Chapter 26

Amon’s life-or-death self-defense began.

First, he explained in detail why he headed to the red-light district and how he infiltrated the building.

“I had to cross-dress because of this and that… I needed to get close to the Chairman’s son.”

“W-wait… don’t tell me… you sold your body…!”

There was a minor issue where Sonia worried about Amon’s purity, but the misunderstanding was resolved without much fuss.

‘Even in a cyberpunk world, some things just aren’t done.’

Amon has very ordinary sexual preferences.

He would never even think of doing *that* with a man.

No matter the greater good, he swore to the Goddess, his mother, that he would never do such a thing.

After Amon’s desperate defense, Sonia was able to clear up several misunderstandings.

Whether it was about Amon’s infidelity or his purity, all the misunderstandings were resolved, and Sonia’s face brightened a little.

‘Now’s the time!’

Amon instinctively felt that now was the perfect time to strike.

Right after the misunderstandings were cleared, when Sonia’s mood had slightly improved, was the perfect chance to delight her with more good news.

Riding the momentum, he told her about the spoils he had gained from this incident.

Thanks to the items looted from the Hixen Group, they now had royalties, so money wasn’t a concern.

The orphanage would never have to worry about meat again.

They could expect a spec upgrade with the high-end equipment looted from the Hixen Group, and so on.

Amon passionately explained the rosy future that lay ahead for them.

However, despite his explanation, Sonia’s face didn’t brighten further.

In fact, she seemed oddly angry.

As Amon was left bewildered, Sonia muttered softly.

“Idiot…”

“Huh?”

“Is that what’s important, you idiot!? Look at what’s happened to you!”

Sonia pulled back the blanket and pointed to Amon’s side.

Seeing the burn marks that were still healing, Sonia got angry.

“What does that money matter! What does that equipment matter! You got hurt! You almost died! And you think any of that matters! I don’t need that stupid money!”

Hearing her words, Amon also grew solemn.

He couldn’t bring himself to say, “But it was a lot of money.”

If Sonia had done something reckless like him, he would have felt the same way.

Of course, in this dangerous world, it was impossible to avoid dangerous actions.

But still.

No matter how harsh the world became or how priorities shifted,

the concern for a loved one never changed.

“…Sorry.”

That was all Amon could say.

He had no choice but to reflect.

In a way, he might have been treating this reality like a game.

Forgetting that he had someone precious by his side, he had been viewing this world through the lens of playing a game, and that realization tightened around his heart.

“Next time…”

Next time, I won’t do that.

Amon’s mouth stopped before he could finish the sentence.

He had no choice.

The path Amon was heading down could never be safe.

Considering the gorilla incident and this recent event, there was no guarantee his life would be smooth sailing.

As someone who valued the weight of words, Amon couldn’t bring himself to promise that he wouldn’t do it again.

Amon couldn’t promise Sonia safety.

His lips pressed tightly together.

With his mouth shut, he searched his mind for a promise he could whisper to her.

Meanwhile, Sonia spoke first.

“I’m not saying don’t do it next time.”

Hearing that, Amon met Sonia’s eyes.

Then what did she want?

As Amon pondered, Sonia looked at him with moist eyes and said,

“If you’re going to do it next time, take me with you. You said I could rely on you, right? So let’s go together. I won’t be a burden, please.”

Hearing her words, Amon couldn’t help but chuckle.

‘Was it me who lacked trust?’

He had confessed his love to her because she was the most trustworthy person in the world.

Yet, he had tried to handle this incident alone from start to finish.

Despite having such a reliable partner.

With a bitter expression, he nodded quietly.

“Alright. Got it.”

Amon pulled Sonia into an embrace.

Sonia also carefully hugged Amon back.

And naturally, their lips met.

The sweetness of love was incomparable to any painkiller.

*

In the space still tinged with a pink atmosphere, Sonia couldn’t help but ask something she had been curious about.

“So, how much did you get in royalties?”

“About this much?”

Amon fiddled with his phone and showed her the contract file.

She started counting the numbers Amon showed her.

“One, two, three, four… six!? A hundred thousand dollars?”

Amon nodded.

A hundred thousand dollars annually.

An amount that would steadily pile up in the bank just by breathing.

