“At that time… I couldn’t do anything.”
The rain was still pouring down.
Jung Ha-yeon, who had been deeply focused, suddenly jolted as the raindrops struck the window with a sharp tap.
A few seconds passed in silence after the story paused.
“I couldn’t do anything because everything was handled perfectly.”
Ko Yeon-ju, staring out the window with deep, thoughtful eyes, added quietly.
Jung Ha-yeon nodded softly.
As she remembered, the incident back then had passed smoothly.
The Salmun and the Golden Embassy had fallen, while the Mercenary group’s reputation had risen.
She had only known it that way, so hearing this behind-the-scenes story was… somewhat shocking.
“Yeon-ju, were you afraid? Back then, about his actions…?”
Her voice was tinged with sympathy.
Ko Yeon-ju, who seemed about to say something, suddenly sighed deeply and closed her half-open mouth.
“No.”
She shook her head slowly.
“It’s just…”
She fiddled with the teacup in front of her, as if unsure herself.
“How should I put it… The darkness he showed back then felt like just the tip of the iceberg.”
“Hm?”
“I don’t know. Even I, back then, couldn’t fully grasp it… It was terrifying to think he carried such a deep darkness inside.”
“Back then, you say…”
Jung Ha-yeon echoed the words absentmindedly, then smiled gently.
When Ko Yeon-ju glanced sideways with slightly narrowed eyes, she spoke as if she finally understood.
“Now that you mention it, that’s true.”
“What do you mean?”
“You, Yeon-ju. You also found a new meaning in life in this modern world, didn’t you? Just like him.”
“What?”
Ko Yeon-ju replied flatly, then suddenly turned her gaze toward the lobby.
Following her eyes, Jung Ha-yeon gasped softly.
Kim Soo-hyun was running over, arms swinging wildly.
“My babies~ Did you have fun with mom today?”
As soon as she arrived, she dropped to her knees in front of Ko Yeon-ju and began rubbing her cheek against Yeon-ju’s belly, which was as round as a small hill.
Jung Ha-yeon’s smile, which had been quietly amused, softened instantly.
It was a bit awkward, seeing Kim Soo-hyun after hearing the story just now.
“I can’t live like this. Now we’re practically invisible, right?”
Surprisingly, Ko Yeon-ju showed no sign of discomfort, as if nothing had happened.
She gently stroked Kim Soo-hyun’s head, who was showering kisses on her belly.
She looked at her with pure affection.
Leaning on her chin, Jung Ha-yeon glanced back and forth between Ko Yeon-ju and Kim Soo-hyun.
“Hmm…”
The rain kept falling.
Omnibus – Queen Of Silhouette (Complete).
Side Story 4. Heaven and Hell.
Lately, an unusual tension had been brewing in the Mercenary Castle.
It was almost like the calm before the storm.
Because in just a week, the women would reach the full ten months of pregnancy.
Since childbirth usually takes at least 40 weeks from the first day of the last period, it wouldn’t be strange if any of them gave birth at any moment now.
Of course, to someone unaware, it might not seem like a big deal.
But the important thing was that there wasn’t just one or two pregnant women.
Ko Yeon-ju, Kim Han-byul, Nam Da-eun, Lee Yoo-jung, Im Han-na, Jung Ha-yeon, Jegal Hae-sol, Cha So-rim, Han So-young.
Most notably, all nine had become pregnant simultaneously during a certain trip with Kim Soo-hyun.
They had confirmed it multiple times with pregnancy tests, hospital visits, and tracking their cycles.
Even if there were differences of minutes or hours, the fact remained.
If, by some slim chance, all nine wives gave birth at the same time, it would be a huge problem.
So it was no wonder nerves were on edge.
“Hmph~ Hmph~.”
Shin Sang-yong wore a face of disbelief.
His wide eyes stared at Lee Yoo-jung, who sat rocking in a chair.
It had been five or six months since their reunion, so her large, round belly wasn’t surprising.
But Yoo-jung herself—
With earphones in, knitting with both hands, and wearing a gentle smile—it was hard to get used to the sight.
