“Thank you, kid. Let’s go.”
With a dismissive greeting left behind, a grumpy and nervous-looking man abruptly turned with a whoosh and started striding away.
The elegantly poised woman and the masked male student followed suit, turning their bodies to catch up with him.
“…”
Until the moment they disappeared around the corner of the hallway, Seoyeon’s golden eyes silently watched the three figures recede into the distance.
“…They say time is merciless.”
A voice dripping with bitter derision snapped Seoyeon back to reality.
Her biological father was wearing a bizarre smile, his lips twisted in a grimace.
The kind and gentle expression from earlier had completely vanished.
What stood there now was the face of someone greedy and thirsty for power.
“Is that truly the Black Lion I knew? Where did that arrogant demeanor that pierced the heavens go?”
Seoyeon thought to herself, ‘Wasn’t he just being sufficient arrogant?’
“…Could he really be my biological son?”
“That’s nonsense.”
However, her father immediately spat out the nonsensical response with a scoff.
“The hostess is already at an age where it’s biologically impossible. Unless she achieved Category 1 like Haewolhwa…”
He turned away, walking in the opposite direction of where Heukryeon’s group had disappeared.
“But I suppose his talent is genuine. If he’s worthy of sharing the name Heukryeon, it goes without saying. How on earth did he find such a gem?”
Seoyeon silently followed behind him.
“What a pity. If it had come into my hands first…”
“…”
As the man continued to treat the masked male student like some item, a profound rebellion welled up in Seoyeon’s mind.
She bit her lips tightly to conceal the surge of emotions.
“Tsk. We’ve encountered a troublesome obstacle. Just when Heukryeon returned to the Grand Council, of all times, and unexpectedly that second child…”
The man clicked his tongue in disappointment.
Then, without turning his head, he asked.
“Well then. What use is there in dwelling on the past? How’s the Northern Army situation?”
“…We’re smoothly integrating them. Continuously injecting funds to cover the shortage of supplies and budget. The Northern Army is practically our quasi-soldiers.”
“Good. Very good.”
Only then did the man nod slightly, as if feeling somewhat satisfied.
His eyes shone with a heavy, dark greed.
“Proceed as it is. It will become a great strength for us in the future.”
“…Yes.”
While she nodded dutifully, not all his words had been true.
There was a subtle distinction in the fact that their loyalty would ultimately be directed not towards the Paechun family but solely towards him.
“The past mistakes will be overlooked this time. However, once you return to the cradle, don’t delay in joining the Student Council. Now that Heukryeon has returned, there’s no time to dawdle.”
It was a reprimand directed at Seoyeon, who had recklessly ambushed the Jeokhwa without his permission.
Moreover, she had failed to properly deal with the heir of Jeokhwa and the masked male student, leading to the undesirable outcome of Heukryeon’s return for the Paechun.
Seoyeon had been granted significant autonomy, a decent acknowledgment for her past achievements.
For instance, she could derail numerous engagement proposals on the grounds that the candidates were unsatisfactory or refuse her father’s demand to join the Student Council.
This was a treatment that couldn’t even be compared with the other family members, who were being consumed like cogs by her father’s commands.
Based on this, Seoyeon could immerse herself in her own work.
However, with the excuse of this failure, her father seemed to have every intention of significantly reducing her autonomy.
His targets for control were not just his political enemies.
The children who could potentially threaten his absolute power were also his sources of anxiety.
“We must never lose our influence in the cradle. By any means necessary.”
“…Yes.”
Yet again, she nodded obediently.
To Baek Il-yong, Seoyeon had to remain a well-behaved, docile child.
Only then could she utilize the power of Paechun for her own objectives and drop him from the highest point when he least expects it.
A comfortable death would never be tolerated.
He must taste the utmost despair and be dragged into hell.
From the day she was born until now.
Most of her misfortune stemmed from him.
Seeing the reporters stationed outside the Assembly Hall, Baek Il-yong once again let out a twisted sneer.
“Ugh, the bottom-feeding vermin are crawling all over. Disgusting creatures…”
After pulling a genuinely contemptuous expression, he suddenly changed his demeanor.
Straightening his appearance, he stood in front of dozens of cameras with a bright smile on his face.
“Chairman Baek! Could we have a word about the return of Heukryeon to the Grand Council?”
“There are suspicions that the ambush on Jeokhwa had strong political motives…!”
“What about Lady Baek Seoyeon’s fiancé…!”
“Alright, alright! I’ll answer you all, so please ask one at a time!”
He waved his hands in an apparently flustered manner.
“The return of Heukryeon is also something I desire. Let’s engage in genuine discussions for the future of our Republic instead of this wasteful debate…”
As the man began tossing out words as if greasing his way through, Seoyeon stood behind him, putting on a smile, hands neatly clasped, embodying a picture-perfect father-daughter duo.
Genuinely feeling disgusted by him, at the same time, she was overwhelmed with a strong self-hatred for treating others in the same loathsome fashion.
Surely all matters were nearing the conclusion.