It was a salary that would make even the upper-middle class in America raise an eyebrow.

For someone of Sonia and Amon’s age, it would easily place them in the top 10%.

Of course, for Megacorp royalties, it was a bit too small…

‘But there are other uses for it.’

There was a reason the royalties were negotiated down to this amount.

For the sake of a dream, some compromises had to be made…

Amon stopped his thoughts there and focused on Sonia.

Upon hearing the amount, Sonia covered her mouth and said,

“I take back what I said about not needing it.”

Hearing that, Amon burst into laughter.

“Pfft—Keheheheh!”

The cost of forgetting the wound on his side and laughing out loud was severe.

The pain, which he thought had subsided, surged up from deep within his body.

As Amon struggled to breathe from the sharp pain, Sonia panicked, thinking he was dying,

and the nurse who rushed in after the call gave the foolish couple a cold stare, but that’s not an important story.

***

After that, Sonia packed her things from the church and started nursing Amon 24/7.

“Ahh~”

“Ahh~ Omnomnom”

Amon ate the ‘real’ pork Sonia fed him.

How long had it been since he last ate real meat!

The beautiful marbling, the firm texture, the lingering smell no matter what you did!

His entire body rejoiced at the cholesterol flowing through his veins after so long.

One of the deals with the 3 Dollar Group was this.

No more, no less, they would send 100g of real pork per month, cut by specific parts.

Even though real pork was rare in this world, it was questionable why they would lower the royalties just to add this to the deal.

Considering the reduced royalties, they could have just bought it.

Moreover, it wasn’t just any pork.

<Each part evenly. Must include pork belly.>

The Archbishop of the Vatican, who acted as Amon’s liaison, was baffled.

– “Pork belly? What’s that?”

When told it was the belly part, he was even more incredulous.

– “The part used for bacon? When there’s tenderloin???”

Even though they offered to send more tenderloin or sirloin, Amon insisted on reducing those and choosing pork belly, which the Archbishop couldn’t understand.

Even more so when Amon demanded that it not be sliced thinly like bacon but sent whole.

Upon hearing this, the Chairman of the 3 Dollar Group was also puzzled.

– “Is he… that legendary Holy Knight from Joseon?”

The Archbishop didn’t answer, not wanting to give even a fragment of information, but he too had his suspicions.

Regardless, the deal was finalized, and the company agreed to send Amon 300g of pork per month, cut by specific parts.

Why 300?

– “Well, we are the 3 Dollar Group.”

The Chairman insisted on keeping the number 3, so that’s what they sent.

Since the pork belly part was included, which they didn’t use anyway, the cost balanced out.

They even offered to send it weekly to prevent spoilage.

Thus, Amon could occasionally eat real meat that fattened his arteries instead of the healthy hospital food.

This week, it was neck meat, next week tenderloin, the week after that sirloin…

Sonia watched Amon with a pleased expression.

“Didn’t you say you couldn’t eat it because of the smell?”

“Not anymore. Here, say ahh.”

“Ahh.”

Amon, who fed Sonia the precious meat once a week, was thoughtful.

She had also learned from this incident that Amon couldn’t eat synthetic meat not because he disliked bugs.

His complaints seemed cute to her.

Thus, the two enjoyed their weekend feast.

But for Amon, there was one regret.

‘Damn it, I want to eat pork belly.’

Originally, pork belly was the main goal, but he couldn’t eat it in the hospital.

The smell wasn’t the issue.

Of course, Sonia cooked the meat outside and brought it sealed, and Amon was in a private room anyway.

The reason Amon couldn’t eat pork belly was simple.

‘Damn the West. Damn cyberpunk.’

The meat was ready.

But other items were missing.

Ssamjang, garlic, leafy greens, etc.

Things Amon had overlooked.

No matter how much Amon craved pork belly, eating it raw was a bit too much.

‘I’ll have to visit Joseon Town after I’m discharged, I guess.’

From what he found online, the high-end grocery store there had ssamjang and garlic.

‘They say it’s really expensive.’

But since it was available, he planned to go.

Thinking this, Amon ate the hamburger Sonia fed him.

Gazing wistfully at the pork belly slowly rotting in the freezer,

Amon survived another day in the cyberpunk world.

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