Old Friends Reunited (1)
Until winter break ca, there apparently hadn't been any trouble at ho.
No one had co to attack, but that was only natural as long as the shadow military unit was guarding the place.
Indeed, according to the shadow military unit, they reported that absolutely nothing happened.
It was a huge relief that my family's daily life was undisturbed like this.
Since they were my family in this life, it was only right to care about them.
"So... you sent Ah-rin and Sang-ah to the training camp?"
I explained to my mother why I had returned ho alone.
Finding out that I'd sent them to a good facility as a form of punishnt, my mother beca flustered.
"No matter what, isn't that a bit much? They're still just kids—can they endure a lifestyle like that? It must be so hard."
"They were sent there to have a hard ti. If they stay there long enough, they'll get so discipline."
"Don't you feel bad for them? It's finally vacation and now their free ti is taken away."
"No, not at all. The one to feel sorry for is soone else."
Sighing, I fiddled with my lower body.
I spoke to my mother as if I'd lost a child.
"The one who's truly pitiful... is my underwear, sacrificed by those two."
"..."
"Can you imagine how terrified it must've been after it was separated from ?"
First, it was suddenly kidnapped.
Then, without warning, it was brought onto the stage and treated like a mask.
In the end, it lost its life in a fight with a phantom spirit.
Its body was so thoroughly destroyed that it was impossible to even find any remains.
"It was one of my many children... It's so sad. Can't you sympathize, since you're a mother too?"
"Ah... Fine. I'll try to understand..."
Han Suyeon nodded with a displeased expression.
What kind of thought process leads a person to treat their underwear as their own child?
Ah-rin and Sang-ah, who stole the underwear, were a problem, but Seongjin didn't seem any easier.
And this was her own son, no less.
That's why Han Suyeon muttered quietly,
"Maybe it's ti for him to get circumcised soon?"
"What did you say?"
"Hmm? Nothing! Never mind!"
She spoke so softly that I didn't quite catch it.
But she—Han Suyeon—was my mother. She would never do anything weird to her child.
Just as I'd never do anything to harm my own.
"Puhahahahaha! Did you just say Ah-rin unni and Sang-ah unni... stole your underwear, oppa? This is totally newsworthy!"
At that mont, Yunhee, who had been beside us, started cackling noisily.
My face twisted with venom at the sound of my little sister's childish laughter.
"Ma Yunhee. What's so funny that you're laughing so hard your mouth might split?"
I asked Yunhee with an extrely serious deanor.
To a normal kid, my expression would have been terrifying enough to make their knees shake, but Yunhee just scoffed and teased .
"It's funny, so I'm laughing! It's hilarious that you call your underwear your child... Puhahahaha! Oppa, what is even your thought process?"
"Then why don't you imagine this: What if a boy in your class not only stole your underwear and ran off with it, but also put it on his head and sang on stage at the school festival? How would that make you feel?"
"Are you crazy? What kind of pervert would even imagine that? That's totally sexual harassnt!"
Upon hearing my example, Yunhee's face soured instantly.
As she looked disgusted, I pressed my face fiercely close and said,
"Exactly, see? It's sexual harassnt! Sang-ah and Ah-rin—those two guys committed just such a cri! So obviously, they deserve punishnt! Am I wrong?"
"Yeah... you're right."
"Let's say the sa thing happened to you, and then I mocked you from the side, saying, 'Uhehehehe! I'm going to steal Yunhee's underwear~'—how would you feel?"
"I'd bash your head in with a baseball bat."
"Exactly! Then do you think it was right to laugh earlier? Or wrong?"
"..."
Since she couldn't deny a single word, Yunhee was left speechless.
Most kids Yunhee's age would be stubborn in this sort of situation, typically whining, "So what then!"
At this age, instinct usually wins out, and throwing tantrums becos a habit.
But as the saying goes, "A dog at the old school learns to recite poetry after three years."
