NOVEL WEB Chapter 20: A MARRIED MAN
VIKI silently watched as Won Yiwon removed his black leather gloves.
I love it when he does that.
Then Won Yiwon got down on one knee and grabbed a small flower that was barely noticeable since it looked like a weed.
How did he even find that… nah, this is Won Yiwon we're talking about here.
When Won Yiwon wrapped his fingers around the stem of the small flower, it disintegrated quickly.
Of course, the current #1 Hunter made it look easier.
In reality, even an A-Class Hunter would have fallen victim to the flower's attack.
If an unsuspecting Hunter touched the flower, the flower would have absorbed the Hunter's Mana. Then the Mana would have grown gigantic until it was big enough to swallow the victim.
After all, that weed-looking flower was the Key to clearing the dungeon.
Dormant dungeons, like this artificial Sinkhole, don't have living monsters for a boss— it has 'Keys' that you have to find and destroy in order to get out.
"Are you satisfied with your little revenge?" Won Yiwon asked when he stood up, turning around to face Viki while putting on his black leather gloves. "Once we're back, I can't let you beat up the kids again."
"I didn't beat them up, sir," Viki said defensively. "I broke their bones the gentlest way possible. They didn't even feel it since they were knocked out."
"You're really unapologetic, huh?"
"Sir, I could have made those little bastards orphans. But I'm not that cruel, so I just broke their bones instead of targeting their families. No one hurts my kids and gets away with it unscathed, sir."
"Your kids? I thought they were your foster siblings."
"What's wrong with calling them my kids? The oldest two are eighteen, and the youngest is fifteen. I practically raised them as my sons, sir."
"How old are you?"
"Turning thirty soon, sir."
"Ah, we're the same age," Won Yiwon said, his face lighting up for some reason. "Then you can speak comfortably to me."
"I don't want to speak comfortably to you, sir."
"I'll remove your name from the report I'll write, so the kids you beat up and their families won't know that you're involved in this incident."
"Yah, that's what you call power tripping."
"Oh, you're good at speaking comfortably."
Tsk.
Viki wanted to complain because she felt like she was dancing on top of Won Yiwon's palm, but the surroundings started changing rapidly.
Oh, we're returning to the basement parking.
When they returned to the basement parking, a red tape was already put around the 3-meter-wide Sinkhole.
There were also several Hunters on the "scene."
Are they from Won Yiwon's guild?
Viki used her ability to conceal her presence since she didn't want to deal with anyone at the moment.
Time to slip away.
***
"SO, you also have the ability to hide your presence even from A-Class Hunters and above?"
Tsk.
Viki had successfully left the basement parking without anyone noticing her.
Well, except for one person.
"Hunter Won, you said you'll make it so people won't find out that I'm involved in this incident," Viki complained, and then she turned around to face Won Yiwon. "So, why are you following me?"
Yep, the #1 Hunter followed her.
Won Yiwon obviously used a concealing spell like Viki did because no one paid attention to them even if they were in the middle of a busy street.
But he shouldn't be here in the first place.
Viki raised an eyebrow at Won Yiwon. "You should have stayed with your guild members and given them a statement or something."
When they returned to the basement parking earlier, she noticed that the Hunters there greeted Won Yiwon as 'Guildmaster.'
That means those Hunters were from Won Yiwon's guild.
"The Vice Guildmaster is there, so he'll take care of the mess while I'm away," Won Yiwon said casually. "If the Kaleidoscope Guild can't function without me, then we might as well disband."
Aww.
Viki felt a pang in her chest when she heard the name of Won Yiwon's guild straight out of his mouth.
Kaleidoscope Guild.
What do you call a group of butterflies?
The answer is kaleidoscope.
"What's wrong, Hunter Young?"
"You're damn annoying."
Won Yiwon raised an eyebrow. "I gave you permission to speak with me comfortably. But I don't remember saying you can curse at me."
"I don't need your permission to curse at you— I do what I want."
"And you're telling me you're an F-Class Hunter?"
"I am," Viki said, speaking meekly all of a sudden. "Why do you keep suggesting otherwise?"
Won Yiwon looked around, and then he pointed at the two uniformed Hunters a few meters away from them. "Do you see those Hunters on patrol? They are F-Class like you."
"Ah, no wonder they look dignified like me."
Won Yiwon just raised an eyebrow, and then he snapped his fingers.
Oh.
Viki felt the moment Won Yiwon lifted whatever concealing skill he had used to hide his presence.
And that was when things began getting messy.
The two uniformed F-Class Hunters suddenly fell to their knees while holding their throats, gasping for air.
And the Civilians unlucky enough to be close to them?
They all fainted.
Of course, the others who noticed the strange phenomenon thought someone was attacking Civilians in public.
Hence, chaos ensued.
"See?" Won Yiwon said, tilting his head to one side. "That is how an F-Class Hunter should react to my presence."
Oh, damn.
I'm totally caught.
Viki clenched her hands tightly, keeping her mouth shut because she belatedly remembered the phrase 'less talk, less mistake.'
Maybe I should have put in more effort in pretending to be an F-Class Hunter.
***
IT TOOK a while, but Viki finally got home.
Since it was already late, only the two oldest among her kids were awake.
Nam Juno and Han Nora looked pretty scary, though.
The house was dark when she arrived, so it was kind of spooky when the two oldest greeted her at the porch with glowing eyes.
