Chapter 104: 103 – Coincidence or Destiny – Part III

The fragrant smell of freshly cooked ramen filled the kitchen.

It wasn't exactly how I wanted to make it. If I had my way, I would have made the ingredients from scratch, but all that we had in the pantry right now were instant ramen packs.

Of course, I was a cheat and could probably turn literal shit into gold, so that wasn't a problem.

...Also probably wasn't the best comparison to make, but the point was that I was making god-tier ramen to sort out this mess while also biding time to think about the next steps.

It was unexpected.

Right now, all the girls were seated around the kitchen table and chatting while they waited for me to finish cooking.

Jinhee, Seunghae, Yuri, and Claire.

As always these days, I was outnumbered. But unlike how it usually was these days, I had a battle plan on how to deal with this.

Claire was being an MVP at the moment in distracting everyone with the fact that she could speak fluent Korean now.

Especially Jinhee, who seemed to be doing her best to not cringe at the fact that Claire might have been able to understand everything she was saying the entire time.

Claire didn't, but the fact that she had a great pokerface and also was perfect at deadpan responses helped push that image. Well, that and the fact that Jinhee was really good at talking herself into believing her own theories, for better or for worse.

But anyway, the plan.

You see, although it was out of the blue and bad luck to meet all those girls at the same time, it was also a great opportunity.

I had been wondering about how to bring up the truth to Jinhee. Out of everyone who deserved to know things the most, she was definitely number one. And out of everyone who could potentially cause a giant mess later on if things snowballed, she was also number one.

So I was already thinking about how to pull her into Paradise and bring her into the loop. But I was worried. After all, the only 'proper' way to ensure she got the protections of an Earthling was for her to go through the Tutorial along with everyone else. But while I had confidence in my little sister's ability to survive, I also had confidence in the fact that the Parasite Queen and Paradise was out to fuck me over in any way possible like a jealous ex who wanted hate sex.

In short, I was worried about Jinhee going in alone.

But there was an opportunity here now.

I'd have to talk things over with a few different people... Mostly Seol, Seonhwa, Gula, and Hannah, but if things went as planned...

Well. If I was being serious, I would *kill* to have Jinhee on my side to help sort out this giant mess of relationships. And it would also be good for her to have some friends she could trust too, so having Seunghae and Yuri along would help.

But that was for later. Right now... Ramen.

I finished prepping the noodles in the pot and then slowly added in the sauce powders, making sure to gradually infuse the flavors into each of the noodles. At the same time, I kept a careful check on the water temperature to prevent them from being overcooked...

Is what I would say if I was a proper chef like the original Seol. I wasn't (yet), so I just cheated a bit and used my skills to make the 'ideal ramen.'

And like that, after about ten minutes, I walked back to the kitchen table with four bowls of ramen balanced on my arms.

"Here you go, girls. Fresh ramen made by yours truly."

Jinhee slid her bowl over after I set it down and then tilted her head, staring at the ramen. "...Huh." She picked up her fork and said, "This ramen seems different from the one you used to make, Oppa."

I set down the rest of the ramen bowls in front of Seunghae, Yuri, and Claire before sitting myself down next to Claire.

Was it because they were grilling Claire to try and get juicy info out of her? The younger girls were seated at one side of the table, making a panel of three against Claire.

Jinhee was in the center, with Seunghae on the left and Yuri on the right.

Despite that, Claire didn't seem bothered at all, still completely cool after I sat down.

Seunghae pulled her bowl towards her and then peered inside, frowning. "...Hmph." She picked up her spoon and said, "At least you can still cook. Cheater."

I sighed at seeing Seunghae's sharp expression. "It's more complicated than that, Seunghae."

"That's what all cheaters say."

Yep. Definitely wasn't getting through to her. Though considering how Seonhwa might have been at home after our first serious chat... I didn't blame her.

Yuri pulled her ramen bowl over and started twirling her noodles, staring at them with bright eyes. "Wow, Oppa. I guess working at your office job turned you into an expert instant ramen noodle chef, huh?"

Jinhee snorted. "Sure. 'Office job.'"

