The Conditions of a Wife (1)
The door burst open with a loud bang. The world seemed to slow down. Like a scene in slow motion, the door creaking open felt agonizingly delayed. Just a little more and our naked bodies—mine and Shin Suyeon’s—would be completely exposed. Then… creak. The door stopped moving.
What the hell?
One second passed. Two seconds. The door showed no sign of opening any further. After what felt like three years compressed into three seconds, it finally swung shut again.
“Seonghyun’s not here? Guess he went out.”
“I figured. Hurry up and grab your stuff so we can leave.”
“Okey-dokey!”
There was a brief rustling sound, followed by the front door clicking shut. A heavy silence settled over the dorm once more.
Fuck… I nearly had a heart attack.
I let out the breath I’d been holding and replayed the last few moments in my head. Did they see us? From the angle, it shouldn’t have been possible. But still…
They might’ve smelled it.
The room was a disaster. The air was thick with the scent of love juices, sweat, and even urine. Given that even Choi Ahyeon had sharp instincts, it was far more likely they’d noticed and simply pretended not to. I’d thank them properly when I saw them later.
Better clean this up fast.
Fearing the two girls might come back, I rushed to tidy the room.
The next morning.
Choi Ahyeon and Han Yuri, who had pulled an all-nighter, were rubbing their bloodshot eyes while changing clothes.
“Those fucking bastards! Who changes the schedule at the last minute like this?!”
“Ugh… exactly. My eyes won’t even stay open… This is the worst.”
The release-type dungeon raid, originally scheduled for the day after tomorrow, had been suddenly moved up to today. And they’d only been notified this morning. As a result, the two girls hadn’t slept a wink and were already scrambling to gather their weapons.
They really are petty as hell.
Was this their revenge for me refusing to introduce them to Choi Ahyeon? I’d suspected it, but damn, what narrow-minded pricks.
We rushed over to the assembly point in a panic. But the release-type dungeon that should have been sealed tight was already wide open. They’d opened the gate before we even arrived.
As we hurried over, Kim Seongho—who was already in the middle of hunting—greeted us with a mocking sneer.
“Whoa~ Look who finally decided to show up. The first-years are the last ones here, as usual?”
“…Sorry.”
“Well, you damn well should be sorry. What, you think you’re not? Stop with the pathetic acting and get in there and start carving up monsters. If you don’t meet your quota today, don’t even think about going home.”
His attitude had done a complete one-eighty. Even Choi Ahyeon and Han Yuri looked slightly taken aback. I gave them both a small nod. For now, we’d focus on the hunt.
But as expected, the two of them weren’t in any condition to perform at their best.
“Hiyah! Huh?”
Choi Ahyeon’s swing completely whiffed. Even Han Yuri let out a sharp click of her tongue as her Meteor spell missed its target entirely.
In the end, I had no choice but to push myself harder.
“Slow the pace down from normal! Just stay calm!”
“Got it!”
“Okay.”
I kept aggro permanently drawn while running Thunder God at full power, practically dragging a whole pack of ogres around with me. On top of that, I overworked myself to take down one monster at a time, which finally stabilized the hunt.
At least we can breathe now.
If we kept this pace, we should be fine. I let out a light sigh of relief.
“Seonghyun!”
“Lee Seonghyun!”
At their shouts, I quickly threw my body to the left—but—
“Ugh!”
An ogre’s glaive sliced across my back. Thankfully, my quick movement kept the wound shallow, but…
“Oops. My bad, dude. My mistake!”
Kim Seongho laughed it off with a playful grin. He had deliberately sent one of his assigned ogres our way. Those things were B-rank. There was no way he’d make such a rookie error.
He’s completely lost it.
We were still in combat. I’d deal with him after. I continued the hunt.
Even so, Kim Seongho’s interference didn’t stop. Sending one ogre our way became routine. Occasionally, a dagger would “accidentally” fly in our direction too.
Somehow, we managed to finish the hunt. We approached the student council team.
Kim Seongho sauntered over with a smug swagger.
“Aww, man. You all look pissed. I’m really sorry—seems like I’ve been making a lot of mistakes today.”
“You call that a mistake?”
Han Yuri’s voice was venomous. She looked ready to unleash a torrent of curses, but the fact that he was her senior held her back.
“Come on, everyone has off days, right? Days when your skills just won’t listen to you no matter what.”
“Hah. Unbelievable.”
His shameless response made Han Yuri’s face flush red then pale. This was clearly the limit of her patience.
“You fucking— I’ve had enough of this bullshit…!”
Just as she was about to explode, I raised my hand to stop her. At my gesture, she bit her lip and swallowed her rage. It was remarkable progress. In the past, she would’ve snapped at me, asking who the hell I thought I was to stop her.
“Understood. We’ll consider what happened earlier a mistake. After all, even a senior is only human.”
“Exactly, exactly. I’m only human too.”
“So in the future, if there’s going to be a schedule change, we’d appreciate it if you could notify us the day before. That way, we can be in perfect condition for the hunt.”
“Hmm. Sure, whatever.”
My calm response seemed to irritate him; he frowned. His plan had probably been to provoke me, but too bad. Showing that kind of emotion outwardly would just make him look like an idiot.
“Then we’ll be on our way.”
