The Second Coming of Gluttony - Chapter 191

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 191. Suspicion

The moment Seol Jihoo’s eyes opened, he reached for his mobile phone. “Wow,” he whistled.
Unread messages and missed calls were piled up like a mountain.
The problem was they all came from one person.

[Damn it. We’ll see when you get back.]

Picturing Pi Sora grinding her teeth as she typed those messages, Seol Jihoo chuckled and peeled off his clothes.
Humming tunelessly, he headed straight for the shower.
Today was the day he’d return to Paradise. After waiting this long, there was no way his mood could be anything but excellent.
Once he’d washed thoroughly and stepped out, Seol Jihoo made his preparations with a refreshed sense of purpose.
Most of the packing had been done the night before anyway, so this was really just a final check.
First priority: getting his access environment set up.
So he texted his brother.

[Got assigned to a business trip.]
[Again? Didn’t you just finish that massive project?]
[Our Kim Team Leader has this thing where if there’s no work, he creates it.]
[I think I know the type.]
[I’m fine with it. Since I’m going on a dispatch assignment, it’ll probably be a while, but I think I can pay off most of my debt once I’m back.]
[Understood. I know you’re eager to clear your debt, but take care of your health, yeah? At least take some multivitamins with you.]

A pleased smile crossed Seol Jihoo’s face as he read the messages.
He would’ve liked to text back and forth more, but his brother was probably busy getting ready for work.
Deciding this was enough, Seol Jihoo plugged his mobile phone into the charger.
Then he dressed in clothes he’d washed and sun-dried the day before, ate a banana for breakfast, and did a final check of everything he’d be bringing to Paradise.
“Let’s see. The red ginseng for my instructor… got the gift for my sister… stuff for Plone and the princess… and something to tease Pi Sora with….”
Tossing the banana peel into the trash, he was nearly finished with his inventory.
Knock, knock.
A sound at the door made Seol Jihoo glance toward the entryway.
‘Who could that be at this hour?’
He couldn’t think of anyone who’d visit now.
Tilting his head in confusion, he moved toward the door.
“Who is it?”
Swallowing the last of the banana, he opened the door.
…….
Seol Jihoo’s face went rigid as he stared into the hallway.
His elation evaporated in an instant; his eyes widened slowly, and his mouth fell slightly open.
Because.
“Ah.”
Standing before him was someone he never would have expected.
“…Hello.”
The woman looked awkward, darting her gaze away and tucking her hair behind her ear with a delicate gesture.
“Have you… been well?”
The woman offering that strained smile was Yu Seonhwa.
Faced with a situation that felt utterly unreal, Seol Jihoo couldn’t find words for a long moment.
He’d thought that chapter was closed.
He’d believed they’d be unlikely to meet again.
And yet.
He’d never imagined she’d be the one to seek him out.
So Seol Jihoo simply stared at her blankly, unable to formulate a response.
“Can I come in?”
Her soft voice finally snapped him back to awareness.
“Oh? Y-yes.”
As Seol Jihoo stepped back, Yu Seonhwa entered quietly and removed her shoes.
“It’s cleaner than I expected….”
There was something oddly disappointed in her tone.
“Have you eaten? You probably haven’t had dinner yet—”
Yu Seonhwa shook the shopping bag in her hand lightly as she spoke.
Seol Jihoo unconsciously wiped crumbs from his mouth and looked away.
Then Yu Seonhwa, who’d been glancing around the studio apartment, spotted the last banana or two and fixed her gaze on it.
“Oh. Bananas.”
“Want one?”
Yu Seonhwa glanced back over her shoulder with a soft smile.
“Yeah. I do.”
“?”
“I just felt like having one after so long.”
He hadn’t expected her to actually say yes, but Seol Jihoo quickly retrieved a banana.
As he peeled it himself and handed it to her, Yu Seonhwa’s expression grew wistful.
“It brings back memories.”
She murmured as if to herself, taking a careful bite.
“It’s delicious….”
Yu Seonhwa wore the faintest smile.
