The Tough Guy Hides the Villainess

As far as I know, concepts also have compatibility.

For example, if I possess the concept of “numbers,” it would be easier for me to accept the concept of “addition”.

The more intuitively related they are, the better the compatibility.

Even if I consume a fusion stone containing the concepts of “nose” and “eyes,” if they don’t align with my existing concept or constitution, there’s a high chance they won’t digest and will be expelled as is.

Eyes.

Nose.

Doesn’t it seem to harmonize quite well with the concept of “Emotion” that I received from Seo Ga-eul?

Therefore, it seemed better for me to consume this fusion stone directly rather than giving it to Seo Ga-eul.

If I improve my level, it will be even more helpful in abducting Yoo Yeoreum.

That way, I could draw more active cooperation from Seo Ga-eul.

As expected, I’m a genius.

With that thought, I opened my mouth wide, placed the small bead in my throat, and swallowed it.

What would happen now?

As I trembled with anticipation, I suddenly felt the hairs on my body stand on end.

My slightly congested nose cleared with a pop, and my vision became much sharper and clearer.

I could feel the concepts of “eyes” and “nose” giving me strength.

Indeed, thanks to “Emotion,” the compatibility was good.

Pop—

━Gyiing.

At that moment, Ying-ying jumped into the air and then rustled into my pants pocket.

It behaved like a hamster or squirrel burrowing into its nest.

Why is it acting like this?

Though I was curious, I soon found the answer.

“Hey! Han Nam-jin! What are you doing over there?”

“Ah, Baek Yeoul—.”

「Name: Baek Yeoul

Possesses: 《Misfortune Lv.2》 – A level of misfortune that even black cats respect.

Status: 《Curious》 – Curious about your condition. Also thinks you’re a clumsy person who can’t manage without her looking after you.」

“…Heh, I can see it.”

Perhaps due to the new concept, I could now see text that wasn’t visible before.

It felt like projecting the opponent’s “concept.”

The level displayed next to Pink-haired Girl’s “Misfortune” probably referred to its grade.

“What are you talking about seeing! Why are you spouting nonsense? Hurry back to class! Everyone except you is already there! And our group’s first prize for the practice session is five tickets for a special class! Isn’t that amazing?”

I examined Pink-haired Girl again, who was making a fuss.

The text I had seen earlier was no longer visible.

Though the concept was strengthened, it seemed the trigger still required sensing “gaps” or “agitation” in the opponent’s emotions.

Suddenly, I became curious about what had happened to the concepts of “eyes” and “nose.”

Had they settled within me, giving me four concepts in total?

As I looked down at my body, text appeared.

「Name: Han Nam-jin

Possesses: Tap to expand

《Leap Lv.2》 – Possesses leaping ability comparable to that of characters in martial arts novels.

《Emotion Lv.2》 – Possesses insight similar to that of an ascetic monk.

Status: 《Anger》 – You are extremely angry.」

It seemed that “eyes” and “nose” didn’t remain with me but were instead used as materials to enhance the concept of “Emotion.”

If merely eating concept stones could trigger new concepts willy-nilly, the world would be overflowing with multi-concept holders.

Of course, even simple level enhancements for concepts produced significant effects.

That’s why concept stones were sold at high prices in the “market.”

In that sense, Seo Ga-eul was truly remarkable.

She could manifest concepts at will and even transfer them to others.

And here I was, keeping such a remarkable Seo Ga-eul locked in my basement.

# # #

「Came here, 7 o’clock」

I returned home with a light step, carrying a load of cold cola from the snack shop, only to find a note stuck to the front gate.

The handwriting, where “ㄱ” was scrawled like a “7,” was unmistakably that of Manager Kim Jang-dong.

For a moment, my head spun.

I couldn’t understand why Manager Kim Jang-dong of the “Superhuman Management Agency” had visited my house again, but if Seo Ga-eul had screamed loudly, it was possible he had noticed something.

Clang, creak—!

In a rush, I ran to the basement door and opened it.

My vision blurred as I was overcome with dizziness.

