The Tough Guy Hides the Villainess - Chapter 90



090 – The Girl Who Catches Bugs Well

090 – The Girl Who Catches Bugs Well

Seo Ga-eul entered our house.

This time, she took off her shoes properly in front of the shoe cabinet, which was surprising.

“Can I borrow the kitchen?”

I couldn’t even answer like a fool to Seo Ga-eul’s question. Her tone was so kind that it was embarrassing.

Seo Ga-eul’s expression was different too.

There was no trace of the annoyance and dissatisfaction I had seen so often lately. Instead, she looked as gentle and benevolent as an angel descended from heaven.

But that expression crumpled as soon as she entered the kitchen.

“Oh, a bug.”

Bang-!

Seo Ga-eul stretched out her foot and crushed a black bug. Seeing this, I was surprised once again.

“Is it okay to just crush it with your foot like that? It must feel gross.”

“If I throw away the stockings and wash my feet, it’s fine. And compared to ‘Bangdol’, this one is small and cute.”

That was true.

In a world that had perished, radioactive mutant cockroaches appeared.

They were called “Bangdol” for short, and their size was so large that they were genuinely scarier than most dogs.

“Could you look over there for a moment? I need to take this off.”

Seo Ga-eul pointed to her stockings with her hand.

As I turned my head slightly, I heard the sound of something being taken off. Since I couldn’t see it directly, my imagination was unnecessarily stimulated.

Skin as soft as an angel’s feather and the thin, airy nylon that wrapped around it.

“Growl, I can’t stand it!”

I quickly turned my head.

How could I miss the scene of Seo Ga-eul taking off her stockings!

But Seo Ga-eul was already washing her feet in the sink. The stockings that had crushed the bug had long been thrown into the trash.

“Can’t stand it? Well, it’ll take some time for the ramen water to boil, so wait.”

Tap, tap-, tap-!

The sound of Seo Ga-eul placing Spam on the cutting board and chopping it was consistent and pleasant.

“Seo Ga-eul, you look good in an apron.”

“Really? I just think it’s ordinary.”

“That ordinary is what’s good.”

Even in the 21st century, marred by low birth rates and non-marriage.

Every man dreams of a happy date at least once.

I was the same.

There was a time when my dream was to date a pretty girlfriend, get married, have eleven sons and daughters, and form a soccer team. For a man, ordinary happiness is something like that.

What man wouldn’t like a pretty woman like Seo Ga-eul cooking ramen in the kitchen?

“It’s done. Even with your peculiar taste, it’ll be delicious. Believe it or not, I was called the ‘Miracle Chef’ at the Grass Blanket Camp.”

Bright red ramen with chopped peppers and Spam was in the bowl. The broth was still bubbling, and the noodles seemed to be cooked just right, with a slightly firm texture.

Slurp-.

Without hesitation, I took a bite.

“It tastes good.”

“Really? Then I’ll have a bite too.”

Slurp-.

Seo Ga-eul tucked her long hair behind her ear and took a bite of the ramen. Just when I thought it looked like a scene from a ramen commercial, an uncharacteristic wrinkle appeared on her white, straight forehead.

“I chopped up a lot of spicy peppers, but it tastes a bit bland. Why? I made the ramen to suit my taste perfectly. Something’s missing. Maybe it’s the ketchup flavor….”

Seo Ga-eul seemed to think that this ramen lacked the taste of ketchup.

In fact, I thought so too.

# # #

We finished our meal like that.

From noble mtl dot com

Blowing on the steaming noodles, sweat trickling down our foreheads from the hot broth, we ate every last drop of the soup.

For Seo Ga-eul and me, finishing a meal meant eating everything. If we left even a drop of soup, Bangdori would smell it and come out, causing trouble.

It’s a rule among survivors.

Seo Ga-eul rubbed her slightly bulging belly with her palm and said,

“It’s funny that it lacks the taste of ketchup. Considering how my taste has changed, it seems my training is progressing smoothly, right?”

It’s true. The ‘future Seo Ga-eul’ really came to find me.

There were many things I wanted to ask the future Seo Ga-eul.

So many that I didn’t even know where to start, and I stuttered like a computer with a temporary glitch.

Fortunately, the future Seo Ga-eul was much more skilled and experienced than the current me, Han Nam-jin, so she kindly led the conversation without me having to ask much.

“You must have a lot of questions. But there’s no time to answer them all. The current me is like a dream. Dreams are meant to be woken up from, right? Still, we can talk like this thanks to ‘Maple’.”

Click-.

The sword ‘Maple’ worn on her waist.

It was the beloved sword of Seo Ga-eul, who was called ‘Supernova’.

“At this point in time, I, Seo Ga-eul, received a call from Lieutenant Jang Bo-reum and joined the ‘Demon Nam Woo-joo Subjugation Squad’. So I was allowed to use one more treasure in the treasure battle.”

“Ah, so that’s why you chose that sword.”

“I sent you to the past and at the same time, I sent my thoughts into this sword ‘Maple’ and sent it to the past. Since concepts with good compatibility are drawn to each other like fate, I knew I would choose ‘Maple’ again.”

“So you’re saying that you, Seo Ga-eul, knew you would get the sword ‘Maple’ and hid a surprise video message in it. Getting the sword was the trigger.”

In other words, the future Seo Ga-eul was a temporary existence.

She was like a recorded video that would only play through the current Seo Ga-eul’s body.

“That’s right. I’m glad you understand quickly. Oh! I saw what you did. It was amazing! Defeating that ‘Giant’.”

