Chapter 25
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Adaptation (5)
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A luxury hotel near Itaewon.
"……."
I stared quietly at the extravagantly packaged Dark Dragon Gauntlets worth 50 million won, then shifted my gaze to Lee Hye-ri sitting across from me.
She sat with her smooth thighs on display, legs crossed leisurely as she sipped her coffee. Though she pretended otherwise, mischief danced all over her face.
"What's the reason for giving this to me?"
I crossed my arms and asked with a displeased expression. She carefully set down her cup and answered flatly.
"A bribe."
"…What?"
She smiled as if my reaction amused her, uncrossed her legs and crossed them the other way, then tapped the armrest lightly with her slender fingertips as she continued.
"Your team. You don't plan to stay tied to Seoul City forever, right?"
I didn't bother refuting her words.
In truth, I had no intention of sticking with Seoul City indefinitely.
Team Seoul City Hall was currently under Seoul City's umbrella.
Though I'd talked like we'd stay together long-term, as the team grew, we'd inevitably have to branch off on our own.
"This is a gift to ask for your goodwill later. I don't want to let talent like you slip away twice."
I fully understood what she meant.
It was her own form of investment, just like when I'd offered Jin Seo-won 100 million won.
However….
I didn't like how she'd jumped into the bidding to drive up the price and then thrown her weight around.
"You bought something worth 2 million won for over ten times that and call it a bribe? Isn't that a bit thuggish?"
Still, I'd saved my own money, and I wasn't against contracting with Sejin Guild anyway, so I had no intention of refusing her bribe.
But.
"I'll value it at exactly 2 million won. Nothing more."
I decided not to acknowledge the rest of the difference.
"Hmm…. Fine, call it opportunity cost or whatever."
She nodded as if she understood, then handed over some documents with a light apology.
"Anyway, if you're upset, sorry about that. This is a peace offering."
I took the documents she offered and read them….
'Partnership Proposal?'
I glanced at her quizzically at the unexpected content.
"Just as it says. I was planning to send an official letter next week anyway…. Since we're meeting, here it is early."
Partnerships between guilds weren't all that rare.
They shared training methods, data, infrastructure, and collaborated on various activities to mutual benefit.
But a partnership between a team and a guild like this? That was completely unprecedented.
"…I get what you're saying…. But as you know, we don't have much to offer."
A partnership required give-and-take from both sides.
We had plenty to gain from Sejin Guild, but what would they get from us?
What was the point of something like this?
"Well…."
But Lee Hye-ri tilted her head differently and gave me a pointed look.
"You've got you."
Her bold declaration left me speechless. I brushed it off by saying I'd think it over slowly and pocketed the proposal.
*
The next day.
"Seo-won-ah. Wouldn't it be better to eat out today? There's a great eel place right nearby…."
"…No."
After our usual training, I'd come grocery shopping with Jin Seo-won. I was doing my best to convince her.
"If you don't like eel…. Then how about steak at that place up ahead? You like steak!"
"…Steak?"
"Yeah. It's super famous and delicious! What do you say? Wanna go?"
It was the weekend, and I'd planned to drop Jin Seo-won off at her family home. But she insisted on home-cooked food, so we hadn't even left yet.
"……."
Jin Seo-won wavered at the mention of her favorite steak, rolling her eyes in thought….
"…I want to eat at home."
In the end, even steak couldn't overcome her firm preference.
"…Fine, home it is. If you want it that bad, we eat at home."
When she was this insistent, I had no choice.
I quietly shelved the idea and pushed the cart forward—
Squeeze—
—when Jin Seo-won tugged lightly at my sleeve. She hesitated for a long moment before asking carefully.
"…Are you annoyed?"
She looked like a deflated child, full of anxiety.
Honestly, cooking a full meal from scratch was a hassle.
But….
For her—the future S-rank—it was something I could endure.
"It's not a hassle at all when it's for you, so don't worry."
"…Really?"
"Yeah. Really."
Satisfied with my answer, she silently let go of my sleeve and walked ahead with strangely light steps.
'She's cute.'
As I wandered the mart, starting to understand the hearts of doting dads a little….
"…!"
Jin Seo-won suddenly stopped and pointed somewhere, speaking to me.
"…Over there."
"Yeah?"
I glanced casually where she pointed.
"!"
And jolted in surprise at the familiar face pushing a cart alone.
It was Bang Han-na.
"…Han-na un…! Mmph…!"
"W-Wait, Seo-won-ah!"
"…?"
I quickly silenced Jin Seo-won before she could call out and hurriedly dragged her away, detouring around Bang Han-na.
"…Why are we running?"
"What do you think Han-na would think if she saw us together?"
