Chapter 126: A Minor Rebellion
Chapter 126: A Minor Rebellion
If she pulled her tight tank top down just a little, her breasts looked like they would spill out. Ko Yeonju noticed my gaze and, with a provocative look, lightly brushed a hand against her chest. Drawn in by her stare, I slowly reached a hand toward her. She flinched for a moment at my touch but then smiled coyly and leaned her upper body forward slightly, as if telling me to do as I pleased.
And, living up to her expectations, I immediately gripped the handle of the dagger nestled in her cleavage and pulled it straight out.
“…”
“It’s been bothering me for a little while now.”
Ko Yeonju stared at me blankly for a moment before bursting into a short laugh. Ignoring her, I gently placed my hand on the blade. The dagger was still warm, as if retaining the heat from between her breasts. Watching me, she spoke in a teasing tone.
“Why don’t you give it a sniff? I wore something nice today, so it should smell fragrant.”
“I’ll have to respectfully decline.”
“It’s just the two of us. Don’t you think you could be a little bolder?”
She was trying to steer the conversation in a strange direction again. I placed the dagger I’d been stroking onto the table. The sharp edge I felt against my hand suggested it was no ordinary weapon.
It was time to answer her question.
“The reason I told the Shadow Queen all this important information is…”
“Hmm…”
She hummed, encouraging me to continue. I paused and glanced around. The table was littered with half-eaten food and empty liquor bottles. I picked up a bottle that still had some alcohol left and filled two empty glasses as I went on.
“Because I wanted to be evaluated by you.”
“Evaluated… by me?”
I nodded at her question and handed one of the full glasses to her. She took it but didn’t drink right away. Her pale, ash-gray eyes seemed to demand more of an explanation, as if my words weren’t enough. I decided to test her a little.
“I wanted to hear how a User who has reached the 〈Ten Strong〉 would assess my plan. And I especially wanted to hear it if that person was the Shadow Queen.”
She smiled at my roundabout words and replied.
“Aside from the many uncertain factors, I’d say it’s a terrifying plan. If those factors become reality… one Secret and two Rares. If that really happens, the surrounding clans will be drooling, won’t they? And you plan to justify it all using the Free Mercenary trait and quest management. Well… it’s good. Honestly, before hearing you out, I never even considered a Mercenary Clan in the Hall Plain. But…”
After her long speech, she downed the glass in her hand in one gulp. I waited for her to continue. Savoring the aftertaste for a moment, she finally spoke, a deep smile spreading across her face.
“User Kim Soohyun, you’re a terrible liar, you know that?”
I felt a sting, but I kept my expression impassive. When I didn’t respond, she laughed brightly and continued.
“Ah, maybe calling it a lie is a bit much? It’d be more accurate to say that wasn’t your only reason.”
“…Why do you think that?”
“When you’re telling the truth, you always look the other person straight in the eye. But just now, you were pouring drinks and handing one to me. You used that action as an excuse to avoid my gaze.”
I smirked at her conjecture and opened my mouth.
“That’s just speculation. What if I simply wanted a drink at that moment?”
“No. I’m certain of my guess. I can tell by looking at your eyes.”
Ko Yeonju’s reply came without hesitation. At the same time, her customary gentleness vanished. Her face fell into shadow, and a dense, cloying aura spread from her entire body. The sudden change sent a thrill through me. This was the Ko Yeonju I remembered from my first run. It had been a long time since I had seen the Shadow Queen of my past.
Ko Yeonju slowly rose from her seat and took the dagger I had pulled out. Then, one step at a time, she slowly closed the distance between us.
Her walk was incredibly unique. If you watched closely, her path formed a perfect straight line. At a glance, one might think she was just walking sexily, but I had long known it was her own distinct gait. It was a type of footwork, one that allowed her to close the distance with an opponent in the fastest way possible.
As tension instinctively rose within me, I slowly awakened my senses. But Ko Yeonju paid it no mind. She gently placed a hand on my chest and began to circle around me.
Just as she completed a half-circle and moved behind me, I heard her quiet voice.
“You know, I came to the Hall Plain a very long time ago. It’s been about five years now.”
“You said that earlier…”
Before I could finish, Ko Yeonju gently wrapped her arms around me from behind. Her left hand slid across my chest and quickly fumbled inside my clothes. A moment later, she pulled out two cigarettes, rested her chin on my shoulder, and placed one between her lips. I wasn’t flustered. I calmly created a flame at my fingertip and lit the end of her cigarette. She then offered the other one to me, placing it in my mouth.
“Ah-ah. Use this for the light.”
Ko Yeonju took hold of my flaming finger and gently pushed it down. Then, she pushed the lit cigarette in her mouth closer to mine. I let out a long breath through my nose, turned my head, and touched the tip of her cigarette to mine.
Tssss. Tsssssk.
A cigarette kiss. Ko Yeonju exhaled a long plume of smoke with a satisfied expression. After savoring the aroma for a moment, she spoke in a low voice.
“Are you curious why I’m doing all this?”
“A little.”
At my frank admission, I felt her chuckle silently beside me.
“I remember the first thing User Kim Soohyun said. ‘The clan I create will aim for survival and return.’ Hearing that really hit home.”
“Don’t you want to go back to Earth?”
“I want to go back more than anything.”
I once described her as a poisonous flower, warning that one could get stung. Her reaction back then was different from her usual self, and I thought I had misspoken. But it seemed she had her own story. Not that anyone was without a story, but I couldn’t help feeling a little frustrated.
“What kind of person do you think I was on Earth? Not User Ko Yeonju, but Ko Yeonju of the Republic of Korea.”
