Chapter 62

Chapter 62: The Newlywed Bride Who Saved a Life

We craved each other late into the night.

One of us was a superhuman.

The other was a Second Awakening individual.

Neither of us tired easily.

However, we decided to get at least some sleep to stay in good condition for tomorrow's reception.

***

I woke up and opened my eyes.

A warm presence filled my arms.

Ria was sleeping in my embrace, using my arm as a pillow.

"......"

I was happy.

Is it really okay to be this happy?

Ria, asleep, was unbearably lovely.

I turned on my side to face her and held her close.

"Mmm, Seon-u......"

Perhaps stirred by my movement, Ria woke.

"Ria, did you sleep well?"

"Yes......"

She was beautiful even having just woken up.

Ria burrowed deeper into my arms.

"Opening my eyes to find myself in your arms makes me so happy, Seon-u."

"I feel the same. Waking up with you beside me feels like a dream."

I wondered if anyone else in the world could be as happy as I was.

"Thank you again for becoming my wife, Ria."

"That is my line......"

Ria hesitated for a moment, then continued.

"Thank you, darling."

Darling — a sudden attack on my heart.

I fired back.

"You are welcome, dear."

"Pfft! That is so awkward!"

"I got goosebumps saying it too. Shall we start getting up?"

"Yes."

And so, after lingering sweetly together, we finally got up.

We washed up and began preparing for the reception.

I finished getting ready first and transferred to the countryside house through the Gate portal to do various checks.

'The people helping with today's reception are the three S-Rank members and the four former Pungjeong staff.'

I had originally planned to hire part-time workers, but they had all volunteered.

I told them it was not necessary, but their resolve was firm and I could not stop them.

The three S-Rank members and the former Pungjeong staff all said the same thing — that they were repaying a debt of gratitude.

'They are good people.'

People who wanted to give back what they had received.

Two black vans and one black sedan then entered the village.

The person stepping out of the sedan was none other than Director Jeong Jae-yong.

"Director, you came in person?"

"Haha! Of course I had to come. It is Seon-u and Ria's reception."

I had known someone from the Rift Management Bureau would come.

The reason was to manage reporters who might come to the village to cover the event.

Excluding village residents, I had sent reception invitations to about 40 people, including relatives and acquaintances.

Not a huge number, but enough for information to leak.

And indeed, it had leaked.

According to the Rift Management Bureau, someone had posted a photo of my reception invitation on an online community with the caption "My dad says he is going to An Seon-u and Emeria's wedding reception" before taking it down.

Because of that post, rumors of my marriage to Ria were circulating online.

Reporters would certainly come sniffing around, so the Bureau was controlling press access to ensure the reception was not disrupted.

The village chief had also agreed, and the Bureau had coordinated with the local branch so that even if reporters filed complaints, they would not be allowed into the village.

"I knew you were coming, but I expected you to arrive around the reception time."

"I woke up early this morning. Please do not worry about today's event — I will make absolutely sure not a single reporter gets in."

"Thank you so much for going this far."

"You are a VVIP of the Rift Management Bureau — it is only natural. So......, have you given it some thought?"

He was asking whether Ria and I would join the Rift Management Bureau's Crisis Response Team.

If we joined, we would have even more freedom than before — as long as no national crisis caused by Rifts arose.

The biggest benefit was escaping the Hunter Association's interference.

'Last time I exchanged Magic Stones for cash — over 500 million won worth at once — the bank clerk handling the exchange called the Association to verify my identity......'

Calling the Association instead of the Rift Management Bureau to verify identity seemed very wrong.

The Hunter Association had then contacted me, asking where all those Magic Stones had come from.

'Even thinking about it now, it is absurd.'

I asked the Director about it.

"The Hunter Association interferes with me about the source of my Magic Stones during exchanges. Would joining the Bureau eliminate that kind of thing?"

"Absolutely. The Bureau does not care or interfere in the slightest about how much a Hunter exchanges. Interfering is what is strange."

He explained that neither the Association nor the Bureau had the authority to interfere.

