Chapter 100: Chapter 99

Ryu Seo-ha reflexively turned around. Clearly, a living room of the same shape and size as the house in Hannam-dong, Seoul was just a few steps behind. It wasn’t an illusion. Then what was this scene unfolding before his eyes?

While he was blinking in confusion, he felt a large hand caressing his cheek. When he turned his head, Choi Gang-hu gently pressed his lips to the other cheek. It was an affectionate kiss as always.

“Do you like it?”

The low whisper was sweet as usual. Rather than liking it or not, he just wanted to press for an explanation of what exactly was going on.

“Where is this?”

“South Pacific, Polynesian Islands.”

At the straightforward answer, he felt like his mind was running away to the distant horizon.

“This tower…”

“Since it’s not a place to stay for just a day or two, I thought a familiar structure would be better.”

It had the nuance of implying he would stay here continuously. The word ‘confinement’ flashed through his mind momentarily, but he soon shook his head. He had made a similar misunderstanding before. Like then, there was nothing for him to gain by confining him now.

“Is it like a vacation home?”

Though he asked gently, pushing away negative thoughts, Choi Gang-hu just gave a strange smile without a clear answer.

“Would you like to take a look around?”

Ryu Seo-ha couldn’t nod or shake his head. An odd anxiety was tickling a corner of his heart. Choi Gang-hu, who smiled charmingly, gently pulled at the waist he was still holding with one arm.@@novelbin@@

As he walked where he was led, they soon left the living room, passed through the middle door, and then the entrance. Instead of cool outside air, the warm air characteristic of indoors swirled over his skin. The scene before his eyes was different from the one in his memory.

Instead of the light green lawn and main gate that should have been visible at the Hannam-dong mansion, a spiral staircase that looked like it belonged in a movie about wizards stretched endlessly downwards. It was a height that would be difficult even to glance at for someone with acrophobia.

“The building isn’t fully constructed yet.”

Choi Gang-hu added with a regretful expression that he didn’t expect to move in before completion.

“Move in…?”

“Although it looks like a tower from the outside, once it’s finished, the interior won’t be much different from a hotel resort.”

He went on to explain that it would be an island equipped with large amenities and all kinds of leisure facilities including beaches, ski slopes, golf courses, spas, campgrounds, water parks, theme parks, movie theaters, restaurants, and arcades.

He continued that he had originally planned to reveal it while throwing a 100-day anniversary party for their relationship. Ryu Seo-ha couldn’t find words to refute the off-point answer. Was he planning to build some kind of kingdom?

“Why go to such lengths…”

Ryu Seo-ha’s words, spoken after gathering courage, were cut off by Choi Gang-hu’s action of hugging him and leaping into the central void of the staircase. The time falling downwards felt very long.

It was a height where even the famous Rapunzel’s hair would fall short of reaching the ground even if grown for a lifetime. At a glance, the pattern engraved on the stairs was unusual. Were skills and items applied?

“Don’t you like it?”

“Pardon?”

“The sea, the stars, the beautiful scenery.”

After a long while, Choi Gang-hu, who had landed on the ground floor, pressed kisses to the cheek of Ryu Seo-ha, who was tightly hugging his neck. He didn’t think to avoid the lips that touched him habitually without any context.

“Well…”

“You won’t be bored or feel confined. Each part of the island has diverse terrain and climate.”

Choi Gang-hu, who gave a wonderful smile towards him as he trailed off, placed his hand on a thick and majestic iron door like an impregnable fortress wall. The flow of mana could be felt.

With a heavy clang, the door opened. Though it seemed to open very easily, in reality, there must be layers of security devices strictly controlling external access.

“Shall we walk together, or should I carry you?”

The forest he faced, led by the large hand, was so vast and complex at first glance that it reminded him of a huge maze. It looked like it was modeled after dungeon terrain. He had the silly worry of whether this could even be managed.

“…Let’s walk together.”

Ryu Seo-ha gently waved his hand as if restraining Choi Gang-hu, who was about to lift him up again after a slight delay in answering, and took the first step holding his hand. Choi Gang-hu, smiling pleasantly, started walking alongside him.

The sight of them leisurely strolling through the dense forest of towering trees as if on a small, flat trail evoked the amusing thought that they looked like dragons out for a walk in the front yard. That’s how relaxed their attitude was.

“Will you be alright?”

“What do you mean?”

“The stigma of being a terrorist.”

