One-Eyed Taylor 1
Who cared if anyone was watching, or if the constellations sponsored me or not. Hell, even if this was really a novel and there were readers out there seeing this... or not...
"So what."
This was my reality. I didn't need to live my life tailoring it to someone else. Hey, you bastard. Look what happened when you spent your whole life bending over backward for others. Look what happened when you diligently followed all that "protect everyone" moral bullshit. You ended up a murderer rotting in prison for five years.
I asked myself. The law didn't exist for the poor. Even if I killed brutally, I could just push forward. I'd only keep the readers who liked that kind of story. If the novel tanked, it wouldn't be me tanking.
I wasn't some fucking egenam. Why the hell should I turn into one too, whining "Oh no, reader count dropped, boo-hoo"?
"Fuck, if I'd known it'd be like this! Screw it!!"
I had to save my family. My role wasn't to get readers' dicks hard—it was to save my family and me... and live happily. If there were readers who liked that, great. Bonus points.
For now, what I was grateful for... was the readers still hanging in there, patiently watching me without entering the Academy yet. The tags had 'Academy,' but they were enduring me focusing on saving my family instead. That meant there were quite a few of them.
"Yeah..."
I reflected on my actions from a reader's perspective. I'd focused on saving An Hyeonmi and trained Harina as a tank. Meeting Marlin midway and snagging that opportunity? Perfect buildup to heighten anticipation in the story flow. Pulling in U Jeong—who'd become 'Rust' in the future—as an ally? That built hype too. Readers were watching with expectations.
"Good... I'll stick to my guns. Fuck yeah."
At my mutterings, the guy whose hair I was gripping trembled like a leaf. He'd been misunderstanding my constant self-talk as the ravings of a madman.
"Fuck... hold on... You look like you're from Almedia at a glance... What's your name?"
"Me, sir?"
"Who the fuck else is there to talk to here besides you, with those two corpses dug up? Do I look like a goddamn necromancer to you?"
"T-Taylor. Taylor Spinners."
Looking closer, one of his eyes gleamed with a dull shine. A fake eyeball was lodged in there.
"Taylor? You're one-eyed?"
"Y-Yes... yes, sir."
One-Eyed Taylor? The vice-captain of the Blood Raven Mercenaries.
Why did I remember this guy's name? Because I used to love that SF anime with a captain named Taylor.
[Bloodmouth One-Eyed Taylor. Lacking in raw skill, but his cunning survival instincts and silver tongue played a huge role in elevating the Blood Raven Mercenaries to the undisputed strongest mercenary band on the northern continent.]
Right now, they were just a ragtag bunch, but once the captain switched to Red Cross, they'd gain massive fame across the northern continent as the top dogs. There had to be a reason this loser climbed to vice-captain.
Wait... My gaze shifted to the two corpses.
"By any chance... was one of those two the captain of the Blood Raven Mercenaries?"
"...Y-Yes. The one whose head got ripped off... that was our captain... gulp."
"Nickname Red Cross by any chance?"
"N-No... Not Cross. Bald-Headed Rockus."
The butterfly effect of killing someone—you had to be careful. If I'd offed Red Cross, it could've derailed the novel's history big time.
"You wanna live?"
"I'm Taylor Spinners. If you spare me, I'll swear my loyalty."
Spewing lines like that—hard to buy it. I didn't need his loyalty anyway.
"My name's Hadojin. Seventh son of the Cult Leader of the Holy Cross Neck Sect."
"Y-Yes...??"
The guy shuddered in shock. Son of the Cult Leader. Messing with his family was like poking royalty.
"The Haruna you targeted? She's a saintess's daughter. My half-sister too."
"I... I really didn't know."
"Even if the Ha surname's common as dirt, isn't it basic to check if a target with that name's tied to the Cult Leader's bloodline first? Dumbass, you thick-headed fuck."
I let go of his hair, and Taylor started slamming his head into the ground with loud thuds.
"You said the client who ordered Haruna's death was Blue Cat Corporation, right?"
"Y-Yes... Blue Cat Corporation's CEO, Kim Gi-tae."
Her own company commissioning her murder? Meant she'd uncovered a secret they couldn't let out. How black-hearted was this corp to kill off employees just to seal lips? I'd have to ask sis about it.
"Report that you killed Haruna. I'll handle the rest."
