34-29

Chapter 29 

‘What... is this?’ 

The woman lying in the bed was a complete stranger. 

The Seoul mayor, for one of the rare times in his life, felt genuine confusion. 

But only for a moment his mind quickly began to deduce what had happened. 

He’d placed “Jang Minhee’s daughter” on the bed barely a minute ago. 

And in less than thirty seconds, while his attention was diverted, someone had swapped her out? 

‘...Unless it was Ninja, this would be impossible.’ 

Ninja, currently known as the fastest “man” (actually a woman) in Korea. 

But there was no reason for Ninja to enter his home, let alone swap someone out. 

‘So, this woman must be Jang Minhee’s daughter...’ 

But she was clearly someone else. 

‘...Hallucination? Trickery?’ 

But it couldn’t be a hallucination he’d have to have been hallucinating from the very first meeting. 

And to have been hallucinating every time they met after that? 

‘...Was I deceived by a superpower?’ 

The moment he realized he’d been tricked, nausea welled up. 

All the time and effort he’d spent to obtain her was it all meaningless? 

Snore  

‘...Did I go through all that for this?’ 

He was overcome with self-loathing. He wanted to kill her on the spot. 

‘...No, no.’ 

Killing her so easily would be a blessing. 

She had to pay the proper price for daring to mock him. 

Judging by her dark skin and gaudy hair, she was likely a Ja-Ae Cult follower. 

If she relied on superpowers, her original appearance must have been even worse. 

“...Take her away.” 

“...Yes.” 

As Seoul mayor, there were countless things he could do. 

He could make people disappear... or drive them to suicide... 

No one would care if a single cult follower vanished. 

She wasn’t sent to the mayor’s collection vault, but to another basement. 

His mansion was large enough to have many hidden spaces. 

“Ugh... Where am I...” 

Last night, she’d had dinner and wine at the mayor’s house... 

“Ow!” 

Her head hurt. She must have blacked out from too much wine. 

‘...I’m screwed.’ 

Her trait, [Fairy Tale Prince], let her appear as the target’s ideal type. 

But this trait had a flaw. 

It looked like a passive skill in a game, but was actually an active one. 

It didn’t use stamina or energy, but was an on/off trait  

If the user was unconscious, it automatically turned off. 

And Pyeon Minhee knew this. 

‘I knew, but...’ 

She’d met enough men to know. 

She’d slept with plenty, and many had seen her real face. 

But they’d all been drunk, so she could always make an excuse. 

‘...The wine was just too good.’ 

For someone whose highest education was middle school, this was a tough job. 

‘By the way, where am I...?’ 

Clank  

Her wrists and ankles were shackled. 

She was in a space like a prison. 

The floor was stone, and her knees were scraped. 

“...You’re awake?” 

“...Mayor?” 

The man who stepped out of the darkness was the Seoul mayor. 

Just yesterday, they’d been laughing and dining together. 

“Mayor? What is this? I’ll call the police!” 

“...I see now. As I suspected... Jang Minhee never had a daughter.” 

“...What? What do you mean...” 

‘...He’s figured it out!’ 

What now? Her hands and feet were chained. Her pockets... 

‘...I’m not even wearing clothes.’ 

She really was screwed... 

“No matter how I think about it, I can’t calm down.” 

Step, step  

“How dare you toy with me using my first love...” 

In his hand was a torture device that made her shudder just to see it. 

‘No way...’ 

One looked like a knife with a hooked blade, the other like a pair of pliers. 

“I’m sorry! Mayor! I’ll never do it again!” 

“...Sorry?” 

Smack! 

“...Ugh!” 

He kicked her in the stomach. 

But with her hands and feet chained and her back against a stone wall, she couldn’t be knocked far. 

“Please... just once...!” 

“If you’re sorry, you have to be punished.” 

Ja-Ae Cult headquarters. 

“...Jinwoo-nim, the connection to Pyeon Minhee has been lost.” 

