Side Story 58. And That’s Where the Pantyhose Comes In (2) (1/2)

After the expedition, most problems were resolved quickly. Everything returned to normal except for the Seven Sins, who, despite Seol Jihu’s plea, remained steadfast in their attitude toward him.

[Welcome back.]

Seol Jihu, who was on his way back to Paradise from the hospital with Seo Yuhui, sighed at the voice ringing in his head as he passed through the warp gate. He sensed Gula’s presence down the path leading to the temple. He was the only one who seemed to be able to see and hear her. Others did not respond to her at all. He had to be the only Earthling in all of Paradise to be personally greeted by the goddesses whenever he left or returned to Paradise.

[Your humble servant greets you.]

“I told you not to do this.”

[But—]

“I told you this makes me uncomfortable. And I know I’ve said this a million times, but this isn’t going to make me want to become a god.”

Seol Jihu sighed as he watched Gula drop her head in silence.

[Oh my. You’re back!]

It was then that a sensual voice echoed in his head. He felt an energy approach him in small hops from afar. This energy obviously belonged to Luxuria, the Goddess of Lust.

[Welcome!]

Luxuria jumped into Seol Jihu’s arms and hugged him tightly. A bitter look crossed Seol Jihu’s face. Luxuria was the only god to accept his request to be treated the same as before, at least in her own way. The problem was that Seol Jihu wasn’t happy with the direction she had taken.

[I’ve missed you!]

For one, she was still using honorifics.

[How about you, Seol Jihu-nim? Did you miss me?]

Seol Jihu admitted that he was partly at fault here. In an attempt to restore their relationship to what it was, he pulled some pranks on Luxuria. During one of the pranks, he ordered her to “come out and show yourself, if you really want to serve me like you say you do!” To his surprise, Luxuria actually physically manifested before him. He couldn’t remember much of what happened after that, except how warm and cozy Luxuria felt until Seo Yuhui rushed in and dragged him out.

Even after that, Seol Jihu secretly visited Luxuria’s temple and demanded her to appear before him. When she expressed concern, he consoled her by saying everything would be fine and that he was there for her. Thanks to his efforts, he was able to get quite close to Luxuria.

[Why don’t you come to see me these days?]

Now, however, the situation seemed to be out of his hands.

[Are you sick of me? But you said you’d love me! I’m so upset!]

[Stop it. Can’t you see that you’re troubling him?]

When she saw Seol Jihu shut his eyes tight, Gula quickly intervened.

[That’s not the kind of language and attitude you should be using in front of our hero.]

[But!]

[Silence!]

Gula, who only rarely raised her voice, scolded Luxuria.

[Your actions today will be formally challenged at the meeting. Be grateful for his mercy and repent your acts.]

Gula let out a dry cough and turned again toward Seol Jihu.

[Please excuse the commotion. Come inside.]

“What do you mean come inside? No way. I’m leaving.”

With a grumble, Seol Jihu looked back at Gula before leaving.

“If you do this again, I’m going to call you Little Gula the next time I see you. Okay?”

Gula flinched. Even for her, the name Little Gula was too much to handle.

Hoping that the threat would work, Seol Jihu left the temple and headed to his restaurant.

As soon as he opened the door, he heard a clatter. Excalibur and the Spear of Purity were lying side by side in the kitchen. Someone had covered them with a blanket, and they looked like they were taking a nap.

“Ah. Did I wake you?”

Click. Excalibur rolled over and covered the Spear of Purity with itself.

“…”

Ever since Kim Soohyun left Excalibur in Seol Jihu’s care, the sword hadn’t left the Spear of Purity for a single moment.

‘Where’s Rara…?’

As soon as he thought so, a black spear flew across the air and slipped under the blanket that the sword and spear were sharing. Naturally, a commotion broke out.

Clang! Clang!

Seol Jihu shook his head when he saw Excalibur and the Spear of Purity fighting the Sura Demon Spear. It didn’t even surprise him anymore. He had already given up trying to comprehend them.

It was then that he heard someone knocking on the door of the restaurant. The man who entered with Seol Jihu’s permission was astonished at the scene before him.

“Oh, they’re fine. Don’t mind them.”

Seol Jihu spoke quickly to reassure his guest, who seemed ready to scream any moment.

“What brings you here? The restaurant’s closed today.”

“Oh, um….”

Seol Jihu’s expression stiffened as he listened.

The man had come bearing a message from Kim Hannah.

*

First, Seol Jihu scolded the sword and the two spears. When he saw that they were sorry, he headed to Valhalla. There was a familiar figure in the lobby. She was sprawled out on the couch, waving the Thorn of Steel up and down.

“Hmm? What are you doing here?”

Chung Chohong greeted Seol Jihu.

“Kim Hannah called me here. How are you feeling? Are you okay now?”

“You bet I am. I’ve been fine for a while…. I just realized I never got a chance to say thank you.”

“You don’t have to.”

“?”

“You don’t have to thank me. I already know how you feel.”

“How?”

“I just do. You know what they say. Husband and wife can read each other like an open book.”

“Bullshit. You still remember that? When are you gonna stop?”

Chohong raised her head with a laugh. Seol Jihu smiled in return. Her smile made him feel much better. Now he knew for certain that she had recovered fully.

