A Different Choice (2)
I examined the documents with keen interest. The man's voice softened with feigned kindness.
"Ah, I haven't offered you anything to drink. What would you like, Yuseong?"
The man asked as he picked up the phone beside him.
A drink?
I'd been about to refuse, since it didn't seem like we'd be having any pleasant conversation. I really had meant to turn it down.
Slurp.
Damn, my mouth was watering. I couldn't hold back. After months without so much as a lukewarm can, this was torture.
But would they even stock something like this for guest entertainment?
"Do you have cola? With ice cubes floating in it... about one liter."
I'd planned to buy some the moment I stepped outside anyway. Since he was offering, I wasn't about to refuse.
His expression didn't even flicker. Must be used to it.
"One coffee for me... and one liter of cola for our guest. With plenty of ice."
"Excuse me? Ah, yes. I'll prepare it right away!"
Even so, the person on the other end of the line sounded slightly flustered.
Just as I thought—no one ever orders cola here.
Gulp. Gulp.
Thud!
I set the oversized cup down. A proper liter-sized cola cup. Nice. I needed to get one of these.
"Krr! Cola really is a gift from the gods. Thank you—I enjoyed every drop."
"Haha, you really do love cola. Shall we continue our discussion then?"
"By all means."
The man tapped a section of the documents with his finger.
"Right. You simply need to testify exactly as written here. The truth, of course."
He'd been stressing the words the truth from the beginning.
I could guarantee one thing: it was definitely a lie.
I knew that witch's style all too well.
The only true part was that I had been at the scene. My civilian-era photo was plastered all over the CCTV footage.
"You remember the Sudden Gate that opened that day, correct?"
That much I did remember. It had been a major incident.
The man was trying to brainwash me by exploiting the fact that it was a memory from quite some time ago. I nodded along, pretending to listen with rapt attention.
Since he'd treated me to a refreshing cola on the very first day of my regression, I could at least spare him this much time.
I acted clueless and asked questions as if curious.
"Um... by the way, this woman—I feel like I've seen her somewhere. Who is she?"
"She is Yoon Sera, Guild Master of the Saint Guild. A reasonably skilled hunter. This person fled the scene of the gate accident. As a result, countless civilians lost their lives...."
Aha. So that was the story they were spinning.
I left the man to his diligent novel-writing and recalled the Saintess from my previous life.
So her name had been Yoon Sera.
The Saint Guild, though? Unfortunately it was one I'd never heard of in my past life.
They must not have made much of a name for themselves before they were ruined.
"The Association will certainly not overlook this if they learn the facts."
They're planning to discipline Yoon Sera by claiming she violated her hunter duties?
While only catching the information that benefited me, I apologized to Yoon Sera in my heart.
Looking back, the sense that I'd seen her once before hadn't been a mistake.
I must have seen her in that photo. No wonder I didn't recognize her.
Unlike the man from Taeseong whose face I'd seen several times after joining, she hadn't stuck in my memory at all.
I'd never had the chance to see her in person, after all.
Wait—why had the Association believed my statement without even arranging a face-to-face meeting? For something this serious, shouldn't they have verified everything thoroughly?
After a brief moment of doubt, I understood. Taeseong must have pulled some strings again.
What a bunch of bastards.
At any rate, it seems Yoon Sera suffered greatly because of my false testimony. That might even be what drove her to leave Korea for the United States.
The Saintess's icy gaze. The way she'd mocked my character. The voice thick with hostility.
Only now did her attitude make sense.
It had all been the result of me dancing to Taeseong Guild's tune. Yoon Sera must have misunderstood, believing I had done it knowingly.
The fact that I hadn't known didn't excuse me. As someone who should only testify to clear facts, I had spoken about things I didn't remember as if they were true.
All because I was desperate to join the Taeseong Guild and parroted whatever they told me to say.
I hadn't held any real attachment to Taeseong anyway.
Unlike ordinary hunters, joining them would make proper growth nearly impossible for me.
Their system poured unlimited support into promising talents while treating people like me—who'd been judged as trash—as non-combat personnel and assigning us menial tasks.
For someone who needed to clear as many dungeons as possible, it was the worst possible environment.
And.
The most important reason.
Now that I knew their blade was aimed at Yoon Sera—the one who had given me this regression—I had no intention of playing along with their schemes.
Even the faint traces of old affection I'd felt vanished completely.
Having organized my thoughts, I quietly rose from my seat.
"So, Yuseong, you..."
The Taeseong employee looked up at me, puzzled. He'd been in the middle of speaking, so my sudden movement left him slightly flustered.
But his expression quickly smoothed over.
"Ah, Shin Yuseong, you're truly a righteous man. Shall we proceed immediately then?"
The employee stood as well.
Proceed where?
Did he think the righteous me had decided to testify out of fury at Yoon Sera for running away?
He seemed to have completely misunderstood....
I opened my mouth.
"As I listened, the events of that day came back to me with perfect clarity."
"Is that so? I'm glad we're on the same wavelength. Welcome to the family."
That's not what I meant, mister.
"It seems there's been a misunderstanding. What I'm saying is that, in my memory, this woman was not present at the scene."
The man froze, then looked up at me. His eyes sharpened.
"What did you just say?"
"The woman named Yoon Sera was not at that scene. If I'd seen a beauty like that, it definitely would have left an impression. Sigh, I'm a man too—how could I possibly forget a woman that stunning?"
