Chapter 118
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 118
Chapter Title: The Banquet (3)
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Kim Nam-gi recalled the man who had been standing next to Yanagiya Riki just moments ago. The guy had an annoyingly punchable face that grated on his nerves for no good reason.
‘That scrawny little shit is Yanagiya Riki’s guest?’
“.. Hey.”
“Yeah, hyungnim.”
“Find out what the deal is with this Lee Yun-seong guy from Eternity Clan.”
“Uh… Lee Yun-seong from Eternity?”
“Yeah, that punk.”
The man who called Kim Nam-gi “hyungnim” pondered deeply for a moment before opening his mouth.
“Hyungnim, give me a sec. If it’s Eternity’s Lee Yun-seong… that’s the guy.”
“What guy?”
“The one who tanked our weapons business. Rare-grade item prices crashed, and we took a massive hit.”
“... What?”
“And when we dug into it, only the neutral nation’s Myth Clan and Eternity had dumped their stock early for huge profits. Lee Yun-seong stayed with Myth Clan for a while, and from the circumstances, he’s the one who advised them to sell off their items ahead of time.”
“Ha… So this Lee Yun-seong bastard was the one who screwed our clan back then?”
“Yes, hyungnim.”
Kim Nam-gi’s face twisted in fury. He’d already been pissed seeing the guy glued to Riki’s side, and now it turned out this punk had cost the clan a fortune.
“Something about that smug face rubbed me the wrong way from the start. Fucking asshole…”
This was a gathering of heavy hitters from the Eastern Alliance—self-made successes, every one of them.
In other words, not a place for a brain-dead loser like that.
‘And fuck… Riki, that bitch’s eyes were practically dripping honey when she looked at him. Ha… what a load of shit.’
“Hyungnim, something wrong…?”
“Nah, it’s nothing. Hmm… Actually, no. Hey, look into what kind of relationship Riki has with this Lee Yun-seong punk.”
“Huh? What connection do Lee Yun-seong and Yanagiya Riki even have?”
“You blind? See that ugly fucker stuck to her side?”
At Kim Nam-gi’s words, his subordinate subtly glanced toward Riki.
“Ah… Is that guy Lee Yun-seong?”
“Yeah. Word is he’s her guest. Fuck… What kind of guest gets dragged to a spot like this?”
“... Got it. I’ll check it out.”
It was the second day of the banquet, with just one more day of attendance ahead before it wrapped up.
True to her word, Jo Yeon-ju really didn’t seem to have anyone else to hang with—she’d stuck exclusively to our group the whole time.
Naturally, all eyes and whispers were drawn our way.
One guy flanked by two female rankers? That was prime gossip fodder.
“So, what’s your relationship with Ms. Yanagiya, Mr. Lee Yun-seong?”
Riki fielded Jo Yeon-ju’s question. It involved her clan, after all, and it felt awkward for me to answer.
“He’s someone who helped me out big time. Honestly, we could resolve this mess thanks to Yun-seong.”
“Ah… Is that so? Hmm…”
Jo Yeon-ju eyed me with a loaded gaze after Riki’s reply.
Her stare was getting heavy, so I busied myself with my drink when Riki suddenly stood.
“Gonna hit the bathroom.”
‘What the fuck, why now of all times…’
Was she leaving me alone with this woman to chat or something?
I got that she had to go, but I couldn’t help resenting Riki a bit.
‘Fuck, this is so awkward…’
We’d barely met twice, I was just her guest, and this woman was a ranker.
The social gap was massive. Things might differ in the neutral nation, sure.
‘Hell, I don’t even know what to say to her.’
And weirdly, the moment Riki stepped away, Jo Yeon-ju’s friendly smile flatlined into blank neutrality.
As I racked my brain over small talk while sipping tea, Jo Yeon-ju dropped a bombshell with a straight face.
“Mr. Lee Yun-seong, do you want to fuck Ms. Yanagiya?”
“Pfft!”
I spat out my tea at the sudden bomb. Luckily, none hit her.
“Cough…! Ack… What the…”
“.......”
‘Fuck, is this chick insane?’
I caught my breath and stared at her in shock, but her expression hadn’t budged.
That serene face was so calm I wondered if I’d misheard.
“Wh-what do you…”
“Hm… Not into her? I just asked because the way Ms. Yanagiya looks at you is all honey-dripping affection.”
“... Huh?”
“I’m not keen on more rivals popping up.”
‘... What?’
I couldn’t parse what this woman was saying.
‘Rivals? What bullshit is this? Don’t tell me…’
As if reading my mind from my stare, Jo Yeon-ju continued.
“I know what you’re thinking. You’re right on the money.”
“S-so… You, Ms. Jo Yeon-ju… want to… fuck Yanagiya—no, Riki?”
I asked half in disbelief. No way I was right.
But when Jo Yeon-ju quietly nodded, I realized it wasn’t a misunderstanding.
