After Ten Millennia in Hell

Side Story Chapter 9 - Oh Kang-Hee, Cupid of Love (3)

"Muscles! Why do you not understand the greatness of muscles?!"

"I will wait as long as it takes until Layla turns my way again."

"I mean, I can't argue that a love letter is a bit old-school, but aren't you being too harsh saying only a virgin dumbass who learned about dating from a visual novel would think of it? Hm? Aren't you being too harsh to your hyung?"

The opinions of one human and two demons did not seem to intersect, as if watching a discussion about whether or not a gaming addiction should be classified as a mental disorder. Hours passed without any progress.

"Haaa... Enough of this. We'll waste the whole day at this rate." Oh Kang-Woo sighed deeply and lowered his head.

"I-I'm sorry, hyung-nim." Kim Si-Hun flinched and lowered his head as well.

"Yeah well, I'm sorry too."

'Even I must admit a love letter is a bit of a stretch. I'm not too well-versed in stuff like this.'

Kang-Woo had spent ten millennia fighting for his life; it would be weirder if he were well-versed in regular romantic relationships.

'My relationship with Darling didn't start normally either.'

Most of all, Kang-Woo had never been put in a situation as complex as what Si-Hun and Layla were going through.

"Let's see..."

Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms as Balrog and Si-Hun were in the middle of growling and glaring at each other.

'I'm the only one here who can think of a solution.'

They were a party of three idiots, but he was arguably the best of them.

'I had a goddamn threesome yesterday. I'm a fucking expert now.'

"How is the mood when you're around Layla? You guys broke up but see each other often professionally, don't you?"

Si-Hun and Grace McCubbin were executive officers of Guardians, led by Layla. Otherworldly invasions have yet to be resolved so they would have no choice but to see each other often in the workplace.

Si-Hun's expression darkened as soon as Layla was mentioned. He sighed and answered, "We don't talk about anything but business. Whenever I look at her... I can't help but feel guilty."

"In other words, you're the one avoiding her, right?"

"Yes..."

"Jeez." Kang-Woo did not even have the strength to sigh anymore. "How long has it been since you two broke up?"

"It has almost been a year."

"A year, huh?"

Kang-Woo nodded. It was quite a long time, but considering their relationship in the past, it wasn't long enough for their feelings to fade. They were not as physically intimate as Kang-Woo was with Seol-Ah, but Kang-Woo could feel their strong bond and love for each other from how they looked at each other.

'They'll need an event to trigger them getting back together.'

Kang-Woo wasn't sure how to trigger such a thing.

"Dammit, this isn't some shitty rom-com..."

'Huh? Rom-com?'

Kang-Woo's eyes widened. He shook as if he were struck by lightning.

'Yeah! There's that common trope often used when the relationship between the protagonist and the main love interest isn't going anywhere!'

"Yeah! That's it!"

Kang-Woo clenched his fists and smiled.

"Hyung-nim?"

"Did you think of a good idea, my king?"

Kang-Woo nodded at the dumbfounded Si-Hun and Balrog. He crossed his arms and said proudly, "Jealousy."

"Are you referring to Leviathan[1]?"

"Not him, dammit."

'Why are you bringing up someone who hasn't had a single line?'

"We're gonna induce jealousy in Layla," Kang-Woo continued.

"Jealousy...?" Si-Hun asked.

"Yup."

Si-Hun tilted his head in confusion. "How exactly are we going to do that?"

"It's simple." Kang-Woo snickered and continued, "We're gonna introduce a new character."

It was a common trope used in rom-coms once the story hit a wall. For example, the sudden appearance of a never-before-mentioned childhood friend, or the protagonist's first love back in middle school.

'I guess this is also old-fashioned if you think about it.'

If Layla still held feelings for Si-Hun, she would not let such a thing happen.

"Kekeke. Interesting." Balrog, who had been screaming about muscles like a gym rat, snickered as his eyes shone with great interest. "Desire tends to burn far brighter when there is a formidable rival."

Balrog nodded with his arms crossed, seemingly satisfied with Kang-Woo's idea.

"But..." Si-Hun slurred, his expression full of guilt.

He seemed against the idea of forcibly inducing jealousy in Layla to regain her heart.

"Si-Hun," Kang-Woo called.

"Yes?"

"You said a long time ago that you fell for Layla at first sight, didn't you?" Kang-Woo asked, Si-Hun nodding softly in response. "Are your feelings unchanged?"

"Of course."

"Then trust me, man."

Kang-Woo patted the dejected Si-Hun on the shoulder.

Si-Hun smiled faintly and asked, "Then... who do you have in mind as the new face?"

"That's the issue."

The woman naturally needed to be able to make Layla wary of her to induce jealousy in Layla. She would not even consider an average woman her competitor.

'Easier said than done.'

Layla was an extremely rare beauty. A woman would need to be as beautiful as Seol-Ah, Lilith, or Cha Yeon-Joo to compete with Layla. Even leaving looks aside, Layla was Gaia's incarnation and the leader of Guardians; considering her authority and background, it was safe to say no human woman could match her.

'And the biggest problem is... acting ability.'

