Chapter 113: A Dark Past
Chapter 113: A Dark Past
“Don’t tell me it was your younger sister…”
“No, it wasn’t.”
Jung Hayeon dismissed my guess with a single sentence. The situation was already like something out of an over-the-top drama, but if that female User had been Jung Jiyeon, it would have crossed a line. Fortunately, Jung Hayeon’s firm denial put my fears to rest.
“Of course, it’s hard to say my sister’s usual conduct is good, but she’s still a precious sister to me. Anyway… that female User was a mage who had arrived a few months before us. I won’t reveal her name. But she was talented enough to be receiving executive training at the time. When our eyes met, she seemed flustered at first, but then she saw me frozen there and smiled. Then she spoke to the man who was so engrossed in… that act.”
Could it be… Yubin? Sung Yubin? I tilted my head. She was currently following Park Hyunwoo around. However, several circumstances didn’t line up for that man to be Park Hyunwoo. A flurry of thoughts crossed my mind, but I decided to focus on her story for now.
“I still remember their conversation from that day vividly. I’ll tell you exactly what they said. The woman started. ‘Isn’t there a girl who follows you around?’ ‘Huh? Oh, her. Why bring her up all of a sudden?’ ‘Well… she seemed special to you.’ ‘Special? Not at all.’ ‘I don’t think so. She seems to really like you. Is it okay to be doing this with me?’ ‘Ah. It’s fine. Honestly, she’s pretty, but not my type. I much prefer a passionate woman like you.’”
Jung Hayeon was truly reciting the lines from that day verbatim. At least a year must have passed, but the fact that she still remembered it meant she must have been deeply shocked. Seeing the dumbfounded look on my face after hearing the conversation, she gave a sorrowful smile and continued.
“The woman laughed, pleased by his answer. ‘Really? I still feel a little sorry for her.’ ‘It’s fine. It is a bit of a waste… but I brought her along as a bribe in the first place.’ ‘A bribe?’ ‘Yeah. I heard the Golden Lion Clan recruiter is notorious for preying on new female Users—especially smart, pretty young ones. Hayeon is fairly capable and attractive, so I thought she would be exactly his type. I figured that might make him look favorably on me… but that bitch ruined everything. Damn it—ah, that hurts. Be gentler.’ ‘Sorry. Thinking about that bitch made me angry again. Anyway, she will soon offer herself to the recruiter, so let’s stop worrying about her. It’s annoy—ah.’”
Listening to the conversation, I felt a chill run down my spine. The depth of training I had sensed from her when we first met was no lie. As a man, I couldn’t fully grasp her feelings, but I couldn’t dare to imagine how heart-wrenching it must have been from a woman’s perspective. What was even more frightening was that she hadn’t shed a single tear while recounting the conversation. Hearing her story, I couldn’t stop a deep sigh from escaping.
“That’s right. To him, I was nothing more than a tool for his own success. I’d fallen into this hellish Hall Plain, but I thought I’d be okay anywhere as long as I was with him. But that dream was my own delusion. From beginning to end, he only thought of himself and planned to use me.”
“So what happened after that…?”
“I went straight to the HR manager. I had to force him awake while he was sound asleep. And I told him I was quitting right then and there. What’s more surprising is that he heard me out and approved it without a single word of protest. Funny, isn’t it?”
Of course, he would. Keeping her around was a risk, but he had no justification to kick her out. A clan that had nothing to lose wouldn’t stop someone from walking away on their own. Finally, as if she had finished her story, she took a deep breath and leaned back into her chair. I habitually pulled a cigarette from my pocket. As I put it to my lips, a faint flame flickered to life at the tip.
For a while, neither Jung Hayeon nor I spoke. An awkward silence hung between us across the table. Enough time passed for me to finish the entire cigarette. Jung Hayeon, who had been watching me blankly as I tapped out the ash, spoke in a voice that sounded relieved.
“Thank you. You listened to my unpleasant, boring story for a long time.”
“Don’t mention it. I understand you.”
“I don’t like empty flattery. What is it that you understand?”
“The unfavorable conflict between an individual woman and the strongest clan. The years you endured from a position where you could only be the weaker party. The clan’s decision, which must have felt profoundly unjust to you. And the anger that finally erupted when the man you had considered your last hope betrayed you. I understand your position. I empathize with you, and I feel for you.”
As I pointed out each detail, a sad smile graced her lips. She spoke immediately after.
