Chapter 32

Chapter 31

If I wanted Ymir to walk the path of a villain, I would probably have recommended a Western-style costume design rather than a hanbok.

"Walk your own path! Believe in the maple syrup that flows in your veins!"

Ymir is a person from abroad.

Just by looking at her, she has blonde hair and blue eyes, and her appearance is that of a typical foreigner.

Even if she wears a foreign-style suit or a design similar to a dog rider and gets criticized for it, in her country, they would cheer, "Wow, the clothes that feel the spirit of our maple syrup even in Korea!"

"Did you end up dropping out of the academy?"

"Teacher..."

"Follow me. I'll help you take revenge on Korea, which has tormented you, and on those who have driven you to despair."

If that happens, I would certainly be able to pull Ymir into the ranks of the determined more easily.

However.

I believe in the possibilities of all the selfish people on this Jeongseong Island, in this country, on this land.

'Humans are trash.'

Whether Ymir wears a hanbok or a wedding dress, the people on this island will see her as a 'foreigner' no matter what.

Someone who values tradition might say:

"How can we discriminate against someone who speaks our language just because they have a big nose and different hair color?"

Someone once said this about Hamel, who drifted to Joseon, a village elder.

I don't remember the exact origin, but if someone lives in Korea, speaks Korean, and lives for Korea, then that person is Korean—

"That's an old story! It's different now! Can we really call foreigners who come here, absorb the mana buff of Korea, and then return to their own country, 'our people'?"

We can't.

There is a perspective that all these foreign ability users are 'eventually going to return to their own countries,' so foreigners are bound to be rejected.

Even if they marry Koreans, if they don't live here for a long time and show a deep appreciation for Korean culture, people will say, "They will eventually run away with marriage fraud!" Can foreigners really live here healthily for a long time?

'She will become disillusioned with this country on her own without me interfering.'

Even I, who have lived here for half a year, feel disillusioned. Can Ymir really not feel disillusioned with the people of this land?

I don't think so.

"Then, Miss Ymir, is this enough books?"

"Yes, thank you for finding books for me even though you're busy."

"No problem. This is nothing. I'm a librarian, after all."

I brought five books about hanbok that I had selected for Ymir and lent them to her.

"If you get stuck, come to me. You can ask for help from anyone around you, not just me. If you say you're making a costume based on hanbok, everyone will help you."

"Thank you, teacher! Oh, teacher, one more thing."

Ymir put the books in her bag and asked cautiously.

"Do you have time this weekend?"

"Weekend?"

"Yes. I want to treat you to a meal as a way to thank you for the last time you treated me."

"…It won't cause any more accidents, right?"

Since an accident happened as soon as we went to the restaurant last time, I'm worried it might happen again.

"Probably not. It's not like someone will go on a rampage every weekend, especially when we're eating at a restaurant."

"I see. Well, I have a feeling about these things. And I'm sorry, but I have prior commitments this weekend."

"Prior commitments?"

"Yes."

I'm not making an excuse.

I really have prior commitments, and I have to go somewhere on Sunday.

"Hmm... Then, if you have time next time, let's have a meal then. I'll show you the hanbok costume I've designed. Definitely. Got it?"

"Got it, Miss Ymir. I'm looking forward to it. To Miss Ymir's hanbok costume."

"Yes!"

Ymir left with a bright smile.

'She's so energetic.'

She's such a bright kid.

It's questionable how long that bright demeanor will last while living on Jeongseong Island.

Ymir is not just a situation where she needs to focus on herself.

I also need to pay attention to the being she transforms into, 'Solar Platinum.'

Click.

I took out my smartphone and checked another community.

Unlike a place where people respect each other and have healthy conversations, this is a community where informal language is the default, and asking about each other's parents' well-being is a common occurrence.

-Ymir? This girl looks good. She's a first-year college student this year.

-I saw her passing by, and among the freshmen, she's the top beauty.