Sometimes I forget that these kids aren't humans, then they do shit like this.
"Mama, you've been tailed," Nam Juno said. "They're not close enough to hear our conversation, but they've surrounded our house."
"Should I send them to another dimension, Mama?" Han Nora asked. "I'll make sure it won't be traced back to us."
Aigoo.
"Don't worry about those Hunters," Viki said while waving her hand dismissively. "If I want them dead, they would have been dead already. I let them follow me since we'll be in bigger trouble if I didn't."
She was pretty sure that those Hunters were from the Kaleidoscope Guild.
Won Yiwon definitely had her tailed.
"Mama, what happened?" Nam Juno asked worriedly. "Is everything alright?"
"Nah, we're doomed because your mother is stupid."
"Mama, don't say that about yourself," Han Nora said firmly. "Mama should wait for someone else to say that you're dumb."
"Yah."
Han Nora just grinned while giving her a peace sign.
This brat, really…
"Nora-ya, stop teasing Mama."
"Aigoo, Juno-ya. You should let loose sometimes. If you keep acting like that, people will find out that you're an old man and not a teenager."
"I don't want to hear that from someone who says 'aigoo' like the grandpa from our old neighborhood."
Pfft.
When Do Eunwoo and Chae Baam fight, physical violence is usually involved. But when Nam Juno and Han Nora bicker, they just throw sarcastic remarks at each other.
"Don't fight," Viki scolded the two oldest lightly. "Where are the other kids?"
"They went to bed early, Mama," Nam Juno said, ignoring Han Nora, who was acting childishly by making faces at Nam Juno. "Chae Baam and Yu Gamin made sure Do Eunwoo will remember the choreography for our new song properly."
Right.
"You fed the other kids before sending them to bed, right?"
"Yes, Mama," Han Nora said proudly. "I cooked dinner for the kids."
"Good. Thank you for cooking dinner for the kids," Viki said, patting Nam Juno and Han Nora on the head. "Go to sleep now and don't worry about the Hunters who tailed me— I'll explain everything to you tomorrow morning."
***
AFTER Viki showered and changed into comfortable pajamas, she sat on the floor— right in front of the TV.
She brought a can of soda and a pack of chips for her midnight snack.
Although she was already turning thirty very soon, she hadn't had a sip of alcoholic beverage yet.
It's Won Yiwon's fault.
Ahn Navi and Won Yiwon made a promise to drink together as adults, but it was impossible to happen now.
Viki could drink on her own, of course.
But she couldn't bring herself to do that.
Bad thoughts, go away.
Viki just focused on the Hunter Ahn Navi: the Girl Who Saved the World Twice Documentary. It was the Blu-ray version, not the series that was currently being aired on TV.
She bought the Blu-ray of the documentary for the extended version included there.
And the extended version in question would be…
"Yes, I'm married to Hunter Ahn Navi-ssi."
Viki smirked bitterly while watching Won Yiwon's handsome face— he didn't even blink once despite the blinding flashes of the cameras in front of him.
In the video, Won Yiwon was holding a press conference.
Based on the date included in the video, it happened just a few days after Ahn Navi's 'death'— and a few days after Won Yiwon declared Martial Law.
"Why do I need to tell you when we got married?"
Pfft.
Viki laughed softly while shaking her head.
No matter how many times she had seen that clip, it still never failed to crack her up.
"All you have to know is that Ahn Navi and I are married."
Won Yiwon then raised his left hand— showing off his wedding ring.
"Aigoo," Viki said, chugging her cola before commenting again: "He's still wearing that fake wedding ring to this day, huh? I have to say Won Yiwon is more loyal and dedicated than most married men today."
Yes, she wasn't surprised by what Won Yiwon did.
Not even when Viki found out about Ahn Navi and Won Yiwon's 'marriage' for the first time.
After all, she quickly understood the reason behind their fake marriage.
The Won Yiwon on the video explained it:
"Since Ahn Navi and I are married, that means I get to inherit all the assets that she had— from every single won, up to the smallest pot of land that she owned."
Yep, that was the reason.
"Please protect my wealth and assets, Won Yiwon— I don't want greedy people, especially my own mother, to steal what I earned from working like a cow since I was eight years old."
That was the last will that Ahn Navi left for Won Yiwon.
Hence, Viki understood why Won Yiwon had to lie to the entire world and say that he was married to Ahn Navi.
I didn't tell him to marry me, but I guess that's the only way to follow my will.
Since it happened during Martial Law, it would have been easy for Won Yiwon to fake necessary documents for the fake marriage. The biggest mystery would be how Won Yiwon was able to keep Ahn Sunja— Ahn Navi's mother— quiet.
After all, Ahn Sunja could have inherited Ahn Navi's inheritance if Ahn Navi wasn't 'married' to Won Yiwon.
But there were no records of Ahn Sunja fighting Won Yiwon for Ahn Navi's inheritance.
I guess Won Yiwon threatened my mother.
Anyway, that was how Won Yiwon ended up fake married to Ahn Navi.
"I'm grateful that you protected my wealth and assets by 'marrying' Ahn Navi, Won Yiwon," Viki whispered to herself, smiling sadly while her eyes were glued to the TV— looking at the close-up shot of Won Yiwon's wedding ring. "But I would have liked it more had you married me for real before I 'died.'"
***
Please ADD