Chapter 10: Catfight
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 10: Catfight
Orjia didn't seem to strongly deny it, either.
It was likely because of what she had personally experienced through the Heavenly Demon, Cheon Hong-ryeon.
“However, our side also needs to prepare to sever the worldline. Most importantly, we’ll have to find the location where the deceased returnees, Seong Ho-ram and Aegis Seiya, connected the worldlines.”
“So we need to find the place where Seiya returned.”
“Yes, that’s right. As expected of you, Mr. Ha-chan. You catch on quick.”
She gave me a smile as if she were proud of me.
I felt a little awkward, but she turned her attention back to Orjia.
“Just to confirm, severing the worldline means you will no longer be able to return to Serlintium. Are you okay with that?”
“Yes. I have no desire to go back to a world like that.”
“Understood. We have Aegis Seiya’s records, so it won’t be difficult to pinpoint the location of his return. We’ll handle that matter. What remains is…”
Tapping her index finger on the table, Baek Seol-hyang indicated that this was the most important part.
“The matter of returnee Orjia’s future.”
Normally, the priority would be to help her find her family, but she was a person from the Joseon era of the 1800s.
It was doubtful any of her bloodline even remained, and we couldn’t just release her into the world when she lacked knowledge of modern society.
“Do you have any plans?”
Now that Orjia had confirmed through me that the Returnee Association was trustworthy, Baek Seol-hyang had regained control of the conversation.
At her question, Orjia’s gaze shifted toward me.
But as if to block that gaze, Baek Seol-hyang leaned forward slightly, bowing her upper body in front of me.
The movement sent the unique, sweet fragrance from her hair wafting over, making my head spin, but I collected myself.
“Please don’t cause Mr. Ha-chan any more trouble. As you said yourself, the only reason Mr. Ha-chan came here today was out of goodwill. Relying on him any further would be rude.”
The moment Baek Seol-hyang spoke those words of warning, Orjia slowly averted her eyes.
“What can I do in this world?”
At the same time, she voiced her genuine question.
Watching her quietly, I raised my hand as if asking for permission to speak. Only then did Baek Seol-hyang return to her original position.
“Ms. Baek Seol-hyang, you hold a pretty high position at the Rodri Company, right?”
“Yes, of course.”
After she answered without a hint of hesitation, I pointed at Orjia.
“Then would it be possible for you to hire Ms. Orjia? Returnees are valuable assets, after all.”
I didn’t know what rank Orjia was, but returnees were on a completely different level from ordinary hunters.
That was why returnees and hunters were classified under separate ranking systems.
As such, for a new company like Rodri, being able to hire a returnee would be a huge advantage.
Though I’m not sure how meaningful it is, considering Ms. Baek Seol-hyang, who seems to be the real power in the Rodri Company, is part of the Returnee Association.
Still, when it comes to assets, the more the better, right?
At my suggestion, Baek Seol-hyang watched me quietly.
“You, again…”
She mouthed something to herself before letting out a small sigh.
“It wouldn’t be difficult. I also need some time to observe Ms. Orjia.”
Even so, she looked at me with a slight pout.
“But I won’t be putting her on your team, Mr. Ha-chan. I’ll be hiring her personally.”
“Yes, of course.”
The team I managed was a hunter team, after all.
It might be different for an S-rank hunter who could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with a returnee, but if a returnee was placed among ordinary hunters, they would just end up taking all the credit.
It was far better to have the returnee work individually and keep the hunters together.
“Ms. Orjia, would that be acceptable to you?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
Since the suggestion came from me, someone she trusted, Orjia readily accepted.
I hoped this would be an opportunity for her to safely adapt to this world.
*
6
With the matter of Orjia settled, everything concluded after Baek Seol-hyang made a call to someone.
Feeling like I had just wrapped up a case, my expression relaxed a little.
“Huh? Oppa?”
Just then, a familiar voice made me turn my head.
Standing there, unexpectedly, was Ahyu. Her eyes were wide with surprise at seeing me.