“Alright. Then I suppose it’s finally time to get to the main point.”
Watching her lace her fingers together as she spoke, I shook my head. In response to my reaction, her eyes widened.
“It’s too late. You’ve said too much today. So let’s stop…”
“The night is deep, and we have plenty of time.”
“The rest can wait until next time…”
“No. I want to settle this tonight.”
Jung Hayeon stared at me, a bluish flame flickering in her eyes. At some point, she had tightly grasped my hand as I was about to push myself up from the table. Her hand on the back of mine felt cold and cool. After confirming her will not to let go, I spoke with a calm expression.
“What more do you want to say?”
“It’s about what you told me—paying a price and settling a debt.”
I looked at her in silence. I understood her circumstances. But this was a separate matter. I was about to tell her she was barking up the wrong tree if she was appealing to emotion, but her eyes held no such intention.
I readjusted my posture. This was the start of the second round, following the Ruined Laboratory. Only this time, the roles were reversed; I was on the offensive.
“Then how will you pay that price, that debt?”
I responded to her words in a quiet voice. At my reaction, Jung Hayeon shrugged and gently shook her head.
“I’m sorry for cornering you with the Crystal of Truth. But since that day, I’ve developed a habit of distrusting others, especially men. That’s why I had to be sure.”
“I can understand that you did it for a reason. However, that doesn’t justify your actions, User Jung Hayeon. I hope you can separate public and private matters.”
“I know. But I just don’t understand. What do you want from me, User Kim Soohyun?”
“That is a problem for you to consider. It is not for me to decide.”
I didn’t back down an inch. I sympathized with her position, but I couldn’t give her a pass. Some might curse me for being too rigid. But this was the Hall Plain. Since she had revealed information directly related to my life, I had, at the very least, a justification to kill her. And that was a fact she was also aware of.
At my firm tone, she spoke in a weary voice.
“I thought a lot on the way back from the Ruined Laboratory. But… the conclusion I came to is that I have nothing to offer.”
“…Explain in detail.”
“Are you pretending not to know? Or do you really not know? What could I possibly give you right now?”
“……”
“Player Status? Gold coins? Abilities? Free service? Should I write up a slave contract? I don’t know what you want. No, in reality, there’s truly nothing I can give you.”
At her words, I let out a low hum. I habitually tapped my fingers on the table. And the thought that came to mind was… I liked her. I felt like I finally understood why I had taken such a liking to her. She didn’t cross the line. In other words, she knew her place.
Of course, there was that one time in the laboratory when she did cross that line. But that action was proof that she had a purpose she wanted to achieve, something she needed to confirm, even if it meant crossing that line. If so, it was now time to draw that out.
“Some of the things you just listed seem a bit of an exaggeration.”
“Hah. An exaggeration? My Player Status isn’t as valuable as yours. I don’t have any gold coins. My abilities? Yes, it’s a bit much to say it myself, but I am skilled. But not as much as you. The same goes for free service. A slave contract? There are too many restrictions for a contract between Users to be effective. Let me be blunt. Even if I were to join your party as I am now, that act could never be a means of paying the price. To you, I’m a User you could take or leave.”
“Why do you belittle and disparage yourself like that?”
“This is reality, and it’s the truth. And…”
Jung Hayeon, who had been speaking rapidly, paused for a breath. Our gazes tangled in the air. Soon, with a sorrowful expression, she exhaled and spoke.
“…Because I need you.”
Seeing her finally reveal a bit of her inner self, I spoke in a regretful voice.
“The price doesn’t have to be something like that. I wanted your genuine trust and faith.”
“You’re trying to make me out to be a shameless woman to the very end. I still can’t forget that moment. When you said you would protect your precious people, and the Crystal of Truth proved your words were true, I couldn’t hide my surprise. I want to be one of those people you hold precious. So I’ll change my question. The others have been with you from the beginning, so that’s understandable, but how can I, as I am now, earn your trust?”
“Trust and faith aren’t things that can be built in an instant. You’re being too hasty, and I don’t think you’re unaware of that. What is it you truly want to say?”
Though I said that, I had a rough idea of why she was suddenly acting this way. Simply put, she was traumatized by that incident. But my existence had shaken her trauma, and she was now in a state of confusion. The desire to hold on, despite the fear. That feeling was making her impatient.
“To you, the existence known as User Jung Hayeon has no value. In that case, there’s only one thing left.”
“User Jung Hayeon.”
At my words, she replied in a low voice.
