Chapter 268: Visit

"Haaa... That son of a bitch."

A beautiful girl with short red hair stood in front of a high-rise apartment building and sighed. She was kicking pebbles around on the ground but couldn't contain her frustration and swung her fist at a wall.

Bash.

Her fist left a noticeable imprint on the orderly brick wall.

Tap.

An astonishingly handsome young man approached her while pushing a wheelchair. A thin woman with light brown hair was sitting in the wheelchair.

"Oh, you're here early, Yeon-Joo."

"Didn't you know that I live here?"

"Ah, that's right."

"I came out here because of you guys. I usually just have to take the elevator."

Kim Si-Hun, the man who was pushing the wheelchair, made a light laugh.

"More importantly, is Kang-Woo okay? It's only been a week, so I'm worried if it's really okay for us to come visit..." Gaia said in a worried voice.

Cha Yeon-Joo snorted.

"Don't you know how fast his body regenerates? The bastard that was saying shit about how it wasn't a bad life regenerates like some goddamn liquid monster! It was so impressive that even the healer taking care of him was surprised."

"W-Well... We've already seen tons of times how quickly hyung-nim regenerates, haven't we?"

"Yeah, so why was he being such a drama queen about it?! Argh! Just thinking about what happened back then makes me mad. That fucking..."

"Y-Yeon-Joo."

"What?! You got a problem?!"

Si-Hun flinched at Yeon-Joo's intense eyes. He recalled how she'd screamed in desperation while holding Oh Kang-Woo.

Kang-Woo had acted as if he were about to die, but soon after a healer started treating him, his missing eye and all the holes in his body regenerated, so it was understandable that she would react like this.

'Hyung-nim has regenerative capabilities.'

Si-Hun scratched his cheeks while remembering how he'd also screamed in desperation with Yeon-Joo.

According to Kang-Woo, his blood had ended up gaining powerful regenerative capabilities one day after going through all sorts of hardships in Hell.

Although Si-Hun had already known this about Kang-Woo because he had drunk Kang-Woo's blood when he had been on the verge of death, the heat of the moment completely blew that memory from his mind.

'His internal injuries don't seem to have been healed, though...'

Kang-Woo stayed in a coma for five days after his external injuries were healed. That meant that Kang-Woo's regenerative ability wasn't omnipotent.

When Si-Hun had been driven to the verge of death by Halphas, his external injuries had been fully healed thanks to Kang-Woo's blood, but he had not been able to move properly as if his body had become a lump of steel.

'In other words...'

Si-Hun's expression darkened.

If Kang-Woo's body became that ruined despite his impressive regenerative ability, it meant that he had been tortured continuously for days on end.

His rage and resentment toward Rakiel only grew.

'At the very least...'

Si-Hun would rip out his ten wings and shove them in his mouth.

"Fuuu."

Si-Hun took a deep breath.

Gaia carefully said, "Uhm. Si-Hun."

"Ah, yes?"

"Uhm... Are there any... angels around us?"

"No, there aren't."

Si-Hun expanded his Qi sense and searched their surroundings. Their relationship with the angels had become awkward due to the past incident, so there was no way they'd come to check up on Kang-Woo.

Gaia nodded and opened her mouth.

"Then have we received any news regarding Balrog or Echidna?"

Balrog, Echidna, Halcyon, Lilith.

Those four were Kang-Woo's direct subordinates. In short, they were demonic beings.

Gaia, Si-Hun, Han Seol-Ah, and Yeon-Joo had come to accept them since they had learned that Kang-Woo had been dragged to Hell suddenly in the past and was forced to become a demon, but that wasn't the case for the angels.

Angels would surely try to eradicate them, whatever their circumstances were.

''Ah, I heard that Kang-Woo hyung-nim's subordinates were found where the minibosses of the dungeon were. Lilith managed to rescue them, and they're currently being treated at Balrog's residence."

"How bad were they wounded?"

"I heard that they were in serious condition when they were first found, but it seems that their lives are no longer at risk."

"What a relief."

Gaia smiled.

They had not accepted the power of light after abandoning demonic energy like Kang-Woo had, but she knew they were more loyal to Kang-Woo than anyone else. Since Kang-Woo was walking the path of light, they would naturally follow him.

"Haha, I'm a bit envious," Si-Hun said in a bitter voice.

Gaia tilted her head.

"Envious?"

"Yes. Hyung-nim had gotten into this mess because he had been with just his subordinates, hadn't he? I can understand how much he trusts them just by seeing that he hadn't told us anything about it."

"I-I'm sure that's not the case! After all, you had the duty to eliminate the last remaining Aspect of Evil. That's probably why he didn't call you."

"Haha. But still... I feel like he is more open with his subordinates."

Si-Hun personally also wanted to become his retainer. He scratched his head while smiling awkwardly.

As Gaia was about to reply that wasn't the case...

"Yeah, yeah, we all know how thirsty you are for Kang-Woo's ass, so enough of that," Yeon-Joo interrupted.

