Chapter 865: Solve Them All.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 865: Solve Them All.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
A woman was relentlessly pounding a seal.
Without a single moment’s rest.
Over and over again.
As soon as a document was stamped, it was tossed aside, and a new stack began to pile up.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
The movement of the seal showed no sign of stopping.
After an eternity of stamping, the mountain of paperwork finally vanished.
She had finished them all. Every single one of those endless documents.
Flop.
The woman collapsed onto her desk.
The sense of achievement and relief that it was finally over drained the last of her strength.
‘I can finally sleep...’
She was overjoyed.
The thought that she could finally wash away the fatigue accumulated from staying awake for three days straight made her truly happy.
She looked forward to falling into a deep slumber and wandering through the world of dreams.
Slowly...
Her eyes drifted shut as she lay slumped over the desk. She prepared to sink into a profound sleep.
Barge!
"Seo-yoon!"
But her plans were not meant to be. An uninvited guest had suddenly burst into her office.
"......Yorang... is that you?"
She managed to squeeze out a voice that was utterly devoid of energy.
"Yep! I’m here!"
A vibrant, energetic voice pierced her ears.
"Why are you slumped over like that? Get up, Seo-yoon! I have something to tell you!"
The nagging followed immediately.
"............Yorang... I’m... so tired... If it’s not urgent... could you come back... later? ......I haven’t slept... in three days..."
Tang Seo-yoon spoke with her face still buried in the desk.
She had to sleep now. If she didn't sleep this very moment, the work would only pile up again.
‘Please... let it not be urgent... please... just go away for now.’
She prayed desperately in her heart. She hoped Yorang’s business wasn't pressing and that she would simply close the door and leave.
"It’s urgent!"
But the heavens heartlessly ignored her desperate plea.
".....How urgent?"
She asked, clinging to a sliver of hope.
"Super urgent!"
Yorang replied without a second of hesitation.
".............Haaaaaaah."
Tang Seo-yoon let out a long, heavy sigh.
If the usually sharp-witted Yorang was saying this, there had to be a reason.
She slowly lifted her head. Then, she forced her heavy eyelids open to face Yorang.
"What on earth is it... Hm?"
She couldn't help but be taken aback. Yorang wasn't the only one who had entered the office.
"I caught this one."
Yorang said, lifting a woman by the scruff of her neck.
".....Hyun-kyung!?"
Tang Seo-yoon’s expression turned to one of pure bewilderment.
The woman was Lee Hyun-kyung. The daughter of Lee Jae-won and Tang Jin-seol—and her own niece.
"........Where did you... find her?"
Tang Seo-yoon asked Yorang, her face full of questions.
"I was coming back from the market after buying some sweets, and I saw her arguing with the gate guards at the main entrance."
"With the gate guards?"
"Yeah. She slapped one of them, so I struck her in the temple. I did good, right?"
Yorang spoke with the expression of a puppy seeking praise. She wanted to be commended for protecting the members of the Tang Clan.
"Ah... yes... you did well... Yorang."
Sensing her expectation, Tang Seo-yoon praised her immediately. Upholding the Tang Clan’s prestige was indeed something worthy of praise.
"..Really?"
Yorang asked back with a beaming smile.
"Of course. You are someone I truly rely on, Yorang. I’m always grateful."
".....Hehehehe... Oh, stop it."
Yorang twisted her body shyly, letting out a giggle. Hearing the meticulous and rigid Tang Seo-yoon say she relied on her made her mood soar.
Sway, sway.
As she twisted her body, Lee Hyun-kyung, who was still being held by the neck, began to swing back and forth.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
Her body began to bang against various things.
"Wait... wait! Yorang... please... calm down for a second!"
Tang Seo-yoon hurriedly tried to stop her. She feared her niece’s body would be covered in bruises at this rate.
"Huh?"
At Seo-yoon’s intervention, Yorang stopped moving, looking puzzled.
"Could you put Hyun-kyung down first?"
"This one?"
Yorang asked, lifting Lee Hyun-kyung higher.
