Chapter 150
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 150
Chapter Title: Hey.
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“Is that true?”
“Yes, but only on the condition that the Sword Duke helps us.”
“If you need my help that badly, does that mean some princess is desperate for a swordsman in a pinch?”
Drawing from his past life's experiences, Rimon pulled out the most logical conclusion.
Li Chingwei was the exception.
Other than that, he couldn't think of any reason why a princess from the Seven Dragon Society—his enemies—would borrow his power.
“No, to be precise, it's not the Sword Duke's power we need, but...”
Knock knock.
As Rimon spoke, Li Chingwei's expression grew even more peculiar, right when she was about to explain the details.
A light knock echoed through the room.
“Princess, I'm sorry to interrupt your rest, but may I come in for a moment?”
“...What now?”
“It's nothing particularly urgent, but there's something we need to inform the Sword Duke about.”
“Me?”
Youin entered the parlor after receiving permission from the puzzled Rimon and Li Chingwei. He pulled two photos from his pocket and held them out.
“Do you happen to know these two?”
“Huh? Why do you have pictures of these guys?”
“I came across them while tracking traces of that guest, Eugene...”
Rimon looked surprised at the photos of Cafe Live's Manager Jeong and PD Kim Seungjun that Youin presented.
With Eugene dead, there was no reason to meet them again, so he couldn't fathom why these photos were being shown.
To the puzzled Rimon, Youin said with a serious face.
“It seems these two have gotten caught up in quite a mess because of the Sword Duke and that guest.”
The live cafe where Eugene had worked.
There, Manager Jeong and PD Kim Seungjun huddled together, their faces dark and ashen.
“Hyung, still no word from Eugene?”
“If there was, do you think I'd be sitting here like this?”
“Seriously, why didn't you even get her number? Isn't checking contacts for part-timers basic?”
“You little punk! If you're gonna say that, you should've had it since you introduced her!”
“I was planning to snag it from you later, hyung.”
“You bastard, is that why you recommended her for our part-time gig?!”
For a moment, Manager Jeong looked ready to grab Kim Seungjun by the collar and shake him silly, his face fierce.
But soon, he let out a sigh.
“Hoo, forget it. No point beating you up now; it won't solve anything.”
Manager Jeong gulped down cold water to cool his boiling frustration.
Only then did Kim Seungjun feel a pang of guilt and averted his eyes.
He wasn't directly at fault, but it was because of him introducing Eugene that Manager Jeong was in this mess.
“What about that young guy, Eugene's friend? You should at least talk to him.”
“You think I'd have Lee’s number when I don't even have Eugene's?”
“...Show-off.”
Manager Jeong ruffled his hair roughly.
They needed to talk to Eugene to sort this out, but she'd suddenly vanished without a word—no calls, no shows.
It was like a bolt from the blue for him, and he was on the verge of exploding.
As if afraid his anger might lash out,
Kim Seungjun cautiously eyed Manager Jeong and raised a suspicion.
“But hyung, isn't the timing too coincidental?”
“What timing?”
“She goes radio silent right when this blows up. Pure coincidence?”
“If not coincidence, then what? You suspect that guy kidnapped her or something?”
“Not kidnapping, but maybe he pulled some strings.”
Manager Jeong scoffed at Kim Seungjun's conspiracy theory.
“He's doing all this because of her. What would he gain by scheming behind the scenes?”
“What if he tried approaching her and she just blew him off, my way or the highway?”
“Come on, make some sense. Eugene's a weirdo who only cares about singing, and yeah, the guy's got issues, but would he go that far?”
“...Hyung, saying it out loud, doesn't it sound super plausible? Kinda freaking me out.”
“...That obvious?”
“Your eyes are shaking like California during a spirit raid.”
“Damn it!”
Unable to feign calm under Kim Seungjun's sharp observation, Manager Jeong gave up.
He openly jittered his legs and asked anxiously.
“What do we do? Call the cops?”
“Cops won't even scratch WIM's surface.”
“Th-there's that PAB place! They specialize in players.”
“Didn't you see the news? They disbanded recently.”
“Then what the hell am I supposed to do?!”
“I'm saying calm down. We don't even know for sure if Manager Moon messed with her.”
“You punk! You don't dump a drum of worries on someone and then tell them to chill!”
Like a descending constellation in a frenzy, Manager Jeong finally lost it and grabbed Kim Seungjun's collar, shaking him violently.
That's when the firmly shut cafe door swung open lightly.
“We're closed today. Come back later!”
His merchant instincts kicking in.
Manager Jeong heard the door like a ghost and politely shooed the customer away while still shaking Kim Seungjun, grumbling inwardly about ignoring the [CLOSED] sign.
“Oh? Should I just head back then?”
“...!?”
But the moment he heard that voice,
Manager Jeong whipped around to the entrance like lightning, his earlier apathy forgotten.
It was the voice he and Kim Seungjun had been desperately waiting for, even if it killed one of them.
“L-Lee! Where the hell have you been?!”
Bam!
His joy overwhelming him,
He slammed the startled Kim Seungjun headfirst onto the floor upside down. Watching Manager Jeong rush over, Rimon muttered awkwardly.
