Chapter 121

The next day, Seo-yoon arrived alone.

“Here’s the detailed option information for the cars you looked at earlier.”

“Good work,” Jun-sang said, taking the pamphlet. Seo-yoon then cautiously added, “The documents you gave me are proving very useful.”

“Glad to hear they’re helpful,” Jun-sang replied nonchalantly, but Seo-yoon responded with a troubled expression.

“But… it seems there might be a bit of a problem.”

Jun-sang asked, without taking his eyes off the pamphlet, “A problem, you say?”

Seo-yoon sighed lightly and answered, “It seems they’re turning their attention to new returnees.”

Jun-sang finally frowned and looked up. “You mean those who haven’t returned yet?”

Seo-yoon replied with a bitter expression, “Yes. With the Alliance practically collapsing this time and losing its influence over existing returnees, they’ve shifted their focus to the new ones.”

“That’s problematic.”

“When they’re dazed in the hospital, if they’re given a quick explanation and told to sign something, they’ll be taken advantage of without knowing what’s happening.”

Indeed, Jun-sang still shuddered remembering how he was hounded in the hospital. Looking back, his current cold demeanor towards others was largely influenced by the disillusionment he felt then. More accurately, it might be more fitting to say that the suppressed emotions he had felt until then were reawakened by that disillusionment.

“What’s the plan?”

Seo-yoon slightly bowed his head to Henes as she brought tea, then answered, “As you know, most unfair contracts often stem from ignorance.”

Jun-sang stroked his chin and nodded. “You’re suggesting we release more information?”

“Exactly. If returnees themselves, and everyone else, know in detail what kind of power returnees possess, what they can do, and what rewards they can obtain… it will be easier for them to understand their own worth.”

Certainly… if returnees clearly understood their own value, the likelihood of them being manipulated by the government would decrease.

“Will it work?”

“Governments worldwide have already acknowledged the existence of returnees, and the general outline of the tutorial has already been released, so there shouldn’t be any issues. However…”

“However?” Jun-sang prompted. Seo-yoon cautiously replied, “The reason for purchasing Seeds is the problem.”

“Hmm…” Jun-sang quietly picked up his teacup and took a sip. Seo-yoon continued, watching him, “Even without that, rumors are already circulating on social media about the monster flower’s appearance.”

“What kind?”

“There are talks that consuming Seeds allows one to use returnee-like powers, and also stories that if consumed incorrectly, one could turn into something like the monster flower.”

“…” Whoever spread these rumors, they had a surprisingly sharp edge. This was because the actual use of Dark Seeds was precisely that. However, even Seo-yoon and his guild members, who had access to more information than other returnees due to being close to Jun-sang, didn’t know the difference between Dark Seeds and regular Seeds. Was this simply a coincidence?

Seo-yoon, seeing Jun-sang’s expression darken, carefully continued, “I suspect intelligence agencies might have intentionally spread these rumors to prevent returnees from leaving, but in any case, with such rumors rampant, the public’s perception of returnees isn’t great.”

“So, speculation that the monster flower is actually a rampaging returnee, something like that?”

“Exactly.”

It wasn’t just a simple supernatural phenomenon; tens of thousands of people disappearing in a flash of light at the same time naturally led to a wealth of conspiracy theories. Jun-sang quietly nodded. “So, you want to expose everything openly, is that it?”

Seo-yoon gave a wry smile. “That’s about it. Of course, even if we release this information, I don’t think suspicions will easily subside.”

“True.” Jun-sang leaned back on the sofa and said, “Are you trying to use my name?”

Seo-yoon quickly waved his hands. “No, of course not!”

“Then why are you asking me all this?”

At Jun-sang’s calm words, Seo-yoon scratched the back of his head and replied, “No matter what anyone says… you’re currently the representative returnee of our country.”

However, Jun-sang shook his head at Seo-yoon’s words. “Unless it’s merely symbolic, I’m not someone who can bear that kind of responsibility.”

“But…” Seo-yoon tried to argue, but Jun-sang raised a hand to stop him.

