We didn't arrive until nearly twenty minutes past the time we'd originally agreed on.
"W-welcome..."
Yoon Seul-hye had been waiting in the reserved room, already on her feet before we even walked in.
Her eyes darted nervously between me and Jin Ye-seul, and only after she watched us settle into our seats did she carefully lower herself back down.
"Um, the food here is really good. So... won't you have something to eat first?"
She slid the menu toward us with a fawning, almost obsequious smile.
A quick glance at the prices showed they were on the high side.
Definitely not the kind of place a student would casually treat someone to.
"Just a coffee for me. With a little sugar."
"Hold on."
Jin Ye-seul, sitting beside me, suddenly cut in.
She caught my wrist as if taking my pulse and began studying my face and body intently.
She kneaded my palm, fiddled with my hair, and even leaned in to sniff at the back of my neck.
Honestly, it was incredibly disorienting, but I managed to keep it off my face.
A quick glance at Yoon Seul-hye showed she looked just as taken aback.
"You've lost a little weight."
Jin Ye-seul let go of my wrist and murmured.
"Your muscle mass is down, too. Probably overwork, or stress... when you're like this, deep sleep is the best medicine. So how about laying off caffeine drinks like coffee for a while? Your complexion's a little off, too... shoulders a bit tight, and there are signs of indigestion. Aren't your eyes a little tired?"
I nodded almost reflexively.
...Because every single thing she said was right.
"You heard her. Cancel the coffee. I'm going to order something else instead — that all right?"
"Y-yes? Ah, yes. Of course."
Yoon Seul-hye seemed to take Jin Ye-seul for some kind of healer-type ability user — someone with a similar talent.
And no one knew better than me that Jin Ye-seul had no such ability.
"..."
She closed her mouth as if her part was done.
Then she slipped her hand under the table, out of sight, and rested it on my thigh.
I wasn't surprised — we'd worked it out beforehand.
If what Yoon Seul-hye said was the truth, one tap; if it was a lie, two. Like Morse code, that was the signal we'd agreed on.
"So... where should we start?"
When I opened the conversation, Yoon Seul-hye looked over with visible tension.
I held her stiff gaze and asked:
"I'll only ask once. What, exactly, are you asking me to do?"
"...I'd like you to protect my life from Choi Jun-hyeong and his crew."
Tap.
Jin Ye-seul's finger touched my thigh once.
Truth.
"Why?"
I spread my hands slightly.
"We're both busy people, so let's skip the lead-up and get to it. Why should I protect you?"
She seemed a touch calmer than yesterday — she didn't raise her voice or break down.
She just pressed her lips together and looked at me.
"Let's be straight about this. You... took orders from Choi Jun-hyeong to push that weird mana into me, and then pulled that little stunt at my dorm too. And on top of that, you publicly humiliated Yu-na, someone close to me, right in front of me.
And now, just because it looks like that side's about to throw you out, you're trying to jump ship to me first.
What's the guarantee you won't turn around and sell me out the same way later? More than anything, I don't see any reason to go out of my way to protect someone like you."
Yoon Seul-hye listened with her mouth clamped shut.
After blinking a few times, she glanced up at me.
"...Can I answer now?"
I nodded.
She let out a small, steadying breath and spoke.
"For your first point... I have no excuse. You're right — at first, that was the plan. But please don't misunderstand. The reason I did that to you, Yu Ji-hyeok... sir, was because I was ordered to. As you already know, every member of the Six Stars takes orders from Choi Jun-hyeong. I was no exception."
Tap.
"There was nothing personal in it. I swear."
Tap-tap.
A lie.
I narrowed my eyes slightly as I looked at her.
"Really?"
"Yes? Yes..."
"...I forgot to mention this — from here on, if you lie, I'm walking away from this. You get exactly three chances."
I tapped the table once with my finger as I said it.
"And you just blew your first one."
"Th-that's not...! I really —!"
Yoon Seul-hye started to half rise from her seat in protest, then jerked to a stop.
At some point Jin Ye-seul had risen from her chair and snapped a kick out, the toe of her shoe held right beside Yoon Seul-hye's temple.
It happened so fast even I almost flinched.
For Yoon Seul-hye, it must have been over in the blink of an eye, literally.
"Sit."
A vicious click sounded as a blade flicked out from the heel of Jin Ye-seul's shoe.
