The Time in the Laundry Room
The clock ticked relentlessly in the laundry room, each second a cruel reminder of how much time had slipped away.
Haruka had been sent to Yohee’s room to snoop around, expecting her to flee back downstairs the moment she spotted the bloodstain. Yet hours passed, and the Head Maid still hadn’t returned to the first floor.
Tick… tick…
Only the second hand on the wall clock made any noise at all.
—This is strange.
I had run every possible scenario in my head: how Haruka might have figured out my true identity, why she’d come to me with this information, exactly what I would say to her. But she still hadn’t shown up.
Was something wrong?
Tick… tick…
The wall clock now read 11:04. Yohee’s strange habit of skipping lunch after breakfast meant she should have been back in her room by now.
At this point, there was no choice. I had to go check myself.
I opened the laundry room door and stepped into the hallway leading to the second floor. The moment I did, a voice drifted out from the middle of the corridor—right outside Yohee’s room.
Crack!
—You… you bastard!
—Hah. Yeah. You think I’m an idiot, too? Then I’ll kill you too, you bitch.
Wait… what?
—No matter what, killing you cleanly is the best way. Don’t you agree?
—Kuaah…
No… if she’s really an Inspection Department agent, how did she get caught just because she found a single bloodstain?
I’d assumed she was competent, at least, since she was so good at acting. But this was nothing but a complete failure.
—Disaster.
If Haruka had been caught snooping in Yohee’s room, the probability of her dying was extremely high. And Yohee was the definition of a psychopath.
—If I leave this like this…
Right now I was risking everything to protect Yuuka as a temporary shield. Later I planned to arrange a dramatic reunion with Haruka to turn her into an ally of the Inspection Department. But if she was chased away or, in the worst case, killed by Yohee… everything would have been for nothing.
And above all else, Yuuka’s face flashed into my mind. The way she’d bowed her head, grateful and terrified at the same time. The voice she’d whispered while we lay together in bed.
—*Whimper… Haruka… please save me…*
—Damn it.
The ultimate animal trait wasn’t cuteness, after all.
—Die!
I didn’t hesitate. I threw open Yohee’s door.
Somehow, this would work.
Splash!
—Huh? What the hell is this?
Haruka lay crumpled against the wall, face deathly pale, clutching her side. And right above her, stomping on her head, was Yohee.
—Hehe, hello there, miss~
—You’re insane? Who the hell told you to come in here?
I started to open my mouth to explain.
—S-Sunghyun… ah…
Haruka stared up at me with tear-filled eyes, cheek already swollen and bruised from the brutal stomp. Her veins stood out like crazy.
But Yohee glanced between me and Haruka, then smiled thinly and spoke.
—Look at this. Hoo hoo… what happened? Did you two fuck?
What kind of nonsense was that?
—Those wicked kids fell in love, huh? Well, it’s sweet. Kind of heartwarming, actually. Yeah yeah.
Yohee, already convinced of her own twisted logic, started babbling without pause.
—I get it. Being terrified of being caught like this is scary, right? You… what’s your name? Kim Seong-hyun, right? You came running to save your woman who just got beaten, huh? Answer honestly. Maybe I’ll spare you.
I didn’t believe a word of it, but I had nothing good to say.
And the biggest problem was Yohee’s hand still tucked inside her apron pocket. The front of her clothes bulged noticeably. A long, stiff object with a hard texture.
—She’s lost her mind… is that a gun?
The Samjung Group had special exemption status. She didn’t even need to bother calling Cha Seyeon in the middle management. She just planned to kill anyone who got in her way.
Even if she put a third hole in my head right now, no one in this mansion would complain.
Cornered.
Yohee looked like she was enjoying a show. If I wanted a way out of this, I’d have to play the role she wanted—crying and begging.
—Yes, that’s right. Haruka and I are engaged… please show us mercy, miss.
—Kihihihi! That’s hilarious! This is actually so funny! It’s like a drama!
—Hic? Th-that’s not a show—
Thud!
—Ugh!
—Shut up, you bitch. The best part is just starting.
Yohee nodded happily.
—Good, good. Since you entertained me, I’ll let you live. But that’s not enough. You have to do one thing I tell you. Then I’ll spare you.
What did she want me to do?
—Whatever you ask, miss, I’ll do it.
—Ooooh~ You’re a man? Yeah? Kihihi!
Insane woman.
At this point I had no doubt she wasn’t going to ask for anything normal. She was almost certainly planning something painful that would end my life.
And once I was gone, she’d kill Haruka too.
