Chapter 166. Hide Well, or I’ll See Your Hair (2)
After Seryun left, the remaining three discussed what they should do next.
“Now all that’s left is to use Doctor Mozg’s information to avoid Alpha’s pursuit.”
Victoria summarized the situation with a serious expression.
Nova, however, looked skeptical.
“Is that really possible?”
“She was able to find the Herrington Convent’s laboratory.”
“For now, we don’t have any better option.”
“We’ll just have to trust Doctor Mozg.”
Victoria lightly scanned the instructions Doctor Mozg had given them.
She had no idea how the woman had arrived at these conclusions, but the directions were surprisingly specific, right down to the smallest details.
Can we really avoid Alpha’s pursuit by following this?
Victoria forced herself to ignore the unease creeping up inside her.
“So what exactly does Doctor Mozg’s paper say?”
Yukgap asked, gesturing with his chin.
Victoria calmly read the first instruction.
“‘Exit through the door marked with a star. Proceed approximately five hundred meters, then change all your clothes at a clothing store called Red Ribbon.’”
Yukgap immediately understood Doctor Mozg’s intention.
“She wants us to change clothes and disguise ourselves.”
“Probably.”
Victoria seemed to agree.
Nova quickly urged them onward.
“Then let’s go.”
The three headed toward one of the exits connecting the Crescent Moon Auction to the outside world.
Other merchants were also beginning to leave in small groups as the new moon slowly faded.
After walking for a while, they came across an old iron door.
A large star had been painted on it, exactly as the instructions described.
They had found the right place.
“Here we go.”
Yukgap stepped forward and pulled the door open.
A quiet city back alley twisted away beyond it.
At least Doctor Mozg had not sent them anywhere suspicious.
“We go five hundred meters from here.”
Victoria repeated the instructions.
The three walked forward with tense expressions.
Yukgap held a dagger in each hand, constantly scanning the surroundings in case of an ambush.
Fortunately, nothing threatening appeared.
“Is that it?”
Before long, they reached a small clothing store.
It seemed to be the place Doctor Mozg had mentioned.
“Are we sure this is the right place?”
Yukgap asked in confusion as he stared at the sign.
Victoria answered casually,
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
“Look at the sign.”
“This is the only clothing store around here called Red Ribbon.”
“B-But this place is...”
Yukgap trailed off as he looked at the old sign hanging over the shop.
[Red Ribbon - Women’s Clothing, Open 24 Hours]
“It’s a women’s clothing store!”
Yukgap shouted in horror.
Victoria, meanwhile, peeked inside and sounded impressed.
“They carry plus sizes too!”
“There are plenty of things I could wear.”
“That’s not what I mean!”
Victoria tilted her head at Yukgap’s protest.
“Then what’s the problem?”
“Can’t you tell?”
“I’m a man!”
“There’s nothing here for me to wear!”
This was a women’s clothing store.
There was no way they would have anything for him.
Victoria merely shrugged.
“So what?”
“What?”
Yukgap stared at her, not understanding.
Victoria calmly explained.
“When you’re escaping, hiding your gender is actually very effective.”
“Especially when a man dresses as a woman. It can confuse whoever is tracking him.”
“So...”
Yukgap’s face stiffened.
“Are you telling me to cross-dress?”
Victoria immediately nodded as though she had been waiting for the question.
“Yeah.”
“Why not?”
“Women’s clothes are more wearable than you’d think.”
Victoria laughed lightly, but Yukgap immediately exploded.
“Nooooo!”
“Absolutely not!”
Now they wanted him to walk around dressed as a woman?
He had endured just about every kind of battlefield imaginable, but this was beyond him.
More importantly, as a man, there were some things he simply could not accept.
“You worked for Abraxas.”
“You must have used all kinds of disguises.”
“What’s the big deal about wearing women’s clothes?”
“You even dressed as Rudolph last time.”
Victoria argued.
Yukgap snapped back,
“That’s completely different!”
“I’ve done all kinds of ridiculous things, but I’ve never dressed as a woman!”
While the two bickered, Nova quietly joined in.
“Yukgap.”
“Don’t you get it?”
“That’s exactly what Doctor Mozg is aiming for.”
Nova spoke as though trying to persuade him.
Yukgap frowned.
“What do you mean?”
Nova’s expression was serious.
“Alpha knows your personality.”
“She’ll probably calculate that you would rather die than dress as a woman.”
“But if you deliberately cross-dress and escape like that, you’ll be doing something she never expected.”
“That could throw off her calculations.”
“Uh...”
Yukgap could not immediately answer.
He hated the idea, but Nova had a point.
Alpha knew his personality extremely well.
