The Tough Guy Hides the Villainess - Chapter 113



113 – A Secret Base on a Summer Day #1

113 – A Secret Base on a Summer Day #1

“Hanamjin, you!”

As I was about to leave the container with Chang-sik, someone called my name loudly.

Even though I look like this, I’m in the middle of a secret mission using the missing person situation.

It feels like I’m advertising that I’m alive.

“You b*stard, you were alive after all!”

“…Who are you?”

This is the problem when you become famous.

They know me, but I don’t know them.

They feel an internal familiarity with me from watching news, newspapers, and MeTube videos, but I don’t feel the same, so awkward situations like this often happen.

But?

At times like this, I knew exactly what to do.

I took out a gum wrapper from my pocket, drew a Gucci logo on it, and handed it to the fan.

“This is my autograph. Take it.”

“I don’t need it, man! Did you hit your head or something in the ‘Great Labyrinth’?”

A prickly attitude, like a sharp-tongued princess, even though he was a guy.

It felt familiar.

“Are you Prince Hyun by any chance?”

I didn’t recognize him.

He was wearing a large eye patch over one eye, which gave him a strange sense of intimidation, and his impression had completely changed.

If the old Prince Hyun felt like the prince who kissed the girl lying down in the Snow White play, now he seemed more like a hunter.

“I’m sorry about your eye. I should have protected you.”

A high school senior is still young.

As an adult, I felt a deep sense of helplessness for not being able to protect the young Prince Hyun, and tears welled up from deep within me like spring water.

Prince Hyun raised his hair and got genuinely angry.

“Why would you protect me! Do you think you’re the only great one? Next time, I’ll win! Definitely!”

Win what?

Had I unknowingly competed with this guy?

At that moment, Baonoi, who was fiddling with a broken remote control he had picked up at Changshik’s junkyard, growled like a lion with a thorn in its throat.

“Who is this prickly boy? His way of speaking is extremely disgusting…!”

“Huh? And who are you?”

From noble mtl dot com

Lunchtime had arrived before we knew it.

We each took one military emergency ration from Old Man Hunger and shared them.

“This pound cake is deliciously deadly…!”

“This pound cake is deadly and tasteless…!”

Bao-noi and Ino-noi glared at each other.

They were the same type of fairy, but their tastes were clearly very different.

The important thing was that the Old Man had shared food with us.

‘This is the same old man who never gave me anything for free in my life.’

It seemed the pre-apocalypse Old Man Hunger had some heart to spare, maybe.

Soon enough, Chang-shik, who’d been battered senseless under the guise of training, offered his thanks, showing some manners.

“Old Master, thank you for sharing food. Looks quite expensive if you tried to buy it, you know.”

“It’s nothing. Those things will expire soon, so you gotta eat ‘em up quick. And you’re still students, aren’t you? You gotta eat well and not starve if you wanna grow up to be fine adults.”

We’d just about finished our makeshift meal when Old Man Hunger’s gaze landed back on me.

“Hanamjin, right? You can take a few more. You don’t have a mom or dad cooking for you, so you’ll just eat instant ramen at home, won’t you? Military rations are better than that stuff.”

Did I introduce myself as an orphan who only eats ramen?

“Old Man, you seem to know quite a bit about me.”

“Oh, that’s right. Your name’s been in the news a lot.”

It was a moment of realizing I was something of a celebrity.

Maybe he felt sorry for me, being an orphan.

But I was already an adult, perfectly capable of taking care of myself.

“But what are you kids, still wet behind the ears, doing with a bunker?”

The Old Man asked, sounding curious.

Chang-shik and Wang Ja-hyun seemed interested in the question too, their eyes focused on me.

I decided to give them a simple answer.

“It’s likely going to rain black rain in a few days. It will rain for at least ten days. People hit by that rain will become ferocious, like monsters. That’s why we need a bunker.”

I was certain that the one who made it rain black rain was the “Red King”. If those girls who infiltrated the “Witch Cult” did their job, then I would face him within a few days.

Always planning for the worst, I had to consider the possibility that my fight with the Red King would cause this world to be consumed by black rain.

Bao-noi reacted to my story.

“You mean that disgusting black rain is gonna fall in this world too…? Then this filter won’t last long…! This filter only converts rainwater into drinking water…!”

Bao-noi was right.

“Ugh.”

“Muhuhu, muhuhu, muhuhuhuhu…!”

Bao Noi wore a satisfied expression as he watched Wang Ja-hyun, who seemed genuinely frustrated.

At that moment, I thought that Wang Ja-hyun might be playing with the nymph Bao Noi as if she were his younger sister.

Wang Ja-hyun, this guy, isn’t he kinder than I thought?

He pretends to be grumpy on the outside, but inside, he’s quite adorable!

Watching Wang Ja-hyun play well with the nymph reminded me of the masked hero who became a symbol for children in a destroyed world.

In the post-apocalypse, where the common sense of treating children well had collapsed, the masked hero ‘Cheongsolmo’ was a sensible person who took good care of children.

