Piling Up Promises (2)
"Honey. Over here. Over here."
Snake waved her hand innocently from the railing, completely ignoring the solemn atmosphere of the upscale restaurant.
I climbed up to her seat, scanning the surroundings for potential enemies. In the worst case, if Yeomra's thugs came at me, I'd memorize their positions. Two guys with automatic rifles down below, and three more Yeomra organization members armed with firearms on the second-floor terrace seats.
Of all places, right near the door.
If a firefight broke out, they'd probably lay down suppressive fire and seal the exit. I'd be stuck inside fighting a war of attrition. And without a weapon, I'd have to grab one first.
That chandelier over there. Could I drop it to create an opening? But damn—right under the chandelier on the first floor, a father and his daughter were eating, their eyes sparkling with delight.
"Dad, I never dreamed we'd eat at a place like this."
"Yeah. Eat up, lots of it."
They were dressed in shabby clothes, typical slum wear. Business must've been slow, but Dad had splurged this time to bring his girl to a fancy restaurant.
"I made a killing selling scrap this time."
"Whoa! Dad's the best!!"
Dropping the chandelier would hurt those customers. "..."
A massive wave of guilt crashed over me. A shootout here would endanger that happy family too. It didn't sit right with me at all.
"Uhahaha!! Honey, your face is hilarious! You're totally stressing over something!"
Snake, spotting me, burst into giggles and stomped her feet.
"I'm wearing a mask."
How the hell could she read my expression?
"Hehe. I can see your expressions even through the mask."
Snake propped her chin on her hand and grinned.
"Must have X-ray vision or something."
"Doesn't that mean we're destined for each other?"
Snake poked me playfully, spouting nonsense.
"No need to be so on guard. This place gets legit customers from the upper districts sometimes. We'd lose out if we caused a scene here. Today's just a real date."
I sat down, taking her word for it. She'd already ordered—the menu arrived right away. Some weird exotic dish first, followed by the main steak after a bit.
"Honey. Feed me. Ahh~"
Snake opened her mouth wide and stared at me expectantly.
"..."
Playing along with her date fantasy was the deal. Gotta give the client what she wants. I cut the steak into bite-sized pieces for her mouth and fed her.
"...You're surprisingly compliant. Thought you'd make excuses and refuse."
Snake looked caught off guard.
"It's a date. Anything you wanna eat next?"
There was definite satisfaction in landing a hit on the world's top info broker. Even if it was just a meaningless jab.
"Then that salad over there."
Snake seemed all too happy to play up the spoiled act.
"Here."
"Ahh."
Minus the fact she was a vicious villain, she kinda looked cute—like a baby bird waiting for momma bird's food.
"Mm."
As Snake chewed, I sensed a change. Steak sauce smeared on her lips. I pulled out a napkin to wipe it off.
"...Hng."
She froze in bewilderment at my sudden move, then eyed me like she was probing.
"You had some on your mouth."
I'd gotten too hooked on catching her off guard—went overboard, even by my standards.
"Trying to seduce me for free info? Cute idea."
Snake shook off her surprise, narrowing her eyes with a sly smile.
"Nah, not that. Sorry. Got carried away."
Yeah, way too much.
"...You're good at this. Got another girl or something?"
Snake sipped her wine and asked.
"Nope. Nothing like that."
Love doesn't bloom in a slum crawling with villains. Sure, there were hostess bars and such nearby, but the thought never crossed my mind. This slum felt like it mocked pure things like love or friendship just by existing.
"Figures. Even checked your usual bars—no info on any bar girls or whatever. You're the ascetic type, huh?"
Snake had clearly dug into my social circle beforehand.
"Not interested in that stuff."
Love born in those seedy joints? Like flat, lukewarm cola left out in summer heat. You vaguely taste the sugar and know it's cola, but it never recaptures that fresh fizz. People convince themselves it's love and put on a desperate act. But that pure, innocent heat from back in the day? Impossible to recreate, no matter what. That's the sad part.
