Unease (3)
Chen Mei, a sharp-featured woman in her late twenties, frowned deeply as she listened to her subordinate's report.
"What?"
"He made contact with Michael Gordon?"
The Black Society subordinate who had accompanied her had been secretly monitoring Park Jihun's movements. According to his report, Michael Gordon had entered the Another Guild office and met with Park Jihun. What's more, when he followed them inside and peeked through the window, their conversation seemed quite friendly.
"I also took photos."
Park Jihun and Michael Gordon laughing together
"......"
Chen Mei's teeth ground audibly as she stared at the image.
"He dared to make the first move?"
Of course, she herself had been hesitating to approach Park Jihun directly because she was wary of Lee Jeonghyeon. But in her eyes, someone who never admitted her own mistakes, this only looked like Michael Gordon had cut in line and stolen her target.
"Tsk... Is he trying to defect to the Americans? Don't tell me he's planning to revive the AM Project...? Does that mean the U.S. government is backing him?"
All sorts of thoughts raced through Chen Mei's mind. But she quickly regained her composure.
No. The AM Project is something even American hunters are wary of. They couldn't possibly rebuild it this suddenly. In that case, it's probably just... an attempt to build a friendly relationship. There's still a chance.
She'd lost the initiative, but she could still turn the tables.
Should I just kidnap Park Jihun by force and take him to China...?
No, that was impossible. There were international eyes watching, and Lee Jeonghyeon was keeping a close, furious watch as well.
"Fuck! What the hell am I supposed to do?!"
Chen Mei's patience finally exploded. In a fit of rage, she began hurling everything in the hotel room.
Bang!Crash!
"C-Chen-nim! Please calm down!"
"Haa... Haa..."
Only after her subordinate desperately intervened did Chen Mei finally calm down. Her mind, pushed to its absolute limit by irritation, Lung Xiao's stern orders not to rely on or even show any hint of needing help from an inferior race, and Lee Jeonghyeon's warning not to touch Park Jihun, came up with a ridiculous plan she would never have considered under normal circumstances.
...Should I use a honey trap?
A honey trap. The classic strategy of using a beautiful woman to seduce a man. It had worked from ancient times, when wars were as common as meals, all the way to the modern era of invisible recruitment wars between hunters.
But who would do it? Among the Black Society members currently here, the only woman was herself. And her pride would never allow her to report back to Lung Xiao and ask him to send a pretty woman.
I'm pretty enough. No, by the standards of these inferior Koreans, it'd be hard to find anyone prettier than me.
She had plenty of confidence in her looks, and her appearance more than justified that confidence. Of course, that didn't mean she was so beautiful that she looked down on all of Korea. After all, Park Jihun already had the stunning beauty Shin Jiyeon by his side.
Hmph. After only seeing those primitive Korean women, if I use a honey trap on him, he'll fall for it immediately. Then I just need to take him to China. If he willingly follows a woman, even Lee Jeonghyeon won't be able to do anything about it.
The plan sounded plausible. Seduce him, and once he fell for it, fly to China together. Since he would be coming of his own will, no one could criticize China or the Black Society.
"I'm going to meet Park Jihun."
"Y-Yes...? W-Wait, Chen-nim...!"
Ignoring her subordinate who tried to stop her, Chen Mei stepped out of the hotel room with a face full of confidence.
#
"Oh my, aren't you Hunter Park Jihun?"
Park Jihun had just stepped out of the office to grab something from the convenience store when someone on the street recognized him and called out.
It was a woman with strikingly sharp features yet considerable beauty. Chen Mei herself. She had orchestrated this "chance" encounter to seduce him.
"Ah, yes. Hello."
But Park Jihun's reaction was lukewarm.
What...? Does he recognize me?
Chen Mei assumed it was because he was a celebrity and used to strangers approaching him. Otherwise, it made no sense for him to be so indifferent toward a beautiful woman like her.
But the truth was different.
She really came.
Park Jihun already knew Chen Mei's face. He also knew she would come looking for him soon. The reason was simple: Michael Gordon had warned him.
The Black Society in China already knows about you. A woman named Chen Mei has been sent. She's targeting you, so be careful.
He had even shown Park Jihun a photo of her, along with a warning about what kind of people the Black Society were and how far they would go to get their hands on him.
That's why Park Jihun already knew her well.
