Chapter 621 – Turmoil at the Lover’s Market (1)

An ancient tree, laden with scars, surrendered to its pain and silently collapsed, revealing its deep-seated, festering wounds.

One might wonder, for whom was the last smile, glimpsed in the final moment, intended?

He had become a tree for his child, lived as a demon who enacted slaughters.

Tears traced the lines of his drooping eyelids. Even in his arboreal form, did he yearn to retain his humanity in his dying moments?

Lee Si-heon.

He was unmistakably Lee Si-heon, albeit from another world.

From the beginning, this man wouldn’t have trod the path of error. He exhausted every possibility, but when none bore fruit, he must have crumbled, bereft of everything that once surrounded him.

─ Silence.

No one dared to break the quiet following his pitiful demise.

A strange cocktail of emotions stirred within them: relief added to the heart, a creeping sense of discomfort, melancholia, and lurking anxiety. These discordant feelings battered against their consciousness, inducing a pounding headache.

“…….”

Lee Si-heon stood dazed, as though he had suffered a blow to the head. The fading countenance of the departed demon flickered before his eyes, and approaching women ensnared him in their collective embrace.

Under the accumulating weight of these women, Lee Si-heon’s body tilted. For a long while, they remained silent.

Though there was much to organize, and even more to disclose,

They decided to rest for now. They were utterly exhausted.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

For a while, they were confronted with a bustling routine. Could this even be labeled as ‘routine’?

Considering the current state of the Republic of Korea, it would be apt to say that everything had gone to hell.

The former sage, Alba, after disposing of the king’s remains, collaborated with Blanche in the restoration efforts.

The star who made the most significant contribution to the subjugation was revered as a Korean hero. With the moniker of the ‘second Mugung,’ he wielded immense power.

Disturbing movements of the ‘Flower’ were observed in some quarters. Terrorist acts, breaking out every few days, inflicted severe damage on various nations, and the very foundation of their faith, their ‘God,’ showed signs of crumbling. The Flower’s actions were thorough and swift, as if meticulously calculated from the start.

The Mokinists, both the moderates and the hardliners, saw their power significantly diminished. The Cold War had reached its conclusion, and the stage was set for another upheaval. The Mokinists began to rally around their ‘Hero,’ Jeong Si-woo. Their structure remained intact as several world trees, sensing the crisis, materialized and lent their support to sustain the country.

And as for King Mokryeong, who spearheaded this subjugation…

*Click.*

“Siheon?”
“He’s still asleep.”

He was sleeping peacefully with his daughter, Shiba.

To Star’s question, Se-young, who was peeling an apple, responded. Adorned with an apron, Se-young offered an apple with her knife, and Star chewed on the apple with a pout.

“Ugh. I have so much to share, but he won’t wake up.”
“Leave him be, the sage once said. The burden on Shiba and Si-heon’s bodies is too great, hence these precautions.”
“Even so… How can someone conceal their survival for three years?”

Star, the head of the party,
Her lips parted, and tears welled up.

“…But why do you seem unfazed?”

Truth be told, I knew beforehand.
If I admitted that, an infuriated Star would certainly cause havoc.

Se-young stifled her own words with the apple she had peeled.

*Rustle.*

Then, a troubling sound echoed from Lee Si-heon’s bedroom.
Swallowing the apple in a fit, Star hollered at the offender concealed within the room.

“Hey, yellow! You’re disturbing Si-heon’s sleep again!”
“…!”

Star, who had entered Lee Si-heon’s room with a pronounced frown, soon emerged dragging a golden retriever.

The pup, caught by the scruff of his neck, whimpered pitifully as he was pulled out.

“Again and again, you misbehave!”
“Wha…”
“Seriously, this kid…”

When we discovered the truth that the greatest hunter, ‘Hunter’, was Sansuyu, who had died long ago, all the women, including Star, were astounded.

It made sense now, the ample chest.
That was something Lee Si-heon had indeed accomplished.
For a moment, Sansuyu’s strange behavior greatly surpassed Star’s expectations.

“Look at her, Se-young! She’s not even wearing a bra any more?”
“…….”
“She plans to feed Si-heon, who’s sleeping again, this audacious wench!!”

Star’s hand ruthlessly grasped Sansuyu’s breast. The flesh squeezed between her fingers.

“Ugh…Eek!”

A flailing retriever.
No matter how much it was tormented, the front door opened, and a petite witch entered shyly.

“…Erm, over there.”

Marronnier Blanche.
Star, who had been squeezing Sansuyu’s chest, froze, scratching the back of her head awkwardly.

“Ah, welcome. So… Sage?”
“You may call me Blanche.”
“Right. Blanche. Ah, Si-heon’s room is this way.”
“Yes!”

Blanche, cradling a bouquet of flowers, trotted over to Lee Si-heon’s room.

Today is visiting day.
Everyone is planning to gather to see the slumbering Si-heon.

As she pressed down on Sansuyu’s head, Star stared intently at the door where Marronnier had entered.

“So Si-heon seduced her too~ Is that what you’re saying? A French idol?”
“That seems to be the case.”
“Oh, life is too hard!”

At Se-young’s resigned words, Star stamped her heel on the ground.

The gathering of women today had its reasons. Although a visit to the infirmary served as an excuse, the real purpose lay in marking territories between lovers.

Lee Si-heon, with his octopus-like ability to ensnare, could not be halted, his reach extending with each day. The goal was not to curtail his increasing influence but to construct an understanding, preventing the situation from becoming unbearably chaotic.

The number of simultaneous relationships he maintained was a rarity, even in the annals of history. But considered from another perspective, it was not an impossibility. The other women implicitly agreed, and they resolved to assemble here.

In essence, a roundtable of lovers.

-Startled.