“Jung Hayeon as a woman, not a User. That is the only value I have left to offer you.”
After hearing her words, I stared at her with a cold gaze. She returned my stare with eyes that showed not a hint of wavering. A moment of silence passed, and I immediately rose from my seat.
“Of course, I am a man before I am a User, and I like women. I have basic sexual desires. However.”
I paused for a moment before continuing in a disappointed tone.
“I am not the kind of person who sleeps with just any woman for no reason.”
“That’s not what I meant…”
I knew that wasn’t what she meant. But she still hadn’t given me the answer I wanted. Before she could finish her sentence, I turned my body away and added one more thing.
“To think this is all you have to offer is disappointing. I’ll be leaving now.”
And in that moment.
“I…!”
Her low cry stopped me in my tracks as I was about to walk to the door.
“…Do you think I’m the kind of woman who sleeps with just any man?”
At her tear-filled words, I sighed and turned back around.
“Your words certainly left room for such a misunderstanding. I know you’re not that kind of woman, but frankly, this sudden behavior is bound to be bewildering.”
Faced with my reasoning, she looked up at me with a conflicted expression. The conflict didn’t last long. After a brief pause, her lips slowly parted.
“Yoojung said I don’t know you well, but I think I know you relatively well. I always heard stories about you while helping the others with their training. You are so similar to him. Becoming the leader during the Rite of Passage and leading people. Earning the others’ trust. Taking first place at the User Academy. And receiving an offer from the Golden Lion Clan. But the moment you rejected their offer and chose to be with the others, your path diverged from his.”
“Are you then thinking of me as his substitute?”
When I pointed out a possibility, Jung Hayeon frantically shook her head.
“No! It’s just… I’m tired of the Hall Plain, of deceiving and being deceived. And I could never deceive others. I could if I tried, but I didn’t want to do the very thing I despise most. So I made a decision then. I would not deceive others, and I would not be deceived myself.”
So that’s why her disposition is the way it is. Having solved one mystery, I turned back and stood beside her. She then lightly rested her forehead against my chest and continued.
“But… User Kim Soohyun is different. There is something about you that sets you apart from the other Users in the Hall Plain. Maybe I am reaching my limit as well. After the Crystal of Truth, I found myself thinking that I had to hold on to you, Soohyun-ssi, and remain by your side—that you might be the final chance the Hall Plain has given me. You said you wanted my trust and faith, did you not?”
“…I did.”
Hayeon, who had been resting her forehead on my chest, tilted her head up slightly to look at me. I returned her gaze, lowering my own. Then, I raised my right hand and gently stroked her hair. She closed her eyes as if savoring my touch, but her lips did not stop.
“Honestly, I still have some lingering questions. If you had such immense power, you wouldn’t have let Jiyeon die. No, you could have prevented it. But I won’t ask you. I’ll just bury it in my heart.”
“I can certainly answer that for you.”
“I’ve heard bits and pieces from the others, and I have my own suspicions. And there are things I’ve confirmed with my own eyes. It’s not the same as hearing it from you, but I’ve decided to think of it that way. I’m tired of being deceived, and I’m afraid of being hurt by it. But I’m a woman, too. After losing the sister I trusted and relied on, I felt myself wavering.”
“So you think you can steady your wavering self by leaning on me?”
At my question, she quietly nodded. Confirming her response, I forcefully pulled her face back into my embrace, and she obediently buried her face in my chest. And in that moment, a deep smile formed on my lips.
I was sorry to say, but she had made another miscalculation. Honestly, I hadn’t expected Jung Hayeon to come out like this. This was the first time I was hearing her story. But, it wasn’t bad. In my current state, I had no need for ambiguous possibilities of faith or trust. If I took Jung Hayeon now, our relationship would certainly take a significant step forward.
I felt no pangs of conscience. When I witnessed their deaths and chose to return, I left all such things behind. And for their sake, I could do anything without hesitation. Feeling something tickle in my chest, I took a deep breath and spoke quietly.
“This also seems like a mage’s way of thinking.”
“…It does. I can give you my trust, and at the same time, I can find my own stability. I need a place to settle down and lean on. Everything I’ve said tonight is the most trust I can show you right now. So…”
She lifted herself from the chair and gently climbed onto my body. Jung Hayeon’s arms wrapped softly around my neck, and she leaned into me as she spoke.
“Tonight… I hope you will reciprocate the trust I have placed in you, Soohyun-ssi.”