Chapter 237

Chapter 237

I was going to summarize quickly. There were too many inappropriate scenes in Jafa's memories. I had no desire to witness Jafa and Paolo’s sex life.  

Well, maybe some eccentric billionaires would pay a fortune to see what I was seeing right now.  

Paolo’s tolerance… was transcendent, almost superhuman in a way. Even though he had no particular interest in other species, he embraced Jafa for his own purposes—very passionately…  

To get straight to the point, Paolo and Jafa started a business with 'Zola Burger.'  

Not long after, Paolo brought Jafa into his family and accepted her as his wife. There was no formal wedding, but it was practically a common-law marriage.  

'Jafa became someone Paolo couldn’t do without.'  

Jafa’s goal was also a success. Paolo relied on her and consulted her on everything.  

However, there was something in the past that I hadn’t expected.  

"Jafa, Jafa! Look at this, I made a flower!"  

Elize—no, Anguis Regina—came running up to Jafa.  

Young Anguis Regina liked Jafa. Having subtly picked up on Paolo’s cold-hearted nature, the child clung to the kind Tajirun woman like a real mother.  

"It’s an artificial flower. Did you make it out of fabric? Oh, it even smells nice."  

Jafa bent down to accept Anguis Regina’s gift. Quite some time had passed since she had arrived in Border City, and her body had matured to resemble what it was now.  

"I sprayed it with perfume, too. I’ll put it in your hair—it’ll suit you well."  

Jafa lowered her head further.  

Anguis Regina placed a headband with the artificial flower on Jafa’s head.  

"Thank you, Elize. It’s as beautiful as you."  

It was different from what I had expected. Their relationship was nothing but good.  

'…It wasn’t because she loved Paolo that she protected Anguis Regina. She truly saw her as a daughter.'  

Now I knew Jafa’s fatal weakness. If someone took Anguis Regina hostage… Jafa would do anything. Parents were usually like that.  

"Jafa, come here for a moment."  

Paolo called out as he stepped out of the study. Jafa lightly patted Anguis Regina’s head before following him inside.  

Paolo and Jafa mostly talked about money and business. As she listened, Jafa adjusted the scarf that concealed her bomb necklace.  

"…It’s about time we expanded."  

Zola Burger had already opened its third branch in Border City. I didn’t even want to know how they were managing the sauce production.  

'It’s not Tajirun meat, at least…'

For a unique and addictive flavor, Tajirun enzymes and bodily fluids were necessary.  

Paolo was in charge of sauce production—or more precisely, flavor enhancement. This was the one thing he never fully taught Jafa and handled himself.  

“I'm heading to the ‘basement.’ We’re running low on sauce.”  

Zola Burger’s first location, which had been remodeled from an old restaurant, contained many secret facilities. That was because it had originally been a slaughterhouse for alien species.  

‘Any Tajirun that went into the basement… never came out—except for Jafa.’  

Jafa was deeply immersed in the business. It was likely due to the inherent nature of the Tajirun. Economic profit and business expansion brought them immense pleasure.  

…However, there was a problem. A problem that everyone eventually faced.  

‘Sweetness attracts bugs. Predators appear, looking to leech off others’ efforts.’  

Those commonly referred to as ‘gangs’ demanded an exorbitant protection fee from Zola Burger.  

If the gangs had simply resorted to outright violence, Paolo could have managed the situation through his network of contacts from his client list.  

But the gangs were cunning. Without directly harassing them, they found ways to obstruct Zola Burger’s operations.  

“Let’s just pay them off. We can just make more money.”  

Paolo grumbled in frustration.  

“Paolo, protection fees never end. Even if we have to go into debt for now, we should hire guards or mercenaries who will listen to us…”  

“I’m making enough money as it is. I just want to focus on my research.”  

Recently, Paolo had become obsessed with some research. Whenever an auction was held, he spent money like water, filling his study with nothing but junk.  

‘Aside from sauce production, his primary source of income, he doesn’t want to care about anything else.’  

Jafa couldn’t do much against Paolo’s firm stance.  

Ironically, Jafa loved Paolo. No, she likely had no choice but to love him.  

