NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 13 - A Makjang Drama...?
Chapter 13: A Makjang Drama…?
A woman, brainwashed during her childhood, who did nothing without someone’s orders.
Her life, which had been stagnant, started moving again after she received the name ‘Seo Haru’.
It was thanks to the young man in front of her, Seo Yu-jin.
“Dad. Why are you so late? You said you’d be back after a hundred nights.”
“Sorry, it’s just that….”
“I’ll forgive you, so give me a piggyback ride.”
…Unfortunately, her mind was also stuck in that time period.
Yu-jin furrowed his brows.
‘I feel sorry for my wives….’
Her situation was pitiable, and he did want to help.
But still, she was a grown woman.
Judging by the memories, she should be in her late twenties now.
And she wanted to be coddled?
Eat together, go to an amusement park, give her piggyback rides?
This was practically having an affair. It was trashy.
For someone who aimed to avoid the contradiction of a harem romance, it was something he wanted to avoid at all costs.
-Whispering.
“President. What should I do?”
“Hmm? Just give her the piggyback ride.”
“No, it’s just that… our bodies might touch….”
“……Hah.”
‘He looks like this and has no experience with women? How can such an upright young man exist?’
It was easy to misunderstand him as a virgin if you didn’t know the circumstances, but anyway.
Afterward, Yu-jin and the president discussed and reached an agreement regarding her treatment.
“You’re saying I only need to take care of her after work?”
“Yes. Even though you’re an awakened one, you’re also a student. We can’t take away too much of your free time.”
As a result of the agreement, Yu-jin spent about one to two hours a day with her as her ‘dad’.
“We’ll compensate you for the lost free time as well. We’ll pay you the average hourly rate for an A-rank awakened one’s mission.”
“…? Did you say average?”
“Yes. It’s too bothersome to nitpick personal missions to calculate the average.”
“……I’ll be the best dad ever, sir!!”
Yu-jin, who suddenly found himself with a sweet part-time job, couldn’t stop grinning.
Seol Ha-yeon, the president and chairwoman, was also very satisfied.
“Well, you might need to help me with some of my work in name, but….”
“Just leave it to me!!”
“Hehe. Alright. Alright.”
‘Even so, since he doesn’t have any real experience, I need to start training him.’
She couldn’t use him because he didn’t listen, and it was too wasteful to lock up an A-rank awakened one in prison.
Plus, she naturally managed to pull in Yu-jin, whom she had designated as the next successor.
Well, it might cost a little money, but it was only a significant amount to Yu-jin, not to a billionaire like her.
She couldn’t help but be happy to catch two birds with one stone at such a low cost.
“Alright, let’s go. Haru! Are you hungry? What do you want to eat?”
“Pork cutlet.”
“Pork cutlet! I like pork cutlet too. Shall we go eat together?”
“Piggyback.”
“Yes, yes! I’ll give you a piggyback ride too!”
“……Okay. I’ll forgive you.”
‘I’m mad that he was late, but dad is really weak. He probably couldn’t help it. And he’s really kind, and really, really handsome. I’m not mad.’
Seo Haru was simply happy.
Just seeing her dad’s face made her happy.
* * *
I headed to the restaurant with my temporary daughter, Haru, feeling good.
With a big smile on my face.
Anyone who saw me might wonder if I was the same guy who hesitated because it looked like I was cheating…
‘They’ll treat it as an A-rank mission completed over a month? The average unit price is 1 billion won, so for two hours a day over a month… an hourly rate of 16 million won? This is insane!!’
Not 16,000 won, but 16 million won per hour.
Originally, this was an amount shared among several people, and money earned by taking various risks to get 1 billion won.
I was going to take it all by myself.
An hourly rate of 16 million won.
This was something my wives would definitely approve of.
‘To think Madam would be this generous. Is it because she’s at the end of her term and has become more lenient?’
Thanks to that, I couldn’t stop smiling.
Seriously, 16 million won per hour?
Earning like this during my newbie days was giving me a crazy dopamine rush.
Of course, compared to the money I made before regression, it was pocket change…
Ah. I could already see the high-end training equipment and gate auction rights shimmering before my eyes.
Long live capitalism. Long live hypnosis. Long live my daughter.
“…Dad, you’re smiling. Do you like eating pork cutlet with me?”
“Of course, of course~! Daddy is very happy~!”
“Yeah. I like Daddy too.”
– Hug.
“Alright. Let’s go eat pork cutlet quickly~.”
‘Mr. Haru’s Dad, I may not know anything else, but I will make sure to feed you well! Please enjoy!’
Haru was extremely satisfied with my 200% genuine reaction.
With big smiles, we entered the student cafeteria.
“So, Yu-jin, he is just so frustratingly… Huh? Yu-jin?”
“Yu-jin!! I apologize for earlier… Oh?”
‘What? What are they doing?’
As soon as we entered, we ran into my wives.
Were they having a chat while eating?
I greeted them warmly.
“Alice, Shia. I’m back….”
“……Who’s that?”
“Yu-jin……?”
– Chills.
‘What is this? Why does it feel scary?’
…Their gazes were filled with murderous intent.
What was this? Had I committed some grave sin?
Of course, if this were before my regression, I would deserve a slap.
I mean, a guy with a partner was carrying around another woman.
But now, in my second life, they shouldn’t have any feelings for me…
– Whispering.
