The Contract with Kang Yewon and Date Promises with Calathea and Audrey
“Get under the table. Now.”
“Huh? What’s this all about….”
“Hide before someone sees you.”
Without any idea what was happening, I crawled into the cramped space beneath the table. For a brief moment I found myself staring at Kang Yewon’s long, elegant legs. The moment I was in position, her formula Veil of Darkness wrapped around the table, and a furious roar shook the café.
“What the hell? Where did that rat Seong Yohan run off to?!”
The guild master of Iron Fist, Gu Sangcheol, was bellowing at the top of his lungs.
“Senior Gu Sangcheol? Raising your voice like that in a public place—what’s the matter?”
“Ah, Yewon. Ahem. You haven’t seen Seong Yohan around here, have you? That bastard and the prisoner unit—”
“Seong Yohan left in a hurry just a moment ago.”
“Damn it. The rat’s instincts are as sharp as ever.”
The floor vibrated with heavy footsteps as Gu Sangcheol approached. Before I could react, Kang Yewon hooked her leg around me and pulled my body toward her. At the same time—
“Haa… I should’ve grabbed him yesterday and beaten him to a pulp.”
Gu Sangcheol dropped heavily into the chair I had just vacated. A tree-trunk-thick leg shoved under the table, stopping inches from my face. Even at this distance, he couldn’t sense my presence at all.
Kang Yewon’s signature technique, Veil of Darkness. It was an infiltration-type formula that completely concealed a living being’s presence as long as there was no direct physical contact. The price for such perfect stealth was monstrous concentration and mana drain proportional to the target’s movement and scent. Inside gates it was usually used to protect snipers rather than for direct assassination. Or, like now, to hide a person.
“Beaten to a pulp? What exactly do you mean by that?”
“Ah, well, you might not have heard. That insolent bastard attacked my disciple and guild members!”
Gu Sangcheol’s anger flared again. He slammed his fist on the table, breathing hard. If Kang Yewon hadn’t hidden me in time, the Hunter Association would have witnessed a full-blown brawl between two guild masters. And since I was physically weaker, a head-on fight against an upper-tier A-class like him would have ended badly. Even though she hated me, it seemed she couldn’t stand to watch me get pummeled.
“He put a huge hole in our Taeho’s palm, and the others… they’ve got P-PTSD….”
“You mean PTSD?”
“Y-yes, that! Anyway, now even a little chill makes them jump and shake like leaves. The first-stringers are in that state, so the lower ranks are all restless and demoralized….”
Gu Sangcheol kept stomping his leg in agitation. Worried that contact might break the veil, Kang Yewon pulled me even closer, wrapping her legs around me like she was hugging my whole body. The result was my face buried deep between her firm thighs—an utterly compromising position.
When I looked up, the woman who had dragged me there was calmly dealing with Gu Sangcheol as if nothing was happening. I tried desperately not to let my mind wander… but through the thin fabric I could feel the full warmth and supple elasticity of her thighs pressing against my cheeks.
“After suffering that much damage, you came all the way to the Association to settle the score with your fists?”
“Well, I was here on official business, but I heard a sighting and rushed over. He dared damage Iron Fist. As guild master, how could I let that slide?”
“But swinging your fist at another guild master in a fit of rage would also leave a huge stain on Iron Fist’s reputation. I’m sure you already know that, Senior Gu Sangcheol.”
“T-that’s… true, I suppose.”
At Kang Yewon’s languid yet pointed tone, Gu Sangcheol’s voice shrank like a scolded child.
“Since I also dislike Seong Yohan, let me offer a suggestion. Instead of stalking him unofficially to attack, why not formally challenge him to a duel?”
“Formally? How?”
“There are many ways, but a fair and honorable duel would be the most fitting revenge for an organization that values Iron Fist’s dignity.”
While pretending to take Gu Sangcheol’s side, Kang Yewon was steering him in a direction that helped me. His rage wasn’t going to fade on its own. It was better to face an enemy head-on than let him keep aiming for the back of my head. No matter what kind of duel he proposed later, I could either refuse outright or manipulate the conditions toward a “fair” fight. It gave me control over the situation.
“Hmm, that makes sense. All right. I’ll discuss it with the kids and prepare thoroughly. If it goes well, I’ll treat you to a meal.”
“No need for that. Just make sure you give Seong Yohan a proper beating.”
“Haha, of course! Well then, I’ll be going!”
Despite storming in furiously, Gu Sangcheol left the café with light, excited steps, stomping happily all the way out. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about running into him and getting beaten by accident. Instead I’d have to prepare for a formal frontal challenge from Iron Fist. Given his simple personality, though, handling him didn’t seem too difficult.
I breathed a small sigh of relief and tried to extricate myself from between Kang Yewon’s thighs—only to feel her legs tighten around my neck instead.
“What are you doing, Noona?”
“This position reminds me of the old days.”
Instead of releasing me, she pulled me even deeper between her legs. Her purple eyes gazed down at me intently.
“Back when we fought, I used to choke you like this, remember?”
“…I’d appreciate it if you could forget that memory. And this current position is a bit—”
“Hey. Why did you do it?”
Her tone and the way she brushed my disheveled bangs aside carried the echo of the old Kang Yewon. Her voice dropped low.
“Hanna Unni was dying. Why did you… do that to her body?”
“……Because it was necessary. To keep everyone else from dying.”
“Hanna Unni was your sister…. Even if everyone else died—even if the whole world was destroyed—you should have protected your sister with your own hands…!”
I met her trembling gaze steadily and spoke.
