NOVEL WEB “Is it that great?”
I grabbed Liam’s cheek and pulled it. I didn’t really do anything wrong, but I just wanted to.
Of course, the Demi-god Hero didn’t seem to feel any pain at all. Instead, he was grinning like an idiot while staring at my lower body.
But somehow, his expression gradually changed to something quite ominous.
It was a look I’d seen many times in my life. I saw it recently, too. That night after dining with Hainha.
“…No.”
I could tell what he wanted, so I preemptively declined. Liam merely smiled mischievously.
“What do you mean, ‘no’?”
“I mean ‘that’ thing you’re thinking about right now. I’m not doing it for a while.”
I cleverly skirted around it since the kids were present. Rohan wouldn’t understand no matter what I said, but the girls were sharp, so I had to be cautious.
Of course, Erina and Ibailla knew nothing about the adult world yet. Still, I thought it was best to be careful with my words.
You had to be mindful of your actions and words in front of a five-year-old. Kids are a reflection of their parents.
“What’s ‘that’?”
“‘That’?”
While I was giving Liam a warning, the twins showed interest in my words. I patted them both simultaneously and made up an excuse.
“I’m talking about snack time. Daddy’s been gaining weight lately, so it’s forbidden.”
Though I had hurriedly thought that up and it sounded shaky, it seemed plausible enough for my daughters. Erina and Ibailla sighed dramatically.
“Daddy’s pathetic…”
“Mom is too much.”
They even looked at Liam with pitying eyes afterward.
It was certainly a lovely sight, but I felt a tinge of unfairness. Didn’t this make me seem like the bad guy?
To facilitate smooth conversation, I decided to send the two off somewhere else.
I watched my daughters pitying their father and bent down, smiling gently.
“Erina, Ibailla. Go and have some snacks. You can have two packages today.”
“Wow!”
The sparkle in Erina’s eyes dazzled as she grabbed her sister’s hand and dashed toward the kitchen where the snacks were. The sympathy for Daddy had vanished in an instant.
While they enjoyed their snacks, they wouldn’t even glance this way.
I wiped the smile off my face and turned my attention to my nemesis. Liam still had that devious expression on his face.
“I’m not doing it, so keep that in mind.”
“Why?”
“I can’t trouble you again.”
Last time, Seo-yoon had specially set aside time for it. I didn’t want to make another shameless request to empty the house.
“Then that means you’ll allow it if it’s not a bother?”
“…….”
I hesitated for a moment and shyly looked away. Was that enough for him to infer my true feelings? Liam subtly nodded.
Then he quietly whispered.
“I understand. I’ll find a way soon.”
“…Absolutely not!”
Suddenly, my senses returned, and I unknowingly raised my voice.
Liam finding a way? It was a classic sign of a major disaster in the making.
“Is this also not allowed?”
“Just stay calmly until we find a house. Soon, there will be good news. Didn’t you see the Returnee support plan that Hainha offered last time?”
“I… only glanced at the front.”
“I figured you would. It’s an important thing, so make sure to remember it.”
I lightly tapped the chest of the former Hero and continued.
“The country has decided to provide housing for our family.”
“Really?”
Liam scratched his arm and frowned a bit.
“Did you even request for a house to be built? I don’t recall you saying that.”
“I didn’t expect such a big help.”
My requests to Hainha had all been about my family and the Order. Among them was a request for financial support when looking for a place to stay.
I hadn’t expected it to be fully granted. Greed is one thing; I had just hoped for half. I even added I’d be satisfied if they just helped out that much.
But now Hainha had brought a plan saying they would build a house for our family. The scale of the support was bigger than I had anticipated.
Why would they do something I hadn’t even asked for? It seemed a bit suspicious for them to show such a proactive attitude towards the only Returnee in Korea.
“The discussions on citizenship took a long time.”
It took quite a while to accept my family as Korean citizens. On top of that, my status was processed late. I could clearly see that the positive response was far from certain.
It seemed the government viewed our family as a potential problem. The man presumed to be the cause was right in front of me.
“Liam, it seems they find your existence burdensome.”
“Me?”
Amidst the chaos, Liam had been visually scanning my lower body but soon caught on to the situation.
“They can’t handle my power, so they want to appeal to me as much as possible? Smart move.”
It seemed he intended to win favor by referencing cases from other countries—an effort to tame his walking asymmetric might.
It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. There was no need for me to feel antagonistic towards the state; I had no intention of doing so.
“What do they think of me?”
I was a modern person. As a member of a society overflowing with intelligence, I didn’t want to engage in foolish acts of conflict with the government.
I figured the other Returnees likely felt the same way.
There was no reason to act violently. If we played along, we’d be granted various benefits.
Moreover, in this world where mana was scarce, everyone was unable to fully wield their powers. Typically, they could only reach about a quarter of their potential.