“She’s gone….”

The Seo Ga-eul I had locked in the basement that morning was nowhere to be seen!

Could she have escaped?

As I was thinking how badly things were screwed, I suddenly heard a shout beside me.

“Wah!”

“Gah!”

The loud noise right next to me startled me so much I thought I might faint.

While sitting on the floor in shock, I looked over to see Seo Ga-eul popping out from beside the basement door.

“Idiot. Getting scared like that. Got a lot of wounds, huh? Guess Yoo Yeoreum beat you up badly? Serves you right.”

“…No, what the hell….”

Relief washed over me like a wave upon realizing that Seo Ga-eul hadn’t met Manager Kim Jang-dong.

At the same time, I felt puzzled.

What was going on?

I was sure I had tied Seo Ga-eul up with chains in the basement.

How had she managed to get to the door?

Looking closely, I noticed that the chains attached to her hands and feet were slightly longer than I remembered.

“This? I acquired the concept of ‘length.’ Too bad. If you’d been a bit later, I could’ve extended the chains far enough to escape.”

Damn it.

Now I had to live with the fear that if I came home too late, Seo Ga-eul might escape by lengthening the chains.

What was this, a time limit?

“Seo Ga-eul, can you give me that concept? It’s a useless concept for you anyway.”

As a man, there were many things about length I wanted to adjust.

If I had that concept, I might be able to control various sizes of mine freely.

However, upon hearing my suggestion, Seo Ga-eul flopped down on the mattress she was using as a makeshift bed and scowled deeply.

“That I can give concepts was supposed to be a secret. Same with my weakness to the full moon and the ability to grant concepts. Where did you hear about me?”

From you.

But I couldn’t say that.

Seo Ga-eul had specifically told me not to reveal to anyone that I came from the future.

And “anyone” included Seo Ga-eul herself.

“I possess the concept of ‘Emotion,’ so I can infer various secrets.”

“What kind of perverted—.”

Seo Ga-eul started to say something but then closed her mouth.

She crossed her legs elegantly, swinging one ankle, her long legs extending from the oversized T-shirt she wore like a dress.

“Enviable. If I had something like that, life would’ve been twice as convenient.”

In truth, this “Emotion” was originally Seo Ga-eul’s.

Looking back, it meant that Seo Ga-eul had a strong desire that had led to the awakening of the concept of “Emotion.”

“Why don’t you awaken the concept of ‘Emotion’ yourself?”

“Are you stupid? There’s only one of each concept in the world. They don’t overlap. Unless you die and your concept gets released into the market.”

“Oh, I see. Then how about handing over the concept of ‘Length’ to me?”

“What? So, you don’t know everything after all? For me to transfer my concept to someone, I need to know them well. And I have no idea who you really are.”

So, she couldn’t just give her abilities to anyone.

That means the future Seo Ga-eul transferred her abilities to me, Han Nam-jin, because she knew me very well.

# # #

I often thought back to my first meeting with Seo Ga-eul.

Did the future Seo Ga-eul know that I only had a middle school education or that I had tamed Ying-ying?

I was just a guy scraping by, running errands for others in the outskirts.

Why would Seo Ga-eul, hailed as “Supernova” and humanity’s hope, take an interest in someone like me?

Back then, unlike now, there was no connection between us at all.

I wanted to ask her.

But the only person who could answer that question—

“Tell me about yourself. Who the hell are you? Why did you lock me up and pull this kind of crap? Your name really is Han Nam-jin, right?”

—was now someone who knew nothing about me.

Still, she seemed to have pieced together some guesses and began to speak.

“You said you transferred to Yeongsa High School from Yeongmun High, right? That’s not a place you can get into just by studying well. They check family background and parents’ professions too. But you—”

She glanced around with her sharp, snake-like eyes.

The loud cries of restless cats in heat echoed outside.

“You don’t live in a particularly nice neighborhood. Your family situation wasn’t good either. So how did you manage to get into Yeongmun High? Then you transferred to the Stage. Suspicious. Who the hell are you?”

