Kingmaker (3)
"...Seeun. Look after Sora. Ms. Seyeon — let's go."
"Y-yes! Hoonie oppa!"
"Of course, Jeong Hoon."
The three of us asked the others to take a short rest. Seeun stayed behind with Sora while Kim Seyeon and I walked toward the group approaching from the far side. Midway there, something she whispered and pressed into my hand nearly made me jump.
"...Are you serious?"
"Just in case."
"Very well."
I accepted her proposal the way I always did. But the closer we drew, the harder it became to keep my expression from hardening into something cold.
It was a pack of men — most of them young. Their clothes were ragged, but their eyes were anything but ordinary. Hungry eyes. Eyes full of want.
"Hello, everyone. You're survivors from the same district, aren't you? Where did you come from?"
"Hm?"
Kim Seyeon stepped two paces ahead of me, greeting them with a bright, easy smile.
The man at the front of the pack looked faintly thrown.
What, you bastards thought I'd be the one to open my mouth? Just because I'm built like a damn lamppost — wait, no, this guy's jacked too.
"Whoa, holy shit..."
"Damn, that body is insane..."
"Aw, man, she's married though? Look at the ring."
"Who gives a damn about that these days?"
Listen to these fucking animals.
Unlike the ones up front managing their faces, the guys right behind them were spouting filth without a shred of restraint.
No sense of the room at all, you absolute lunatics? You're practically holding a ritual to summon me into this.
"Hey, shut the hell up. You want me to beat the shit out of you when we get back?"
"S-sorry! Suhyeok!"
"Sorry, sunbae..."
"Ahem..."
The peanut gallery went quiet in an instant.
Oh. So he's got a little charisma. They called him sunbae — must be a bunch of guys from the same school.
A guy with a sports cut, taller than me and built like a wall, put on a friendly smile and answered Kim Seyeon's greeting.
"Well now, hello there. Name's Kim Suhyeok. My friends have been watching from a distance, and it looked like you folks were running some kind of leveling plan. Figured you might could use a helping hand."
"Ah — we've actually agreed among ourselves to make the most of this opportunity. We're doing everything we can to raise our levels over the remaining seven days. As you know, the party system splits experience, right? We appreciate the offer, but from an efficiency standpoint, I'm afraid we have to decline."
"It's a mostly female party, isn't it? From a distance, you didn't look like you had many combat classes either. Most of us are Warriors and Archers. I guarantee we'd be a huge help if we joined up. More than anything — you shouldn't leave the hard, rough work to the women. That's what a man's hands are for, don't you think?"
Wow... just... wow.
In twenty-nine years of life, I had never seen anyone hit on someone this blatantly.
Why don't you just come out and say it — "Looks like you've only got women over there and I'm fucking starving. Mind spreading your legs a little?"
Is this guy from the athletics department? Even PE majors have to pass exams if they don't study. Is his brain made of muscle too?
"Ahem..."
Before Kim Seyeon could answer further, I carefully stepped up beside her and folded my arms — making damn sure my left hand was on full display. The men started murmuring among themselves again.
"Who's that guy? The husband?"
"Must be the stacked glasses lady's husband. Damn it..."
The peanut gallery kept whispering, but I said nothing. I simply fixed my gaze on Kim Suhyeok and stood still.
Exactly the way Kim Seyeon had asked me to.
"Oh my, that's very kind of you to say... but I don't think my husband would be too thrilled about me getting friendly with other men."
And then a woman's arm slipped freely through mine.
Kim Seyeon's right arm linked with my left, and I felt the soft press of her full chest against me. She raised her left hand the same way I had.
"Put this on your left ring finger."
"This is... a ring? A wedding ring, isn't it? It looks exactly like the one on your finger..."
"Yes. When my husband and I split up... he threw it in my face."
"...I won't ask why. But is it all right if I wear it?"
"I already told you. Just in case."
Even so, I played the silent, solid husband to perfection.
And inside? Grinning like an idiot, obviously. Couples who start out pretending tend to end up as the real thing at an absurdly high rate.