Perhaps thanks to having a prosecutor for a father, Yunhee could differentiate right from wrong.
"Ugh, fine! I was wrong! Happy now?"
Of course, irritation flared up from the sha of admitting defeat.
Seeing that, my mother chided Yunhee sharply.
"Yunhee, what kind of language is 'bash your brother's head in'? You need to use pretty words from now on."
"Okay."
Even as she got a telling off, Yunhee's expression was dubious.
After all, she couldn't understand her brother's affection for underwear.
Of course, she would show the sa reaction if her own underwear was stolen.
'But does he really have to cherish it like a child?'
If you think about it, how many children has oppa lost by this logic?
How many were tossed in the used-clothing bin or thrown out after being torn?
And he nonchalantly buys new 'children' at the supermarket.
The more she thought about it, the creepier it seed.
A person who discards and acquires 'children' so casually—isn't that just what people call a psychopath?
"Still, oppa did sothing good today."
But those ominous thoughts were soon swept away as Yunhee broke into a joyful expression.
The reason was the puppy she held in her arms.
― Woof!
When the puppy barked, Yunhee stroked its head.
A look of worldly happiness spread across her face.
"Because you brought such a cute puppy ho!"
For a long ti, Yunhee had been pestering us, saying she wanted to raise a dog.
But father kept putting it off, and it was almost forgotten by now.
Now that I'd brought ho a dog, there was no way she wouldn't be happy.
"But... this one isn't going to soone else eventually, right? We're really keeping it, right?"
When Yunhee asked anxiously, I paused to think.
Though it looked like a cute puppy on the outside, in reality, it was the master-class phantom spirit Cerberus.
If it wanted, it could obliterate an entire city with a single attack.
Letting such a creature beco a pet was about as reckless as chugging a bowl of drugs.
But that guy had been perfectly tad by .
Even at school, it never caused any problems.
'Especially since Ah-rin took such good care of it.'
Even when separated from , it never turned into a monster.
That's why I could speak confidently.
"If you want to, it's fine to do as you like. It doesn't have a particular owner."
"Really?"
That wasn't a lie.
Ever since I trained it in the rift that day, it has served only as its master.
"My oppa is the best! Truly aweso! Most worthy of respect, orabeoni. From this day forth, your lowly little sister will serve you with the utmost reverence!"
Suddenly, Yunhee's attitude did a 180, and she started to deify .
It really reminded of the vampire clan I'd saved at wzealand long ago.
"So when was it that you said you'd smash my head in with a bat?"
"Hmm? When did I say that?"
Honestly... the more I saw of her, the more chills I got.
Well, you'd have to be at least this much to be called my little sister.
"Um, Seongjin. Seongjin."
Suddenly, my mother called twice.
When I drew closer, she leaned in and whispered into my ear.
"I just wanted to ask, but... that's not an ordinary dog, is it?"
She really had sharp intuition.
Both my parents had vaguely sensed that I was no ordinary person.
And none of the friends I brought ho were ordinary, either.
'The daughter of the Hwasan guildmaster, the daughter of the Angel guildmaster, and even...'
Though now absorbed by The World, there had even been a contact from the top Chinese Sura guild.
It was only natural that anyone I brought ho was unusual.
So, my mother's suspicion that the dog was no ordinary animal was perfectly natural.
"Don't worry too much. It listens to us really well."
"Why does that sound... just like those people who say, 'My dog doesn't bite'?"
That was a line dog owners always spouted.
It was just because their own pet had never acted like a beast before.
My mother's worry was, in fact, spot on.
The reason... goes without saying.
"Then would you like to hold it?"
So, I suggested it.
Letting her judge by holding the puppy herself.
At my words, Yunhee willingly handed the puppy over.
As my mother hugged it, the puppy's eyes t hers.
― Whine?
"..."
"Hmmm."
The puppy looked up at her, puzzled.
My mother gently stroked its head.
The puppy responded to her touch with a beaming expression, licking her hand and tickling her.
