CH 280
Chapter 280
“That phone call right now, it was from Bae Jaemin?”
As soon as I cut off contact with the Priest, Seo Dawon suddenly appeared carrying a filthy Lackey.
The problem, though, was that I wasn’t alone in the hospital room. Kim Sangyoon was surprised by Lackey’s sudden appearance; he clamped his mouth shut and retreated a few steps. No wonder–he must be scared since he can’t see Seo Dawon with his eyes.
“S-Seo Dawon-nim… Is he here?” The warrior asked me.
“Yes?” However, I was left surprised this time.
Kim Sangyoon looked into the empty air with a wary expression, but he seemed confident that Seo Dawon was present. I asked Seo Dawon a question silently with my eyes about what was happening, but, instead of answering, the Mage lightly flicked his finger.
Poof–!
“Argh!” Kim Sangyoon sat down, startled, as he exclaimed out loud; the warrior sounded a bit like a ball that was losing air. “I-I’m leaving!” He shouted as he rose to his feet, lightning quick, and ran out of the hospital room.
I was left staring at the door with an incredulous feeling.
“It seems his nose has gotten a bit better,” the Mage commented.
“Huh?”
“I’m talking about Sangyoon-ie. Anyway, that’s that. I asked if it was Bae Jaemin that just called.”
“…Yeah. He referred to the Jeju Island incident… It felt like he was fishing for information.” As I responded, I felt a hard touch on my knee; I lifted Lackey and hugged it in my arms. My waist felt a little stiff at that movement, but I could endure that sort of pain. Lackey, who had been all tearful as it clung to my feet, rubbed its face into my arms as soon as I picked it up.
However, I smelt a–until now–burnt scent I had never smelt before on the skeleton. I was curious, but I thought I should finish dealing with the Bae Jaemin matter first.
Seo Dawon looked at me hugging the skeleton before speaking in a tired tone, “I suppose, even if Jaemin was unintelligent, you were involved in every big event… It was inevitable that you’d be suspected sooner or later.”
“……”
“Then… I suppose we’ll need to buy some time.” Then, Seo Dawon plopped onto my bed and began writing an email something on the laptop that he had left in the hospital room. Then, turning the screen towards me, he requested that I contact an unfamiliar number. “Call this number here.”
“Huh? Yeah…”
The cell phone I received from him was already ringing. And, not long after, an unfamiliar woman answered the phone.
–Who are you to contact me through this number?
On the laptop screen, Seo Dawon wrote to me, ‘I sent the account book that Geum Miyoung had written to your previous email account.’
I read exactly what was written, in a nervous voice, to the stranger. “I’ve sent the account book that Geum Miyoung had written…to your previous email account.” 1
–…Who are you, really?
The woman’s voice turned stormy.
“Hang up, Lee-kyung-ah.”
I hung up in a hurry; as soon as I hung up, I kept getting calls from the number I just called. However, Seo Dawon placed the cell phone back into his personal inventory, and the hospital room became tranquil again.
I folded my arms, silently asking the Mage to explain.
Seo Dawon docilely opened his mouth. “Do you remember? A long time ago? Lim Jisoo’s younger brother?”
“What? Ah….”
“That was the person who helped me back then.”
“What exactly does that person do?”
“She’s a prosecutor. She has enough talent that it’s a pity she’s not a User.”
I recalled the woman’s voice and glanced at the Mage momentarily. Was she perhaps his ex-girlfriend? It can’t be, right? However, Seo Dawon immediately guessed my thoughts after looking at my expression. He giggled and smiled, “No. Besides, didn’t we both decide to leave our pasts behind?”
Though I felt relief at his rebuttal, I felt his statement about leaving our pasts behind a little too much. Temper flaring, I retorted, “Don’t be ridiculous. You may have a lot to leave behind, but I don’t.”
Perhaps I wouldn’t feel this way if I had at least dated one other person. However, Seo Dawon listened to me with a strange expression. Straight away, he asked, “Really? Then why did you mumble Han Kiseok’s name in your sleep?”
“What?!”
“I heard it not long after we began our contract. And, afterwards, you often mumbled his name in your sleep.”
“No..!”
“That’s why I thought you two had an extremely intimate relationship.”
Never in my wildest dreams did I expect the Mage to be under this delusion. Face flushed, I rambled and made excuses, “Wh-What are you saying?! Honestly, haven’t I said that Han Kiseok didn’t like me… Besides, he’s no longer recognizing me on social media. It says he unfollowed me… Really…I’ve said many times that he and I had no relationship, but how long will you latch onto this delusion?!”
As I spoke I cringed as I remembered a previous reckless incident, but… In any case, that wasn’t anything comparable to what Seo Dawon had imagined, so I was determined to correct his misunderstanding.
Seo Dawon nodded at my desperate excuse. “Alright, Lee-kyung-ah. I’ll apologize to you.”
“…Th-Thank you…?” However, when I thought about it again, I felt a bit cheated.
I glared at him immediately, but, rather than being intimidated, Seo Dawon approached me with a grin. However, before he reached me, Lackey wriggled up to my shoulder.
[Clack Clack.]
[I love you so much.]
Then, the skeleton rubbed its cheek against mine. I stroked its cheek, savoring the Mage’s annoyed expression.
Immediately, Seo Dawon crossed his arms, “I think Lackey is too stupid. I thought its brain might be as intelligent as a chimera’s, but…”
“Don’t say such horrible things.” To protect the skeleton from Seo Dawon’s sullen gaze, I sat on the bed again and stared at him. Then, I re-visited our prior topic. “So, what sort of data did you send?”
