NOVEL WEB The weekend in Korea, after twenty years, passed in the blink of an eye.
I barely got any rest. I had to take care of all the household chores in place of Seo-yoon.
She insisted she was fine, but I forced myself into it because I felt uncomfortable. I couldn’t just walk away after giving blessings, it would have felt wrong.
But there was so much to do.
Washing dishes, cleaning the floor, doing laundry. It wasn’t a big house, but it felt tough doing it after such a long time.
“I haven’t done physical labor in ages.”
As a pope, my duties were mostly mental work.
Worship, speeches, doctrinal reviews, document checks, and so on. There wasn’t much physical strain involved. At most, it was some morning stretching exercises.
Not that life was easy, but having an aching body was tougher than just a headache.
Thank goodness, household chores weren’t too exhausting.
“Thanks for your hard work, oppa.”
Seo-yoon handed me a can of soda as she finished all the work and relaxed on the sofa.
It was cola. But the color on the outside was black rather than red.
“What is this? Black sesame cola?”
“No, it’s zero cola.”
“Zero…?”
“It’s cola with no calories.”
No calories? Does that even make sense?
Then it must mean there’s no sugar in it, and there’d be no reason to drink cola if it’s not sweet.
Did they just come up with this? Or has it been around and I just forgot?
It was oddly intriguing, so I popped the can open and took a sip.
“Oh. Not bad.”
The moment I took a sip, I felt my face brighten up. It had that sweet yet tangy taste I was expecting.
“Not bad, right?”
“How can something this tasty have no calories?”
“I don’t know…”
Well, Seo-yoon being an ordinary person wouldn’t know the beverage manufacturing process.
“Anyway, thanks.”
I kept quenching my thirst with the cola. The chicken didn’t quite suit my taste, but this was delightful on my tongue.
“Mom, what’s that?”
That’s when Erina came rushing over, asking with curiosity, but really she just wanted to have some.
“Come here.”
I seated our eldest on my lap and handed her the cola can.
“Try it.”
“Okay!”
Erina carefully brought the cola can to her lips.
She paused for a moment, tilting her head, but soon began gulping it down. It seemed delicious.
They say parents feel full just by watching their children eat, and there’s some truth to that. Just seeing my daughter enjoy it brought joy to my tongue.
While I watched Erina drink the cola, Seo-yoon suddenly spoke up.
“Oppa, I took a day off tomorrow. Let’s go out together.”
“Out? Where to?”
“We need to report your return.”
“Oh, right.”
Come to think of it, I couldn’t just live like this. ‘Park Si-woo’ was officially listed as missing.
In order to actively make use of my identity as a returnee, reporting was essential.
“Thank you for taking such care of me.”
If it weren’t for Seo-yoon, my family and I would probably be lost on the streets by now.
Once again, I felt grateful that the only acquaintance I had was this kind.
“Thankful? I could do this much. It’s not just anyone; it’s you, Si-woo oppa.”
“I’ll repay you with a stronger blessing than ‘Blessing of Vitality’ next time.”
“I won’t decline. This is really good, you know?”
“Of course, it’s expected.”
We smiled at each other.
Despite the seven-year gap, my relationship with Seo-yoon had somehow grown closer. The fact made me smile warmly.
It might be a hasty judgment, but I couldn’t help thinking.
I’m glad I returned.
*
The first Monday after returning.
Seo-yoon and I started getting ready to go out early in the morning.
I focused most on my fashion, as the attire I used to wear was too eye-catching, so I decided to wear Seo-yoon’s clothes.
“How’s this?”
Seo-yoon picked a plain white t-shirt and jeans for me.
I looked at my reflection in the mirror from top to bottom. It matched quite well.
“Very nice.”
I particularly liked that there was nothing standout about it. It suited my modest taste formed from years as a pope.
Seo-yoon also appeared satisfied, nodding happily.
“But it’s a bit tight around the chest and butt. Don’t you have a larger size?”
“…Oppa, how old did you say you were?”
“I’m probably in my mid-thirties.”
“No way! How can this be a shape of someone in their thirties who’s a mom? How hard did you work to maintain it?”
“……”
I didn’t bother mentioning the power of blessings.
Having the blessing to maintain youth was confidential. If people found out, they would all demand I cast it on them.
Anyway, this seemed sufficient for an outing.
However, I didn’t borrow any underwear.
