As soon as he saw me standing in front of the door, Professor Geum trembled.
“Why have you come here again!”
“How can you embarrass a guest like this?”
“Some guests are better than others!”
Though trembling, Professor Geum obediently opened the door. When I sat on the sofa, he even brought out water.
“Last time you gave me expensive tea, but now that I’ve come alone, you won’t even give me tea?”
“Even water is wasted on you!”
At those words, I looked at the water glass with a gloomy expression.
“Oh, I’m joking. Should I bring you tea?”
It was funny to see him flustered when I pretended to be hurt. When I stayed silent, Professor Geum quickly brought out tea and cake.
“French Earl Grey and strawberry cream cake.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Seeing that he even brought out cake, he must really feel sorry. This is what happens when you try to act coldly despite having a soft heart from the start.
By the way, why does a man in his 30s have this kind of cake? The unnecessarily pretty teacup makes it feel even stranger.
Professor Geum took a big bite of cake with a fork and made an expression of utter happiness.
“Mmm, the cake from this place is really delicious. No matter how many times I eat it, I don’t get tired of…”
Professor Geum, who was talking like that, suddenly came to his senses.
“Wait, why did you come today anyway?”
“I have a lot to talk about this and that.”
“You and me?”
Professor Geum exaggeratedly pointed at me and himself one by one while twitching his eyebrows.
“Yes.”
“W-what is there to talk about? It’s not like there’s anything between us…”
While saying that, I desperately held back the urge to shout internally like the female protagonist of a shoujo manga: Don’t make our fingers touch! It feels weird!
I shouldn’t get caught up with this person.
“You saw the news article about this incident, right?”
“W-what article.”
The whole world is in an uproar over what I did, and he’s been oblivious until now? I wonder if he knows or doesn’t know that his hands are trembling right now.
Professor Geum was truly the worst liar.
I asked:
“How was it?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“You saw it.”
At my words, Professor Geum put down the teacup he was drinking from. His eyeballs hidden behind round glasses flashed. Professor Geum, who sighed deeply, threw away his playful attitude and said:
“Executing a sitting member of the National Assembly like that. It was truly insane.”
“You know that guy, right? That he was such a bad person that he deserved to die.”
“If we kill members of the National Assembly just because they’re bad people, the species called National Assembly members in Korea would go extinct.”
As he said, most of the current Korean National Assembly members are thieves. Certainly, if we killed all the bad guys, the country would collapse.
“Still, it felt somewhat satisfying.”
I thought it was a production that would appeal to a chuunibyou otaku like him.
Though Professor Geum’s appearance of scratching his cheeks that were flushed unpleasantly red was uncomfortable to look at, it’s not a bad reaction for me.
I said to Professor Geum:
“That satisfying thing, I’m thinking of doing it a few more times in the future, want to do it together?”
“What?”
Originally, I was planning to abandon, no, entrust Lee Hye-won and Nam Ju-hyeon to this Professor Geum like last time. And I was thinking of just pretending not to know.
—You’re getting used to abandonment.
‘It’s not abandonment. It’s fostering.’
Still, we can’t bring outsiders into our Weltschmerz base that claims to be villains. What if they leak our base location to others later?
The only perfect way to keep a secret in this world is to silence them by killing them.
It’s too wasteful to send them off like that when we’ve just barely made them our allies.
—Every time you say such things nonchalantly, it gives me goosebumps.
‘That’s why I’m making this effort to not see that sight.’
So bringing someone into the Weltschmerz base is not allowed.
But the problem is that there are too many enemies to just take them anywhere.
Professor Geum was the perfect foster care provider. I’ll say it again. It’s not abandonment. It’s foster care.
Do you think it’s common to find someone who not only has wealth but also has connections to the underworld and can receive physical help in emergencies?
Moreover, Professor Geum has a soft heart despite his appearance.
Despite claiming to be a mad scientist, he’s probably never directly killed a person.
—That side isn’t normal either. Though he might not have killed directly, it seems he’s disposed of people many times through his friends.
‘Well, what’s wrong with having good friends? Without even that much backbone, you’d just be pushed around everywhere.’
After organizing my thoughts, I said to Professor Geum:
“No matter how I think about it, it’s too wasteful to cut ties like this. It’s really hard to find someone like you, Professor Geum, who not only has ability but also matches my taste perfectly.”
It’s just too wasteful to think of Professor Geum as merely a foster care home to throw people at in emergencies.
I glanced at Professor Geum and continued speaking.
“Working with me will be full of interesting things. You saw this incident, right? To be honest, this incident wasn’t that fun. Why? Because there was no one to work with me in a more fun way.”
Professor Geum is a typical hedonist. He always wants exciting things to happen around him. But unfortunately, hardly any interesting things happen where he works.
Well, the Black Shadow, operated by Baek Do-san, has already entered a completely stable phase, so no special incidents occur. Even if an accident happens, Baek Do-san will take care of it.
Moreover, since Baek Do-san is an efficient person, he probably won’t entertain Professor Geum’s pranks.
But I’m different. It’s not for nothing that Professor Geum shows unconditional favor towards me.
Though Baek Do-san intervened in the middle and sent a warning, I think there’s still room to persuade him to my side.
If he really intended to cut ties with me, he would have kicked Lee Hye-won out without hesitation.
—You tested the waters with Lee Hye-won?
