, they must’ve gotten carried away and gone astray.

I sipped my coffee and smiled.

“How’s Stella taking it?”

“She’s troubled. She tries to comfort her sibling and scold them, but they just act obedient in front of her…”

“If they’re still causing trouble, they’re probably just pretending to reflect, right?”

“I’m not sure…”

“They’re nineteen, right? So a high school senior?”

“A sophomore. They repeated a year.”

“Who knows about your intervention?”

“Just the principal. But some parents close to the principal probably know too… I’m really sorry…”

Boyeong had nothing to apologize for.

She did it for me.

She risked her own image to help. How could I blame her?

Even if the target was Stella’s sibling, I’m still grateful.

I shook my head and said,

“I’ll handle it. Your image won’t take a hit.”

“Really…? How…?”

“Dead men tell no tales.”

Boyeong’s face brightened, and she stood up, bowing to me.

“Th-thank you…”

A demon lord who cares for his subordinates… Where else would you find such a kind demon lord?

So do better, girl. If your face was just a bit off from my taste, you’d be getting tortured by now.

“I’ll have Marcella take care of it, so let’s move on. How’s Stella’s skills?”

“She’s improving rapidly. Honestly, she could debut now. My former manager wants to debut her immediately, but… I’m holding it back.”

“Why?”

“I’m planning to leave WW Entertainment soon and join ABC Entertainment. After that, I’ll hold several concerts to introduce Stella to the audience. It might feel old-school, but I think it’ll be very fresh right now. It suits Stella’s image too…”

It’s best to follow Boyeong’s opinion on this.

She knows the entertainment industry far better than me or Marcella.

“Alright. Do as you see fit.”

“Thank you. Should I bring Stella here tomorrow?”

I originally planned to get to know her gradually.

But after hearing about her sibling’s troubles, I changed my mind.

“No. Don’t do that… Have you told Stella about me?”

“Just that there’s a strong supporter behind her…”

“Good. From now on, keep my involvement a secret. Go back and continue as usual.”

“Yes, CEO.”

Boyeong bowed again and turned to leave.

As she fluttered out of the office in her flare dress, I put my feet up on the desk and sank into thought.

Stella’s troublemaker sibling, Boyeong’s lobbying, the soon-to-be-dead principal who knows about it… and the troubled Stella.

A great plan came to mind. A perfect plan to use her sibling as a pawn.

But now’s not the time.

There’s the matter of Dr. Cash’s deviation, and the ongoing task of breaking Adelle and Silvia apart.

I learned from pursuing Yuria that taking on too much at once gives you a headache.

For now, let’s focus on handling these two things first.

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