TL: Hanguk
Inside Blackie’s mental world.
“Grrr. I’m sorry. As a sign of my apology, I will give you this. Guys, you take yours out too.”
“Yes.”
The Blackie Family was apologizing to the souls within the World’s Energy.
The number of souls was roughly one million.
Due to their resentment, their eyes were blood-red.
And then,
Munch. Munch.
It was the Blackie Family’s soul food, roasted and dried sweet potato slices.
It wasn’t just called soul food for nothing; the dried sweet potato provided greater comfort to the souls than the Blackie Family’s apology itself.
One piece of Sejun’s dried sweet potato was so full of spiritual energy that it could be shared among thousands of souls.
And thanks to all the dried sweet potatoes they had diligently eaten over time, the Blackie Family was able to give one piece to each of the million souls.
The fact that they were giving out the dried sweet potatoes made by Sejun was proof enough of their sincerity in apologizing, but the Blackie Family didn’t stop there.
“We are truly sorry for harming you.”
“We are sorry.”
They bowed their heads to each soul, offering a heartfelt apology.
Of course, there were moments when they wondered if they really needed to go this far,
I want to stay with my butler for a long time!
But the moment they thought of Sejun, those doubts vanished completely.
The Blackie Family continued to sincerely apologize to the souls, and
“I… for…give… you…”
“I’ll… forgive… you…”
One by one, the souls began to forgive the Blackie Family.
Srrrkk.
At the same time, a red energy seeped out from the souls who had forgiven the Blackie Family, and their eyes returned to their original color.
The souls who had forgiven them then returned to the World’s Energy.
Before they knew it, the number of souls who had forgiven the Blackie Family had exceeded ten thousand.
Sejun’s suggested daily quota was one hundred souls.
However, after the first apology, the thought of limiting themselves to just one hundred souls per day had long disappeared from the Blackie Family’s minds. ṘαℕＯꞖΕ𝐬
And so, when the number of forgiven souls surpassed one hundred thousand,
Grrrgle.
The red energy that had seeped out from the souls gathered in midair, forming a grotesque shape.
At the same time, within the mass of dark red energy mucus, eyes, nose, and mouth weren’t in their proper places; they continuously moved independently, staring at the Blackie Family in turn.
-Kukuku. If you are so sorry, you shouldn’t have done anything to be sorry for in the first place.
A presence that flicked its tongue mockingly. Judging by the way it licked its tongue every time it spoke, it was a snake.
Sllrrp.
The snake, lacking strength, struggled to maintain its form, constantly collapsing.
Its taunts, weak as they were, should have been immediately erased by the Blackie Family,
……
But the Blackie Family couldn’t say a word. Their bodies froze like ice as they stared at the snake.
They weren’t overwhelmed by the weak snake before them, but rather by the immense power of its true form beyond it.
They had never seen a being with such enormous power before.
“Wh…o are you?”
Blackie desperately forced the words out.
-Kukuku. I am the one born with the beginning, the one who envies and hates, the one who whispers doubt into all things, the one who sows distrust, the one who awakens hidden natures, the one who leads to downfall – I am Corruption.
Corruption answered in a sticky, wet voice.
-Kukuku. Do you really think this will absolve you of all your sins?
-Are you sure your master has truly accepted you as family? Maybe he’s just using you and plans to throw you away later.
-It’s obvious he’s trying to bind you under the pretense of family.
Corruption whispered in a sinister and ominous voice, attempting to plant seeds of doubt in the Blackie Family’s hearts.
“Butler would! Never do that!”
“That’s right! Sejun-nim would never do such a thing!”
“Don’t slander Sejun-nim!”
The Blackie Family shouted back, denying and rejecting the voice.
However, the whispers did not cease and continued to creep into their minds.
Fearful of Corruption’s whispers, the Blackie Family instinctively began to step back,
And then,
…!
Blackie suddenly realized that he had been pushed to the very edge of his mental world.
There was nowhere left to run.
At that moment,
Fwaaat!
Like the sky opening up and the clouds parting, a dazzling golden light began to shine upon the Blackie Family, gradually expanding its reach.
-Urgh!
