Chapter 34: Choi Seulgi
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 34: Choi Seulgi
“Seulgi.”
“Hm? What is it, Kim Taesung? You want to go again?”
“No, I’m broke, you wench.”
“Hey, this one would be on the house, of course... How about it?”
“No, that’s not it. Let’s just talk. Just talk. Ah, I said don’t touch me. I just want to talk...”
“What’s with you today? Fuck... You don’t want to? You disappeared for a few days, were you sneaking in and out of Hyeyeong’s room next door? Are you tired of me?”
“No, that’s not it... Where would I get the money for that? It’s already a stretch for me to even come here...”
“You saw Hyeyeong the other day and asked me who she was, didn’t you? Am I wrong? I told you, you can fuck other girls, but don’t forget about me.”
“No, it’s not like that. Really. I just want to talk... Just talk... We only ever fuck in here. That’s why our relationship never goes anywhere.”
“...........................”
“Hmph... Hmph... Fine, whatever. We can talk. You’re really strange, you know that? You’re the only guy I’ve ever seen who wants to talk in here. Everyone else is in a hurry to get off and run out, the fuckers... Now that I think about it, it’s pretty shitty. Alright, let’s talk. What do you want to talk about?”
“Well, it’s not... anything specific. I was just curious about something.”
“What is it?”
“You... I was wondering why you came to work here...”
“...................”
“Didn’t I tell you not to ask me that before?”
“No, it’s just... you said things were pretty good for you at first... For a guy like me, living this kind of life is expected, but you’re pretty... and your personality doesn’t seem suited for this kind of work...”
“I told you before. It’s because of debt. You think it’s easy to get by in the city? I can’t go out on hunts. I was living off borrowed money from here and there, and when I had no way to pay it back, I ended up here. I’m thinking of getting things sorted out and leaving soon, anyway.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. If I can... I’ll probably be able to get out. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll just run away. Anyway, hey. Hold me.”
“Alright, come here, my baby.”
“Wanna die? Who are you calling a baby?”
“Hehe... You’re warm.”
“Yeah. You are.”
“Hey...”
“What?”
“It’s nothing...”
“You’re weird...”
*
“Choi Seulgi....”
I truly couldn’t believe my eyes. Just in case, I pushed my magic into my eyes to their very limit. It was definitely Choi Seulgi.
Unlike ten years ago, her face was remarkably youthful. Much younger than the last time I saw her. Of course, she looked incomparably better than the Choi Seulgi I’d met three years after first arriving here. This had to be ‘before’ her real hardships began.
I was so glad I’d stopped hunting on a whim to look around.
I hadn’t found Shin Duk-ho, the target of my revenge, but finding Choi Seulgi felt so much better. I began to stare at her intently. I was at a distance where I had to pour magic into my eyes to their limit just to make out her face. Even so, I couldn’t look away.
She was preparing to leave with a party of four men. They were too far away for me to see clearly, but one of the men was definitely pointing north.
‘The Land of the Undead.’
They must be heading to the Land of the Undead. It was obvious they were going on a hunt. I must have been staring too intently, because Mev started speaking to me.
“Chieftain. Are we hunting?”
“No. Krrrreuk. I have a personal favor to ask, Mev. That woman, we need to follow her. Starting now. Too many of us will make it hard to track them, so pick a few and send them back to the Green Goblin Clan.”
“Another human woman?”
Mev spoke in a dissatisfied tone, but I had no energy to spare for her right now. Strangely, her voice also held a hint of excitement, but more importantly, my mind was in turmoil. If those men were Choi Seulgi’s regular party, attacking them would become very tricky.
If I had my way, I’d slaughter them all and take her, but there was no way Choi Seulgi would ever trust me.
I would just be remembered as a savage Orc who killed her comrades, and she would never open her heart to me. She had no way of knowing about Kim Taesung or any of that. It was more realistic to think she’d charge at me, seeking revenge. Of course, there was also the chance I might recognize their faces, so I slowly began to study them.
Faces that looked like I’d seen them somewhere before... but I couldn’t quite remember. Then, my gaze suddenly locked onto one of them.
‘Park Youngwhan.’
If my memory served me right, that was undoubtedly Park Youngwhan. I remembered that bastard’s face clearly.
‘Human trash.’
The bastard who sold every pretty newcomer to the brothels before he was caught and executed by the Red Cross Clan.
‘Fuck... Fuck, that son of a bitch...’
Only then did I begin to understand why Choi Seulgi had been in that place. She had never told me, so of course I couldn't have known, but she must have kept it from me out of worry.
‘That bastard needs to die...’
Choi Seulgi was probably worried that if I heard her story, I’d foolishly go after his clan and do something stupid. I don’t know if I would have had that kind of courage back then, but she was definitely worried about me. After all, I’d postured in front of her more than once, trying to impress the girl I liked.
When I heard he’d been executed, I saw a strange look of joy on Seulgi’s face. I’d wondered if maybe she had been one of his victims, but I never imagined it was actually true.
