Chapter 143: Reality (19)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 143: Reality (19)
The day we were supposed to go to the villa Im Hwa-yeon and Oh Gyeong-hun had invited us to finally arrived.
"Hey, come on out. You’re pretty even without makeup."
"I know! Stop rushing me!"
"That’s the tenth time you’ve said that."
I was slumped on the sofa, completely drained.
Maybe I shouldn’t have agreed to this.
I suddenly didn’t feel like going anymore. As I was crumpled on the sofa, Im Hwa-yeon finally emerged.
"All done. Let’s go."
"Why’d you get so dressed up? You could’ve just gone as you are."
"Hmph, there are things you just don’t understand. Now shut up and follow me."
I shrugged and got up. While she checked her reflection one last time, adjusting her clothes, I once again wondered if going to this villa was the right choice.
We went down to the first floor, got into Im Hwa-yeon’s car, and set off for our destination.
"So, where are we going?"
When I asked casually, Im Hwa-yeon, who was driving, glanced at me as if I were pathetic.
"You’re only asking that now?"
"I can ask now, can’t I? So where is it?"
She let out a short sigh and turned the steering wheel.
"He said it was some kind of artificial island, but honestly, I don’t know either."
"What?"
"Oh Gyeong-hun said he prepared a boat, so we’re heading to the marina for now. We’re all supposed to meet there and take the boat together."
"Is there anything you do know?"
"Hey, what am I supposed to do if I don’t know?"
Im Hwa-yeon puffed out her cheeks. Seeing her pout, I slyly placed my hand on her thigh and gave it a squeeze.
"Just as I thought, Hwa-yeon’s thighs are so soft and squishy. It feels great to touch them."
"Mmm… I’m driving, you idiot."
Though she grumbled, she didn’t push my hand away. In fact, she squeezed her thighs together, giving a subtle reaction.
I slipped my hand under her skirt and rubbed her pussy. Her breathing grew heavier.
"Hah… We’re going to crash…"
"Then drive carefully so we don’t."
I gently rubbed her clitoris. Im Hwa-yeon’s thighs trembled.
"Ah… You’re… so mean…"
Her juices started to flow, making my fingers slick and allowing them to move more easily.
"I’ve noticed this whenever I touch your pussy, Hwa-yeon. You always say no, but the moment I touch you, you get wet and start twitching."
"Haaht… When we get there… you’re dead…"
Im Hwa-yeon muttered through clenched teeth, but her pussy only reacted more intensely, contracting around my fingers.
Before long, we arrived at our destination. My fingers were sticky with her juices.
"Hwa-yeon, open your mouth."
"No… you crazy bastard. Why would you try to put that in my mouth?"
"Come on, you suck my dick just fine."
"That’s that… and this is this!"
Im Hwa-yeon shook her head. But when I forced my fingers into her mouth, she accepted them without a fight.
"Hmph…"
"There you go. Lick it clean."
Her tongue wrapped around my fingers, lapping up her own juices.
"Mmm… Slurp, slurp."
After my fingers were thoroughly coated in her saliva, I cleaned them with a spell and opened the car door.
"Let’s get out."
"Haa…"
Im Hwa-yeon let out a small sigh.
As we got out of the car, a cool sea breeze brushed against our faces. Im Hwa-yeon stood next to me, also taking in the sea air.
Just then, two women spotted us from a distance and walked over.
"Hwa-yeon~ Why are you so dressed up today?"
"Yeah. The girl who usually just wears jeans and a t-shirt really went all out, huh?"
It was Kang So-ra and Choi Yu-na.
Both approached, showing off their slender, model-like figures.
"What, are you trying to say I’m the only one who dressed up?"
"No, it’s just that you usually don’t care about this stuff~"
Choi Yu-na teased, and Kang So-ra chimed in.
"Why are you so dolled up today? Trying to seduce someone?"
"It’s nothing like that, so mind your own business."
Im Hwa-yeon blushed slightly and quickly changed the subject.
"Anyway, is everyone else here?"
"Everyone but Oh Gyeong-hun."
"That bastard. He’s twenty and still hasn’t changed."
"Hwa-yeon, that hurts my feelings a little, you know?"
Oh Gyeong-hun, who must have just arrived, spoke from behind us.
