Crazy Bitch
After parting ways with Lee Yun and heading home, a chilly, fierce wind blew away the lingering alcohol buzz. Lee Yun had been picked up by a woman who looked like she'd stepped straight out of a painting—her "my secretary" type—with a sigh. The bill had been settled at some point without him noticing, and Seong Ye-han was too scared to even ask the price. No matter that Lee Yun was YP Research Institute's senior researcher; no one could claim she had the spending habits to cover something like this. The expensive foreign car, this bar tab, the talk of investment, even the secretary...
"Is she some kind of gold digger or what?"
Whatever it was, it had nothing to do with him. All he had to do was sign the contract properly and take the sponsorship. With his thoughts neatly sorted, he arrived home.
"What the fuck?"
The doorknob, perfectly fine when he'd left that morning, was completely smashed. The mangled door screamed crime scene to anyone who saw it...
After the Gate incident, as awakeners surpassing ordinary human strength emerged, their crimes naturally became a social issue. The most common were theft and robbery. Forcing open old, flimsy door locks with an awakener's power. A well-maintained lock might have held against an E- or D-rank, but post-Gate, such homes were rare. The unprecedented Great Depression that followed had left society and the economy in chaos, and its dark remnants lingered even in this modern escape from the shadows.
Seong Ye-han's two-room apartment was, objectively speaking, a structure all too vulnerable to awakener crime.
"Which fucking bastard did this?"
It was his home, but even objectively, there was nothing worth taking. The furniture was all stuff that came with the place, no one kept cash at home these days, and there were no jewels or valuables. Honestly, the only thing he'd cherished was his computer. Still, whether the loss was big or small, having his home's security threatened soured his mood. And thieves didn't clean up nicely, so the thought of scrubbing this late at night made it even worse.
Was this what they called a blessing in disguise? With that thought, Seong Ye-han pushed open the door and stepped inside, only to be met with a completely different scene.
"You're too late, trash?"
The cramped room was stuffed full of stuff. Things scattered everywhere—clearly his. And crammed into the inner room was the massive bed he'd splurged on. In this bare-bones place, it was his second-favorite piece of furniture. Plopped in the max-comfort gaming chair that melted away fatigue just by sitting, legs crossed regally like a queen, was a woman staring at him. Her skin glistened as if freshly showered, her black hair loose instead of in a ponytail, violet eyes striking. Shin Ye-hwa was in his house.
Why the hell is this woman here?
"Hurry up and clean this mess. This shoebox apartment doesn't even have a seat for me now."
She was sitting there fine, so what the hell was she talking about? What was even going on? Seong Ye-han swallowed a sigh as a headache hit him.
"Crazy bitch..."
"What did you say?!"
Shin Ye-hwa chattered on, but he ignored her and headed to the bathroom. He needed a splash of winter-cold water to sort out this chaos...
Even after deciding to somewhat believe Seong Ye-han, a stubborn sliver of doubt lingered in Shin Ye-hwa's heart. And why not? She'd spent the weekend fucking him over and over. She couldn't precisely gauge how much her physical abilities had dropped, but she was still at least C-rank, superhuman territory. Yet her waist ached from being pounded relentlessly—if his words were true, there should be some change, right?
It was only natural to think that way. To fully trust him, she needed proof. Simple, irrefutable proof.
Over-the-counter awakener test kits only detected E- to D-rank initial awakening levels at best. For what she wanted, she'd need an official Hunter Association ability assessment or a guild's proprietary tester for tracking member power-ups—unofficial but reliable.
And that required a major decision on her part.
Guild Eternal. One of Korea's pinnacle hunter guilds. The absolute top was the Hunter Association, but that was more public institution than private company now, so excluding it, Eternal reigned supreme. This upstart guild, just six years old, had rocketed to the top with a legendary growth story.
And S-rank Shin Ye-hwa had held massive sway in that rise. Eternal showered her with perks and top treatment, but those days were over. She was no longer one of Korea's five S-ranks.
After dropping to A-rank, she'd watched her status and presence melt away in real time. She hadn't shown her face at the guild for nearly a month. Facing the hatred and malice—suppressed only by her untouchable status—that now openly festered was excruciating. It ripped open scars she'd thought healed.
No, that sixteen-year-old era was tame by comparison. She'd wielded immense power, walked higher skies, so the fall echoed louder.
It felt like the whole world was her enemy.