‘No matter what other motives she had… there probably weren’t many human men in this world willing to embrace her so eagerly.’  

Unexpectedly, Paolo was a devoted ‘husband.’ He never neglected his relationship with Jafa—because she was an ‘important source of income.’  

And there was a peculiar charm to Paolo when he became obsessed with his goals. Jafa seemed to want to help him, even without the bomb necklace.  

Srrrk.  

Jafa frequently moved through the streets to oversee the second and third locations. Each time, she covered her entire body with fabric clothing, leaving only her eyes exposed.  

Tak, tak.

As Jafa stepped into the alleyway, men surrounded her. They were gang members wearing electronic display masks that concealed their faces. The screens flickered, displaying various expressions.  

‘Assault.’  

This was another common tactic. A show of force meant to punish her for not complying.  

“It was bound to happen sooner or later. But there’s one thing you should know. A Tajirun always repays a debt.”  

Jafa wasn’t going to die here. What these men wanted was profit, not her life.  

She calmly stared at the approaching gang members.  

Crack!  

A bone-breaking sound rang out. But it wasn’t Jafa’s bone that had snapped.  

Thud!  

A gang member slumped to the ground, his neck twisted backward. Behind him stood a shadow in the shape of a man.  

Clang!  

Startled, another gang member swung a metal pipe at the shadow. The figure effortlessly blocked it with an arm and shifted his footing.  

Crunch!  

A sickening noise echoed as the gang member’s pelvis shattered—along with something even more vital.  

“Gaaaahhh!”  

“Shh, it’s late at night. No screaming. Keep it down.”  

The shadow pressed a hand over the writhing man’s mouth as he spoke.  

Crack.  

Then, the man’s neck snapped.  

The shadow stepped out from between the streetlights, revealing himself. But I had already recognized him long ago.  

‘Kinuan….’  

Kinuan had appeared here. He had stylishly saved Jafa in a moment of crisis. Seeing his brutal display, the rest of the gang members turned and fled.  

Kinuan, with his fully cybernetic body just as I remembered, stood face-to-face with Jafa.  

“Did you just help me?”  

Jafa asked warily.  

“I heard you say that a Tajirun always repays a debt. That means if I help you, I’ll get an even greater reward, right? I couldn’t just walk away from such a promising investment.”  

Kinuan skillfully weaved his words, gradually dissolving Jafa’s suspicion.  

“Hoyoht.”  

Jafa let out a quiet chuckle.  

Ah, this was another classic maneuver. I knew Kinuan well.  

Kinuan had a knack for slipping into people’s good graces. And he never made the first offer. He always feigned indifference, manipulating others into taking the first step.  

Jafa took Kinuan to Zola Burger’s second location and treated him to a meal.  

“…This is incredible. No wonder people are after it.”  

Kinuan remarked as he took a bite of the burger, clearly impressed. There was a high chance he was being genuine—I had also been taken aback when I first tasted Jafa’s burgers.  

“…I heard you haven’t been in Border City for long. I’d like to hire you as a bodyguard. You don’t have to stay forever—just until you settle in properly.”

Jafa made the request first. But this was exactly what Kinuan had intended.  

‘Kinuan must have investigated Zola Burger’s situation beforehand. He might have even been the one who nudged the gang into attacking Jafa.’  

I had no way of knowing the full truth through my simulation memories.  

“A bodyguard? Hmm, I don’t want to show off my cheap tricks and end up dead…”  

Kinuan pretended to refuse. But after Jafa’s persuasion, he joined as Zola Burger’s bodyguard.  

What followed was predictable. There was a consistent pattern with anyone who got involved with Kinuan.  

‘At first, it seems like everything is going well thanks to Kinuan, and eventually, they develop a deep bond with him.’  

It had happened to me, and before me, it had happened to the underground arena gang. Jafa was no different.  

For a year, Kinuan served as Zola Burger’s bodyguard. He repelled the gang’s threats multiple times. It was all too easy for him.  

Before long, he became close not only with Jafa but also with Paolo and Anguis Regina.  

