Chapter 123: The Battlefield Of Proof, Ulleung (9)
To lead the hero astray, I made my wife unable to conceive.
There was one premise to make clear:
Who was the wife we’re talking about here?
Of course, it was the head of Yi Maemangryang, the ‘Chairwoman’.
The Chairwoman told me to actively recruit Baek Seol-hee and Yumir and even directly said I could introduce her as my wife.
So, the wife I was referring to was the Chairwoman.
Then, if my wife could not get pregnant at the moment, it meant that the Chairwoman was in a situation where she couldn’t conceive.
“Is that…true?”
“Yes. My wife, even if she wants to, cannot get pregnant right now.”
It was not a lie.
“And, the story about having a daughter…?”
“……”
Right.
I had mentioned having a daughter in a previous conversation here.
“…That was the case then, and this is the situation now.”
“….Ah!”
I apologized silently.
I would deceive even Yumir to convince Baek Seol-hee.
It was evident why she couldn’t get pregnant now.
“Well, it’s a bit awkward to mention casually since it concerns family matters, and I may have been rude to you, Seol-hee, so I’ll tell you the truth.”
There was no need to lie unnecessarily about this issue. If the lie was exposed, it would be a significant problem.
“My wife wanted a child. We loved each other, still do, and will continue to love. We bore the fruit of our love, but… there’s just a small issue. Yes.”
But you should listen to Korean sentences till the end.
“If it was a problem that could be medically solved or with the help of special abilities, I would do anything. But it didn’t work out. Haha. We tried everything… but some things just don’t work out. Hehe. It’s really…”
There were two ways to annoy people in the world: one was to stop talking abruptly, and the second was-
“My wife is… Phew.”
Just like that.
“I’m sorry for unnecessarily stressing you out, Seol-hee.”
Being a villain, I wouldn’t finish what I started to say.
Leaving out only the most crucial part.
Just as if you were to take out the meat patty from a hamburger and say, ‘As you see, it’s a hamburger’, I hid the most critical truth.
“So… your wife can’t get pregnant right now?”
“Yes.”
There was no lie.
“She became a body that wants to but cannot conceive.”
This sentence was based on a perfect fact and would not be judged as a lie, even in a courtroom.
So what was the reality?
There was no need for Baek Seol-hee to know.
“What I said before was… I was trying to paint a rosy picture. I apologize, Seol-hee.”
To turn a contradictory lie into the truth, simply wrap it up with a bigger lie.
“That’s how it is.”
“Oh, how long has it been?”
“……”
All I needed was silence.
Holding a cup with bokbunja juice, I looked outside, waiting for Baek Seol-hee to respond.
“Then… the suggestion to commit adultery was…?”
“Perhaps it’s a consideration since there’s something she can’t provide, asking to get it from someone else. I really don’t know.”
I made it clear I didn’t know.
“My wife needed her own time, and just as I entered Sejong Island, we both took a break. That’s how things turned out.”
But my gaze was lowered as I gently swirled the bokbunja-filled cup and offered a bitter smile.
“Sometimes, I get confused too. Wondering if this is right or whether we should continue this way.”
To cover up the truth, I added a verbose yet meaningless statement.
“But what’s clear is that I love my wife.”
Upon reflection, it may seem like a non-sequitur, but I appealed to emotion, clouding rational judgment.
“Just living like this is my destiny. Whether it’s the will of the heavens, a trial given by God, or love.”
Concluding with religious faith that was difficult to persuade rationally.
“Are you disillusioned?”
Then I turned the arrow to Baek Seol-hee.
“I might have spoken about my situation a bit pitifully, but this is who I am. Using Seol-hee’s situation, I imposed my situation on her without even asking.”
“… No.”
Finally.
Baek Seol-hee began to speak.
“Ji-hwan has done nothing wrong. I think… she probably hasn’t done anything wrong either.”
Confusion was evident in Baek Seol-hee’s eyes.
It seemed like she felt the need to comfort him while speaking, and she didn’t want to criticize his wife, especially after he said he loved her.
“Seol-hee.”
“Yes. Maybe she became like this due to… stress from the miscarriage.”
“…….”
“There are some things that men can’t understand about women.”
I see.
“That kind of stress can lead to depression. And that might be her way of dealing with it.”
She had totally fallen for it.
