v1c4 (1/2)

Translated by Lei

Proofread by Masadeer

This Beautiful b.a.s.t.a.r.d’s Love

‘An airplane?’

As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw an unfamiliar sight. In a place that looked just like the inside of an airplane, my body was reclined in a plush seat. Stupified by the faint hum of the engine, and the slight turbulence from riding the currents, I returned to consciousness right away.

“Mister Hyuk, did you sleep well?”

“Ack! Wh-who are you?”

I was on a s.p.a.cious bed-like seat that was immensely plushy. Without even getting a chance to regain my bearings, a strikingly beautiful blonde with long straight hair greeted me amiably, while wearing a stewardess uniform.

“My name is Marisol.”

Her bright smile was similar to Jeon Ji-hyun. Even in my surprise, the sight of her skinny legs bore into my eyes.

[T/N: Jeon Ji-hyun is a popular Korean actress and model. Look her up.]

My face flushed.

“We are scheduled to arrive in Incheon International Airport in one hour.”

“What? In-incheon International Airport?”

Amidst the woman’s friendliness, the words Incheon International Airport soared into my ears.

“Hoho, you have slept for a whole fifteen hours.”

“Fifteen hours?”

‘What? What in the world happened? Why am I lying here?’

Until my last moment of consciousness, I had been sitting on top of the huge magic circle Master had made. And then countless glimmering lights had penetrated my mind. I only remembered that a mix of unidentified things had burrowed into my mind. I hadn’t been able to figure out what they had been, though.

‘Wait, am I speaking French right now?’

I was able to converse to some extent in English, but I was still far from speaking French. But the woman named Marisol was definitely speaking in French. And I was skillfully answering her in French, as if nothing were out of the ordinary. It was incredibly natural, as if I had learned French from birth.

“I have something here that I must relay to Mister Hyuk.”

While I was stunned by the unbelievable things that were happening to me in succession, a white envelope was pushed onto me. Sealed with gold leaf, the envelope was light.

‘A letter?’

I unsealed it and opened the envelope. A letter appeared as I had expected, but there was also a single platinum card.

‘Runes?’

Surprisingly, the letter was written in runes, a language that only Mages could read.

‘How am I able to read this?’

While learning 2nd Circle magic, I had acquired about 300 runes. In this language, a single dot changed the meaning and each rune had a meaning of its own, like hanja. From what I heard from Master, at higher circles, you had to learn up to a whopping ten thousand runes.

[T/N: Hanja is the Korean name for Chinese characters. Like kanji.]

Though I possessed outstanding intelligence, even I only knew 300 of them. But now, I was effortlessly able to decipher runes that I hadn’t known in the past.

‘Did I hit my head or something?’

Maybe this was like what often appeared in movies: a strange twist of fate?

If my head wasn’t messed up from being hit, how else would I be able to comprehend French and read runes?

I tried using my imagination to make a guess, but it was all too unbelievable.

Turning my head, I read the letter Master had written.

To my beloved disciple, Hyuk.

‘Blech!’

I suddenly felt a surge of nausea from the incredible first sentence.

I feel such regret that the three months I spent together with you are already over. Even as I send you off, this master of yours already longs to see you, the one with whom he shared that brief time.

‘Is this old man crazy?’

The lines were oozing with love and almost felt like a proposal. The impulse to rip the letter into pieces raged in my chest.

Having met you thanks to the grace of the G.o.ddess of Fate; Pallan, this master of yours was truly happy. When you later raise a disciple of your own, you too will be sure to understand this tingly pleasure that I’d never before known, in my two hundred years of life.

‘This… sick old fart!’

Even if I couldn’t see him, I could just imagine Master b.u.mdalf’s evil face. Thoughts of Master; a man immune to laws or strength, got me so heated up that I’d need to grind on a few chunks of ice before I’d be able to rest easily.

Hyuk. Unfortunately, G.o.d will not permit our eternal love. I wanted to make you into a mighty Mage over ten or twenty years, but the wheel of fate has decreed that you and I will be separated like this.

My hands trembled.

‘Saying something like eternal love to me, a pure, virgin soul! Graaah! This perverted sea anemone, this Orc cousin Mage b.u.mdalf! GAAAAHH!’

[T/N: Sea anemones = tentacles = perverts.]

I couldn’t scream because Marisol was radiating a refres.h.i.+ng smile from a distance away. But if I were to shout, this airplane would explode. My hostility towards Master was even greater than that time in my childhood when the neighbour’s mongrel had bitten me, making it my bitter enemy.