Han Ji-young had been monitoring Pyeon Minhee since issuing her orders. 

Seoul was essential for taking over Korea. 

To do that, they needed the Seoul mayor. 

“Where was the last place Pyeon Minhee was detected?” 

“...The mayor’s residence. The signal was lost there.” 

Seoul mayor Ha Seonghun was obsessively careful about his image. 

They’d dug into his past, but he was spotless. 

He was so perfect, it was suspicious. 

“...Has he figured everything out?” 

“That’s possible.” 

‘Do I have to go myself?’ 

He didn’t particularly care for Pyeon Minhee. After being saved, she’d immediately enjoyed a free life. 

He didn’t blame her for that. The cult encouraged it it was the right thing to do. 

But even with her improved looks, her personality hadn’t changed. 

Before salvation, she’d been timid, but after her transformation, she’d found confidence. 

But perhaps she’d become overconfident, showing open dislike for Han Ji-young. 

‘Han Ji-young is someone I care about...’ 

He’d tried to reason with her, but her attitude never changed, which was disappointing. 

But as a leader, he couldn’t be swayed by personal feelings. 

‘...Even a foolish son must still be loved.’ 

Like the famous manga line, even if they’re foolish, you have to take care of your own. 

“I’ll go myself.” 

“As you wish, cult leader.” 

‘Killing the mayor is not an option.’ 

Losing contact with Pyeon Minhee meant she’d definitely run into trouble. 

Killing him would be easy, but the aftermath would be a nightmare. 

If someone who’d won overwhelming popular support was killed, there’d be a national uproar... and if it was revealed the Ja-Ae Cult was behind it? 

‘That would be the end.’ 

Right now, people were still fighting over whether the cult was a villain or not. 

If it became known they’d assassinated the well-liked Seoul mayor, they’d be branded villains for sure. 

‘Killing him is truly a last resort.’ 

If they could win him over, that would be best... 

But the plan to do so via Pyeon Minhee had already failed. 

While thinking things over, he arrived at the mayor’s mansion. 

Creak  

He didn’t break in. 

First, he’d try to win him over. 

“I’ve been waiting for you.” 

As soon as the door opened, he saw a line of people. 

Ha Seonghun stood in the center, with five maids on each side. 

“You knew I was coming?” 

“I didn’t expect the cult leader himself, but... If I’d known, I’d have prepared a meal.” 

“...Where is she?” 

“She...? Oh, you mean that slut.” 

“....” 

‘...Pretending not to know, huh?’ 

He could tell from the mayor’s reaction that he had bad feelings toward her. 

He’d expected as much, but it confirmed the plan had failed. 

“‘Slut’ is harsh.” 

“Well... isn’t it accurate? She played with my feelings... Only wanted my money and power. It’s disgusting.” 

“I’ll be blunt: cooperate with us. If not, I’ll kill you.” 

“Haha, that’s scary... Unfortunately, I can’t die yet. I still have things I want to do.” 

“Will you cooperate with us?” 

“...Before that, there’s something I want to show you. May I have a moment?” 

“If you try anything funny...” 

“Oh, I know very well. What could I possibly do to someone who beat the Association’s rankers?” 

“....” 

...So the rumors had spread. 

‘Or maybe the Seoul mayor’s position has more power than I thought...’ 

This man was unsettling. 

‘Pyeon Minhee was never going to be enough for him.’ 

He’d been too hasty, trusting the fact that the mayor was just an ordinary person. 

“This way, please.” 

Step, step  

Ha Seonghun led the way to his office. 

Rattle  

...And there, a hidden staircase led to the basement. 

“This is the first time I’ve shown this to anyone else.” 

“...What, you got treasure down there?” 

“Haha, something more precious than treasure.” 

He was revealing a secret that no one had ever uncovered... 

‘What is he thinking?’ 

He couldn’t read this man at all. 

Had he given up? Or was he confident? 

He followed the mayor, keeping a close eye on his surroundings.