She would probably assume there was no situation in which he would willingly wear women’s clothing.
If he did exactly that and concealed his identity, then just as Nova said, it might create an unexpected variable in Alpha’s calculations.
“B-But still... wearing women’s clothes is a little...”
Even so, the last remnants of his pride fiercely resisted.
Victoria patted him on the shoulder.
“Cross-dressing is actually the manliest thing a man can do.”
“Only a man can truly cross-dress.”
“So be proud of yourself as a man.”
“What kind of garbage logic is that?”
Yukgap stared at her in disbelief.
Victoria, however, looked perfectly serious.
“Nowadays, the distinction between men’s and women’s clothing is disappearing anyway.”
“There are plenty of men who wear skirts and challenge gender boundaries.”
“You’ll be at the forefront of gender equality and new fashion!”
“I don’t particularly want to be.”
Yukgap grumbled.
Nova hurried him along.
“We don’t have much time.”
“The Archons are definitely going to catch up.”
“So what are you going to do?”
Yukgap stared at the store sign, trembling.
Finally, he lowered his head with the expression of a man who had given up on everything.
“Ugh... fine.”
Victoria immediately brightened.
“Then there’s no problem.”
“Let’s all go inside.”
“There are more pretty clothes here than I expected.”
Victoria looked down at the ivory-colored dress she was wearing.
Just in case, she had pinned up her hair and hidden it beneath a wide-brimmed hat, then pulled a pair of sunglasses low over her eyes.
At a glance, she looked like nothing more than a very tall foreign woman.
“Yeah.”
“It’s good that the owner isn’t prejudiced either.”
Nova nodded as she tucked her silver hair under a large ribboned hat.
She had deliberately bought an oversized shirt and skirt to hide her figure.
It was her own way of making herself harder to identify.
“...”
Unlike the two women, however, Yukgap had not said a word.
He was wearing a flowing skirt that reached his knees.
On top of that, he had a blouse.
He had even wrapped a colorful scarf around his neck to hide his Adam’s apple and facial hair.
Fortunately, the store carried a wide range of sizes, so there were plenty of clothes that could fit him despite his male build.
Of course, that was hardly the important issue right now.
“Well?”
Victoria poked him in the side.
“Not bad, right?”
Yukgap trembled and ground his teeth.
“If any of the other Archons ever see me like this, I’m just going to die.”
“Oh, come on.”
“It suits you.”
Victoria tried to flatter him, but Yukgap was miserable wearing women’s clothes for the first time in his life.
“How do women walk around in things this uncomfortable and ridiculously flowy?”
“The road to beauty is always difficult and lonely.”
Victoria replied in a mysterious tone.
Beauty for what?
Yukgap desperately wanted to ask.
“What’s next?”
Nova asked while straightening her clothes.
Victoria quickly read down the instructions.
“According to Doctor Mozg, ‘Go to the nearby park, rent a duck boat, and cross the lake to the opposite side.’”
Yukgap stared at her in horror.
“You want me to ride a duck boat dressed like this?”
“Why not?”
Victoria still did not seem to grasp the seriousness of the situation.
She even held out her hand warmly.
“Come on.”
“I’ll escort you.”
Yukgap stared at her hand with a bitter expression.
“Ugh.”
“I really hate this.”
“Wow.”
“The weather is great!”
Victoria gazed across the lake, where a thin layer of mist floated over the water.
The morning sunlight reflected off both the mist and the lake, making everything sparkle.
It felt as though they were crossing a gigantic field of light in a duck boat.
The clear weather made the whole scene feel refreshing.
“Yeah.”
“Crossing the lake like this is actually kind of nice.”
Nova looked around and agreed.
Since it was still early in the morning, they were the only ones on the lake.
It felt as though they had the enormous lake, and this shining moment, entirely to themselves.
“...”
Yukgap, however, had kept his head lowered in silence the entire time.
Victoria cautiously asked,
“Yukgap.”
“Are you still upset because the duck boat owner looked at you like you were a pervert?”
“No matter how I dress, there’s no way I actually look like a woman.”
He had tried to hide his gender with the scarf and hat, but there was nothing he could do about his natural build.
The man who had rented them the duck boat had not said anything outright.
But he had openly stared at Yukgap with disgust.
Yukgap wanted to scream at the top of his lungs that he had not chosen to dress this way.
“But Doctor Mozg’s instructions specifically said to do this.”
“For now, all we can do is follow what she told us.”
Victoria offered the excuse.
Why had Doctor Mozg gone so far as to make him dress like this?
Yukgap imagined the brain floating inside her flask and ground his teeth.
“That floating-brain woman...”
“Once this is all over, I’m not letting her get away with this.”