"Y-Yes?? Y-You're sparing me...?"
"Or wanna go ghost and report it that way?"
"N-No! No, sir!!"
Taylor bashed his head on the ground again, expressing his gratitude.
"Oh... and Taylor. One favor."
"Anything! Name it!"
I leaned in and whispered into Taylor's ear.
# # #
"...Ahhh."
Where am I? Why... am I lying down?
When I came to, the first thing that hit my nose was the metallic stench of blood mixed with damp earth. My head throbbed like it was splitting open. My last memory... Dojin's urgent voice, and the sharp jolt at the nape of my neck.
"Ugh..."
I groaned and opened my eyes—and the sight before me stopped my breath. A dark, dingy alley. Under the streetlamp's glow, some thing in human shape lay mangled in horror. Head burst open, body torn to shreds. And beside it, my brother Hadojin lay collapsed. Motionless.
"Do... Dojin!"
I screamed and tried to crawl toward him, but a massive shadow blocked my path. Blond hair, blue eyes. A foreign-looking man unlike us. One eye gleamed emptily like a lifeless glass marble.
One-eyed.
He casually wiped the bloodied dagger with a handkerchief, flashing me a sinister grin.
"Awake, miss? Get some good sleep?"
I forced my trembling body up, glaring at him with all the wariness I could muster. This was the bastard who'd blocked Dojin. But why was Dojin down and this guy standing fine?
"You... you hurt Dojin!"
"Ah, that kid? Tough little punk, but green in real fights. One kick to the skull and he dropped clean."
He said it like it was nothing, nudging Dojin's limp form with his toe. Something inside me snapped.
"You fucking bastard...!"
I lost it and lunged at him. But he scoffed, snatching my wrist effortlessly. Overwhelming adult male strength. Kicking and thrashing did jack shit.
"Such a temper. Tsk tsk. That's why you end up like this. Just like your brother."
He roughly grabbed my chin, lifting my face. My terrified reflection stared back from his eye.
"Why... why attack us! If it's money, name it! I'll give you whatever!"
"Money? Haha. Money's nice. But right now, I'm craving something way more fun."
His gaze flicked between downed Dojin and me, gleaming with sick curiosity and twisted lust.
"Original contract was just you. Blue Cat Corp's CEO Kim Gi-tae. Guess you saw that pig's slush fund ledger. Dumb move."
Kim Gi-tae... the CEO? He wanted me dead? My head hurt. The slush funds in the Chimera Solution. I'd refused to launder them—no regrets there, even if it cost me my job. But learning that truth I wasn't supposed to know... After Kim's report, the CEO tried to silence me.
"B-But killing people over that?!"
Terror made my whole body go numb.
"Then your brother stuck his nose in, and shit got interesting. Heh heh. That kid's packing a monster cock... and you've got tits for days... Siblings, huh?"
"...What the hell are you saying!"
He whispered in my ear, voice cold as a snake.
"Too good to just kill. Here's a deal, missy."
"......"
"Your brother's fat dick, your huge rack... We could make some prime video gold. I've been raking in pocket change on 'Only Our Fans' lately."
I got his drift, and ice flooded my veins.
"What... bullshit is this..."
"Bullshit? We'll see."
He released my wrist and stepped back, drawing his dagger and aiming it at Dojin's throat.
"From now on, you fuck him. Do it, and you both live."
"You're insane?!"
"Insane? Yeah. But no choice for you. Refuse, and I slit his throat right here, then rape you silly before killing you. Simple, right?"
A cruel smile curled his lips. This wasn't a proposal. It was a one-sided order with no options.
I looked at Dojin. His face was pale, breathing faint. He'd ended up like that protecting me. My reliable, caring little brother who always put family first.
No... I can't let Dojin die.
But... sex? I had no experience, barely knew how. My knowledge topped out at sticking dick in pussy and shaking till cum comes out. And with my unconscious brother...
But... deep down, a thirst stirred. Every time I saw him, my pussy throbbed and my chest fluttered.
In this horrific, nauseating mess, I fought back the urge to puke.
"What, can't do it? Figures, a prissy miss like you wouldn't know shit. Fine then..."
I saw his grip tighten on the dagger.
"...I'll do it."
The words slipped out before I knew it.
"Just... don't touch Dojin."
A satisfied grin spread across the one-eyed bastard's face.