‘Fucking hell…’
An absurd situation.
Forget her weirdly misreading me—why was she suddenly outing her tastes like this?
“So, you still haven’t answered. Got the hots for Ms. Yanagiya or not?”
“... No. I just helped her out a bit, and her being nice is payback for that.”
“.... No desire at all to fuck her?”
‘No, why is this crazy bitch pushing it?’
Her keep saying “fuck” like that was making me paranoid about onlookers.
“Weird. Most guys who approach her want exactly that. You into guys? Or just not attracted to her?”
“.... I like women, not men. And it’s not that I don’t find her attractive.”
Talking to Jo Yeon-ju left me utterly drained. The topic was anything but normal.
‘The person herself… Fuck, no wonder people call this freak a weirdo.’
She was known as the Formation Sorceress Jo Yeon-ju. Or, alternatively, the Weirdo Jo Yeon-ju.
“Fascinating. No lust from the guy’s side, only the girl’s… And to her, of all people…”
“.... What’re you on about?”
I knew Riki showed me favor. But lust?
“As a fellow woman, I pick up on these things. The desire I feel for her? I see it in how she looks at you…”
‘What the actual fuck.’
“D-does Riki know? That you… feel that way about her?”
“Yeah, she knows. I shot my shot once and got shot down.”
“......”
I wanted no more of this conversation. Just bring Riki back already.
Thankfully, I spotted her returning.
“Ah, sorry. Someone stopped me, so I was late.”
“.......”
“......”
“... What’s with you two?”
“It’s nothing…”
“Just asked if he plans to fuck you, Ms. Yanagiya.”
‘Crazy… absolute lunatic!’
“.... Huh?”
“He says no. Though it kinda looks like he might.”
Riki scowled at Jo Yeon-ju’s words.
“Haa… Hey, what the hell… Sigh.”
“Why? Gotta check if he might hurt you or something…”
“Hey, fuck off, why do you care? You joking?”
Riki looked genuinely pissed.
“He’s my guest. I decide how to treat him. Whether he fucks me or not is my business.”
‘No, fuck, can we drop the “fuck” talk already?’
I had zero intentions, and here they were yapping about it like it was real. Ridiculous.
“... Sorry. My bad.”
“Sigh… Apologize to Yun-seong, not me.”
At Riki’s words, Jo Yeon-ju put on a remorseful face and turned to me.
“Mr. Lee Yun-seong, sorry. I was rude.”
“..... Yeah. Just know that.”
I couldn’t muster a “no worries.”
Riki sighed, lightly smacked the back of Jo Yeon-ju’s head, then addressed me.
“She’s just quirky, but she’s a good kid. Don’t think too badly of her.”
“Got it.”
“Yeah. Anyway…”
Riki suddenly leaned in close, grabbed my chin with one hand, and grinned.
“No plans to fuck me? Kinda pisses me off, actually.”
“What…”
“What, I’m not hot enough? Or do I not turn you on?”
“Y-you crazy, what the hell are you saying?”
“No straight guy could resist. Unless you’re missing your dick or…”
“Sorry to burst your bubble, but everything’s normal down there.”
“Hm… Really? Not just playing hard to get? Be honest—I can make any wish come true.”
“What?”
“I told you before, right? Anything you want, I’ll make it happen. No matter what.”
The air suddenly felt a tad warmer. Her face in front of me looked flushed.
As this weird tension built and left me flustered, Jo Yeon-ju spoke up to Riki.
“... Why won’t you grant my wishes? I was honest about everything.”
“Haa… You really can’t read the room. Calling this friendship…”
“It’s not that I can’t read it—I’m doing it on purpose. Why flirt right in front of me? Trying to rile me up?”
“.... Just give up already. I have normal tastes.”
“No.”
“Fuck off, the one I want won’t budge, and this weirdo keeps at it—driving me nuts!”
‘Fuck, this has to stop.’
I had to change the subject, anything to derail this.
No more of this crap, and I didn’t want to watch their weird back-and-forth.
“Ahem… Anyway, Riki. Got a question.”
“Yeah? What?”
“... I know the Eastern Alliance has three rankers, but two are here right now?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“Is the third one in the banquet hall too?”
It’d been bugging me. I’d known Riki was a ranker for a while, and by chance met ranker Jo Yeon-ju.
Two of the Eastern Alliance’s three rankers, right here.
‘Is the last one absent?’
“Ah… That guy…”
‘She knows him too?’
I figured rankers had probably crossed paths.
“If you mean Ghost Spear Baek Si-hoon… He doesn’t show at these things. Or rather, he can’t.”
Ghost Spear Baek Si-hoon. One of the Eastern Alliance’s three rankers.
I’d wondered about him for one reason only.
“Even in the Eastern Alliance, where outlaws run wild, a traitor can’t just stroll into the banquet hall openly.”
He was the sole ranker who’d turned outlaw defector.