NOVEL WEB I was watching Liam’s figure illuminated by the ‘Blue Light of the Sky’ alongside Seo-yoon.
I didn’t want our daughters to see any inappropriate scenes, so I hoped they’d be asleep. Luckily, they were napping after playing.
Meanwhile, Rohan was squirming in my arms with his big, bright eyes. I glanced down at my son’s clear gaze and sighed.
“Rohan, why am I such a fool? Do you know?”
Instead of answering, Rohan kept trying to look back, right towards Liam.
Could it be he recognized his dad? My son was indeed sharp. He probably took after me more than he did Liam.
As I pinched Rohan’s chubby cheeks contentedly, Seo-yoon suddenly asked, “Aren’t you nervous?”
Without a second thought, I nodded. It was such an obvious thing to say.
“How can I be at ease when I left Liam alone outside?”
“That’s true,” Seo-yoon immediately agreed with me. Even though we had only spent about three weeks together, she knew the former hero’s character very well.
Just yesterday, she claimed that I couldn’t even properly express my brother-in-law by calling him a ‘handsome nuclear weapon.’ I thought the same.
“Let’s just keep watching.”
I turned my gaze back to the mirror. Liam, who had been flying rapidly, had already arrived at our destination—the upscale restaurant.
[Tournesol Restaurant]
Thinking it might look more upscale, the sign was written in English rather than Korean.
What does that even say? Tournesol? I hadn’t encountered English in twenty years, but I could tell that wasn’t an English word.
Anyway, Liam entered a restaurant with such a peculiar name that was neither Korean nor English.
Following Rule #2 of ‘Common Sense You Should Know’, he entered through the door, not the window.
“Liam is entering politely!”
“…That’s true.”
For some reason, Liam was behaving surprisingly well. It was a scene that seemed strangely fascinating, even to me, who had been supporting him since his saint days.
“Welcome. Are you a reservation guest?”
“That’s correct.”
He even spoke respectfully! The guy who had been indifferent even when facing the emperor showed manners to the staff.
It was the most moving moment I’d experienced since our daughters first called me ‘Mom.’
“Seo-yoon, I have no regrets even if I die now…”
“……”
While I was immersed in my emotions, Liam was led to a table by the staff.
At the table, someone was already seated—Mr. Havant.
She was a woman as I expected, but there was an unexpected aspect.
“Hello, Hero. Nice to see you again.”
To my surprise, Mr. Havant was someone I knew.
With an unremarkable appearance and a polite tone, she gave off a calm vibe, making her look like an ordinary person.
She was Hainha, the National Intelligence Service agent assigned to me.
“Oh? That person….”
Seo-yoon’s eyes widened as she recognized Hainha. She looked flustered.
I was also surprised, though for different reasons.
“Seo-yoon, do you know how much the average salary of a National Intelligence Service agent is? Can they really afford to donate a large sum to a personal broadcast?”
“…I don’t know either.”
While we were chatting, Liam sat down and calmly spoke.
“Is that Hainha?”
“That’s right, but not quite.”
With a faint smile, Hainha corrected Liam’s statement.
“It’s Havant. My name, ‘Hainha,’ is a mix of that and the English word ‘Servant.’”
Was that how it was supposed to be pronounced? I had no idea. Since she hadn’t corrected me before, it seemed she didn’t care how I pronounced it.
Hainha, having revealed her nickname’s origin, gazed silently at Liam for a moment and then quietly said, “You look even better when you dress up.”
I couldn’t hold back the curse that bubbled up.
“The baby is cute…”
The words, which spilled out naturally as if corrected, didn’t convey my anger at all. It was quite unfortunate.
“Calm down. You haven’t done anything yet.”
At Seo-yoon’s urging, I managed to suppress my anger for the moment. However, I couldn’t loosen my tension.
How would Liam react? Would his wild instincts from his reckless days resurface? I watched the situation nervously.
Before long, all my worries washed away.
“……”
Liam sat silently, not uttering a single word.
He didn’t say anything during the meal, nor while finishing dessert, as if he were determined to leave no room for error.
“There wasn’t much to it.”
Only then did I stretch my legs and relax.
“I believed in you.”
No matter how reckless he had been, there was no way he’d cheat on his wife and three kids.
*
The hero, renowned for his looks and rough personality, didn’t say a word throughout the meal.
Looking at his quiet demeanor, Hainha nodded.
“He doesn’t seem like the type to cheat.”
I was initially worried about his wild nature, but it appeared he was a sweet guy, at least to his wife. That was my observation so far.
He seemed far less dangerous than I had feared. I could consider this a much more satisfying outcome than expected.
“I’m glad I came.”
Hainha didn’t want to accept the proposal from the Pope, Eluke, at first. After all, revealing his secret as ‘the big shot of the Tribe’ was something he wanted to avoid.
