Trash of the Count's Family

Cale started to speak.

“Jung So Hoon.”

“Why are you suddenly calling my name? Are you still not fully awake, sir?”

The person grumbling back was sitting in a corner of the room eating cup ramen.

Cale just stared at him. That made Jung So Hoon frown as he put down the chopsticks in his hand.

“…Should I boil another one?”

“I want regular ramen instead. Make sure to add an egg.”

“Ow.”

Jung So Hoon who got up while grumbling slowly headed to the small kitchen.

“Team leader-nim! Is this the time to be eating ramen? Are you eating one too because that punk is eating one?”

A woman who seemed to be in her early thirties gathered the documents on the table before frowning toward Cale.

“Kim Min Ah.”

She was the one who had shaken Cale awake earlier. She had headed toward the documents once Cale had opened his eyes.

“Yes, yes sir. My name is Kim Min Ah and that punk’s name is Jung So Hoon.”

“Ah, come on, assistant leader-nim. Please stop saying punk this, punk that. It's not nice to hear.”

“Not nice to hear?”

Kim Min Ah snorted as Jung So Hoon, the man who seemed to be in his mid-twenties grumbled.

“Should I make one for you too, Assistant Leader-nim?”

“No egg for me.”

“Ah. Looks like I’ll need to use two pots.”

Jung So Hoon looked through the cabinet and pulled out a pot as he grumbled.

Cale blankly sat there watching this.

Assistant Leader Kim Min Ah.

Agent Jung So Hoon.

These two people were Cale, no, Kim Rok Soo’s team members. One was in charge of the support team while the other was in charge of the attack team.

Cale quietly sat there before starting to speak.

Kim Rok Soo’s voice had been coming out of his mouth since a few moments ago.

“I didn't come to work today?”

“Yes, sir. How about we go to work now?”

Assistant Leader Kim Min Ah was glaring at Cale.

Cale lowered his head to see that he was wearing a track suit.

He could see Kim Rok Soo’s messy bed hair when he looked at the single mirror in the room.

“Team leader-nim, I didn't even go to the morning Time Attack to come to wake you up. Do you understand? You know how much they pay for those!”

Assistant Leader Kim Min Ah was in charge of one of Cale’s team's attack squads.

She was one of the members of the vanguard.

“I have a lot of documents to organize as well.”

Agent Jung So Hoon grumbled while putting the noodles and seasoning into the boiling water.

He was a supporter with healing abilities who had come out of a guild that shut down about two years ago.

The pot with ramen was soon placed in front of Cale.

Tap.

Two pots of ramen were placed on the table that was mainly used for eating.

“Here’s some kimchi.”

Kimchi was placed between the two pots.

Agent Jung So Hoon had already gone through the fridge to find the location of the side dishes.

“…Ha.”

Cale gasped as if he was shocked.

The corners of Jung So Hoon's lips twitched in response.

“It's unbelievable, right? I am very good at making ramen.”

“Team leader-nim, we’ll eat quickly and head out. Okay?”

Cale listened to the two of them as he picked up his chopsticks.

He put some ramen in his mouth.

It was a familiar and nostalgic taste and just too good.

‘…This is an illusion?’

Cale was shocked because it seemed so real.

He slightly raised his head.

Agent Jung So Hoon had pushed his cup ramen to the side and was eating microwaved rice with kimchi. Assistant Leader Kim Min Ah was quickly gulping down ramen.

‘…The two of them are illusions as well?’

Once Team leader Lee Soo Hyuk, Choi Jung Soo, and the others had passed on, Cale had drawn a clearer line with his employees.

“Ah! Assistant Leader-nim, Eun Soo is coming back soon, right? She said she was going to her grandma’s house or something?”

“Yes, she’s coming back tonight with her dad. You have a day off next Friday, right?”

“Yes. It’s my dad’s birthday and he’s been nagging at me to come down for a while. I'll be heading home for it.”

“Ah, have fun. Did you get him a gift?”

“He says money is best. He wants cold hard cash.”

“Cash is indeed best.”

because

Soo Hyuk's time when people without families had gathered together, people with families to take

Rok Soo could not get close even when his subordinates tried to get to know him

Sluuuuuuuurp.

body warmed up

‘…Did she say despair?’

to show Choi Han despair when she cast the illusion

said that she showed him

was the worst moment for

looked up

is it not

He was asking himself.

at the worst

not showing him that

soon

Lee Soo Hyuk who he had to send off during the worst moment of

but the moment Team leader Lee Soo Hyuk died no longer

“Heh.”

laughing? Is my ramen so good that

Team leader-nim probably finds your reaction

Cale started to laugh.

Cale Henituse

regrets about the real

no cherished

been a bit

team if he

was what he had been worried

show up for work, and his subordinates such as

have seen once they

it have been

have been something

been curious, but that curiosity had not been enough to let

just enough curiosity for him to think about

However…

“I'm sorry.”

It’s fine to laugh at

think the team leader-nim is sorry because of that? He means he’s sorry we had

Min

quite serious for

He realized it.

the despair that came looking

at the car. Please

do

Ah and Jung

I'll get ready and head down. You don’t need

“Yes, sir!”

don’t need to rush so please feel

Screeeech.

of them opened the door and

Cale quietly observed them.

outside the door was Kim Rok Soo’s old

will see you in

“See you soon.”

Clack!

closed and the automatic lock made an odd noise as

alone in

He looked around.

the outfit he always

reached his hand toward the black

arm and felt the shirt with the tips of his

fun to see the team members for the first time in a long while and experience

“Fun my ass.”

Kim Rok Soo’s lips twisted up

Tick. Tick. Tick.

a noise that

hand headed inside the top

is an item from

certain it was an

after seeing that Kim Min Ah and Jung So Hoon could

Tick. Tick. Tick.

from the

Kim Rok

Tick. Tick. Tick.

out that door

was still telling him

was why Cale realized

was more of

identity of his

In this world…

“It doesn’t exist.”

Hero’ was not

was just a story inside a novel

would mean that everything Kim Rok Soo experienced as Cale was fake and

I have a lot

sighed after realizing

then looked toward the closed

world was outside

he would not

“I need to go.”

wake up

a pretty good idea about what

connected Kim Rok Soo and

‘The Birth

be specific, he grabbed volume

Shhhh-

as he

really is an

was

since Cale

was not recorded in Kim

at a corner of the couch and reached toward

The Birth of a Hero Volume

this back

had a ‘feeling’ that the illusion would break

needed to do with this book to break the

a

I rip it? Burn it? Maybe

debated before just

Flip. Flip.

turned page after

at

the next

laughed after seeing

“How boring.”

then closed