The Second Coming of Gluttony - Chapter 356

Chapter 356

Chapter 356 . A Hero In Paradise, But on Earth (1)

Kim Hannah sharpened her mind as Jang Maldong stared down at her coldly .

The smile on her face disappeared, and she instantly became expressionless .

She stood tall and clenched her teeth as she stared at the enraged Jang Maldong .

Just as Jang Maldong was about to take her silence as an affirmation, Kim Hannah spoke up .

“That’s… a misunderstanding . ”

“A misunderstanding?”

“Yes . I know what you are trying to say, but you’re mistaken . ”

Kim Hannah said firmly and straightforwardly .

Jang Maldong scoffed .

“I did not think you were so incompetent, Miss Kim Hannah . ”

“I appreciate your compliment, but…”

“Of course, Seol Jihu is the one who spent the money carelessly . But was it so hard to give him a word of advice? That he should take only a little bit home at a time because his family might get suspicious?”

“That’s—”

“Fine . Let us suppose you did not know Jihu would act so thoughtlessly . Right, you might feel that you’re being unfairly accused . But I want to know . This incident worsened Jihu’s already bad relationship with his family, so what was the reason that you forced him to visit them with wine?”

“I admit that the way I approached the problem was wrong . But—”

“Yes, it was wrong . It was very wrong . But that isn’t what I am asking . ”

Jang Maldong said in a seething voice .

There was a reason he was pressing her so much .

The most important step in resolving a problem was the way it was handled initially .

In a way, the problem with Seol Jihu’srelationship with his family could have been solved smoothly . Even if it wouldn’t have been easy, it at least could have improved to a much better state than it currently was .

But because Seol Jihu took the wrong first step, his family relationship had deteriorated to an almost irreversible state .

Examining why it became so bad, the cause could be found in Kim Hannah’s intervention .

Of course, she might be innocent .

But Jang Maldong had to suspect her at least a little bit because he knew how meticulous she usually was .

That perhaps, Kim Hannah had led the situation to worsen with some purpose…

“At the time, I thought that was for the best . ”

Kim Hannah spoke at that moment .

“Do you remember the Delphinion Duchy Laboratory incident?”

Jang Maldong raised an eyebrow at the sudden mention of a past event .

He certainly knew about the incident but could not understand why she was bringing it up .

“It wasn’t just that incident, actually . The Forest of Denial expedition, the Arden Valley Baiting operation, the Delphinion Laboratory Infiltration mission… Jihu constantly put himself in situations of extreme danger that other low-leveled Earthlings would not even think of . Without even telling me, his Inviter . ”

Kim Hannah’s voice was calm and collected as she recounted the past, and she continued with a firm voice .

“It might have been a coincidence the first or the second time . But when the same thing happens a third time, it can no longer be a coincidence . While adapting to the unfamiliar environment quickly, Jihu was falling into Paradise quicker than anyone else . From all the way back then . ”

“So you’re saying you did what you did because you were afraid of his Paradise addiction?”

“Because what I feared became a reality . ”

Kim Hannah smacked her lips and answered .

“I told him over and over again that Paradise was not where he belonged, but he didn’t listen . In fact, whenever he went back to Earth, he looked like he wanted to return to Paradise as quickly as possible . ”

Kim Hannah sighed .

“It was complicated . Jihu acted carelessly and escalated the severity of the problem, but then he avoided the problem and tried to go back to Paradise… I judged that his relationship with his family would become irreparable if left alone, so I made him visit them using the wedding anniversary as an excuse . Because at the time, his family was the only place on Earth where he might find peace . ”

Jang Maldong flashed his eyes glaringly but still listened silently .

“You might think it was too hasty, Master Jang, but Jihu did not show any withdrawal symptoms that addicts often experience . He didn’t even mention anything about gambling after experiencing everything he went through in Paradise . It was as if he was never a gambling addict to begin with…”

Kim Hannah was saying that the rate at which Seol Jihu got addicted to Paradise was beyond anyone’s imagination .