Separated from you by the will of G.o.d, I write this letter while enduring the pain.

Hyuk, my beloved disciple. While bearing the cruel capriciousness of fate, this master of yours has left you a few presents. The card you are holding in your hand right now is the only one of its kind in the world, an unlimited withdrawal card. At any bank, if you present this card, you will be able to withdraw as much money as you want.

‘Geh! Un-unlimited withdrawal?’

An unlimited withdrawal card, which I had only heard of! Moreover, it was a ridiculous card that could be used at any bank in the world.

‘Master, what in the world are you?’

I had known that he was rich, but I hadn’t known that he was so insanely loaded.

And the personal plane you’re riding right now is the promised present I’d prepared for you. Use it as you wish, if there’s anywhere you want to go, use it any time.

‘E-even this airplane? Woah!’

It was an immense gift from my master, someone who exceeded all imagination.

Suddenly, a warm breeze blew over my Siberian tundra-like feelings of hatred and loathing towards Master.

‘That’s right, Master isn’t that bad of a person. How lonely must he have been in these two hundred years, for him to have kidnapped and forced a person like me into becoming his apprentice. It was only a c.r.a.ppy three months, that’s all.’

Our family motto of ‘truth’ was written on a wooden board, and 128 specific rules were written all over the back of that board, so that only members of the family could see them. They were rules of ‘truth’ that you could only see once you were an adult.

Not long ago, when my parents had been away, I was dusting our proud family motto and discovered it.

One of the rules popped into my head.

‘Those who reject what is free, are hypocrites who are betraying their true feelings. Those who look at the free item and feel love for the giver deep in their hearts rather than rejecting it are the ones who possess true and honest feelings— they are the descendents of the Kang Family.’

There was also, ‘Look at women as if they were gold,’ ‘Covet thy neighbor’s possessions as much as possible,’ ‘Flattery is a necessity for success, so use it truthfully,’ among others.

These bits of wisdom that one had to learn while living life were all engraved behind the single word, ‘truth.’

And I was a truthful man.

This generous heart of mine, which was forgiving the master who had committed a permanent sin. Even an angel would kneel at the sight of me, and request a teaching from me.

One last thing. No matter what happens in the future, do not blame or resent this master of yours.

Everything that happens is simply your master’s deep love for you.

“Yes, sir!”

If Master had been by my side, I could have even forgotten the misunderstandings that had acc.u.mulated so far, and embraced him warmly.

The human Kang Hyuk was not such a petty Korean man.

‘The next time I see him, I should ask him to give me his inheritance inventory. It’s an upright Mage’s custom for the sole disciple to take responsibility for the treasures left behind by the master!’

“Kuhuhuhuhu…”

I tried holding it back, but laughter slipped past my lips and trickled out.

There was no one else in the world who owned a personal airplane at this age, as well as an unlimited withdrawal card.

‘So my dream is becoming reality at last! My eternal desire; paradise!’

The utopia of paradise that appeared in myths had been my dream ever since I was young. The glutted and plush Shangri-la, where I would live with those I loved.

In this day and age, if you had money, nothing was impossible.

Just then, I strongly felt that the G.o.ddess from the other world, the G.o.ddess of Fate; Pallan was on my side.

‘I should raise a gla.s.s in her name sometime. Kuku.’

I lay comfortably in my seat while engraving the last of Master’s love deep into my soul.

“Lady Marisol.”

“Yes, Mister Hyuk.”

At my call, the golden-haired beauty approached, a smile blossoming on her lips like a blooming marigold. I involuntarily gulped at the sight of her.

“Haha! As it turns out, this airplane is mine. But what are its specs? Seeing as it’s quite big, it seems worth using.”

It wasn’t just at the level of being ‘worth using.’ Though I didn’t know what kind of leather they were made of, the brown seats inside the airplane were immensely soft. I could also see that the plane was filled with cutting-edge equipment and had luxurious interior design. Far away, I could even see huge sofas and a bar where you could drink alcohol, so it didn’t seem like the plane was small at all.

“It is an A380 specially manufactured by Airbus.”

Marisol nonchalantly stated the name of the airplane while smiling broadly.

“Cough! Cough, cough!”

The cold fresh juice that Marisol had handed me caught in my throat, just like that.

‘A- A380! That terrifying jumbo airliner that can seat a maximum of 800 people?’

A unique method of transportation created by humans, a single one cost $400 million.

My jaw dropped and I blankly thought of Master.

‘Ma-master!’