“But seriously, why are you here? What does the fox want from you?”

“No idea. Maybe she’s finally going to confess her love for me?”

“Ha! This guy. He hasn’t changed one bit. Get going already, will ya?”

Even while she said so, Chohong’s gaze remained on Seol Jihu. After their little chat, Seol Jihu climbed the stairs to the second floor.

He knew that she would want to talk to him at some point. The recent incident was too big and shocking for them to pretend it never happened. He didn’t mean to blame her, of course. He just regretted that things didn’t work out as best as they could. Seol Jihu had briefly wondered whether he should visit Kim Hannah first but decided against it as it might bother her when she was obviously busy. Also, knowing her strict nature, he was confident that she wouldn’t look away as though nothing had happened.

And today, she finally contacted him. There was something she wanted to tell him, she said.

“You’re here.”

As soon as Seol Jihu opened the office door, he saw Kim Hannah sitting at her desk.

“Take a seat. You’re a little late, aren’t you? I thought you’d be here sooner.”

Kim Hannah said, closing the file and taking off her glasses. Seol Jihu was about to explain that he was late because he had to stop the fight between the sword and the spears but paused before he did. He knew that she would see it as an excuse.

“Well, well, if it isn’t the famous Miss Foxy. Why did she call me all the way out here, I wonder?”

Seol Jihu said playfully.

“What are you playing at? Are you trying to imitate Miss Cinzia?”

Kim Hannah smiled bitterly before letting out a small sigh.

“I’m sorry.”

Suddenly she apologized.

“I tried not to, but I ended up relying on you again. And, well… I just thought I should apologize first.”

Seol Jihu quickly straightened his posture.

“I feel like this all would’ve ended much faster if I had made a different choice. Then I wouldn’t have felt as guilty as I do now. It’s just a thought.”

Seol Jihu nodded quietly.

“It is regretful.”

He said after a moment of silence.

“I only found this out later, but the situation would have ended a lot sooner if you had contacted me when you lost contact with Team 1 during their second search. Apparently, the arrival of the rescue team drastically widened the crack.”

Kim Hannah remained silent.

“Of course, I can only say this because I know the result. I know you were looking out for me, and I understand why you decided to send a rescue team. There’s no way anyone could have known that a god stronger than the Parasite Queen lay hidden under the ruins of the Empire.”

Kim Hannah reluctantly nodded. He was right. This was beyond anyone’s imagination.

“But in the end, that doesn’t change the fact that I made a mistake.”

Kim Hannah continued after a long silence.

“I’m sure you must be curious about why I didn’t contact you sooner. Why I didn’t tell you for as long as possible.”

“You said you didn’t want to worry me.”

“There’s that too, but….”

Kim Hannah cleared her throat.

“Do you know what happened to Valhalla after you resigned?”

“Huh?”

“We’re a mess.”

Seol Jihu’s eyes widened at Kim Hannah’s straightforward assessment.

“Why?”

“Because our hierarchy has crumbled down.”

Kim Hannah said simply.

“I emphasized this several times when you were the representative. An organization—”

“—Is a community that needs rules and regulations to function properly.”

Seol Jihu finished her sentence. His reaction was almost automatic because he had heard the same phrase more than a dozen times before.

“You’re right. And it’s especially true between subordinates and their superiors.”

Kim Hannah paused briefly, then continued.

“Our current system is ineffective because our subordinates ignore the rules and regulations that are in place.”

“…Who are you talking about exactly?”

Seol Jihu asked carefully.

“Almost all of them.”

Kim Hannah clenched her teeth.

“I won’t say everyone. But there’s this one thing that all team leaders always say during our leader meetings. They say that their team members are rebellious, and they’re always complaining and grumbling.”

She continued.

“All of our team leaders are exceptional. Marcel Ghionea, Ayase Kazuki, and Oh Rahee. They will thrive in any organization in Paradise, but you already know that.”

“Yes.”

“But every time they give an order, their team members complain. It wasn’t like this in the past, they say. Or Jihu wasn’t like this. Jihu Oppa was different. Even the experienced members are no different. How can this be?”

Seol Jihu was speechless. Insubordination had never been an issue when he was the representative.

“You wouldn’t know. This never happened when you were here.”

It couldn’t be helped. Valhalla was an organization founded by and for Seol Jihu. Each member had a close relationship with him. Seol Jihu was a beloved and respected representative, so no one disputed his decisions—not even the risky ones. Their blind faith in Seol Jihu worsened over time as he began to yield results.

“If you had stayed, this would never have happened. That’s why I tried to stop you from leaving.”

Kim Hannah closed her eyes.

“I tried to step out of your shadow, but….”

Her voice trailed off as she slowly tilted her head back.

“What can I say? My greed aggravated the situation. It’s my fault.”

Kim Hannah failed. Although the situation ended well, the fact that Seol Jihu came to save her was a big problem. Seol Jihu left Valhalla a long time ago, yet his influence over the organization was still growing.

Suddenly, Kim Hannah opened the desk drawer.

“I’ve already taken care of urgent matters. Now, as Valhalla’s Representative, I think I should take responsibility for my mistakes.”

She took out a white envelope from the drawer. It was her letter of resignation.