08. Bad Friend
08. Bad Friend
"Let go! Let me gooo!!"
Eun-jeong flailed wildly, grabbing Yeon-seo's arm and putting all her strength into it.
It would've been far better to use Nobling like a proper Noblesse, but her instincts told her that would be the worst possible choice.
"One more twitch out of you, and I'll wipe out your entire family."
After issuing her final warning, Yeon-seo let go of the hand she'd been gripping, and Eun-jeong went tumbling down in the most pathetic fashion.
The marble floor was spotless, without a speck of sand or dust to dirty her, but the fact that this had happened in front of everyone utterly shredded her pride.
"You... you... fucking bitch...!"
Unbearable rage.
It boiled up all the way to the top of her head.
She wanted to rip that arrogant face to shreds right then and there and deal with all the onlookers sneering at her, but Yeon-seo's warning echoed in her mind, stopping her from acting on it.
All she could manage in the end was to glare from her undignified position on the floor.
Seeing that, Yeon-seo curled her lips in a cold smile, as if she'd won a great victory.
"Get up already, Commissioner. Why are you lying there like that?"
She'd been a total pain in the ass from start to finish.
.
.
After pushing through all sorts of commotions, the group finally arrived at their destination.
The place Yeon-seo had led them to was her own bedroom.
In a mansion like this, there'd usually be a separate guest reception area, so why choose this spot specifically?
"Wow, it's so fluffy."
"...."
As always, Sihwan did whatever the hell he wanted—even barging into Yeon-seo's bedroom didn't change him.
Without even asking the owner's permission, he'd plopped his ass right down on the bed.
"That's rude!"
Yu Ina rushed over in a panic to check, but it was no use. Yoo Eun-hye, who'd come in as his bodyguard, just stared with a look that said, 'What the hell is this guy?'
"What's the big deal? It's not like it's gonna wear out. Hey, are you married?"
"...What kind of random question is that out of nowhere?"
Yeon-seo, who'd long since given up on Sihwan, sighed and sat down on the sofa.
"No, I mean, the bed's huge."
Just as he said, the bed in Yeon-seo's room was enormous.
Sure, even living alone, beds like the ones Sihwan or Yu Ina used were pretty big, but Yeon-seo's was so massive it was hard to believe it was for one person.
"I'm not at the age to get married yet? Unlike some people, I'm not hooking up with humans."
"Ahem...."
"And that bed was custom-ordered three days ago. I was just gonna try it out once."
"I see."
Sihwan nodded as if he got it, then promptly lay down flat.
"...."
A wave of fluffiness enveloped his entire body.
"Cut it out already...!!"
Yeon-seo had given up on him, but Yu Ina hadn't.
Her husband's antics were tied to her own honor!
She finally dragged Sihwan off the bed and forcibly hauled him over to the sofa.
"What's wrong with lying down for a bit? You're so damn naggy."
"Shut up, you clueless idiot."
"Sigh. With that attitude, you'll never get married. If it weren't for me, no one would've taken you."
"Who're you calling clueless, you damn... human...!"
"I'm talking to you, wifey. Looks like your IQ's taken a nosedive. Too bad."
"Ugh...!"
While Yu Ina and Sihwan bickered like that, Eun-jeong finally entered the room, radiating icy coldness.
With a perfectly stony expression, she glanced at Yeon-seo and Sihwan's group across from her, then settled into the single-seater sofa at the head of the room.
"...."
Yeon-seo's eyebrow twitched for a split second.
Had she still not come to her senses? Yeon-seo pondered whether to put her in her place properly, but decided this much was just cute.
'This bitch has her pride, after all.'
More than pride, it pierced the heavens, so unless they were going full war, overlooking this might be the smarter play.
Noticing her inner conflict, maybe? Eun-jeong looked at Yeon-seo and said,
"There's no seat?"
"Who said there wasn't?"
The intense hostility from their first meeting was gone.
Now it was just a frozen cold war.
Of course, after getting her hair yanked and slammed to the floor without fighting back, Eun-jeong was already at a huge disadvantage—but that commissioner badge wasn't going anywhere. If she wanted, she could still make Yeon-seo's life hell.
Even if all she could do was annoy her....
"Alright, let's get down to business."
Ha Yeon-seo, Ryu Si-hwan, Yu Ina, and Phone Eun-jeong.
With all the key players seated, it was time for the real talk.
"Then, first off, the contract—"
"Oh, hold on. Private loans are supposed to be one-on-one. We'll do it later."
"I'm busy."
"I'm busy too~."
Cutting Sihwan off, she turned her face toward Eun-jeong at the head seat.
Crossing her legs arrogantly like that, it felt like a blatant taunt: Go ahead and try me.
"You first, Commissioner. What brings you all the way here?"
"...."
Eun-jeong glared at her for a long while.
Her rage from earlier hadn't cooled one bit.
She'd taken a hit once, but her pride burned like an active volcano, her mind racing to screw Yeon-seo over somehow.
"Refreshments."
As the servants slipped in as quietly as possible to set out the tea and leave, her lips finally parted.
"Three things. First, Jin Seong-hyeon of the Jin Family went missing and turned up as a corpse. Second, appointing a 'human' as the trainee representative, the symbol of the Academy cohort. Third, the previous cohort heading to the 11th floor for their graduation exam getting wiped out."
"That's a different order from what I expected? And mind your manners. Why the casual speech?"
"A lowly human talks casual to you, so why should I use honorifics?"
"...."
Yeon-seo was at a loss for words.
It was totally unfair, but she had no comeback.
She bit her lip and shot Sihwan a side-eye.
"Fine, whatever... But none of that has anything to do with me, so why are you here?"