“Dad. They’re glaring at me.”
“……!!!”
“It was Haru’s fault!!”
I quickly realized the situation.
Who was my daughter? An awakened one with a record of smashing buildings during the last academy attack.
Though she didn’t hurt anyone, to those who didn’t know, she looked like a full-fledged villain.
And if that image had been broadcasted on TV or other media?
It was natural for them to look at her like they wanted to kill her. Even if it were me, I’d be terrified if my wives brought home a villain.
I quickly opened my mouth to explain.
“I know what you’re thinking, but no. Haru is my daughter!”
“………?”
– Silence.
The student cafeteria fell silent.
I, who spoke hastily, Alice, Shia, and even Haru were all silent.
The silence was broken by a dietitian who had been watching from afar and dropped a plate.
“A makjang drama…?”
– Clatter!
“………What?!!!!!!”
“W-What!!!? You were married!!!!!?”
With the sound of the plate breaking, the silence dissipated.
Alice and Shia approached with their eyes blazing, demanding answers.
Were you a married man? they asked.
…Ah. I really made a slip of the tongue.
The dopamine rush from the hourly wage of 16 million won had melted my brain, causing me to make such a dumb mistake.
‘It’s okay. If I explain the situation, they’ll understand.’
“What happened is….”
“Dad. Who are these women? Are they my mom?”
“…Huh?”
The explanation that was about to come out got tangled up.
It was because of the sudden, straightforward question that came out of nowhere.
The fact that they were my former wives was a top secret.
It was a secret that should never be revealed until I married them again.
If it came out before that, they’d surely react with ‘Eek, a stalker.’
But now, this top-secret information was suddenly out in the open.
Even though I knew she didn’t mean it that way, my brain froze.
‘Both of them are indeed my wives… but how do I explain this?! I don’t want to deny that they’re my wives!!’
“W-Well….”
“What do you mean by that, dear!!”
“Y-Yeah!! Who would be this guy’s w-wife….”
“Which one of you is my mom?”
Of course, the conversation didn’t wait for my brain circuits to recover.
The three women started having various conversations.
“What!!!? What do you mean by that.”
“Dad is Dad, so he must have a wife. Who’s Dad’s wife?”
“Miss Shia, am I misunderstanding Korean…? W-Wife, you mean like someone who’s married….”
“Since I’m his wife, you don’t butt in!! What have you been saying since earlier!? Anyway, what is your relationship with Yu-jin!?”
Main dealer: Yu Shia.
Her fierce attacks were befitting a presumed S-rank skill holder.
“We’re dad and daughter.”
“Don’t lie! You look older than her….”
“I don’t care. Anyway, Dad is Dad.”
However, in front of her was an A-rank top-tier awakened one recognized even by the president.
Haru didn’t flinch and dodged all the attacks effortlessly.
Moreover,
“Hmm… You don’t seem like Mom. If you were Mom, a baby would cry because it’s hungry.”
“W-What!!!!!!?”
A critical hit.
Shia, who suffered a critical blow in this selfish exchange, quickly covered her chest.
She also gave me a reproachful look.
“That’s not true!? It’s just because of my clothes, but if I wore a supportive bra…!!!”
“So, Pinky is my mom?”
“W-What…?”
Taking advantage of the moment, Haru dragged Alice into the melee.
It was a textbook strategy of dealing with close-range threats first and then taking down the long-range dealer.
“Is Pinky my dad’s wife?”
“W-What do you mean? Why would we be Yu-jin’s w-wife….”
“You looked at Dad like that.”
Haru’s attack flared up again.
To the backline dealer, who probably didn’t even understand the situation, she delivered merciless violence.
It was a combo attack that would leave any ordinary person helpless.
However, my wife was on a different level.
“……Ah-ha? Then should I take it? Hehe.”
A relaxed parry!
It was a perfect defense that defied belief in her quick judgment, despite being an awakened one specializing in magic!
The ten-point scoreboards in my mind soared three at a time.
Look. Even Shia acknowledged it…
“What nonsense are you spewing, you fox!!! Yu-jin, get a grip!!!!”
“Oh.”
……Wait, why was I narrating this?
I was so flustered that I was doing something stupid.
I quickly moved to resolve the situation.
“The thing is….”
“Dad. Is Pinky really your wife?”
– Boom!!!!!!
“No, you fool!!!? Why her!!!”
“Eek!!?”
‘Shia is really angry!?’
My attempt to resolve the situation was blown away by Shia’s genuine fury.
“Uh, Shia. Wait….”
“Hmph. I don’t know what kind of Korean joke this is, but… I do think I fit a bit better.”
“Alice, shut up!! Hey, what do you mean by that, huh!?”
“C-Calm down…….”
“Your chest. It’s too small.”
“It’s not small!!!!!!!?”
……Thanks to Shia entering berserk mode, I had to fumble around for almost ten minutes.
No, she really gets angry when you touch on her chest size.
I’ll have to secretly tell them later.
Pointing out her chest is like telling a man, ‘You’re bad at games.’
* * *
The next day.
“Hello everyone. I’ll be teaching you about magic manipulation….”
-Spark.
“Professor. If I’m at this level, can I use the training room during lecture time?”
“……Excuse me?”
The self-proclaimed twice-regressed hypnotic breeder started to reveal various things.