Chapter 10: The Underground Base

“Ugh... Ughhhhhhh!”

“Hyung, can you please not make weird noises?”

“You jerk. When your oppa suffering like this, the least you could do is comfort me.”

“....I don’t call you ‘oppa.’ Anyway, if you just lie down, you’ll feel better. What’s with the fuss?”

The disdainful gaze from Seo Eun made me feel like crying. No, seriously, I’m in pain here!

We were deep underground somewhere in Seoul.

It’s the underground base of Han Seo Eun, the genius hacker and scientist who can create virtually anything. Granted, she’s only in her third year of middle school.

As soon as I thwarted the terror attack plotted by my impersonating followers, I teleported here and collapsed again. Continuous teleportation is a killer. Plus, we’re so deep underground...

At least this time, it hurt less thanks to a fatigue-recovery capsule Seo Eun made. Why didn’t she tell me about this yesterday? I was unconscious all day.

Not only did I teleport myself this time, but I also brought another person along. And that made it twice as hard.

Thanks to Seo Eun’s fatigue-recovery capsule, I managed to hang in there. Otherwise, I would’ve definitely collapsed.

“So, why did you tell me to bring her?”

I asked, pointing at the woman sitting in the chair.

She gasped, startled to find herself the subject of attention.

Her long, black hair hung down loosely as she sat, eyes darting nervously. It felt a bit pitiful, to be honest. And with her beauty, she looked like some sort of tragic heroine.

She’s the only follower among the eight that I chose to spare. According to Seo Eun, she could be a great asset to us, so I brought her along.

“Ah.”

Seo Eun, busy with something on her computer, turned her chair to look at us.

She then looked at the woman and asked,

“Noona... no eonni, you’re Lee Soo-bin, right?”

“Uh, yes. But how did you know?”

“I know everything.”

Seo Eun said coolly. But is it me or did her nose seem a bit higher than before?

When she says something like that, being so tiny, she just comes off as cute. It almost made me smile like a proud dad.

Anyway, now was a good time to ask a question I’ve been curious about.

“So, Seo Eun, can you explain why we had to bring Soo-bin, who claims to be a follower of mine?”

As soon as I opened my mouth, she jolted again.

Seriously, how could someone so timid be involved in terrorism?

Her eyes were already brimming with tears, making the situation awkward.

“Ah, I thought she could help us.”

Seo Eun simply said that to me.

Sure, she’ll help... Wait, help? She?

Not just me, even Soo-bin looked quite bewildered at Seo Eun’s words. What on Earth is she talking about?

“No... Uh, Seo Eun, I’m not quite following. You’re telling me you kidnapped a terrorist we just met today and she’ll just help you? Um... wouldn’t it be quicker for you to get stabbed in your sleep by her?”

From behind, I heard a faint voice saying, “I won’t stab you...” but I cleanly ignored it. This is a cold and heartless Ego-base. If your voice is weak, you won’t survive.

“Sigh, it’s not like that.”

“What do you mean, ‘not like that’? Seo Eun, it seems like you don’t know how the world works because you’re still in your third year of middle school. No one’s going to work for you just because you kidnapped them. They’ll either run off with all the intel you have or seek revenge. Those are the only two options. I don’t even know how she’d help you, to begin with.”

In the background, it felt like someone was fervently nodding and saying, “I won’t betray you...” Not just a feeling, she actually said it.

Seo Eun just sighed at my long speech.

No, really? This won’t do. I need to discipline her with some fatherly wisdom.

Just as I was about to embark on another monologue, Seo Eun spoke.

“Eonni, Lee Soo-bin.”

“Yes?”

“Your parents were researchers at Han-eun Group, right?”

In that moment, the color drained from Soo-bin’s face.

She went pale in an instant.

“Ah, ah, no...” she began to deny, but seeing her like that, Seo Eun just smirked.

“Eonni, don’t you want your revenge? Against Han-eun Group, against those bastards.”

“Huh...?”

“Didn’t your parents also pass away in that incident?”

At Seo Eun’s words, Soo-bin’s face stiffened a little.

I was about to nag Seo Eun about calling her ‘eonni’ so informally, but as soon as the Haneun Group and the tragedy were mentioned, I began to listen intently.

“I’ve read the posts you made on the dark web, eonni. You hate Haneun Group too, don’t you? You said you wanted them all dead.”

“H-How did you—”

“How did I find out? Your blocking program has quite a few holes. You’ll need to update it.”