"Mm. I like that my man doesn't eye other women. I go for the faithful, loyal type—no cheating."
"Who said I'm your man?"
Time to wrap up the small talk and get to the point.
"Honey. One more bite of steak."
"Sure."
Every time I tried, she'd whine for more food. Timing ruined. On purpose?
After the meal, Snake and I both sipped wine. I half-worried about poison in the food or drink... but nah, not from Yeomra. They wouldn't stoop that low.
Yeomra and the Gumi Alliance are big-league organizations.
Once crime syndicates hit a certain size, they crave a sense of dignity. No reason for them to antagonize me anyway. Dosing the food would make us enemies, which doesn't fit their goal of using me. They'd pamper me if they wanted my services.
...That was a rationalization I tacked on later. Truth is, the food was so damn good I got sucked in and scarfed it down. After possession, I'd only eaten survival slop—proper cuisine made my eyes roll back. Lesson learned.
"Our leader, the Red Empress, took a liking to you."
Snake finally got to business after finishing her food. Recruitment pitch, as expected. Villain circles seemed to rate me highly, so I'd predicted this.
"Wanna join Yeomra? I'll make sure you're treated right. Personally, I've always romanticized office romances from dramas."
Snake chuckled.
"We're not even dating."
Doesn't even meet the basic criteria.
"..."
My answer was set anyway.
"Sorry, but no interest in joining a villain group."
I lived as a villain, sure, but I didn't want to tie myself to an organization and become an irredeemable one.
"Mind if I ask why?"
"Don't plan on affiliating anywhere. And I hate being a villain."
I wanted peace if possible. And gigs with less moral hang-ups. That was my true heart. Joining Yeomra would kill those chances.
And their org goes down eventually.
Late-game, they war with the Hero Association and Yeomra vanishes. Even the Red Empress loses one-on-one to Seo Ha-yoon. No thanks to hitching to a sinking ship—cynical, but real.
"You aspire to be a hero, huh?"
Snake asked bluntly.
"..."
My actions so far probably screamed that.
"Got it. I'll handle talking to the leader. She knows my weakness for guys with silly dreams."
Surprisingly, Snake brushed off recruitment like it was nothing. No signs of force.
"Recruitment's dead.... But I brought info that might suit you. Interested?"
Sensing further pushing was pointless, she smoothly shifted topics and pulled a photo from her cleavage. Low-cut evening dress, no pockets—of course.
"..."
Couldn't help glancing.
"Hehe. Honey, lasers shooting from your eyes."
Snake snickered. The moment I saw the photo, I froze. A man in a gas mask and coat. One of my hunting targets.
Volume 2 early on, the villain Venom Breath stages a massive gas attack at the Royal Shine Hotel with 15 canisters. Seo Ha-yoon steps in to stop it, triggering her second yandere event. She takes him down easy, but the poison spreads through the hotel, killing civilians she couldn't save. Plus, injuries during suppression spark excessive force backlash. Basically a villain made just to darken the story. No help for Seo Ha-yoon's power-up, just grinds her mentally. Top of my removal list.
"B-Rank villain Venom Breath. Word is he's plotting a terror attack soon. Figured our hero-worshipping honey would bite, so I brought it. I know his location. Wanna trade?"
Snake tapped the photo and tilted her head with a grin.
"..."
"Oh, and that broker guy? He doesn't know this. Just FYI, to save you the call."
She read me like a book. I took the photo, pondering. It was still warm. Best not dwell on the source.
"Terms of the deal?"
"Getting closer to me."
She was trying to reel me in deeper with this. Getting tangled more with a Yeomra exec spelled trouble.
"I'll find out myself."
As a possessor, I had ways. Annoying, but no need for her help on this.
"Aww."
Snake pouted like she was bummed.
After that, we chatted about random non-work stuff until parting. Once business wrapped, Snake dropped the attachment like it was nothing. Shrewd, but surprisingly chill.
Back at my rundown one-room apartment, I planned to thwart Venom Breath's terror and eliminate him efficiently. Crude and simple, but it'd work.