"A-Ass?"

"You look like a lovestruck teenage girl."

Yeon-Joo rolled her eyes, and even spat on the floor.

Si-Hun exclaimed in bewilderment, "I-It's nothing like that! It's just that I really admire hyung-nim! A-And I already have someone that I..."

Si-Hun took a glimpse at Gaia.

"Ah..."

Having an idea of what Si-Hun was trying to say, Gaia placed her hands on her reddened cheeks.

Yeon-Joo frowned.

"... Fuck."

She shook her head as if she couldn't stand looking at them. "More importantly, is anyone else coming? Is it just the three of us?"

"Tae-Soo, Ms. Tian Suyan, and Master said they wanted to come, but... we decided to pick different dates since having so many people come at one time would be a bother."

Yeon-Joo turned and nodded. "Oh, really? I guess we thought the same thing. Hwa-Yeon and Hyun-Jae ahjussi wanted to come, but I told them to come next time."

She grabbed a fruit basket that she had placed on the ground.

"Then let's get going. It's weird to keep talking outside."

"Okay."

"I'll have him tell us exactly what happened."

"Haha. Hyung-nim just started recovering, so don't be too harsh on him."

"Bullshit, after what he did to me..."

Yeon-Joo pounded her chest as if the memory from that time still angered her.

Yeon-Joo, Si-Hun, and Gaia head toward Kang-Woo's apartment suite. As they knocked on the front door, a kind-looking woman opened it.

"Oh my."

"We came to visit," Yeon-Joo said as she raised her fruit basket. "How are you doing? After... that light came out of you."

"I'm not sure. To be honest, I don't remember much from that time... but I'm doing okay," Seol-Ah replied with a smile on her face.

"Really? That's good to hear."

Yeon-Joo visited the house often, so the two of them had been close for a while. After Kang-Woo had become busier, Seol-Ah had started to spend more time with Yeon-Joo than with Kang-Woo.

"Just a second..."

Seol-Ah carefully closed the door and came out.

"Hmm?"

"I'm... sorry to say this after you came all the way here, but I don't think Kang-Woo is well enough to meet with other people yet."

"Why? Is he still not doing well? I was on the phone with him yesterday, and he said he's gotten a lot better."

"But he said he wanted some peace and quiet for a little longer..."

"That bastard..." Yeon-Joo's eyes narrowed.

"I'm sorry after you came all this way."

"No. If hyung-nim says he wants some rest, we should respect his decision. He had already told me that he was fine over the phone, so I'll come back when he wants us to come visit."

"Okay, thank you."

As Seol-Ah apologized and bowed, Yeon-Joo shook her hands to gesture that it was okay.

"Well... Since you're here, why don't you guys come over to my house? It's just five stories up."

"Oh, that sounds good."

"Grace said she would take care of all the work for today, so I'm also fine with it."

Si-Hun and Gaia nodded.

Seol-Ah saw them off to the elevator and went back into the house.

Clack.

As she opened the door to Kang-Woo's room, he was lying on the bed.

"Ah, don't get up, Kang-Woo."

As Kang-Woo tried to get up, Seol-Ah ran toward him.

Kang-Woo nodded while smiling bitterly.

"I still feel heavy."

"You've suffered some major injuries, after all. It's already a miracle that you were able to recover like this..." Seol-Ah answered sadly as if she'd remembered how Kang-Woo looked when Rakiel had been holding him captive.

Kang-Woo quickly waved his hand.

"I told you, there's no need to be that worried."

"No. You need to take better care of yourself, Kang-Woo," Seol-Ah firmly replied.

Kang-Woo smiled bitterly and lay on the bed.

'I'm honestly completely fine.'

The wounded Kang-Woo had been his fake body created using the Authority of Cloning. Not only was he okay, but he was also feeling jittery after staying in bed for a week straight.

'But still...'

He had no choice.

Kang-Woo clicked his tongue.

'It would raise suspicion if I went around as if I was completely fine after how much I had been injured.'

As the very person who had orchestrated the Oh Kang-Woo rescue operation, he needed to pay attention to the details. Even for his external injuries, he had been planning on healing them slowly, but he had no choice but to treat his clone with the Authority of Regeneration because everyone had been crying so goddamn much.

'Besides, Si-Hun and the others already know about the Authority of Regeneration.'

He'd even fully regenerated Si-Hun's melted arms.

And most importantly...

"Kurgh, cough, cough!"

"K-Kang-Woo!"

Seol-Ah quickly approached him and supported him. After embracing him carefully as if he were a wounded baby, she carefully placed her hands on his chest. A white light came out of Seol-Ah's hand and covered his entire body.

Kang-Woo's mouth relaxed. He was delighted by the soft sensations that he felt against several areas of his body.

'I can even receive devoted care from my darling.'

It was the epitome of killing two birds with one stone.

He honestly wanted to stay as a patient for a month or two so that he could keep receiving care like this.

