Though I gave all the money I earned at the casino to John, fortunately, thanks to turning Diana, I had enough money to return to Korea.
Edward's expression became strange when he saw me putting my hand into the black hole summoned by Han Seo-hyeon and taking out money.
"What's that magic hole?"
"Don't call it a magic hole, it feels weird..."
"What is it? You put your hand in the hole and money just comes out?"
"It's stuff I put in there before."
I hope he doesn't misunderstand that I have some kind of magic club that can produce gold. I should take it out secretly next time, as it could give Edward the wrong impression.
—I think secretly taking things out of a hole would look more suspicious. Can't you just deposit money in a bank normally?
'Well, piling up cash like this and circulating it each time feels much more villainous, you know?'
—Geez, you care about the strangest things.
Han Seo-hyeon shooed away Edward, who was loitering near the hole, with a half-hearted gesture as if chasing away a beggar who came begging.
"It's not your money, ahjussi, so go away."
"Ahjussi..."
Ironically, it was me who was hit by those words, but still.
—Hmm, in terms of mental age, you seem far from being an uncle, so don't worry.
'Not physical age but mental age?'
In terms of mental age, aren't I the most ahjussi-like here? I tilted my head, but since Ray didn't continue speaking, the conversation ended there.
Anyway, with that money, I safely bought tickets to go to Korea.
There were five people in total, but I only bought four tickets. Well, I had no choice since I only had 4 prepared identities. The inspection for leaving the country was more thorough than expected, so it was almost impossible to pass without a pre-prepared ID. Well, I could get a new identity since I have a lot of money, but when would I find a trustworthy ID forger and place an order?
'It's definitely not because I'm stingy with money. You know? Time is money.'
—Technically, isn't gold money too?
'Huh?'
—Just be honest.
'I thought it would be a waste to spend money when legal free-riding was possible!'
—That's the spirit! Always be upright! This is better than making unnecessary excuses in a petty way!
I just clenched my fist at Ray's words telling me not to make unnecessary excuses from now on. Damn it! I'll get revenge for this humiliation someday.
Just then, I felt a terrible pain in my calf.
"Ugh!"
I bit my lip at Kim Jae-ho's hand clawing at my leg.
'Just bear with it a little longer!'
I promised to buy lots of delicious things when we got off! Can't you endure that short moment!
Kim Jae-ho's anger at missing the in-flight meal was tremendous.
* * *
After arriving in Korea through various difficulties, we headed to our lodg... no, we rushed to a soup restaurant as soon as we finished the entry procedures.
We had to put something in the angry Kim Jae-ho's mouth first. The reason our first meal after returning home ended up being soup was because of our team's great magician whose taste was too mature for his age.
"I feel alive now."
I inwardly shook my head at the sight of Han Seo-hyeon lifting the earthenware bowl and downing the soup in one shot.
'He really has some ahjussi-like sides that don't suit him.'
Edward, who was worried the soup might not suit his taste, was eating it better than expected. Though it was a bit unpleasant to see him sticking out his tongue after burning it on his first hasty spoonful, it was somewhat admirable that he was still emptying the bowl despite that.
'Well, people who eat well are good, right?'
Nibbling feels like, how should I say, it lacks appeal? Like just watching makes you feel like your fortune is decreasing.
"Uhuhuung?"
"Swallow what's in your mouth before speaking."
Though I don't like the type that shows all the contents in their mouth like that either. Kim Jae-ho, who swallowed his food at my words, said:
"What are we having for dessert?"
"You even know the word dessert?"
"...Are you looking down on Jae-ho hyung?"
At Han Seo-hyeon's sharp words, I hurriedly shook my head.
"No, no! That's not it..."
"I want a White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino."
It was the first time in my life I heard Kim Jae-ho say such a complex word. I covered my mouth.
To think our Jae-ho memorized a word with so many syllables.
"Let's go to a cafe. Of course I can buy it, how could I not buy that one thing our Jae-ho wants to eat?"
* * *
After finishing a splendid second round of eating at the cafe, we finally headed to our lodging. I felt excited at the thought of going home after a long time.
'Though I did bring an unexpected piece of luggage.'
But there's a spare room left, so no need to worry. Hmm, I should decorate Cha Song-jin's room a bit more properly too, should we go to IKEA after a long time?
—It's good that you've finally abandoned that damned creative urge.
'...I don't think it was that bad.'
—It was bad! It was.
Tsk. If only I had a bit more dexterity. The result was quite terrible, but it was quite fun while making it. Well, anyway, since everyone is dissuading me like this, maybe it's better to find a new hobby.
While I was exchanging words with Ray, Han Seo-hyeon's bird arrived at its destination before I knew it. When the bird stopped at what looked like the middle of a mountain with nothing around, Edward blinked in confusion.
"Is this the right place? It looks like there's nothing here."
"Haha, you'll be surprised when you see our base."
I smiled. I didn't forget to register Edward as a guest. It's enough that Cha Song-jin was surprised and fell over seeing the illusion. I took Edward's hand and moved forward. Edward's eyes shook as he saw my body smoothly entering the cliff.
"Ta-da, welcome to our base."
Edward, who saw our base, opened his mouth wide and muttered:
"So people live in places like this too..."