Marronnier, emerging from the room, glanced nervously at Se-Young and Blanche. Her face was tinged with a blush, perhaps from planting a kiss on the cheek of the slumbering Si-heon.

‘…Adorable.’

Blanche’s eyes reddened, on the verge of welling up.

‘What will happen if there is no space for me? Am I being edged out?’

Her fantasies started to spiral out of control. Blanche was slowly descending into a vortex of self-doubt.

‘No, no! Si-heon said that I am beautiful and cute too!’

“Err… Madam President.”

“Oh, call me sister!”

“So, Sister Blanche…?”

A shriek bubbled up at the overwhelming cuteness. Who had the audacity to bring a kitten here?

Inside her mind, Blanche was tearing her hair out in frustration, while Se-Young sighed at the sight of her turmoil.

“Sit here.”

“Oh, alright… But then the people gathered here are…”

“Yes.”

They were all caught in Lee Si-heon’s net. Marronnier let out a soft ‘Oh’, removed her cap, and ran her fingers through her disheveled hair. As she groomed her hair, a smile lingered on Blanche’s face.

“We have not all gathered yet. Be comfortable. Perhaps some tea?”

“Oh… If it’s alright, how about some cookies with the tea? I baked them myself.”

Blanche delicately drew out a handful of homemade cookies from her pocket.

A formidable display of charm! And they were delicious too! Blanche’s heart melted at the sight of the cat-shaped cookies, their ears meticulously drawn with a chocolate pen.

“What are you doing?”

Se-Young looked at Blanche, her gaze laced with pity.

‘What am I going to do?’

Having filled her stomach with Marronnier’s homemade cookies, Blanche dusted off the crumbs from her lips with her sleeve, her hands clasped together in deep contemplation.

‘…If this goes on, my position will be threatened.’

A featureless concubine with nothing to offer was destined to be forgotten. Among so many lovers, it was extremely challenging to stand out, as vibrant and refreshing as starfruit.

‘I must be loved. It’s inevitable to fall into obsession. It’s as if…’

The job market, where survival was as perilous as hanging by the neck!!

Just like us, job seekers striving to develop our strengths to secure a position in a large corporation. Blanche nodded at Marronnier, her thoughts in agreement.

That cuteness is just like Marronnier from Seoul National University!

“Cough.”

“…? H. How do the cookies taste?”

“They’re incredibly delicious….”

“Oh! I am glad, hehe.”

Lee Se-Young, the fresh talent coveted by large corporations, was a different matter altogether.

‘That individual, well… is an executive who has received the chairman’s affection since the early days of the startup. No matter how much havoc he wreaks, he will not be dismissed!’

Byul swallowed her saliva, turning her gaze towards Sansuyu. The two of them were engaged in conversation, munching on cookies brought by Marronnier. They held hands, smiling and chatting, seemingly familiar with each other.

“Suyu… Right?”
“Yes.”
“That’s a relief. I was so shocked when the news broke… Was it Siheon who protected you?”

A cat and a dog licking each other and laughing. That’s… an employment drive! It’s problematic how adorable that yellow one is.

‘Even her breasts are in the unshakable top tier… She doesn’t have a single certificate, yet her university is Harvard!’

Marronnier from Seoul National University.
Chairman Lee Se-young.
And Harvard’s Sansuyu.

Byul, drenched in sweat, objectively evaluated herself. ‘How do I compare to these three?’

An unemployed thirty-year-old otaku, who is addicted to video games, attended a provincial university, and has only Excel or PowerPoint certificates to her name along with a TOEIC score of 650.

“……”

Byul,
She felt despair.

A feeling akin to the protagonist from some gambling apocalypse she had once seen, Byul silently wept inside.

‘Ah, no, but… I’m not lacking in qualifications.’

A typical job seeker’s pathetic and endless rationalization! Lee Se-young observed Byul and thought,

‘She is daydreaming again.’

Being a friend of many years, she could see right through her. It’s not like she loves Siheon any less just because he’s a bit difficult, so why is she acting like this?

‘……’

However, Se-young felt uneasy too. They hadn’t been in a relationship for a long time, and they hadn’t reaffirmed their love. She trusts him, but there is still a hint of doubt.

Above all, it’s Lee Si-heon.
He had promised never to leave her side, yet he had fled.

– A corner.

“Hoo… Let’s see when Lee Si-heon wakes up.”

The apple she was peeling was gouged deeply. Se-young and Byul sighed almost simultaneously.

Young and cute Sansuyu and Marronnier.
Se-young and Byul, who had shared a deep emotional exchange.

A tense situation unfolds between the factions that have split up by chance.

– Thud.

Then, a woman who could fit into both camps entered.

“….”

With light pink hair and a pretty face holding back tears, Azalea appeared clutching her handbag, donned in the white dress she had worn when she was with him in the past.

‘Ah.’

Byul had a premonition.
Her ranking had been pushed down yet again.

The secretary who lovingly raised the chairman’s child…
Byul’s circuit of delusion was on the verge of breaking down.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Stepping into the chamber,
Leaving the blossoms behind.

There she stands, before him.

Upon witnessing his crestfallen countenance, a surge of tears breaks free.

“…”

The tale’s intricacies known, yet how does one stifle the weeping?
It was a moment always painted in dreams.

Had he been left in solitude, she would have stood with dignity.
Upon viewing Shiba and him, entwined in joyous embrace, Azalea found herself with no choice but to shield her countenance with her hand and sink to her knees.

“Ah…”

She reclaimed the love and kinship she had yearned for.

Azalea’s hand, in a brusque gesture, enveloped the closed-eyed Lee Si-heon.
A hint of perspiration was present, but it mattered not.

In such manner, Shiba’s mother relished the warmth shared between the pair, expressing her gratitude in silence for a considerable while.