Cha Eui-sung didn’t meet Moon Tae-young for about two days, just as he had planned. That didn’t mean he spent the time idly—on the contrary, he holed himself up at home, cutting down on sleep and preparing for what lay ahead.
He organized his memories, made phone calls to arrange things for the future, built connections, secured leads, and earned the funds he’d need to tie it all together…
His vow to live comfortably had already been broken, folded up like a crumpled piece of paper and pushed aside to a far corner of his heart.
[Trade Successful]
[₩222,495,520]
After securing a home, he made a few short-term trades with the leftover money, and in no time, he raked in a few extra million won. He didn’t have a detailed understanding of the stock market at this time, but just knowing the general trends and how things would unfold in the future was enough for money to breed more money rapidly.
Now that he had the funds to act again, Cha Eui-sung began to make serious plans.
“Let’s see… Kim Jeong-baek said he already found someone, didn’t he?”
Before coming down here, he had asked Kim Jeong-baek to find a child officially registered as eleven years old. The kid couldn’t have ever appeared in any form of media and needed to be smart, with at least basic acting skills.
—He’s super smart and kinda mature for his age! He knows exactly what he’s supposed to do, and he’s really motivated.
“Motivated?”
—His monthly pay is 3.5 million won, so yeah, I’d say so.
“I trust you’ve taken care of things like parental consent and all that?”
—Uh, yeah. Like I said, the guardian’s coming down with him.
“Hmm… I’ll trust that you’ve handled it properly. When can they be brought in?”
—Uh, is it urgent?
“The sooner, the better. I’d also appreciate help with housing and school transfer stuff.”
Kim Jeong-baek’s hesitant tone sounded suspiciously like someone caught red-handed, but there was no helping it. If his brain was working properly, he wouldn’t try anything stupid.
There was no need to stir up trouble by nitpicking every detail.
‘Time to go see that Demon King bastard soon anyway.’
Ugh. Cha Eui-sung let out a short groan and massaged the back of his neck.
Just thinking about seeing him again made his shoulders tense. He wasn’t someone to take lightly, and honestly, the idea made him nervous. Still, he had intentionally dragged things out for a few days to give the appearance of being unsettled, hoping the man would misinterpret it exactly as planned.
He had no shortage of excuses to hang around him, after all. Pressing his lips tightly together, Cha Eui-sung turned his head. Sitting next to the dining table was a paper bag bulging at the seams, catching his eye.
***
Humans are social animals, and to survive, they’re born with compassion. Even the most detestable person softens a little when they’re sick and on the verge of death—it’s just how we’re wired.
In that sense, feigning illness is the most efficient way to elicit others’ kindness. But if the act isn’t convincing, it only breeds resentment.
Sympathy doesn’t come cheap—if you want to exploit it, you’d better put in your best effort. Even if that “effort” borders on self-harm.
‘Goddamn it, I feel like I’m dying.’
Near the school, in a deserted alleyway. Cha Eui-sung was panting heavily.
He had held his breath until his eyeballs were practically rolling back in their sockets, and now his heart was thundering like mad, his ears ringing with a piercing buzz. After repeating this five times, the vitality that normally lit up his face had momentarily vanished.
‘Still not enough…’
On impulse, he pressed hard into his solar plexus. The pain was intense enough to make him clench his teeth and see stars, cold sweat instantly forming on his forehead.
“Ugh! Hahh, huff… whew…”
The wall he leaned against still radiated the midday heat, warm to the touch. Glancing at his reflection in his phone’s camera, Cha Eui-sung finally looked satisfied. He wiped the sweat off his face and pushed himself upright again.
Alright. Depending on how Moon Tae-young reacted to this appearance, the strategy to approach him from here on would change. Would he feel sympathy for a supposedly chronically ill person? And if so, how much? Would his guard drop? Would he grow crueler, faced with someone weak, or would he soften? Or… would nothing about him change at all?
Human nature often reveals itself in critical moments. Cha Eui-sung hoped the man was someone capable of compassion—and at the same time, wished he wasn’t just another ordinary person.
“Hello.”
“……”
Back in the principal’s office. The greeting he offered first was met with nothing in return—just a silent stare filled with wariness and a complicated expression.
‘Look at those eyes. Might as well be firing laser beams.’
The door had opened, but Moon Tae-young stood firmly in place, making it clear Cha Eui-sung wasn’t welcome to enter freely. It wasn’t the laid-back, smirking face from before—he almost looked startled by the change.
Well, this reaction made more sense. A rare awakened one, someone potentially capable of harm, had approached while hiding his identity. Maybe right now, he really did feel threatened?
Whoosh. Cha Eui-sung suddenly extended his arm. A shopping bag swung close to his face, but Moon Tae-young didn’t so much as flinch, let alone recoil.