In particular, when Jafa wasn’t around, Paolo and Kinuan had many private conversations.  

The simulation didn’t reveal exactly how Kinuan won over Anguis Regina.  

‘Jafa is sharp. Kinuan must have realized that manipulating her wouldn’t be easy.’  

That’s why Kinuan focused on Paolo and Anguis Regina instead. He took control of their minds where Jafa couldn’t see.  

“Kinuan suggested renaming it to Jafa Burger—to signify that I’m entrusting the management entirely to you. Anyway, I’m going to make a name for myself as an Arcane Civilization archaeologist now.”  

Paolo said this from the bed. Jafa, wrapped in a blanket, flicked her tongue.  

“Did you forget? I’m an exile from the Menoa Family. Jafa isn’t my real name, but if I start using it publicly, they’ll track me down.”  

“Talk it over with Kinuan. He’s oddly good at handling things. Besides, I’m getting tired of using my ex-wife’s name. Jafa, Jafa, Jafa… doesn’t it sound nice?”  

Paolo gazed at Jafa with affection.  

Jafa knew his words and actions were insincere, but she still indulged in the pleasure and happiness they brought her.  

Kinuan and Jafa discussed the Menoa Family’s exile order. Kinuan used the family’s delicate power structure to ensure Jafa’s safety.  

‘This is Kinuan’s specialty.’

He struck a perfect balance, achieving his goals with maximum efficiency. Jafa was able to establish a non-aggression pact by sending a portion of her earnings to the head of the Menoa Family.  

‘The head of the Menoa Family must have started considering the possibility of legalizing their business through Jafa around this time.’  

Later, even Jafa’s plan to take over the Menoa Family was something Kinuan had laid the groundwork for.  

Then, one day, something unusual happened.  

“Kinuan?”  

Jafa, surprised, stared at Kinuan as he walked into the shop.  

His synthetic skin was in tatters, his body visibly damaged. It looked like he had been attacked by someone.  

Jafa quickly supported Kinuan. After catching his breath, Kinuan began to speak.  

“You probably already know, but I’m from the Empire. And I use an advanced combat technique called Akies Victima…”  

Kinuan claimed he had been attacked by an Imperial pursuer. But how much of that was true, even the simulation couldn’t determine.  

‘He’s revealing his weakness to forge a deeper bond.’  

Kinuan, who had always seemed strong, exposed his vulnerabilities—but only to Jafa. I had once fallen for this exact trick myself.  

At that moment, Jafa must have developed feelings for Kinuan. But Kinuan did not embrace her.  

‘If he took Jafa now, it would seem too calculated.’  

After resting, Kinuan got up and left, saying he needed repairs.  

The time was approaching. I could feel it.  

…The slow collapse had begun.  

Kinuan had earned everyone’s trust—a trust carefully built for the sake of a devastating betrayal.  

Two more months passed.  

Bang!  

Jafa heard a gunshot in her sleep. She turned to the bed—Paolo was gone.  

Click.  

She realized that the bomb collar shackling her neck had fallen off.  

“…Why is the collar…?”  

Without even stopping to get dressed, Jafa ran toward the living room, where the gunshot had come from.  

Ssssshh…  

Smoke drifted from the muzzle of a gun.  

Anguis Regina stood there, staring blankly down at Paolo, a pistol in her hand.  

“Elize?”  

Jafa clutched the wall, struggling to comprehend the surreal scene before her. A pool of blood spread beneath Paolo’s head.  

“I, I saved J-Jafa… I saved you… from Daddy…”  

Anguis Regina mumbled.  

…Strange.  

The moment Paolo Kwan died, Jafa’s bomb collar was deactivated.  

Given Paolo’s personality, he would have set it to detonate the instant he died. That would have been the natural assumption.  

“J-Jafa…”  

Paolo groaned, his body sprawled on the floor. He was barely clinging to life.  

“…Elize…”  

He couldn’t finish his sentence. Instead, he dipped his fingers into his own blood and continued his message.  

- Please.  

Was it a whim? Or had there been a shred of conscience left in him?

Tip: Tap/click the left or right side of the screen to go to previous/next chapter.