Once she finished one, she looked around, and Seol Jihoo extended his hand again.
“Here, let me throw it away.”
“No. What about the food waste bag?”
“Food waste bag? I just put it in that trash bin over there….”
“The trash bin?”
Yu Seonhwa walked quickly toward the bin.
Seeing it stuffed with banana peels, she sighed.
“This won’t do. How many times have I told you banana peels shouldn’t go in the regular trash?”
She rummaged through the kitchen drawer and somehow found a yellow bag, then began sorting the peels with practiced efficiency.
Watching Yu Seonhwa’s back as she stood in the kitchen, Seol Jihoo found his hand moving to his chest without thinking.
He felt his heart pounding beneath his palm, and his eyes flickered.
He still couldn’t tell if this was a dream or reality.
“I heard.”
Yu Seonhwa pulled the banana peels from the bin and spoke without turning around.
“You’re working at a company now? And paying off your debt diligently.”
“How did you know that?”
“Woo Seok told me.”
“He did?”
I’d said there was no need to convince her.
Or maybe he just mentioned it in passing.
That I’m living like this.
There would have been some need for an explanation if he was talking about paying off debt.
Seol Jihoo decided not to get ahead of himself.
“Your mother was overjoyed when she heard you’d joined Shin Young. She said you were her son, rescued from the mire.”
What about Father and Jin-hee?
Seol Jihoo swallowed the question he wanted to ask.
If she wasn’t mentioning them, there had to be a reason.
“Oh, right.”
Yu Seonhwa tied the food waste bag shut and slowly lowered her arms.
Her shoulders trembled slightly as she turned her body around.
“I hear you pulled off something big recently?”
“He told you that too?”
“Are you doing all right physically?”
That’s when Seol Jihoo felt a sudden disconnect.
Not questions like “you must have worked hard” or “what did you do”—but asking if his body was all right?
The angle of her concern seemed slightly off.
“Lots of late nights and business trips, I hear. Trying to get all the allowances.”
“Ah. Yeah, that makes sense.”
Seol Jihoo nodded, thinking to himself that Woo Seok had shared every little detail.
“Well, then. You’re healthy, so there’s nothing to worry about. Are you in pain somewhere?”
……
“I have to look after my own body. I don’t go near dangerous places, and I’m careful about everything anyway, so don’t worry.”
“…ha.”
Seol Jihoo’s face darkened suddenly, as if he’d just heard her let out an exasperated laugh.
Yu Seonhwa’s clear eyes had grown distant and cold.
There was something chilling in her gaze, almost like a warning.
“Sigh.”
Wait.
That was the telltale sign she was about to launch into a lecture.
Seol Jihoo scratched his head, wondering what he’d done wrong.
Gulp.
Yu Seonhwa swallowed hard, then drew a breath and opened her mouth.
“I came here because I have something to say.”
At last, she was getting to the point.
Seol Jihoo felt his chest tighten with tension as he turned his full attention to her.
“The money you gave me.”
“That’s yours now.”
Seol Jihoo spoke flatly, his tone absolute—he would never take it back—but Yu Seonhwa shook her head.
“Will you listen to the rest?”
Seol Jihoo fell silent.
“I’m thinking of opening a new shop soon.”
“A shop?”
“Yeah. I’ll combine the money I’ve saved up with what you gave me. I’ve taken out a loan too, and I can’t guarantee it’ll succeed, but since I don’t have to worry about key money or monthly rent, at minimum it shouldn’t fail.”
“Oh. Congratulations.”
Though he didn’t understand why she was suddenly bringing this up, Seol Jihoo offered his genuine blessing.
‘She’s really doing well for herself.’
At that moment, he was simply taken aback.
Nothing more.
“Would you do it with me?”
Until he heard those words.
“…What?”
The proposal was so sudden that Seol Jihoo’s face darkened with disbelief.
“The shop’s going to be quite large.”
Yet Yu Seonhwa continued calmly, methodically laying out her case.
“The location is right in the city center, and there are four universities nearby. I think it’ll be too much for me to handle alone, so I was hoping you’d help me out.”
