Kim Tae Rin was flustered. She had never thought of such a thing. Because it was impossible.

“Teacher, you know I hate Choi Yoon.”

– But that’s not valid anymore, is it?

She barely managed to grip her phone as it was about to slip from her hand. The voice that followed had no hint of laughter.

– You’ve hated Choi Yoon until now because he led policies oppressing monsters. But now Choi Yoon is on the monsters’ side.

That was true. The current Choi Yoon seemed more sincere about monsters than anyone else.

– Now you have no reason to hate him, right? Because I’m starting to like him first.

“Don’t worry about that.”

It felt strange. She had been cautious even about the assumption that she might come to like someone.

“Even if I come to like that person, what can I do? I’ll naturally fall away the moment I know he’s a disguised one.”

Kim Tae Rin thought of Choi Yoon basking in the morning sunlight in the garden, repeatedly saying that all those past events were his mistakes. Young eyes that had grown before the wounds could heal.

“It’ll be fortunate if we don’t end up killing each other.”

Choi Yoon carefully closed the door. He considered locking it but decided against it. If anyone in this house should lock a door, it would be Kim Tae Rin, not him.

The guest room he had looked around earlier in the day was still neat upon second glance.

Thin summer bedding was calmly spread on a low wooden platform.

There was no other furniture, and only that shelf was attached to one wall. On it were a glass bowl collecting colorful candle pieces worn small and dried pine cones, and three or four books.

Every time lightning struck outside the thin curtains, the whole room flashed brightly.

As he sat down awkwardly on the bed, fatigue washed over him.

A round wooden tray with a kettle and cup was placed at the head of the bed. He poured a cup and put it to his lips. What was meant to be just wetting his throat soon turned into gulping it down.

He roughly wiped away the moisture rolling down his chin with the back of his hand.

What was that earlier? Trying to recall, it was already broken, jagged here and there, not fitting together neatly.

Only Kim Tae Rin’s deft hands checking Choi Yoon’s meal and serving more grilled vegetables, and her slightly parted lips as she concentrated on wiping the table, remained vivid.

The strange scent that brushed past when she approached to tell him where the detergent was while leaving him with the dishes still gently lingered in his nose. Like those pitch-black eyes that would stare directly without avoiding when their gazes met.

Had his mind gone crazy from excessive stress? It was even stranger because he usually didn’t feel desire towards the opposite sex. It wasn’t that he was uninterested in the opposite sex, but rather that there were much firmer priorities.

The goal of not losing the throne he had worked so hard to climb.

There was no room to look at anything else. Usually, such a strong motivation tends to crush other small desires, and hadn’t he lived every day proving it?

And yet.

Choi Yoon shook his head roughly.

That’s not what’s important right now.

He jumped up and started searching the bed and nightstand.

The kitchen, which he had quickly scanned while volunteering to do the dishes, had nothing to gain. Even the counter, which he had most hoped for, was the same.

He only kept confirming how cleanly the tenant managed the restaurant and how efficiently they organized things.

The guest room was the same. The bed originally had no storage space, and the nightstand was empty.

Bedroom. He needed to see the bedroom.

That was the most likely place. Hospital records, perhaps. Or medicine. Though it seemed unlikely they would keep them, maybe an old ID card or old photos from monster days. If he was lucky enough to check a laptop, that would be even better.

Tomorrow, should he make up an excuse and try to borrow the phone…

Finally, Choi Yoon examined the shelf. The books were all different in size, thickness, and color, but they all dealt with sociology.

He opened them one by one. He hoped for letters exchanged with acquaintances, or old photos, or even receipts to come out, but there was nothing.

As he disappointedly put down the book, a vibration rang out, startling Choi Yoon. He picked up his phone.

“Ji Ho.”

– I sent photos of the basic certificate. Want to check them now?

He opened the message. The resident registration basic certificate went over four pages. Seems like they moved around a lot.

On the third page, Choi Yoon zoomed in on the photo. Slowly scrolling down, he stopped.

“There’s a record of living in Unju City, Chungnam? And for exactly one week. Unju City, Yeoneun-dong. Yeoneun-dong…”

The sound was familiar. He muttered.

“Wasn’t this place once famous for laundering monsters’ identities?”

– That’s right. They say all the disguised ones caught these days are from there.

From there. He couldn’t even laugh. What’s the motive for disguising, anyway.

– Apparently, one civil servant laundered several truckloads of monsters into humans right before retirement. But I don’t think Kim Tae Rin moved her address there to forge her resident registration.

“Why?”

– Because she had gotten a job there. She found a place near the company and moved her address, but was fired right away. That’s why she only stayed in that neighborhood for a week.

It was unconvincing, but with a clear record of being hired and fired, there was nothing to be done. Definite evidence was needed.

Choi Yoon swiped to the next photo. The data Yoo Ji Ho had obtained in less than half a day kept pouring out endlessly. At times like this, it’s faster to listen.

“Parents? None?”

– No. She grew up in a facility. The name there was… a very common name. Ah, found it. Hope Orphanage. Located in Busan.

Choi Yoon furrowed his brow. When he was silent for a moment, Yoo Ji Ho asked.

– Do you know the place?

“It sounds familiar somewhere… Was she never adopted?”

– No. She left the orphanage after turning eighteen.

“Then she must have had the surgery after that.”

– Well. The orphanage records say she’s human. Kim Tae Rin, human.

“Are you sure?”

