NOVEL NEXT chapter 23
23 – Body Modification (2)
Even the articles,
And the comments beneath the articles.
“Matthew… that damn guy…”
– Calling this a western in this day and age? Is he insane? LOL
– Dual barrels and a revolver, seriously swallowed by the concept ㅋㅋㅋ
– What’s he shooting so well with?
ㄴ I heard he’s quite famous in the industry.
– What were the commercial district security guards doing until the sheriff showed up?ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ Sheriffㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Is this really a western?
ㄴ Now, are they riding robots too?
ㄴ Oh
In the midst of it all, he’s now a sheriff.
It felt like something precious in his mind turned to dust and flew away.
During the ten years of not making decent money, the image I aspired to wasn’t this.
Wearing a gray coat, pressing down a fedora,
Aiming for the image of putting a cigarette in his mouth and pulling the trigger.
Now I have become the protagonist of a rough western drama.
“The majority of the reactions are positive.”
Whether she was reading the same article as me or not, Ilyah suddenly said that.
It was not comforting at all.
“I’m not wearing a wide-brimmed hat, nor am I riding in on a horse and throwing a lasso.”
Why am I becoming a cowboy?
“It seems that the use of weapons that are relatively archaic, such as a 6-shot revolver and a double-barreled shotgun, is the reason.”
In the end, it seems that my weapon preference makes me look like a low-class cowboy.
Well, I don’t have any money, and I can’t even get any modifications, so I’m far from a glamorous appearance.
“Furthermore, when analyzing the comments, it seems that Taehyuk’s background as a mercenary caught the public’s attention. Comments related to his proficiency with revolvers account for 15% of the total.”
“…The more I scroll down, the more comments I see that lead me to believe I’m being portrayed as a gunslinger, in the Wild West, or as a sheriff. What on earth happened in the video?”
I scrolled up in the comment section and displayed the video on the screen.
From an angle that seemed to be captured by a surveillance camera, I and Ilyah were inspecting our weapons.
The slightly anxious movements of our hands were clearly due to the excitement of the thought that I would be involved with Ilyah.
If the fact that my memory is hazy because of that is the problem, then it is a problem.
I didn’t even notice the flickering of my phone that I had set to silent.
Suddenly, with a loud screeching of brakes, the vehicles came drifting in.
The dust… swirling in the air.
The fluttering coat resembled a cloak,
I, holding a revolver straight ahead, fired one shot, no, two shots just like that.
The sound quality wasn’t great, but thanks to the clean image, I could see holes forming in the front windshield of the car.
“It’s because of this.”
“Comments, including the West, gunslinger, sheriff, and slinger, account for a whopping 50%.”
…I expected that.
Letting out a long sigh, I silently continued to watch the flowing video.
On that day, Ilia slowly stepped aside, precisely loading bullets into the machine gun.
Firing just enough to make them fall accurately, she turned the nearest vehicle into a beehive.
Simultaneously, this time, three rapid shots were clearly heard.
With my arm pulled from the hip to chest height, I fired the last shot –
With that, those who came out of the two vehicles or couldn’t come out at all were all turned into a bloody mess.
The nomads in the last vehicle quickly fell to the successive shotgun shots.
That was the end of the video.
“Just quietly use a semi-automatic shotgun.”
Even if it’s an inner thought, the double-barreled shotgun – especially one painted with a wooden feel – seemed to be the problem.
Otherwise, I’d like to say that such a reaction is impossible.
“The main cause is the 6-shot revolver.”
“From the first time we met, you really hated revolvers, didn’t you?”
It hurt so much to shatter the fact I had been trying so hard to deny.
For someone like me, who had romanticized and loved revolvers, those words felt like a deep wound.
Gradually calming the slightly overwhelmed emotions, I limped towards the car with half my strength.
“When we get home, I’ll give you a massage to relieve the stress.”
“…Sure, I’ll appreciate that.”
I wanted to grab my throbbing head right away, but there were too many things I needed to check.
I had to go through each blaring alarm right in front of me.
But as soon as I opened the car door, a call came in.
It was Kang Gyuhwan, the director of Gemini Arms, my client for the day.
“Hello.”
“Oh, finally reached you. Director Kang Gyuhwan here. I was trying to contact you to confirm if you arrived safely, but I couldn’t get through since yesterday.”
Checking the missed call records, there were a whopping six calls.
Three times yesterday evening, three times today, and this was the seventh.
He seemed quite persistent in trying to reach me.
“I apologize. I got quite tired after finishing work, so that might have been the reason. Seeing your missed calls… Did I safely return?”
“Yes, thanks to you. Did you see the driver? As soon as I heard he showed up, I sent him right away.”
I instantly grasped the implication.
Security officer, gunman, western.
…My head throbbed.
“Yes, that’s right…”
“If there’s something that doesn’t sit well with you, um, it didn’t seem like you were particularly fond of the name.”
I didn’t think I had made it so obvious.
Did they notice my slight discomfort?
To be honest… it’s quite far from what I had expected.”
“Oh… that’s regrettable.
If there’s any consolation, it’s that the public seems to show a lot of interest in it.
Even at our company, many people ask me who the mercenary we hired is.
And maybe… the proposal… has been sent.”
“Really?”
Without even getting into the car, I leaned against the door and checked the mailbox.
…So many spam emails that it made me sigh.
When I typed in Gemini Arms in the search bar, only one result immediately filtered out.
