บท 116: If You Live As You Dream – II
The Seol family home, lunch time. Although the head of the household, Jihu's Dad, was away at work, Jihu's Mom and Jinhee were still there.
Jihu's Mom because she worked from home, and Jinhee because she was still taking some time off from school to rethink her life after the incident.
Around this time of day, it was usually quiet. Jinhee kept to her room working on various projects, and Jihu's Mom did various chores around the house as well as catching up on her latest TV shows.
But today was different.
Jinhee stared at the young girl holding Flone's hand.
There wasn't any doubt as to the girl being Flone's daughter. The silver hair and blue eyes were already enough since it was so distinctive, but anyone looking at the two could see the resemblance in their faces.
Mostly because the girl was as cute as a porcelain doll and took a LOT after Flone.
But that wasn't the problem here.
Oppa being involved with a woman was to be expected after the incident last summer. Objectively, Jinhee could say that Oppa would be her type just based on his qualifications.
After all, he had a perfectly chiseled body, gave freely without expecting anything in return, and carried a confidence around that made it seem like nothing could ever go wrong.
No, for him to be involved with a woman who already had a child wasn't too surprising. Scandalous, yes. Surprising, no.
So while it was unexpected for Flone to have been left at Jihu's apartment with her child, it wasn't *too* surprising.
Until Jinhee saw the girl in question with her own eyes.
Jihu's Mom looked at Rosie with a blank expression before hesitantly saying, "You're... Miss Flone's daughter?"
"Yes." Rosie nodded and said, "Mother had to leave our home ahead of time, so it took a while to return. But she and Father recently returned to bring me back, along with Mother's belongings." She smiled and said, "I am extremely happy to finally meet Father's family."
Jihu's Mom blinked and then glanced at Jinhee.
Jinhee ignored it, focusing her attention on Rosie instead.
Yes. Rosie was clearly Flone's daughter. The hair, the eyes, the overall beauty, and the refined air around her. Anyone could tell that at a glance.
But on a second glance, she wasn't just Flone's daughter. And for people who knew Jihu well...
The shape of Rosie's eyes, the bridge of her nose. Her pink lips with the little divet there...
Although blurred a bit due to the resemblance to Flone, anyone seeing Rosie side-by-side with Jihu or his family could tell.
That was Jihu's daughter too.
Jihu's Mom slowly turned to Flone and said, "...How long have you known my son again, Miss Flone?"
Flone tilted her head to think about it and then hesitantly said, "...As long as I have been alive? Or at least it feels that long?"
Jihu's Mom exhaled and then stumbled back into a nearby chair.
As for Jinhee, gears started spinning in her head as she pieced things together.
The reason that Oppa and Flone were so close. Why it got so awkward between him and Seonhwa. And why he had been gambling so desperately in the past few years.
Rosie looked to be just out of her toddler years. Maybe four or five.
Doing the math...
...It was possible.
That was around the same time that Seonhwa went abroad to study in America. And that was also around the time Oppa and Seonhwa's relationship started falling apart.
And then-
Wait.
Oppa wasn't the sort of person who would cheat secretly like that. Knowing him, he would openly say that he was pursuing this or that girl so that the girl he was with knew.
...But maybe that was a lesson he learned from his relationship with Flone Unni?
Aaargh... Why does nothing make sense with Oppa?!
Flone looked between Jihu's Mom and Jinhee before saying, "Um. I don't mean to be rude, but Rosie and I haven't eaten anything all day, so..."
"Ah!" Jihu's Mom shook off her fatigue and then stood up with a bright smile. "Leave it to me, Daughter-in-law!" She started to dash off, but then paused, looking at Rosie. "Is there anything you don't like to eat, Granddaughter?"
Rosie meekly shook her head and said, "I will happily eat whatever you make for me, Grandmother."
Jihu's Mom's smile widened and she said, "Then Grandma will make the best food ever!" She turned to Jinhee and said, "Jinhee, entertain your sister-in-law and niece."
With that, Jihu's Mom ran off into the kitchen.
Jinhee stared after her mom for a bit before turning to look at Flone and Rosie. "Unni... Is Rosie Oppa's kid?"
Flone hummed and said, "It's a bit complicated. I can't say too much since Jihu hasn't told you everything yet, but Rosie is definitely a child we are raising together."
Jinhee felt a headache coming on.
...Yeah, that didn't explain anything.
And she probably wasn't going to get a straight answer from Flone. Since that was the case, Jinhee decided to just ignore it.
"Speaking of Oppa... Where the heck is he?" Jinhee crossed her arms and looked at Rosie, who was looking around the room with wide-eyed wonder.
Flone picked Rosie up and then took a seat, idly braiding Rosie's hair. "Jihu is on a business trip with Hannah right now overseas, so he left Rosie and I here for safety."
"...Hah." Jinhee shook her head and said, "Just what kind of crazy mess did Oppa get involved in this time?"
Flone smiled and said, "Don't worry. I'm sure it'll be clear after Jihu explains everything... Oh! Did you make sure to tell your friends to clear their schedule in September?"
Jinhee nodded and said, "Yeah. Hannah Unni messaged us all about that... Something about orientation for the clearance to learn about Oppa's job? Seunghae said she already arranged things to make it work with Seonhwa, and Yuri said she managed to convince her parents it's an internship." She frowned and said, "...But seriously. Don't tell me that Oppa is like a secret government agent routing out terrorists or something?"
Flone paused for a bit and then said, "I never thought about it in that way, but..."
"..."
Flone giggled and said, "We can talk about that later when Jihu is back. For now... Have you made any updates to your novel?"