Still, I didn't expect her to show up this fast.
She had come less than two hours after Michael Gordon left. She must have had people watching the office.
These guys really will do anything.
The fact that they were monitoring him only deepened the disgust he already felt toward anything Chinese.
And then...
"Since we met like this by chance, would you like to grab a cup of coffee and chat?"
She openly flirted with him. Then, pretending to feel hot...
"Whew, it's a bit warm today."
She subtly revealed glimpses of her skin in an obvious honey trap attempt.
What the hell is this...?
Park Jihun, whose tastes ran toward monster girls, already had Shin Jiyeon—a woman who matched him perfectly, had the exact appearance he liked, was kind, and most importantly, not only didn't mind him having sex with other races but actively cheered him on and even joined in. No matter how much Chen Mei tried to seduce him, it did nothing for him.
In fact, because he already held a negative opinion of her, he even felt a sense of disgust.
"Sorry, I'm a bit busy right now."
With those words, Park Jihun turned on his heel and left. He had originally planned to buy some snacks at the convenience store, but even that desire had vanished.
"W-Wait a second...!"
A flustered Chen Mei tried to stop him, but he had already disappeared into the building.
"...Tsk."
Since her plan had been to seduce him through a chance encounter, chasing after him into the building would look too suspicious. She decided to withdraw for today.
What a strange guy. Maybe he prefers men?
After all, he was always with Shin Jiyeon, and he only had female familiars. For a moment, Chen Mei wondered if he was hiding the fact that he was gay. Otherwise, there was no way he would reject someone as beautiful as her.
Well, at least he saw my face. There's no way he could forget a beauty like me, right?
Convinced that he couldn't possibly be gay and had simply run away out of shyness, she returned to her original waiting spot and began watching the building entrance. Just in case Park Jihun came out again.
#
"...And that's what happened."
It was nearly night by the time Shin Jiyeon returned after safely clearing her gate. Park Jihun told her everything that had occurred that day: how Michael Gordon had come by wanting to get close, how he had warned him about the Black Society and Chen Mei, and how Chen Mei had shown up shortly after pretending it was a coincidence to seduce him.
"What?! Michael Gordon?! The American S-rank hunter?"
"The Black Society? They're targeting you, Sunbae? That's the infamous Sinocentric guild from China. They're notorious for their vicious tactics."
"Chen Mei came? Lung Xiao's personal secretary, Chen Mei?"
"No way, she tried to seduce you? For real? She even used a honey trap?"
It was hard to count how many times Shin Jiyeon gasped in shock as he spoke.
"Today was really eventful for you. I had such a normal, easy clear."
It was incredibly ironic to see Shin Jiyeon, who had just returned from clearing a gate, comforting Park Jihun—who had done nothing but watch YouTube in the office all day—by patting him and saying he'd worked hard.
"But what should we do? The Black Society is really famous for being ruthless. If they can't get what they want, they destroy it... There's even a rumor that hunters who ignored their recruitment offers died in suspicious accidents..."
"Ugh, stop scaring me. I'm already feeling uneasy enough."
Shin Jiyeon giggled as if it was amusing and ruffled the hair of a visibly fed-up Park Jihun.
"Hehe, you're so cute, Sunbae~ Don't worry. What era do you think this is? And I'll protect you!"
Then, as if a good idea had suddenly occurred to her, Shin Jiyeon's eyes sparkled as she spoke to him.
"Ah! Sunbae, how about this instead?"
"Hm? What?"
With a sly smile, Shin Jiyeon said,
"Why don't you just fall for the honey trap? Sunbae."
...It was complete nonsense.
"...What?"
Park Jihun stared at her with an utterly dumbfounded expression.
"What are you talking about?"
Fall for the honey trap? Was she suggesting that instead of getting secretly disposed of by the Black Society, he should just go to China and start over? Of course, that wasn't what Shin Jiyeon meant.
"I mean, pretend to fall for the honey trap and set a trap of our own! A plan to completely turn Chen Mei over to our side!"
"......"
Park Jihun still looked completely lost. Seeing his expression, Shin Jiyeon added an explanation.
"So, you take her to bed and fuck her senseless! Make her completely submit to you, Sunbae, until she becomes your human familiar just like me!"
......
"...Excuse me?"
The expression on Park Jihun's face after hearing her words twisted in a way it never had before.