“Jihu was reluctant to leave once he entered Paradise . I did think that it would be better if he took the time to get closer to his family, but that conflicted with him hurriedly needing a place of rest on Earth . In the end, I decided it was better for him to meet his family rather than growing farther apart . ”

“… . ”

“Of course, I admit that I was too hasty . That was my mistake . ”

“I see what you’re saying . ”

Jang Maldong raised his chin and looked down at Kim Hannah .

“But am I wrong in thinking that you are trying to package what happened in your favor?”

“Master Jang . ”

“Even a monkey can fall from a tree, but Miss Foxy making a mistake? I find that too hard to believe on its own . ”

“I am human too . I’m not saying what I did was right, but I can’t be perfect all the time . Otherwise, I would still be holding onto my position in Sinyoung rather than being in this place right now . ”

Kim Hannah smiled faintly .

“Looking back, I’ve always made mistakes when it came to Jihu . ”

She cleared her throat and continued .

“If I may reveal my honest thoughts… you’re right . I tried to control Jihu . ”

“Control?”

“Don’t think too badly of it . The Jihu from back then had a slew of problems both in Paradise and on Earth . ”

Kim Hannah continued .

“I know that the current Jihu has accomplished great things that make him comparable to the legends of Paradise . But if you set them aside and only look at him as just another person, Jihu is the type of guy who needs a meticulous producer . I’m sure you understand what I mean as his master . ”

Then, Kim Hannah smiled bitterly .

“But… Jihu couldn’t be controlled . ”

“… . ”

“I felt it in my gut the first the day we came to Eva . That Jihu could not be controlled . My mistake was in realizing this too late . ”

Kim Hannah let loose a deep sigh . Jang Maldong didn’t say anything . He simply kept Kim Hannah bound to the same spot with a silent gaze .

“…I’m sure you know . ”

Jang Maldong spoke up after a moment of silence .

“But I cannot see you, Miss Kim Hannah, in a good way . ”

“Yes, I‘ve had the feeling that you do not like me . ”

“I’m sure you know why . When you allied with the Triads and acted without saying a word to Jihu, I didn’t say anything because I knew it was for his own good… But I’ve always felt uncomfortable about it . ”

“I understand . There are other members that hate me for that matter as well . I did it, fully aware of the consequences . ”

“Yes . I know what you’ve done for Jihu so far, and so I’ll overlook the matter with his family as something that you judged to be in his best interest . But know that this will be the last time . ”

Jang Maldong emphasized that there would not be a next time .

That this was his bottom line and he would not sit still if she tried to interfere again .

Kim Hannah was no fool, and she quickly understood his intention .

“If you want to prove your innocence, you will have to show me through your actions . Especially when it comes to the matter regarding Jihu’s family . ”

“You don’t have to worry about that . Jihu already told me last time that he would take care of it on his own . I agreed with him as well . ”

“I hope you take responsibility for those words . ”

That was all .

Jang Maldong took his eyes off Kim Hannah once she gave the affirmation that she took her hands off of Seol Jihu’s family matter .

He turned around and continued walking .

He had mixed feelings all the way until he arrived at the Valhalla building .

Seol Jihu was the only thing on his mind .

It was then .

Jang Maldong caught sight of someone as he went inside while still deep in thought .

Phi Sora was sitting in the lounge area, eating a sherbet .

An idea must have sparked inside Jang Maldong’s head at that moment as he suddenly raised his voice .

“Sora!”

“Whadda what!?”

When he suddenly shouted, the joyously humming Phi Sora threw the spoon in her hand in a startle .

She turned to the side, furrowed her brows, and spat out a breath .

“Grandpa?”

“Come here for a bit . ”

“Why’d you shout!? You scared the living crap out of me!”