Jinhee nodded and said, "A little. I've got a bit of a writer's block figuring out how to save the girl who controls the dinosaurs and her future self though." She sighed and said, "Normal time travel would make a paradox since the two can't exist at the same time, so I need to explain it somehow in a way that makes sense... I'm thinking of using a tape recorder analogy right now, but it's still a work in progress."
"Ooh. I bet Jihu could help with that." Flone nodded and said, "He knows a lot about time travel and dimensional transfers so I think he could help you figure it out."
Jinhee gave Flone a blank stare.
Flone tilted her head. "Did I say something wrong?"
Jinhee sighed.
xxx
Back at Haramark, around the same time that Jihu had arrived in Eva along with Hannah and Ian.
In the back alleys of the residential district, Teresa and Yuhui stood next to each other, casually piling a group of unconscious Earthlings on top of each other.
Yuhui placed a hand on her cheek and sighed. "To think that such stupid people could exist in this world..." She turned to Teresa and said, "I'm sorry to bother you with this, Resa."
Teresa sheathed her sword and said, "It's no bother at all." She walked over and then kicked one of the unconscious men in the crotch, smiling as the man groaned. "It's a great stress reliever."
Yuhui glanced back at the pile of men and then nodded. "That's true."
Knowing Jihu was with another woman and probably being loveydovey while he was at it...
Yuhui would be lying if she said she didn't want to vent a bit as well. And just when her anger was getting to a boiling point, these people conveniently showed up.
She walked over to one of the men and then nudged him with her foot. "Do you think these guys were after Jihu?"
Teresa stepped back and hummed. After that, she glanced around the surroundings and said, "Probably not. Even if there are dumb shitheads who bought into the idea that Jihu's exploits in the battle against the Army Commanders are overrated, it still doesn't change the fact that he's a High Ranker."
One of the men on the top of the pile started groaning and tried to get up.
Seeing that, Teresa casually swung her sword, chopping off his arm.
The man screamed and rolled over, splashing blood everywhere.
Seeing that, Teresa scowled and then stomped on his head, making him quiet. "Damned idiots. I've got enough of a headache without dumbasses like you screaming their heads off."
Yuhui raised an eyebrow and said, "...You must be pretty pent up."
Teresa spat on the ground and said, "Don't remind me. Jihu still hasn't laid hands on me since we were at that 'Hawhyee' place. Having his sword helps, but it's not the same."
Yuhui blinked and then said, "Are you sure that the Haramark Royal Family has a pact with Gula and not Luxuria?"
"Yes. Because that bitch laughs at me everytime I got to talk with her."
Seeing that her friend was about to go on a tirade, Yuhui decided to change the subject and then looked back at the group of men. "What do you think these people were after then?" She knelt down to look closer at a tattoo on the back of one of the man's neck.
A palm-sized snake tattoo... Conspicuous, but also not one that she was familiar with.
Teresa walked over to take a look and said, "Dunno. Maybe it has something to do with the new guests Jihu has at Carpe Diem?"
"Maybe..." Yuhui frowned.
The brother and sister pair that Jihu took in *did* have a shady background. And it was pretty convenient that they showed up now of all times...
But Jihu was a good judge of character, and those two owed Jihu, so it wasn't like they planned to bring trouble to their doorsteps.
Teresa shrugged and said, "Either way." She flicked the blood off her sword before sheathing it again. "You were planning to get rid of those idiots at the Temple, right? I got Roe's permission to run wild, so with this..." She grinned and said, "How about we use this gift to let loose a bit?"
Yuhui paused and then said, "I'm a healer, so I really shouldn't advocate for violence. But..."
She remembered the fact that Flone had jumped ahead of everyone and firmly took first place in Jihu's heart. Then she remembered how Hannah had cheated and put a ring on him first. And then she remembered how those Sinyoung sisters had snagged him with paperwork to be wives overseas...
Yuhui casually walked forward and kicked the group of men.
For her, it was a light tap.
But since she was also an Executor and a Level 7, it was the same as a truck slamming into the men.
Blood and gore filled the alleyway before it suddenly vanished. Yuhui storing it all away with her Authority.
Teresa blinked and then gave Yuhui a curious look. "What are you going to do with all of that?"
"Oh... Nothing. But I bet Jihu could probably use it."
"Ah." Teresa nodded. "True. Hubby's pretty knowledgable about alchemy and stuff... He could probably make something handy with raw materials."
"Right?" Yuhui smiled and then said, "Anyway..." She reached up to stretch and said, "Those old priests at the Temple keep bothering me about being prim and proper and needing to get married... Not to mention, they keep saying Jihu's a threat." She giggled and said, "Jihu will probably praise me if I get rid of them ahead of time, right?"
Teresa laughed.
xxx
On a rooftop just around the corner from Teresa and Yuhui.
Hidden from view, and with his presence concealed by all sorts of abilities just to be safe, Jihu stared at the two women below, feeling a cold sweat start at the back of his neck.
"...Okay, Gula. I understand why you changed my class now."
Forget getting more firepower to take down the Paradise Queen, at this rate he'd need all the help he could get to prevent all the women who loved him from doing a battle royale to have him.
Teresa and Yuhui started to move, heading towards the carriages back to Scheherazade.
Seeing that, Jihu quietly followed them from a distance.
Not because he was worried about his girls. With everything he gave them, he was completely sure they'd be fine even if a nuke dropped on their heads.
No, he was worried about the poor unfortunate souls who were going to experience the wrath of two pent-up and frustrated horny women who couldn't relieve themselves because the man they loved was on a business trip.
...Maybe he shouldn't have tested exactly what <All as One> did when used during sex...
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