In contrast, Ryu Seo-ha soon became out of breath. If he hadn’t eaten a hearty meal and recovered his stamina with the [Sanctification] buff, he would have quickly become exhausted and collapsed. But he had no intention of giving up on the conversation.

“That’s correct from their perspective, but why?”

“It happened because you were trying to rescue me, right?”

In the middle of speaking, he suddenly recalled that they had exchanged similar conversations before. When he was first kidnapped. Surely, they had exchanged words in this pattern about cleaning up the mess back then too.

“Do you want me to take responsibility for their damages?”

“…Won’t you quickly go bankrupt if you compensate for every accident you cause?”

“Didn’t you know? My wealth is an inexhaustible cornucopia.”

“Are you going to bring about the end of the world through inflation?”

“I’ll just create that much added value again. So, how do you want me to compensate?”

“…It’s fine as long as there were no human casualties.”

But the content of the conversation that followed was quite different from then.

“Then?”

“Shouldn’t you at least explain? If you don’t clarify your justification, it seems like you’ll become a public enemy and won’t be able to set foot in this world.”

The atmosphere was not at all normal. Not only had Japan’s Foreign Minister stepped forward to file a complaint with the UN Security Council over the tsunami damage, but many affected countries were criticizing Choi Gang-hu in unison. It was an unprecedented event where numerous countries directly expressed dissatisfaction towards an individual.

“I don’t care about that, but I’ll arrange a press conference.”

To say “I don’t care about that” after causing such a tremendous incident – as expected of the overpowered protagonist of a returnee story, it was truly a carefree and crisis-unaware response.

“I’ll attend too. If we also carry out some kind of healing project…”

“Ryu Seo-ha will have to wait here.”

Ryu Seo-ha’s eyes widened at the unexpected words. He thought he would say he would unconditionally keep him by his side, like right after he had been caught after running away.

“That’s why I made this place.”

A voice as gentle as the touch arranging his wind-blown hair settled by his ear.

“Is this place… somehow different?”

“Of course.”

When he stopped abruptly and asked, an immediate answer came back without even taking a breath.

“No one can enter or leave without my permission.”

The following words were also in a definitive tone.

“It can be called a truly heaven-sent fortress.”

He said the island, surrounded by beautiful coral reefs, itself acted as a shield blocking unauthorized external approaches. He also said he had planted traps throughout the island as well as defenses against spatial abilities.

Suddenly, in the distance, a blue field that seemed to clear his stuffy insides came into view. Choi Gang-hu’s mouth corners rose as he followed his gaze. The touch caressing Ryu Seo-ha’s shoulder was sweet.

“I plan to increase the island’s area further through land reclamation in the future.”

Desert, jungle, beach, mountain, river, field… His face smiling as he said he would create all the terrains on Earth in each part of the island was extremely affectionate. As was his voice adding that it was still far from enough, but he would arrange any environment as desired.

“Are you going to confine me here?”

“Hmm, borrowing a previous expression, shall we call it ‘protection’ to sound better?”

No matter how indirectly he phrased it, the true meaning wouldn’t change. Bewilderment seeped into Ryu Seo-ha’s eyes.

“Ah, I’ll allow your sister to be invited occasionally. After thorough inspection, of course.”

Choi Gang-hu smiled excitedly as if to say not to worry. Though his tone was gentle, his attitude was quite stubborn. As if no amount of pleading would change his decision.

“What if I don’t want to?”

“What’s the reason?”

“Pardon?”

“Whatever the reason you dislike it, I intend to remove it all. Or fill it all in.”

It seemed utterly impossible to reason with him.

“I can bring in farms, orchards, wildlife parks and such if you’d like.”

“…”

“You can swim freely in the sea around the island.”

Choi Gang-hu smiled again, saying he wouldn’t be able to go beyond the barrier anyway.

“The surrounding coral reefs, set to attack en masse when external approach is detected, will recognize and welcome you, Ryu Seo-ha.”

“…How is such a thing possible?”

Even if a monster taming skill had been applied, such detailed settings couldn’t be made for anyone other than the owner, Choi Gang-hu. Thinking this, he asked back, forgetting to argue about the fundamental issue.

He saw the sharp eyes curving gently. Then he pulled out a file from [Subspace]. The word ‘property’ was briefly visible. It looked like an important transaction document.

“Because Ryu Seo-ha is the owner of this island.”

Looking closely, it was a contract specifying Ryu Seo-ha’s name as the owner of this island.