"Ah... so you're the husband."
"Yes. He doesn't look like he's in a very good mood."
"Even for a husband, protecting that many women alone must be exhausting, no? If we lent a hand, it'd take a lot of the burden off you..."
He said that, but every emotion in this Suhyeok bastard's eyes was laid bare.
"Just say yes and step aside, yeah? She's your wife, so I won't touch her."
I could read it all over his face. You son of a bitch. God, my mouth was itching to unload.
Kim Seyeon hadn't only asked me to play husband. She'd given me another instruction earlier.
"Please don't reveal who you are."
"Hm? I can do that, but... why?"
"For now... just do it. No — if possible, don't say anything at all."
"Understood."
I had a rough idea why she wanted me silent. If I suddenly started speaking in that stiff, archaic register of mine, even I'd find the conversation unbearable.
But why she wanted my identity hidden — that I still didn't understand. I was going along with it for now... but the second things went sideways, I was dropping the act and putting the fear of God into them.
"..."
"Uh, your husband...?"
When I kept my silence, Kim Suhyeok looked faintly frustrated and turned his eyes back to Kim Seyeon.
Tch. Looking at my wife (not actually) without permission? I'll gouge those eyes out, you piece of shit!
"My husband is very shy with strangers. He's always been the quiet type. Honestly, dear — they're survivors just like us. Try to lighten up a little."
Even as she said it, Kim Seyeon gently stroked my left arm with her left hand and let her voice spill soft and low against my ear.
...Want the honest truth? I almost got hard.
Holy shit... goosebumps just shot up my whole body. Is this what a siren's voice is supposed to feel like?
Is this how Kim Seyeon's husband used to live with her day to day? Used to?
I'm so fucking jealous of that husband bastard! How do you have a wife like this and still throw a wedding ring in her face? Ungrateful son of a bitch! Fine — if you're dead, I'll forgive you!
"Whoa... did you see that just now?"
"Dude, holy shit, that was..."
"He's getting squeezed. He's getting squeezed hard."
Suddenly the guys behind Suhyeok were muttering in solemn tones. Why did I feel like I was the one being pitied?
Kim Seyeon kept soothing me affectionately while steering the conversation with Kim Suhyeok without missing a beat.
"It's not just my husband — I need to hear what my companions think as well. How about we talk again later? For today, let's leave it here... and once we're back, I'll discuss it with everyone. My husband included, of course. Would that be all right?"
"Ah, yes. In that case... when should we come find you again? Same place?"
"Hmm, there's no guarantee we'll still be here tomorrow... as you can see, we've pretty much cleared out the zombies and monsters along this stretch of the perimeter. We're thinking of heading east of the boundary line... would that work for you?"
"Yes. We'll wait for you there."
"Oh my... aren't we the ones who should be waiting?"
"Ah — right. Hahaha..."
Watching the two of them trade lines from behind their masks was almost enough to give me chills.
But... I'd been wondering if these guys had some connection to our girl, Sora — and yet they hadn't mentioned her once?
Was I overthinking it? But Sora had been trembling for real—
"Ah, almost forgot."
Hm...?
"By any chance... have you seen a girl over there? Dark brown hair, bob cut, looks like a college student?"
Wow. So that's how you come in swinging.
"Her name is Han Sora. We went to the same university, so... if she's with you, could you pass along my regards?"
"I'll be coming to find her soon enough."
With that, they turned and walked away.
Watching the pack of men recede, I whispered the question that had been eating at me.
"Why did you tell me not to reveal myself?"
"I wondered, just maybe... whether they might act out of genuine goodwill even without knowing who we were. But it was a complete waste of hope. In the end, there was only one thing they wanted."
She gave a bitter little smile, half self-mocking, and I couldn't bring myself to press further.
Truthfully, what I really wanted to ask was something else entirely.
Why ask me, of all people, to play the husband? The question rose all the way to the back of my throat...
But it felt a little too transparent, so I swallowed it.
"...When we get back, I believe we'll need to speak with Han Sora."
