Chapter 1: The Undercurrents of Submission

The Sky Deck, located just above the Captain's cabin.

It was a vantage point that offered a panoramic view of the ship's pool and the main deck below.

Being the highest point on the cruise ship, it provided an unobstructed, sweeping view of the ocean.

The breathtaking scenery should have cleared my mind and put me at ease, but my insides were currently boiling.

Because Seolbin was approaching Owen.

From her lips came that sweet, slightly nasal tone she usually reserved only for me. It was all to curry favor with Owen, their VIP.

It was solely to succeed in the VIP mission.

Nothing more. Seolbin didn't do anything excessive beyond that. Owen, too, merely strolled along the deck, keeping a polite distance from her.

And yet, a surge of unpleasant emotion welled up inside me.

Seeing my fiancée, Seolbin, acting so sweet and submissive to another man was a sight utterly foreign to me.

This novel sensation made the skin beneath my eyes twitch, and a heavy tightness gripped my chest.

If I didn't take a deep breath of the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠salty sea air right now...

Whew.

"Brother Siwoo?"

As I let out a long sigh, the soft, clean scent of soap drifted to the tip of my nose.

It was Seolbin's younger sister, Sodam.

In her hands, she held a steaming teacup. She held it out to me and spoke.

"Brother Siwoo, would you like some tea?"

Had Sodam noticed my troubled state? She was offering me the tea she had prepared herself.

A wave of guilt washed over me. The sight of Seolbin entertaining Owen was hardly something a young girl like Sodam should be watching.

I felt especially uneasy wondering if she had already caught on to the underlying intentions behind her sister's behavior.

Sodam had absolutely no part in this mess, which only made my heart feel heavier.

Yet, ironically, it was Sodam herself who offered me comfort.

She was fragile, but deeply considerate.

Not wanting to burden her with my worries, I forced a casual smile and took the teacup.

"Thank you, Sodam."

"It might be hot, so blow on it first, Brother."

Following her advice, I gently blew on the rising steam.

Just then, a tiny creature poked its head out from the crown of Sodam's head.

A plump, golden-brown ball of fluff.

It was a hamster.

Startled by the hamster's sudden movement, Sodam gasped.

"Ah! Hamdori, I told you to stay still—"

At Sodam's scolding, the hamster burrowed back into her hair.

That little guy was the pet Sodam had brought along.

Even though she had already received my permission, she still seemed self-conscious about bringing a non-human mammal aboard.

To put her at ease, I spoke up.

"It's alright, Sodam. Is his name Hamdori?"

"Yes... Brother..."

"Haha, he's cute. I've been curious for a while—how well can you actually communicate with him?"

"Ah... well..."

Sodam blushed at my question, clearly embarrassed by her own ability. It was quite endearing.

But as she met my expectant gaze, she parted her lips.

"It depends on the animal's species and our bond... but with Hamdori, it's like talking to a young child."

"That's a fascinating ability. Your sister is also great at making beautiful things out of ice. I guess talent runs in the family."

"Ah! No, it's not like that... My sister and I are..."

"Sodam, you should have more confidence. 'Magic is beautiful and meant to be enjoyed.' That's what your sister always says."

"Th-thank you... Brother..."

Seeing Sodam so insecure about her abilities reminded me of when I first met Seolbin.

That was why those encouraging words had slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them.

I regretted it the moment the words left my lips, worrying I was being overbearing.

Fortunately, Sodam seemed to take my advice to heart.

In more ways than one, Sodam was a breath of fresh air that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠eased my troubled mind.

There were still many ambiguities on Owen's status window.

Under his preferences, every single body type and bust size was listed, as if hinting at what he might favor.

From large breasts to flat chests.

From glamorous curves to petite frames.

And what about the section labeled 'Playstyle'? The details were completely locked, leaving me with no clue as to what kind of "play" it referred to.

However...

Considering the categorization of female body types and breast sizes, along with the suggestive nuance of the word 'playstyle'...

It was highly likely that this status window displayed his sexual preferences.

But it was too early to jump to conclusions. More than anything, I simply didn't want to believe it.

Was I just rationalizing to protect my own peace of mind...?

Lost in these thoughts, night soon fell.

Seolbin had done more than enough during the day. Asking any more of her would be putting too heavy a burden on her shoulders.

Now, it was my turn to step up.

I invited Owen to the Bar Lounge.

There, I offered him a drink on the rocks that I had mixed myself.

I was putting to use the bartending skills Seolbin and I had frantically studied before Owen's arrival.

Unlike Seolbin's status window, my Captain's status window didn't have a 'Bartender' sub-class, but I was determined to make do with what I had.

I offered the glass to Owen with a polite gesture.

However...

"Captain Siwoo, I'm not particularly fond of alcohol."

Owen sat with his arms crossed, merely staring at the glass I held out.