“Since when were you so easily scared? Anyway, get over here! I need to tell you something . ”

“Ugh, I was in such a good mood too… What annoying job is he gonna make me do this time…”

Phi Sora grumbled, but still got up obediently and followed Jang Maldong .

“So, what is it?”

“Do me a favor . ”

“A favor? You? From me?”

“Listen up . ”

Jang Maldong explained slowly, and Phi Sora couldn’t hide her shock .

“W-What?”

“Do you think you can do it?”

“Well, it’s not like I can’t… but why me?”

Phi Sora was about to protest when she saw Jang Maldong’s heated gaze and shut her mouth .

“…Argh, dammit! But I fought with that son of a bitch!”

Phi Sora scratched her head and scowled .
 

*

Seol Jihu got up from bed rather late the next morning .

He couldn’t sleep all night .

What Jang Maldong said to him kept lingering on his mind .

He couldn’t help but have immature thoughts like ‘but we won the war’ or ‘I worked harder than anyone else’ . But Seol Jihu eventually shook off these thoughts .

Jang Maldong had taught him selflessly until now, and what he said wasn’t really wrong either .

Regardless, a day had already gone by, and he had to return to Earth by the end of it .

“…Man!”

Sighing, Seol Jihu climbed up the stairs when he suddenly caught sight of a beautiful, red-haired woman coming down .

Coincidentally, their eyes met .

“Uh… . ”

The woman’s eyes widened .

A faint smile spread across Seol Jihu’s face .

Just looking at Phi Sora cheered him up a bit .

He was feeling a little down, and now he had the perfect person to prank .

Of course, Phi Sora reacted in a completely different way . She immediately furrowed her brows and scowled . And just as she attempted to assume indifference and walk past him, Seol Jihu clung onto her .

“Miss Phi Sora~”

“Screw off . ”

“Eii, Madam Phi, why are you so angry~?”

“I told you to screw off . ”

Phi Sora shot back in a sharp tone .

However, Seol Jihu didn’t back down .

Squeeze, squeeze .

He skillfully massaged Phi Sora’s shoulders and fawned over her .

“Stop! Where do you think you’re touching? Get your hands off me this instant!”

“Eii, what are you sulking for? So petty . ”

“What was that?”

“Now, now, have you had breakfast? You haven’t, right? Let’s go . ”

He grabbed Phi Sora’s hand and pulled her up the stairs .

Phi Sora went with him, pretending to give in . Seol Jihu had come to her just when she was wondering how she should strike up a conversation with him .

They arrived on the tenth floor .

Because it was time for breakfast, several people were already sitting together, chatting away noisily .

Seol Jihu brought Phi Sora to a seat, then went straight to the kitchen .

Shortly afterward, he walked out with a plate .

A bowl of steaming ramen was placed on the table .

Seol Jihu then placed a small plate of kimchi and a bowl of white rice, finishing the Seol Jihu Ramen Special .

Phi Sora was taken aback .

“Oh right, you advanced to Level 6, right?”

“…Yes . ”

“Congratulations . What’s your class name? I know it used to be Royal Guard…”

“It’s Duke . ”

“Iya~ That’s a cool name . Ah, the noodles are gonna get mushy . Go ahead . ”

With a silly smile, Seol Jihu pushed the bowl of ramen toward her .

Phi Sora looked noticeably uncomfortable, but her body was honest .

Gulp .  With the sound of swallowing saliva, she gave in to the temptation and picked up the chopsticks .

“Dammit, do you add drugs to the ramen or something? Why is it so damn good?”

She grumbled as she picked up a waterfall of ramen with her chopsticks .

Slurp, slurrrp .

Seol Jihu smiled beamingly as he saw Phi Sora eat with a tasty sound .

Finding this gaze uncomfortable, Phi Sora glanced up and looked at Seol Jihu .

“I’m gonna say this in advance . ”

She spoke indifferently with her cheeks stuffed with ramen .

“Don’t think this is all it takes to calm my anger . ”

“Does that mean you don’t want to eat my ramen from now?”

