Chapter 319: Ulleungdo Patriotic Party (1)
The pension on Ulleungdo belonged to the Secret Society.
Even within the Society, it’s not a place just anyone can enter, but I was the one who set the criteria for ‘anyone.’
In other words, if I wanted to invite someone, they could come here.
Just like how Baek Seol-hee experienced her first true patriotic act here, anyone who wished to could come here.
So, I invited Yoon Iseon.
She didn’t take off her Taeguk Watch and boarded a boat to Ulleungdo, but rather flew straight to the pension using Yumir’s dimensional portal. She also deserved to enjoy a rest here.
Unlike Yumir, who was an intern, Yoon Iseon was a full-fledged member of the Secret Society.
“Iseon, enjoy yourself to the fullest.”
“There’s no better place to recover your mana than here.”
Yun Hye-ra and Hyeon Se-rin, sitting next to me, beckoned Yoon Iseon to come closer.Their gestures were like those of villainous henchwomen trying to corrupt a hero, and in fact, these two (former) virgin ghosts were persuading Yoon Iseon.
“Hey, Do Ji-hwan is really tasty.”
“Why don’t you try it too?”
“Am I a spring potato?”
I lightly pressed the backs of Yun Hye-ra and Hyeon Se-rin’s heads with my hands, but they continued to persuade Yoon Iseon as if my attack didn’t bother them at all.
Well, that makes sense; there are two people, but only one body.
“Yumir.”
“Yes, Iseon.”
“I came to soak in the hot springs, but I’m so shocked right now.”
Yoon Iseon stared intently at Yumir, who was sitting right in front of me, and looked her up and down.
Her mana pouch and everything below it were submerged in the hot spring water, but there was no need to explain what was beneath it.
When you reached the S-rank level, even with just mana-assisted vision, you could easily see through transparent water.
Just as you could see the bottom of clear waters in places like Guam or Saipan, you could easily see through the bubbles in the hot spring.
In other words.
Yoon Iseon could see.
The reason why Yumir was currently clinging to me.
And the reason why she was sitting on top of me while I sat cross-legged.
“Really, it’s the very embodiment of shock and awe. I never imagined the Secret Society would be like this.”
“More patriotic than you thought?”
“Is this for the sake of the nation?”
“Of course. The elders say that in this era of low birth rates, having and raising children is the ultimate act of patriotism.”
It’s a saying that’s like the slogan of this country, this era, this world.
“Iseon, did you know? Up until about 2,000 years ago, Korean statisticians thought that if the low birth rate and aging population continued, Korea—the Korean people—would naturally go extinct in about 3,000 years.”
“Wouldn’t surviving for 3,000 years be considered a long time?”
“But now it’s different. After the Great Cataclysm, the birth rate has exponentially increased. Statistically, it’s now more likely that other ethnic groups will go extinct.”
“Koreanization of the entire world? Oh, come on.”
Yoon Iseon let out a hollow laugh and pointed at the three women clinging to me.
“Blonde, white-haired, and red-haired beauties, but they’re marrying Korean men and the children they have are considered Korean….”
“Said the pink-haired one.”
“Yumir, don’t speak. Every word you say sounds like a moan.”
“A moan? Haha, that’s just because my body is warm….”
“You mean the hot spring water is warm?”
“Huhu-hung.”
Yumir shrugged her shoulders and leaned back.
Due to the angle, I couldn’t see Yoon Iseon face-to-face, but Yumir twisted her body slightly, leaned her head back over my shoulder, and made eye contact with Yoon Iseon again.
“Teacher, aren’t you embarrassed?”
“I have nothing to be embarrassed about.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m confident in my body. There’s nothing about my body to be ashamed of.”
“Wow, you’re completely different from when you’re at the library and when you’re at the hot springs.”
“It’s natural to behave differently when you’re cosplaying as a regular person and when you’re acting as a Society executive.”
When you were in a place where you had to care about people’s gazes, you naturally behaved with decorum. But in a place where you could fully express yourself, acting freely was better for mental health.
“Still, Iseon, I won’t force you. Just make the right judgment regarding these two executives’ proposals.”
“If I accept their proposal, what will you do, teacher?”
“If you don’t act patriotically, you’re a traitor. If you’re going to keep living in Korea, you have to be patriotic.”
“Ha….”
Yoon Iseon tilted her head back and looked up at the sky.
“Who would have thought….”
“Iseon, we’re not asking to take over your body or anything. We’re just saying, if we’re going to do it anyway, why not make it more efficient by overlapping.”
“Yeah. If you’re uncomfortable, you don’t have to overlap with me. You can overlap with Hye-ra. Hye-ra’s a fire type too.”
“Hey. Does that really matter in this situation? The important thing is to enjoy it as it is. It’s Iseon’s choice; forcing her wouldn’t be right.”
“Is that so? Well, I like anyone, really. Hee-hee.”
