A Deal for Revenge
If it weren't for Han Se-hee and Lee Ha-yeon arriving soon, Baek Seo-jun and Seomun Ye-jin would have headed straight to the bedroom together.
But the thought of those two coming over made it impossible to go there now, so instead of the disappointment, I simply bent my body slightly.
"Seo-jun-ssi?"
Seomun Ye-jin gave me a puzzled look at my action. When I began stroking the newly white thigh exposed beneath her tight hot pants, she gently closed her eyes.
I savored the scent of her skin from Seomun Ye-jin's white thigh, then slowly dragged my tongue along it.
"Hng..."
Seomun Ye-jin let out a soft, pleased moan from my gentle caress.
Even if Lamia was watching from the side, it no longer mattered.
If Seomun Ye-jin was all right, I could have shown her the same thing in front of Han Se-hee and Lee Ha-yeon without hesitation.
There was no need to feel ashamed about declaring the obvious fact that Seomun Ye-jin was mine.
***
"Haah...haah..."
Lee Ha-yeon lay sprawled on the floor, utterly exhausted.
Dirt clung to her clothes and her fine golden hair, leaving everything messy, but she had no energy left to care about such trivial details.
She had poured every last ounce of strength into the fight, attempting every move she could manage, yet none of her attacks had touched Seomun Ye-jin today.
She had even sparred with Baek Seo-jun midway through, only to realize how much higher the wall she faced truly was.
Despite her total exhaustion, as a power awakener she would recover quickly from this state.
But there was no need to wait for that recovery.
"Ha-yeon-ah, I'll heal you."
Han Se-hee, who had finished her own training for the day, stepped forward to heal her.
"Thank you, Se-hee-ya."
Lee Ha-yeon felt her body refresh instantly and rose to her feet. Training until she was drained, then recovering with Han Se-hee's help, left her feeling wonderfully revitalized.
"You two worked hard today too. I'll send you back through the portal soon."
Baek Seo-jun appeared ready to create portals for their departure.
He had already prepared separate portals to each of their homes and to Seoul, so Lee Ha-yeon and Han Se-hee could return comfortably to their respective homes and the orphanage.
But today was different from the usual schedule.
"Um, Seo-jun oppa. Could I speak with you for a moment?"
Han Se-hee, who had known Baek Seo-jun longer than Lee Ha-yeon herself, spoke first with careful caution.
"It's not suitable to talk here. Let's go to my house. I'll listen to you there."
Baek Seo-jun answered without hesitation, even inviting her to his home.
"Eh? Yes..."
"Ha-yeon-ah, are you coming too?"
Seomun Ye-jin approached Lee Ha-yeon, who had stood up from the floor, and asked.
"Yes, I also had something to discuss with Se-hee."
Lee Ha-yeon nodded at Seomun Ye-jin's question and brushed away the dust clinging to her body with her power.
"Alright. I'll make the portal. Rest for a bit and come."
"Yes. I'll head over right away."
Soon after, it was clear that Baek Seo-jun was holding Seomun Ye-jin's hand as they stepped through the portal together.
I knew the two of them were lovers, yet every time I saw them like this, my heart still ached.
Lee Ha-yeon, having set that thought aside, since this was her first visit to Baek Seo-jun's house, took a moment to tidy her disheveled appearance.
By delicately manipulating her power to brush off the dust and other impurities, she now stood in a clean state, only slightly damp from sweat.
The sweat that flowed from her power-awakened body carried a scent far better than perfume, so there was no need to worry about the smell of sweat.
'I hope she doesn't get angry if she finds out I investigated.'
A faint worry surfaced, but Lee Ha-yeon suppressed it, and Han Se-hee approached.
"Ha-yeon-ah, let's go."
"Yeah, Se-hee-ya."
The two held hands and stepped through the portal that Baek Seo-jun and Seomun Ye-jin had already crossed.
The moment they passed through, the two felt they had arrived at the shoe rack of the house where Baek Seo-jun and Seomun Ye-jin lived.
'We're entering the house.'
Feeling a pounding heart, Lee Ha-yeon sensed that Han Se-hee holding her hand felt the same way.
No, for four years Han Se-hee had visited the house many times, but she had never crossed the yard.
Rather, she must be feeling an even more overwhelming emotion than herself.
Thinking this way, the house where Baek Seo-jun and Seomun Ye-jin lived turned out to be surprisingly modest.
It was a three-story mansion with a basement, not a bad house, but it didn't seem grand enough for people as extraordinary as Baek Seo-jun and Seomun Ye-jin.
Especially since this wasn't Seoul but Anju-si in South Pyongan Province, they could have built something much larger and more spacious.
"Oh my, that snake..."
"Ah."
At Han Se-hee's words, Lee Ha-yeon belatedly turned her gaze toward the sofa.
A strange sight unfolded on the sofa in the living room: a snake sat there, completely absorbed in the TV.
'A snake? No, I don't sense any presence!'
It was no ordinary snake.