“Enough. If it’s necessary, you should decide and act on it yourself. That’s all I can tell you.”

“…”

“For the reason behind Seed purchases, just say it’s for research purposes. Many people will probably be doing that anyway.”

At Jun-sang’s firm words, Seo-yoon sighed deeply and nodded. “I understand what you mean. Then I’ll handle it myself.”

After checking the option information, Jun-sang visited a car dealership to look at the actual vehicles. As he entered the showroom, dressed casually in a shirt and jacket with Henes by his side, a bored-looking employee who had been yawning quickly straightened up and greeted them politely.

“Welcome. Thank you for visiting our dealership.”

“…” He wasn’t dressed conspicuously, yet the employee’s overly friendly reception was noticeable. But Seo-yoon, who followed behind, looked unsurprised by this behavior and made various requests, then said to Jun-sang, “Originally, expensive import car dealerships tend to pay more attention to visitors dressed in everyday clothes.”

“Why?”

“People who are neatly dressed often come to buy a car with money they’ve diligently saved, coin by coin. But coming in casually, like you or me, can be interpreted as not feeling much tension about entering such a place.”

“Meaning there’s a high possibility they’re a nouveau riche or from a wealthy family?”

Seo-yoon gave a wry smile at Jun-sang’s blunt words. “Well… frankly speaking, that’s about it.”

“Hmm…” In fact, if you thought about it, Jun-sang was indeed nouveau riche. Until recently, his entire assets amounted to little more than a small studio apartment.

Anyway, Jun-sang followed Seo-yoon around a few showrooms and eventually settled on a Ford F-150 Raptor. He wondered if he had chosen too flashy a car, but given that word of his existence had subtly spread after he dismantled the Alliance, and it was difficult for mediocre entities to track him, he decided to simply choose the car he liked. Normally, imported vehicles like the Raptor would take about 6 to 7 weeks to be delivered after a contract was signed, due to the shipping time from the US, but fortunately, there was some previously imported stock remaining, which allowed them to shorten this waiting period.

“I’ll take care of the rest.”

“Sorry to bother you.”

“Not at all.” Jun-sang left the remaining matters to Seo-yoon and exited the dealership with Henes. Henes, who had looked a bit bored, stretched widely once they were outside the showroom.

“Ugh…”

“Were you bored?”

“A little.”

Jun-sang smiled back at Henes, who was smiling with her tongue slightly sticking out.

“It’s a bit late, but let’s go get some lunch.”

Then Henes frowned. “I’m going to get fat at this rate.”

“Why?”

“Because I keep eating such delicious things every day, I feel like I’m losing my self-control over my appetite.”

Jun-sang chuckled and asked, “Then shall we starve?”

Henes quickly shook her head as if it were an absurd idea and replied, “We can’t do that. Let’s go quickly. I’m hungry!”

“Hehe…” The two slowly toured the city, enjoying their time, and only returned to the hotel when it grew dark. As they entered the hotel, an employee immediately spoke as if they had been waiting.

“Mr. Im Seo-yoon and his party are waiting in the swimming pool on the 5th floor.”

“…” Jun-sang nodded silently and headed to the 5th floor with Henes. When they exited the elevator on the 5th floor, an employee who had been waiting led them to the swimming pool. Inside, an indoor swimming pool decorated with white marble appeared.

“Ah, you’re here.” As Jun-sang and Henes entered, Yoon Seong-ryeol, who had been resting in a chair, quickly stood up and greeted them. Henes, startled by the sudden sight of the large Yoon Seong-ryeol in only a swimsuit, hid behind Jun-sang.

Jun-sang gently held Henes’s hand and asked Yoon Seong-ryeol, “What are you doing?”

Seeing Henes’s reaction, Yoon Seong-ryeol quickly put on a gown to cover his body and replied, “Well… Seo-yoon said there’s nothing better than swimming for high-intensity full-body exercise…”

“…” Indeed, swimming is an extremely physically demanding exercise compared to typical land-based activities. For example, even if one only swims without doing any strength training, their skeletal muscle mass can increase significantly, making it incredibly efficient. Furthermore, if one considers survival, learning to swim itself is a great help. Of course, renting out a hotel swimming pool like this for training is an idea only possible for a bourgeois like Seo-yoon.