“Seon… Seonhwa?”
“The work’s just management, so it shouldn’t be too hard. You’d just need to help with cleaning sometimes, and open and close the shutters when you come and go.”
“No, wait a minute.”
“Let’s do this together. If you want, I’ll put the shop in both our names. Consider the money you gave me an investment.”
Yu Seonhwa declared her intentions clearly, seizing the moment.
Seol Jihoo was beyond bewilderment—his mind was reeling.
Of course, beyond the shock of the sudden proposal, he could sense what lay behind her words.
In another time, he would have been tempted, his heart drawn to the offer.
Especially the version of himself from his gambling days—he would have leaped at it without hesitation.
But not now.
“I can’t.”
Seol Jihoo shook his head.
“I can’t do something like that.”
His refusal came down to two reasons.
First, he had nearly severed his ties with Yu Seonhwa; second, there was Paradise.
He could not abandon this for anything—not even if a blade were pressed to his throat.
“Why?”
Yu Seonhwa’s lips curled faintly.
“I said the work wasn’t hard. You’d make more than your current salary, and your life would be more comfortable. And looking at it long-term too—”
“It’s not about that.”
Sensing he might be swayed if he kept listening, Seol Jihoo cut her off quickly.
“I just… I like what I’m doing.”
“You like it?”
“Yeah. Even if everything you’re saying is true, people have their preferences, you know? This work seems perfectly suited to me right now. And besides—I still have things left to do.”
Seol Jihoo spoke clearly, his voice unwavering.
“I’m not going to quit.”
The moment he drove the point home.
Yu Seonhwa’s eyes suddenly burned with an intense gaze.
“…It’s dangerous, though.”
A soft murmur.
When those unwavering eyes fixed on him, Seol Jihoo’s mind suddenly cleared.
It was a small voice, barely audible, yet unmistakably heard—and something acrid flickered across her expression.
His chest tightened.
“D-dangerous? What do you mean?”
Without thinking, he looked away.
“You said it was a pharmaceutical company.”
It was hardly sufficient reason to condemn something as dangerous on that basis alone.
“There’s a misunderstanding. I’m not running clinical trials, and I’m not on the production floor either. I’m a sales employee. There’s nothing dangerous about it.”
“Really?”
Seol Jihoo spoke persuasively enough, but Yu Seonhwa pressed him with relentless insistence.
“Can you swear there isn’t even the smallest bit of danger?”
Seol Jihoo narrowed his brow.
The way she spoke was as if to say that work itself was dangerous and he should quit.
Only then did the suspicion that had been nagging at him rise fully to the surface.
“Are you saying I’m lying?”
As if she were trying to block his entry to Paradise, his voice turned sharp in reflexive defensiveness.
The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted them.
At the same time, Yu Seonhwa’s expression froze as if she’d been struck silent.
She bit her lower lip lightly and looked at the young man directly.
An abrupt silence descended.
“…You.”
In that suffocating void, Yu Seonhwa opened her mouth quietly.
“When you lie, you don’t look me in the eye.”
After a brief pause, a long sigh escaped her.
Yu Seonhwa set down the shopping bag she’d been holding.
“Think about it carefully.”
She studied Seol Jihoo for a moment longer still.
“I’m leaving.”
Then she turned and walked out.
The front door closed softly behind her.
It came like thunder from a clear sky.
Left alone once more, Seol Jihoo stood rigid as stone for a long time, only regaining his senses after her footsteps faded into distance.
“…What the….”
After wiping his face with both hands several times, he suddenly noticed the shopping bag Yu Seonhwa had left behind.
It was brimming with rice and containers of side dishes.
As he opened them one by one, he found braised galbi, braised quail eggs, kimchi pancakes, bulgogi, seasoned radish, and more.
They were all foods he loved.
“…Gulp.”
His heart was complicated, but his stomach was honest, demanding that he consume this food at once.
In the end, Seol Jihoo found himself sitting down to an unexpectedly luxurious meal.
