Chapter 160: Skewer (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 160: Skewer (4)
“I’m asking you, why are you being like this?”
“Because you keep saying strange things. It’s obviously wrong, so how can I just agree with it?”
“I know, but… you’re supposed to work together and compromise…”
I was trying to persuade Cheon Yeo-wool with a rational argument.
But she wasn’t even pretending to listen.
“……”
Ah, she was a lost cause.
She was already too set in her ways to listen to me.
No, to be precise, it seemed she only listened to me.
I finally gave up on persuading her and turned to Yoon Chae-ha, who was standing beside me.
“Chae-ha…”
“Yes.”
She answered, sticking close to my side.
“What’s wrong with you? This isn’t your usual style, is it? You’re supposed to be bold and confident, not… the timid type.”
Ah, wait. Maybe she always was the timid type.
Anyway.
“…This is how I usually am.”
“……”
It was hard to know what to say to that.
‘Try to take some initiative?’
That sounded ridiculous, too. When it came to a subject she was passionate about—a research project, for example, like picking the lock to my room—Yoon Chae-ha was more proactive than anyone.
The only difference was whether or not I was at the center of her motivation.
Frustrated, I added a comment, hoping to somehow help her grow.
“If, by some chance, I’m not around, you have to… trust your own judgment and act on your own.”
“Why would you not be around?”
Before I could even finish, Yoon Chae-ha’s eyes widened as she asked.
Her pupils were filled with pure bewilderment.
“Don’t you remember what Bulgaram said?”
“What?”
“That I’m your child. That you have to take good care of me.”
“What?”
That question didn’t come from my mouth.
It was Cheon Yeo-wool, who had been watching my conversation with Yoon Chae-ha, her voice sharp.
“Why are you Hae-in’s child?”
At her words, Yoon Chae-ha retorted defensively.
“What’s it to you?”
“……”
I knew this would happen.
I left before this dreadful conversation could continue.
I didn’t have time to waste my energy here.
“I’m leaving first.”
As I turned my back, a voice called out from behind me.
“Me too!”
Without looking back, I waved my hand dismissively.
“You two have class.”
I, on the other hand, did not.
Leaving them behind, I returned to my room in the penthouse.
I closed the door and threw myself onto the bed.
The soft mattress gently received my exhausted body. I stared at the ceiling for a moment, checking the news on my watch.
‘Guangdong Province.’ ‘Mana Eruption.’
I searched for a combination of all the keywords, but there were no follow-up articles since the breaking news I’d seen this morning.
“Nothing new.”
In that case, I had no additional information to give Kang A-rin.
I was scheduled to meet her this afternoon. I needed Maengju’s help with the mana eruption in Guangdong.
I got up, took a shower, and changed out of the clothes I’d soaked with sweat during training.
The meeting place was… well…
Just downstairs, in Kang A-rin’s room.
This was the message exchange we’d had this morning.
[belief_]: There’s something I need to talk to you about today… Do you have time?
[RIN]: Yeah, I think I’ll be free after the unit class ends?
[belief_]: I have that class too. Can we meet after?
[RIN]: Yep, of course.
We’d settled on the time.
Now it was time to decide on a place.
[belief_]: Where should I go?
[belief_]: The Maengju building? Or should we meet at a restaurant…
Kang A-rin’s reply was simple.
[RIN]: Come down ♥
[RIN]: To the 1st floor!
Reading the message, I let out a dry laugh.
I opened my door and quietly walked down the stairs. I paused in front of the doorplate that read [Kang A-rin] and took a breath.
Knock, knock.
I knocked on her door.
But there was no response.
Just as I raised my hand to knock again…
Beep!
With a sharp electronic tone, the door lock opened on its own. I hesitated for a moment before pushing the heavy door and stepping inside.
“What the.”
But no one was there to greet me.
It seemed she’d opened it remotely from inside the room.
“I’m coming in?”
I took off my shoes and carefully stepped inside.
Her room exuded a cool, clean feeling.
It was amazing how different the atmosphere was, despite having the same layout.
Lingering in the room was the scent of an expensive-looking diffuser and… a thick, hot, humid air. And, seeping from the crack under the bathroom door, the faint sound of water.
‘The sound of water?’
“A-rin?”
No answer. I passed through the living room and headed further in, where I could see her bedroom through a wide-open door.
I hesitated for a moment but soon stepped inside.
And there, I found her.
To be precise.
Inside the half-open bathroom connected to the bedroom.
Through the thick steam, I could see a hazy silhouette.
It was her, one arm draped over the edge of the tub, relaxing comfortably in the water.
It was Kang A-rin.
Splash.
As Kang A-rin shifted slightly, the bubble-filled water rippled gently.
Her smooth shoulders and slender nape were exposed above the water.
A few strands of wet hair trickled down her skin.