Jun-sang turned his head and looked around the indoor swimming pool. Im Seo-yoon, Jin Se-ah, Jung Da-bin, and Seo Yoo-mi were diligently swimming, with faint heat hazes rising from their bodies. Compared to Jun-sang, it was like a child’s first steps, but they too were experiencing the effects of regeneration.

“Please, have a seat.” At Yoon Seong-ryeol’s words, Jun-sang and Henes took seats under a parasol. Henes lightly sat on the towel Yoon Seong-ryeol had laid out and cautiously asked Jun-sang, “Jun-sang.”

“Hmm?”

“What kind of place is this?”

“A swimming pool. Haven’t you ever swum?”

“No…” Indeed, there would be no such swimming pool where she lived; at best, she would have played in rivers or lakes. For ordinary people, perhaps, but for a young lady from a good family like Henes, it was unimaginable for her to expose herself in front of others and enjoy playing in the water, so it was rather natural that she had never swum.

At that moment, Jin Se-ah, who had been swimming diligently with a swimming cap and goggles on, came out of the water, flopped onto the pool deck, and exclaimed, “Ugh… I really can’t do any more, even if you kill me!” Henes flinched again at the sight of her swimsuit and then covered her face with both hands. The swimsuit Jin Se-ah was wearing was a simple dark blue one-piece, neither a bikini nor high-cut, but even with her bare thighs and shoulders, Henes couldn’t bring herself to look directly at her.

“Then I’ll go next…”

“Okay.” Yoon Seong-ryeol, seeing Jin Se-ah lying on the floor with a faint heat haze rising from her body, took off the gown he was wearing, covered her with a new one placed nearby, then threw himself into the empty lane and performed a powerful butterfly stroke.

Jin Se-ah gasped, took off her goggles, and sat up, then chuckled at the sight of Yoon Seong-ryeol. “Henes is here, so he’s excited. Seriously, those who’ve never dated are hopeless. Phew…” She took a deep breath, stood up, came over to sit next to Henes, and placed her swimming cap on the table, saying, “Henes, you should try it too.”

“N-no, I’m fine.” Jin Se-ah chuckled at Henes’s terrified waving hands and leaned back against the chair.

“Ugh… I’m dying.” And as she groaned, Henes cautiously asked, “Is it really hard?”

“Yes, to the point where I have no energy left in my entire body.”

“I see…”

“But well… if I think of it as a diet, that’s all there is to it…”

Henes tilted her head at Jin Se-ah’s words. “What’s a diet?”

“Hmm… simply put, losing weight?”

“Losing weight?”

Suddenly, Henes’s eyes sparkled. She had joked about it earlier, but in truth, she was slightly troubled because Jun-sang kept buying her delicious food. It felt wrong to refuse when he was so thoughtfully buying her good things, but she was also scared of gaining weight if she just ate indiscriminately. So, hearing that swimming was excellent for losing weight naturally piqued her interest. In fact, even without swimming, she could have just focused on training with Jun-sang as before, but Henes hadn’t thought that far.

“Will I really… lose weight?”

“Of course.” Jin Se-ah smirked at the innocent girl’s reaction and said, “Want to try?”

“B-but…”

“Actually, I already prepared a swimsuit for you, Henes.”

“What?”

Only then did Henes realize, but Jin Se-ah was already smiling and holding her wrist.

“J-Jun-sang…” Henes asked Jun-sang for help, but Jun-sang instead nodded and replied, “There’s no harm in learning. Give it a try.”

With Jun-sang’s permission, Jin Se-ah smiled and pulled Henes’s wrist. “Alright, shall we go, Princess?”

“I… I’d rather just…”

“It’s too late for that now.”

“…”

In the end, Henes was led by Jin Se-ah and dragged directly to the changing room. She had just said she had no energy left. Only then did Henes suspect that Jin Se-ah might have come out of the water targeting her from the beginning, but that realization was already long overdue.