"Yes. That child."
"Okay."
At her answer, Yorang simply let go.
Thump!
Lee Hyun-kyung’s body slammed onto the floor in a rather pathetic heap.
"...........It would have been better if you’d set her down gently.."
"Oh, really? I’ll be careful next time."
Yorang spoke with a bashful expression. She felt a bit embarrassed, wondering if she had handled the girl too roughly.
"......No, I’m just grateful you didn't kill her."
Tang Seo-yoon shook her head slightly. Knowing Yorang’s personality, she should be thankful Lee Hyun-kyung was even alive.
"I wasn't supposed to kill her?"
Yorang asked back, looking genuinely surprised.
"Did you think you were?"
Tang Seo-yoon asked, dumbfounded. Why would she suddenly kill her innocent niece?
"She’s Tang Jin-seol and Lee Jae-won’s daughter, isn't she? And you’re not killing her?"
"..........No, I’m not..... They are the ones who committed the crimes, not this child."
"They say you should never leave loose ends."
Yorang spoke with a solemn, determined expression.
"That’s not wrong. But... I want to give this child a chance... A chance to live differently from her parents."
"Hmm... judging by her attitude....... I think she’s already a lost cause."
Yorang spoke with a troubled look. Just seeing her act like a spoiled brat made her look exactly like Tang Jin-seol. She wondered if there was any point in giving such a girl a chance.
"Don't worry. I plan to give her some discipline."
"Discipline?"
"Yes. Hyun-kyung is still young. With proper discipline, I’m sure we can straighten out her twisted personality."
"Hmm..... In my eyes, it’s just her nature.... You can't fix that..."
"I want to at least try. Isn't it too pitiful for this child to be punished just for being born?"
Tang Seo-yoon spoke in a pleading tone. Even though she was the daughter of her enemies, Lee Jae-won and Tang Jin-seol, Lee Hyun-kyung was still her niece. She didn't want to punish her unconditionally. How miserable and sorrowful would it be to be punished simply for existing?
"Hmm..... It would be unfair to be punished for no reason.."
Yorang nodded in agreement. In the past, she had been relentlessly bullied by the Yin-Yang Demon just because they were bored. She could empathize with the unfairness felt by the innocent.
"So, I ask for your guidance and supervision as well, Yorang."
"Me?"
"Yes. I can't keep her with me all day... I want to entrust her discipline to someone I can trust."
"And that person you trust is me?"
Yorang asked, seeking confirmation.
"Of course."
Tang Seo-yoon nodded without a moment’s hesitation.
"Hehehehe, alright. Leave it to me! I’ll turn her into a proper human being!"
Yorang smiled happily. The thought that Seo-yoon trusted her made her feel great.
‘Right, if a spider can become a person, why can't a person?’
She steeled her resolve. She would turn this insolent brat into a human.
*
"Uuuugh..."
Lee Hyun-kyung began to groan. A sharp pain throbbed in her temple.
‘Why... my temple...’
She reached out and touched her temple. She felt a significantly swollen lump.
"Ugh.."
A groan escaped her lips as soon as she touched it.
"You’re awake?"
A chilling voice pierced her ears.
Flinch.
Her body shuddered.
Slowly...
She cautiously opened her eyes.
"You’ve even opened your eyes."
And then she saw her. The monstrous woman who had struck her in the temple.
"You... how... why are you here!?"
Lee Hyun-kyung spoke with a look of pure terror.
"Why? Because I’m the one who dragged you here."
Yorang replied nonchalantly.
"What... what do you plan to do with me?"
Lee Hyun-kyung asked, her voice trembling with fear. This was a woman who had knocked her unconscious without warning. There was no telling what she might do next.
"I’m going to make a human out of you."
Yorang spoke with a thick smirk.
"What?"
"Seo-yoon told me to. She said she trusts me to turn you into a human. I intend to live up to that trust."
"Seo... Seo-yoon? You mean my aunt?... My aunt left me with you!?"
"That’s right."