“Ah, you’re here? Sorry. I was sweating so much earlier.”
Splash.
As soon as she finished speaking, Kang A-rin slowly, very slowly, rose from the tub.
Swoosh.
White foam cascaded down her body like a waterfall.
I quickly turned my head.
Not everything was clear because of the thick steam, but…
I’d seen the silhouette.
From her slender waist… let’s just stop there.
“Put some clothes on!”
I slammed the bedroom door shut.
“Hee hee.”
Even as the door closed, I could faintly hear her low laughter from the other side.
A few minutes passed.
“All done. You can open it now!”
Her playful voice called out again.
I hesitated for a moment, my hand on the doorknob.
After a few deep breaths, I slowly opened the door.
The steam had mostly dissipated, and beyond it, Kang A-rin was in full view.
She was wearing nothing but a thick, hotel-style robe, leaning casually against the doorframe.
The heat from her bath had flushed her pale skin a rosy pink.
“Are you really all done?”
From the looks of it, she wasn’t.
She didn’t avoid my gaze. Instead, she curled the corner of her lip and spoke.
“Let’s just~ talk like this.”
With that, she brushed past me and headed for the living room.
The scent of soap mixed with her own scent as she passed, making my head spin.
I let out a small sigh and had no choice but to follow her.
“So, what did you want to talk about?”
Kang A-rin asked as she walked into the living room with light steps.
“Ah, it’s a pretty important matter…?”
I had assumed she would sit at the dining table.
But Kang A-rin plopped down on the sofa.
Then she stretched out her legs, swinging them gently.
“You’re going to talk there?”
“Yeah. What’s wrong with that?”
Kang A-rin replied as if it were nothing, leaning deeper into the sofa.
Then, as if to show me, she crossed one leg over the other thigh.
With the movement, the loosely tied robe became even looser, and through the gap, the pale, soft skin of her inner thigh was tantalizingly visible…
This is driving me crazy.
I keep focusing on the wrong things.
In the end, I sat down next to her.
Kang A-rin glanced at me, then leaned even closer.
“What is it? What did you want to talk about?”
I put on a slightly serious expression.
“Have you heard about the mana eruption in Guangdong?”
Seeing my serious face, Kang A-rin’s demeanor immediately turned serious as well.
“Yeah. I heard this morning.”
That was a relief.
Since she already knew, the conversation would be easier.
I paused for a moment, then carefully began.
“But there’s a part of it that seems suspicious to me.”
Though the mood had turned a bit serious, Kang A-rin maintained her playful expression as she waited for me to continue.
“The mana wavelength detected during the Shanghai attack, and the one that appeared in Guangdong this time. I saw the data comparing the two, and the patterns are subtly different…”
“Mm-hm.”
Kang A-rin nodded, propping her chin on her hand with interest.
Watching her reaction, I carefully got to the main point.
“So, what I’m saying is… have you considered… sending an investigation team over there?”
I was a bit cautious.
I was saying this because I had my thoughts and evidence, but it was a different matter from Kang A-rin’s perspective.
The guild’s operations, especially dispatching teams, were entirely under her authority. It could easily be seen as me overstepping my bounds.
“Yeah, so I already sent one.”
“?”
For a moment, I was at a loss for words.
Kang A-rin repeated herself.
“I already sent them.”
“Which team did you send?”
Kang A-rin placed an index finger on her lips, her red eyes glinting alluringly as she smiled.
“Ms. Yu Serin’s team.”
“!!”
There was no better choice.
If it was Yu Serin, she would undoubtedly uncover everything without missing a single trace.
Her Insight Eye was an exceptional ability.
‘Just a little more.’
Just in case, I added a little more.
“But in my opinion, rather than just investigating Guangdong, it might be a good idea to check the nearby areas, just in case…”
“Yep.”
She cut me off gently, leaning back deep into the sofa.
“I told them to search the surrounding areas thoroughly, too. Just in case. Especially… Hunan Province, right above it?”
I was dumbfounded.
Kang A-rin had already taken care of everything I was about to ask of her.
I finally let out a hollow laugh.
“That’s it. That’s all I wanted to say.”
The tension drained out of me.
I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d prepared to persuade her for nothing.
Just as I was about to lean back against the sofa…
“Hmph… is that so?”
As soon as I finished my answer, Kang A-rin slithered across the sofa.
The distance between us vanished in an instant.
“That’s it? Is that really all?”
She pressed her body right up against mine.
I could feel the residual heat from her bath radiating from her torso.
“What a shame… I was really looking forward to it…”
I couldn’t say a word.
Her hand, which had been on my shoulder, slid up to cup the back of my neck, her fingers gently caressing my cheek.
Her thumb grazed the corner of my lips.
Because her red eyes were staring at me as if they were about to devour me whole.