Chapter 109
Chapter 109
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: Between Love and Resentment (2)
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The Black Dragon Society's Gangwon Province branch building, located in Chuncheon City.
Inside a small conference room with the door firmly locked. Seol A-hyun and Ahn Su-ho sat facing each other, wrestling with a pile of miscellaneous documents. Every single one related to tomorrow's raid on the Knight's Grave.
A little while ago, with the raid just one day away, they'd held the final meeting with the participating hunters. But even after it ended, Seol A-hyun and Ahn Su-ho didn't leave. Instead, they moved to this room to keep preparing.
One was the leader of the guild hosting the raid, and the other was the primary informant and tactician for the operation. In a way, it was only natural.
"......Haa."
Seol A-hyun let out a deep sigh. Ahn Su-ho just kept staring silently at the documents.
"Um, Su-ho."
Seol A-hyun called out to him. But there was no response. Ahn Su-ho seemed lost in another world, endlessly swimming through lines of text all by himself.
"Su-ho?"
"Yes?"
Seol A-hyun raised her voice a bit and called again. Only then did Ahn Su-ho lift his head. Wondering if he was just that focused or lost in thought, she decided to voice her own worries.
"Su-ho, it's a bit late to worry now, but... do you really think we can clear it with so few people?"
"I told you. More people would just get in the way."
Attrition tactics wouldn't work against Wilhelm. His sword aura and frost magic would sweep away all the weaklings in an instant.
"Hunter Han Yong-su, the leader of the advance team, ended up in critical condition partly to protect the other guild members. If he'd gone in alone, he might not have made it out unscathed, but he wouldn't have been hurt that badly."
"Even so, doesn't six people against Wilhelm feel too few? Seven including you..."
"Everyone already agreed on that. Besides, you didn't say anything during the meeting just now."
"Well... I'm in a position where I have to be careful with my opinions."
Ahn Su-ho's input had gained traction at the raid meeting solely because of Seol A-hyun's endorsement. If she contradicted him even once, his credibility would plummet.
"In the future I experienced, this method worked. It's not exactly the same, but I think we can pull it off. Even with just six people, they're the strongest six."
With that, Ahn Su-ho glanced at the task force roster on the documents.
Black Dragon Leader Seol A-hyun.
Dragon Slayer Oh Ji-hoon.
Flame Emperor Park Cheol.
White Silver Jin So-wol.
Mad Dog Sung Yu-jin.
And Han Yeoreum.
They were the ultimate superhumans who would clash swords with Wilhelm in the dungeon's deepest depths. Excluding Han Yeoreum, they were all S-rank superhumans—and top-tier ones at that. Even the weakest link, Han Yeoreum, was a once-in-a-generation talent guaranteed to become the youngest S-rank by year's end.
In the original story, Oh Ji-hoon and Park Cheol—who had died by then—were replaced by Ryu Tae-hyun and Han Gyeowol. But Ahn Su-ho was confident this lineup was far stronger.
'The whole reason those two joined was because the originals died suddenly.'
The close-combat specialist Dragon Slayer Oh Ji-hoon. And the Flame Emperor Park Cheol, whose ignition powers were unmatched among ability users.
A week before the Knight's Grave raid, the two had been caught in a massive Dawn Legion terrorist attack and lost their lives. Ryu Tae-hyun and Han Gyeowol had been hastily brought in as replacements.
But now, those two were alive, so there was no need for substitutes. And they were much stronger than Ryu Tae-hyun and Han Gyeowol anyway.
Seol A-hyun, unaware of the circumstances, couldn't hide her anxiety. Raiding an over-rank dungeon was no small matter.
"You don't need to worry so much. It'll be fine."
Encouraging the anxious Seol A-hyun, Ahn Su-ho glanced at his smartphone. He stared at the blank screen for a long while, lost in thought, then turned away.
Seeing this, Seol A-hyun tilted her head.
"Su-ho, you've been checking it nonstop. Waiting for a call or something?"