At those words, Cha Song-jin burst into laughter.
"What do you mean by that! This place is so cool. Every single brick you see there has Seo-hyeon's and my sincerity in it."
"You made all the bricks here yourself?"
"That's right!"
"...Why on earth would you do such a thing?"
I lost the will to argue with Edward's words. Instead, I shouted:
"It may look like this from the outside, but the inside is different! It's amazing!"
—The interior isn't something to brag about that much.
I deliberately ignored Ray's quibble. It's true that the inside is definitely more worth seeing than the outside.
I opened the door while performing magic BGM with my mouth.
"Ta-ra-ra-ra~ Ta-ra-ra-ra~"
Edward's eyes, which were full of expectation, became cloudy.
"...I don't see anything."
I hurriedly turned on the lights. But even after turning on the lights, Edward's reaction was still lukewarm.
"Isn't the wall too gloomy?"
"Gloomy! Should a villain's base be in full color?"
"Is there a reason to make it all black like this?"
"Eek!"
This, this! Bad guy with no aesthetic sense at all!
—Well, if you think about the textbook he made, between the two of you, who lacks aesthetic sense... I'll stop here.
I got sulky at Ray's words. It's not about aesthetic sense. A villain's base should have an aura that looks impressive just by looking at it. Although I know it became a lost cause from the moment I brought in IKEA furniture, I still can't give up on the black wallpaper.
Han Seo-hyeon, holding a translator in his hand behind me, stuttered:
"Our boss painted that wall."
At those words, Edward's shoulders twitched. I sighed and added:
"I carefully applied putty and everything..."
"Oh, now that I look again, it seems kind of cool."
It's not comforting at all when you say that with a face that clearly shows it's not cool. I quickly grabbed Edward's nape as he tried to stride inside.
"You have to take off your shoes before entering."
Where are you trying to go in like that?
Only after putting on cute animal indoor slippers could Edward step inside.
—For someone who was going on about the aura of a villain's base, what are those?
'...Jae-ho said he wanted lions.'
And I absolutely couldn't bend Kim Jae-ho's stubbornness.
Yes, our base's identity had long since crumbled. From the moment we brought in IKEA furniture...
—No, that was the best choice among the ones you made.
I should have brought in handmade furniture carefully crafted by artisans. Yes, now that we've lost to mass-produced goods-
"Maybe the black wallpaper is a bit much after all..."
Han Seo-hyeon gritted his teeth looking at me becoming depressed at Edward's comment.
"No! I like that black. It's gloomy and dark. Anyone would see it and think, huh? It's just like a villain's base."
"That's right! I, I also thought it wasn't great at first, but, um, the more I look at it, the more attached I get to it! And, and somehow I feel like I can concentrate better."
My mouth corners slowly turned up at Han Seo-hyeon and Cha Song-jin's words.
"Really? That's right, right? See, it's not that bad after all. Then, do you know how much I deliberated in choosing this color? I agonized so much between charcoal, black, and real black."
Cha Song-jin poked Edward's side. Edward, who had been looking around the living room for a while, continued with a sheepish face:
"Haha! W-well, now that I look again, it does seem impressive. No, but what's with this crappy painting? If you just repaint this part, the living room would look much neater and better!"
"Uh..."
That painting...
"Ahaha, I also thought that painting didn't match our living room decor. But you know, it's a painting the kids I used to look after drew before they left, so I just couldn't erase it."
At those words, Cha Song-jin and Edward's faces turned pale. I didn't mean for them to feel guilty. Edward, whose pupils were shaking finely, hurriedly turned his gaze elsewhere.
"Did I say painting? No, I meant to say chair! Yeah, I wanted to say that if we just throw out this crappy chair, it would be perfect. Um, I'm, not very good at English, you see."
At those words, it was Han Seo-hyeon's face that turned pale, not mine. Han Seo-hyeon flew in like the wind and covered Edward's mouth.
"Chair, no! Sh-shut up!"
At that reaction, I realized for certain.
My chair really is tacky.
"I, I need to rest a bit."
Feeling suddenly dizzy, I hastily decided to take a break.
It hurt. On the emotional side. I entered my room and crouched down, muttering:
'I should throw out that chair tomorrow.'
—No, you don't need to throw it out...
'He said it's crappy!'
—No, it might not be that crappy. It's just, while it's completely useless as a chair, a villain's base might need one haunted chair like that...
'Are you defending or beating with a shield?'
I buried my face in my knees while returning the words I heard a few days ago in a similar way.
Sob sob, I'm definitely throwing out a chair like that!
* * *
After Kang Yi-sin staggered into his room, Cha Song-jin slapped his forehead.
"Was that chair made by the boss?"
"Yeah! Our boss worked so hard to make that with his non-existent skills! What are we going to do about this atmosphere!"
Cha Song-jin gritted his teeth looking at the confused Eddie.
To think he'd crush Kang Yi-sin's mental with three consecutive home runs. Should this be considered amazing too?
Han Seo-hyeon, who was panting while pounding on the translator, shouted at Eddie with an angry expression:
"Why are you crushing our boss's spirit!"
Cha Song-jin looked at Eddie and said:
"Let's fix this situation."
Eddie shouted with a flustered expression:
"How?"