Although there wasn’t a rule against agents watching internet broadcasts, it was still a bit awkward.
Especially for someone high-ranking—who knew what they’d say if they found out? They probably wouldn’t compliment him saying, “Great” or “Keep it up.”
Moreover, having dinner alone together?
The streamers he usually watched wouldn’t go this far, even when receiving huge amounts of donations.
While such occurrences were common on other platforms, they were less so on Tribe, making him slightly anxious.
Nevertheless, Hainha chose to invite Liam to this dinner to assess the risk firsthand.
He hadn’t had the chance to fully check him out during their last meeting due to negotiations, but this time was different. He had thoroughly read through the profile book.
‘It says here he was a wild troublemaker.’
According to the profile, Liam was a ‘wild troublemaker who even left the Demon King’s Four Heavenly Kings dumbfounded.’
That’s why he was understandably worried.
Once he went on a rampage… it would be impossible to stop him. Even with an army, the major cities would be in flames before reinforcements arrived.
Moreover, there was only one Returnee in Korea, so there weren’t many who could help in emergencies. If Liam wanted to, he could easily devastate Korea.
Thus, he had accepted Eluke’s request, promising to manage him well, but his mind was far from at ease.
That’s why he wanted to meet in a place without Eluke to verify everything firsthand.
“Hero.”
As I called quietly, Liam, who had been moving his fork silently, met my gaze.
His expression seemed void of thought. I looked deeply into those vibrant, mesmerizing blue eyes and asked, “I heard you’re quite the womanizer—doesn’t it bother you at all to look at another woman now?”
This was a question based on the profile information. I aimed to find out how much he truly loved his wife and whether Eluke really had any control over him.
“……”
However, he remained silent again.
The former hero’s lips didn’t part at all. It seemed he had no intention of speaking until we parted ways.
This made me feel like my dinner invitation was meaningless. While I frowned slightly, Liam finally broke the silence.
“Hey.”
Just one word. A mere syllable.
Though brief, it felt like a piercing stab to my heart.
“…What is it?”
I managed to respond, but my voice was shaking. It was the first time since becoming an agent that I felt this way.
Not just my voice, but my whole body started to tremble.
An indescribable fear—a dread as if facing an unknown entity.
Soon, my mind turned completely white.
“Do I look funny to you?”
The moment Liam’s calm voice sank into my ears, I realized—the silence had been to suppress his anger.
“You’ve been observing me from the start, and now you’re openly investigating me. Am I easy to push around? Isn’t that right?”
“…No, it’s not.”
I hurriedly replied while instinctively bracing myself for what was to come.
Watching me, Liam smiled coldly and crossed his legs.
“I’m pissed off, but I’ll answer.”
The former hero irritably tapped his fork against the dish as he continued.
“I’ll just cut to the chase. I can’t do without her. Do you know why?”
“……”
“Because she’s the only one who’s taken care of me. Even though she knew I was a fool, she never turned her back on me. She risked her life to save me. Need me to elaborate?”
There was no need for further explanation. The depth of his feelings came through loud and clear.
“That’s what true love is. You ‘love-expert’.”
“…Love-expert?”
“Isn’t this how it’s written? Anyway, you get what I mean, right?”
Liam stood up. For the first time, he flashed a vibrant smile that he had never shown before.
“I’m off now. Be careful next time. Make sure to donate lots during the broadcasts.”
The former hero, who flashed a refreshing smile, walked away slowly. Hainha stood silently, watching him leave.
‘A wild troublemaker who has turned over a new leaf thanks to the pure-hearted saint?’
I wasn’t sure if it could be called ‘a new leaf,’ but one thing was certain.
Liam was not someone to be trifled with. At least not until he touched his wife.
*
I released the fist I had been clenching tightly. My palm was soaked in sweat.
“It seems to be over.”
Just now, Liam’s dinner with Hainha had concluded. Though it hadn’t even been thirty minutes, it felt like half a day had passed.
Why was I so tense over something like this? It was just a conversation.
“Seo-yoon, good job.”
I leaned back against the sofa, feeling a bit worn out. Seo-yoon snuggled up beside me and murmured weakly, “I’m exhausted.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Still, doesn’t it feel nice? Your brother-in-law is so devoted; you must be very happy?”
“……”
I silently turned my head to the side. I surely had a face that I didn’t want to show.
But that didn’t mean I could escape Seo-yoon’s teasing nature.
“When your brother-in-law gets back, give him a kiss. Otherwise… should I take the kids out?”
It seemed the nickname ‘Evil Ginger’ was really well-deserved.
“…I’ll think about it.”
Of course, it wasn’t entirely unpleasant.
Just imagining it made my heart race. Just a little.