I didn’t want to wear someone else’s, and the size wouldn’t fit, plus it would be uncomfortable. The downsides outweighed the benefits.
Instead, at Seo-yoon’s suggestion, I used something called nipple patches, which… surprisingly were very comfortable.
“Put this on too.”
Finally, after putting on a long padding coat, I was ready to go out.
“Liam, take good care of them.”
Before leaving, I didn’t forget to leave the kids with the lazy hero.
“Just trust me and go.”
With that, Seo-yoon and I left our house under Liam’s farewell.
Our destination was the nearby administrative welfare center. An unfamiliar name, but it turned out to be just the district office.
I thought the name had changed while I was away, but it seems it was changed a long time ago.
“Why did they change it when ‘district office’ is more intuitive and understandable?”
Anyway, the administrative welfare center wasn’t far. Strolling slowly, we arrived quickly.
“Should I have put a hat on?”
Before entering, Seo-yoon mumbled to herself.
“What do you mean?”
“Your pink hair stands out too much. Everyone passing by was glancing at it.”
“Really?”
Well, pink hair wasn’t common in Korea. It was a bold hairstyle only available to celebrities.
I absentmindedly touched my long hair at the back and shrugged.
“It doesn’t matter. I’m used to being in the spotlight.”
As a pope, I was revered by all the members, a figure whom everyone looked up to. Once, my fame spread across the continent.
Therefore, I always lived under everyone’s gaze.
Even before becoming pope, it wasn’t much different. I was the saint of the hero party that killed the Demon King.
Based on my experiences, becoming a figure that attracts attention was not that big of a deal.
“Let them be interested. If it leads to gossip, that’s all the better. It might even be the foundation of my popularity.”
“…You do have the character to be a streamer. You weren’t like this before.”
“True.”
We exchanged dialogues as we entered the building.
As it was the Monday right after a non-operational weekend, the center was bustling with people.
First, Seo-yoon picked up a ticket, but the number of people waiting was quite large. It looked like we would have to wait quite a while for our turn.
“Maybe we should have come earlier?”
“Seo-yoon, cultivate the habit of patience. Endurance is a virtue that enriches life.”
“…I guess so.”
Though she looked slightly displeased, Seo-yoon obediently stayed quiet.
I too waited quietly for our turn, sitting straight with my hands on my knees in an upright posture.
Whispers.
I could hear a few ladies behind me chatting about my appearance, which was rather unique by Korean standards.
But outside that, nothing drew much attention.
Maybe because it was Monday – the most tiring day of the week – everyone was indifferent. All they did was glance at my striking hair and eyes.
“How embarrassing…”
Just as I got puffed up before entering, people seemed more nonchalant than I expected. Modern society is less interested in others than I thought.
I felt a bit awkward, but I kept my gaze straight ahead.
Before I knew it, our turn came.
As I sat down at the counter called out by my ticket number, the staff looked taken aback. Finally, someone was paying attention to my stunning looks?
“Um… Can I help you?”
“……”
She seemed confused, thinking I was just a foreigner.
Well, she must have been too busy and tired to notice pretty appearances.
“I came to report my return.”
Seo-yoon spoke on my behalf, and this time the staff was truly shocked.
“Please wait a moment.”
With just that, the employee disappeared for a while and returned with a middle-aged man who looked very official.
The balding middle-aged man bent his waist, politely addressing me.
“Could you follow me? I’ll take you inside.”
Is this person the center director?
Whether he was or not, my attitude wouldn’t change.
“Of course.”
Seo-yoon and I followed him into the innermost room of the center. The way it was decorated indicated it was a parlor.
“Please wait here for a moment. Would you like something to drink?”
Seeing the older-looking man bowing made me feel a bit sorry, so I declined.
Once the director left, Seo-yoon whispered.
“Does it seem like he’s calling someone?”
That question was only answered about thirty minutes later.
Squeak.
While I was chatting with Seo-yoon, a woman we had never seen before walked into the parlor.
She had a plain appearance and was dressed neatly in a suit.
She wasn’t a staff member of the administrative welfare center. Who could she be?
“Nice to meet you. I’m a National Intelligence Service agent, Hainha.”
“…The National Intelligence Service?”
Seo-yoon exclaimed beside me, her eyes wide open.
I was also surprised, but my curiosity was greater.