Today, she was wearing a mask and a hat, and her expression clearly said she couldn’t understand why I was here.
“Why are you here?”
“I could ask you the same thing, but then again, you’re a returnee, Ahyu.”
I was about to ask her the same question but remembered she was a returnee and scratched my head.
There was nothing strange about a returnee being at the World Returnee Association.
“I came to finish up a conversation that we didn’t get to complete yesterday.”
It seemed she was talking about the summons from the Returnee Association she had mentioned yesterday.
“I’m here because of Ms. Orjia. She didn’t trust the Association yet.”
The moment I mentioned Orjia, Ahyu’s eyes suddenly sharpened.
“What does that have to do with you, Oppa?”
For some reason, I started to see the face of the Heavenly Demon in her, but I just tilted my head and answered.
“Because I was the one who told her about the death of her lover, Seiya.”
As soon as I answered, the emotion that had flickered in her eyes vanished.
“Ah, her lover. Right. That happened.”
Her point of focus seemed a little strange.
Regardless of my confusion, Ahyu nodded as if she understood.
“So what happened?”
“It was settled that Ms. Baek Seol-hyang will hire her at our company.”
There were other issues, like the dimensional war, but since Ms. Baek Seol-hyang said she’d handle it, there was no need to worry Ahyu unnecessarily.
Since Ahyu was also involved in Orjia’s case, I gave her an answer. She tilted her head and pressed down on the top of her mask.
“……Baek Seol-hyang?”
Does she know her?
As I was looking at Ahyu with curiosity, I heard footsteps from behind.
“Mr. Ha-chan, I’m sorry. You’ve been waiting long, haven’t you? Now then, for the tour…”
“Aack?!”
The moment Baek Seol-hyang, who had finished her call, approached, Ahyu let out a strange scream.
Startled, I looked at Ahyu to see her pointing a trembling finger at Baek Seol-hyang.
“Iron-Blooded Empress, you crazy bitch! Why are you with Oppa?!”
“Returnee Cheon Hong-ryeon, your words are quite harsh.”
“It’s Shin So-ra. I told you not to call me by that name.”
“The Heavenly Demon, then.”
“Fine. You want a fight.”
Ahyu ground her teeth, showing her blatant dislike for Baek Seol-hyang.
“Ahyu?”
When I called her name, Ahyu seemed to remember I was there and cleared her throat.
She then blushed, stepped in front of me, and began to eye Baek Seol-hyang warily.
“Oppa, you can’t associate with this woman. Run away from here, right now.”
“Run away? What are you talking about?”
I sighed and brought my hand down on Ahyu’s head with a thud.
“She’s a high-up at my company.”
She’s probably the chairperson.
Hearing that, Ahyu shuddered as if she were having a seizure and snatched my shoulder.
Lately, with Ji-eun grabbing my arm and now this, I was starting to feel incredibly fragile.
“Quit your job right now!”
“Be reasonable. I have to pay rent tomorrow.”
“I’ll support you! We can live happily together even when you’re an old man!”
She’s really flying off the handle.
“Just say the word. I can do anything for you, Oppa. If you want, we can even get ma-married and…”
“That’s enough.”
As Ahyu crossed the line, Baek Seol-hyang watched her with cold eyes. Ahyu just scoffed.
“You’re the one who should stop trying to use my Oppa. It’s so obvious. You’re just trying to use him to get to that blindfolded nun.”
“Please don’t say things that could give Mr. Ha-chan the wrong idea. Heavenly Demon, you were rude yesterday, and you’re still just as ill-mannered. Did you forget your real age back in that other world?”
“Hah! I’m a fresh twenty-year-old college student. But how old were you again? If we add the years from that other world.”
“I am a professional befitting my age. Unlike someone else, I can establish a company and hire people.”
Now I knew for sure.
These two absolutely hated each other.
As I trembled like a shrimp caught between two fighting whales, they both glanced at me and stopped their fight.