“Agh, fuck, that’s not what I mean . I’m saying you should show some sincerity after angering someone so much . ”

Phi Sora corrected Seol Jihu as if the prospect of never eating his ramen again terrified her .

Seol Jihu tilted his head .

“Sincerity?”

“Yes, sincerity . For example…”

Phi Sora gave a sidelong glance .

“You and I met on Earth once before, right?”

“Yes, at the pork belly place . ”

“Great . Then go on a little picnic with me . ”

“…Come again?”

“Aren’t you going to Earth anyway? You should tag along with me on a trip while you’re at it . Let’s see, where do I wanna go…”

Phi Sora recalled the conversation she had with Jang Maldong last night while pretending to think .

[There’s a place you need to take Jihu to . ]

[It’s…]

“I’ve always wanted to go to Hawaii . ”

Phi Sora shrugged .

“It should be summer on Earth right now . Why don't we go to the beach together? There’s a place called Waikiki that’s famous for its beach resorts . ”

The smile on Seol Jihu’s face disappeared as soon as Phi Sora said this .

His expression stiffened frighteningly like he just heard a load of nonsense .

‘I guess it’s true that he hates going back to Earth . ’

Phi Sora was inwardly astonished .

“…Hawaii? Out of the blue…?”

Soon, just as Seol Jihu said with a smile—

“What, what? You guys are talking about a beach trip? I wanna go!”

“Me too! Where are you guys going?”

Hugo and Chohong appeared out of nowhere and joined the conversation .

“We already decided on a place . Hawaii . Grandpa decided, actually . ”

“Huh? That old man did? Really? Then this is going to be the first time I’m seeing him on Earth . ”

Before anyone noticed, more and more people began to gather around Seol Jihu .

Seol Jihu stared in a daze as they chatted in excitement .

“Seol, Seol, you’re going too, right? We’re meeting on Earth for the first time?”

Hugo asked with a beaming smile .

Seol Jihu didn’t answer .

“Seol?”

“… . ”

“Seol? Seol! What’s wrong? Are you sick?”

Hugo nudged him with his elbow .

“Ah . ”

Seol Jihu finally snapped out of his daze and replied .

“I don’t know… . ”

“Eii, don’t skip . This is a group bonding activity! You should be there as Valhalla’s representative!”

“Group bonding activity, huh . I just don’t know if we need to meet on Earth . We can’t even speak the same language there . ”

“Who cares? It works out once you meet . I’ve met Dylan and Chohong before, and that’s what happened . ”

“That’s a good idea, going on a vacation together . Everyone’s going back to Earth anyway . Chances like this don’t come up often . ”

Kim Hannah chimed in as well .

“Aha! Miss Kim really knows what she’s talking about!”

“Hawaii has a hospital specialized for Earthlings, so I can make preparations right away . I know an acquaintance there . Of course, that’s only if the representative gives me permission…”

Everyone turned to Seol Jihu at Kim Hannah’s words .

Seol Jihu simpered .

“I just don’t get it . ”

“Don’t get what?”

“I mean, you guys always go on a vacation after something big happens . Do you really need to?”

“Well, it’s not like we need to…”

Chohong shrugged .

“But what’s there to not get? Isn’t it just part of having fun?”

“Having fun?”

“Yeah . What’s better than having fun to forget bad memories?”

‘Bad memories?’

Seol Jihu frowned . His gaze seemed to be asking for an explanation .

“Think about it . We just had a huge war . How many times did we almost die? Can you forget all about it?”

“… . ”

The answer was no .

War wasn’t an everyday thing, and with how impactful it was, Seol Jihu would never be able to forget it .

Perhaps until he breathed his last breath .

“But we won . ”

“Winning aside… Never mind . What’s important is that Paradise left us with unforgettable memories, whether good or bad . ”

Chohong continued .