"......No. It's nothing. Don't worry about—"
"Oh, right. Did that student wake up?"
Ahn Su-ho's expression hardened at the question.
"What was her name? Kang—"
"......Kang Haneul?"
A complex mix of emotions crossed Ahn Su-ho's face as he replied. Misreading it, Seol A-hyun covered her mouth in surprise.
"Oh no. Did something go wrong...?"
"No, no. She's awake. No issues with her body."
He answered, but his expression didn't improve. He recalled what had happened that dawn.
He'd accepted Kang Haneul's confession. Told her he loved her too. Up to that point, no problem.
But then... When he brought up Ji Ye-won, the conversation spiraled into disaster. Kang Haneul, who'd soared to the heavens thinking she'd won the one she loved, crashed into the abyss with his next words. The emptiness, betrayal, and despair she felt must have been indescribable.
It was all Ahn Su-ho's fault. His selfishness and greed had caused this. He didn't deny it.
No, it wasn't just denial he avoided. He'd half-expected it to end like this. He'd pinned faint, foolish hope on Kang Haneul being as magnanimous as Ji Ye-won, respecting his wishes.
What a stupid, childish judgment.
His gaze drifted back to his smartphone.
He wanted to call and apologize right now. Thinking of Kang Haneul suffering because of his selfishness made him want to rush to her side.
But contacting her meant inevitably making a choice.
Kang Haneul... or Ji Ye-won.
Avoiding the topic the moment they met again was impossible. Pretending nothing happened and carrying on without addressing it? No way.
That's why Ahn Su-ho couldn't reach out to Kang Haneul.
Not yet, because he hadn't decided.
The time given to him felt far too short for such a choice.
With the Knight's Grave raid tomorrow, he had no room to think about it. Half-fleeing, he'd averted his eyes from the issue.
"Something bothering you?"
Ahn Su-ho snapped back to reality. Seol A-hyun looked at him with concern.
"Huh? Bothering me?"
"I've noticed since before the meeting. You're not focusing well... look preoccupied."
Her assessment was spot-on. Ahn Su-ho hadn't been able to concentrate all day because of Kang Haneul.
"If something's on your mind, I might not be much help, but I can listen...?"
Seol A-hyun fidgeted with her fingers, asking cautiously. Their eyes met, and she smiled warmly.
"No, it's fine. Not that big a deal."
But Ahn Su-ho shook his head. A natural response.
'If I could confide in someone, I would.'
His dilemma wasn't the kind you shared. Wanting to date two women, but one won't accept it? How could he say that out loud?
'Thinking like that, I'm total trash.'
Ahn Su-ho suddenly recalled a cheesy line from a drama back in his original world: 'Loving someone isn't a crime!' Something like that.
Falling in love wasn't a crime, but his actions were wrong. He knew it well, and that's why he was agonizing like this.
Ahn Su-ho thought.
All those harems in the webnovels he'd read. Total nonsense without any plausibility.
Traditionally, a harem meant a powerful man keeping many women. Their opinions didn't matter. If he wanted, he took. That was it.
But webnovel harems were different. They weren't built on the man's power, but on the women's concessions and sacrifices.
'I love him so much that even if he doesn't look only at me, just being by his side is enough.'
Every woman in the harem had to share that devoted, self-sacrificing mindset for it to work. If even one thought realistically, it collapsed.
Just like Ahn Su-ho was experiencing now.
In his case, it wasn't even a full harem—just two-timing that had imploded.
"Aw, no need to hold back. I'm great at counseling, you know? Trust me and spill. Come on?"
"Really, it's okay. Not worth mentioning. Better to focus on tomorrow's raid than my nonsense."
"That's exactly why we should sort it out tonight! What if it causes a mistake tomorrow? Right?"
"That won't happen..."
Ahn Su-ho tried to assert it wouldn't, but the words trailed off.