In a world where anyone who couldn’t pull their weight couldn’t survive, he was called a hero because he took care of children who found it difficult to do their share.

By the way, it’s ‘Cheongsolmo,’ not ‘Cheongseolmo.’

Even I couldn’t understand the meaning behind that typo-like name.

There are still many things I don’t know, even with my knowledge of the future.

That’s why every day is fun!

“Wang Ja-hyun, do you know what Cheongsolmo is?”

Wang Ja-hyun, who was checking if he had any bruises, squinted his one remaining eye at my question.

“Cheongsolmo? You mean Cheongseolmo.”

His lips pouted.

I thought he would laugh at me for getting the word wrong, given his peculiar sense of rivalry against me, but for some reason, he didn’t.

Anyway, I was on my way to meet Hugi Younggam with that feeling, and Wang Ja-hyun joined me.

Honestly, it was annoying, but he gritted his teeth and said, “If you cause trouble again, you’ll become more famous than me. I can’t stand that.”

# # #

“I feel a familiar and nostalgic sensation.”

That was the conclusion Chang-sik came to as he looked at the flattened, stacked junk cars, piled up like sandwich ingredients.

This place, like Chang-sik’s home, was similar to a junkyard, so it was only natural to feel a sense of familiarity.

“Come here!”

I shouted loudly among the junk cars.

There’s nothing better than this to call someone.

Then, someone couldn’t resist and popped out from the maze of junk cars.

“What kind of b*stard is pretending to be a nobleman! Who are you to tell people to come and go!”

It was an old man with a good build and skin tanned by the sun.

An old man who looked like he would spread sunscreen on bread and eat it rather than apply it to his face.

It was Grandpa Heo-gi.

I learned various ways to survive from this man.

In other words, he was my survival teacher!

But that was in a previous life, and this was our first meeting in this life.

“Where have I seen you before?”

But Grandpa Heo-gi scratched his head as if he knew me in this life too.

It must be because I’m famous.

“I am Han Nam-jin, also known as ‘Bread Pitt.’”

In fact, I was supposed to keep my existence a secret, but since the secret mission was already ruined, it didn’t matter.

However, Old Man Heo kept scratching his forehead as if he was hearing my name for the first time.

“Bbang? What about bread? Ha, where have I seen this face recently? Ha, if I drink, I might remember. Alcohol… Do you have any alcohol?”

Asking high school students if they have alcohol.

“Jahyeon, because you look older, even I get treated like an adult.”

“What did I do! And don’t change my name as you please!”

In fact, Old Man Heo was a scatterbrained person even when I knew him.

He suffered from similar diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, etc., and it seems it started around this time.

He was an old man who even forgot his own name.

But? The desire to survive, to live on, must still be burning like embers within this man.

I asked like someone trying to start an old, worn-out car.

“I’d like to take a look at the bunker you built underground, sir.”

“……”

The old man’s face, which had been drowsy as if he had been drinking during the day, suddenly regained its expression. It was like inserting a key into an old car and hearing the unexpectedly loud engine roar to life.

“Sir, don’t pretend you don’t know. I already know there’s a bunker as wide as a playground down here. Let’s skip the tedious preamble and talk man to man.”

“Man? It sounds like you’re claiming to be a man. But I don’t know how you know about my bunker, if you know me well, you should know what will happen next, right?”

“Of course. No one will be able to stop it. This rampaging era─.”

I drew a dagger from my waist.

If I had hesitated even a little, the sharp blade of the military knife would have pierced my neck.

Kakakakak-.

In this junkyard where everything had rusted away, it was the only well-sharpened and oiled military knife.

It lunged at my neck with all its might, but I blocked it, causing it to miss.

Just that.

“Hey, friend!”

“Eek…! The crazy old man is swinging a knife…!”

“This Inonoi doesn’t know what’s going on…! In fact, this Inonoi hasn’t had a single thought since coming out into the outside world…!”

“What? What’s happening?”

While everyone was flustered, the old man and I exchanged a few blows.

Swish, swish-. Clang-! Clang-clang-!

Our daggers either pierced the air or clashed, sending sparks flying.

In the roughly ten exchanges, neither of us drew blood.

“Kid, you’re an awakened one. You’ve got good stamina and quick legs, but your swordsmanship is clumsy. Aiming for such obvious vital points makes your trajectory easy to read. Whoever taught you is a lousy teacher.”

It was the old man who had taught me to always aim for the vital points. Back then, I was a cripple, so if I missed even once, my life would be in danger.

One strike, one kill!

That was the motto of my technique.

As the tedious exchange ended, the old man was panting heavily.

He seemed to acknowledge it.

“For a kid, you can call yourself a man. I intended to keep the shelter’s location a strict secret. A very strict secret!”

I know. How crucial the location of the shelter is.

After the apocalypse, people swarmed like bandits, looting and destroying, and the old man’s shelter was a goldmine.