It was an S-class hunter, and despite its ongoing growth, I felt no presence at all. That alone told me it was far from normal.
Just as an advertisement appeared on the TV, the black snake's gaze left the screen for a moment, swept over Lee Ha-yeon and Han Se-hee, then returned to the TV with disinterest. Lee Ha-yeon grew slightly curious about the snake's true identity.
'Is it a spirit?'
However, it was not an important matter, so Lee Ha-yeon decided to ask about it later if the chance arose.
"Welcome to our home~."
Seomun Ye-jin said with a smile, arms crossed with Baek Seo-jun.
The two who had approached, Lee Ha-yeon and Han Se-hee, bowed their heads politely.
"I'll listen to the story while seated."
Baek Seo-jun gestured toward the large dining table and several chairs near the kitchen.
"Yes..."
Since the story they were about to hear was important, Lee Ha-yeon unconsciously tightened her grip on her hand from the slight tension.
Han Se-hee standing beside her also wore an expression of tension.
Facing Lee Ha-yeon and Han Se-hee, who sat on the opposite side of where Baek Seo-jun and Seomun Ye-jin were seated, Baek Seo-jun asked.
"Which of you two wants to speak first?"
"That's..."
"I will."
Han Se-hee had started speaking, but Lee Ha-yeon spoke first.
Since Han Se-hee had arranged this meeting, she believed the main point should come from her.
With everyone's attention focused, Lee Ha-yeon cautiously spoke while glancing at Baek Seo-jun.
"Regarding Baek Seo-jin... and the Baekho Guild, I did some investigating. Is it possible that... you want revenge, Seo-jun-nim?"
Lee Ha-yeon worried she was poking at a sore spot, but Baek Seo-jun showed no anger. Even Seomun Ye-jin beside him only looked at Baek Seo-jin with mild concern, without any sign of rage.
Fortunately, it seemed she had not struck a nerve.
"Why do you think that?"
"I learned a bit about what you did to Seo-jun from the Baekho Guild. Seeing that... the incident of being kidnapped by villains nine years ago... it made me wonder if it was really a kidnapping."
At Lee Ha-yeon's words, Baek Seo-jun gave a slight nod.
"Correct. All correct."
Baek Seo-jun spoke as if praising her, but his voice carried killing intent.
Even though I knew the killing intent was not directed at me but at the Baekho Guild, his deep fury was so intense it sent a chill down my spine.
"Yeah. Baek Hyeong-won and Kim Yu-jeong sold me to the villains. Then, by selling my name and pretending to be heartbroken parents, they profited. The scene at that time was indescribable in words."
For a moment Baek Seo-jun seemed to calm his anger. His gaze remained filled with fury, yet his voice had steadied as he continued.
"So, is that all the story you wanted to tell?"
"Ah, no. Is it possible... when you seek revenge, Seo-jun-nim, couldn't we help?"
"Help how?"
Lee Ha-yeon had not intended to mention using the Angel Guild's power for revenge.
The Baekho Guild would be no difficult task to destroy with Baek Seo-jun's power alone if he wished.
Even if it surpassed SSS-class, perhaps even national power level, what was the difference with a tenth-rate guild?
Yet the Baekho Guild still stood strong...
"The greatest despair for Baek Hyeong-won and Kim Yu-jeong would be Baek Seo-jin's downfall?"
Baek Seo-jin's downfall, and then the Baekho Guild's collapse afterward.
Wasn't this what he wanted?
"Yeah. When Baek Seo-jin bastard thinks he's the happiest, I'll bring him crashing down."
Lee Ha-yeon felt relieved that Baek Seo-jun had revealed his method of revenge and that their guess had been right, and she spoke with a more relaxed tone.
"We'll help with that too. By the way, Baek Seo-jin has been acting strangely lately."
"Um, I will help too. Since Baek Seo-jin is acting strangely and thinking I'm his friend, it will be useful."
Han Se-hee also joined in, saying she would help together. Baek Seo-jun looked at them alternately and asked.
"Then, is this a deal to help with my revenge?"
"No."
"No."
At Baek Seo-jun's words about a deal for revenge, Lee Ha-yeon and Han Se-hee immediately denied it.
"This is gratitude."
"With the intention of thanking Seo-jun oppa, we want to help... I don't think of it as a deal."
***
I looked at the two heroines from the original novel, the girls staring at me with resolute eyes.
Gratitude, not a deal?
It was to repay the grace they had received.
"I thought it would be good if you did that, but... will it be okay? Even though I'm your enemy, repeating the act of deceiving someone for years might be difficult."
"Yes, no problem."
"If it helps oppa Seo-jun!"
The determination of the two girls who had made up their minds that it would help me seemed unchanged.
"Then, please take care."
"Leave it to us!"
"Yes!"
I simply watched the smiles of Lee Ha-yeon and Han Se-hee.
"I have to tell you what kind of things I went through."
And a few hours later, when Lee Ha-yeon saw the days of hardship I had endured stored by So Gang-seok, she shed tears, and Han Se-hee even burst into sobs.