ch16

[The Villain and the Mart]

"Kakat! We've finally arrived! The stage where my magnificent villainy will unfold!"

'Grand Mart,' a large supermarket with 24/7, 365 days a year sales.

While Evelyn set up the mobile camera, Grimoire peered inside through the supermarket's glass doors.

A vast space, gleaming lights, and insignificant humans peacefully shopping for goods. What a perfect place to execute a wicked plan!

"All that peaceful scenery will soon be shattered! My villainy begins with disrupting the everyday!"

"Master, the viewer count has surpassed 2,000."

"Excellent, through this villainy, everyone will know my true self! Evelyn, Operation Start!"

Grimoire confidently walked towards the mart. Stopping at the entrance, she gave Evelyn instructions,

"Initiate stealth operation! I'll go in first, and you follow in 5 seconds!"

"Yes, Master."

Grimoire tiptoed towards the entrance. As the mart doors opened automatically, she quickly entered.

"I, the great Grimoire, have successfully infiltrated the supermarket unnoticed!"

"Welcome! This is Grand Mart!"

The mart employee at the entrance greeted her with a bright smile.

[In?filtration?]

[Anyone can enter a supermarket lol]

[Infiltrating while being greeted lololol]

[The maid is working hard]

"Ahem, concealing one's inner self, not the outer appearance, is true disguise! The employees don't even suspect my villainy, do they!"

[Wow… are you really going to attack? I'll cheer you on!]

[Show us your horns show us your horns show us your horns show us your horns show us your horns show us your horns]

[The Calamity Grimoire of the Snacks Aisle lol]

[Are you just trying to steal potato chips?]

"What? Steal! I may be a villain, but I'm not a thief! I will confidently pay with Evelyn's black card and then plunder!"

Just then, Evelyn came pushing a large shopping cart.

"Master, how about using this? It might feel more tactical."

A shopping cart? Oho, a good idea!

Without hesitation, Grimoire climbed onto the front of the shopping cart. This should sufficiently display a villain's dignity!

"A supermarket is like a supply depot in the fierce war of modern society!"

Grimoire continued to declare like a great conqueror on the cart Evelyn was maneuvering.

"I will fill this supply depot with chaos and plunge people into despair! Even Sun Tzu's Art of War from ancient China says to attack the enemy's supply lines first!"

Adding historical knowledge made her villainy feel more weighty.

Yes, I am not just a simple villain, but an intellectual villain!

Passersby looked at her with puzzled expressions.

"Oh my, what is that child doing?"

"There's a camera? Is she a YouTuber?"

"Those horn decorations are cute! Do they sell them at the mart?"

"Kuh-huh! Insignificant beings who do not understand my villainy!"

Grimoire sighed at the ignorance of humans. They still don't know how dangerous I am.

"But after today's supermarket raid, they will realize the wickedness of the true villain, Grimoire!"

[What is this…?]

[Is this a supermarket raid? lol]

[What? Was she really a villain?]

[This is a concept, right? lol]

[Woo woo woo! Horns horns horns!]

[It looks like she's trying to play a cute prank]

"Push the cart, Evelyn! Let's find the first target of our villainy!"

The snack corner? Or the fish corner? Or maybe the frozen food corner?

No place can escape my villainy!

Then Evelyn took a small piece of paper out of her pocket.

"What's that?"

"It's a list of things to buy today, Master. Items needed at home."

"What?! We're committing villainy, what's with the shopping! Focus on the villainy!"

Grimoire jumped off the shopping cart in surprise.

"Master, villainy is important, but there's almost no food at home. Especially your favorite potato chips and ice cream are gone."

"Ugh… that's true…"

Come to think of it, that's right. Even villains have to eat.

"Besides, doing villainy and household chores at the same time is more efficient, Master. Moreover, tonight's dinner is curry rice, but we don't have enough ingredients. If this continues, it will only have carrots in it. Will that be okay?"

"What?! Only carrots?! That's not okay! Curry needs meat and potatoes too!"

Curry rice without meat? That's a crime! Even villains don't eat that!

"Alright, then I will allow shopping! But villainy comes first! Consider shopping as a secondary mission!"

[Essential nutrients for villains: meat, potatoes, onions]

[What is this, a grocery shopping vlog? lololol]

[A villain's daily vlog, curry rice for dinner tonight]

[The maid seems to be the one with real power.]

The chat was full of comments unable to hold back their laughter. Tch, ignorant ones who don't know my true intentions!

"Now, I will begin a wicked and genius operation! Everyone, watch! Grimoire's villainy has only just begun!"

Grimoire pushed the shopping cart and roamed the wide aisles of the supermarket. Among the numerous shelves and products, which place is most suitable for my first official villainy?

"Master, how about the ramen corner?"

Evelyn's suggestion perked Grimoire's ears.

Ramen… that's right! A food loved by all Koreans! If I throw this place into chaos, it could damage the national economy!

"Good idea! Let's go to the ramen corner!"

Grimoire grabbed the cart and changed direction.

I soon arrived at the ramen corner. Looking around, I slyly lowered my head to hide. Just like a secret agent!

[Is the villainy finally starting?!Ramen mukbang let's go let's go let's go let's go]

[Sneaking around in a dress lol]

[Horns cute horns cute horns cute horns cute]

"Quiet! Being called 'cute' is the worst insult to a villain!"

Grimoire carefully examined the ramen shelves. Shin Ramyun in red packaging, Jin Ramyun in yellow packaging, Jjapagetti in black packaging… all the ramen were neatly arranged by type.

Hmm… I don't like this perfect order.