Didn’t seem like he felt threatened. With that in mind, Eui-sung lowered the bag, and a faint smile slowly formed at the corners of Moon Tae-young’s lips.
Still, those eyes didn’t smile. They held a sharp glint, as if probing him.
‘…Cocky bastard.’
In the end, it was Cha Eui-sung who spoke first again.
“The clothes you lent me last time. They came in handy.”
“Glad to hear it.”
Moon Tae-young took the shopping bag, his gaze never once leaving Eui-sung—it was like his stare was nailed in place.
A pale face. Sweat wiped off, but beads still lingered at the edge of his forehead. Breathing slightly erratic, punctuated with quickened tempos. And an expression that said: “Cut the crap and just take your stuff.”
No matter how you looked at it, he was the kind of person who didn’t want anyone to know he was unwell. Thanks to the deliberately calm expression on his face, there wasn’t even a hint of awkwardness.
After silently examining him for a while, Moon Tae-young finally turned his body. With that, the visual blockade was gone, and the full view of the room came into Cha Eui-sung’s sight.
“Come in.”
“Sorry?”
“It’s hot outside. Since you’re already here, you might as well rest for a bit.”
Just moments ago, he had been so wary. Now, just because Eui-sung looked sick, he was readily inviting him inside. Feeling awkward, Eui-sung took a seat on the sofa. In front of him, with his back turned, came the faint clink-clink of something being stirred.
Clatter. On the tea table sat a cold glass of green tea. Moon Tae-young soon took a seat across from him.
When Eui-sung didn’t touch the drink, Moon Tae-young picked up his own glass and took a sip first.
What a funny guy. That was his way of showing there wasn’t anything suspicious in it. Eui-sung appreciated the cooperation, but it still felt like he’d just taken a hit.
And so, he wasn’t about to let it go.
“Ahem, cough, cough.”
He made an awkward clearing-of-the-throat sound and fumbled through his shirt pocket. Moon Tae-young’s eyes sharpened instantly. But what appeared at Eui-sung’s fingertips a moment later was just an ordinary handkerchief.
A little worn, slightly stained, and somehow familiar.
For just a second, the smile they shared cracked a little. Cha Eui-sung chuckled inwardly as he pretended not to notice and casually tucked the handkerchief away.
“Oh, right. The handkerchief.”
“……”
“Sorry about that. No matter how many times I washed it, the stain wouldn’t come out. I’ve put a new one in the bag, though… Anyway, I really appreciated it.”
Then, just to be obvious, he dabbed his forehead with Tae-young’s handkerchief. The chilly disbelief in those two eyes was almost tangible.
But then—
Pop!
‘Knew it.’
Moon Tae-young wasn’t planning to eliminate this potential threat on sight, nor was he considering vanishing from the face of the earth.
The Savior Gauge that rose alongside that familiar popping sound proved it.
[SAVIOR GAUGE]
■■■□□□□□□□
□□□□□□□□□□
15%
‘It doesn’t go up just from a peaceful conversation. Is it… attention?’
Or maybe curiosity? Does the gauge increase when the Demon King takes an interest or shows concern for him?
The reading was ambiguous. Reflecting that, the black eyes meeting his with a slight smirk weren’t filled with irritation alone—they held a trace of intrigue.
A kind of curiosity. Wondering who this lunatic was and what he was here for.
“Ah, by the way. Like I mentioned before, my nephew should be moving down here soon. At the latest, the residency change will be filed within a week or two. I’ll be counting on you.”
A rare flicker of genuine expression crossed Moon Tae-young’s face. He looked like he truly believed this “nephew” was real. The sight made Cha Eui-sung involuntarily snort out a laugh.
Then he downed the tea in a single gulp, stood up, and walked out the door looking much healthier than when he’d come in, lips curled into a satisfied smirk.
As he walked across the schoolyard, Cha Eui-sung fell deep into thought.
Moon Tae-young definitely had the guts and the intuition of a Demon King. But no matter how he looked at him, he didn’t seem like someone who would bring ruin to the world.
At most, his idea of destruction probably involved excessive plastic use or something like that.
‘Not that I’m really “hero” material either.’
At this point, the titles of “Hero” and “Demon King” designated by the system felt more like decorative labels than anything meaningful.
Bzzt—
Just as he was thinking about giving Kim Jeong-baek a call, a brief vibration ran through his phone. Glancing at the screen, Cha Eui-sung let out a small laugh.
Like a tiger cub—right on cue, he got a message.
[Coming down next week~]
[Ah, Mr. Kim Jeong-baek. Which day exactly?]
[Tuesday, and the school transfer’s Thursday]
So fast and efficient. The tension that had been running taut inside him began to loosen a little, soothed by the smooth progress.
The gauge was already at 15%. At this rate, he could sneak up to 30%, then 50%, and eventually hit 100%—a full bar that promised a worry-free life.