"Eh?" Yuri tilted her head. "Does Oppa not have an office job?"

And there's the question.

I sighed and said, "It's complicated. Though I guess it's about time I said what I did."

Claire glanced at me as I said that, her eyes wide. "Jihu?"

I waved my hand and said, "Don't worry, Claire. I won't break the contract here."

Jinhee looked between me and Claire, frowning. "...Contract?"

Seunghae pursed her lips, staring at me.

As for Yuri...

"Um." She raised her hand and said, "Is it alright for me to be here, Oppa?"

I nodded and said, "It's fine. Since you ended up here tonight, it seems like it's fate."

Or divine intervention of some sort, but whatever the case, this was in my favor.

Jinhee's frown deepened and she said, "...Oppa. Is it true then? Are you... Did you get involved in something dangerous again because of me?"

"...It's complicated. And I can't go through all the details right now until you all pass the 'clearance.' But when you do... Well." I smiled at Jinhee and said, "I'd be happy to have my smart and cute sister along to help sort out the mess I'm in."

Jinhee snorted. "You mean the mess you put yourself in with those women?"

"Guilty as charged, haha... But anyway. Let's eat first. After that, we can talk about the next steps..."

xxx

The Good Pork Belly Place, early in the morning.

I sat down at a booth, waiting for my guest to arrive while I sipped on a glass of water and scrolled through the reports Hao texted me.

"So Roe is doing better these days, huh?"

It seemed like my gift had lifted her mood a lot. And judging from the fact that I didn't see any colors next to her name anymore... other than a faint wisp of crimson thread that I was 100% going to cut ASAP, it seemed like she was doing fine. At the least, that desperate woman I saw in that future vision wouldn't come to pass.

Although...

I set my glass of water down and frowned. "Hao's group is going to take Sinyoung's place, huh?"

It made sense. With Sinyoung gone, there was a huge power vacuum left in Scheherazade. And unless someone stepped in, there was going to be a giant powergrab mess.

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But it seemed like Hao was a step ahead of me and used the gift I sent as a chance to both win favor with Roe, protect her like I asked, and get a new home for the Triads where they didn't have to compete with Sicilia.

A plate clattered on the table in front of me. Fresh pork belly and rice. And the server...

"Should I take you showing up here as you taking my offer to have some fun, 'Oppa'?"

Sora gave me a cheeky grin and then wiped her hands down on her apron before smoothing out her black waitress outfit. "Asking me to reserve the entire place this morning and to send Sohyun home early..." She sat down and crossed her arms, lightly tugging at the collar of her shirt. "My. I didn't expect to get roped into an affair... It's kind of exciting."

"Very funny, Sora." I pulled the plate of food closer and said, "Pretty sure that Resa and Yuhui would kill me if I did that though since they're still waiting their turn."

Which reminded me that I needed to figure out that cloning skill/magic ASAP.

My powers seemed to be taking the Wuxia cultivation route, so I should be able to do something like that, right? I mean, weren't clones a staple of cultivation?

Maybe if I smacked Seol around I could figure it out. He was somehow running around in Paradise, so maybe seeing him could give me some hints.

Sora laughed and then uncrossed her arms, smiling. "True. I think I'll wait for the dust to settle first."

"Great. So we'll sort it out in the next life then."

Sora snorted.

At that time, a bell rang as someone walked in through the front door.

I glanced over to see Maldong enter, taking off his fedora.

Maldong swept his gaze across the room before settling on me and Sora. Seeing that, an amused smile crossed his face and he said, "You really like playing with fire, don't you, Kid?"

"More like I can't keep the girls off me, Gramps."

Maldong chuckled and then glanced at Sora. "Think you could make your old man some food too?"

Sora got up and said, "Of course, Grandpa. Try not to die of a heartattack from whatever Jihu tells you though."

Maldong blinked.

"H-Hey!" I glared at Sora and said, "I'm not going to say anything *that* shocking."

Sora rolled her eyes. "Coming from the man who's been pulling tricks out of his hat like it's going out of fashion... Sure, Dear. Keep telling yourself that."

With that, Sora left to head back into the kitchen, starting up the grill for a fresh batch of pork belly.