“That’s why you sent me to the past. But I’m struggling with your training more than I thought. To be honest, the progress is slow.”

“Not really. Comparing the me of that time and the me of now, you’re at a different level. Han Nam-jin, you’re doing well. Even if I had gone back to the past myself, I wouldn’t have achieved this much. I’m very proud of you.”

Seo Ga-eul patted my back with her palm.

It felt great to be praised by the hero I admired.

“So, why me? If you were sending someone to the past, there must have been many others.”

Seo Ga-eul paused for a moment at the question I had to ask.

It seemed like he was choosing his words carefully.

“I thought that many people died because of me. So, I believed I had to save at least twice as many people. That’s how Seo Ga-eul of ‘Supernova’ was created.”

Indeed, Seo Ga-eul seemed to think that he was responsible for the N-Mart incident.

To repay that debt, he had thrown even himself away.

“But, it wasn’t easy. I found out about you when my comrades started to cover themselves with grass blankets one by one. By the way, covering with grass blankets means…”

“I know, you don’t need to explain.”

“Really? You know a lot. Then you must also know that my comrades died because I couldn’t protect them. They died because of me. If only I had been a bit stronger─.”

Seo Ga-eul clenched his fist and trembled.

He looked genuinely resentful.

“Then, I got to know you. A friend told me about a man who tamed monsters. I got interested and investigated. Very thoroughly. To the point where I know you better than you know yourself.”

He knows me well, huh. Could he possibly know that I dance and sing in the shower?

Surely, he didn’t investigate my D-drive ‘Cuckoo’ file.

Even I would be a bit nervous about that!

“Errand boy Han Nam-jin. I didn’t know, but your notoriety is well-known even at the grass blanket camp. When I said I was going to meet you, everyone opposed it. So, I had to meet you secretly.”

I see.

That’s why our first meeting was so chaotic.

“So, you still haven’t told me why you chose me. If you investigated me deeply, you would know how pathetic a loser I was.”

At my question, Seo Ga-eul hummed.

He hesitated.

Then he stood up and slowly approached me.

“Well, I wonder. I think ‘the current Seo Ga-eul’ will gradually tell you the reason. For now, all I can give you is a little warmth to motivate you, who might be a bit tired.”

Seo Ga-eul wrapped his arms around my neck.

He hugged me.

When was the last time someone hugged me? I always felt like I had lost something, but now it felt like I had regained it.

The warmth of the person I longed for is now beside me.

The same warmth as mine.

The warmth of someone living in the same world as me.

“Han Nam-jin, I’m sorry for you. In this world, you might be the only one still living in a ruined world. The burden on your shoulders is too heavy.”

“It’s nothing.”

“I knew you would say that. Then, please take care of me from now on. I may not be honest and might say mean things, but.”

“I know.”

“It’s going to be a headache. It won’t be easy.”

“I know that too.”

“Sometimes you grind your teeth when you sleep.”

“I already know that too. You do it when you’re tired.”

“You know a lot about me. Do you know I have a mole on the inside of my thigh?”

“I didn’t know that.”

“Puhuhu, just kidding. But I’m weak to compliments. This isn’t a joke, so remember it well. It’ll help you train me. Haaa—umm.”

Seo Ga-eul yawned loudly.

He soon sat on the living room sofa and closed his eyes.

Nodding off, he looked somehow uneasy.

“Will we meet again?”

“…It depends on you.”

Breathing softly.

Seo Ga-eul fell asleep. Grinding his teeth.

Then suddenly, as if having a nightmare, he woke up with a start, which was funny.

“Ahh!”

Seo Ga-eul met my eyes.

His expression immediately crumpled.

“What? Why am I sleeping here? What is this? I must have picked up a pretty knife at the treasure exhibition. Why am I at Han Nam-jin’s house─. What did you do to me! Huh! Why did you take off my stockings!”

Seo Ga-eul got angry in a way that was easy to understand.

I reached out to Seo Ga-eul and patted his shoulder.

“Sleeping so well in someone else’s house that they could carry you away, that’s really praiseworthy.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

Seo Ga-eul looked puzzled.

But it wasn’t a joke that he was weak to compliments. His face turned red, and he squirmed as if embarrassed.

“What are you praising? Out of the blue─huh!”

It was then.

Seo Ga-eul gasped and, like a beekeeper who had discovered a hornet, darted somewhere and slapped something with his palm.

A bug, squashed.

“Got it!”

“Doesn’t it feel gross to kill it with your bare hands like that?”

“You can just wash your hands. Besides, I’m good at catching these things. When I was little, I used to tie strings around mole crickets’ waists and play with them with my mom.”

“You’re really good at catching bugs. I commend you.”

Seo Ga-eul has always been good at catching bugs.

Fairy types are naturally strong against bug types.

“…Why do you keep praising me? You’re teasing me, aren’t you? Stop it.”

Clang-!

He handed me a knife.

“Look at this knife! Can you see what concept is imbued in it with your emotions? It’s an unknown concept, but it strangely fits in my hand, so I brought it.”

“Name: Maple – Wakizashi

A sword crafted by a legendary master. All of its owners met a terrible death.”

“Its name is ‘Maple.’ And the concept it holds is….”

I examined the concept imbued in the sword with my emotions, which had risen to the third grade. Last time I checked, my level wasn’t high enough to appraise it.

“Oh, wow. With this─.”

It might not be impossible to defeat the demon Nam Woo-joo.

As expected, it’s the favorite sword of the versatile “Supernova” Seo Ga-eul.

“What is it, what? Don’t just say ‘oh, wow,’ explain it to me!”