Chapter 1
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: An Unjust Beginning
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“One minute until the Power Ranking update!”
The boisterous office fell silent in an instant at the staff member's shout.
Everyone held their breath, eyes fixed on the monitor mounted on one wall…
[ Updating... ]
The monitor, which had been processing the update, flipped over to reveal the new Power Ranking list.
1st Seol Ju-hee (Affiliation: Queens) -
2nd Hong Yu-ra (Affiliation: Queens) -
3rd Im A-rin (Affiliation: Queens) -
...
...
No changes in the rankings.
Just as expected, number one again this time.
“Woooah!!! Number one!”
“Congratulations!!!”
“Congrats!”
The staff erupted in applause and cheers as if it were their own achievement.
I quietly turned my chair to gaze at the three women at the center of it all.
“Thank you all for your help!”
Im A-rin, who held the third spot in the Power Rankings.
With her curly silver long hair and endearing looks, she was beaming as she thanked everyone around her.
“You all worked hard.”
Next to Im A-rin sat Hong Yu-ra, the Power Ranking number two.
Her elegantly pinned-up red hair paired perfectly with her explosive figure and mature beauty. She accepted the staff's greetings with a graceful, familiar smile.
And then…
“Boring.”
Leaning back arrogantly on the sofa, staring indifferently at the monitor.
Seol Ju-hee, the glorious Power Ranking number one.
With her sleek black hair cascading to her waist and sharply striking features, she was the true protagonist of this world.
No surprises there.
I let out a quiet sigh of relief at the sight of the three safely holding their top spots.
According to the original novel, Seol Ju-hee should have been a mere F-rank ability user at this point. Hong Yu-ra and Im A-rin, who would later join as allies, should have been much lower in the ranks too.
But right now, these three were undeniably the world's strongest.
The story had diverged completely from the original right from the start.
What I'd worried about most while raising them all this time was whether this altered progression would affect the world.
Of course, if it had no impact, there'd be no issue.
But if power inflation occurred and the enemies got stronger…
We're done for then.
Fortunately, from what I'd observed so far, the enemies seemed to follow the novel's settings exactly.
As long as nothing unusual happened, we could take down even the final boss without much trouble.
Yeah… that's all that matters.
I just hoped this hopeless world could welcome a peaceful future.
I'd given up on returning to my original world long ago anyway.
I'd been living in this world for 15 years now.
It had taken 15 years to reach the novel's opening.
There was a time when I couldn't accept my reality and desperately wanted to go back…
“……”
Lost in such deep thoughts for a moment.
“Ji-hyeok.”
Someone approached and quietly spoke to me.
“Number one again this time. Congratulations.”
It was Kim Eun-young, the Queens' Schedule Manager.
She spent a lot of time with me, the Lead Producer, and was one of the rare few who acknowledged my hard work.
“Thanks. You worked hard too, Eun-young.”
Kim Eun-young responded to my smile with a slight lift of her lips, flashing a beautiful grin.
She glanced at the three in the center of the office, then leaned subtly toward me and whispered.
“Drinks after work today?”
She was asking if I'd join the after-work gathering.
“Hmm…”
We used to all go out together every time rankings dropped.
But lately, it had shifted to only those who wanted to joining casually.
“Probably skipping it again this time.”
“Ah…”
Kim Eun-young sighed with a heartbreakingly wistful look, resting her hand lightly on my chair as she spoke.
“I was really looking forward to it today… What a shame.”
She let out exaggerated sighs, clearly showing her disappointment.
Acting this way meant she wanted something.
Cute.
I couldn't help chuckling at the endearing sight of her, two years my senior, and gazed at her while probing gently.
“Want to go out for drinks?”
“Of course…”
Right then.
“Hey. Do Ji-hyeok!”
Someone's call cut our conversation short.
“...?”
The staff's gazes swarmed over instantly.
Kim Eun-young glanced at the voice's owner, made a subtly regretful face, and stepped back a bit. I watched her stride across the office toward me.
“……”
It was Seol Ju-hee.
“Drinks tonight.”
“...Suddenly?”
“You’re not saying no, are you?”
“No, not that, but…”
Seol Ju-hee crossed her arms arrogantly, shot a quick glare at Kim Eun-young for some reason, then looked down at me and issued her command boldly.
“We’re doing it at my place tonight, so head over first and get everything ready. Got it?”
Drinks at her house meant just the four of us, no staff.
What’s this about?
I gladly agreed to her rare suggestion for us all to gather.
Seol Ju-hee seemed satisfied with my answer, withdrew her gaze silently, then glanced at Kim Eun-young again before casually adding,
“I need to talk with the Guild Leader first, so go ahead with the others.”