However, right now, her heart was filled with confusion and doubt.
Seoyeon replayed that day’s encounter hundreds of times over.
Below her navel, the area struck by the masked male student’s fist still buzzed with a lingering sensation.
He had aimed for her most precious and secret place. A domain no one else dared to invade aside from its rightful owner.
So naturally, he should have been reduced to a bloody mess on the spot for even attempting to touch her.
Yet, Seoyeon hadn’t done that.
To say she couldn’t do it would be more accurate.
Even now, when she closed her eyes, the sensations from that moment lingered vividly around her body.
The sound of his mask shattering and fragments hitting the floor resounded loudly in her ears.
And in the next moment, what she encountered was… those eyes felt clearer and more transparent than anything in this world.
At the same time, for some reason, Seoyeon recalled something she had lost long ago—something most precious to her, now forever unreachable due to her own mistake.
Along with the pain, a sharp pleasure surged within her lower abdomen, but he swiftly turned away and vanished beyond the mist.
“Ugh…”
In that moment, her father’s viewpoint coincided with hers.
Exhausted and worn by the world’s storms, those gentle eyes were definitely distanced from Heukryeon’s characteristic sharpness.
Seoyeon was going mad.
He was one of the most hated people in her life.
Yet, ever since that day, merely encountering him caused her hatred to dissolve without a trace.
Like spring snow.
And Seoyeon had no way to resist that.
Without even realizing it, gentle worries slipped from her lips, and just receiving a cold response made her heart plummet, suffocating her.
The masked male student.
He had entered the cradle with a recommendation from Heukryeon after 15 long years.
Though he was mocked as an oddball due to his unusual appearance and somewhat twisted personality, he had been proving his worth and flipping the perceptions of others upside down.
And at this moment, the person closest to him… her rival. Yeon Minha.
After the southern incident, Seoyeon had once seen them walking the campus together from a distance.
Though he wore a cold expression, she could easily detect the shift in Yeon Minha’s gaze.
After all, she had once gleamed with the same light while looking at someone.
But she only chuckled off the thought.
Pretending to be aloof was nothing more than a facade, and in the end, like attracts like… she mocked them internally.
Yet, for some reason, now the mere thought of them together made cold sweat trickle down her spine, tightening her chest in anxiety.
“…Lady… a question…”
“…”
“Lady Baek Seoyeon?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I got lost in thought for a moment… So my thoughts are…”
A reporter’s question snapped Seoyeon back to attention.
Though she plastered a bright smile while answering, her mind was filled with other thoughts.
It was a question almost bordering on certainty about a certain possibility.
There was only one way to resolve it.
Somehow, she had to face him again.
*
When the great chaos was roughly settling down, I made my way back to the Capital’s Information Bureau base.
I had a few questions to ask. Plus, no one knew the underlying current of the various situations like this better than him.
“…Locked?”
As darkness began to fall over the street, I pulled my hood over my head and returned to the silver moonlight, but for some reason, the entrance to the underground pub was firmly barred with a metal shutter.
Was it a day off…? The thought crossed my mind, but after all, this isn’t even a real pub.
Moreover, whether it’s day or night, it’s been opened year-round, so Jinwoo had said anytime I could come.
What should I do? Once I enter the cradle, it’ll be difficult to come back out for a while.
My overdue studies, and things outside only growing noisier…
Upon closer inspection, I saw signs of a response circuit.
“…”
I made a quick decision. Whatever it was, I’ll check inside first, right?
If no one is there, I can just turn back.
I placed my hand near the edge of the shutter.
Then, in accordance with the pattern he had shown me before, I sequentially injected particles.
With a creak, something mechanical began to whir, and suddenly with a clunk, a small passage opened in the center of the shutter.
I stepped into the dark staircase, devoid of any light.
And I sensed a strange air mixing that I had never felt before.
What should I call this?
A fishy scent. Damping. Stickiness. Lukewarm…?
It grew stronger with each step I took.
“Ugh…”
“…Ah…”
Simultaneously, I could hear someone letting out similar groans.
A strangely thin, faint voice brushed against my ears.
And suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.
Fishy. Damp. Sticky. Lukewarm.
Automatically, the blood flowing from my body came to mind, and the groans meant…?
Just the thought of the possibility made my body tense instantly.
Carefully stepping down the stairs, I pressed my ear against the door, but thanks to soundproofing, it felt as if nothing was going on inside.
What if Jinwoo had been attacked and was fighting for his life…?
“…”
Easier than before, I made the decision to break in.
He wasn’t just a good ally helping me in every way, he was also a close friend of the branch chief.
If Jinwoo were to die, the chief would be devastated.
Steeling my resolve, I took a deep breath.
Then, I gave it my all and kicked the door as hard as I could.
BAM!
The door being kicked opened instantly became a ragged mess, crashing down onto the floor.
I could clearly see the scene inside the pub.
“W-What the heck!”
“Waaaah!”
What caught my eyes was a tall man making obscene gestures while sitting a woman dressed like a harlot on his lap…
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