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Kim Il-shin guided the Namgung brothers to the second floor.

Thanks to recent earnings, Hanarim’s shop had been expanded beyond comparison.

The first floor was the store, and above that was the home where the Kim Il-shin family lived together.

However, while the first floor still held remnants of its past, the second floor was lavish beyond measure.

“Every time I come here, it gets bigger.”

“Did you use space magic? This application is revolutionary. Teacher Pan Haeyul would go crazy if he saw this.”

“I just barely sent him back when he wanted to stay and research.”

“Haha. I figured as much.”

The three of them entered the parlor adjacent to the second-floor hallway and sat down.

Kim Il-shin brought out two cups of mix coffee to suit the Namgung brothers’ taste.

Namgung Min cautiously lifted his cup and savored the coffee.

“It smells good. Supreme Gold?”

“That’s correct.”

Namgung Hyuk gulped down the hot coffee in one go and surveyed the artwork hanging around the parlor.

All the paintings in the house were created by Kim Il-shin himself.

“Is work going well these days?”

“It’s so well that it’s a problem.”

Since dropping out of Cosmo Academy, Kim Il-shin had been working as the in-house designer for Hanarim.

Most of the currently released Hanarim gear was designed by Kim Il-shin.

Thanks to this, Hanarim’s gear gained fame, and its unique designs also became highly celebrated.

While the public assumed this was Hanarim’s skill, she firmly stated otherwise, and the identity of the designer remained a secret.

“It’s become so famous that even I, who knows nothing, can tell, yet you still haven’t been caught. It’s amazing.”

“Thanks to Tae-sang.”

This was possible because Kim Tae-sang concealed information about Kim Il-shin.

Of course, Kim Tae-sang adamantly refused to get further involved with Kim Il-shin.

[No matter how much you give me, my heart will not change! …You’re giving this much? Even so…! Ah, this is for a month?! …If you just leave it to me, I will work hard!]

Money always knows the answer.

Kim Tae-sang’s information network, which even the Cheonan Church could not intercept, could not be beaten by mere information merchants or journalists.

The identity of Hanarim’s in-house designer remained shrouded in mystery.

“I’m asking just in case, but you don’t plan on revealing your identity now, do you? I keep getting contacted by people asking if I know anything.”

No sooner had Namgung Hyuk finished speaking than Hanarim’s voice rang out from downstairs.

“Don’t!”

“…”

Kim Il-shin shrugged as if to say ‘Did you hear that?’

These actions were taken not by Kim Il-shin, but by Hanarim.

In fact, Kim Il-shin had argued that there was no need to go to such lengths to hide it, but Hanarim strongly disagreed.

[You only need to draw for me! Got it!]

She insisted that if she had to handle designer work on top of her busy schedule, she would have no time to play with him.

“Oh, speaking of which. How has Senior Eun-ho been these days?”

“Surprisingly so. You’re closer to him than we are, right?”

“I haven’t been able to contact him recently. You guys must run into him often.”

Namgung Hyuk waved his hands dismissively as if he didn’t know what he was talking about.

“Do you know how busy he is? It’s hard for us to meet him often.”

Namgung Min nodded and added.

“I’ve heard he’s been working so hard that it worries those who meet him ever since he rose to the head of the department.”

“True, it’s not completely resolved yet.”

Only a year had passed since the Great Schism incident occurred.

On the surface, things seemed stable, and indeed, compared to the time that had passed, they were. However, many unresolved issues still lingered.

‘Tae-sang must be struggling too.’

Amidst the tidal wave of work, the image of Kim Tae-sang, who stood steadfast like an iron man, along with his fatigue, came to mind.

But then again, it was his choice, so there was nothing to be done about it.

“Perhaps because of that, he’s being mentioned as the next association president. Of course, there are some who oppose him, but there are so few that we’re considering it a done deal.”

“If it’s him, he will handle it well.”

“By the way, one of the people opposing him is Teacher Pan Haeyul. From what he said, he wants him to be the head of Cosmo Academy instead of the association president.”

“That wouldn’t be bad either. Whichever it is, those below will be busy.”

“Haha. So, I have no plans to go into either the association or the academy.”

Since it was a long-awaited reunion, there was much curiosity and conversation to catch up on.

The three continued talking, losing track of time.

How long had it been?

Crash! Bang! Bang!

Suddenly, a loud noise came from downstairs.

“…What’s going on?”

“I’ll go check it out.”

Even before Kim Il-shin could take his feet from his seat, the door to the parlor swung open.

The person visible beyond the open door was Hazuki.

She rushed in without a moment’s pause and ran toward Kim Il-shin.

“Darling! I’m here! I missed you, so hurry! Hug me—”

Only then did Hazuki check the back of Kim Il-shin.

Her pupils began to tremble uncontrollably.

Hazuki released her arms from around Kim Il-shin’s waist, stepped back, and said, “I’m sorry for causing a ruckus. Please continue your conversation peacefully.”

Click.

She shut the door behind her and fled.

“…”

A stillness settled in the space after the whirlwind had passed.