-Bust of the Year... BOAT.

-But I've noticed that she eats lunch alone.

-If you want, I can feed you something delicious ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

There are places where stories about Ymir are shared, completely ignoring her right to privacy.

-How did she get the name Solar Platinum lol

-From the way she's being restrained by the goblin, she seems pretty strong, but the knight concept in Jeongseong Island makes me think of her character.

-She should be arrested for the crime of defiling the national flag. If she's going to wear armor, she should wear a helmet. I'd accept a bikini armor though lol

-Why can't she show her face? What's the reason?

The stories about the platinum knight, Solar Platinum, are openly discussed everywhere.

'She has to deal with stress from both sides.'

If she were like Snow White, revealing her face, she would be seen as the same person as the hero, but by hiding her identity, she has to deal with evaluations from both sides.

'I shouldn't do ego searching.'

I hope I don't get hurt by investigating information about myself on internet communities.

'For now.'

'She will eventually stand out.'

The saying 'a needle in a haystack' exists for a reason.

No matter how much she pretends to be a C-rank, as long as her power is close to S-rank, she can't hide it forever.

Especially if she wants to walk the path of a hero, she will inevitably be discovered by someone.

Even the superhuman who transforms using the alien spoon couldn't completely hide their identity, so how much more so for Ymir.

But if she can hide her identity and achieve what she wants.

I don't know what Ymir hopes for, but if she can live her life as a hero without revealing her identity.

'The distinction between her hero self and her personal self. Perfectly achieving that is the ideal of an ability user.'

No one knows her true identity in her daily life, but as a hero, she can help people.

If Ymir has this mindset,

"...I didn't plan to help her, but I keep helping her."

Baek Seol-hee is like that.

Ymir is like that too.

It feels more like I'm helping them as a librarian, Do Ji-hwan, rather than being a member of a villainous organization.

'I hope this help will benefit me later.'

If.

Ymir becomes an incredibly strong hero, and I, as a goblin, am defeated and captured by her.

-Haha, Teacher Do. You can't go outside now. I'll take care of everything for you. Eating, sleeping, everything... I'll help you. You have to repay the favor. Huaa...

"......What?"

Some kind of thought crossed my mind.

Why.

Am I imagining myself being imprisoned by Ymir?

"......."

Of course.

Maybe it's because I've been working in the basement for so long, and people don't get enough sunlight.

'It's because of the poor working environment.'

Maybe it's because I'm in the basement.

I feel a bit disoriented.

"...Ah."

It can't be.

Ymir is such a good student.

* * *

Evening.

Ymir returned to the dormitory.

For some reason, her room was a double room, but no one was living with her.

-I find it uncomfortable to live with someone else, so I'll find a separate room.

-Don't take it personally. As you know, coming from abroad, it's not a good impression for people from abroad to stick together on Jeongseong Island.

-I've already talked to the dorm supervisor. Don't worry. Since we're both adults, we'll maintain proper etiquette. I don't want any unpleasant incidents to happen in the room I'm staying in. You understand, right?

Her roommate had moved out of the dormitory and found a separate room.

I didn't have any particular thoughts about it.

Thanks to this, she could freely enter and exit her room without revealing her identity, and she could do whatever she wanted.

"Hmm...."

Using a black robe-like garment as a blanket, she rolled around on the bed, flipping through the books she had borrowed from the library.

"Hanbok design...."

The concept of a 'daughter-in-law.'

Just hearing the name made her heart race and feel excited, and at the same time, a concept was decided.

"My design...this is it."

Ymir opened one of the books.

"'Pyeback.' Hmm, this is quite interesting."

No matter how much Korea claims to uphold traditional culture, one thing hasn't changed in the 25 years since the new era began.

-Don't you have to wear a wedding dress at the wedding hall for the wedding ceremony?

The act of a man and woman becoming one as a bride and groom is still upheld in modern wedding practices.

Of course