"Yes. Once the hunt is over and we're home, let's do that."
Still arm in arm like a real couple, we stood for a long while watching the men disappear into the distance.
"I'll take Groups One and Two myself. Sora, Seeun — you two rest today."
"...Okay..."
Sora's shoulders sagged as she trudged over to a convenience-store chair we'd scavenged nearby and sat down. Park Seeun, on the other hand, looked faintly put out.
"Huh? I just want to hunt with you today, Hoonie oppa. Can't I?"
"No. You're far better paired with Sora. You cover each other's weaknesses. Sticking with me won't help your growth."
"...All right, Hoonie oppa."
I felt a little bad for her, but there was no helping it.
A ranged DPS plus melee DPS combo pulled its weight far more often than not — but two melee fighters without high proficiency constantly stepped on each other's toes. Especially with low-level Park Seeun and high-level me: she'd either fall behind my pace and struggle, or push herself too hard and wreck her body even worse.
"..."
Sora just kept her head down and said nothing.
I didn't say anything to her either, not right then. Focusing on the hunt was the right call. I needed to get the others to level 10 as fast as possible.
So today's hunt ended with me shouldering the entire load alone for over four hours. Being only day two and already having the schedule thrown off had put me in a foul mood, so I took it out on the zombies and skeletons with a little more feeling than yesterday.
"W-wow... even more incredible than yesterday...!"
"I-is that even human?"
"Jeong Hoon oppa... isn't he actually some kind of savior? Anyone who saw this would believe it... maybe we should start a religion while we're at it..."
"Y-yeah... god-tier, god-tier... take me..."
"Oh, stop that!"
A few looked more terrified than awed, but most of them were practically singing my praises. Someone even started muttering about founding a religion in a deeply meaningful tone, which left me staring in blank horror. I understood the reaction — no other survivor showed strength like this — but a religion? A cult was a bit much, wasn't it?
In any case, more than four hours of hunting wrapped up with staggering results.
One hundred eighty zombies, one hundred skeletons, twenty goblins, and ten orc laborers.
I alone took in 6,450 experience and 775 gold — never mind what everyone else got. A lot of the survivors experienced what could only be called explosive leveling.
And once I'd taken in the fruits of that explosion with my own eyes, I quickly called Kim Seyeon over.
"Ms. Kim Seyeon — a moment..."
As she drew close, I whispered fast.
"I don't care to judge others' appearances, but... doesn't something seem off to you? Everyone's looks... they seem to have changed. And very much for the better."
I floated the question carefully, half-afraid it was just my imagination.
Kim Seyeon nodded without the slightest hesitation, confirming my eyes weren't playing tricks.
"You're not imagining it, Jeong Hoon. The more people level up... the more their appearance seems to change. I don't like casually appraising other people's looks either, but even someone who was completely ordinary before — their features sharpen, their skin clears up. It's obvious at a glance."
"So it is."
"Yes. And for the record, the same goes for me. My eyesight's improved enough that I don't even need these glasses anymore."
Kim Seyeon had hit level 10 today. But I couldn't see any particular change in her looks.
Apparently people who were already past "attractive" and into "genuinely beautiful" territory didn't change much. Physical changes aside, that is.
The size and shape of her chest, the cinch of her waist, the fullness of her hips — those felt like they'd been turned up a few notches...
Ahem. Restraint. I've been way too aware of Kim Seyeon ever since that married-couple act earlier.
"...Was Park Seeun known as a beauty even before the collapse?"
"Yes, that's right."
Park Seeun hadn't joined the fighting, but she'd been registered as a party member. She'd been reluctant, but when Kim Seyeon urged her, she'd gone along with it. Thanks to that, she'd hit level 10 today as well. Her expression hadn't been great about it, though.
"And Han Sora... has she looked like that since level one?"
"She has."
"...She must have had a hard time of it, Sora."
Kim Seyeon murmured it in a tone that said she was starting to understand exactly why Han Sora carried that kind of trauma — and why it hurt her so much.