Silence fell.
His mouth hung open. He clearly couldn't process the current situation.
"At any rate, let's pretend the conversation we just had never happened. It seems I'm simply not fated to join the Taeseong Guild."
I sighed and turned away.
"Wait! Shin Yuseong, you clearly acted as if you would cooperate earlier!"
The man shouted from behind me.
I turned back around and answered.
"Yes, I did. But as I listened to the story, the memory that the woman wasn't there came back crystal clear. What else can I do? Unfortunately it seems I'm out of luck."
I gave a polite bow.
Bewilderment spread across the man's face.
This was the Taeseong Guild.
One of the top two guilds in South Korea, competing for the highest rank.
He must have assumed that someone like me—with specs that fell far short on paper—would fabricate any story necessary if it meant joining Taeseong.
Instead I was doing the exact opposite of what he expected.
I was even putting on an act of a good-natured fool who couldn't even seize an opportunity when it was handed to him.
"Ha... This is absurd. I thought we understood each other."
The man clutched his forehead.
Did it work? My idiot act?
In my heart I wanted to warn them not to lay a hand on Yoon Sera, but....
Not yet. My strength is still lacking.
I held a grudge against the people who had used me. But for now, the correct move was to pretend ignorance and withdraw.
I could grow stronger and repay them later.
A gentleman's revenge is never too late, even after ten years.
"Ha, I wasted my time for nothing. You are rejected, Shin Yuseong. Leave immediately."
Good.
At least he wasn't dragging it out.
I had just reached the door, ready to leave quickly at the man's words, when—
Creak.
The door opened before I could even touch the handle.
My body stiffened.
"Huk! You've arrived!"
The man bowed his head hurriedly toward the newcomer. His attitude was far more respectful than when he'd dealt with me.
That was only natural.
To earn a salary in this building, that was the proper way to greet such a person.
The master of the Taeseong Guild had appeared.
Han Yura.
The woman who had been helplessly slain on the day the Dragon of Doom first revealed itself to the world.
It had been a while, but her current appearance wasn't much different from what I remembered.
Red hair. Sharp eyes. Her beauty remained untouched.
At the waist of her skintight leather outfit hung her signature weapon—a thick whip, coiled and ready.
That whip had turned countless monsters into shredded meat. The current me couldn't even resist it.
Even though I knew she couldn't go completely overboard, I couldn't help feeling a slight tension.
After all, she was a famous S-class hunter in South Korea.
"I happened to overhear an interesting conversation while passing by?"
She had good ears.
It would have been better if she'd simply walked past. What whim had struck her this time? Or had she been paying close attention to this matter?
I kept my eyes lowered as much as possible. Getting caught would be troublesome.
"Th-that's... It's nothing. This person wasn't suitable. That's why I processed his rejection."
Han Yura didn't even glance at the recruitment staff as she spoke in a low, suggestive tone.
"You didn't remember, huh.... Then I'll make a new offer. Give the false testimony exactly as I tell you, and I'll accept you into our guild. How about it?"
"...!"
I was genuinely shocked.
False testimony? This crazy woman was saying it outright?
No matter that she was the master of Taeseong Guild, wasn't this too far?
I swallowed the curses rising in my throat.
I had to keep my eyes looking innocent, too.
"False... testimony?"
I asked back with a bewildered expression, as if I didn't understand.
Han Yura stepped closer. She leaned her face right in front of mine. A heavy rose scent stung my nose.
"Hmm... Are you just an idiot?"
It worked. My idiot act.
After staring at every inch of my face for a long moment, she seemed to lose interest and stepped back.
"It was a joke. You didn't actually believe something like false testimony, did you?"
I knew she was serious, but since I lacked the power, I couldn't reveal the truth yet.
"Of course I didn't beli—"
Just as I opened my mouth—
Whoosh!
With a piercing sound, the whip flew at me without warning. Every nerve in my body locked onto the tip hurtling toward my face as if to pierce straight through it.
Time slowed to a crawl.
My mind spun at full speed. I calculated the whip's trajectory and the force behind it.
Although regression had reset all my physical abilities, the experience I'd built up remained fully intact.
Watching Han Yura's shoulder and arm twitch, I felt inwardly relieved.
Her rude, ill-tempered whims were still the same.
"Huk!"
Did he think she was about to create a corpse? The recruitment staff let out a belated scream.
What he feared did not happen.
The tip of Han Yura's whip had stopped right in front of my right eye.
I stared at the end of the whip.
Other than my eyes stinging slightly from the wind pressure, I hadn't suffered any injury.
No matter how crazy Han Yura is, she wouldn't ignore international hunter laws and harm someone.
It seemed I'd gotten through it safely.
"Hiiik! Wh-what are you doing!"
If I pretended to be startled and fell flat on my ass, the performance would be perfect!
Now if Han Yura would just back off obediently....
"Hoo...."
Like hell she would.
The corners of Han Yura's mouth curved upward.
It was a habit of hers that appeared whenever she discovered something interesting.
I'd seen that expression many times in my previous life. I knew better than anyone how much trouble that smile could cause.
"You have good eyes? Extremely good. I'll specially accept you into our guild. Ah, what's our new recruit's name?"
Damn it.
I should have kept my eyes closed, but this stupid habit....
Now what?
It looked like I'd caught the attention of a dangerous woman.