Chapter 60

Chapter 059

Late at night.

Baek Seul-hee lay in bed, pulling the blanket tightly around herself.

She was in a pension on Ulleung Island, a new place where she usually didn't sleep. Lying in a place that shouldn't be seen by others made her feel very strange.

It felt like a good child doing something adults told them not to do.

It felt like splattering red paint on a white canvas that was supposed to remain untouched.

It felt like finally opening the door to adulthood after living like a child for 25 years.

Although she summarized it as just a feeling, the events of the previous night were so intense that Baek Seul-hee simply decided to sleep silently.

Rustle, rustle.

But she couldn't fall asleep.

Beside her, on a recliner chair next to the bed, Do Ji-hwan was reading a book in the darkness. She had to think deeply about many things.

He said he liked books because he was a librarian, and Do Ji-hwan was reading an e-book even here.

Perhaps thinking she was deeply asleep, he quietly slipped out of bed and sat on the recliner, reading something on a tablet with the light turned down as much as possible.

Is it a book for show?

Or is he really reading it because he wants to?

If I could see the actual book, I might be able to guess, but unfortunately, Do Ji-hwan was reading the e-book silently.

"What are you reading?"

"...Weren't you sleeping?"

"I was trying to sleep, but I thought it might be better to talk a bit more."

"Hmm... Was I disturbing you?"

"No. It's kind of like ASMR that I can listen to while sleeping. Not the actual sound of a book, but... I just felt like talking a bit more, I guess?"

"We talked non-stop until 3 AM, and you want to talk more?"

"Yes."

"...Sigh."

Do Ji-hwan placed the tablet on the side table.

"Can I ask what the book is about?"

"It's one of the collections of Korean folk tales. I'm researching various folk tales that are widespread in Korea."

"Folk tales?"

"Yes. Although I'm not a superhuman, I'm considering becoming a psychological counselor and superhuman consultant for superhumans."

"That sounds like a pretty intriguing job. What does it have to do with Korean folk tales?"

"If I take motifs from folk tales, people in this country will like it."

Do Ji-hwan got up from the recliner and approached Baek Seul-hee.

"Like this, turning into a tiger."

"Are you saying I'm caught by a tiger now?"

"Yes."

"But most tigers are just defeated, right?"

"Tigers can vary depending on the type."

Do Ji-hwan smoothed Baek Seul-hee's bangs and moved his hand as if grasping something.

"There are superhumans who wear suits with a tiger motif. Their concept isn't just a Bengal tiger, but they try to emulate the traditional tigers that lived on the Korean Peninsula... the mountain tigers."

"Do you think that will help superhumans?"

"At least it will give them a good reference for what kind of appearance they should have. For example, like how Yun Eui-seon uses the fox's, or the gumiho's, ghost fire."

"......Hmph."

Baek Seul-hee twisted her lips.

"What about me?"

"Seul-hee, you already have a firmly established ego, so it's hard for me to say anything."

"That's okay. Thanks to you, I was able to create a technique to freeze demons this time."

"Me?"

"It's based on what we talked about in Busan. Like this."

Baek Seul-hee created a small ice crystal and gently threw it toward the window opposite the bed, where the night sea was visible.

Swoosh.

"It freezes like this. Thanks to you, I created this technique."

"...Congratulations. You've created a new technique."

"So I'm thinking of naming it Doji Blizzard."

"Why would a Korean superhuman use an English name for their technique?"

"Just because?"

"Ha."

Do Ji-hwan lightly pressed Baek Seul-hee's forehead with his hand.

"Creating a technique is good, but if it gets too complicated, it might be helpful to look at the abilities of characters in folk tales. It can help you decide the direction of your appearance."

"Like the tiger motif?"

"Not just tigers. Other traditional Korean spirits and monsters are also becoming motifs for superhumans in modern times."

"Like... a goblin?"

"Yes."

Do Ji-hwan turned his head toward the TV with a somewhat stiff face.

"Speaking of goblins, I'm particularly concerned about a character called Duygshini."

"Really?"