Seo Eun had already stood up and approached Soo-bin, grabbing her hand tightly.

It was a bit amusing that seated Soo-bin appeared taller than standing Seo Eun, but I decided not to say anything, given the grave atmosphere.

“I’m looking for the heads of Han-eun Group. They ruined my life. I plan to find them and kill them. Only then will my hatred be quelled.”

“Eonni, will you help me?”

As Seo Eun finished speaking, tears flooded from Soo-bin’s eyes as she tightly held onto Seo-Eun’s hand.

“Yes, I’ll help you!”

“Thank you, eonni.”

And with that, they hugged each other.

It’s odd... the contrasting images of Seo Eun with her white hair and Soo-bin with her black hair embracing each other looked like a monochromatic painting.

Am I the only one having trouble keeping up with the emotional tide here? What on Earth are they doing? A few exchanged words and they’re suddenly teary and hugging?

As I watched the two women hug each other, I, the lone male, just laid there feeling incredibly awkward.

What the hell is going on...?

***

Soo-bin, currently enrolled in the Computer Science Department at Seoul National University.

She was around the same age as me.

Growing up, both her parents passed away, leaving her to get by on subsidies. Since middle school, she had holed herself up like a hikikomori, studying computers until she became an expert.

To give one an idea of how advanced she was, she could understand everything that Seo Eun talks about. I couldn’t for the life of me understand what she was saying otherwise.

Her main activities involve cyberterrorism-for-hire on the dark web to support herself financially. The reason she got involved in this particular act of terror...

“What did you say? You just stumbled into it?”

“Yes... I initially joined that chatroom for work, but they said they just needed to meet the headcount, so I had no choice but to participate. I was even suspected of being a spy.”

“...”

What? So, in summary, you’re not even a follower of mine? Seo Eun, didn’t you say she was a fan? Did you deceive me?

I looked at her fidgeting in her seat.

Soo-bin. Despite her name suggesting innocence, she looks a bit intimidating in person. Her long black hair and tall stature, coupled with a stern expression, remind me of a schoolyard bully from my past.

But despite her appearance, she seems...

“You have no friends?”

“Yes... I’ve mostly stayed home, and I’ve only attended college classes just enough to graduate.”

“...”

Why do I feel like I’m about to burst into tears?

Well, she seems harmless overall.

Of course, some suspicions remain. For starters, she’s never appeared in the [Stardust!] manhwa of this world that I’ve transmigrated into. But her not appearing doesn’t have a huge impact. She’s just an extra, like me.

“Understood. Welcome to our crew, Soo-bin.”

“Yes... y-yep!”

We shook hands. I decided to pretend not to notice her face turn red as she accidentally bit her tongue.

“When did we ever have a crew?”

I chose to ignore Seo Eun’s muttering from behind me. Now that there are three of us, we’re practically a crew.

***

Soo-bin decided to move her belongings to our underground base and start living here. She’d be staying with Seo Eun, learning from her and collaborating. Seo Eun explained that it would be safer this way, given that frequently coming and going could draw unwanted attention.

...But honestly, I feel uneasy. If she were a character from the original story I know, that would be one thing. But to bring someone whose true nature is unknown so close to Seo Eun? What’s the game plan here?

That’s why I also moved my stuff to this underground base. I gave Seo Eun a different reason, but honestly, it felt like she already had an inkling of my concerns. Why is that, though? Did she already know Soo-bin?

And so in the deep underground place, began the cohabitation of the three of us: me, Han Seo Eun, and Lee Soo-bin.

Living with two women might look a bit strange, but it’s fine.

Seo-Eun is still a middle school student, and as for Soo-bin... well, she’s certainly beautiful, but it’s not a problem.

My heart has always belonged to Stardust, aka Shin Haru. I pledged to live for her when I came to this world. Of course, the chances of her and I ending up together are next to none. Haha.

That’s how I began my life here. Living with others is definitely noisier but more fun than living alone.

“Hey Hyung, did you leave the fridge open? The ice cream’s going to melt!”

“Me? Nah, I didn’t leave the fridge open!”

“Uh, Seo Eun. I think that was me. So, sorry...”

“Ah! Oh...it’s fine, Eonni! People make mistakes. Hehe.”

“...When you thought it was me, you had a lot to say.”

“.....”

Just splendidly unfair.

︵‿︵‿୨ * ୧‿︵‿︵

Previous | Index | Next Coming Soon