A relaxed smile played on his lips, but I could see it.
He was looking at me with eyes full of killing intent.
"You’re here…"
Im Hwa-yeon looked at Oh Gyeong-hun with an expression of disgust.
It was my first time seeing his face.
It’s like they say, you can tell a lot from a person’s face. Looking at him, I got the strong impression that he was some extra villain from a novel or a comic.
"It’s been a while, but your reaction is still so cold."
"Just get lost. I have nothing to say to you."
"Well, let’s see how long you can keep that attitude up."
He walked past Im Hwa-yeon toward the others.
"Sorry to keep you all waiting. Shall we get going?"
Oh Gyeong-hun took the lead, and everyone slowly followed him.
At the end of the pier, a yacht that could hold about twenty people was docked.
The moment I stepped onto the yacht, a few guys started pestering me with questions.
"Hey, piggy. Heard you Awakened. What’s your ability?"
I wanted to plant my fist in the face of the punk talking down to me, but I held myself back.
Should I kill him? No… calm down. This is the real world.
I narrowed my eyes and stared at him. Next to him, a girl with a relatively cute face was sitting there, smirking.
But contrary to her looks, she had a shitty attitude.
"Hey, you should answer when someone asks you a question. What are you doing, just standing there with your mouth shut like an idiot? How rude."
"Kekek, hey, hey. Stop bullying him. You’ll make the kid cry. But damn, this bastard’s still a loser even after Awakening."
A muscular guy with dyed-blonde hair came over and started smacking my head.
Hngh… I don’t care anymore. I’ll just half-kill them.
The moment I snapped and was about to get up—
"Woo Ji-myeong, stop it. Unless you want to die."
Im Hwa-yeon’s voice was icy. The yacht fell silent.
Woo Ji-myeong’s expression hardened slightly.
"Hwa-yeon, what’s with you all of a sudden…?"
He tried to laugh it off, but Im Hwa-yeon’s gaze didn’t waver for a second.
"I said sit down, it’s noisy. Not unless you really want to die. I’m saying this for your own good."
Woo Ji-myeong bit his lip, glancing at Im Hwa-yeon. He flinched, which made me think he’d been beaten up by her before.
He cleared his throat and plopped down in his seat.
"Damn, getting all worked up over a little joke…"
"Alright, alright, we’re about to leave, so everyone find a seat."
Oh Gyeong-hun, still wearing a relaxed expression, looked around and spoke. The yacht slowly began to move.
The sea breeze hitting the bow grew stronger.
Beyond the horizon, the outline of a small island began to appear.
"That’s the island we’re going to."
Where Oh Gyeong-hun pointed, we could see a small island covered in dense trees.
A modern-looking villa sat on the beach.
The yacht approached a small dock built on the island.
While everyone else waited with excited expressions, I quietly surveyed the island’s terrain and the boat’s position.
Only one way out—the boat.
Finally, the yacht docked at the pier.
Oh Gyeong-hun was the first to disembark, shouting.
"Alright, everyone head into the villa, drop off your stuff, and then come down to the first floor for lunch."
At his words, the group cheered and began to hurry off the boat.
But as I looked around the island, I felt a strange sense of unease.
"I smell blood…"
Im Hwa-yeon, who was next to me, must have heard my murmur, as she reacted with surprise.
"Blood?"
"Yeah…"
I replied, my gaze fixed on the forest.
"What are you talking about, smelling blood out of nowhere?"
"It’s just a thing. Let’s go."
I pulled Im Hwa-yeon toward the villa. As we walked, I shifted my gaze slightly, looking toward the forest with a smirk.
*
My breath caught in my throat.
The moment my eyes met the target’s, I knew instinctively.
He spotted me.
It wasn’t a coincidence.
I had carried out many assassinations, but my instincts were screaming.
That I should never, ever mess with him.
Then, as the target headed toward the villa, his lips moved subtly.
"…Are you going to come to me, or should I go to you?"
The moment I mouthed his words, a cold chill ran down my spine.
…What the hell is this guy?
I instinctively took a step back.
"Oh Gyeong-hun, this isn’t what you told me…"
I gritted my teeth. Oh Gyeong-hun had said he was just a newbie who had recently Awakened.