This beautiful b.a.s.t.a.r.d’s love came surging deep into my heart. Somehow, it seemed like I had come to truly love Master.

* * *

“An A380 is suddenly landing? It hasn’t formally landed in our airport before, so what airline is it?”

“I don’t know, I heard it wasn’t an airline, but a personal plane.”

“W-what? An A380 as a personal plane?”

In the control tower at the gateway at the South Korean Incheon International airport, the staff were kicked into a flurry of commotion due to the A380 that had suddenly flown in.

Not long ago, Airbus’ next generation airliner had landed once in Incheon Airport for a test flight. Capable of carrying up to 800 pa.s.sengers and flying nonstop around the world, the airliner that was called a moving five star hotel was currently making an unscheduled landing.

But they had been informed that the plane was for personal use.

The VIP airport pa.s.sage that only high-ranking public dignitaries like presidents, foreign generals, or chiefs of the Const.i.tutional Court were permitted to use was reserved in advance.

“It’s here!”

Ruuuummmble.

The ten women of the Airport’s protocol team in charge of the VIP lounge were stiff with tension, watching the huge airplane moving down Runway 9. They were truly curious about the ident.i.ty of the person who was arriving in a $400 million personal plane while getting VIP treatment.

Thump, thump.

The airplane was moored and the sound of an unknown person’s footsteps slowly drew closer. As the sound of the footsteps grew near, the dolled-up women in the protocol team were able to lay their curious eyes on the man who slowly appeared.

“Ah!”

“Oh my!”

Though they knew it was certainly a gaffe, low cries burst out from their lips.

“Haha! h.e.l.lo there!”

Having imagined that it would be Arabian royalty rotting in piles of money, or at least a famous foreign celebrity, the protocol team felt themselves freeze the moment they saw the robust Korean-speaking young man. Or rather, the student who still showed signs of being a child.

A high school student whose face they could now clearly see was getting off after riding the giant airliner, the A370 which even the wealthiest Korean couldn’t use as a personal plane.

“W-welcome.”

Wearing frozen business faces, the protocol team lightly bowed their heads towards the student who was raising his hand and smiling broadly as if something very good had happened.

The male student’s fl.u.s.tered voice rang loudly above their heads. “Wh-where do I go for the Customs Inspection?”

As if he didn’t even know how to use the VIP lounge, the clumsy high schooler was scratching his head.

The faces of the bowing staff members went slightly stiff with shock.

* * *

Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-chunk.

‘It, it was real!’

Having kindly reissued my pa.s.sport, Master b.u.mdalf had made it so that I could safely return to Korea again. I had come out of the flashy and elegant VIP lounge, which I was seeing for the first time in my life, but I actually didn’t have a personal car. As such, surrounded by the protocol team that followed me even outside the lounge, I went to an ATM.

And then, the withdrawal.

‘That 0 was THE 0?’

The card’s pa.s.sword was 1111, a number befitting my simple master, and as soon as I put in the card, I saw the unlimited number, 0. At first I thought it was a fake card that didn’t have any money. But once I made a withdrawal, a hundred or so ten dollar bills came spewing out without a single hitch.

My jaws dropped at the sight of the lump sum, an amount I had never held before in my life.

‘YESSSSSSSSS! Kuhahahaha!’

With the realization of the dream I had imagined, my heart was pounding so much I thought it would burst.

Wearing the brand-name jeans and white s.h.i.+rt that Marisol had prepared for me, I was also decked out in some fitting sungla.s.ses and several accessories. I was directly able to get a taste of the luxury life I had only heard of.

‘Let’s go! To home!’

Before I knew it, the seasons had changed to the end of summer. While under the cool, air conditioned breeze, I grandly walked out of the airport.

And then, the blinding August sunlight.

The rays of hope that signalled the end of suffering and the beginning of happiness were energetically s.h.i.+ning on me.

* * *

‘Surely they haven’t sold my family register because I died or something, right?’

I had arrived at my house via a limousine taxi. I was curious about how my parents, who raised their son as if playing a safari wilderness simulation game, had fared while I was gone. I was truly curious about whether they had flown all the way to the Czech Republic in tears because their one and only son had disappeared, or if they were comfortably living their daily lives while believing that I was alive and would return.

‘Hmm…’

Thanks to my well-off father and mother, we were living in a fairly nice apartment in the Gangnam District.

[T/N: Gangnam is a district in Seoul. It’s known for stinkin’ rich folks who want to send their kids to really nice schools.]

Apt 707

The current date and time was Sat.u.r.day, 5 pm. My parents would be home at this time.