"Kakat! A wicked inspiration has come to me!"

What caught my eye was a small package labeled 'Teumsae Ramen'! Even the name is perfect! (TL: The word "teumsae" (틈새) generally means "gap", "crack", or "space in between.)

"Initiate first villainy! I will hide Teumsae Ramen in the gaps of the shelves!"

Grimoire picked up a package of Teumsae Ramen. Then, she cleverly wedged it between the ramen and the shelf.

"Kakat! Be confused! Now people will have to search the gaps to find Teumsae Ramen! And have you heard of Trypophobia? People have always been afraid of gaps!"

[lololol]

[Teumsae Ramen in the teumsae…? Keuhahaha]

[It's all being recorded on CCTV…]

"Hmph! You don't understand my profound villainy?"

Humans are stupid after all. Do I have to spell it out for them?

"What is a gap? It is the boundary between existence and non-existence! Everything in the world has a truth hidden in the gap! Between ramen and ramen, between shelf and shelf! My chaos will permeate all those 'in-betweens'! Just like my gray matter, which is on the boundary between black and white!"

[What the f...]

[Are you majoring in philosophy?]

[Stop with the middle school syndrome… you'll regret it…]

Rustle rustle-

What is that? Who is moving during this majestic speech!

Grimoire turned her head at the sound coming from behind. A mart employee was quietly approaching and putting the ramen I had hidden back in its place.

"Heeik!"

My villainy has gone down the drain! Even in front of all the viewers in the chat!

[Villainy: Harassing the mart employee]

[But the employee is kind. Not even angry lol]

[The mart part-timer hates this broadcast lol]

"Hmph! If the first operation is blocked, we'll just move on to the second operation! Evelyn, let's go to the vegetable corner!"

Never being discouraged is the attitude of a true villain! There is no failure for me, it's all just a process to success!

I saw a display packed with colorful vegetables.

Green broccoli… I hate it.

Yellow paprika… I hate it even more!

And… red tomatoes, this is it!

Grimoire picked up a tomato and gave a wicked smile. Moving a little, I headed to the fruit section.

"Second villainy! Operation Tomato Identity Confusion!"

Grimoire carefully placed the tomato between the apples and pears. The red of the tomato secretly shone among the apples.

"Be confused! Is the tomato a fruit or a vegetable! This philosophical question will confuse the citizens!"

[Tomato… is a vegetable…?]

[Tomato identity confusion lol]

[Aren't you just giving the mart employee more work? You're a real villain…]

[It's okay, she's cute so it's all forgiven lol]

[No, my mom goes to that mart often lololol]

A small chest swelled with pride. Ah, what a profound plan!

"Actually, tomatoes are vegetables in terms of cooking, but botanically classified as fruits, Master."

Grimoire froze at Evelyn's sudden words. The worldview I knew collapsed in an instant!

[Tomatoes are fruits native to the Andes Mountains in South America, and in 16th century Europe, they were called 'devil's fruit' or 'wolf's peach.' At the time, they were mainly cultivated for ornamental purposes due to rumors that they were poisonous, and later in the 19th century…]

[Did you write that all on your own?]

[ Co-cough Wiki cough]

[Are you a tomato doctor?]

My head became complicated. Tomatoes are fruits… I've always known them as vegetables…

"Is the tomato like a double spy? A fruit disguised as a vegetable? Or a poor being whose identity has been stolen?"

My villainy has confused me instead!

"Then should tomatoes originally be in the fruit corner? Did I return the tomato to its rightful place?"

Was my action not villainy?

"No, that's not the case. Most marts place them in the vegetable corner for cooking convenience."

Whew… that's a relief.

But if tomatoes are botanically fruits but culinarily vegetables, then this is like…

"It's like me! I'm a villain but I'm being treated like a hero! The tragedy of the tomato is a reflection of my own!!!"

A sense of kinship with the tomato welled up from the depths of my heart. The tragedy of beings whose true identities are not recognized!

Tears almost welled up, but I held them back to maintain the dignity of a villain.

[It looks like smoke is coming from Grimoire's head lololol]

[It's not smoke, it's gray, right? Am I the only one seeing it? Is it an ability?]

[Serious Grimoire is cute]

"Master, are you alright? You don't have to think too deeply…"

"Quiet! I am now in the midst of profound philosophical contemplation!"

Grimoire pressed her temples with her fingers.

'I have to solve this problem!'

'Grimoire, full brain operation!'

"Wait a minute! What is the final evolution of the tomato?"

Evelyn tilted her head.

"Tomato… pasta?"

"No! It's ketchup, ketchup!"

A brilliant realization came.

"It doesn't matter if it's a fruit or a vegetable! By evolving into ketchup, the tomato transcends all identity confusion! There's no need to worry about whether it's a fruit or a vegetable anymore!"

"That's a truly amazing realization, Master."

"Yes! It's the same for me! No matter how misunderstood I am, I just have to transcend everything in the end and rule the world! Just like a tomato!!"

[Are you going to transform into ketchup too?]

[Grimoire ketchup euhehe…]

[Crushed with logic lololol]

[Just got here, what's with the ketchup?]

"For today's lesson, let's put ketchup in the curry for dinner! It will be a new taste that will shake the world!"

[Ketchup in curry…?You're committing villainy against your stomach…

[Don't say dumb things like your brain is the size of a cherry tomato.]

[What sin did the maid commit]

Grimoire triumphantly threw a bottle of ketchup into the cart.

"Kakat! I've solved the tomato conundrum in one go! I am a genius after all!"

[TL:  Grimoire-nim’s order, Comment 'Tomato']

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