…Maybe if it were Im Han-na, it’d be different?
“Hmm… Maybe I should take some vitamins. Lately, I’ve been seeing things.”
Not just Shin Sang-yong, but Sun Yoo-woon pressed his nose as he passed by.
Of course, Yoo-jung’s ears were pierced, and soon the wooden circular knitting needle she was using snapped in two.
“What! Why! I can’t do this?”
“Good. Looks like you don’t need vitamins.”
“Hey! You’re dead meat! I’m telling our brother!”
“Hmm. If that’s true, that’s a little scary.”
Sun Yoo-woon calmly ran off.
Yoo-jung, who had been sniffling for a while, looked sadly at the broken needle.
“Ugh, what the heck. I was going to make a jeogori as a gift for the baby…”
“?”
Shin Sang-yong tilted his head.
He wanted to ask how that tangled mess of yarn looked like a jeogori.
Actually, he thought it was ridiculous to make a jeogori with such thick yarn.
He just kept that thought to himself.
“Y-You were knitting a sweater.”
“Oh? Ah! Oppa Sang-yong! This isn’t a sweater, it’s a jeogori~”
Yoo-jung smiled brightly and spread out what she was holding.
Shin Sang-yong deliberately looked away from the tangled mess.
At the same time, he felt a pang of guilt for the soon-to-be-born baby.
No matter how young, the baby would surely be disappointed seeing this.
“B-But this is serious.”
“Hm? What is?”
“I heard the Lord is worried.”
“Oh. That figures.”
Despite being one of the causes, Yoo-jung was completely unfazed.
“Can’t be helped, right? We all got pregnant at the same time. You have to blame my husband’s strong sperm. What else can I do? Right, Oppa Sang-yong?”
Shin Sang-yong’s face flushed, unused to this kind of talk.
Meanwhile, Yoo-jung kept chatting and giggling to herself.
“Well, the trip was a bit intense.”
“A trip?”
“Yeah.”
“What… what did you do?”
Shin Sang-yong tensed up.
The word “trip” carried a strong honeymoon vibe and had been almost taboo until now.
More precisely, none of the men except those involved really knew what had happened.
Of course, they could guess, but curiosity remained.
What on earth had they done to cause simultaneous pregnancies was a hot topic among the Mercenary men.
For example, Jin Soo-hyun claimed, “They probably lined up in a row on the bed and moved sideways, one by one.”
While Ahn Hyun argued, “No way. They must have stacked all nine like a sandwich and picked whoever they wanted.”
Though a bit risqué, these theories were taken seriously.
But was it even possible?
Shin Sang-yong tried to calm himself, telling himself it was just academic curiosity.
“Oh~ What did we do on the trip? Nothing special.”
Unexpectedly, Yoo-jung answered straightforwardly.
Her casual tone made Shin Sang-yong’s tension seem silly.
“We just played a little.”
“P-Played? What kind of game?”
“There’s this game called Heaven and Hell.”
“Hea-Heaven and… Hell…?”
A game with a name?
Feeling it was serious, Shin Sang-yong swallowed hard.
“First, you rent a big villa with no one else around. Then everyone strips naked and goes inside!”
Yoo-jung tossed her knitting aside and spread her arms wide.
Shin Sang-yong coughed violently.
“You play a game inside the villa. No, a survival game. Yeah, survival fits better. You can use any tools you brought.”
“Su-Survival? Tools?”
“Yeah, yeah. Soo-hyun oppa gets to decide. Like, he has the choice. And we can only do certain things to get chosen.”
“…Certain things?”
Shin Sang-yong asked, confused.
“Temptations.”
Yoo-jung answered simply.
Shin Sang-yong fell into thought.
Nine beautiful women naked, tempting him all over the villa.
And the man at the center…
“So that’s what Heaven meant.”
At that moment, Yoo-jung held up four fingers.
“By the way, I ranked fifth! Yep, fifth place~!”
She seemed very proud, so Shin Sang-yong managed to ask.
“Th-There’s a ranking?”
Yoo-jung blinked rapidly, expecting praise, but sighed when she saw his expression.