Eventually, after exchanging glances, the Namgung brothers began making their preparations to leave.

“It’s already this late. We should start moving.”

“It was nice seeing you after such a long while. Let’s meet again. Next time, let’s meet outside. Maybe at a café or a restaurant.”

“Y-Yup. Take care on your way back. I’ll pay for it.”

With that, the Namgung brothers stepped outside.

“…Ah.”

Namgung Min suddenly turned around and firmly grasped Kim Il-shin’s shoulder.

Clenching his teeth hard, he said.

“Don’t forget about going to the National Tax Service.”

“…Got it.”

“Thank you…”

After the Namgung brothers left, Kim Il-shin made his way down the hallway toward the bedroom.

There sat Hazuki, her face flushed, perched on the edge of the bed.

“I’m so sorry…”

“It’s okay. It’s fine, but next time, let’s… be more aware of our surroundings.”

“I guess I was just too excited to see you after so long…”

“It’s only been three days. And that was reduced from a week originally.”

“…What do you mean, darling? I almost died.”

Hazuki’s expression was far too serious to dismiss as a joke.

So, Kim Il-shin simply nodded in agreement.

“You did well. You wrapped up your work, right?”

“Yes. I checked, and it turned out to be simpler than I feared. If it had been left unattended, it could have become a hassle.”

“I’m glad you discovered it early.”

“Exactly. If not, I wouldn’t have seen you for a longer period. I could have really died.”

“…Yup. Exactly.”

Currently, Hazuki was commuting between the Endo family mansion and their home to manage work duties.

Most matters were handled at home, and she only crossed to Japan in unavoidable situations.

The decisions requiring approval were mostly addressed by the family’s sword master.

Hazuki’s recent trip to Japan coincided with an appointment with the sword master.

“How’s grandfather doing?”

“Thanks to you, he’s very healthy.”

The sword master had left the barrier to fend off the monsters during this crisis.

As a result, his illness had worsened considerably, bringing him to the brink of death. However, there was a reason Kim Il-shin had saved the divine being.

With Kim Il-shin’s divinity, the sword master’s ailment had been completely cured.

“Has he mentioned wanting to retire this time?”

As soon as he recovered from his illness, the sword master had immediately declared his intention to retire.

Having resolved his lifelong concerns and with a reliable successor in place, he wished to step back and enjoy his later years.

“Actually, he hasn’t. But he asked Hazuki to pass on a message to you.”

“What did he say?”

However, under Hazuki’s persuasion, the sword master continued to oversee the family’s affairs.

To some extent, Kim Il-shin could guess what choice he made.

“He complained about how he’s working so hard while he hasn’t seen the granddaughter yet.”

The sword master’s routine remark.

Kim Il-shin laughed lightly, thinking it was just a joke.

But Hazuki did not share that sentiment.

With various sensations flooding through her, she pressed her body against Kim Il-shin and whispered close to him.

“So, about that…”

Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted drastically. The warmth of Hazuki’s breath brushed against his ear.

The sweet scent of peaches wafted through the air, swirling around in his mind.

It was not the fragrance of perfume, but Hazuki’s distinct, fleshy aroma.

“I think both the family business and your sister’s shop are stable now, and we’ve handled the urgent tasks, right? Requests coming in are manageable, and I have grandfather here with me.”

Her hands, deftly unbuttoning his shirt one by one, felt both sensual and sticky.

Due to the close proximity, merely unbuttoning a couple of buttons revealed much of what lay beneath his shirt.

‘She’s totally serious about this…’

A sight that could drive any man insane.

[Flawless Mind (S)] was of no use in such a situation.

“I believe I’m prepared now.”

Having fully undone the buttons of his shirt, Hazuki caressed Kim Il-shin’s arm.

“So…”

Her sensuous touch slid down his arm, gently grasping his hand.

Then, she slowly guided it upward, supporting her chest, barely covered beneath her white lingerie.

“…Shall we make a baby?”

This felt like an onslaught that stimulated all five senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste, which would soon be fulfilled.

However, Kim Il-shin managed to hold onto his sanity with his superhuman will.

This matter could not just be decided between the two of them.

“This needs to be discussed with Hanarim as well—”

Just then.

Screech—

The bedroom door opened, revealing Hanarim, causing Kim Il-shin to freeze with his mouth agape.

In contrast to Hazuki’s, Hanarim wore black underwear that… left far too much to the imagination.

The underwear was not fulfilling its purpose.

While Hazuki’s actions were like the blade of an assassin, that was just pure bombardment.

Any man would find it hard to resist.

“So.”

Leaning casually against the door frame as if inviting commentary, Hanarim left enough time for Kim Il-shin to process before raising an eyebrow, asking.

“Dislike it?”

Kim Il-shin could not respond immediately, as his brain felt paralyzed.

Whether it was because of the gap created from this state or because he wished to provoke further, Hazuki whispered once more near his ear.

“Darling, actually… mine is the same as my sister’s below.”

At that instant. Kim Il-shin delivered a definitive reply to both of them.

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