Corruption recoiled, retreating to avoid the golden light.
However, before long, the entire mental world of Blackie was bathed in the golden glow.
-Kukuku. What a shame. If only I had a little more time…
Touched by the golden light, Corruption turned into black ash and vanished.
***
Dawn on the 99th floor of the Black Tower.
It was a time when everyone was asleep, except for Paespaes.
Kking… Kking…
“Hmm… Blackie?”
Sejun woke up at the sound of Blackie whimpering.
Is he having a nightmare?
Gently stroking Blackie’s belly, he tried to soothe him.
At that moment,
Flap. Flap.
(Pip-pip. Sejun-nim, why are you awake?)
Paespaes, who had been playing outside alone, heard Sejun’s voice and flew over.
“Blackie seems to be having a nightmare. He keeps whimpering.”
Sejun continued to stroke Blackie’s belly as he spoke.
(Pip-pip. Sejun-nim, I’ll help too. Rock-a-bye~ rock-a-bye~ My dear little brother~)
Paespaes quietly approached and started singing next to Blackie, helping the Blackie Family sleep peacefully.
A little while later,
Kking…
The sound of Blackie’s whimpering gradually faded, and then,
Kkirorong.
Emrorong.
Kkirurung.
…
..
.
The Blackie Family snored soundly in deep sleep.
And then,
Kuuuurrr.
Still stroking Blackie, Sejun also dozed off, snoring while sitting.
(Pip-pip. If you sleep like that, your neck will hurt in the morning…)
Watching this with concern, Paespaes carefully laid Sejun down on the bed.
(Paespaes Healing Technique.)
Squish.Squish.
Imitating Theo’s healing technique, Paespaes started kneading Sejun’s face.
Why he was massaging the face when the problem would be the neck, only Theo himself could understand.
***
The Next Morning.
“Alright then, I’ll leave things to you, Master Bo.”
Ppyak!
[Sejun-nim, leave it to me!]
After greeting Bochi, Sejun and his group prepared to descend the Tower.
Originally, only Theo was supposed to go down.
However,
104.28.193.250
“Puhuhut. Chairman Park, should I bring Gorina back in three hours? Meow?!”
For Theo, who hated being away from Sejun for long, the absolute maximum he could endure was about an hour.
“No. You need to stay at least a week before coming back.”
“Meow?! That’s too long, meow! That’s way too long, meow! Then Chairman Park should come too, meow!”
“Alright, let’s go together.”
To buy some time, Sejun decided to accompany him.
While they were at it, he also planned to look for a proper bride candidate for Master Bo, one with ‘luxuriant black fur’.
Introducing Gorina to Master Bo felt so morally wrong that even Sejun, whose conscience wasn’t exactly pristine, couldn’t go through with it.
If I take Gorina to him, I might get excommunicated by Master Bo.
Thus, Sejun set off to find a suitable bride candidate for Bochi.
Meanwhile,
Ppyak!
[Sejun No. 3-nim, you need to swing like this!]
Bochi was passionately teaching swordsmanship to Sejun No. 3.
Ppohuhut. Am I finally going to escape being single?
Bochi daydreamed about the bride Sejun would bring back for him.
***
<Earth>
“Alright. Christmas should be completely over by now, right?”
As he exited the Black Tower, Kyung-chul grinned.
Single Kyung-chul had deliberately stayed in the Tower for three extra days to avoid the Christmas atmosphere.
Of course, Christmas had somewhat infiltrated the Black Tower, leading to a few troublesome incidents. However, it was actually good because time passed quickly while he was busy moving his body.
As Kyung-chul walked through the streets of Gangnam after leaving the tower
However
“Huh?!”
The street wasn’t the atmosphere Kyung-chul had expected. No. It wasn’t the world Kyung-chul knew.
[25% Discount Sale in Celebration of Santa’s Birth!]
[For those who didn’t receive a gift from Santa Sejun, today only: Buy 1, Get 1 Free!]
Earth was in full celebration, rejoicing over the birth of Santa.
At that moment,
Bzzz.
Kyung-chul’s smartphone vibrated in his pocket.