"The government classifies Duygshini as just a strange villain like a goblin, but I think it's much more dangerous than the government perceives."

"What's your evidence?"

"Because there are no normal people who wear hanbok in their daily lives."

"What do you mean?"

Baek Seul-hee poked Do Ji-hwan's side, and he shrugged without avoiding it.

"I was joking. How can I criticize and insult people who wear our traditional clothes when I'm Korean?"

"You're right. You shouldn't say such things casually. There are many heroes based on traditional hanbok."

"Traditional hanbok..."

As Do Ji-hwan adjusted his mouth, Baek Seul-hee looked at his profile and fell into thought for a moment.

"I don't particularly like it, though."

"Are you insulting hanbok now?"

"Assassination attempts like this are troublesome."

This man.

He seems familiar.

His facial features and shoulders give off a feeling that I've seen before.

That feeling is—

'No way.'

Baek Seul-hee lightly dismissed the thought that came to her mind.

The déjà vu she just felt didn't seem to fit Do Ji-hwan at all, so she couldn't easily compare him to that person.

"Would a villain wearing traditional hanbok get less criticism?"

"Excuse me?"

"If a goblin wore hanbok instead of a suit, wouldn't people criticize it less?"

"...Ha."

Do Ji-hwan chuckled in disbelief at Baek Seul-hee's words.

"How much less criticism would a villain get, even if they got less?"

"People would at least not misunderstand. There's a different feeling when a foreigner acts as a villain in this country compared to a Korean person acting as a villain on their own land, right?"

"Are you saying that the arm bends inward?"

"I think it's okay for a goblin to bend a little."

"Seul-hee."

Do Ji-hwan shot Baek Seul-hee a stern look with a serious face.

"Goblins are villains."

"I know. They are villains. But they don't kill people indiscriminately."

"How can you say 'indiscriminately' when he has killed more than a dozen people?"

"Unless they are heinous criminals who should be permanently isolated from society, he doesn't kill them."

"...Do you, by any chance, empathize with the goblin's absurd ideology?"

Do Ji-hwan tilted his head with a serious expression.

"Do you agree with the idea that all villains should be killed?"

"Not to the extent that all villains should be killed. I don't think that just because someone is a villain, they should be killed immediately. It's more like... a feeling of pity."

"Pity?"

"Yes."

Baek Seul-hee sat up and sat next to Do Ji-hwan, pressing her buttocks against his.

"When I see the goblin killing notorious villains, I sometimes think, 'If I don't do it, who will bear this blood?' I wonder if the goblin thinks the same way."

"...The goblin?"

"Yes. On the surface, it seems like he kills everyone without any plan, but having encountered the goblin countless times, I know he doesn't want to kill people indiscriminately. Instead, he thoroughly kills those who meet his criteria."

"What kind of people are you talking about?"

"Hmm...."

Baek Seul-hee recalled the information about the goblin.

"Regardless of their background, physical condition, or the process of their rampage, he targets those who have committed heinous crimes like murder or rape."

"...Do you think that if such a person wears traditional hanbok, they will receive less criticism in this country?"

"At least the so-called 'patriots' who criticize anyone for not being patriotic will disappear."

"To please those 'Confucian Taliban,' one has to be forced to wear hanbok. What kind of hero is that?"

"I think the goblin is a hero. And so do I."

"...What?"

Do Ji-hwan's eyes widened.

"You think the goblin is a hero?"

"Yes. I think so. And if I get the chance... I will definitely persuade him to become a hero."

Baek Seul-hee buried her face in Do Ji-hwan's shoulder.

"He's not a bad person. The real bad guys are the corrupt officials who suppress him. I will change them within my power. So...."

Baek Seul-hee gently placed her hand on top of Do Ji-hwan's hand, which was resting on her thigh.

"I hope you can listen to my complaints from time to time and give me some comfort."

Do Ji-hwan nodded silently, and Baek Seul-hee felt the knot in her chest soften from the strength transmitted through the tightly held hand.

Morning came.

The ice on the wall had not melted but remained firmly stuck to the window.