Knowing this well, the old man had stabbed at me with the intent to kill if necessary, to keep the shelter’s location a secret.

But he failed.

So, in the end, he seemed to have decided to compromise.

“There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Asking me for something means you’ve brought something that catches my interest, right? I’d prefer expensive liquor.”

Both Manager Kim Jang-dong and Old Man Heo liked alcohol very much.

I also wanted to be a cool man, a cool guy like them, so I tried to imitate drinking, but I had never found alcohol tasty in my entire life.

Was I the only one who couldn’t become an adult?

“We don’t have liquor, but we have something amazing instead. Let me introduce my friend, Jjangsik. He’s worth more than a hundred bottles of whiskey, so look forward to it.”

“This pale pervert is worth more than a hundred bottles of whiskey? He looks just like a high school girl kidnapper. A pervert’s face.”

“Uhm…”

Jjangsik was flustered.

His eyes darted between me and the old man, filled with confusion as if he didn’t know what to do.

I patted Jjangsik on the shoulder.

“This Jjangsik here can make candy out of stones. He can even make chocolate out of bottle caps. Isn’t that amazing?”

“What? Such an absurd ability exists!”

Old Man Heo showed great interest.

Just as I expected!

“Where! Where, show me! Quickly! Wow! The stone really turned into candy! Grape flavor! Can you make other flavors too? How about energy bars instead of candy?”

Old Man Heo was really happy, blowing his nose like a child who had met Santa Claus.

Soon, Old Man Heo turned his gaze to Wang Ja-hyun.

“This guy! This guy must be amazing too!”

“This guy is just like a bonus item.”

“What? I’m a bonus?”

Wang Ja-hyun frowned as if his pride had been genuinely hurt.

But seeing that, Old Man Heo admired him with a “Ho-oh.”

Soon, Old Man Heo patted Wang Ja-hyun’s shoulder and arm.

“This guy, even if I don’t know what’s inside, he looks like a decent man on the outside. I don’t know where he sold one of his eyes, but he feels determined. He’s got guts. His face is much more intimidating than those pale guys.”

What?

Old Man Heo recognized Wang Ja-hyun as a man even though he met him for the first time today!

Damn it, I had to do all sorts of chores for two years to be recognized as a man!

“Guah!”

My soul was wounded.

“Wang Ja-hyun, you silver spoon b*stard! Does being born with a silver spoon mean you have the best talent too?”

It was truly a pain that felt like my intestines were being torn apart!

Seeing me like that, Wang Ja-hyun seemed to feel pleased.

「Name: Wang Ja-hyun」

「Possession: 《Replication Lv.4》 – Can project the target onto himself like a clear lake.

Status: 《Smugness》 – Doesn’t know what happened, but feels good as if he won.」

“Are you finally recognizing how great I am? I don’t know what it is, but I won.”

“You brat! It’s too early to be smug!”

Bang-!

The old man Heo Gi gave Wang Ja-hyun a flick on the forehead.

“Ouch!”

“What’s impressive is only the appearance! You can’t survive in a collapsing world with just that! A man must hone himself! He must be able to protect himself! I’ll train you!”

“Old man, do I have to learn too?”

“Yes! Even if you have great abilities like yours, if you can’t protect yourself, you’ll end up as a slave! Slaves obey, humans choose!”

It seemed that Wang Ja-hyun and Choi Chang-sik had caught the old man Heo Gi’s eye.

He never taught me anything for free.

At that moment, Bao Noi clenched his fist and shouted.

“So when are you going to show us that bunker…? This Bao Noi is interested in the combat rations stored in that bunker…!”

“This Ino Noi doesn’t know what’s what…!”

The nymphs were right.

I had come to see the bunker today.

The old man soon laughed and led us to the center of the junkyard.

The bunker was underground.

To be honest, my heart was pounding because it was my first time going inside, and I couldn’t help but be surprised when I took my first step underground.

“This structure is similar to the ‘Great Labyrinth’, isn’t it?”

“You recognize it. The ‘Great Labyrinth’ was, so to speak, the fairies’ bunker. It was made to block the dangers outside and to prevent the dangers inside from escaping.”

Dangers inside and outside.

While I was lost in thought, Wang Ja-hyun, who seemed quite proud, asked.

“Grandfather, why did you build such a bunker? Do you think there will be a war with North Korea?”

“Would it be fortunate if it ended with just that? This world will soon be doomed. You must have seen it too, if you are awakened. The ruined fairy world. This world will end up the same way. I heard it directly from Kore…”

Kore─.

The old man’s eyes, which had been muttering like that, suddenly sharpened.

Then he looked at me, his lips twitching as if he had something to say, a sight that was far from manly.

“If you have something to say, say it straight.”

“No, it’s nothing. Is this also some kind of fate… I must be getting old.”

The old man was still rambling.

Anyway, the important thing is that I was able to hear a clue about ‘destruction’ from the old man.

And I was able to listen to a lecture on building shelters.