“And please don’t worry. I have no intention of using Mr. Ha-chan. On the contrary, I hold his abilities in high regard.”
“How can I believe you? After what you’ve done.”
Ahyu glared at her with a look of disgust.
I didn’t know what had happened between them, but Baek Seol-hyang brushed her hair back from her face as if she had nothing to hide.
“If you’re going to question the things I’ve done, please don’t deny that you’ve benefited from them as well. It was all necessary for the sake of the returnees.”
It was only natural that information about the Returnee Association was limited, but there was very little an ordinary person like me could know.
More importantly, except for special cases like Seiya, the information available to the public about returnees was extremely scarce.
That’s why, although I didn’t know what kind of returnee Baek Seol-hyang was, I could vaguely sense from our conversation that she had played a major role in establishing the Association.
I mean, the fact that she could arrange a private meeting with a new returnee like Orjia…
It showed just how high her position was within the World Returnee Association.
“I hate you.”
“That’s fine. I’m not particularly fond of the Heavenly Demon, either.”
Is it really okay to be so rude to someone like that?
I started to worry a little about Ahyu’s future, but it wasn’t my place to interfere, so I kept quiet.
“So, I was thinking of giving Mr. Ha-chan a tour of the Association again.”
“What? Why would you do that?”
“Because Mr. Ha-chan wanted one.”
“I’ll give him one!”
“I’ll pass for now.”
I didn’t have the guts to tour the Returnee Association while stuck between these two.
When I politely declined, Baek Seol-hyang smiled with a hint of disappointment.
“Yes, I’m sure there will be another chance.”
For some reason, it sounded like she would make sure that chance happened, but I chose to ignore it.
*
7
After Kang Ha-chan, who had refused her offer of a ride, left, and the Heavenly Demon also departed on Association business, Baek Seol-hyang was lost in thought.
The reason was simple.
It was because of the name Kang Ha-chan used to call the Heavenly Demon: Ahyu.
Ahyu.
Kang Ha-chan hadn’t realized it, but he and she were acquaintances from a game.
She hadn’t intended it, but she remembered how happy she had been when she found out that Doremi Fasol, whom she had befriended by chance in the game, was actually Kang Ha-chan.
Recalling the much younger Kang Ha-chan from her memories, a gentle smile graced her lips.
But it didn’t take long for that smile to turn chilling.
Black Ahyu.
A member of the Dangchan Guild that Kang Ha-chan had created.
An acquaintance of hers as well, and someone who acted like a little brother and childhood friend to Kang Ha-chan.
I knew she was a girl.
A man might not have noticed, but from a woman’s perspective, she had seen through her identity long ago.
But the person herself didn’t seem to have any intention of revealing it, and more importantly, she was close with Kang Ha-chan, so Baek Seol-hyang hadn’t paid it much mind.
But that was the Heavenly Demon?
The Heavenly Demon and Kang Ha-chan she met today had been talking as if they were very close.
She had suspected it when she received the report that the Heavenly Demon and Kang Ha-chan were together during the Orjia incident.
But she had never imagined that Black Ahyu was the Heavenly Demon.
This is not good.
Baek Seol-hyang lightly pressed her red lips together.
How hard had she worked to orchestrate the incidents leading to her meeting with Kang Ha-chan, all to make their encounters seem like coincidences?
Her plan to one day reveal that she was his in-game acquaintance, ‘IKnowit,’ and deepen their bond had been twisted by the Heavenly Demon’s presence.
The Heavenly Demon… that woman, it’s obvious.
She has feelings for Kang Ha-chan.
She was one hundred percent certain of it.
As she reached that conclusion, a silver crown began to materialize above Baek Seol-hyang’s head.
Just before the crown was fully formed, she clicked her tongue and brushed it away, making it disappear.
As if she would ever use the Crown’s power on the person she cherished most.
Disgusted with herself for summoning the Crown, even for a moment, due to her emotions, she let out a sigh.
“……Ha-chan.”
She savored the name she could only address with an honorific for now.