Chapter 75

“Boss, if you’re feeling unwell, you should let me know.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Mina’s hand gently brushed over my head.

At this age, having my head patted felt a bit weird, but since Mina offered to clean my ears, I decided to stay still.

I felt the touch of the ear pick scratching my ear canal and locked eyes with Seolhwa, who was munching on chips.

“Oppa, feeling better?”

“Just started, so not sure yet.”

Honestly, I didn’t really need it.

With my ability, a simple cotton swab would’ve been enough to clean my ears. A quick swipe, and my ears are usually clean.

But it’s not like there’s nothing there…

Actually, it’s more about the sensation on my face.

Today, Mina was wearing short pants, and half my face was buried in her bare skin.

“Not much here…”

“I usually clean my ears regularly.”

I’m not overly meticulous, but I do keep things clean.

The problem is, every time something happens, I end up covered in blood, and the smell doesn’t go away easily. Just the other day, I came back and washed, but the stench of blood was overwhelming.

When will I ever live without smelling blood?

I don’t enjoy seeing blood, but the world keeps forcing me into situations where I have to deal with it.

And thanks to that damn Quaker, the safe haven I built might get destroyed, so I can’t just sit still.

“Oppa, want some chips?”

I silently opened my mouth.

Then Seolhwa’s finger, with a chip, entered my mouth.

Even if the world goes crazy, chips are still delicious.

A bit salty, but still, lying down and snacking is the life.

“Tasty?”

“Yeah.”

“Seolhwa, if you eat like that, crumbs will fall everywhere.”

“Sorry.”

Seolhwa immediately backed down at Mina’s scolding.

Mina treats her well, so she’s softer on her.

But when she talks to me, she’s quite stubborn.

As I thought this, I felt the ear pick digging into my ear canal, and Mina’s hair tickled my cheek.

“Boss, what’s for dinner tonight?”

“Let’s just whip something up.”

“Meat!”

“Yeah, let’s have some meat too.”

We have some meat from last time, so we can just use that. As I casually answered, Mina pulled the ear pick out of my ear.

“Boss, can you turn over?”

“Turn over?”

If I turn over… won’t the position be a bit awkward?

I tried to look at Mina, who made the strange request, but the fat mass blocking my view made it impossible.

“Yes.”

“Isn’t that a bit awkward?”

“It’s fine. You’re the boss.”

“Why awkward?”

Seolhwa’s innocent gaze pierced through my face.

“…”

Rather than explaining, I’ll just turn over.

I slightly turned my body to look at Mina’s stomach.

She was wearing a light T-shirt today, so the fabric tickled my nose. Every time she moved, her stomach peeked out a bit.

“This side is clean too.”

“I take care of it.”

“Unnie, can I try too?”

“Is my ear a toy?”

If you try, you’ll tear my flesh, not clean my ear.

“Boss, I’m done.”

“Ah, okay-”

I quietly tried to get up from the sofa. If it weren’t for the fat mass blocking my view.

If I get up now, I’ll end up burying my face in her chest.

Actually, that’s fine!

But it’ll just make things awkward with Mina, so I should move.

After some thought, I rolled to the side and got out.

It looked a bit ridiculous, but it’s a win-win, right?

Then, a sigh of disappointment tickled my ear.

“You could’ve stayed a bit longer…”

“We need to prepare dinner.”

“Meat! Meat!”

“Got it, let’s go prepare dinner.”

Today, let’s make some stew.

We have ingredients from Seoul, so we can add plenty of toppings.

“I’ll cut the vegetables today!”

“Are you sure? You’re not going to chop the cutting board again, are you?”

Cutting boards aren’t expensive, but buying another one is a hassle.

Despite my concern, Seolhwa confidently patted her chest and smiled.

“It’s fine! I practiced while you were away!”

“Really?”

“Yes, Boss. I really practiced. Now, only half the cutting board will get chopped.”

I’m not sure if this counts as progress.

“Alright… then I’ll leave the vegetable cutting to you today.”

“Okay!”

————————–

“Hmm…”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t expect the hideout to be discovered-”

“It’s fine, go ahead.”

“Th-thank you!”

He watched his subordinate hurriedly leave the room, then turned his gaze to the window.

A night full of thoughts.

His mind was filled with unexpected variables.

“Did they know what they were doing, or was it… a coincidence?”

“I never imagined Quaker’s clone would do such a thing.”

“Same here. Of all things, my clone causing trouble.”

He had been keeping an eye on it, but the clone’s sudden actions caused a significant hiccup in Quaker’s plans.

With the best ability user for creating hideouts dead, the plan to secretly build hideouts around and inside Seoul has hit a snag.

‘With time, it’s possible. But… the delay is bothersome.’

Operations must always be swift and precise.

Their plan was to create chaos in Seoul using the hideouts and then achieve their goals.

But they couldn’t build as many hideouts as they wanted, and now a key member is dead.

He has stronger ability users under him, but losing someone with a unique ability is a painful blow.

‘Should I have dealt with it earlier?’

The clone.

Originally, it was just a flesh puppet without a sense of self, but it escaped the research institute and ended up interfering with his grand plan.

He rationally decided it was time to eliminate it to avoid further trouble, but deep down, he was curious to see how far it would go, so he didn’t voice the order to dispose of it.

‘I’ve lost everything, but I wonder how my clone will fare.’

The storm of the era isn’t something an individual can stop.

If a mere clone can hinder it, then it was never a dream worth pursuing.

So…

“Mist. Proceed with the plan as is.”

“…Understood.”

Mist bowed without a word of objection.

There was no need to question his orders.

As Mist turned and left the room, Quaker pulled out a pendant from his pocket with a lonely expression.

“…Wait. I’ll finish this quickly and come to you.”

————————————

“Well done, Tempest! Catching a big fish already, well done!”

“Thank you!”

“But don’t get too cocky. A hero should never become arrogant.”

“Yes!”

“Then, go ahead.”

“Understood! Take care!”

As Tempest left the room with a spirited farewell, Shield slumped into his chair, lost in thought.

‘I didn’t expect an arrest to happen.’

The goal was to distract and let them escape, but an arrest?

Thinking of Tempest’s unexpected success, a satisfied smile formed on his lips.

“If we keep nurturing him, he could become our flagship hero.”

Good looks, young age. With some major achievements, he’d be perfect for advertising.

“…I’ve become quite jaded.”

Now thinking about advertising towers and such.

But it’s necessary.

He sighed and turned his gaze to the monitor.

On it was a file with a man’s personal information.

“Park Yi-sak… what exactly are you?”

Age unknown.

Origin unknown.

Activities before the swamp area unknown.

In less than a year, wiped out most of the swamp area’s criminal organization, Viper.

The information was sparse, but each piece was significant.

“…We’ll need to keep an eye on him.”

Is he an ally?

Or an enemy?

There’s not enough to judge yet.

So… we’ll have to watch.

“I hope he’s not an enemy.”

Strong ability users are always valuable.

Shield closed the file and opened a new one.

To get back to the busy work ahead.