'Well, that's not an option.'

The Four Heavenly Kings and the fallen angel Rakiel...

He couldn't stay still after blowing things up to such large proportions.

Not only that, but he hadn't been able to absorb Belphegor's demonic energy, and he hadn't discovered what the final condition to becoming a Demon God was yet.

He had no way of knowing the last condition, so he could only work on improving his demonic energy control to absorb Belphegor's demonic energy.

'There's also a chance that they're related.'

He had a lot of things to do, so he couldn't stay still and do nothing.

'But still...'

There was no reason for him not to enjoy this blissful situation.

"A-Are you feeling better now?"

"Yeah, much better."

"Phew. I'm glad to hear that."

"That aside, how have you been feeling since that day, Seol-Ah?"

"Oh, y-you heard about it?"

"Yeah. Si-Hun told me."

He'd also seen it with his own eyes. Not just that, he'd felt as if he were a vampire being burned by sunlight.

'What could that have possibly been?'

He had no way of knowing, but he was sure that the power defied logic and that it had something to do with the angel wing symbols on Seol-Ah's back.

"To be honest, I'm not sure either. Back then... I was only thinking about saving you, Kang-Woo."

"So you can't use it now?"

"Yes."

"Mm..."

"B-But you don't need to be worried! I haven't had any problems since then!"

Seol-Ah raised her slender arms and showed off her muscles.

Kang-Woo nodded.

'I'm glad, but...'

He couldn't help but be worried. The power that she had shown was...

'Probably stronger than my maximum demonic energy output.'

It could not be explained by logic.

'I should look into it.'

The wings that had appeared on Seol-Ah's back had been so faint that they had been see-through. Meaning, if the wings became more vivid, they would be able to exert even greater power.

'It makes no sense.'

He was honestly very confused. It was even harder to understand, considering he had become even stronger than his past self in Hell.

While he was thinking, something soft touched his cheek.

Seol-Ah had put her hand on his cheek.

"Don't worry, Kang-Woo. I'm okay." She then got up and said, "Stay here for a bit."

After walking out of the room, she came back with some steaming porridge.

"I saw some good abalone at the market, so I made this."

"I'm not hurt enough to eat porridge. I think kimchi stew would be—"

"Shh. I'm going to have to ask you to be quiet, Mr. Patient," Seol-Ah said in a strict voice.

Kang-Woo nodded while making a sad expression.

Seol-Ah took a spoonful of porridge and blew on it.

"Say, ah~"

"I'm not a baby. I can eat on my own."

"... Say, ah."

"Yes, ma'am."

Kang-Woo opened his mouth and was fed a spoonful of porridge.

'It's delicious.'

Kang-Woo made a happy smile. It was true that the porridge was delicious, but being in this situation also made him happy.

'Have I ever received care like this...?'

Kang-Woo smirked after thinking of the past.

'No way.'

Back when he grew up at the orphanage, when he left it and began working, and even during the ten millennia he'd spent in Hell...

He couldn't recall ever having been taken care of in such a manner.

'... It's nice.'

An inexplicable sense of joy filled him.

"Fufu. You ate it all."

Seol-Ah cleaned his mouth with a handkerchief.

Kang-Woo felt as if he'd become a kid. He opened his arms after being dragged into the strange mood that Seol-Ah was giving off.

"Hug me."

"Oh my." Seol-Ah giggled while covering her mouth. "I never thought you'd act this way, Kang-Woo."

"... It's a bit disgusting, right?"

"No, I didn't mean it that way." Seol-Ah hugged Kang-Woo. "I like you like this just as much as how you usually are."

"..."

To be honest, acting this way gave him goosebumps. He even felt like puking a little.

"Rather, this is more..."

"Hmm?"

"Fufufu. Yes... I think it'd be nice in its own way to take care of you like this forever."

"Darling?"

Seol-Ah mumbled as if she were dreaming. She laughed while giving off a weird aura and let go of Kang-Woo. She put away the pillow and sat on the bed.

"Kang-Woo." She lightly slapped her thighs.

"... No, that's a bit..."

"Now."

Kang-Woo felt that he couldn't say no, so he changed his position. A soft sensation spread through his body as he put his head on her thighs.

"Ah..."

For some reason...

He felt like he was about to cry.

"Alright, since you've had a meal, you should sleep."

Seol-Ah softly caressed Kang-Woo's cheek.

Although his body didn't require sleep, he started feeling sleepy.

Then suddenly...

"Come to think of it, have Si-Hun and Yeon-Joo come? I was talking to them over the phone yesterday, and they said that they would come to visit today."

"Oh," Seol-Ah let out a short exclamation. "They contacted me and said something came up and couldn't come today."

"Really?"

"Yes, so don't worry about a thing and go to sleep, Kang-Woo."

Seol-Ah caressed Kang-Woo's cheek as if she were touching an important treasure.

A kind smile lit up her face.