"Guild Leader, I'm not much of a drinker myself. But isn't a drink the best way for men to break the ice? Haha."

"The best way for men to break the ice? Hmm... Do you really think so?"

Though he maintained a polite facade, Owen shut down my advances with ease. He was definitely on guard.

Was he suspicious of my intentions?

Honestly, as the leader of the Baeksang Guild who had spent years navigating complex political webs, it was only natural for him to be cautious.

I had no choice but to swallow my pride.

I was completely at his mercy. I couldn't forget that.

"Guild Leader, please accept a drink. If I have offended you in the past, I would like to take this opportunity to apologize."

"Siwoo, I don't drink alcohol offered by others lightly."

"Excuse me?"

"You only ever focused on the frontlines, slaying monsters, so you probably wouldn't know. But running a Hunter guild is no walk in the park. Can you even begin to fathom how many factions have targeted me and our guild over the years?"

Honestly...

I had never given it much thought.

I knew he had to deal with all sorts of messy politics behind the scenes as the leader of the Baeksang Guild.

But that had been Owen's job.

And I had believed that my role—clearing Rifts and performing on the frontlines—was far more important than those trivial matters.

To me, life had always been simple and straightforward.

If something stood in my way, I crushed it with magic.

If there were women I liked, I reeled them in. I never backed down in a conflict.

It was the law of power.

But the law of power didn't work here.

When it came to this mission of satisfying Owen, the equation I had lived by my entire life was completely useless.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

In this intricate, muddy power dynamic, the one holding all the cards was Owen, the head of the Baeksang Guild.

I was structurally subordinate, and he was far more adept at navigating these psychological games than I could ever hope to be.

From the very beginning...

This was a battle I could never win.

I lowered my gaze and spoke.

"Guild Leader... I apologize. Back when I was in the Baeksang Guild, I failed to appreciate the weight of those responsibilities..."

"I'm ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠glad you've finally realized it."

"In that case..."

Just then, Seolbin appeared.

She must have been watching me from somewhere nearby.

She was wearing a modified crew uniform that exposed her midriff.

Sliding into the seat next to me, she addressed Owen.

"Guild Leader, let me pour you a drink."

Seeing my plan falter, Seolbin had stepped in to salvage the situation.

She offered him the glass, wearing the soft, subtle smile she usually reserved only for me.

Of course, I knew the fierce determination hidden beneath that gentle smile.

If the revered Ice Empress went this far, even Owen wouldn't be able to refuse her.

No man alive could turn down a gesture of goodwill from a beauty of her caliber.

However...

"I appreciate the gesture, Miss Seolbin, but I must decline."

Owen leaned back in his seat, refusing to take the glass from Seolbin.

Seolbin's lips twitched for a fraction of a second.

She clearly hadn't anticipated him refusing her.

On top of that, her pride must have taken a severe blow.

Owen continued smoothly.

"Aren't you Siwoo's girlfriend, Miss Seolbin? It would be rude of me to accept a drink from you."

"B-but... I am a crew member..."

"It's quite alright, Miss Seolbin. I'm rather tired, so I'll head in first. I wouldn't want to intrude on a couple's private time, after all."

With an easygoing air, Owen stood up and retired to his room.

I could only watch helplessly as another day slipped away without raising his satisfaction score.

Owen's refusal of Seolbin's drink was a calculated move to test her and Siwoo's true intentions.

It was incredibly bizarre that two S-class Hunters—the absolute pinnacle of their world—were treating him with such subservience.

The world Owen understood was one governed strictly by the law of power.

Therefore, it was only natural for him to be highly suspicious of the submissive attitudes of Lee Siwoo, the Bloodless Mage, and Han Seolbin, the Ice Empress.

Especially since the way they had lived their lives within the guild had always been so simple.

The two of them had been solely obsessed with clearing Rifts, refusing to let any trivial external matters distract them.

This meant the probability of them acting out of some political alliance or hidden agenda was extremely low.

This was why Owen had pushed them even further to test their limits.

They were certainly desperate to get him to drink.

When Siwoo alone failed, Seolbin had stepped in.

Were they trying to poison him or let his guard down to harm him?

No.

If those two wanted to, they could easily cripple or kill him at any moment.

They had no need for underhanded tricks like poison.

In that case...

Owen recalled seeing Seolbin earlier that afternoon in her altered uniform.

She had deliberately cropped the waist of her crew uniform to expose as much skin as possible.

That alone was highly unusual, but...

Owen had also spotted Lee Siwoo watching them from the Sky Deck above the Captain's cabin.

When his thoughts reached that point, a thrilling jolt shot straight through Owen's cerebral cortex.

His almost animalistic intuition was converging on a single, shocking conclusion.

Haha! You really do live long enough to see everything.

A sly, twisted smile spread across Owen's face.

Lee Siwoo... that bastard. Could he be a cuckold?