2. A Slave Rolls In

Cha Shin-hye was kind to an unrealistic degree.

Even Jin Bora, of all people, had conceded that her character was beyond reproach.

It made sense — in The Great Tower Act, early-game healers were the hardest recruits of all.

Loyalty, they said. Something about how she'd stay with Celebrity right up until the day they threw her out.

Cha Shin-hye's recruitment condition had been to get kicked out of that guild, too.

Thank goodness Ha Jun-seok was every bit as pathetic a man as he was. If he'd been even halfway decent, things would have been difficult.

The fact that she was a devout churchgoer who'd never been touched by a man — not so much as a fingertip — counted in her favor. Her enormous chest was part of it too, but more than anything, she was so hopelessly meek that I figured her reactions to a little teasing would be exquisite.

The way I was doing right now, in fact, tossing banter back and forth with her.

"Did you join Celebrity because of Guild Master Ha Jun-seok?"

"Th... Yes. That's right."

Cha Shin-hye said, scratching her cheek. She looked as though this topic were an old, familiar one.

"You're not... siblings by any chance, are you?"

"Haha. Right. I grew up in an orphanage."

"Oh dear, my apologies. That was an unnecessary question."

"Not at all!"

Cha Shin-hye waved both hands.

"I hear it all the time. Jun-seok and I have known each other since we were little, so people often mistake us for brother and sister."

Cha Shin-hye didn't look at all pleased as she said it.

I didn't need to look to know it was the same reason she'd come here. The guild's internal situation was truly beyond a mess. That was why she'd come seeking my advice.

We were going to be climbing companions in a week, after all. And as the oldest of the bunch, she'd probably felt some sense of duty about it.

The trouble was, she was simply too kind.

"If you've known each other that long... Ah — feel free not to answer if you'd rather not. Perhaps you could start with what brings you here today?"

"No, it's all right. We ought to get to know each other anyway. Haerin was almost one of our guild members too, you see, but that fell through. I thought it might be better if the Guild Master understood our circumstances as well."

Cha Shin-hye launched into stories from her school days.

Most of it I already knew. I did pick up the finer details, but nothing that would change anything — the only real discovery was that things between Haerin and Jin Bora were even uglier than I'd imagined.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Sensing the story would only get longer, I cut in at just the right moment. From here on out, it would be all about Cha Shin-hye's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠past.

"This could take a while. I'll go make us some coffee."

At that, Cha Shin-hye rose from her seat before I could.

"Shall I make it? You've been so kind to hear out our guild's troubles. I'm quite good with coffee, so don't you worry!"

"...Then, thank you. I should be the one serving you — the host ought to treat his guest, after all."

I said, a little dazed.

I knew she made good coffee. I just hadn't expected that talent to meet such a kind heart and produce this. If anything, I felt almost guilty about planning to dress her in the Evil God's Black See-Through Nun Habit.

For now, I led Cha Shin-hye to the break room.

She handled the coffee pot with practiced ease. I'd only bought the thing for appearances — it was all I had. What mattered was the thought, right?

Over her protests, I returned to the sofa.

In any case, the fact that I'd be dressing a woman like her in a sexy costume stirred my desires all the more.

How would Cha Shin-hye react? Not once since arriving had the word "equipment" come up. She really must have come purely out of concern for her guild.

I hoped she wouldn't recoil at the sight of it and refuse. No — knowing her, she'd quietly endure it.

The chime announcing that the coffee had finished brewing rang out twice. Cha Shin-hye carried the cups over in both hands and set them on the table.

"Thank you. I'll enjoy this."

I bowed my head in thanks.

"No, thank you. Haha, it's just a coffee pot, so it'll all taste the same."

"It's the thought that counts."

"Thank you."

The coffee tasted like the iced americano you'd buy at any corner store. Yet somehow it settled warmly in my stomach.

We sat in silence for a moment before Cha Shin-hye spoke first.

She'd met Ha Jun-seok at church. They'd happened to be placed in the same group, and since he was a walking disaster area, she'd taken it upon herself to look after him. They'd even attended the same elementary school — whenever Jun-seok caused trouble, the teacher would come looking for her.

Then, because Jun-seok never studied, he went to a high school far away. The two of them met again upon awakening, and that was how the guild came to be.

The kind of backstory you could find anywhere.

Her real dream, she said, had been to open a café. That was why she'd been so eager to advertise her coffee-making skills.

She looked a little cute when she said it. I had a rough picture of the situation now.

I decided to hear the reason she'd come, straight from her own mouth.

"Hmm, I see. I understand your guild's situation is dire. But that doesn't mean there's anything I can do to help."

Ha Jun-seok and I had, for all intents and purposes, agreed to help each other out. Clear the 10th floor, and we'd both earn the right to participate in the Scenario. Scenarios were like pushing through a story in a game — one appeared every ten floors, and clearing one earned you a reward.

With that reward, Celebrity's finances would be turned around. That was why he'd accepted my proposal.

As I cleared away the empty cups, I went on.

