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The condition presented to the Association Head was a tax exemption on the income earned by Jeong Ha-yul and me.

Even just Jeong Ha-yul alone earns enough to be considered a one-person enterprise.

And if I were to fully step into the frontline?

It would be like exempting the taxes of two major corporations.

I don’t think it’ll get approved.

But throwing this out there might at least get us a 50% reduction or a temporary exemption.

Even that would be a big deal, but since I’ve already proposed a full tax exemption, it might seem relatively weak.

It’s entirely possible that they’ll suggest a 50% reduction instead of a full exemption.

On top of that, I’ve thrown in threats like quitting the Association, joining the Villain Alliance, or even seeking asylum in England. Jeong Ho-min will be running around like his feet are on fire, and the government will take it seriously too.

And if even this doesn’t get a decent return?

“That’s on Jeong Ho-min for being inadequate. Anyway, that’s how it is.”

If that happens, I’ll seriously consider moving to England.

Anyway, after giving Jeong Ho-min some work to do, I headed to the Academy.

“Sigh… Still, he’s my Master. What do I do about this?”

I can’t just barge in like Jeong Ho-min and demand, “Do this for me!”

“The Confucian values ingrained in me won’t allow it…”

Why? What?

I’m a Confucian boy and a Confucian girl.

Anyway, to prevent something like this from happening again, I need to talk to my Master.

I didn’t feel like going to the Academy, but I had no choice.

***

Is this déjà vu?

The path to the President’s Office is eerily quiet.

Whenever I happen to run into an employee, they tremble and disappear as if no one was ever there.

Some employees whispered while looking at me through the windows, but I ignored them and quickly made my way to the President’s Office.

“…The President is waiting inside.”

“He knew I was coming, huh?”

“…Go on in.”

My Master was sitting on the sofa in the President’s Office, having tea.

“…Master?”

“You’re here. Sit down.”

“You sent your disciple to the brink of death and yet you’re so relaxed.”

“What’s wrong with having a cup of tea before I die?”

“…”

I was at a loss for words at my Master’s nonchalant remark.

What even is my image?

At that moment, the door opened, and the secretary came in with tea.

Just like in the Association Head’s Office, the teacups and saucers clattered, revealing her nervousness.

‘Is this a hidden camera or what…?’

The Association Head’s Office and the President’s Office were so similar, it felt like they were following a script.

I quickly scanned the room for any cameras, but there were none.

“So, I heard about your talk with the Association Head.”

“Already? I came straight here after finishing with him. That was fast.”

“I couldn’t help but be surprised to hear you didn’t get hit.”

“…Do you think of me as some kind of thug?”

“They say it hurts more than getting hit outright. A full tax exemption? I’d rather you just hit me.”

It hurts more than getting hit? You’d rather I hit you?

Jeong Ho-min has never really been hit by me, so he’s probably just being dramatic.

If I gave him one serious punch, he’d probably dig into his own savings to cover my taxes.

“I prefer to avoid violence.”

“…”

“Anyway, if you’ve heard what the Association Head said, you must have something prepared for me, right?”

“…No matter how much I think about it, there’s nothing I can do for you as the President. Everything you could want as a Hwarang, you’ve already achieved on your own. Teaching you more swordsmanship is pointless. The moment you wield a sword, it becomes the world’s strongest strike.”

“Hmm…”

Honestly, I don’t expect anything from my Master.

The President’s authority is even weaker than the Association Head’s.

Anything my Master could give me, I can achieve on my own.

“How about this? Just put my name on the instructor list and let me collect a salary for life.”

“This is the limit. Exactly one year. If I extend it any further, even the Hero Academy will get hammered by the Education Office, and both you and I will be out.”

“Hmm… Then let’s just pretend this never happened.”

“…Huh?”

“You’re still my Master, so I can’t just beat you up. I don’t really want anything anyway. I’ll let it slide this time.”

“Hahaha, the Association Head would be pretty upset if he heard that.”

Well… He’s the one who has to handle the unprecedented task of exempting the taxes of one of Korea’s top earners, while my Master just lets it slide?

If I were Jeong Ho-min, I’d feel so wronged.

But what can you do? If he didn’t want this, he should’ve taught me when I was younger and weaker.

“I hope this doesn’t happen again.”

“…I can’t easily promise that…”

You can’t promise?

Then maybe I can’t promise anything about your future either?

Naturally, my eyes narrowed as I glared at my Master.

“You don’t like that?”

“That was a slip of the tongue. I promise such a thing won’t happen again.”