Yun Hye-ra and Hyeon Se-rin spoke nonchalantly, but they were pressuring Yoon Iseon with their eyes.
“Is this what they call workplace bullying?”
“Wouldn’t it be more like an unfair command from a superior?”
“Strictly speaking, they’re superiors from another department, so you don’t have to follow their orders. Yoon Iseon is directly under me.”
That’s how the hierarchy worked.
That’s why the two executives could only make requests to Yoon Iseon, not force her.
Force her to do what?
To be patriotic.
“Iseon, no matter if the other party is Director Do, the first time can always be painful, you know? Should I do it for you instead?”
“I can do it for you too. It’s just that the first time is scary, but if you try again, it’s something you can handle. Hmm? You just need to stay still and feel it.”
“It seems like the level of conversation is getting higher.”
“We were speaking indirectly, but the level was already at its peak, wasn’t it?”
Indeed.
Though we’re talking in somewhat refined language, considering this was an outdoor hot spring where others might hear us, we’re actually directly discussing the atmosphere and foundation of this island.
Korea.
Ulleungdo.
An island where the Taegeukgi fluttered in the wind.
A place where the red and blue, the yin and yang, merged into one to create harmony.
The patriotism practiced here was, in many ways, the most effective.
“Excuse me, Teacher.”
“Yes.”
“You said Taejo did it with four idols at once, right?”
“Yes, I did.”
I told Yoon Iseon.
It’s not really a secret; it had already caused a huge gossip frenzy just because the newspapers reported that Taejo stayed at the same hotel as four idols.
“Is that true?”
“You saw it on SNS, didn’t you? The four of them posted pictures with the Taegeukgi, each holding one-fourth of it, and forming the four trigrams.”
Taejo spent the night with all four of them.
It’s hard to say anyone was at fault because Taejo, as a figure, was the most approachable S-rank man for female idols, actresses, famous celebrities, and ability users.
“Times have changed a lot. It might be that the patriarchal Confucian values have been revived. A capable man keeping multiple women.”
“Oh, but there are cases where it’s not like that.”
“Right. Over in South America, there’s an S-rank woman who lives with multiple men.”
“If you think about it that way, the world might truly be moving toward an era of genuine gender equality. Amazing.”
A time when both men and women with abilities could enjoy everything.
Though the term ‘ability’ was often associated with special powers or superpowers, in modern capitalist times, there were instances where capitalists, even if they married one person, didn’t live with just one partner.
Therefore,
“It’s true that we now live in an era where it’s not strange for ability users to live with multiple partners.”
“So, Teacher, are you saying it’s okay for you to be surrounded by three women because it’s the trend of the times?”
“It’s not so much the trend of the times, but rather, this is the easiest and fastest way I can contribute to world peace.”
Taejo’s case might be a bit promiscuous and extreme, but it’s not a huge problem for me to be seeing multiple women.
“If you’re not smart, you have to solve things with your body. What’s the easiest way to be patriotic? Contributing to the increase in the birth rate, of course.”
“……So.”
Yoon Iseon pointed at Yun Hye-ra and Hyeon Se-rin.
“No matter who, are they suggesting that they possess my body and have a relationship with you?”
“That’s what they’re saying.”
“Teacher, do you want to be patriotic with me?”
“If you want it.”
Since she’s a member of the Society, and my team member, I had no reason to refuse.
“If you don’t love me, but you’re interested, then satisfying your curiosity isn’t a bad thing.”
“But you’re a married man.”
“But I’m an ability user. It’s all done with ‘consent’.”
“……This is getting more complicated. So.”
Yoon Iseon pressed her fingers to her temples and pointed at Yumir sitting in front of me.
“Are the two executives going to possess Yumir’s and my bodies respectively, so that two bodies can enjoy pleasure as four people?”
“That’s correct, Iseon.”
“As expected, you’re smart. You didn’t become S-rank for nothing.”
The two (former) virgin ghosts, now slowly persuading Yoon Iseon, licked their lips as they leaned in closer to her.
“Think of it as helping your older sisters feel rejuvenated. Hmm? We’ll assist you with everything, so just share with us for a little while. How about it?”
“Want some help with handling fire? I was one of the top three flame masters in the world, and I still am. I can share my expertise.”
“I can teach you in detail how to handle a goblin club.”
“Ugh….”
Yoon Iseon was wavering.
I just focused on Yumir and respected whatever choice Yoon Iseon would make.
“Ah.”
Yumir gave me a sly smile, then turned to Yoon Iseon and spoke with a grin.
“Now that I think about it, my first time wasn’t with Teacher, but with the Goblin.”
Splash.
“Hey.”
Yoon Iseon grabbed Yumir’s shoulder tightly.
“What did you just say?”
“If you press that hard….!”
Bubble bubble.
The hot spring water momentarily bubbled.