"My talks with Guild Master Ha Jun-seok are finished. The agreement is to return the equipment and go our separate ways once we clear the 10th floor. Me getting further involved in your guild from here... holds no benefit for mine, does it?"

I shrugged and waited for her response.

Cha Shin-hye pressed her lips together and nodded, as if steeling herself for something.

"I— I want to... I want to... um..."

For whatever reason, Cha Shin-hye was so embarrassed that she ducked her head like a turtle retreating into its shell.

"Take your time. I can at least listen."

That's right — hear her out. Doing what I do, not letting people so much as open their mouths, is an unforgivable sin.

"Early this morning, I... watched your livestream, Shin Gaon."

Cha Shin-hye said.

I hadn't imagined she'd still be awake at that hour. Or that she even knew about my channel, for that matter. Unless she frequented the gallery, there was no way she'd have found it. Did she, too, hunger for recognition and praise?

That detail would prove a crucial factor in bringing Cha Shin-hye over to my side.

"Ah, so you saw it. What did you think? Of our guild's equipment, I mean."

She had already given her answer — that the guild's adult products caught her interest. Frankly, the very fact that she'd walked in here of her own accord could only mean she'd made up her mind.

"They're really... really good, I think..."

"Then, perhaps...?"

"Yes. I'll film promotional videos for your other equipment — so please help our guild."

Having blurted it out herself, Cha Shin-hye ducked her gaze, embarrassed.

I decided not to delay a second longer and show her the equipment right away.

"Really? Then it's us who should be thanking you. You could answer on the spot, of course, but let's have you look at the next piece to be promoted first."

I pulled up the equipment's info window and displayed it.

Cha Shin-hye sucked in a breath the moment she laid eyes on it.

"Seeing you that startled makes me feel I've done something wrong."

"N-No, not at all! You went to so much trouble making this equipment — I'm the one who's sorry..."

Cha Shin-hye jumped and waved her hands frantically. Then, as if to salvage the moment, she said:

"I-It suits me, doesn't it? Being a... nun's habit and all. Trying on a nun's outfit was my childhood dream, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you know."

"You still attend church even now, though. You never once got to wear one?"

"Well... I never joined a church guild, you see. And back in my civilian days, I was a barista."

The Church was an extremely closed organization. Getting in was hard enough, and once you were in, you could never leave again.

Their guilds were the same. Church guilds recruited every healer in sight and lent them out as mercenaries to other parties. That, too, was one of their coin-making schemes.

Half to introduce the equipment and half to clear the air, I clapped my hands and said:

"As you can see, this piece raises your combat power by 500. Because of my ability, the clothing unavoidably looks a little... naughty. See-through is everywhere these days, though, so I'm sure it'll be fine."

"I've seen it a few times in videos, actually."

"So you like that kind of clothing?"

"Um..."

Cha Shin-hye stalled for a moment before answering.

"Yes... a little. Because it's cute."

Hehe, Cha Shin-hye giggled.

Had she lived her whole life that way, only for adulthood to slowly open her eyes to this side of things? Or was it simply that her way of blowing off steam pointed here? Whichever it was, it worked out nicely for me.

"Then this will be simple. If you'll film the promotional videos, I see no reason we can't keep the alliance going."

"Really?!"

Color bloomed in Cha Shin-hye's face.

"That said — if you watched it, you know how the broadcasts go. Are you truly comfortable with that? The equipment even bears the name Evil God."

"Our Heavenly God won't particularly mind. The word 'Evil God' doesn't even appear in the Bible. These days it's just a fictional thing, consumed by... manga? That sort of media, you know?"

I nodded.

"Then may I take that as your consent?"

"...Yes."

"The broadcasts will all be mosaic-censored, so there's no need to worry. Besides, no one will know it's you, Cha Shin-hye."

Asking her to give me a moment, I took out my phone and sorted out the schedule.

"Hmm... the joint guild climb is next Monday, July 27th, so I'm free as early as tomorrow at dawn."

"That is, if you're not busy..."

Cha Shin-hye said, looking me dead in the eye. Her gaze had softened, just slightly.

"Could we do it tomorrow?"

I answered, beaming like an insurance salesman who'd just closed a contract.

"Of course! Just come here at 1 a.m. tomorrow."

"Yes... understood."

Just like that, a healer had rolled in.

Cha Shin-hye left, and six o'clock in the evening arrived.

Ding-a-ling.

At exactly six, the door opened. A woman with purple hair stepped inside.

She swept her gaze sharply around the shop and, apparently unable to hold it in, scowled for an instant.

"Welcome, Jin Bora."

I said, flashing my business smile.

The moment Jin Bora laid eyes on my face, her lips twitched — but she quickly lifted the corners of her mouth into a smile.

"You're Shin Gaon, right? I came because there's something I absolutely have to say today."

"Something to say?"

"Yes."

Jin Bora stepped right up to the counter and declared:

"I'll shoot the promotional videos for your equipment. So — put me in Slave."

Things were falling into place, easy as anything.