“Sure, sure. Our little juniors must be exhausted after working since morning~ Go on in~ You’re so good at showing up late and leaving early! The world really has gotten better these days~”
His constant sarcasm nearly set Han Yuri off again, but Choi Ahyeon held her back. Once we returned to the dorm, we washed up roughly and gathered around the table.
“What the hell is that bastard’s problem?! Does he think he’s some kind of ranker? Crazy son of a bitch is gonna get himself killed for real!”
“Haha… Yuri, calm down a little.”
“Calm down my ass. Fuck, seriously!”
Han Yuri downed a glass of ice water in one go while Choi Ahyeon fanned her with a hand. I watched the two of them with a bitter smile. Then Han Yuri turned her fury on me.
“Aren’t you pissed off? That guy’s treating you like a total fucking idiot!”
“I am angry.”
“Then why are you just sitting there like some spineless saint?! Rip into him like you do with me!”
She was right. I had no intention of just taking it like a pushover.
Instead of just crushing Kim Seongho, I should bring down the entire guild.
I was currently D-rank. Kim Seongho was B-rank. Normally, a fight between us wouldn’t even be possible, but Kim Seongho was a hollow ranker who had only grown strong through sheer luck and elixirs. His B-rank was completely empty. If I decided to take him down, I could—but it would take considerable preparation time. And even if I succeeded, the Baekho Guild would likely come after me.
Rather than dealing with one minion at a time, it’s easier to collapse the entire sandcastle at once.
The Baekho Guild was overflowing with hidden corruption. All I had to do was leak it to the Association or rival guilds. Han Yuri, unaware of my thoughts, pounded her chest in frustration.
“Ugh, it feels like I’ve swallowed hundreds of sweet potatoes. Ahyeon, get me some soda.”
“Okay! Just a second!”
“I already have something in mind. Just wait a bit.”
“You don’t need my help?”
Normally I would have rejected her offer. But this time was different. I planned to end it quickly. As soon as I had all the evidence ready, I would hand it over to the Portan Guild.
“I’ve got a plan. I’ll tell you when it’s ready.”
“You better. Don’t suffer in silence just to protect your pride.”
“Yeah, yeah. Anyway, I have an appointment, so I’ll head out first.”
“What? Again?”
“Yeah. It’s been happening a lot lately.”
“But you don’t even have any friends.”
“Fuck, stop hitting me where it hurts. I’ll be back later.”
“Hey! Lee Seonghyun!”
Fearing she’d interrogate me further if I stayed, I simply left the dorm. I planned to introduce her to Shin Suyeon eventually, but not right now.
When I arrived at the main building, the supporters were just finishing their classes and pouring outside. Among them, one girl stood out immediately.
Shin Suyeon.
It would be more accurate to say she radiated beauty. She wasn’t quite at Lee Seol or Han Yuri’s level, but she was right below them. She caught the eye instantly. I’d been worried her timid personality might not suit her new appearance, but the opposite had happened. She was surrounded by people.
As expected. Once you have the face, people won’t leave you alone.
“Suyeon, we found a great spot for this weekend. We’ve got a bunch of fun people lined up already. You just need to show up.”
“Ah, um… sorry…”
I’d thought she couldn’t say no, but she was surprisingly firm. She gave a small bow and slipped out of the crowd, then came running toward me.
A mischievous impulse struck me, so I turned around and walked away quickly. Behind me—
“S-Seonghyun! I’m here!”
I ignored her. As I kept walking, I heard her panting as she tried to catch up. As expected of someone with zero athletic ability—she couldn’t close the distance.
“Seonghyun! Haa… haa… S-Seonghyun!”
If I kept teasing her, she might actually pass out, so I stopped. Only then did she grab the hem of my shirt.
“Haa… haa… Why… why did you do that all of a sudden?”
“I was bored. Just felt like messing with you.”
“Huh? Y-You were joking?”
She looked like she’d been slapped on the back of the head. Then—
“You big bully…”
She puffed out her cheeks slightly. The sight was so hamster-like that I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Are you mad?”
“I’m not mad.”
“You totally are.”
“I said I’m not!”
At Shin Suyeon’s squeaky protest, I gave a wry smile and took the lead.
“Alright, alright. Let’s go for now.”
“Hmph…”
After that brief comedy, we headed to the café.
“Today was your first class, right? How was it? Manageable?”
“Yes. The professors explained everything so well, and my classmates were really kind. It was wonderful. When they used that round crystal orb like this, light just poured out and…”
She chattered away with a bright smile blooming across her face. Watching her, I couldn’t stop smiling like a proud father.
Good thing I enrolled her.
Feeling a quiet sense of satisfaction, we reached the café, ordered our drinks, and sat down. At that exact moment—
Ring ring.
My phone vibrated.
[Ahyeon: Emergency!]
What now?
“I’ll be right back. Just going to the restroom.”
“Ah, okay.”
I stepped into the restroom and opened my phone.
[Ahyeon: I’m sorry! I tried to stop them ]
What the hell is this nonsense?
I was about to call her when I heard a familiar voice from outside. I hurried out and froze.
“……”
Lee Seol was smiling brightly. Shin Suyeon wore a relaxed, gentle smile. Across from them sat Han Yuri with a face like she’d swallowed a bug, and next to her was Choi Ahyeon, clearly uncomfortable and fidgeting in her seat.