“Anyway, I’ve said what I needed to say, so I’ll be going. Can I return on March 1st next year?”

“…Even so, wouldn’t you need to come back a month or two earlier to discuss the courses you’ll be teaching and get to know the staff?”

“Then I’ll return on February 1st. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Alright, take care.”

The moment I leave, he’ll probably call Jeong Ho-min to tease him.

But that’s none of my concern.

Jeong Ho-min, who always talks about VIP treatment but left me stranded on an uninhabited island without a care, is the worst.

He deserves to suffer a bit more.

Out of the three people who sent me to the uninhabited island, I’ve finished dealing with two.

Now, the only one left is Jeong Ha-yul.

‘Ah… Even I’m a bit scared of my sister.’

There’s a theory about elephant tethering.

If you tie a young elephant’s leg to a stake, even when it grows strong enough to pull the stake out, it won’t even try and will live its whole life tied to it.

It’s not a perfect fit, but the situation is somewhat similar.

I’ve reached a point where I could overpower my sister, but I can’t bring myself to confront her with force.

My sister is like a mother to me.

As I grew older and stronger than my parents, the idea of overpowering them with strength is unimaginable.

“What do I do about this…?”

But I can’t just let this slide without saying anything.

First, let’s head home.

***

“What’s got you so busy since morning?”

“…?”

Jeong Ho-min and my Master seem to be in the loop. Why does Jeong Ha-yul seem completely unaware?

“Didn’t you get any calls from the Association Head or the President?”

“Huh? What’s going on?”

“…”

My sister… is being left out?

“I just got back from a variety show.”

“Oh right, something about a missing person. What happened?”

Normally, she would’ve rushed to me the moment she saw the news, making a big fuss.

But she was unusually calm.

Has… her love changed?

I thought she was reacting this way because she didn’t know how much I’d suffered.

I called Eun-chae and Kang-woo, who were resting, to the living room and told them the story of my second trip to the Demon Realm.

“So, after negotiating with Satan, the highest authority in the Demon Realm, I brought the second filming team back to the uninhabited island.”

“You’ve been through a lot.”

“…This is all because of you, the Association Head, and Master.”

“But did you eat, Gyeoul?”

“Do you think I can survive on just rice? Don’t change the subject. Promise me you won’t do this again…”

“I ordered catering. It should be here soon.”

A promise… I need to get a promise… but it sounds delicious…

“What are you all doing? Wash your hands and get ready.”

Is this Jeong Ha-yul’s fault? If Jeong Ho-min hadn’t pushed for it, this wouldn’t have happened.

This is all the Association’s fault.

It’s only natural that my sister, who even ordered catering because she was worried her younger sibling might not be eating, has done nothing wrong.

And after that day, news came that Jeong Ha-yul had visited the Association and the Academy.

Both the Association Head and the President were reportedly unable to attend any external schedules for a whole week, but no one knows what happened.

‘…Did she just go and beat them up?’

Even though she’s my sister… she’s really violent.

***

Doing nothing is truly wonderful.

Ha-yul and Kang-woo went out to work.

Eun-chae and I stayed home.

I lounged on the sofa, watching Netflix.

If laziness were personified, it would definitely be me.

But lately, I’ve been feeling strange.

“…I must be going crazy. I feel anxious if nothing happens.”

“Workaholic? Are you already addicted to work at your age?”

“There’s no way I’m like that! This can’t go on.”

“Why not try another variety show?”

“…Another variety show?”

After all that suffering on the uninhabited island, another variety show?

“…There are plenty of healing variety shows too, like ‘Amazing Saturday,’ ‘Three Meals a Day,’ ‘House on Wheels,’ and so on.”

“Some of those have already ended, and aren’t they too formulaic?”

“Just try to charm any PD. After the uninhabited island incident, the S-Class embargo has been lifted. The world’s about to go crazy, so if you suggest any show, they’ll come running with production funds.”

“…My own variety show, tailored to my tastes?”

That’s kind of tempting.

“Yeah, something like that.”

“Even if it’s an outdated format like mukbang?”

“You could open a new paradigm in the mukbang world.”

I should at least add it to the list.

The meal expenses would be covered by the production budget.

I’d just be eating.

And they’d pay me for it?

How can I resist?

It doesn’t have to be mukbang.

It could be gaming or exercise.

It’s rare to get paid for having fun and eating.

Or maybe I could try internet broadcasting.

Variety shows require going outdoors, so there’s a chance of getting scammed, but internet broadcasting can be done from home.

But for now…

Catching up on Netflix is the priority.

‘Ah, how can I resist Yeon-jin?’

 

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