Chapter 45
Finally.
An ID card proving Geum Taeyang's identity had been issued.
An ID card that could be said to record everything about a man was nothing less than the pinnacle of modern technology.
Simply carrying it enabled the card to monitor his heart rate and blood sugar, and if he were in danger, it would immediately notify the nearest police station, hospital, and fire station that there was an emergency.
At last, an ID card containing all manner of magic, technology, and arcane arts had been created.
"It's finally here."
Geum Taeyang stared at the ID card, glittering with expensive gold, diamonds, and rubies, as though it were a fascinating curiosity.
The jewels attached to the ID card alone looked as though they could easily fetch tens of millions of won if sold.
"Yes, Mr. Geum Taeyang. This is your ID card. Now, unless they have reached at least the tenth circle or the realm of an Immortal, no women will be able to harm you in any way."
It wasn't called a male ID card for nothing.
The male ID card was created to prepare for any situation that might arise.
"What happens if I lose it?"
"Don't worry. Spare copies are kept at Im-pu headquarters so that a replacement can be issued immediately."
"Hmm... Are there men who sell these?"
If a card encrusted with jewels this expensive were sold, wouldn't it fetch a fortune?
The card looked so expensive that it was hard not to think so.
"Yes. But it's illegal, so almost no one would try to buy one. Anyone who did would be tracked by Im-pu. Still... since no male's personal safety is at stake, Im-pu doesn't investigate very seriously. Perhaps because of that, they're occasionally traded on the black market."
"So they really are traded?"
"Yes. Everyone wants an ID card containing all of a male's information."
A male ID card contained everything from blood type, cock size, and weight to the number of wrinkles in his anus... Truly, every bit of information was on it.
The card was extremely valuable, since there were countless women who would be delighted by that information alone.
"Is there anything else you're curious about?"
"No. This is enough. Thank you, Aeri noona."
"Not at all. Simply speaking with you is itself a pleasure and a joy for us. Please ask as much as you like."
Aeri and the other enforcers bowed their heads and paid their respects to Geum Taeyang.
"Then... I guess I should go to work now."
"Understood."
At Geum Taeyang's words, the enforcers immediately disappeared into the shadows.
'I wanted to try streaming, too. What a shame.'
Having even seen Darae destroy her own circles and beg, Geum Taeyang decided that, unless there was some special circumstance, he would no longer hide that he was a man merely because it was bothersome.
'Being mistaken for a 'corset-free woman' is convenient, but another woman like Darae might appear and tear down everything she had built over her lifetime.'
Geum Taeyang did not want to ruin a woman's life for his own convenience.
So he decided to take a break from streaming.
At least until the computer and microphone arrived.
He decided not to buy a camera. Other men's streams didn't show their faces either; they broadcast with their voices alone.
This was a world with a male-to-female ratio of 1:10,000.
If he turned on a camera for no reason, someone might pinpoint his location from the position of the room's shadows, the arrangement of the furniture, and so on, and then stalk him.
He could make his stream successful simply by being a man, so there seemed to be no reason to buy an expensive camera.
Geum Taeyang put on a tight sleeveless T-shirt and jeans, then headed out into the street.
"What's with that 'corset-free woman'?"
"Is she a celebrity? Should I ask for her autograph?"
"Wow... that's fucking hot."
Though Geum Taeyang had sworn that he would no longer pretend to live as a 'corset-free woman,'
he had no intention of clearing up the women's mistaken assumptions as he walked down the street.
They were merely passing acquaintances.
Unlike Darae, they weren't people who would destroy their circles for Geum Mari's sake rather than Geum Taeyang's.
"E-excuse me... A-are you interested in lesbians...? If you are, could you give me your number?!"
Of course, when a woman worked up the courage and approached him like this, he had no choice but to tell her the truth.
"I'm sorry. I'm a man."
"Eh...? Huh? Y-you're lying... You could've just said you didn't want to give me your number..."
Geum Taeyang took out his ID card.
Unlike the drab IDs carried by women, his was a dazzling card lavishly decorated with gold, rubies, and diamonds.
"Uh... uh...?!"
"A male ID card!! I've never seen one in person—!!"
"H-he's really a man."
"A man is walking around alone?"
"What on earth are men's rights in this country?!"
The moment he took out the ID card, everyone's attention on the street focused on him.
It wasn't because the male ID card was decorated like an expensive treasure.
The problem was the person who had taken it out.
A rare man.
A man who looked capable of making every other man look like trash.
The closer they got to him, the more powerfully masculine his scent became.
They felt as though they could get pregnant from that scent alone.
And yet... this man, as if sent down by God to save their cunts, was walking down the street alone?
"I fell in love at first sight!! May I protect you, sir? Everyone else, fuck off!! You she-wolves. You didn't come when you thought he was a 'corset-free woman'—!!"
The first woman to work up the courage was holding a sword she'd drawn from somewhere and pointing it at the people around her.
"It's all right. Calm down. I already have guards. I'll gratefully accept the sentiment."