"Ji-hyeok is talking."
Yoon Seul-hye, shaking from a mix of humiliation and fear, lowered herself back into her seat under the chill of Jin Ye-seul's voice.
Jin Ye-seul slowly drew her leg back and sat down again, as if nothing had happened at all.
"...Continue. Don't forget — you've got two chances left."
When I waved a hand for her to go on, Yoon Seul-hye glanced at Jin Ye-seul and nodded.
"...I'm sorry. The truth is, I didn't feel anything at first, but the things you said... they got under my skin, and I held a grudge."
Tap.
"And, the one who broke into the bedroom — that was Manchas, a Six Stars member. He told me he'd take care of it himself, and before I knew it I just said okay."
Tap-tap.
"One left."
"Ah—!"
Yoon Seul-hye finally seemed to grasp the situation and blurted out, frantic:
"I-I'm sorry! It was me — I asked him to do it, I'm the one who asked. I'm sorry for lying!"
"...All right, just keep going."
"Yes, yes..."
Shrinking further than before, Yoon Seul-hye kept glancing between me and Jin Ye-seul as she went on.
"And, and your second point is right too... they betrayed me first, so if I was going to be betrayed anyway, I figured I'd betray them first. My life matters to me. And more than anything... I hated Choi Jun-hyeong from the start. I'm sure the other Six Stars members felt the same."
Tap.
"As for what you said about me possibly betraying you... honestly, I don't have any other options left. So there's no way. I couldn't pull off being a double agent even if I tried, and even if I did, they'd just kill me to shut me up in the end."
This was the truth too.
After taking a moment to gather my thoughts, I looked at her and asked:
"All right. Then let's get a little realistic and pragmatic about it."
"...Realistic and pragmatic?"
"Yeah."
I nodded and met her eyes.
"If I protect you, what'll you do for me?"
"That's..."
A knock sounded then.
The food we'd ordered seemed to have arrived.
The servers came in and arranged a long line of dishes across the table — most of them in front of me — and only after they left did the conversation pick up again.
"I'll give you everything I have to give."
She fixed her firm eyes on me as she said it.
"I'm not bragging, but I'm a pretty famous idol and actress. I'm also a member of the Six Stars, which is basically a symbol of the Association. My savings... honestly, there isn't much, but I have a building and a penthouse in my name. On top of that, I have connections in all sorts of fields, and I'm popular with the public. You might think I'm not much, since you're from the World Tree clan — and from the main family, of which there are only two members left — but if I come under you, sir, I'll definitely pull my weight as at least one person's worth. I really will."
She hesitated, then seemed to steel herself.
"A-and... I'm not bad-looking either. So..."
"Hold on."
I cut her off with a wave of my hand, baffled.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"What?"
"What am I supposed to do with the fact that you're pretty?"
"Th-that's..."
I watched the flush of shame creep over her face and let out a flat, humorless snort.
"You think I'm an idiot?"
"What? N-no, no — I'd never—!"
"Then what the hell are you thinking, spouting stuff like that? Last time I let it go figuring you were just worked up, but if you're still bringing it up, that's clearly not it. Or maybe you—"
"W-wait!"
Yoon Seul-hye shouted in a frantic voice and scrambled out of her seat.
Beside me, I heard Jin Ye-seul cluck her tongue — "She dares cut Ji-hyeok off mid-sentence?"
"I-I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. Please, forgive me."
Somewhere along the way she'd dropped to her knees, looking up at me.
"I-I didn't think it through. I'm not making excuses, but... Choi Jun-hyeong cursed at me so often, called me a girl with nothing to show for herself but her body — I guess it got stuck in my head. Th-that wasn't what I was thinking. I swear. I just meant... that's how desperate I am..."
She was nearly in tears by the end, and I gestured for her to get up and sit back down.
But she didn't seem to see it — she just kept choking back sobs.
"I-I really didn't mean it that way... I-I really don't want to die... please... hngh—?!"
"Okay, that's enough. Stop crying and sit."
Jin Ye-seul stood up and lifted her with one hand, effortless.
She gave the startled, flailing Yoon Seul-hye a bright smile.
"You're making Ji-hyeok uncomfortable."
With that, Jin Ye-seul set her back in her chair.
"I-I really don't have anything left now... this is all I have..."
Jin Ye-seul, calm as anything, settled back into her seat and tapped my thigh once.