“Of course! I told you, it’s survival. That’s why tools are allowed.”
So the ranking was based on how successful the temptations were.
He had no idea what kind of tools they used.
“The cat ears and tail I brought worked perfectly. You should’ve seen Yeon-ju unnie’s face! Of course, sixth place isn’t bad either.”
Yoo-jung spoke excitedly.
“But Kim Han-byul’s fourth place was a surprise.”
Suddenly, she crossed her arms and pouted.
“There’s no way it was just a naked competition. I asked what tools she used, but she wouldn’t say. So unfair!”
“R-Really?”
“Ah, I heard it was some kind of chemical glycerin-based medicine. Oppa, do you know what that is?”
“Che-Chemical glycerin? That’s mainly used in cosmetics or enemas…”
Shin Sang-yong’s face stiffened as he realized why Kim Han-byul hadn’t said anything.
Fortunately, his voice was low enough that Yoo-jung didn’t hear.
“Anyway, Kim Han-byul did well, but the real dark horse was So-rim unnie.”
“Ch-Cha So-rim?”
“Yeah. Wasn’t it the third floor? Who would’ve thought that the ever-so-stern older sister would actually bring diapers and rattles?”
“……”
Shin Sang-yong felt his mind growing hazy.
The story was just too shocking for someone as pure and innocent as him to process.
At this point, curiosity was gone—he just wanted to get away from there as soon as possible.
“B-but, why do they call it hell?”
“Oh, that’s simple. When the game’s over, you get nagged from the third floor all the way up to the ninth.”
He tried desperately to change the subject, but Lee Yoo-jung wouldn’t let up.
You know how it goes: you can come in however you want, but leaving is a whole different story.
“Is that so?”
The words “I think I’ll just go now” that had been stuck in his throat suddenly disappeared.
His head and body said no, but his mouth betrayed him.
“Well, the biggest shocker was definitely Haesol unni, the star of the first floor. Can you even imagine? That proud, haughty Jegal Haesol—what she brought along…!”
Just then.
Lee Yoo-jung, who had been babbling and spitting as she talked, suddenly stopped mid-sentence, mouth agape.
A slender, delicate hand had quietly settled on her left shoulder.
And behind her stood Jegal Haesol, flaunting her usual captivating silhouette.
“Lee Yoo-jung~?”
When the soprano voice rang out, Lee Yoo-jung started sweating nervously.
“U-unni….”
“Is it really necessary to say all that nonsense?”
Jegal Haesol then turned her gaze to Shin Sang-yong, who was bowing his head deeply.
“You there, Mr. Male Lead A, who looks like he stepped out of some cute dating sim? Just so there’s no misunderstanding—I was half-forced into this. Let’s make that clear.”
“Come on, unni! Oppa wasn’t forced or anything…”
“That’s exactly what I mean by half-forced. I was the one who both joined that ridiculous game and tempted you in the first place.”
“……”
At that, Lee Yoo-jung fell silent.
“Anyway, please forget everything you just heard. You’d probably be better off that way. Go around telling everyone, and see what happens. But it’s probably fine to talk about Go Yeon-ju. The important thing is, I’m only speculating here. So don’t expect me to take responsibility.”
Jegal Haesol rattled off all this at lightning speed.
But when Lee Yoo-jung said she hadn’t mentioned Go Yeon-ju, Haesol clicked her tongue in mock disappointment.
Shin Sang-yong felt like crying.
Finally, as if she’d finished her business, Jegal Haesol gently patted her heavily pregnant belly.
“By the way, has anyone seen our darling kid? I haven’t caught a glimpse since this morning.”
She looked around anxiously, almost a little restless.
“Why? Why are you looking for our wonderful husband?”
Lee Yoo-jung shot back defiantly.
Jegal Haesol glanced down at her belly and smiled warmly.
“It’s just a little thing… but I think I’m starting to feel the contractions.”
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
From today, we’re back to lighthearted and silly stories.
I hope these soon-to-be-born adorable little ones will brighten up this gloomy atmosphere. :)