"That... that can't be... it can't... Let me see my aunt... No... my mother... or my uncle!"
"Request denied."
Yorang shook her head slightly.
"You aren't leaving this place until you become a human."
"......What... what does that... I’m already a human!"
"Not in my eyes."
Yorang spoke with a firm expression.
"What... what are you going to do?"
"As of today, you are a member of the Jaegyeong Pavilion."
"....The Jaegyeong... Pavilion?"
"Yes. From today on, you will devote your entire body to managing the Tang Clan’s finances."
Yorang spoke with a deep smirk.
"What does that have to do with making me a human?"
She asked back, looking completely confused. To be suddenly appointed as a member of the Jaegyeong Pavilion—what on earth did that mean?
"Hehe, you’ll see."
Yorang looked amused. That innocent, clueless look was actually quite cute.
"Tang Gam, come in."
Yorang called out toward the door.
Creeeeeak.
With the sound of a rusty hinge, a man appeared.
"Gasp!?"
Lee Hyun-kyung’s eyes widened in shock. A man with a truly horrific appearance had stepped into the room.
His hair was a disheveled mess, as if it hadn't been groomed in ages. Dark, heavy circles hung under his eyes. His cheekbones protruded and his cheeks were hollow, making him look like a skeleton—likely from not eating properly. His skin was so pale it was almost translucent, as if he hadn't seen the sun in years.
It was no exaggeration to say he looked like a walking corpse.
".......Is... it... a new... recruit?"
Tang Gam asked Yorang in a stuttering voice.
"I pulled some strings."
Yorang puffed out her chest proudly.
"Oooooh... ohhh... a newbie... ohhh... oh."
Tang Gam began to weep. It felt as if a light had finally shone into his personal hell.
"Alright, don't give her the classified stuff yet. Just bring the simple calculation sheets and give them to her. She’s going to do them all."
"Understood!"
With a vigorous reply, Tang Gam immediately rushed back out.
Lee Hyun-kyung stared blankly at Tang Gam’s retreating back. His sudden change in energy was baffling. He had entered like a corpse, but he left like a charging rhinoceros.
"That guy is on his 58th consecutive day of overtime. He’s been working like a madman, even giving up his holiday pay."
Yorang spoke with a thick smirk.
"So... that’s why he looks like..."
She began to understand why the man looked like a corpse. If he had been working that hard, it wasn't surprising he looked that way.
"That is your future."
Yorang whispered into her ear.
"....What... what did you say!?"
"Because I’m going to make it so.."
Yorang spoke with a wicked smile.
"I... I’m not good at math... I don't know much... I’m ignorant about everything... How... how could I possibly work in the Jaegyeong Pavilion?!"
Whoosh!
Grab!
Yorang quickly reached out and grabbed her by the mouth.
"Who are you trying to fool? I know all about your reputation as a child prodigy."
Yorang looked at her with an amused glint in her eyes.
"Didn't anyone teach you that you lose a hand if you’re caught lying?"
Tremble, tremble.
Meeting Yorang’s gaze, Lee Hyun-kyung began to shake violently. The fear of actually losing a hand gripped her.
"I’m going to double-check every single calculation.... And if... even one is wrong....."
Vroooooom.
A terrifyingly murderous aura began to radiate from Yorang.
"You’d better be prepared."
Nod, nod, nod.
Lee Hyun-kyung began to nod her head frantically. It was a reaction born from the sheer terror that she might die if she resisted.
"Good girl."
Yorang smiled, satisfied. It seemed the first step toward turning her into a human was off to a pretty good start.
"I’ve brought the calculation sheets!"
Tang Gam reappeared, carrying a massive stack of documents.
Thud!
He dropped the pile right in front of Lee Hyun-kyung’s nose.
Lee Hyun-kyung stared blankly at the mountain of paperwork. The sheer volume was enough to make her soul leave her body.
"Solve them all."
Yorang spoke firmly, looking down at her.
And as she heard those words, Lee Hyun-kyung’s face began to fill with despair.