– Yes. I’m sure.

“Did she change her name? Or maybe the orphanage records were forged.”

– There’s no trace of her changing her name either? She’s been Kim Tae Rin from the start.

There was a rustling of paper, then Yoo Ji Ho continued lightly.

– And there’s bad news.

“What is it?”

– You’re right. She has a boyfriend. But he’s alive and well. He didn’t die.

“…What?”

This was unexpected.

– It’s someone you know too. Director Park Jae Sun…

“M Plastic Surgery? The one who consulted for the drama?”

– Yes. That person. You met him a few times and complained about how hard it was to please him, remember?

He remembered all right.

The director of M Plastic Surgery. Anyone in the entertainment industry knew him.

He was not just cold, but irritable and angry about everything. As days went by, his eccentricity went beyond limits, and many celebrities gritted their teeth saying they would never set foot there again if it weren’t for his skills.

Even Choi Yoon, who was unbeatable when it came to sociability, found it painful when conversations with Park Jae Sun went over 5 minutes.

He endured it because he had to play the role of a plastic surgeon, building his character, but if it had been a private setting, he would have excused himself and left.

“But isn’t he married? I thought he had a daughter too.”

– They were known as a loving couple, but his wife passed away.

“How? Accident?”

– Suicide.

Oh no.

“…Are you sure they’re in a relationship? The age difference is too big.”

– Park Jae Sun poured money into Kim Tae Rin’s account, more than just pouring. They also had many private meetings. There are many people who witnessed them at the hospital.

Oh no, what on earth is this…

– But the amount of money exchanged is no joke. Billions of won went back and forth. If we count the accounts under borrowed names that we couldn’t trace, it would be even more. It’s easily worth several apartments.

He felt nauseous.

– But what’s strange is, Kim Tae Rin doesn’t just receive. She pays back exactly what she receives. With interest. But because she receives so much, she can’t keep up with the repayment speed. Still, she deposits steadily every month. And…

After some rustling, Yoo Ji Ho continued.

– It seems Park Jae Sun recently gathered billions by pulling from various accounts under borrowed names. But we can’t figure out where this cash went. It wasn’t deposited into Kim Tae Rin’s account either. It evaporated. And one more thing.

“There’s more?”

– Apparently, he performs surgeries for free on monsters who have no money and nowhere to go. We can’t confirm if he’s doing disguise surgeries. You know those extremely expensive surgeries not covered by insurance, like repairing torn wings or reattaching cut antennae? He just does those for free.

“That’s charitable? Volunteer work. But why am I only hearing about this now? It should have caused quite a stir.”

– That’s what’s strange. There’s no need to do good deeds secretly, but he’s doing it secretly.

It’s definitely strange.

This almost looks like trying desperately to help monsters while not wanting to get involved.

“Surely Director Park Jae Sun isn’t a disguised one?”

– I thought so at first too, but I don’t think so. Because I looked into Park Jae Sun’s family relations.

Yoo Ji Ho had caught the right direction.

If Park Jae Sun was indeed a disguised one, his daughter would be at least half-monster and possibly a full monster. Moreover, if Park Jae Sun had laundered his identity, his daughter would have no choice but to live as a disguised one too. In that case, Park Jae Sun and his daughter would have had their records falsified in common…

– But Park Jae Sun’s daughter is someone we know.

“Who?”

– My girlfriend.

Choi Yoon couldn’t believe his ears.

“…So Won?”

– Yes.

“The So Won I know?”

– Yes. The Park So Won we know.

Park So Won was one of Choi Yoon’s stylists. She had a cold personality but was definitely reliable in her work. She had been working with Choi Yoon for years and was Yoo Ji Ho’s long-time girlfriend.

And she’s human. As far as Choi Yoon knows.

“But So Won is human… Wait, Ji Ho, you didn’t even know who your girlfriend’s father was?”

– And you complained about how nasty Director Park Jae Sun’s temper was right in front of your closest stylist.

Choi Yoon rubbed his forehead.

“Why didn’t So Won tell us? That her father is Director Park Jae Sun?”

– I was surprised too and asked So Won. She said she couldn’t tell us. Because we badmouthed Park Jae Sun so much… I guess she felt awkward about saying it.

Choi Yoon cleared his throat.

“So Won isn’t mixed, is she? She’s human.”

– Of course she’s human. There’s no possibility of her being a disguised one either. I guarantee it. Because we’ve been dating for quite a while and our progress…

“Enough. No need for details.”

– Above all, I went with her when she donated blood last month. They tested a blood sampling device for full screening there, and they took So Won’s blood to show the reaction. She was classified as human right on the spot.

“Then the possibility of So Won being adopted is… gone. They look too alike.”

– Yes. Anyone can see they’re father and daughter. Spitting image.

“Why didn’t we really know?”

– We never even thought about it. We knew she was from a well-off family, but she never talked about her family.

“Then Park Jae Sun isn’t a disguised one.”

– No. He’s not.

“Then Kim Tae Rin is…”

– In my opinion, Kim Tae Rin is the same. There’s nothing suspicious. She’s clean.

“Records can always be manipulated.”

No matter how much traces are erased, the body is honest. You can’t erase even surgical scars.

“Disguised ones don’t just have surgery once. The manifestation points keep growing back. They cut them off and cut them off again, as frequently as every few months or as late as every few years. So there have to be scars.”

There’s only one way after all.

“It’s most certain if I confirm with my own eyes.”