"See? Can't say 'never' for sure. Told you it's a big deal. Just talk it out. Worries often solve themselves just by sharing—"
"Wait. Hold on."
He cut her off and picked up his smartphone. An alert blinked at the top of the screen.
Not a call. Not a text or message. It was a notification from one of his apps.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [A followed channel has started a live broadcast. Channel Name: Noble Sky.] "Su-ho...?"
Ahn Su-ho's face stiffened. He read the alert but couldn't process it. Kang Haneul starting a broadcast? After what happened this morning?
"Su-ho? You okay?"
"Hold on. Just a sec."
His instincts screamed alarm. This wasn't normal. With trembling hands, he tapped the notification.
And then.
-......Anymut. This is about my friend, seriously so messed up, right? Like, how do you even... confess and then immediately two-time right after? F***ing hell...
In a dark room. Kang Haneul, face flushed red, clothes disheveled, was drunkenly broadcasting unsteadily.
Her eyes were puffy and red, like she'd been crying hard. The desk was littered with beer cans and vodka bottles scattered everywhere. The room behind her was a total mess too.
She hadn't even activated her avatar ability. If she had, the alcohol would have worn off instantly, and she wouldn't look this wrecked.
💬 Comments — TLS123 Friend story*) It's you lololol — Sapphire's Best Female cam girl drunk AF spilling love advice to viewers legendary lolololol — Ninja☆Massacre Turned on stream after 3 days and wtf is this mess; — GreatHeroSpiderMan NobleSky turn off stream you're not in condition fr — MERRY_FXXKMAS Clear those cans blocking the cam — SHOONY987 So who's the guy? So who's the guy? So who's the guy? So who's the guy? So who's the guy? So who's the guy? So who's the guy? — MagicEngTroller Friday night scratching my belly in my room watching this and she's whining about her bf to viewers f*** this is too much??????? — SuspiciouslyRich Hmm... this looks rough;; — Perry But why's her hair black? Chats flew up the side of the screen. Mostly shocked reactions. The occasional criticism made it obvious how the stream was going without watching.
-What the... I turned on the stream in this state of mind, and instead of comfort, you curse me... But it's fine. You're all fake anyway... Oh, you know? All you viewers are fake? Fake, and I'm the only real one. But why. Why oppa... Sniff! Hic! Whimper...
"What the..."
Ahn Su-ho broke into a cold sweat watching Kang Haneul ramble incoherently. He couldn't fathom how things had escalated like this. Meanwhile, viewers were rolling with laughter at her unusual state.
-Hic! Y-yeah, if you're all fake, better than face-to-face viewers. Wanna vent but since you're fake it doesn't matter. And you can't see faces, so just think of it as talking to myself. Yeah. Sniff.
Kang Haneul on screen chugged straight vodka like water. Ahn Su-ho gaped at the 40% proof going down easy.
'How much has she drunk? If she slips and says something weird...'
He left the stream open and called Kang Haneul. His own worries could wait. First, stop this disaster of a broadcast.
-Riiiing.
-Huh? A call...
On screen, Kang Haneul glanced at her phone. Conflict flashed across her face before she flung it onto the bed.
-Ugh. Why? Why not pick up? Cuz I don't wanna. Hearing his voice would hurt too much. Yeah. My friend. Not me. Yeah? It's my friend, I said. Friend. I have a friend. Yeah. Haneul. My friend...
"Su-ho? What's wrong? What's that sound? Watching a stream or something—"
"I think I need to head back right now."
Ahn Su-ho grabbed his things and bolted. Luckily, he was at the Chuncheon branch, not HQ. Flooring it, he could be there in an hour.
"Su-ho? What's going on? More importantly, where at this hour? You're staying here for tomorrow's raid!"
"I'll be back before the raid!"
"W-what?! Hey, Su-ho?!"
With those final words, Ahn Su-ho left the conference room. He rushed to the underground parking, jumped in his car, and turned the key.
-Vrooooom!
He floored the accelerator. The midsize sedan tore down the road.