I bit down hard, my jaw tightening. My body was trembling with such rage that I wanted to scream right then and there. No, I wanted to charge out in front of the city right now, beat them all into a bloody pulp, and take Seulgi away. It was only natural that Mev and Jung Hayeon were startled to see the look on my face.
This wasn’t the fighting spirit that had surged when I first saw the Queen of the North. This was bloodlust, the desire to kill. A pure, unadulterated killing intent. The killing intent leaking from me was so sharp that even my clan members shuddered for a moment.
“I-Is something wrong?”
I gave a rough answer to Jung Hayeon’s worried question.
“No. It’s nothing. We’re following those bastards. The targets are the four men. And anyone else who entered the Land of the Undead. That’s our hunt for today.”
“Do we kill the woman, too?”
It was a natural question from Jung Hayeon, since we had killed everyone until now, regardless of gender. But at the sound of those words leaving her lips, I grabbed her by the throat without thinking.
Normally, it wouldn’t have bothered me. But the killing intent I saw in Jung Hayeon’s eyes was enough to set me off. The memory of Choi Seulgi’s death slammed into my mind. In an instant, my eyes became bloodshot.
“What?”
“Gasp... I... am... sor... ry.”
Even I was shocked by my own actions. It seemed I was far more agitated than I’d realized. Seeing Jung Hayeon’s face, her eyes welling with tears, I unconsciously loosened my grip on her neck and spoke.
“I’m sorry. I think I got a little carried away...”
“Cough... cough... N-No. It’s alright. I... I was being presumptuous, wasn’t I? I-I’m sorry.”
Seeing her force a smile made me feel even more guilty, so I gently stroked her head. She immediately looked up at me with a real smile. Mev was also a little surprised by my actions, but she didn’t pay it much mind or say anything. Though Jung Hayeon was on our side, her position, half-human and half-Green Skin, was likely quite ambiguous to them.
In any case, I continued to watch Choi Seulgi. She seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then she definitely started heading north.
After the members designated to return to the Green Goblin Clan’s village departed, we were able to set off.
Our destination: the Land of the Undead.
If Park Youngwhan’s real goal was to make a move on Choi Seulgi, he would act secretively. He would surely try to drag her somewhere no one could see and do something despicable.
I couldn’t help but think that.
Just imagining it felt like my head and heart would explode. I shook my head, forcing myself to stop thinking. But I had to stay calm. Getting ‘agitated’ during a hunt, unlike in a battle, was something to be avoided. I looked at them again. I didn’t know about the other three, but Park Youngwhan looked competent enough. In other words, he was relatively strong. He was obviously weaker than me, but he looked to be more than Choi Seulgi could handle.
I didn’t think about the consequences.
‘First, I’ll rescue her.’
That was the top priority. For now, I had no idea what to do after rescuing her. Should I let her live as a human? Or should I try to have her change, like in Jung Hayeon’s case? I couldn’t get a feel for it.
My selfish desire was to keep her with me, of course, but my wish to continue the good relationship we had in my past life was much stronger.
And so, we began to move. I was incredibly grateful to my followers for coming with me on what was a personal matter, but at the same time, I felt a pang of guilt.
They were simple creatures, so they were probably just shouting “For Blood Dagger!” at the promise of a fight, but I still felt a prick of conscience. I resolved to treat them even better once this was over, and with that, I moved.
“Ugh... The Land of the Undead. This place feels disgusting.”
It seemed Green Skins had a physiological aversion to the moving dead. The moment they entered the Land of the Undead, Mev’s expression soured.
Around this time, we decided to move slowly. We had sent all the warriors and swordsmen back to the Green Goblin Clan, so only the assassins were with me. But that was enough. We began to silently kill the humans we saw scattered about.
The ‘results’ of our training with the Green Goblin Clan were showing. We moved stealthily under the cover of the dim light, leaping out to cover our enemies’ mouths while shoving daggers into their spines and necks. Before they could even react, we threw arrows or daggers into their foreheads and throats, killing them before they had a chance to scream.
Park Youngwhan had no idea the Blood Dagger Clan was approaching. But their pace was slow. They were also dealing with undead as they advanced, but I was so worried that something terrible might happen to Seulgi that my hands were starting to tremble.
‘Fuck...’
I kept cursing under my breath as I pushed forward.
Finally, when we reached our destination...
What entered my vision was the sight of an unknown man approaching Choi Seulgi with his sword drawn. I clenched my teeth instinctively. My eyes turned red as rage surged through me. I had completely forgotten about staying hidden. Without realizing it, I was gripping my greatsword, glaring at them with crimson eyes. I held out a hand toward my clan’s assassins. A silent signal for them not to join this fight. They all nodded, their eyes on me.
“Krrrrrrrrk.”
In the end, it didn’t take long for my unbearable rage to send my body lunging forward. My body shot forward before the thought ‘Charge and kill’ could even fully form. Before I even reached them, a killing intent so palpable it could make one’s hair stand on end washed over them.
“Kuaaaaaaaah!!”
“Fuck... things have gone sideways... Prepare for battle.”