Maldong took her place and sat down across from me, staring at my food.

I noticed and pushed it towards him. "Did you want some?"

Maldong waved his hand and said, "You eat first. Knowing the girls hanging around you, I bet you need the energy."

"...You're not wrong." I sighed and started eating. "I don't regret a lot of things... Especially since I turned my life around. But stealing the hearts of all these girls is definitely one of them."

"Most men would kill to be in your position, you know?"

"And most men would be dead by now trying to live this life."

"True." Maldong set his fedora on the table and then put on a serious face. "So I take it this isn't just a casual call, Jihu?" He paused. "...Or are you just using this old man to get a break from your women on this Sunday morning? I don't mind, but I'd rather not be in the crossfire of that war..."

"You and me both. But no, this is serious." I took a sip from my water before saying, "What do you think about taking over the September halfway point?"

Maldong frowned, giving me a sharp look. "...Are you serious?"

I nodded. "There are a few people I want to bring in to that side. But if I just send them in normally, I'd be worried about their safety. And I think the gods would be mad if I flipped over their training grounds like that."

"...That would be a problem." Maldong rubbed his chin and said, "Even if you did all those achievements, it would be a mess if you broke the tutorial by jumping in."

"Right?"

"But Jihu." Maldong looked at me and said, "...The September halfway point is less than a month away. Today is already the..." He pulled out his phone and then said, "It's already August 20th. Preparing for taking custody of the tutorial requires months of preparations to gather the funds and resources-" He paused and then gave me a blank stare.

I smiled.

Maldong let out a long sigh and said, "Right. We have Mister Moneyprinter here on our side."

I blinked at the out of character comment and said, "Have you been hanging out with Ian these days?"

Maldong snorted and said, "As if I have a choice. That guy flew in last night and showed up at my doorstep while rambling about drawing a webtoon based on your adventures in that place."

"...Sounds like him. But a webtoon, huh?" I frowned and muttered, "That's two people now making stories out of my life."

"That's because you're so ridiculous you don't seem like a real person." Maldong tucked his phone away and said, "Honestly. I knew that money wasn't a concern for you in this world as well, but to hear from your wife that you have enough net wealth to buy a few private islands with enough left over to live a comfortable life for ten thousand years was crazy."

"...What?"

Maldong waved his hand and said, "Enough about that." He leaned forward and said, "I take it this isn't a spur of the moment decision then. To take over the tutorial requires a proper organization, staff, and resources. You have the staff and resources, but Carpe Diem isn't an organization. With all the people now, we're on the same standing, but officially, we aren't one."

I nodded. "That's what I wanted to talk with you about. You see, I was thinking about reviving Elysium as a proper organization."

Maldong paused and then slowly nodded. "...I suppose that could work. You were originally the leader there, so the basic framework exists. But have you decided on a base yet? Maybe your beloved Princess's home town?"

I shook my head. "Resa would definitely push for that, and I'm sure Cinzia would take a step back since I've taken in Claire. But I've been thinking about another place."

"Where?"

I let out a cold smile and said, "Eva. Since I'm planning to root out the rot and send those bastards to the afterlife, it's the perfect place for Elysium to appear, don't you think?"

xxx

"...And that's the last of them."

Seol wrenched his spear out of a slaver's corpse before turning his attention to the captives.

Fairies with their wings ripped off. Beastkin children that had been whipped into submission with scars all over their bodies...

Seol clicked his tongue and said, "That crazy bastard needs to hurry up and get here. It's getting damned hard to resist flipping this entire place upside down instead of just running guerilla strikes."

He shook his head and then started walking around to pass out healing potions and freeing the slaves.

...It would be fine. Cruel tragedies were playing out in Eva every day and the Federation was on the verge of starting an all-out war because of it, but unlike his past self that was running wild in the other timeline since he didn't know how to fight with shadowy enemies, this crazy bastard Jihu had all the cards to lay out a royal straight flush.

Though it wasn't enough to get past his tribulation.

Seol smirked beneath his black bunny mask.

'Yeah, we'll see who has the last laugh now when you go update your status, Mister Harem God.'

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