“So we need to make them fuzzy before they really take root in our heads . With Earth’s memories, of course . Replacing them with other memories of Paradise would be no good . ”

“… . ”

“And actually, you might need this more than anyone else . Of course, you don’t need to go on a trip . People have different ways of preparing for death in Paradise… So, is there anything you do in particular?”

Seol Jihu closed his mouth . He suddenly remembered how Phi Sora worked part-time to look back on her life on Earth .

But what about him?

“If you don’t, just come with us on this beach trip . It’ll be fun to see each other on Earth for once . We can curse each other out all we want since we won’t be able to understand each other anyway . ”

“Right, right! It’s more fun than you think! So? You’re going, right, Seol?”

Hugo interfered tactlessly .

Seol Jihu licked his lips until letting loose a deep sigh of frustration .

He understood what they were saying, but he couldn’t empathize with it at all .

In fact, doubts emerged within him .

“…You guys must not like life in Paradise that much, huh . ”

A quiet murmur flowed out .

Chohong furrowed her brows, and the smile on the excited Hugo’s face faded away .

“Hey, that’s not what we mean . ”

“Yeah, yeah, I get what you mean . Yes, a beach trip sounds nice . People who want to go should . Preparing for the worst-case scenario is good too . I acknowledge that . ”

Seol Jihu took a roundabout way to say they should not force someone into going if they didn’t want to go .

“Sounds good? Then let’s go with that . Oh right, I haven’t told you guys about the fruit and the divinity, right?”

Seol Jihu nodded his head and changed the subject in a bright voice .

“Listen up . It’s hard to say anything about the divinity, but the fruit is amazing . This thing’s effect is…”

However, he had to stop as everyone was staring at him fixedly . A few had dazed looks, and a few were casting suspicious glances .

This was no surprise given Seol Jihu’s very obvious strange attitude .

Even the dull Hugo noticed that Seol Jihu was trying to change the subject .

“Uh… Seol . ”

Hugo carefully spoke up after a brief moment of silence .

“Do you hate going back to Earth?”

“…No, it’s not that I hate it . ”

“Then do you not want to see us?”

“Hugo . ”

“I just… we spent a long time together in Paradise… so I wanted to meet you on Earth too…”

Hugo murmured dejectedly .

Seol Jihu shut his eyes tight .
 

*

In the end, it was decided that Seol Jihu would go back to Earth .

Although he didn’t give a definite answer on whether he would go on the trip, it seemed like almost everyone else agreed .

Kim Hannah went back to Earth, saying she would make preparations .

By the time the sun went below the horizon, Valhalla’s building became rowdy .

Seol Jihu and others left the building after wrapping up a few matters in Paradise .

On the way to the temple .

Everyone was busy chatting about the upcoming trip, but only Seol Jihu remained silent .

In truth, everyone knew .

Seol Jihu, who had been running around after the war pulling pranks left and right, was now all serious and quiet . He even looked a little angry .

Though the furtive glances annoyed him a bit, Seol Jihu didn’t show it .

He acknowledged the need to go back to Earth .

But being thrust into it was…

‘No . ’

Seol Jihu smiled bitterly as what Jang Maldong said kept surfacing in his mind .

He couldn’t deny it .

Because the mysterious rage and anxiety he was feeling now were the same emotions he felt when he didn’t have any money and couldn’t gamble .

Unless he was being forced like he was now, he probably would not even think about going back to Earth .

He acknowledged this…

Seol Jihu walked while suppressing his displeasure, and before he noticed, he had arrived at the temple .

“If you’re going straight to Hawaii in Area 4, set your coordinates accordingly . As for the rest, send us a mail, alright?”

Phi Sora waved her hand in front of the warp gate .

“Ou! See you guys in Hawaii!”

Hugo shouted excitedly .

Seol Jihu didn’t say much . He sighed for the umpteenth time and walked up the stairs .

Though he heard someone calling his name, he didn’t look back and dived into the wavering, sea-colored portal .

It was his fourth return trip to Earth .