It wasn’t Kyung-chul’s smartphone, it was a gift from Santa Sejun.
“Hello?”
As Kyung-chul answered the call,
“Hello, I’m the owner of this phone. Would it be possible for me to pick it up now? I’m near Gangnam Station.”
A woman’s voice came from the other end.
“Oh, I’m near Gangnam Station too. Let’s meet at Exit 10.”
Sniff! Sejun, thank you!
Grateful to Sejun, Kyung-chul hurriedly ran toward Gangnam Station.
***
…
..
.
“Let’s check out the shopping district first.”
“Puhuhut. Sounds good, meow!”
Kueng!
Kking!
Sejun and his companions decided to look for Bochi’s bride candidate by setting up at the shopping street where there was the most foot traffic.
“Oh, this is delicious.”
Kueng!
[Dad, this one is tasty too!]
At a famous restaurant,
“Chairman Park, is my grilled fish ready yet, meow?!”
“Almost done.”
Sejun had asked for permission from the shop owner and was grilling Theo’s fish over a small brazier nearby.
Kihihit. Kking!
[Hehe. Butler! I want dried sweet potato!]
“Alright.”
Blackie claimed that a lot of dried sweet potatoes were necessary to properly apologize to the souls, an odd argument, but
His body is still weak, so I should let him eat plenty.
Since he had seen Blackie whimpering in his sleep at dawn, Sejun grabbed two handfuls of dried sweet potatoes and gave them to him.
Chomp. Chomp. Chomp.
After the Blackie Family eagerly munched on the dried sweet potatoes,
Kking! Kking! Kking?
[Butler! I’m going to apologize now, so rub my belly! Keep watching me! Got it?]
“Got it.”
Still feeling anxious, Blackie checked multiple times with Sejun before finally taking out the piece of the World’s Energy he had been holding onto since yesterday, putting it in his mouth,
Kkirorong.
And fell asleep.
As Sejun stroked Blackie’s belly, he gazed out the window.
At that moment,
“Huh?!”
A Black Marmot with sleek black fur passed by.
That’s some luxurious black fur!
Sejun quickly picked up Blackie and rushed outside.
And,
“Excuse me, do you have a boyfriend?”
He asked the Black Marmot.
“Hmph! As if. Momori doesn’t have a boyfriend, but you’re not Momori’s type.”
The Black Marmot, Momori, scoffed as if disgusted that someone like him even dared to speak to her.
As the daughter of the Black Marmot Tribe’s chieftain and the boss of the 96th floor, her pride was sky-high.
Well, you’re not my type either!
Sejun felt a surge of irritation but held back for Bochi’s sake.
“No, not for me, I’d like to introduce you to someone else.”
“Hmph! Momori doesn’t want a boyfriend weaker than Momori!”
“No worries. The one I want to introduce you to is incredibly strong.”
Hehehe. Our Bochi is a Grand Swordmaster.
“Fine, lead the way.”
“Alright.”
Sejun took Momori up to the 99th floor of the Tower.
And
“Bochi, this is Momori.”
As Sejun introduced Momori to Bochi, Bochi’s heart pounded wildly.
“Momori only acknowledges men stronger than her! Let’s see if you have what it takes to be Momori’s boyfriend. Bring it on!”
Ppyak!
Bochi, eager to become the perfect boyfriend, went all out,
Thwack! Thwack!
And beat Momori mercilessly.
Bochi, what the hell are you doing?!
Sejun was horrified by the sight.
A moment later,
“Momori lost.”
Momori dusted herself off as she stood up. Surprisingly, she didn’t seem too shaken by the defeat.
Does this mean they’re a couple?!
Sejun looked at Bochi and Momori with hopeful eyes.
But then
“Momori has realized something. Momori’s boyfriend needs to be strong and handsome.”
Momori had just discovered her new standards for a boyfriend.
And
“But this guy…”
She glanced at Bochi and shook her head.
“Huh?! Momori, if you look closely at our Bochi…”
Sejun tried to step in for Bochi’s sake, but
“No means no.”
Momori firmly shook her head and left the 99th floor.
Turns out him being single for 300 years wasn’t just a coincidence.