If a disappearance or murder case occurred within a Rift, the Rift Management Bureau might check a suspect's exchange amounts as part of an investigation — and that was the extent of it.

The Association, on the other hand, did not even have that authority.

'So the Association and the bank employee were in the wrong after all.'

Going forward, once I opened my restaurant, I would be earning and exchanging even more Magic Stones.

Hearing that made me lean even more toward the Bureau.

"I will discuss it with Ria after the reception and get back to you."

Ria was not currently a Hunter.

She was not even an Awakened individual, so the system — the hallmark of Hunters — did not exist for her.

However, since she was now a naturalized citizen, obtaining Hunter qualifications would be beneficial for a smooth life in the Rift.

Legally, only Hunters could enter and exit Rifts.

If someone spotted Ria on the Fourth Floor and reported that a non-Hunter was inside a Rift, it could become a legal issue for Ria as a citizen of the Republic of Korea.

Therefore, even without being Awakened, she needed to be registered as a Hunter.

"I will be waiting for good news."

"Yes, I believe I will be able to give you a positive answer."

The Director then informed me of the current progress on the Vice President's faction case.

The Association's Vice President and Bureau Chief Shin had been summoned and were being investigated.

Additionally, testimonies were being collected from Hunters who had been wronged by them.

'He is really going to crush them, it seems......'

Furthermore, they had successfully located the firm that had been paid by Yu Seon-yeong to surveil me, but the firm had gone into hiding and was being searched for in cooperation with the police.

Yu Seon-yeong would also have difficulty escaping various penalties.

Violations of the Personal Information Protection Act for using location information without consent, along with intimidation.

Violations of the Act on the Protection and Use of Location Information.

Violations of the Communications Privacy Act, joint criminal liability, and more.

She had violated so many laws that it was nearly impossible for her to avoid punishment.

'He certainly gets things done.'

The Rift Management Bureau was certainly reassuring to have on my side.

My inclination tilted even further toward the Bureau.

***

I went to the Rift and brought Ria, dressed in her hanbok, to the countryside house.

"Does the hanbok not look awkward on me?"

I answered Ria's question with conviction.

"Not awkward at all. Maybe it is because you have such an elegant appearance, but the hanbok actually suits you even better than a dress. The flower hairpin with your hair up is beautiful, and the baby's breath hair decoration looks wonderful too."

This was not lip service — it was 100% sincere.

The white jeogori and the sky-blue skirt, similar in color to Ria's eyes, suited her perfectly.

I received word that the former Pungjeong staff had arrived, left Ria at the house, and headed alone to the village parking lot where the reception was being held.

I began taking food out of Acresia and setting it up with them.

After the setup was complete, I asked the three S-Rank members — who had stayed overnight at the countryside house — to make sure nobody touched the food, then took the former Pungjeong staff to the house.

"We finally get to see our Chef's wife."

"She must be quite the beauty for him to hide her so carefully."

I merely smiled at their comments.

"To win over our Chef, she must be something extraordinary."

Ji-young's remark.

'My wife is certainly extraordinary.'

I stood at the front gate and called out.

"Ria, guests are here. We are coming in."

"Oh, come in."

The gate opened.

Ria had been sitting on the veranda and stood up.

She looked like she belonged in a photo spread.

And I was not the only one who felt that way.

"Oh my god......"

"No way......"

"Wow......"

Ji-young looked at Ria and said.

"No wonder the Chef never gave me a second glance — his standards were this high......"

Haha......

My standards were not particularly high — things just turned out this way.

Ria walked over to us at the front gate.

"It is nice to meet you. I am Aveline Emeria, Seon-u's wife."

At Ria's greeting, my former colleagues finally snapped out of it and greeted her back.

Calling her "sister-in-law."

Ria then used the Sigil of Wisdom and expressed her gratitude to them.

"So you are Seon-u's former coworkers. I heard you helped a great deal with Seon-u's reception preparations. Thank you so much."

"Oh, n-not at all. It is a small repayment compared to everything the Chef did for us."