‘Well, to some extent.’
The reason he accepted Lee Hye-won despite hating to let someone into his house is because of me.
Professor Geum doesn’t dislike me. Rather, I think he likes me.
To the extent of subtly ignoring even his friend’s advice.
So don’t you think there’s a chance?
“Isn’t your current life extremely boring and tedious?”
At my words, Professor Geum’s shoulders trembled.
At that reaction, I slightly narrowed my eyes and smiled.
Seducing Professor Geum is a very simple task. Why?
Because this person is crazy about finding something interesting in a boring life.
“If you join us, there will be lots of fun things, I tell you?”
“For example?”
“This incident, what would have happened if you were with us, Professor Geum?”
“Oh, oh.”
At those words, Professor Geum opened his eyes wide.
“If it were me, I would have done it more spectacularly. Make the message more clearly imprinted. I would have even installed fireworks that explode after some time around. Like, ta-da! Behold the end of this bad guy!”
…This person really has bad taste.
—You’re the one who left that corny sentence ‘Weltschmerz Maker’.
‘He’s talking about fireworks!’
My side is much more moderate, right? Well, still, I respect Professor Geum’s taste. If I could somehow draw him to our side, I could respect any grotesque taste a million times.
“Honestly, I was disappointed that you didn’t accept the request last time. I thought it would look cool if we put masks made by you on all our kids.”
—Are you serious? Are you guys Power Rangers or something?
‘…I have to say things like this to seduce that otaku.’
“A-all of them wearing masks I made?”
As expected, Professor Geum took the bait immediately.
“Yes, you know. That the best villains need the best equipment. I’ve been using the mask you gave me well. Now everyone trembles just seeing the mask.”
At those words, Professor Geum covered his mouth. Judging by his ears turning red, that reaction is ‘genuine’.
“The mask I made becoming a symbol of fear, you mean.”
“Yes, of course. It will become such a symbol that criminals tremble just seeing it.”
Though Professor Geum wasn’t particularly a righteous person, he wouldn’t be able to resist his creation becoming such a symbol.
“Damn, I really tried not to get involved with you guys anymore.”
He’s completely fallen for it.
“But still, damn. I can’t resist this. I thought no one would fulfill my dream.”
After muttering like that for a while, Professor Geum said with an excited face:
“Colors?”
“Colors?”
“Yes, red would be yours, right? Since there are only three so far, should we do green and blue for the rest?”
“…We’re villains, so I was thinking of going with black.”
Who are you trying to make into a childish tokusatsu show!
—You’re the one with a serious black obsession!
As usual, I dismissed Ray’s grumbling.
“More than that, there’s something I want to ask you.”
Finally, the runaway engineer has returned.
There were lots of things we needed.
* * *
“What’s the matter?”
[Well, you see. I’m thinking of helping those guys a bit.]
Baek Do-san twitched his eyebrows at the voice coming through the phone. Because he had no idea who ‘those guys’ Professor Geum was talking about were.
“Who?”
He wondered what this was suddenly about, but with the following words, Baek Do-san finally understood what Professor Geum meant.
“Weltschmerz, you’re thinking of getting on the same boat as those guys?”
[Not quite the same boat! It’s just that what they’re doing looks fun.]
He knew he was someone who hated boredom and chased after fun, but he didn’t expect him to meet with those guys again despite his warning. No, it must be that guy who seduced Professor Geum.
[Your words make sense, but still, watching those guys is just too fun. I can’t bear not joining in.]
Even as Baek Do-san’s thoughts continued, Professor Geum’s words went on at length. Seeing him babbling while all excited, it was already too late to stop him.
He might feel a bit hurt.
But didn’t he know this is what he’s like?
Baek Do-san sighed internally. He knew Professor Geum wouldn’t budge on matters like this even though he seemed to follow his words well.
He had strange tastes since childhood.
Recalling the grotesque tastes he could never understand even as long-time friends, Baek Do-san sighed internally.
Weltschmerz. Honestly, they were guys he didn’t want near his friend.
They were dangerous. Like guys who would charge into a gunpowder warehouse wrapped in burning straw.
It would be one thing if they were complete villains, but they seemed especially so as they moved awkwardly for this world.
But if it’s something that makes his friend, Professor Geum, happy.
“Whatever it is, just don’t get hurt. Geum Chan-myeong, if you get hurt, I’ll go tear those guys apart with my own hands no matter what you say.”
Hearing his name after a long time, Professor Geum, Geum Chan-myeong, laughed as if it felt awkward.
[What’s this, you even calling my name.]
“Promise. That you’ll be careful.”
[Don’t worry about me.]
After hanging up the phone, Baek Do-san fell into thought.
By the way, this guy and that guy.
Baek Do-san slipped his hand into his pocket and took out his smartphone.
[I’ll find that guy myself
Don’t interfere unnecessarily
Just do your own job well.]
That uncute little brother is making such big talk without even knowing who took his money.
Kang Yi-sin.
How funny it was when he found out that the guy operating under the name Weltschmerz was the one who took his half-brother’s money.
‘I was thinking of telling Chan-myeong to tell that guy to pay back the debt.’
Baek Do-san shrugged his shoulders.
He decided to stop interfering in the affairs of the two people who ignore advice.
He definitely wasn’t sulking.
Hmm, definitely not.