Puppy's Conditions
“Huh?”
Kim Seol-bi's voice rose sharply as she caught the odd note in Kang A-jin's words. But it was Kim Eun-bi, sitting beside her, who voiced the specific objection.
“Oppa, did you go meet this woman yesterday?”
“Uh……”
How the hell do I explain this? If only I'd mentioned beforehand that I could copy skills from women exposed to my Unreasonable Favor trait. Saying I'd gone to learn sorcery from Kang A-jin would at least make some rough sense. And that had been the real purpose. The sex? That was a total accident.
“That's not the point. Yesterday, Sung-gi almost got seriously hurt because of the hunters Park Hyun-jun sent after him. If I'd arrived just a little later, it would've been a disaster.”
“No way……”
Kang A-jin jumped in with perfect timing, defusing the immediate crisis. Kim Eun-bi was still eyeing me suspiciously, but even she seemed to grasp what mattered most here.
“Oppa, you're not hurt anywhere, right?”
“Yeah……”
Kim Seol-bi pressed a hand to her forehead.
“To go that far… Was he waiting out front until Sung-gi stepped outside my place?”
“Probably. Park Hyun-jun never lets go of a target once he's fixated. He won't stop until someone's dead—or until Seol-bi becomes his woman.”
“How can you say that like it's nothing?”
Kim Seol-bi bristled, her mana flaring out and rattling the table. Kang A-jin let out a soft sigh.
“Hoo… I figured as much. The three of us here have one thing in common: we all love Sung-gi.”
Whoa. Unlike when we were alone, Kang A-jin exuded a cool, aloof aura by default. Hearing the word “love” from a woman like that? It hit heavier than it should have. This seat suddenly felt like a bed of nails.
A chill swept through the room.
“Love……”
Kim Seol-bi bit her lip. “What the hell? Who barges into someone else's house and spouts nonsense like that!”
Kim Eun-bi snapped too, fuming.
“That's exactly the reaction you get from loving Sung-gi. It's inevitable. We're all his captives now. No escaping it. Well… unless one thing happens. Like I told you, Seol-bi—if Sung-gi dies, the ability vanishes.”
My heart sank with a thud. Discussing death with people who could kill me in an instant? I knew any one of these three women had the power to end me effortlessly. Her words didn't feel light at all.
“No way!”
Kim Seol-bi stated firmly. Unlike before, she wasn't agitated, but her eyes burned with fierce resolve. The look screamed she'd tolerate no more bullshit—I flinched just watching.
“Yeah! I'd rather die first!”
Kim Eun-bi chimed in. An awkward, inexplicable tension filled the air. If I could, I'd bolt from this room right now. At least no one was suggesting they divide me up like Solomon's baby.
“How long are we going to keep up this awkward standoff? We have to accept it. Shed those worldly prejudices.”
Kang A-jin pressed firmly. For once, Kim Seol-bi and Kim Eun-bi didn't retort. They just sank into thought.
“Don't you two feel frustrated?”
Kang A-jin continued. “I do—terribly. I think of Sung-gi constantly, crave his touch, want to hold him. I can't relax in bed, and when I sleep, I dream of him. Don't you?”
Kim Seol-bi and Kim Eun-bi fell silent. As if their earlier anger had never happened, they clamped their mouths shut and averted their gazes.
“I'm not bringing this up lightly. I didn't ask for it either, but I met Sung-gi later than you two. If I were in your shoes, I'd hate some newcomer butting in too.”
“So?”
Kim Seol-bi's tone was icy, but noticeably softer than before.
“I'll make you a deal.”
“What is it?”
“First, the Park Hyun-jun issue. I'll meet Jo Dong-geun.”
“What?”
I blinked in shock right alongside them. Jo Dong-geun was an S-rank hunter too. But what set him apart? He was Korea's undisputed top S-rank—the strongest. In the hunter world, S-ranks outranked presidents and chaebol heirs. Calling Jo Dong-geun Korea's number one wasn't hyperbole.
Why drag him into a talk about Park Hyun-jun? Unlike me, Kim Seol-bi caught on immediately.
“You mean talk to Jo Dong-geun about Park Hyun-jun and get him disciplined?”
“Yes. What other choice do we have?”
“But you're an outsider. Why would Jo Dong-geun listen to you?”
“You'd be surprised.”
Kang A-jin crossed her legs. “I have more pull than you think, Seol-bi. Let's just say I know a lot of powerful people's secrets.”
“……”
Silence fell again. I didn't know the details, but I could guess her angle. She handled shady requests for high-ups in the shadows—internet said sorcerers often did that sort of thing. In short, she knew Jo Dong-geun's dirt and planned to leverage it to keep Park Hyun-jun from harming me or Seol-bi.
But was that feasible? It sounded insanely risky even in theory.
“You sure about this? You know what you're saying?”
“Of course. Jo Dong-geun's prideful—he'll see it as blackmail. And I'll be in his crosshairs forever after.”
“Knowing that, why……”
“I told you—it's our only option. Or do you want to kill Park Hyun-jun yourselves?”
“……”
“This isn't for you, Seol-bi. I just don't want Sung-gi in danger anymore.”
The conversation had grown heavier than expected. To normals, Park Hyun-jun was just a stalker thug. But an S-rank doing it? That changed everything. Even if Kim Seol-bi was S-rank and Kang A-jin matched her in power, taking on one wasn't easy. Fail to kill, and revenge loops endlessly—just like she'd said, until someone died.
I'd end up as collateral, the shrimp caught in a whale fight. Park Hyun-jun wouldn't kill Seol-bi, but he'd sacrifice me to vent his rage.
“Got it?”
Kang A-jin pressed. Kim Seol-bi bit her lower lip, then nodded.
“Yeah. No other way. Thank you.”
Thanks—from Kim Seol-bi? Unthinkable compared to her reaction when Kang A-jin first showed up. Beside her, Kim Eun-bi pouted silently. She clearly disliked A-jin but knew this was their only play.
I'd deliberately avoided hunter politics, so I couldn't follow it all—just vaguely sensed Jo Dong-geun's heavyweight status among S-ranks.
“Huuu……”
Kang A-jin exhaled long, relieved after airing her piece. Then her face hardened again.
“That's not all.”
“Huh?”
“If you two accept me, I'll offer one more thing.”
Kim Seol-bi and Kim Eun-bi eyed her curiously. I'd wondered what she was building to at first, but then it hit me—no way… And yep, right on cue.
“S-rank and A-rank hunters can't have sex with lower-rank partners. Even if it works, it wrecks them physically and mentally.”
“What……”
“……”
I felt their attention spike.
“I've been researching a workaround these past few days.”
“No way……”
“Figured it out?”
Kang A-jin smiled at their interest. “Yes. It was unstable until yesterday, but I filled the gaps. Not perfect, but with my sorcery, we can make it happen.”