"Huh?"
With that, Geum Taeyang quickly left the street.
Until Geum Taeyang disappeared from sight, everyone on the street was bound by long, trailing shadows and unable to move.
*
"Whew. I'm tired."
After getting caught up in such an enormous hassle merely by taking out his ID card on the street, Geum Taeyang already felt exhausted.
He could understand why other men went around with guards hanging off them.
A woman suddenly drawing a sword...
Other men wouldn't even have been able to react.
But to Geum Taeyang's eyes, every one of her movements appeared as though in slow motion.
He wasn't frightened at all. He only thought it was a hassle to figure out how to handle the situation.
"You girls did well. Thanks to you, that troublesome matter is taken care of."
-Thank you!!!
The three enforcers' voices reverberated in his head from within the shadows.
Thinking how fortunate he was to have the enforcers, Geum Taeyang entered the gym.
Jingle~
"Taeyang... no, Mari! You're here?!"
As though she had been waiting only for Geum Taeyang to arrive, Darae came running the moment he stepped inside.
"Boss, you can just call me by my name. I decided not to pretend to be a 'corset-free woman' anymore."
"Uh... okay. Got it, Taeyang."
"Huh? Boss, Taeyang? What are you saying to Mari, unni? Even if she looks like a man, that's going too far..."
The morning part-timer, who had followed Darae in, tilted her head in confusion.
"Sorry, but I'm a man."
"What...?"
Geum Taeyang immediately showed the morning part-timer his ID card.
"Eh...? Ah... aaaaaah?! I-I'm sorry!! I'm sorry for treating you so disrespectfully all this time, sir!! I thought you were a 'corset-free woman,' so I made you clean and had you do all sorts of things. Please kill me."
The morning part-timer immediately pressed her forehead to the floor and begged for forgiveness.
Geum Taeyang scratched his head and said,
"Stop that and get up. I'm fine."
"A-are you forgiving me? Mr. Geum Taeyang...?"
Reading Geum Taeyang's name on the ID card, the morning part-timer rose with a reverent expression, as though she had met a god.
"Stop making such a fuss. Taeyang's here too, so clock out.'
"Taeyang...? Hey, boss. Do you dare think you can speak informally to a man? You're only a gym owner."
"Huh?"
Seeing the morning part-timer react differently to Darae than she had to him, Geum Taeyang stepped in front of Darae.
"What kind of attitude is that toward your boss?"
"Huh? Yes... Um, well... I'm merely fulfilling my natural duty as a woman to protect and safeguard men..."
"I'm fine. Go now."
"...Yes. Hng."
The morning part-timer had tried to score points with Geum Taeyang, but instead lost them, and she left the gym with a dejected expression.
"Taeyang, don't get so angry. You were released only recently, so you don't know yet, but that kind of reaction is normal. She just doesn't know that you and I are dating."
"...Phew. All right."
Geum Taeyang briefly thought that he had gotten far too angry.
This was the kind of world it was—a world where the idea that men had to be protected was deeply ingrained.
"Um... Do you want to rest in the break room? I'll handle the work!"
"No. I'll watch the counter. That way, we'll sell more elixirs."
"Ah... Um, a woman making a man work is a little..."
"It's fine, noona. I'm being paid for this. Go clean the bathroom."
"Uh... okay! I'll wash my pussy clean and come back."
"?!"
Though Geum Taeyang had never once treated Darae like a toilet,
Darae immediately ran to the shower room.
Geum Taeyang chuckled and took his place behind the counter.
A captivating pink-haired woman approached Geum Taeyang with the air of someone who had spotted her prey.
"Miss Mari? You came to work today."
"It's been a while, boss. But I'm not Mari, I'm..."
"Forget the unnecessary talk. Have you thought about my proposal? Our Miss Geum Mari is perfect celebrity material. You said you weren't particularly good at dancing or singing, but with looks like that, you would be fine just standing there."
The audacious woman cut Geum Taeyang off.
The president of the entertainment agency, Chae Mei, gazed at Geum Taeyang with sparkling eyes.
Geum Mari was a once-in-a-lifetime jewel Chae Mei would never find again.
She knew nothing about Geum Mari's singing, dancing, acting, or variety-show skills...
But none of those pointless things were necessary.
His overwhelming looks alone were enough. Even if he couldn't sing, his appearance was so striking that people would feel as though he sang beautifully!
What a perfect being.
"I'm a man. My name is Geum Taeyang. I'm sorry for making it seem as though I'd deceived you all this time."
"You're a man? Even more perfect!! So many fans...?"
Chae Mei sucked in a breath.
'What did I just hear?'
'I must have misheard.'
"Ahaha. I must have heard you wrong. You didn't just say you were a man, did you?"
"That's right."
"Gasp...!!"
Upon seeing the ID card Geum Taeyang took out, Chae Mei fell straight backward and, after landing on her butt, could not get up.
"Haa..."
Watching her, Geum Taeyang sighed.
How many times was he going to have to explain that he was a man today...?