"Huh? Sis, weren't you sick or something?"
The bitch in front of her was one such enemy. A-rank Yi Ye-hwa. The trash always compared to her because of the similar name. Her fake concern barely hid the sneering glee.
Of course. Yi Ye-hwa had climbed to A-rank fast enough to be called a genius herself. But then someone who eclipsed her like a firefly before the sun appeared. How infuriating. And they shared a name. No need to guess how much Yi Ye-hwa seethed with inferiority.
Who knew the sticky resentment behind her fawning over Shin Ye-hwa? But now Shin Ye-hwa had fallen to A-rank—maybe even B. How delicious for Yi Ye-hwa.
If Yi Ye-hwa had any decency, maybe. But when Shin Ye-hwa was S-rank, she'd clung like a parasite, pretending friendliness over the name. The classic bully-the-weak-suck-up-to-strong sycophant, ready to sell her soul.
Shin Ye-hwa knew it well but kept her close—sharp, tongue-in-cheek, always knowing how to please. She could've stabbed her in the back anytime, but it didn't matter then. Shin Ye-hwa wouldn't weaken.
She'd believed her power eternal. Never dreamed of this fall until recently.
"Get lost."
"Whoa, sis, that's harsh?"
Just facing that annoying mug soured her mood. Trying to brush past, Shin Ye-hwa felt a hand grab her shoulder.
"Still think you're that high-and-mighty S-rank? You're gonna go down as the industry's biggest idiot, but your head's still so stiff."
"What?"
"We knew you were rude, but... If it were me, I'd be too ashamed to show my face... Kyaa?!"
Thud!
A shockwave rattled the entire hallway wall. Shin Ye-hwa grabbed the hand on her shoulder, twisted, and slammed Yi Ye-hwa against the wall, growling like a beast. Her raw power might be less than S-rank, but a wounded beast rages fiercer.
"Even if I'm not S-rank now, I'm not so pathetic I'd take shit from a barely-A-rank bitch like you?"
"Ughhh!"
Yi Ye-hwa's face twisted in pain as Shin Ye-hwa's grip crushed her wrist. Violet eyes gleamed cold, blue light flickering within.
Whoosh—Crack—
"W-Wait...!"
Azure-white flames erupted. Flame-shaped, but truly extreme freezing that stole all ambient heat. Yi Ye-hwa broke into cold sweat, screaming inwardly at the flames before her.
What... the fuck?! She can't use her ability! And her strength's still above mine?!
Tiny as an incandescent bulb, yet the heat-draining chill grazed her skin. It felt like her very life was being sucked away.
The blue flame approached Yi Ye-hwa's eyes. Her drying corneas burned with pain.
C-Crazy bitch...
The terror she'd buried after Shin Ye-hwa's demotion surged back. The tyrant queen who'd always loomed over her... This bitch Shin Ye-hwa might really gouge her eyes out. Panic gripped her.
"S-Sis... I was wrong... Wrong, so...!"
Yi Ye-hwa trembled, feigning calm, but her stuttering voice betrayed her. Shin Ye-hwa ignored her, gazing quietly at her dancing blue flames.
Cold heat radiating blue. Dancing frost. Her lost power.
Shin Ye-hwa released Yi Ye-hwa's arm. The small, vivid blue flame vanished as if never there.
"Hah... haaah..."
The trash collapsing, gasping roughly? Irrelevant now.
She stormed the guild master's office, slammed her resignation on his desk, and left. His dumbfounded face felt good. As she spun away, his frantic hologram call buzzed: Why? Let's talk. Ignoring the rambling, it turned to half-threats: cutting her gear, housing, support, breach penalties, etc.
It didn't faze her. She'd reclaim it all upon her return. Her glorious comeback was set.
Nothing to regret. She packed, shipped her stuff, and headed straight to Seong Ye-han's.
Smashed the locked door in one go, entered the tiny room. Worlds apart from her old place—worn, cramped two-room. She hadn't expected even her minimal bags and bed to barely fit, but whatever. The discomfort would pass soon.
Seong Ye-han's opinion? As if a beauty like her moving in would upset him. She'd fuck him as much as he wanted, too.
Thus, she settled into Seong Ye-han's home on her whim.
"Why're you so late?"
Waiting comfortably like it was hers. And naturally, the words from Seong Ye-han upon seeing this would be obvious.
"Crazy bitch..."