noveldrama
Chapter 204
Chapter 204
Yujin stopped thinking.
Or rather, it wasn’t that he chose to stop thinking.
The scene in front of him was simply too much for his brain to process.
“……”
‘What… am I looking at?’
In what felt like a frozen moment in time,
Yujin tried to comprehend the sight before him.
Seol Hayeon, the director of the Awakener Association,
on the brink of her sixtieth birthday.
Wearing… a cropped top that barely covered her chest.
A skirt so short it shouldn’t even count as clothing.
An outfit that, by any generous estimate,
was at least three decades past its prime.
“……”
‘What is this? What am I even seeing?’
His brain outright refused to process the information.
Even for someone like Yujin,
the world’s top-ranked mental Awakener,
this was enough to make him want to just stop functioning entirely.
“Good morning, Brother Yujin?”
“Ack!”
The sudden use of “Brother” snapped Yujin’s mind back into reality.
Letting out a strangled breath,
he fixed his gaze on Seol Hayeon,
trying to make sense of this nonsense.
‘Seriously? A woman nearing her sixtieth birthday calling me “Brother”? We’re three times apart in age!’
Seol Hayeon’s face flushed deep red.
Even she found her outfit and words too embarrassing.
She wanted to bolt from the room.
But she stayed.
She had her reasons.
[“Let’s give him something truly valuable.”]
[“Sure, I don’t know what ‘falling to the level of an insect’ means exactly, but it’s not like it means literal bugs, right?”]
Her plan had been set.
The desperate possibility Paimon had proposed—the only way to survive an EX-rank gate—
required Yujin to give up everything.
At first, Seol Hayeon thought this meant Yujin would have to sacrifice his life.
But…
[“Well, no, not exactly,” Paimon clarified.]
[“Then what’s the big deal? If he’s not dying or turning into an actual bug, I don’t see the problem.”]
That was all Seol Hayeon needed to hear.
Her motto had always been: “Better to crawl through mud alive than die clean.”
A survivalist mindset ingrained through years of witnessing comrades die like monsters.
So, to her, what Yujin was about to endure was nothing.
‘Sure, he might lose his powers as an Awakener or his reputation, but….’
[“If it comes to that, I’ll just take him under my wing,” she thought.]
Seol Hayeon decided:
No matter what Yujin sacrificed,
she would look after him.
Even if he became an ordinary, powerless civilian.
[“And honestly… he’d probably just need a woman to keep him company,” she mused.]
[“Wait, a woman?” Paimon asked, confused.]
‘Alice, Shia, Aika. I’ll let him live with his little harem.’
Seol Hayeon had even planned to support Yujin’s harem.
It was an idea only someone who had long understood what he wanted most could come up with.
But Paimon shook her head.
[“That won’t be enough. The man’s soul is too pure. He won’t give it all up just for that.”]
Seol Hayeon smiled.
[“If not pleasure, then what about responsibility?”]
Paimon looked surprised.
[“I didn’t take this job as director for the fame or fortune,” Seol Hayeon explained.
“I’ve stayed all these years because I knew no one else could do it. Out of duty.”
[“What’s your point?”]
[“If he’s saddled with a responsibility he can’t walk away from, he’ll never abandon it. Like making him the head of the Korean Awakener Association.”]
Only Seol Hayeon, who had dedicated her life to duty, could come up with such an idea.
Even Paimon seemed to consider it plausible.
[“It might work, considering his pure soul.”]
[“Exactly. Yujin is the type to gripe and complain, but once you give him a task, he’ll see it through.”]
Still, there was one glaring problem:
How would she convince Yujin to take the position?
[“I’ll just pretend I have dementia,” she declared.]
[“...What?”]
[“If I collapse, what’s he going to do? Let the Association crumble and endanger Korea’s safety? He’d have to step up.”]
It was a bold plan.
‘I couldn’t bring myself to actually smear poop on the walls, so this outfit will have to do….’
‘God, I wish I really had dementia right now. This is humiliating!’
For the sake of her plan, she had to endure.
And her efforts… weren’t in vain.
“Paimon, bow your head.”
“What!? Why me—”
“Do it!”
-Thud.-
“Agh! My horn! My beautiful, majestic horn!”
“What did you do to the director!?”
“Nothing! I swear! Please stop!”
Yujin immediately turned his suspicion on Paimon, assuming she’d done something.
Seol Hayeon’s act had worked.
Yujin didn’t suspect her behavior was a ruse.
‘It must be dementia… I did overwork her….’
Seol Hayeon’s plan was going perfectly—until…
“Come here. I’ll heal you.”
She froze.
Yujin reached out with the purest, most saintly smile,
ready to cure her “dementia” with his powers.
[“Hypno-chan panics: ‘The seal is breaking! Don’t think about it!’”]
Even with her careful planning, she hadn’t anticipated this.
Yujin’s expression was one of genuine pity,
and it made Seol Hayeon’s stomach turn.
“I guess I’ll have to fix this….”
Desperate, Seol Hayeon doubled down on her act.
“Brother Yujin~! Do you want to play with me~?”
Yujin’s pity only deepened.