“The injury Noona suffered while protecting me was fatal. If she had died then, countless guild members would have been slaughtered right after. Including you, Yewon Noona, who had come to support us.”
“……….”
“I had to make a choice. So I made it.”
“How brutally cold.”
“…But I believed it was the best option. Then, and now.”
“After making that best choice… did the food go down your throat easily?”
“No.”
A faint smile rose to my lips. It tasted like bitter blood even now.
“After that, I couldn’t use my ability anymore. The one people call Marionette.”
“……….”
“Do you resent me?”
“Yes. And even more than that, I resent myself for standing by helplessly and needing to be saved.”
Kang Yewon bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, then turned her gaze away. Quietly, she released me from her hold.
“I still sometimes see that scene from back then. You too, right?”
“……….”
“…You can go now.”
“I’ll see you next time.”
“Wait.”
I had just crawled out from under the table and bowed when she stopped me.
“You haven’t changed your number, have you?”
“No, it’s the same as before.”
“…Good. I understand.”
I bowed once more and left. Running into an old connection who might even take my side felt like far too much luck. Maybe my sister really was watching over me.
Feeling a slight nausea in my stomach, I staggered out of the Association building and headed back to the dorm.
“So what the manager is saying is….”
“Without our consent, you accepted a mission to clear fifteen A-class gates within a month.”
When I returned to the dorm and explained what had happened at the Association, both Calathea and Audrey looked at me with expressions that clearly said, What the hell is this?
“W-well, yes, but it was necessary—”
“And the reason is that someone in the Hunter Association seems to be targeting us? Then why don’t we just destroy the Association?”
“Calathea, the fact that you can say something that stupid is exactly why the manager worries.”
“…What did you just say, Madness?”
Audrey, who at least still had some sanity, immediately shot back at Calathea’s nonsense.
“Rather than destroying the entire Association, it would be cleaner to quietly assassinate only the high-ranking officials. If I use ice, there won’t even be a trace left. It would be a beautiful finish.”
“Hmm… that does sound nice, but it wouldn’t be any fun at all…. Oh, how about we tail them by car and make it explode spectacularly?”
“That’s not bad either. The only downside is possible civilian casualties.”
…Maybe neither of them was sane after all.
I briefly considered smacking both of them on the head, but since I would definitely lose in a contest of strength, I held back.
“Just listen. I’m not trying to overwork you for no reason. If we show off our power on a large scale like this, all the talk about lack of achievements or unstable skill will disappear. Plus it doubles as training. Three birds with one stone.”
“Fine, then let me give you three reasons too! One, I’m not afraid of some coward’s little schemes. Two, what are they going to do if we have no achievements? They’re the ones begging us to clear S-class gates. Three, training is boring and I hate it. I’m sick of it.”
“…Same for me, Manager.”
Calathea was sprawled lazily across the sofa, only her pale legs twitching occasionally. Across from her, Audrey sat elegantly sipping black tea. Neither of them seemed the slightest bit interested in my plan.
While I was wondering how to persuade them, Audrey set her teacup down with a soft clink and spoke quietly.
“Manager? As you said, this mission might be something we can handle. However, even if the result is correct, if the process isn’t beautiful… then it is a result that goes against aesthetics.”
“W-well, that’s true, but….”
“Are we still nothing more than tools to you, Manager?”
“……That’s not it. Really.”
“You may think you don’t feel that way.”
It had been a while since I’d seen Audrey’s chilling gaze. Calathea, who had apparently not just been throwing a tantrum, peeked her head over the sofa and watched me silently. But… they might be right.
I could have gotten more information from the Association President or asked for cooperation. Instead, in my haste, I had jumped up and left. Then I’d impulsively asked Kang Yewon to side with us without any plan. On top of that, I had accepted an extremely harsh mission for S-class hunters without consulting them first….
No matter how much I told myself it was to keep us all from getting screwed, I was forced to realize I had pushed everything forward selfishly and too hastily.
Tools… huh.
After living together with Calathea and Audrey like this, I had learned they weren’t simply incomprehensible monsters who refused all control. The psychological line I had drawn between us had blurred considerably. And yet, somewhere in my heart, I might still have been viewing them not as people but as strategic weapons for clearing S-class gates.
“Manager, don’t you feel sorry for us?”
“…Yeah. I’m sorry.”
“Do you wish to apologize to us?”
“If you’ll accept it, then yes.”
To comfort their pathetic manager, Calathea and Audrey slowly approached me.
“Then you’ll have to give us compensation that carries the meaning of an apology, right…? Hmm?”
“Exactly. An apology that’s only words with no price has no meaning at all.”
“…What do you want?”
They stepped right up to me and looked up in unison. A strange heat flickered in their eyes.
“A date♡ that will correct the manager’s naughty habit of seeing us as tools.”
“Obviously, each of us separately. One-on-one.”
“A date…?”
If it was just going outside, that seemed fine. I had worried they might want to explore my body again in a lewd way, but this was a much healthier request than expected. It would also be a chance for me to understand them better, and a good mood reset before we tackled the brutal one-month schedule.
“All right. We’ll take turns, one date each per day.”
“Yesss— no take-backs, Manager?”
“Lying is never beautiful, after all.”
“Why would I lie about something like this? And since this is my mistake, I’ll let you two choose the location and concept.”
I smiled and promised Calathea and Audrey dates, thinking I had gotten off cheaply.
A few days later.
“Manager, I told you to grope me more pervertedly! Didn’t I say we’re lovers who can’t live without each other right now!”
“……Damn it.”
In the middle of a busy street in broad daylight, I was grabbing a handful of Calathea’s plump, perky ass.