“With the Guild Leader? What for?”
I reacted sensitively to the news of her private meeting with the Guild Leader.
My team, Queens, was under the Cheonhwa Guild, established by the massive Cheonhwa Group corporation.
That meant meddling from above now and then…
Most got blocked by me, but sometimes they bypassed me and approached team members directly.
“Eh, probably asking for something ridiculous again.”
“Ju-hee…”
“I know. I’ll handle it, so don’t worry.”
Seol Ju-hee waved off my concern as if reading it, leaving me no choice but to trust her judgment.
At Seol Ju-hee's house.
I'd prepared the celebration party with Hong Yu-ra and Im A-rin, waiting for Seol Ju-hee.
“Why’s she taking so long…?”
Im A-rin, changed into cute pajamas and hugging a cushion, leaned lightly against my shoulder.
Hong Yu-ra, now in a thin dress and flipping through a magazine, wiggled her pale bare feet as she spoke.
“She’s not someone who’d get pushed around. Don’t worry too much.”
She had a point.
Worrying about Seol Ju-hee was pointless.
Who would dare mess with the undisputed strongest in the world?
Besides, she wasn’t the type to accept anything she didn’t want.
“True, but still…”
Then.
Smooth—
Im A-rin, leaning on my shoulder, casually placed her hand on my knee.
She raised her index finger and started lightly scratching my knee with her nail.
“……”
Her usual petty prank.
I quietly grabbed her hand, rubbing my oddly ticklish knee vigorously.
Im A-rin giggled, pulled her hand away lightly, and offered cheerfully.
“I’ll call Ju-hee!”
“...Yeah? She usually picks up for you.”
Emboldened by Hong Yu-ra’s agreement, Im A-rin snatched her phone and looked at me like a kid asking permission.
“Go for it.”
“Okay!”
Just as Im A-rin unlocked her phone to dial…
Bam—!
A loud crash echoed from the entrance.
“!”
The homeowner had finally arrived.
“Speak of the tiger…”
I ignored Hong Yu-ra’s amused remark and headed straight to the door to greet Seol Ju-hee.
Sure enough, she was there…
“……”
But for some reason, her expression was icy cold.
Something happened.
Guessing instantly that the meeting with the Guild Leader had gone poorly, I carefully spoke without provoking her.
“You’re back?”
At that moment.
Smooth—
Seol Ju-hee slowly raised her head, glaring at me through her fallen hair.
“...Ju-hee?”
Her chilling gaze trembled faintly.
She looked furious from head to toe, ready to explode at the slightest touch.
Gulp—
Feeling the pressure, I swallowed involuntarily and tried speaking again, watching her carefully.
“...Let’s go inside first. We can talk together.”
After staring daggers at me for a while, Seol Ju-hee silently withdrew her gaze and stepped inside. We headed to the living room where the others waited.
“Welcome!”
“You’re late.”
Im A-rin and Hong Yu-ra greeted her warmly, oblivious for now.
Seol Ju-hee ignored them entirely, tossing her bag and coat aside as she took the center of the living room. I quietly explained to the two that Seol Ju-hee wasn’t in a good mood.
“That Guild Leader didn’t pull something weird again, did he?”
“No way…”
As the two chatted casually, familiar with such matters.
I moved to sit next to Im A-rin to ask what happened.
“Hey.”
Seol Ju-hee’s cold voice rang out low.
“Do Ji-hyeok.”
Perched on the edge of the sofa, she quietly looked up at me.
“What the hell are you?”
She threw out the baffling question.
“Me?”
“Ju-Ju-hee, what’s wrong…”
“Seol Ju-hee. Why are you suddenly mad?”
Im A-rin and Hong Yu-ra cautiously intervened as I stood flustered, but Seol Ju-hee ignored them, speaking again with icy fury.
“What the hell have you been up to?”
Caught off guard by her sudden unexplained anger, I asked carefully, puzzled.
“Ju-hee. What are you…”
Right then.
“Do Ji-hyeok!!!!!!”
Seol Ju-hee exploded, shooting to her feet and lunging at me, grabbing my collar tight—
“Ugh…”
“Ju-Ju-hee! What are you doing?!”
“Seol Ju-hee! Are you crazy!? What’s this all of a sudden!?”
The two, shocked, tried desperately to pull her off, but furious Seol Ju-hee wouldn’t budge.
Throat constricted, I gasped for air and forced out words.
“Wh-what the sudden…”
Seol Ju-hee gnashed her teeth and unleashed a bombshell.
“I heard everything. All the crap you’ve been pulling behind our backs…!”
“Wh-what…”
“You despicable bastard. Fooling and deceiving us like that, thinking you’d never get caught?”
...What?