Thus, receiving the support the nation willingly provided was beneficial for everyone.
“Anyway, just hang in there a bit longer. We’ll be meeting with the relevant people soon to discuss details.”
“Got it.”
Though there weren’t concrete plans, it seemed Liam was somewhat convinced as he nodded willingly. Then he leaned in closer to whisper in my ear.
“But when we get the house, we’re making a ‘fourth.’ So be ready.”
“…….”
It wasn’t a joke. Liam was a man who couldn’t tell a lie.
He was serious about wanting to make a child and warning me about it was sincere. A shiver ran down my spine. At the same time, the corners of my mouth lifted slightly.
“Doesn’t it sound nice?”
“…I don’t know.”
I felt worried but also somewhat excited about the future. The vitality of a Demigod was indeed impressive.
“Daddy!”
Suddenly, Rohan raised his hand and babbled. Liam smiled gently as he ruffled his son’s hair.
“Rohan, I will make you a sibling.”
“Baby!”
“You prefer a brother? That’s something that can’t be controlled!”
Listening to the father-son banter was amusing. It was heartwarming just to watch.
As Liam took care of Rohan, he suddenly turned to look at me.
“But don’t you have better clothes than those pants? I feel like you do.”
“…I do have some.”
“Then wear those too.”
“……”
This kid seemed fundamentally problematic. I silently grumbled to myself as I took out my smartphone and opened the shopping app.
Then, I immediately bought the clothes that I had hesitated to purchase and had only put in the shopping cart due to my inner shame.
“I bought them, so they should arrive tomorrow.”
“Really? What if you can’t hold off until we build a house?”
“……”
It seemed that leggings had ignited something in Liam. I was worried Rohan would take after his father.
But thanks to that, I also learned that those pants looked good on me.
Then I thought I should also try out Hainha’s other suggestion regarding the leggings.
Having made my decision, I quickly pulled out a yoga mat from under the bed. Seo-yoon had bought it for workouts, but it was still in good condition since it hadn’t been used.
Next, I brought the yoga mat to the living room and laid it on the floor. Now, the preparations were complete.
“Liam, can you film this for me?”
I handed my smartphone to Liam and explained how to use it, and he quickly picked it up.
“What are you trying to do with this?”
“Nothing special, it’s just a simple experiment. Do you remember what iTube is?”
“I do know.”
“I’m going to film a video to upload there.”
I was going to run an official iTube channel after Seo-yoon had quit her job. Before that, I decided to record a few videos ahead of time.
And the video I was about to shoot was set to be my first iTube video.
“Now, let’s begin.”
I stood on the yoga mat and activated my Sacred Power, wrapping it around my entire body.
The Goddess had poured her blessings onto Haemaki, so my Sacred Power was nearly depleted, but there was still enough left for light use.
“Hey everyone, this is ‘Sacred Power Exercises’ I’ve developed.”
I spoke naturally without looking at the camera while lightly applying the Sacred Power to my skin, turning it all pink.
With that, I placed my hands on my hips and leaned my upper body back.
“If you exercise while wrapped in Sacred Power like this, you’ll double the difficulty but….”
I couldn’t finish my sentence properly.
Crack.
A pleasant sound echoed from my lower back, followed by a wave of pain. It was severe enough for me to stop the exercise altogether.
“Ugh….”
The pain was so intense that I collapsed onto the yoga mat. I lay there for a while, groaning quietly before softly speaking.
“…Liam. Stop filming and let’s start over.”
I couldn’t upload a video that could lead to unnecessary misunderstandings on iTube.
*
“What do you think?”
I showed Seo-yoon the exercise video I filmed earlier in the day after she got off work. I was certain she would find it commendable.
“Hmm….”
After watching the entire video, Seo-yoon narrowed her eyes and continued thinking silently before finally speaking up.
“This can’t work.”
Her unexpectedly negative response caught me off guard.
“Why not?”
“It’s too sexy.”
After hearing her reason, I was even more puzzled.
“What do you mean by sexy? There’s no exposure at all.”
“That may be true, but it emphasizes your figure too much.”
“Well… that’s a valid point.”
Indeed, the leggings did accentuate my body. I thought this was healthy enough, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.
Seo-yoon was undoubtedly more objective than me. That was why I had asked her to be my manager with those expectations.
But her firm refusal sparked my stubbornness. I carefully chose my words and said.
“If we choose a fitting title for the video, there won’t be any issues.”
I figured it would be better to show her, so I opened the notepad app and wrote down a title.
-(Warning: Rearview) The Pope’s Body Management Vlog
“What do you think?”
“…….”
Seo-yoon alternated her gaze between the title and my face before snatching the smartphone away.
“From now on, don’t come up with titles.”
It was a far more severe measure than I had expected.