The woman needed to be able to slowly but surely induce jealousy in Layla as she acted close to Si-Hun, but Kang-Woo did not know anyone to whom he could entrust such a task.

'And I can't expect immaculate acting from Si-Hun either.'

Balrog was unexpectedly an excellent actor because he had been under Kang-Woo for so long, but Si-Hun was below average.

"It's practically impossible."

Kang-Woo needed a woman with acting ability excellent enough to cover for Si-Hun's terrible acting, and she needed to be just as beautiful and capable as Layla.

'Lilith would be perfect.'

However, Layla already knew the relationship between Lilith and Kang-Woo; she would not even care if Lilith were to cling to Si-Hun all of a sudden.

'Then it has to be a woman Layla doesn't know.'

Even if Kang-Woo were to find and recruit such a woman, he couldn't trust them to perfectly follow his instructions.

"Mm. How about you do it, my king?" Balrog suggested.

"What?"

'The fuck are you talking about?'

"You acquired an ability called Mimicry in another world, did you not?"

"I did."

It was an ability he acquired in the satellite world Shade. Not only could he freely change his appearance to anyone he liked, but he could also change into an appearance that he imagined. It had come to good use when he transformed into Arianne to deceive Eilles.

'But would I be able to use it in my current condition?'

Kang-Woo couldn't use most of his Authorities at the moment because his body was in the middle of reconstruction.

'Come to think of it, Mimicry isn't an Authority.'

Hence, it wouldn't be a problem.

"Wait a second." Kang-Woo turned to Balrog wide-eyed after realizing something. "You fucking want me to..."

'Turn into a woman and flirt with Si-Hun?'

***

The Hall of Protection was the headquarters of Guardians, an organization that held the majority of the world's authority and could only be entered using a token provided by the organization. The Protectors of Guardians could deal with Gate breaks and otherworldly invasions with haste through the Hall of Protection, which was connected to Gates all over the world.

However, not many Protectors knew where the Hall of Protection was located. It was only natural since the Hall of Protection did not exist on Earth; it was inside a pocket of space separate from Earth, a sanctuary made using Gaia's power. Sunlight as warm as the blessing of a god shone down on the white sanctuary located between the divine world and Earth.

Knock, knock.

"Come in," said Layla, who had been taking care of paperwork related to Seoul in her office, as she raised her head.

Creak.

A young man, whose looks were so radiant that it dwarfed the light shining through the window, carefully opened the office door and entered.

"Si-Hun..."

Layla flinched after seeing the man. She stared at him in sorrow and averted her gaze from him. Her heart hurt as if it were being stabbed with a needle.

"What brings you here? I believe you have a while until your regular report," she said formally as she stared at Si-Hun coldly.

Si-Hun bit his lip as he felt her gaze. He lightly clenched his fist and said, "I found a Gate displaying abnormal phenomena in Daejeon."

"Hmm. It's the first I've heard of it."

"I happened to find it by coincidence."

"Makes sense." Layla narrowed her eyes and continued, "After all, you've been scouring the world for the precious older brother you love so~ much."

Si-Hun flinched but did not retort; he had indeed scoured Earth and Aernor for the past month to look for elixirs that improved virility.

"I'm sorry," Si-Hun remarked.

"No... I'm sorry for provoking you," Layla said as she bit her lip. "It has... nothing to do with me anymore."

"That aside, what sort of phenomena did you see?" Layla asked formally as she averted her gaze from Si-Hun.

"Do you remember Kim Tae-Hyun?"

"Oh, yes. Of course. The gentleman who acquired a relic inside a Gate, correct?"

"Yes, that's right."

"What about him?"

"I found someone who acquired a special power inside a Gate just like he did, so I brought them here to introduce to you."

"A special power?"

Layla stared at Si-Hun wide-eyed as if demanding him to explain further.

"You should hear the details from them," Si-Hun said as he turned to the door. "You can come in."

Creak.

A woman carefully opened the office door and entered.

"Ah..." Layla muttered wide-eyed as she laid eyes on the woman.

Her black hair reached slightly past her shoulders. She had golden gem-like eyes and flawless pale skin. Her nose and jawline were well-defined, and her eyes were slightly upturned.

"Gulp."

Most of all, the woman exuded an aura so elegant that Layla couldn't help but swallow her saliva. Layla could barely open her mouth from the pressure that felt as if she were before someone of noble blood. A woman of mysterious beauty elegantly entered the room.

"I've heard a lot about you from Mr. Kim. You were Miss Layla... correct?"

"Ah, yes."

Layla withered as the woman's soft voice echoed inside her head. One would not think she was Gaia's incarnation and the leader of a mammoth organization from seeing her current state. The woman courteously bowed.

"It's an honor to meet the hero who leads Guardians." The woman smiled radiantly and stretched out her hand. "My name is Oh Kang-Hee."

Oh Kang-Hee, the cupid of love who would reconnect the severed connection between Layla and Si-Hun, appeared.

1. Leviathan is the Prince of Envy. The Korean word for the deadly sin envy is closer to jealousy, hence the slight difference in the terms used. ☜