“I’d rather talk about you than myself. I heard at school today that your situation was processed as ‘sick leave.’ Not as missing. Do you know anything about that?”

“…….”

Seo Ga-eul, who had been chattering like a dam had burst, suddenly froze.

It seemed I had touched on something I shouldn’t have.

For a moment, I thought we were finally connecting through our conversation, but I was wrong.

Seo Ga-eul clammed up entirely, refusing to engage, even when I offered her a cola.

Frustrating.

I needed to train and acquire better concepts by cooperating with Seo Ga-eul as soon as possible.

As my impatience grew, something in my pocket popped out and clung to Seo Ga-eul’s leg.

━Gyiing.

“Huh?”

Seo Ga-eul’s ruby-red eyes widened.

In the next moment, she lost her composure and screamed.

“Sh*t, it’s a monster! Sh*t! A monster! It’s a monster! Kill it! Kill it now!”

「Name: Seo Ga-eul

Possesses: Tap to expand ☜

《???》 – Your ‘Emotion’ level is insufficient to view this.

《Refined Lady Lv.2》 – Graceful like a heavenly fairy. Will never engage in anything dirty.

《Length Lv.1》 – Can adjust the length of objects like a rubber band.

Status: 《Frenzied》 – Fully intent on stomping the monster to death!」

Thud! Thud thud!

Seo Ga-eul furiously stomped on Ying-ying with her feet.

Though Ying-ying’s squishy, cushion-like body didn’t seem to take much damage, my heart felt like it was being torn apart.

“Wait a second! Ying-ying is a monster, yes, but it’s a kind monster!”

“What? What kind of bullsh*t is that? Let me warn you—there’s no such thing as a kind monster in this world. If a monster shows kindness to humans, it’s just a ploy to deceive them for greater malice. So move! Let me kill it!”

Wait… haven’t I had this conversation somewhere before?

For some reason, I instinctively knew what I had to do.

I placed Ying-ying on my palm, cleared my throat, and started to sing softly.

“Butterfly, Slowbro, the home of the birds. No matter how much someone insists it’s their land, the crocodiles will appear.”

Doom-chit doom-chit—.

Ying-ying swayed rhythmically to the song.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure it would work, but Ying-ying truly loved music and rhythm by nature.

Seo Ga-eul’s expression subtly shifted as she watched.

“A kind monster?”

“Out of everyone I know, it’s the kindest.”

Seo Ga-eul looked at me and Ying-ying with an expression that screamed we were completely insane.

Then, she slowly extended a pale leg toward me.

Was she trying to seduce me again?

Last time, I gave her a proper punishment with the “Rod of Love,” but it seemed my message hadn’t sunk in.

Just as I grabbed a nearby fly swatter, Seo Ga-eul spoke coldly.

“Stockings.”

“Stockings?”

“I can’t fully awaken a concept unless I’m wearing stockings. That’s one of my limitations. So go buy me some stockings, sorted by denier. If you do, I’ll tell you why I’m on ‘sick leave.'”

A limitation tied to wearing stockings?

What kind of nonsense is that?

“I’ll give you ten minutes.”

Seo Ga-eul didn’t seem to be lying.

If she was willing to tell me why she was on ‘sick leave,’ it was a deal worth taking.

I could make it to the nearby convenience store and back in ten minutes.

“Then just play with Ying-ying for a bit.”

“Hey! Are you insane? You’re going to leave me alone with a monster? At least unlock these chains before you go!”

“Ying-ying is kind, I promise. I’ll be back soon.”

With that, I closed the basement door, locked it tightly, and headed out the gate.

“Han Nam-jin.”

Someone called my name, making me tense.

It was Yoo Yeoreum.

“I wanted to apologize for what happened earlier in the underground waterway, so I asked your friends and found your house.”

“Apologize?”

“But I heard this was your house. So why are you coming out of the neighbor’s place?”

Ziiing—.

In the dim light of the spring evening, Yoo Yeoreum’s gaze burned intensely.