Meanwhile, Alice stared at the scene in horror.
“Yujin… is this your type?”
“What? No! That’s not what this is!”
Aika, too, was caught off guard.
“Do you see me that way!? Some helpless woman in need of pity!?”
“No! Master, you’re beautiful—this is nothing like that!”
In the background, Paimon screamed:
“My horn! My glorious horn!”
It was chaos.
But, for all the pain and embarrassment,
it was not meaningless.
[‘???’ smiles kindly, commending the wisdom of the elder.]
[Hypno-chan salutes Seol Hayeon for her noble sacrifice.]
In the end, Seol Hayeon’s plan,
though humiliating,
was a necessary sacrifice.
***
The attempt to treat the director’s dementia ended in failure.
Even with her weakened state, she was still an S-rank Awakener.
Even with Yujin’s best efforts, healing her mind was like hitting a wall.
No, it wasn’t just difficult—it was exhausting.
It felt as though she was actively resisting with everything she had.
With a deep sigh, Yujin expressed his frustration.
“Hah… If I hadn’t wasted so much mana in yesterday’s duel, maybe I could’ve managed.”
“Don’t be too hard on yourself, Yujin. Sometimes, healing just isn’t possible,” Alice consoled.
“Indeed, my student. Even you can’t save everyone,” Aika added gently.
The two wives, who initially found Yujin’s behavior odd,
had quickly changed their tune once they learned about the director’s supposed dementia.
Their reactions were akin to someone seeing a beloved grandmother suffer from the affliction.
Their concern warmed Yujin’s heart.
“Yes, thank you…”
-Click.
“Dad! We’re done changing her!”
“Grandma’s all clean and comfy now! Super fresh!”
“Oh, good job, Winter and Haru. Thanks for helping out.”
The door to the director’s office opened as the two jell-o-shaped sisters completed their task.
With their announcement, Yujin and his wives stepped back into the room to check on the director’s condition.
“So, how’s she doing, Hayeon? Feeling okay?”
-Tremble.
“H-Hayeon is super fresh and clean now….”
“That’s great to hear.”
Thankfully, everything seemed fine.
Despite initially hating the idea of wearing diapers—
so much so that she’d glared daggers at the girls when they were bought—
she now appeared resigned to her fate, lying there with a forced, cheery smile.
At least, no immediate issues seemed to be present.
-Murmur.
“Wow… Infantilism at sixty… Even I’ve never seen this in my research.”
“I’m definitely not going to age like that. Nope. Never.”
“……”
Though the director’s image was utterly ruined in the eyes of his wives,
Yujin could only accept it as an unavoidable sacrifice.
Turning his gaze away, he looked toward the two sisters.
“Alright, Haru, Winter. Here’s the thing: Grandma isn’t feeling well right now.
She’s convinced she’s a child, okay?”
“Why are you sugarcoating it? Just say she has dementia.”
“Uh, what’s dementia mean, Sis?”
“Ahem. Anyway, listen up: I need you two to look after Grandma for the day.”
Yujin carefully explained the mission to his daughters.
Mission: Take care of the director with dementia.
Objective: Monitor her behavior and prevent her from leaving the office.
Special Instructions: Do not, under any circumstances, let her leave the room.
“She might look frail, but her physical abilities are still S-rank level. If she gets out of control, I need you two to work together to stop her.”
“Hah… Haru, sure, but I’m wearing a seal, remember?”
“I’ll lift it for you. Consider it an official order from the acting director.”
Yujin even took possession of the director’s association card.
If he had to fill in for her until she was “treated,”
he might as well use the authority she’d entrusted him.
-Click.
“Alright, then. I’m counting on you both. Daddy believes in you~.”
“Got it! I’ll keep Grandma’s diapers fresh and clean!”
“Just leave it to me. She won’t get past me.”
The two girls beamed at their father.
Given how they always treated the director like a beloved grandmother,
they didn’t seem to mind the task too much.
“Hear that, Hayeon~? Your big sisters are going to play with you today, so be a good girl, okay?”
“U-uhh… okay….”
The director’s face looked like she’d lost all hope in the world.
Perhaps she could feel it deep in her bones—the utter humiliation of her situation.
Sparing her further indignity, Yujin quickly turned to leave.
Staying here any longer would only make things worse for her.
“Alright, let’s go, Alice, Master.”
“Yes… Hang in there, Yujin.”
“Indeed. She’ll get better soon.”
“I really hope so… Truly.”
She better recover quickly.
The last thing Yujin wanted was to end up permanently stuck as the director.
***
Thus, the second day of the Academy Festival began.
The eyes of the world were fixed on Seoul,
while the leader of the world's most powerful nation had nuclear weapons aimed at it...
[“Master of the Cheonhwa Clan, Yoo Jeong-cheol, it’s an honor to meet you. What brings you to reach out to me personally?”]
“Hey. Use your ability. Right now.”
“S-Sia!? What’s with this rudeness—”
[“Hmm. I’ll prepare immediately.”]
“……!!?”
“How much money?”
[“The cost is settled. We’ve already received the deposit.”]
Yujin’s good deeds from the past.
The day they would return to him had come.