“Can National Intelligence Service agents disclose their identities?”
Agent Hainha shook her head at my question.
“Generally not, but for agents managing returnees, it’s an exception.”
With a stiff tone, Hainha sat across from me, then pulled out documents from her bag and set them on the table.
Next, she took out a laptop, continued, “Now we’ll proceed with identity verification. Please answer the questions correctly.”
The moment I nodded slightly, the Q&A began.
“What is your name?”
“Park Si-woo.”
“What is your resident registration number?”
“911002. I can’t remember the last digits.”
“Please tell me your family relations.”
“My father is Park Jeong-ho…? My mother is probably Lee Mi-ja.”
Hainha recorded all my answers and continued with the questions.
Though I stuttered a bit, answering wasn’t difficult, and the identity verification was completed quickly.
“Understood. Now, let’s move on to the returnee certification process. First, how did you transfer to another world?”
“Possession.”
“What medium was it?”
“The game ‘Apollis Tales.’”
At my answer, the usually stoic agent’s expression slightly broke.
But soon it returned to normal as she mechanically tapped on her keyboard.
Just how much back-and-forth conversation had we exchanged? It wasn’t until Seo-yoon started dozing off that all procedures finally finished.
“Thank you for your hard work. You will be registered as a returnee within a few days, and your status will be freshly created as you desire.”
After Hainha finished her speech, she quickly packed her documents and laptop and stood up.
“See you later.”
After a quick bow, the mechanical agent left the parlor without acknowledging my farewell.
‘…How rude.’
Do they receive a “rudeness license” at the National Intelligence Service? Considering I’m probably the only returnee in Korea, their treatment was rather disappointing.
Could it be that they view returnees as a bothersome issue to manage?
That was quite possible. Those who remain in high positions often become detached from reality.
That had led to many old customs and flaws in our order. All of it was corrected later on.
“What, is it over?”
While I reminisced for a brief moment, Seo-yoon, who had been dozing, suddenly woke up.
I brushed her tousled hair and stood up.
“Let’s hurry.”
Having reported my return, it was time to start preparing to earn money.
*
Before we headed home, we stopped by a mart for some shopping. It was to purchase broadcasting equipment essential for becoming a streamer.
A webcam and microphone. For now, those two seemed sufficient.
“Will this be enough?”
“Yes. Please buy me a cheap one.”
However, since it wasn’t my money, I wasn’t picking expensive gear. It appeared Seo-yoon wasn’t in a financially comfortable position either, as she only recommended inexpensive items.
‘Feeling a bit bad about it.’
It seemed to be weighing on her. As an average office worker, it couldn’t be helped.
Once I earned money, I would repay her double. For now, I had to rely on her more.
After choosing all the broadcasting equipment, we finally headed back home.
On the way, Seo-yoon asked, “When will you start streaming?”
I had been pondering that as well.
When would be the best time? What day, what hour would attract more attention?
Just as I was deep in thought, a realization came to me as we approached our house.
“Seo-yoon. I just remembered there’s an old saying.”
“What saying?”
“Strike while the iron is hot.”
There was no need to overthink it.
When in doubt, just dive in.
It was advice from a friend who had helped me get to where I am now.
“I’ll start right away, today.”
Immediately after I made my decision, everything started progressing smoothly.
With Seo-yoon’s help, I set up the broadcasting equipment in the main bedroom and changed into my ceremonial outfit.
Next, I logged onto the streaming site.
The platform I chose was ‘Tribe.’
Unlike iTube, it focused on real-time streaming.
Having studied in advance, setting up the stream wasn’t difficult. I quickly prepared everything and entered a fitting title for the broadcast.
[Returnee from the Pope.]
I thought that would be enough, but Seo-yoon shook her head in disapproval.
“This isn’t enough. It just doesn’t pop!”
Seo-yoon fell into thought for a moment before writing a new title.
[The Returnee Pope Appears, Dominating with Looks!!!]
Is this really better? It feels too over the top.
I wasn’t sure, but I decided to just go with her suggestion. Seo-yoon knows far more about internet broadcasting than I do.
“Ready?”
“Of course.”
Before I clicked ‘Start Streaming,’ I quickly offered a prayer.
“O radiant Sun… please cheer me on as you watch. If possible, a fitting miracle would also be appreciated.”
When trying something new, it was necessary to borrow the power of the Goddess.