My stomach churned. Because of this crazy psycho, I had to endure this nonsense from my previous life right up to this one.
Of course it was because of pointless pity for Yuuka, but that didn’t change the fact that Yohee was an absolute villain.
Thud.
—For now, I’m taking a break. Take her somewhere and do whatever you want—beat her or knock her up. Then come back here exactly at this time tomorrow. Got it?
Yohee kicked Haruka’s back toward me, then flopped onto the bed herself.
—Get out.
At least I’d bought myself a day’s grace.
—Yes, miss. Thank you.
—Puuuf… thank you? Whether I thank you or not, come back tomorrow and think again.
She was already plotting something ruthless in her head. The delay was just another way to torment me and scheme the most twisted plan.
You disgusting trash.
—Haruka, let’s go.
—Augh!
I carefully helped Haruka up and slipped out backward from Yohee’s room.
[Laundry Room]
I walked a little farther down the first-floor corridor until the familiar sign came into view.
Creak—
Thud.
—Gueh… hah…!
Haruka trembled violently, clutching her side. She looked in agony.
—Haah… haah…
It wasn’t just pain. Her breathing was ragged, like her ribs might have punctured a lung.
I couldn’t leave her like this—she’d die.
—Hey, Haruka, come on, snap out of it.
—Hyaak… hyaak!
Haruka’s face, already drenched in cold sweat, had gone deathly white. Her lips were turning blue—that was classic hypoxia.
A normal healing potion I carried wouldn’t work. Those were only for external wounds.
So the only hope was that she’d had the foresight to bring her own supplies.
—Haruka, do you have any personal medicine? Answer me quickly. If you don’t want to die—!
I forced her face upright to make her look at me. With shaky fingers she pointed at one of the washing machines.
—Hyaak… haah… the… inside…
I tore open the panel of the machine she indicated. Inside was a long emergency medicine pouch bearing the Empire Inspection Department logo.
Thud.
I jammed the needle into her side.
—Eugh!
The internal spring released. The liquid surged in.
Squelch, crack—
Her broken bones snapped back into place. The lung that had been pierced began to regenerate.
Instant healing. Insane power.
—Kuuuh…
Haruka convulsed, unable to bear the pain, and finally passed out.
—Haa… damn it… what the hell is going on here?
I hadn’t expected everything to go smoothly or everyone to dance to my tune. But this was too much. Everything had collapsed in an instant.
Haruka’s face, unconscious on the floor, looked exactly like Yuuka’s. I hadn’t noticed the resemblance when she was awake, but in sleep they really were sisters.
—Ugh… a real Inspection Department agent gets caught looking at a bloodstain and ends up in this mess… You really should thank your sister.
Yuuka wasn’t cute enough to be saved without help, and she hadn’t been the kind of girl who would crawl through desperate situations to do her own duty. If not for her, I wouldn’t have saved Haruka.
I frowned at Haruka when I suddenly noticed something.
[Upper Network Access Available]
[Owl1’s Nest.]
It’s been three days since I sent the message… (truncated)
—Huh? What’s this?
Upper network access?
I stared at the glowing notification hovering over Haruka’s message and couldn’t help but feel shocked.
[S.E.N.T.I.N.E.L]
—Strategic Enforcement Network and Tactical Intelligence Liaison—
1. Inspection Department Organizational Chart
2. Strategy Room
3. Dispatch Status
…
…
—Insane…
Sentinel…?
This was the Inspection Department’s internal intranet. Only the Emperor could access it—excluding the department’s own staff.
How the hell could I even get in?
I rushed to click each section, but something blocked me.
—Is there some condition?
When I first saw Haruka, all I thought was sending a message to headquarters.
But right after I saved her, a mysterious new function opened up.
Then… trust? Bonding?
Or maybe some requirement is fulfilled when the other party’s expectations are met.
—Wait a second…
If this was some kind of superpower that gradually strengthened through the other person’s trust or relationship, it would obviously work on Yohee too.
Right now all she could see was my male-hating posts and her own disgusting bathroom graffiti. But if the same power was applied to her, far more secret weaknesses would surface. And if I exploited those weaknesses, I could control Yohee just as easily as I controlled the others.
My heart pounded wildly.
—Calm down.
I wouldn’t rush into this again. This would be the last time.
First I needed to figure out the evolution conditions of this power—step by step.
Start with Cha Seyeon.
That girl needed to be completely corrupted. Only then would the blocked channels in my current state finally open.
—Time for revenge sex, you bitch.