‘What’s going on, anyway.’
Her sudden, unannounced visit today wasn’t particularly unusual.
Looking back, this was how Yu Seonhwa always was.
No matter how harshly she criticized or rejected him, in the end she always came first to comfort him, saying they should do better going forward.
The intervals between his betrayals and her return had grown longer, but the outcome never changed.
His past self had known this better than anyone, and he’d exploited it, clinging to her with shameless persistence.
The problem lay after that.
Once, he’d sworn off gambling and promised reform, begging her to find a two-room place so they could live together.
The moment he received the deposit, he’d run straight to the casino.
After that incident, Yu Seonhwa became extremely sensitive about money, so why was she now offering to put the store under joint ownership?
‘Something’s off.’
His thoughts kept circling, but the food was delicious all the same.
He’d long known of Yu Seonhwa’s culinary skill, so Seol Jihoo savored each bite.
The braised galbi, cooked until tender and melting in his mouth, was exquisite—almost like what Seo Yoo-hee used to make for him at Big Stone Rock Mountain….
…….
The moment he thought the flavors were similar, Seol Jihoo’s hand stopped abruptly as he was about to push a spoonful of rice into his mouth.
‘Could it be.’
Now that he thought about it, throughout the conversation he’d sensed that Yu Seonhwa was trying by every means to pull him out of Paradise.
Of course, this theory only held if Yu Seonhwa was an Earthian who knew of that place’s existence….
But could he really be certain it wasn’t?
[…It’s dangerous, after all.]
Seol Jihoo’s eyes widened, his pupils dilating.
Every time he saw Seo Yoo-hee, he’d often caught that subtle resemblance to Yu Seonhwa—he’d noticed it many times before.
Strictly speaking, there were differences substantial enough to call them separate people, but he couldn’t shake the thought that Paradise must have magic similar to Polymorph.
And in that very moment, he was struck by something else—a vague unease about this visit that he couldn’t quite put his finger on.
So it wasn’t unreasonable for Seol Jihoo to think ‘What if.’
It could be true, or it could be false.
‘Let me think.’
He’d need to consider the possibilities, but the simplest way was direct confirmation—seeing it with his own eyes.
In that instant, Seol Jihoo shot up from his seat as if struck by lightning.
He rushed to the window and caught sight of Yu Seonhwa just leaving the building.
Soon after, she turned down an alley and disappeared from view.
Seol Jihoo’s movements grew urgent in response.
He finished dressing and pulled on his shoes.
In the process, he shoved all the rice and side dishes down his throat, grabbed all his belongings, and tore up the paper.

He’d finally made it back to Paradise.
Under normal circumstances, he would’ve strolled out leisurely, savoring the happiness of the place—but he had no time for that now.
With shopping bags crammed in both hands, Seol Jihoo rushed toward the reception desk and asked if they could check Seo Yoo-hee’s entry records.
The answer that came back was the refusal he’d anticipated: ‘Even for you, we cannot disclose personal information. Especially not the records of Seo Yoo-hee.’
They seemed ready to die before revealing anything, so Seol Jihoo turned away without hesitation.
Activating his Festina Earring, he ran—and the Carpe Diem Office soon came into view.
But instead of entering the office he’d missed so much, Seol Jihoo turned and headed toward the building across the way.
‘If she’s inside.’
Then the likelihood they were the same person drops significantly.
‘If she’s not.’
Then it all remains uncertain.
Seol Jihoo desperately hoped Seo Yoo-hee would be there, and the moment he reached the door, he raised both arms.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
He pounded on the door with all his might and shouted.
“Yoo-hee!”

(To be continued)

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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