Probing Chaerim About the Harem Protagonist
To learn about Seong Haneul, the harem protagonist, the best bet would be to ask his close comrades—Hwang Yerang, Seo Chaerim, or Diana. Of course, being too blatant about prying isn't smart. They've been with the organization longer than me, so they're naturally tight with everyone else. Push too hard, and I could end up the odd one out.
Hwang Yerang might spill it straightforwardly, but I scrapped that idea. She's too sweet; she'd only say nice things. I thought about Diana, but after what happened earlier, things felt awkward, so I put it off. In the end, Seo Chaerim was my only option. She seems like she'd join in on some backbiting gossip, so maybe I'd get something useful out of her.
We were all chatting in the living room when Seong Haneul said he'd tidy up his room and headed off. Hwang Yerang was still glued to the couch, staring at the TV, while Seo Chaerim and Diana each retreated to their rooms. I bided my time, gauging the moment, then slipped over to Seo Chaerim's door.
"Hey. Got a sec? Need to ask you something."
"For real. Knock before you barge in, will ya? You trying to die?"
"What, were you up to something weird?"
"Get out. And don't talk to me ever again."
Despite Seo Chaerim's eviction order, I ignored it and stepped inside, closing the door behind me. Sure, I was in the wrong, so I made a mental note to always knock from now on. God forbid I catch her in something awkward—I might end up dead.
"How long has Seong Haneul been crashing here?"
"…"
"He doesn't come to the hideout much usually, right?"
"…"
She wasn't kidding—Seo Chaerim treated me like I was invisible, ignoring every word. Yeah, I messed up, so I had nothing to say, but damn if seeing her like this didn't make me want to poke at her even more. Her reactions are just so predictable.
"Okay. I'm not leaving till you talk."
I made myself comfy, sprawling on the floor with my arms as a pillow, eyes closed. Only then did she glance my way, sighing irritably before finally speaking.
"You bastard. Why do you care?"
"It's normal to wanna know about your teammates."
"Just admit you're freaking out 'cause another guy's invading your harem."
"Don't worry. You're the last one I'd add to it."
"What? What's that supposed to mean, huh?"
"Were you hoping to join? Tough luck. Aim for your next life."
"Ugh, get lost for real!"
It wasn't really because Seong Haneul was a guy. Even if he were a woman, something shady would still ping my radar. And harem? If I was into these girls, I'd have moved in ages ago. Hwang Yerang keeps trying to pair me with Diana, and yeah, Diana's gorgeous, but no real ulterior motives there. It's like, eye candy for eye health—that's it.
Strictly speaking, Seong Haneul's the protagonist of this world, so this could be his harem, right? I don't remember if the tags included harem, but if they did, these girls were probably his heroine candidates. If I swooped in on them, the original novel would turn into some NTR mess. Readers who'd been enjoying it would riot over the sudden genre drift.
"You call him 'oppa,' so you two must be pretty close?"
"Sigh. Still hung up on that? What a petty little shit."
"I'm seriously curious, you damn woman."
"Haneul oppa's actually a good guy, unlike some knock-without-knocking creep."
"Your tiny mind can't hold a grudge forever. How long you gonna milk this?"
"Don't you dare say that, you shameless prick!"
Hwang Yerang aside, if even prickly Seo Chaerim got along with him, he couldn't be some problem case. The novel portrayed him as a good guy anyway. I'm not seriously on guard. Just covering bases—contingencies happen, and he's a teammate regardless.
"So why'd Seong Haneul join us? He's a hero, right?"
Our group isn't like the Villain Alliance, pulling shady crap left and right, so him being here made sense on that level. But what was a active hero doing in a villain outfit? I was dying to know his story. Double agent was still on the table, or maybe some backstory letting him juggle both sides. The novel might've covered it, but I never read that far.
"Dunno. Beats me."
"You know and just won't say?"
"Ask him yourself if you're so curious."
Seo Chaerim probably knew. She'd suspected him of being a spy at first, but now they got along fine, so the misunderstanding must've cleared up. Her not spilling could be politeness—not blabbing others' business—or maybe she just hated my guts. No time to beat around the bush, so I went straight for it.
"Any chance Seong Haneul's a Hero Association spy?"
"I get what you're worried about. Some guy who never shows up suddenly wants to bunk here—makes you think he's spying on you, right?"
"Honestly, yeah."
My suspicions weren't random; the timing was too perfect. Today's visit was probably legit curiosity about the new guy. But someone who rarely drops by now wants to live here? I've been making waves lately, drawing Association eyes, and now one of their heroes wants to room with me? Can't not suspect.
Sure, I usually crash at home, not the hideout, but still.
"Relax if that's it. Even if he were a spy—and that's a big if—he wouldn't rat us out to the Association."
"How can you be sure?"
"If he were that type, I wouldn't be here."
"Ah."
She had a point. Yeah, I'm a rising villain star, but I'm just a strong werewolf at the end of the day. We had Headhunter—stronger and deadlier—and more importantly, Seo Chaerim and Hwang Yerang. Seo Chaerim's power was so valuable the Association experimented on her. They chased Hwang Yerang out just to cover it up—she's top priority for them.
If Seong Haneul were a spy, those two would've been hunted ages ago. That alone nuked most suspicions. Even if he was, burning built-up trust just to nab me? More loss than gain for him.
So was it really just coincidence he wanted to stay? Or maybe he was on guard 'cause I crashed his harem. I joked about it earlier, but this angle wasn't dismissible. What guy would watch some wolf prowl near his marked girls? They weren't his yet, but if this was a harem story, they would be.
Wait. What if I was the last to know and they were already hooking up?
"Just to check—no chance you're dating Seong Haneul?"
"What the hell outta nowhere?"
"Just curious. Or Hwang Yerang? Diana?"
"No clue about them. But probably not."
"Huh. Guy like Seong Haneul's pretty hot—no feelings there?"
"What's with you suddenly? Whatever you're thinking, no way. Besides, Haneul oppa's… nah. Weird for me to say."
This woman. Why start and stop like that? Dying of curiosity, I pressed, but she clammed up. "No chance at all," she said. First thought: he's gay. But as the novel's protagonist? Ridiculous. No BL tag—drifting there would cause an uproar. Unless the author's nuts. But excluding that? Nothing fit.
Couldn't get a read.
"You're thinking something weird, aren't you?"
"You're the one who planted it."
"Pfft. Cut the pointless suspicions and get along. No downside to being friends."
"We're all teammates—we're close enough already. It'll sort itself out."
"Not always."
"What? Sometimes not?"
"Any group has clashes. People you just don't vibe with."
"Like me?"
"Obviously. Look who's in front of me."
"You fucking—?"
She's been grinding my gears nonstop. Master at subtly pissing people off. If she were a heroine, comments would've exploded with "kill the bitch" already. Kinda miss not seeing that.
"Sulking 'cause I won't harem you? I'll think about it—calm down."
"Bullshit. Who said I wanted in?"
"Call me oppa, and maybe."
"You deaf bastard. Scram!"
I'd heard enough useful stuff—or lack thereof—so I said goodnight and left Seo Chaerim's room. Not super helpful, but suspicions about Seong Haneul eased a lot. Even if he was here because of me, no big deal. What do I have to hide? Spy or not, he couldn't touch me lightly. No strict rules, loose vibe, but one ironclad: hurt a teammate, and we avenge them. No exceptions.
So, no worries. Just take it slow and learn as we go.