"Nothing to do with you? The 11th Floor Incident is the same for other Academies, fine, but Jin Seong-hyeon turned up dead near the Academy, and the trainee rep and vice-rep are Academy matters by definition—how is that not related?"
"Whoever Jin Seong-hyeon was, he fucked around and got himself killed. The trainee rep? This human was the strongest, so that's how it happened. I had zero involvement."
"You expect me to believe that?"
"Believe it or not, that's the truth?"
"Autopsy results point to dismemberment via Writing and massive blood loss as Jin Seong-hyeon's cause of death. The one who used it? Academy instructor Yu Ina."
"Eek."
Yu Ina flinched slightly.
Yeon-seo gave her a quick glance, then tilted her head the other way and turned back to Eun-jeong.
"Fine... So what's your ultimate point? We don't have time, so spit it out quick."
Eun-jeong smiled coldly.
"Step down."
"From what?"
"Academy Chief Instructor. Give it up."
"Ha.... This is our family's property."
"You're getting subsidies from the Committee and Supreme Committee. Can you really call it fully yours?"
"We'd run fine without that crap. Take it if you want. And didn't I warn you to play nice?"
A mere 3rd-rank commissioner spouting this arrogant bullshit.
On the surface, the Academy Chief Instructor position looked like a thankless honorific with no profits—just a ton of work and zero perks.
But that was just the external view. In family politics, it was a hugely important seat.
Whether you'd been Chief Instructor or not, and what achievements or scandals you had, determined the scale and type of businesses you'd helm next—and it even influenced your shot at becoming Ha Family head down the line.
In other words, Ha Yeon-seo sitting in that Chief Instructor chair was no exaggeration as a stepping stone to becoming the Ha Family head someday.
But if she got forced out dishonorably? That future glory would vanish into the horizon—or worse, become a pipe dream forever.
"Ugh!"
"?"
"Ahahaha!!"
Eun-jeong suddenly burst out laughing.
Everyone stared at her like she was a madwoman, but she didn't give a damn.
After cackling for a good while, she wiped her tears and said,
"You see me as total shit, huh? Yeah, I got no roots, and compared to your fancy house, mine's nothing."
"...."
"But... that doesn't mean I'm just gonna sit on my hands."
She reached back, and one of her attendants—who'd been uncomfortably scanning the room—handed her something.
"Didn't I say earlier? I came for three things."
She tossed what she'd received onto the table.
A single sealed letter.
"But that was a lie. The real reason is to deliver that."
"...."
"I came in person just to hand over this letter. You're welcome."
Sender: Noblesse Committee.
Recipient: Academy Chief Instructor Ha Yeon-seo.
Sensing something ominous, Yeon-seo glared at Eun-jeong before picking up the letter.
"...."
Even if it was a notch below the Supreme Committee that oversaw the entire Tower, the Noblesse Committee was a major political powerhouse meddling in all Noblesse society affairs.
In a Noblesse world without kings, it wasn't exaggeration to say they effectively ran society.
With their seal stamped boldly on it, even she couldn't help feeling uneasy.
"P.S., it went to your main family too, so no worries about them getting the news~."
Peeling it open carefully, a long sentence was written on the neatly folded paper inside.
It was lengthy, but summed up....
"They're... dismissing me?"
"Technically a 'request for dismissal,' but~ since it went to your main family too~ they'll probably go along with it? It's a 'Committee' order, after all."
"Ha... you, of all people... dismissing me?"
"What're you talking about? It says right there, 'Noblesse Committee.' What, has our Yeon-seo gone senile with presbyopia already? Poor thing~."
Regaining her spunk, Eun-jeong kept mocking her nonstop.
"You should've just behaved~. Honestly, you went too far? A Noblesse dies, some random human becomes trainee rep... and the vice-rep's a Beastkin, right? How much did you get paid? Oh, and you didn't mention it, but how many people have you killed off without permission? Under the guise of exams, you must've offed tens of thousands at least. That's your karma."
"...Ridiculous."
"That's your problem. Oh! Originally, they were gonna punish instructor Yu Ina over Jin Seong-hyeon's death too, but Yu Family, right? Even the Committee wouldn't wanna touch that at that level. Those old fogeys are all cowards anyway. But someone's gotta take the fall. So they dumped it on the easy target—you. Perfect timing with the Chief Instructor spot too. You know? Infinite responsibility. Bosses cover for their subordinates' fuckups."
Speaking like she was giving advice, she wore a face full of triumphant revenge for earlier.
"Alright, that wraps up my business~."
Beaming broadly, she stood and suddenly bowed deeply toward Yu Ina.
"The Jin Seong-hyeon incident is fully closed, so miss, no need to worry. Wishing you health and longevity."
Night and day from her attitude earlier. Anyone would think she genuinely revered the Yu Family.
Of course, inside, she thought the exact opposite—they were the monstrous clan that married a human to a Noblesse.
Putting on this humble act now was to show Yeon-seo: The Yu Family's so big even the Committee won't touch them, but your Ha Family? Not so much.
In short, pure theater to mess with Yeon-seo.
Naturally, Yeon-seo's rage shot to her head.
"You—,"
She'd crossed the line, so it wouldn't end with just yanking hair like before.
But....
"Miss!!"
One of the servants came running in do-do-do with urgent news.
"...What."
Her face dripped with displeasure as she shot back, and the approaching servant quietly handed her something.
A letter from the main family.
"...."
"Oh my! They already handled it~ Wow, that's fast. Gotta admit, this is impressive. The infrastructure spanning the whole Tower! Lightning-fast news! Good good. Amazing, really. I respect the Ha Family."
Convinced of the dismissal from the Chief Instructor post, Eun-jeong gave double thumbs-up while sneering.