Her sudden question made me pause and think. She was past her mid-twenties, so it was unlikely she was a university student. But she didn’t seem like a career woman either. Her actions were too often geared toward seducing men.
As I remained silent, she continued in a lonely voice.
“I know what you’re thinking. That’s right. I was a bar hostess.”
“…”
“It’s not like I was filthy or promiscuous. But when you work in that industry, there are times you have to use your body, whether you like it or not. Cuddling up to men old enough to be my father, acting cute, deliberately spilling drinks on myself.”
“I believe everyone has their reasons.”
Not knowing what else to say, I managed a reply. Her hair brushed against my neck as she shook her head.
“Sorry, but I had no reason at all. My family wasn’t struggling, and I wasn’t being blackmailed. I walked into that life on my own two feet simply because I needed money and wanted to satisfy my own desires. How do you judge a person like me, User Kim Soohyun?”
I said nothing. I felt that, for now, I just needed to listen. But Ko Yeonju didn’t speak further either. That meant she was forcing herself to say things she didn’t want to. She didn’t want my answer, but she wanted to hear it. It was a truly contradictory emotion.
Rather than trying to say something nice, I decided to just state my honest thoughts. I had a feeling that’s what she wanted. I spoke in a calm voice.
“Everyone works in one profession or another. And…”
“And?”
“It’s true that being a bar hostess doesn’t exactly have a good image.”
“…Heh.”
She let out a small laugh at my answer and unwrapped her arms. Her body slid away from mine, and she began to slowly circle me again.
“Do you know what the best thing is about coming to this Hall Plain?”
“There is nothing good about the Hall Plain.”
I answered immediately, but she wagged a finger in front of my face.
“No. For me, there is. That User from before… Hayeon. Her face was so clear and bright. Back in the modern world, she was probably a woman who lived diligently, whether at university or elsewhere. Unlike me. Her attitude irritated me, but the greatest issue was her eyes—her gaze.”
Ko Yeonju had called me a liar and cited my eyes as the reason. I felt the need to listen more closely to what she had to say.
“At first, when she looked at me with those clear eyes of hers, I really didn’t like it, you know? I hate that kind of gaze. That’s why I deliberately tore my clothes and exposed myself.”
“What kind of gaze was it?”
“A gaze that looks at a person as if they’re cheap.”
Cheap. Only then did I begin to understand what she carried inside. She was comparing who she had been on Earth with who she had become in the Hall Plain. Was it a kind of inferiority complex, or resentment toward herself? I also finally understood why I had felt somewhat drawn to her during my first run. Ko Yeonju had been disappointed by people for reasons of her own, and as a result could not trust them deeply. If my interpretation was correct, she and I shared something in common.
“The Hall Plain is so interesting. Someone who was an elite in the modern world can become a beggar here. And conversely, someone who was a nobody in the modern world can become a celebrity after coming to the Hall Plain.”
She completed another half-circle and stopped. She stood before me, but her body was still turned to show only her profile.
“And a woman who worked in a bar, who was looked down upon by everyone… in the Hall Plain, she can become the Shadow Queen, revered by all Users.”
Ko Yeonju finished speaking and turned her body halfway. We were now facing each other. Step by step, she approached again, pressing her body against mine. I simply stood still at her actions. Though my senses were on high alert, I couldn’t detect any threat from her.
Ko Yeonju gently placed both hands on the back of my head and rested her head diagonally against my chest. From a distance, it might have looked like two lovers embracing, but unfortunately, the emotion I felt at that moment was far from it. With her face buried in my chest, she continued to speak.
“I always look at a person’s eyes. If you look at their eyes, you can get a rough idea of what they’re thinking about you.”
The Unique Ability ⟨Eyes of Temptation⟩. I had assumed it was simply a power she had gained upon becoming the Shadow Queen, because acquired Unique Abilities were exceptionally rare. Hearing her now made me think that assumption might have been wrong.
“Things have been so noisy lately, I just wanted to rest for a bit. I wanted to avoid any troublesome business, too. So I came down to Mule and took over an inn. Who would have ever imagined it? That the famous Shadow Queen would be running an inn here.”
“…”
“It reminded me of the old days, so I hid my identity. I deliberately dressed provocatively. I’d sway my hips when I walked and openly flirted. As expected, the male Users’ eyes glittered with desire when they looked at me, and the female Users gave me looks of disgust. Watching all that was bittersweet, but it was also fun in its own way. On Earth, I was always on the receiving end, but here, I could be the one in control. But then.”
She paused. The hands cupping the back of my head tightened, forcing my head down as she lifted her own. Now, she was looking up at me, and I was looking down at her.
The distance was incredibly close. Her shadowed face was right in front of mine. Her sharp, shining eyes, her straight nose, her beautiful lips. When she let out a soft breath, the sweet smell of alcohol and the fragrant scent of her cigarette filled my senses at once.
Her eyes scanned mine meticulously, as if searching them, before she spoke in a low voice. And she no longer used honorifics.
“You were different.”
“…In what way?”
“I couldn’t see anything. Your eyes were empty. No matter how I tried to seduce you, no matter how I tried to get a reaction out of you, I only saw two emotions in your eyes.”
Had I ever let my emotions show in my eyes? I was genuinely curious and a smile touched my lips. Ko Yeonju was a truly interesting User.
“One was the look of someone who found me annoying.”
She certainly had been a bit annoying at times. I nodded once or twice before immediately asking about the other.
“And the other one?”
A moment of silence followed my question. Her lips were pressed tightly together, but she refused to break my gaze. For a while, we just stared into each other’s eyes.
Finally, Ko Yeonju’s lips slowly parted.