“...If you were mid-murder, maybe lock the door next time. Now the innocent witness feels awkward.”
“I'm reporting you. Attempted murder...”
“Overreacting. Just a little bump on the head—hardly attempted murder.”
“You think it's okay to pile-drive a healthy guy into the floor like a pro wrestler?!”
“Ahem, people get excited sometimes.”
“One more 'excitement' and you'll actually kill someone?!”
Yuna Kyung watched the two bicker excitedly with a detached gaze and unwittingly blurted out.
[...I didn't notice before, but seeing this, I feel this weird kinship with PD Kim Seungjun.]
“Probably 'cause words fly straight out without passing through the brain, just like him.”
[Hmm, you think?]
As Yuna Kyung tilted her head at the bump on Kim Seungjun's head,
Rimon lightly tapped the table to grab their attention.
“Hey, you two. Nice chit-chat, but didn't you have business with me?”
“Oh, right!”
“Lee, any idea where Eugene's at or what she's doing?”
As if suddenly remembering why they'd waited for him,
The two hurriedly asked about Eugene.
Watching their faces mix worry, hope, anxiety, and expectation in perfect harmony, Rimon fell silent for a moment before speaking.
“She went to America.”
“What?”
“Why the hell America all of a sudden?!”
“That girl's always been a wanderer. Time to go, so she went.”
Rimon replied quietly.
No need to mention she was a criminal.
Or that he'd killed her for it.
Telling these ordinary cafe owner and PD wouldn't help anyone.
“Oh god.”
“Talk about the worst timing...”
But Rimon's news alone twisted their faces into Munch's The Scream.
To the two in utter despair, as if the world had ended, Rimon asked calmly.
“Why? Her not being here cause some big problem?”
“Not 'cause'—it's already a problem.”
Kim Seungjun sighed, about to explain,
When another customer arrived.
“Haha! Manager, business booming?”
A sunglassed man burst in with boisterous laughter, swinging the door wide.
WIM Guild's Moon Cheonyeop scanned the empty cafe with a smirk, then feigned surprise at Rimon.
“Whoa, Lee? Couldn't find you anywhere, and we bump into each other here.”
'Coincidence my ass.'
Kim Seungjun muttered inwardly.
Moon Cheonyeop had been in and out dozens of times lately hunting Rimon and Eugene.
Whether he knew or not,
Rimon stared at Moon Cheonyeop impassively.
“Found me? Why?”
“Nothing big, just something to deliver.”
As if waiting for the question,
Moon Cheonyeop pulled an envelope from his briefcase.
“Summons here.”
“...”
“Still processing in court, but it'll pass anyway. Figured you'd want time to get a lawyer.”
He handed over the lawsuit as casually as a wedding invite.
But Rimon neither flinched nor panicked at the out-of-nowhere gift.
He just asked coldly.
“Can't recall doing anything lawsuit-worthy.”
Not wrong.
Treason and holding the president hostage? Only Rimon Asfelder had done that.
As Lee, all he'd done was hang with the Liberation Brigade killer strumming guitars.
Looking at Rimon, Moon Cheonyeop said pityingly.
“Sadly, a report came in that the original song you and Eugene used in the performance is extremely similar to one registered by our WIM exclusive composer.”
“You saying we plagiarized your song?”
“Whoa, don't throw around dangerous words like that. This is life-or-death for musicians, right?”
Songs can coincidentally be similar, he implied vaguely.
Without specifying who copied whom, Moon Cheonyeop glanced at Manager Jeong.
“Even if plagiarized, no commercial use might slide, but Eugene performed here and got paid.”
“That was just part-time wage minus performance fee!”
“Gotta deny what you can. You had her perform and paid, but call it not performance fee? Come on.”
“Urgh.”
Manager Jeong groaned at the airtight logic.
Eugene hated earning from singing, hence the messy contract—but objectively, total nonsense.
“Of course, you probably didn't know, Manager Jeong. But to avoid tax evasion suspicions, cooperate with the investigation.”
'You bastard! You already pinned that on me!'
Manager Jeong swallowed his retort.
“Watch yourself too, PD Kim. Rumors of scouting a plagiarist for your new show's main act won't look good.”
'You son of a—!'
Kim Seungjun inwardly cursed up a storm—the rumors already viral.
But neither dared challenge Moon Cheonyeop, teeth gritted.
He'd just deny involvement as always, ramping up their pressure.
Backed by WIM and Midas giants, Moon Cheonyeop had the power.
High-level players were untouchable skies to normals.
Satisfied pinning them down, Moon Cheonyeop grinned smugly.
Turning back to Rimon with a sleazy smile.
“Too bad. If you and Eugene signed with our guild, no plagiarism mess.”
Arms crossed, silently watching Moon Cheonyeop, Rimon spoke in a languid tone.
“...So, bottom line? Kneel and beg if you don't want worse?”
“Whoa, no. Just saying, let's find a nice way to settle.”
The 'nice way' was predefined: shut up and sign.
Pick the 'bad way,' and not just them—innocent Manager Jeong and PD Kim get dragged in.
Strutting triumphantly, as if refusal unthinkable, Moon Cheonyeop met Rimon's steady gaze for a beat.
Rimon spoke lowly.
“Hey.”