Watching Yoon Seul-hye sniffle like she was about to break down again, I figured this was the moment and leaned forward slightly.
"Right. Even you can tell that what you just offered doesn't come close to the price of your life, can't you?"
That confirmation tipped her over — tears spilled from her eyes again.
Now nearly sobbing, she nodded.
"But... if you do exactly what I tell you, you might be able to make up the difference."
"...What?"
She stared at me blankly.
"I'll let you live."
I tilted my head slightly as I said it.
"In exchange, you'll do one thing I tell you to do — properly. Can you?"
She nodded like her life depended on it.
I gave her a faint smile and slowly began laying out what I'd been turning over in my head.
"...I'll get you the details later."
"Yes, yes!"
It was hard to believe Yoon Seul-hye was the same person who'd been sniffling, snot and all, just moments ago — her expression now glowed.
"Anything else you want to ask?"
"No, nothing. Nothing at all! So until you tell me otherwise, sir, I just keep in contact with Choi Jun-hyeong like you told me, and carry on like normal — right?"
The words tumbled out, and I nodded.
She let out a relieved breath and kept dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief, almost panting.
Then she fingered different spots on her face and looked at me apologetically.
"Um, I'm really sorry, but... would it be all right if I went to the restroom for a minute?"
"You don't need permission for that."
"Ah, yes. Then please excuse me for a moment."
With that, Yoon Seul-hye slipped carefully out of the room.
I glanced at Jin Ye-seul beside me.
Her eyes met mine, and she smiled.
"What?"
"Nothing — just, thanks for helping."
"Don't mention it... if I helped you, Ji-hyeok, I'm the happy one."
I gave a small laugh at that.
Then a quiet buzz came from my phone.
Hello, customer!
This is EMD Finance, who reached out to you the other day!
We're currently reviewing the attached materials you just sent, and we offer our endless gratitude for your cooperation!
Also, customer, your skill at handling young women and steering them into unfair contracts seems truly exceptional!
ლ( ╹ ◡ ╹ ლ)
You're exactly the kind of top-tier talent our headquarters is looking for — if you're ever interested, please let us know anytime!
Furthermore, we'll be combining the materials you sent with what we already had on hand, and we'll come to see you in the very near future.
I can hardly wait — it's almost too much to bear.
(｡•́︿•̀｡) =3 sigh
"..."
A text from Esmeralda Lisnerger, with no small amount of bite to it.
Then again — there was no one I shared a worse history with than her.
I tapped out a reply.
For now, as we discussed, I'll draw in Choi Jun-hyeong and Milited's Children.
Once I have the detailed schedule from the Academy, we'll lay out the plan then.
p.s.) With the head of their personal guard dead, your side should have an easier time moving too.
I'd already recorded the entire conversation from earlier and sent it her way.
Lydia, too, had said she wanted to meet about Association matters, so if I gave her our information, I figured she'd be willing to send back more detailed and accurate intel of her own.
"Who're you texting? Su-yeong?"
"Ah, just about what we just did."
There was nothing to hide from the curious Jin Ye-seul, so I just turned the screen for her to see.
She muttered that I didn't really need to bother showing her, and put a fork in my hand.
"All right, the talk's done — time to eat. Bodies are funny like that: once they go, they go fast. And you've been pushing yourself hard for a while, Ji-hyeok. So eat up, get your nutrition in."
"What about you, Ye-seul?"
Jin Ye-seul smiled.
"I'm on a diet."
"...You?"
By no stretch of the imagination was hers a body that needed dieting.
She giggled and answered:
"Not for vanity. Just a habit at this point."
She speared a forkful of salad and held it out to me.
"Come on, hurry up. If you keep refusing, I'll tell on you to the others."
I said okay and took the fork from her — just then —
The door opened, and Yoon Seul-hye stepped in, her face pale for some reason.
"Hmm?"
When Jin Ye-seul tilted her head, Yoon Seul-hye flinched at the sight of her and took a step back.
Jin Ye-seul gave her a bright-eyed smile.
"You look like you've seen a ghost. What's wrong?"
"N-no... I, um..."
"Come on in."
She smiled.
"And now that I'm looking, you don't look great. That won't do — if you're going to handle what Ji-hyeok asked you to do properly, you need to look after your health."
Then she gestured at the food with her fork.
"Eat."