"That is right. Thanks to learning well under the Chef, we are all recognized and working well at our current restaurants."

Those kids......

Hearing them say that made me proud.

After introductions, we headed back to the parking lot.

Then my colleagues suddenly turned their resentment toward me.

"Chef, I wished you happiness, but I did not wish you this much happiness!"

"Wow, I really should not have come to help. I feel deeply betrayed, Chef."

"Even as a woman, I nearly fell for her."

"Me too......"

Ria's beauty was truly powerful.

With my wife being praised, the smile would not leave my face.

***

People began arriving one by one, and including the village residents, about 60 people had gathered.

The reception began.

Ria and I stood before everyone in our hanbok.

This was the first time Ria's unmasked, unsunglassed face was being publicly revealed before so many people.

The reactions to Ria were ones of astonishment.

Comments poured in about how beautiful, how stunning, and how unbelievable she was.

'Enough said.'

Ria and I took the microphone and expressed our gratitude to everyone in attendance.

The attendees blessed us, telling us to live happily.

We then distributed lucky draw tickets to everyone.

Afterward, Ria and I went around to each person enjoying the food to greet them individually.

"Live happily!"

"Seon-u, your wife is so beautiful."

"I hear you prepared all this food yourself. You must have worked so hard. The food is really incredible. Easily the best buffet food I have ever had."

"Seon-u must be doing really well these days. There are even some famous people here that I have only seen on TV."

They were referring to the three S-Rank members and Director Jeong Jae-yong.

Among the guests were also Kim Myeong-hun, Han Joel, and Jeong Ye-rim.

The friends I had partied with on the First and Second Floors of the Rift.

After greeting them, Jeong Ye-rim said.

"Seon-u Oppa, it is sad that you have pulled so far ahead that it is hard to party together anymore."

Following her, Kim Myeong-hun and Joel said.

"That cannot be helped. We just have to work hard and try to keep up. We will do our best!"

"Right, we can hunt the Second Floor without any trouble now."

They had come a long way.

I said to them.

"Someday we will go together again. Or I might have work to ask of you."

At that, Kim Myeong-hun said.

"If it is a job from you, we will take anything."

"Thank you."

As greetings with the attendees were wrapping up.

"Seon-u-!"

The person I had been waiting for — my mother — had arrived.

"I am sorry I am late......, something urgent came up at the branch office. But I heard my son was having a reception, so I ran out in the middle of it."

For my mother, who always put work first, to walk out in the middle of a workday.

One surprise after another.

And she had even changed into a hanbok on the way.

"Thank you for coming despite being so busy, Mother."

"Of course I had to come. It is my son's celebration. Congratulations on your marriage, Seon-u."

Ria also greeted my mother.

"Mother, welcome."

"Thank you, Ria. Or should I call you my daughter-in-law now? In any case, congratulations, truly, truly."

"Thank you, Mother. I am so glad you could come."

At those words, my mother gently embraced Ria.

"Thank you. Please take good care of Seon-u."

"Yes, Mother. We will live loving each other for the rest of our lives."

As I was watching this warm mother-daughter-in-law scene.

Suddenly, a commotion broke out nearby.

When I hurried over, an elderly woman from the village had suddenly collapsed.

"She is not breathing!"

"Call an ambulance, please!"

It was chaos.

Then, Ria approached the elderly woman and checked her pulse and breathing.

She brought her hand toward the woman's heart.

"Ria......?"

"Let me try first aid."

Blue mana rippled from her hand, and then electrical arcs appeared.

'Did she add an electrical attribute to her mana with lightning magic?'

Ria used it to deliver a shock to the grandmother's heart.

THUMP!

The woman's body jolted slightly from the impact.

It was like a manual cardiac defibrillator.

But the heart was still not beating.

Ria repeated the process.

THUMP! THUMP!

On the third attempt.

"GASP!"

The grandmother's eyes flew open.

She began gasping for breath.

The onlookers, who had been watching with grave concern, erupted in cheers.