But the man walking toward the villa right now…
That’s… not a newly Awakened A-Rank ability user.
My instincts kept screaming at me. That I should never get involved with him…
I need to find out more about him.
I took out my smartphone and dialed a number from my contacts.
"Yeah, it’s me. I need you to pull some info from the Association."
*
With its white marble exterior, spacious terrace, and a living room made of floor-to-ceiling glass, the villa in the middle of the island was clearly no ordinary place.
When we entered the living room, it was already filled with buzzing voices.
"Wow, this place is amazing!"
"As expected from a child of the Sun Guild."
Some plopped onto the sofas in awe, while others went to the windows to admire the view.
I naturally stood off to one side of the living room. Just then, Oh Gyeong-hun clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention.
"Alright, alright, quiet down everyone."
Oh Gyeong-hun’s slick voice filled the room.
"Anyway, the reason we all came to this island today is to have fun, right?"
His oily voice echoed. I stared out the window, only half-listening.
Eight outside… about fifteen on the third floor.
I could see the personnel stationed around the villa. The auras from outside felt strong, suggesting they were combatants. The auras from upstairs felt ordinary.
And the guy I’d sensed in the forest had vanished from my perception. The aura I’d felt was definitely at the level of an A-Rank ability user.
A smile crept onto my face without me realizing it.
I don’t know what they’re planning, but this should be fun.
Seeing me smile, Im Hwa-yeon, who was next to me, asked with a puzzled look.
"What is it? Why are you suddenly smiling?"
"Just feels like things are about to get interesting."
"What are you talking about?"
"You should probably avoid eating any of the food here."
"You have to give me a reason."
I brought my lips to her ear and whispered softly.
"There’s an A-Rank ability user on the island who looks like a criminal."
"…Are you serious?"
"Yeah. And from the looks of it, Oh Gyeong-hun is planning something."
Im Hwa-yeon’s face instantly hardened. She bit her lip and scanned our surroundings.
"So that’s why you said you smelled blood earlier?"
"Right. And judging by the way Oh Gyeong-hun has been looking at us, I think we’re the targets."
"That crazy bastard… Does he think he can do whatever he wants just because he has the Sun Guild backing him…?"
Im Hwa-yeon’s eyes glinted sharply. She bit her lip and scanned the room again. It was still filled with people laughing and talking, completely at ease.
Just then, Oh Gyeong-hun approached us.
"Hwa-yeon, what do you say? How about a drink, just the two of us?"
"Why would I drink with you?"
"The future master of the Sun Guild and the master of Halcyon should have a drink together, don’t you think?"
"Get lost. I have no intention of drinking with you."
"Still so prickly… But Hwa-yeon, aren’t you a little too close to Woo-jin?"
Oh Gyeong-hun’s gaze shifted to me.
"You hated him so much back in school, and now you two are stuck together like glue?"
He tossed out the words with a slick smile. But his eyes were filled with thorny vigilance and displeasure.
"So? What’s your point?"
Im Hwa-yeon crossed her arms and glared at Oh Gyeong-hun.
"Oh, no particular reason. And Woo-jin."
"Huh?"
I deliberately put on a dazed expression as he suddenly called my name.
"I’m sorry for how I treated you back in school. After becoming an adult, I realized I was in the wrong. Will you accept my apology?"
He held out his hand.
You should at least try to hide the killing intent in your eyes when you’re acting.
His gesture was one of reconciliation, but his eyes were full of murderous intent.
I pretended to be flustered and stared at his hand.
"It’s okay… I’ve forgotten all about it."
I lightly took his outstretched hand.
"Good, thank you."
A bitter smile spread across Oh Gyeong-hun’s lips.
"Woo-jin, to celebrate our reconciliation, let’s go have a drink over there."
He casually suggested we go join the others drinking.
I pretended to think about it for a moment, then slowly nodded.
Beside me, Im Hwa-yeon shot me a look of utter disbelief.
Where are you going… you crazy bastard…!
I could perfectly read her words as she mouthed them silently.
I gave her a nonchalant glance and used my eyes to signal that she should stay with Choi Yu-na and Kang So-ra.
Im Hwa-yeon showed her displeasure but didn’t try to stop me any further.
And so, I followed Oh Gyeong-hun to where the other guys were gathered.
Bonus