Seeing the affectionate display, my mother made up her mind.
"Seongjin, Yunhee."
"...?"
"What should we na it?"
She'd completely fallen for it.
Clearly, she was totally entranced by the dog.
All that was left was my father's reaction.
'But why is he late today?'
Was he in court?
****
The courtroom, renowned for its severe atmosphere,
Few places were as tightly wound with tension as this.
For the defendant, it was stifling beyond compare.
Their fate would be decided by the balance of justice before them.
It was a matter of their entire future, sothing that pressed on their heart like it could burst.
And that wasn't all.
"The defendant abducted classmate Kim Eunbi to a deserted building and produced illegal videos. Additionally, it has been found that the victim was violated in many ways, including assault, threats, and confinent."
Standing beside the defendant, who wore a school uniform, ca the prosecutor's voice.
Each ti her cris were enurated, the defendant felt her heart squeeze.
As though an invisible hand was closing in on her.
"And besides Kim Eunbi, several other habitual victims have been confird."
Every ti Ma Jun-sang the prosecutor spoke, her body trembled further.
Even the defense lawyers, who had been on her side just a mont before, had beco tongue-tied.
It was unavoidable—the evidence presented by the prosecution was overwhelming.
"Defendant, do you have any final words?"
In the end, the judge asked in order to deliver a verdict.
Though the judge, like the defense, tried to speak in her favor, every argunt was blocked by the prosecutor's evidence.
She wished ti would just stop there.
But ti in court kept moving forward.
Eventually, overwheld by resentnt, the defendant's true nature ca out.
"Sh*t, it's not like I did it alone."
.
.
Once the trial was over, Ma Jun-sang exited the courtroom.
The defendant's na was Do Seokjun. Age, 18.
An awakened, ranked B.
The cri was, just as stated earlier, production of illegal videos.
However, what stayed in Ma Jun-sang's mind was the last thing the defendant had said.
"So there really were accomplices."
Today was supposed to be the day his son ca ho, but it looked like he was going to be late getting off work.
There was more to investigate.
"It's really been a long ti, Jun-sang."
At the voice from behind, Ma Jun-sang turned his head.
The mont he saw the man standing there, he instantly frowned.
"It's been a while indeed, attorney Choi Seungjin."
"Why so cold? We were law school classmates."
"..."
Ma Jun-sang didn't want to be informal with this man.
No doubt, Choi Seungjin felt the sa way.
Despite being old classmates, they had never been able to get along.
"You've gotten sharper since I last saw you. Not bad in court earlier, huh?"
"Were you watching? I heard you've been busy lately."
"I have, but I found a little ti and thought I'd co see you."
In the end, Ma Jun-sang dropped the formalities, seeing right through his intentions.
The vibe Choi Seungjin always gave off to him had never changed.
Realizing he'd been caught, Choi Seungjin finally revealed his true colors.
"You made another poor kid eat prison food, huh."
Hearing that, Ma Jun-sang sighed in resignation.
As expected, there wasn't even a sliver of likelihood he'd ever get close to this person.
"A poor kid?"
"What's with that look? Just admiring your ruthless talent—locking up a kid who's barely in high school."
"Admirable, sure."
Anyone could see it was just provocation, so Ma Jun-sang kept his words brief.
Whenever he saw Choi Seungjin, he rembered the ti the man, calling him a traitor, had grabbed him by the collar.
Thinking back to that incident, there was simply no reason for them to et up on purpose even briefly.
Especially not with a smile on his face.
"You know I've had good news lately, right?"
"You said you were quitting law to do sothing else?"
"Yeah. I ca today to tell you about that."
Choi Seungjin spoke with a self-satisfied expression.
Anyone looking could tell it wasn't a friendly smile.
It was the smug look of soone flaunting their power to soone they held a grudge against.
"If we ever et again... you'd better be on your guard."
A face like that was always overflowing with desire.
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
I've got a feeling it's related to the Holy Church...
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】
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