"…What?"
Jin Seo-won gave me an innocently pure look, truly clueless.
Stumped by her naivety, I collected myself and explained.
"What would people think if the producer was meeting a team member privately?"
"…That we're close?"
"No! Well, yeah, but…. Anyway, it could lead to unnecessary misunderstandings."
"…Misunderstandings?"
"Like us dating or whatever…. Anyway, like I said before, it's best if people don't know I come to your place. Got it?"
Jin Seo-won seemed not to fully grasp it but nodded anyway.
We quickly finished shopping and headed straight to her place.
"…Ugh…."
"Seo-won-ah. Go wash up and get in bed."
As soon as we entered, Jin Seo-won lunged for the bed. I grabbed her and shoved her toward the bathroom, then handed her clothes from the familiar routine.
'Life really is unpredictable.'
Taking care of Jin Seo-won had felt awkward at first, but now it was like being a parent.
No, not a dad…. More like an uncle?
Shhhhh—
I left the sound of running water behind and organized our purchases.
"Where to put this…."
The place I'd arranged for Jin Seo-won was pretty nice.
It had a bathroom combo, a living room doubling as a kitchen, and a separate bedroom in the back—a luxury residence.
Not as fancy as a hotel suite, but fully equipped with appliances, spacious, with perfect ventilation. Move-in ready.
"For rice…. …just microwave it."
Lacking confidence to even cook rice, I nuked the instant rice packs from the mart and started on the miso soup she'd requested.
Blub… blub… blub….
Tied with an apron, chopping veggies for the soup—
Whoosh—
—Jin Seo-won emerged from the shower.
I turned casually to ask her to prep sides….
"Seo-won-ah. The sides…."
And came face-to-face with her, barely covered by a towel.
"Yah!"
I whipped my head away in shock, face burning as I scolded her.
"I told you not to come out undressed! Can't you be more careful!?"
Then.
"…My clothes got wet."
Jin Seo-won shot back like it wasn't her fault.
"…You seemed busy, so I just came out."
She brushed past me and squatted by the closet to grab clothes.
Should I scold her or not?
"…Haa…."
Pondering this unwanted parenting dilemma, I tried to erase the vivid image of her figure from my mind and silently chopped veggies.
But….
Her damp, pale skin didn't fade—instead, it swirled relentlessly in my head.
"……."
After much ado, dinner was ready.
"Good?"
Nod—nod—
"Eat slower. You'll get indigestion."
Having fed her the home-cooked meal she'd craved, I did dishes while she packed.
"Seo-won-ah. All packed?"
But when I finished, Jin Seo-won was already asleep on the bed, head on a pillow.
Snooze… snooze….
She must've been exhausted.
'Guess I should let her sleep and take her home like this.'
I reached to wake her reluctantly—
Vrrr—vrrr—
—when my phone on the table buzzed.
[Yoon In-kyung]
It was a call from Yoon In-kyung, Jin Seo-won's guardian.
"Hello?"
[Oh, Ji-hyeok-ssi. Have you left yet?]
"Not yet. I was just about to…. Seo-won-ah fell asleep."
[Oh really?]
Yoon In-kyung said tomorrow was fine since I'd be tired too, and to take it easy.
I said I was okay and would head out soon, but….
[I wanted to treat you to a meal at least.]
She insisted on feeding me and suggested tomorrow instead.
'…Better accept.'
About a week until the incident.
To prevent Yoon In-kyung's death, I needed her info. Meeting her to extract it seemed good.
"Got it. We'll head out tomorrow morning."
*
The next day, on the road to Chuncheon.
[…The pure love ballad by Hyun Ha-yeon that you requested! Such a great song…]
Driving quietly while listening to the radio—
"…Um."
Jin Seo-won spoke up from the passenger seat.
"Yeah?"
She hesitated long, as if it was hard to say, then mustered courage and asked softly.
"…How's… unnie?"
"…Huh?"
I glanced at her puzzled by the random question….
Her rare serious gaze peeked through her messy bangs.
"In-kyung-ssi…, what do you think?"
"…Yeah."
"…Well…."
I looked back at the road, pondering the best answer from her perspective before replying carefully.
"She's a good person. She takes good care of you."
Then.
"…That's all?"
Jin Seo-won pressed unusually persistently.
'What's with her?'
A bit puzzled, I changed lanes casually and answered flatly.
"That's it. What else is there?"
I glanced at her, gauging her reaction.
She pursed her cute lips, like she had more to say, watching me.
"…?"
How long had I driven, baffled by Jin Seo-won's inexplicable response?
"Looks like rain?"
As we neared Chuncheon, dark clouds gathered in the sky.