“The stress of not being able to have a child can manifest like that. Like in historical dramas set in the Joseon dynasty, where they bring in a second wife because the first can’t have a child. Not that… uh, what I mean is…”
“…….”
It was not that I was unable to respond. I just didn’t want to make matters worse.
“I’ve heard a lot of stories about couples who suffered for years because they couldn’t have a child. After one major setback, in vitro fertilization fails, artificial insemination fails… It’s not just about money, but not seeing the fruit of love between a couple is truly challenging.”
Without me saying anything, wasn’t Baek Seol-hee fleshing out the details herself?
“I’ve heard of families divorcing because they couldn’t have children. Stories of couples separating because the woman reached a certain age without having a child. And it’s unclear whose fault it is… so they just wish each other happiness and part ways.”
Baek Seol-hee looked at me with a serious face.
“There’s one thing I want to ask, and it might be rude, but is there a problem on one side?”
“Medically, there’s no issue.”
I spoke the truth.
Piecing together the truth from clues and finding the answer might be a task for later, but for now, I had given Baek Seol-hee the best answer I could.
“Alright. Ji-hwan, do you want a child with your wife?”
“Yes.”
There was no lie in that.
“I’d love to have a child with my wife and form a soccer team.”
“… 11 players?”
Baek Seol-hee’s eyes widened in shock.
It might be a cliché, but saying you wanted not just two or three children but 11 could be momentarily baffling.
Wasn’t 11 a bit overboard?
Right. I deliberately threw out a larger number.
And since I had already gone overboard, I should throw in another curveball.
“Don’t we need 22 for a soccer match?”
“… That’s impressive. It shows how much you love your wife, right?”
“Of course.”
I declared it with a strong will, showing off my love for my wife.
It was true, after all.
“Of course, having that many children would be hard on my wife’s body. It’s just a figure of speech.”
I mentioned a realistic reason to patch up my exaggeration, but at the same time, I conveyed confidence that if physically possible, I would do it.
“I’d love to bear a child on behalf of my wife, but biologically, there are male and female roles, so it’s impossible.”
The only thing present was the truth.
“It’s not about biological reproduction or a miracle-like probability of having a child with super abilities, but I want to have a child with the woman I love and pass on everything I’ve achieved. I want to bring into this world a child that my wife and I will love for our entire lives.”
Without falsehood, only the truth was spoken.
“Just, it just didn’t go well.”
Baek Seol-hee’s expression began to darken.
“How is Seol-hee doing?”
My turn was over.
Now, it was time to turn the arrow to Baek Seol-hee.
“Seol-hee, have you ever thought of having a child with someone you love? Seriously?”
“……”
“Not marrying someone assigned by the state and bearing their child as an act of patriotism, but have you ever thought of having a child with someone you personally desire?”
“……”
Baek Seol-hee’s expression steadily became more rigid. Regardless of whether she had that thought or not, it was difficult to bring up such a topic here and now.
“That.”
Baek Seol-hee pointed outside with a somewhat strained face.
“Can I have a moment to think?”
“……”
Originally, no thinking time should be granted here.
But for Baek Seol-hee, it didn’t matter.
Why?
From a young age.
This world, this country taught those with abilities:
Be a good person.
Help those in need.
“Yes. Come in when you’re ready. I’ll be tidying up the bedroom for a bit.”
From a young age, the country and the world taught Baek Seol-hee to be kind.
Brainwashing and propaganda.
Facing propaganda with brainwashing.
To use falsehood when it was disadvantageous.
Use the truth when it is advantageous.
Through deception and misdirection, the goal was to ultimately make Baek Seol-hee ‘on my side’.
Indeed.
Manipulation.
In the original story, I brainwashed the heroine to make her my own, all because I was the Goblin.
At that moment.
“Welcome.”
“Wow.”
Yumir stared wide-eyed at the pension (guesthouse).
“How much is it for a night here?”
“It varies, but for one night at the least…”
Whispering.
The pension owner whispered something very quietly to Yumir, who covered her mouth in surprise.
“That’s… incredibly expensive, isn’t it?”
“It’s a top-tier facility, and it even comes with its own hot spring.”
“Well, maybe…”
Yumir lowered her voice slightly.
“Is there any chance I could book a room for next weekend? I have enough money.”
“Oh dear. I’m truly sorry. This pension only accepts one group per day. And…”
Mr. Jang, the owner, shook his head.
“All the rooms are fully booked due to reservations.”
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