"Pft, hngh... ugh!"
Once Yoon Seul-hye reached the restroom, she splashed water on her face and started wiping at the mess on it.
Maybe the tension was draining out of her, because she finally noticed the throbbing around her eyes.
She didn't even want to think about how much she'd cried.
"Phew..."
The Academy's festival day — she just had to do what he told her.
If she did that, he'd said, he'd protect her.
A few words from him — she'd never have dreamed that a few words could put her this much at ease.
"..."
...Of course, if she botched the job, it really would be the end.
But even a thread to grab onto, a way to live — where else could she have gotten that? She let out a small sigh at the thought.
"...Ugh, my eyes are seriously puffy."
She was muttering to herself in the mirror when —
"Shh."
A sudden pressure, as if something had clamped around the back of her neck.
Something like a predator's claw pricked into her throat, and a single drop of blood welled up.
Frozen stiff in an instant, she felt a woman's voice whisper sweetly into her ear.
"Scream and you die. React the wrong way, call for help... do anything stupid, and you die. If you understand, blink twice."
Yoon Seul-hye blinked twice, fast.
In the mirror, only her own reflection was visible.
Goosebumps ran across her skin.
"Ask a question and you die. So just listen."
The voice was familiar.
No — calling it familiar didn't even cover it.
It was a voice she'd heard just moments ago.
The voice of the woman who'd been sitting next to Yu Ji-hyeok.
"...You probably think I'm here to threaten you — telling you not to do anything stupid, that if you let Ji-hyeok down or wreck the plan, I'll kill you with my own hands. Something like that."
"..."
"Yes is one blink. No is two."
Yoon Seul-hye forced her trembling eyelids to flutter.
"But that's not it."
A giggle in her ear, and her skin crawled.
That leisurely tone — like she could kill her at any moment — wasn't human. It was a predator's voice.
"I came here to warn you."
The hand on her throat.
And another hand, sliding up her body like a snake.
A gentle stroke across her stomach, and her whole body shook.
Somewhere she'd heard that the abdomen, packed with organs, was a region predators particularly favored for their attacks.
Trembling in fear and terror, Yoon Seul-hye couldn't move a muscle.
"How dare you — flirt with Ji-hyeok?"
Yoon Seul-hye blinked madly, shaking her head.
Unfortunately, the woman seemed to take that as defiance.
"...Hngh!"
A faint zip sound, and a thin red line opened beneath her jaw.
Watching the blood trickle down in the mirror, her lips quivered like she'd come down with a fever.
"You said your face was quite something, didn't you...? What if I gouged out your eyes, split your lips open vertically — carved off your nose? Would it still be?"
Yoon Seul-hye blinked twice.
Tears welled up in the eyes she'd just dried.
"Ah, ngh..."
"I'd love to, but..."
A sudden pain — as if something had grabbed her chest with savage force — and Yoon Seul-hye let out a moan.
No — to be exact, it was as though her heart itself were being squeezed.
The voice murmured quietly.
"Ji-hyeok hates that kind of thing... so lately I've been working hard to show him I'm normal... that I'm changing for the better. I can't let someone like you mess that up now... right? You get what I'm saying, don't you?"
Blink.
"Mm-hm... good, good. What a good girl... so why would a good girl like you go and irritate me, when I've been holding myself back for so long? Oh, no. You're bleeding. That must hurt..."
The hand that had been stroking her hair vanished, and then a tongue licked at the wound.
The sensation was so vivid that the goosebumps came back in waves.
If she could have, she would have collapsed right there.
"I've been on edge lately with one thing after another, and then some nothing of a girl tries to weasel in. You'd find that annoying too, right? You understand me, don't you?"
Yoon Seul-hye nodded.
Only then did the voice laugh — pleased — and let her go.
"Hurry back. Ji-hyeok will start to wonder."
At that, Yoon Seul-hye wiped her eyes and the wound with trembling hands and headed back to the room.
And then —
"Hmm?"
Jin Ye-seul, as utterly composed as if she had never once left her seat, made Yoon Seul-hye's breath stop in her throat.
"You look like you've seen a ghost. What's wrong?"
"Come on in."
At her words, Yoon Seul-hye somehow forced her stiffened body to move and returned to her chair.
The woman watched her — almost as if approving — and pointed at the food with her fork, giving an order.
"Eat."
There was no way she could disobey.