Sponsor?
“Oh, I just received a notification that you read it.
To briefly explain the contents – as you know, our company sells firearms from small to medium-sized.
Among them, we have revolvers, and we also showcase custom parts through our subsidiary.
Not necessarily an advertisement, but we hope you’ll try our weapons.
“Of course, it’s provided free of charge, and you’re free to choose additional components as you wish. We’ll prepare and deliver them for you.”
Opening the enclosed contract, Taehyuk furrowed his brows at the seemingly lengthy document.
It was tiresome dealing with complexities, but… the prospect of getting a gun from a supposedly upscale place for free was appealing.
“May I review the contract you provided together and respond later?”
“The choice is yours, Taehyuk-nim. While we would appreciate your acceptance, it’s not something I can stamp alone.”
“I have quite some time today. I’ll probably respond around late at night.”
“That would be fine, thank you.”
It seemed like a good idea to take a closer look.
The person seemed decent, and their polite speech resonated well with Taehyuk.
“Oh, by the way, have you confirmed the deposit? We sent it to the Manticore Mercenaries’ side.”
“We were able to confirm that. Thank you.”
“No, thank you. While it’s a bit disappointing not to witness your remarkable skills in person, thanks to your security escort, I could safely return.”
After a few brief exchanges of pleasantries, I could conclude the call.
Even in a position like that of a mover, it felt unusual to encounter such kindness.
…But then, among the suited individuals, there were exceptions, and I couldn’t help but realize that.
“By the way, when will I ever read all of this?”
“Would it be alright if I organized the mailbox for you?”
Suddenly, the person leaning against my side spoke.
Gently placing a hand on the shoulder, it felt good to be enchanted.
“Ugh, seriously, I have no idea how I survived without you.”
“If you provide the account information, I will distinguish and handle spam emails for you. Simultaneously, I can also summarize and attach the contents.”
“That’s all possible?”
“Yes. Can we say the expression ‘worth the money’ in this situation?”
“Got it.”
Now, the learning ability that casually used slang seemed quite remarkable.
I wondered if it continued to learn something even while I was asleep. Or maybe I encountered various expressions through comments on the news I just scanned.
…I was slightly worried.
“For now, I’ll send you the ID and password by email. But learning those expressions is through internet training, right?”
“Yes. Of course, harmful websites and offensive expressions are automatically filtered out, so you don’t need to worry.”
Even though they said that, it was inevitable that a corner of my mind still felt uneasy.
Now that some time had passed since the incident, maybe I should keep an eye on it.
“Alright… understood. Please check the messages and texts that come to me during this time.”
“I’ll proceed with that task while you’re driving.”
Still, it was fortunate that the most challenging part seemed to end quite easily.
Raising a hand to the handle, starting the engine, and selecting the destination.
At the same time, the notifications on the helmet began to disappear one by one.
***
[Task Log of ‘Ilyah,’ owned by Tae-Hyuk Lee]
– Sorting and removal of promotional emails
ㄴ Completed
– Sorting and removal of spam text messages
ㄴ Completed
– Prioritizing emails arrived in the contacts
ㄴ Check emails from Tanaka Haru – Warning and recommendation for deletion upon viewing.
ㄴ Check emails from Matthew Vance – Numerous mentions of ‘gunslinger’ and ‘sheriff.’ Warning upon viewing.
ㄴ Check emails from Godo Jun – Numerous mentions of ‘gunslinger’ and ‘sheriff.’ Warning upon viewing.
ㄴ Check emails from Komin Jun – Confirm contents related to scheduled surgery. Immediate viewing requested tonight.
– Checking Manticore Mercenary mail
ㄴ Check Tanaka Haru’s private content – Sorting completed. Warning and recommendation for deletion upon viewing.
ㄴ Confirmation and sorting of completed tasks and deposit receipts.
– Reviewing recruitment proposals from mercenary companies
ㄴ Sorting completed for 3 cases other than Gearhead, Thorzen, and Armenius.
– Reviewing proposal from Gemini Arms
ㄴ Checking sponsors and contract conditions. Compressing content…
– Confirming interview requests from media outlets
ㄴ Incheon Daily, Higher Guns Magazine, and 6 other categories…
ㄴ Multiple uses of the terms ‘gunman’ and ‘security officer.’ Warning necessary.
[Requested tasks completed – report list compiled]
– Repeated stress reactions observed during contact with Tanaka Haru.
ㄴ Recommendation to block future calls, emails, and messages
– Stress reactions observed in the use of terms such as ‘gunman’ and ‘security officer’
ㄴ Caution advised in using such expressions in relation to ‘Iria’ and recommendation to provide ‘services’ for stability
ㄴ Recommendation to purchase clothing and items for enhanced pleasure during provision of ‘services’
ㄴ Completed and recommended search for alternative location or position due to damage to the bed
– Confirmed attachment reaction to the revolver by Mr. Taehyuk
ㄴ Refrain from expressing opposing opinions
ㄴ Positive communication regarding the use of the revolver necessary
– Confirmed depletion of energy in Mr. Taehyuk due to various activities
ㄴ Minimize physical exertion during the provision of ‘services’
ㄴ Hydration through oral means necessary
ㄴ Volunteering necessary to minimize muscle soreness after providing ‘services’
ㄴ Continuous warmth provided during sleep
[List compiled, commence report tasks]