“Geum Miyoung?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, things about her double ledgers, of course.” 2 The Mage said, as if it were obvious. Apparently, they had barely managed to find Geum Miyoung’s weak point.
However, I still didn’t know what all this had to do with Bae Jaemin’s phone call and our appointment tomorrow. I asked about it, “Geum Miyoung’s double ledger…No way, does it implicate [HaHae]?”
“No. I put everything *except* for [HaHae] in that document. [Virtuoso, [Opera]…even [Red Dragon].”
As soon as I heard that, I realized what he meant–how his plan would put Bae Jaemin in trouble.
However…
“Even [Red Dragon]?”
“Just one more criminal charge to add to Koo Kyungman’s list.”
“……”
Fortunately, there seemed to be a way for Koo Hui-seo to escape the fallout. When I looked a little relieved, Seo Dawon immediately sarcastically remarked, “Why? Are you worried something will happen to Koo Hui-seo?”
“He’s our cash cow, after all.”
“Hmmm…”
Well…To be frank, that wasn’t the only reason for my relief. Fortunately, though, the mage didn’t question me further.
After watching me fidget, Seo Dawon finally got to the main point. “I didn’t only send my ‘suspicions’ to the prosecutor; I tipped off mass media as well. I attached solid evidence of the double ledger to the email.”
“What?”
“To be exact, I informed the press that a prosecutor was investigating this case. Furthermore, I stated that they’ve received this scoop before the guild masters of all the large-scale guild masters. They could negotiate manuscript fees in advance…before this matter makes it to the front page of the news.”
“Then…”
“It’s safe to say that there won’t be a single large-scale guild executive who hasn’t heard about this by tomorrow morning.”
That meant, starting tonight, Bae Jaemin would be so busy he wouldn’t be able to pay attention to anything else. Seo Dawon smiled at my expression. Then, he dropped another bomb. “That’s why… We’ll have to kidnap Geum Miyoung by tomorrow morning.”
“What?!” I was startled, but I suppose Geum Miyoung was one of our revenge targets anyway. But, it was another matter to consider kidnapping her while we’re being so publically scrutinized.
However, Seo Dawon had already set up a trap for Geum Miyoung. “I’m sure she’s heard the news too. The guild executives are sure to contact her and make a giant fuss. They’ll try to stealthily meet her tonight.”
“That’s…”
As the double ledger scandal was on the verge of bursting out to the public, the media would soon contact those involved; since Geum Miyoung was in charge of the finances, the guilds were sure to interrogate her. They were bound–within the same boat–like those from the [Tower of Command] incident. Then, Geum Miyoung was sure to have been transported to a specified place.
Then, Seo Dawon informed me that Geun Miyoung was currently staying in an exclusive, gated neighborhood. Therefore, there was only one road leading in or out. “Furthermore, you have to pass through a tunnel to reach the hub’s downtown.”
When I heard his explanation, I wondered, “Can’t people just Warp or Teleport there?”
“Executives won’t gather at places that allow for Warping or Teleportation. That’s a perfect recipe for assassination attempts, after all.”
Hearing that, I thought about possibly finding and raiding their gathering location. However, my current capacity only allows me to summon one servant; it would be too much to sweep all those Users away with only one servant.
Seo Dawon nodded, “Frankly, it would be best to try and knock them all out at once. Well, at least Geum Miyoung would make a good hunting target.”
“Really?”
“First, we should rob the slush fund. After all, warehouse managers are known to make as much money as the businessmen that own the warehouse contents,” Seo Dawon said, smiling coldly.
“That phone call right now, it was from Bae Jaemin?”
As soon as I cut off contact with the Priest, Seo Dawon suddenly appeared carrying a filthy Lackey.
The problem, though, was that I wasn’t alone in the hospital room. Kim Sangyoon was surprised by Lackey’s sudden appearance; he clamped his mouth shut and retreated a few steps. No wonder–he must be scared since he can’t see Seo Dawon with his eyes.
“S-Seo Dawon-nim… Is he here?” The warrior asked me.
“Yes?” However, I was left surprised this time.
Kim Sangyoon looked into the empty air with a wary expression, but he seemed confident that Seo Dawon was present. I asked Seo Dawon a question silently with my eyes about what was happening, but, instead of answering, the Mage lightly flicked his finger.
Poof–!
“Argh!” Kim Sangyoon sat down, startled, as he exclaimed out loud; the warrior sounded a bit like a ball that was losing air. “I-I’m leaving!” He shouted as he rose to his feet, lightning quick, and ran out of the hospital room.
I was left staring at the door with an incredulous feeling.
“It seems his nose has gotten a bit better,” the Mage commented.
“Huh?”
“I’m talking about Sangyoon-ie. Anyway, that’s that. I asked if it was Bae Jaemin that just called.”
“…Yeah. He referred to the Jeju Island incident… It felt like he was fishing for information.” As I responded, I felt a hard touch on my knee; I lifted Lackey and hugged it in my arms. My waist felt a little stiff at that movement, but I could endure that sort of pain. Lackey, who had been all tearful as it clung to my feet, rubbed its face into my arms as soon as I picked it up.
However, I smelt a–until now–burnt scent I had never smelt before on the skeleton. I was curious, but I thought I should finish dealing with the Bae Jaemin matter first.
Seo Dawon looked at me hugging the skeleton before speaking in a tired tone, “I suppose, even if Jaemin was unintelligent, you were involved in every big event… It was inevitable that you’d be suspected sooner or later.”
“……”
“Then… I suppose we’ll need to buy some time.” Then, Seo Dawon plopped onto my bed and began writing an email something on the laptop that he had left in the hospital room. Then, turning the screen towards me, he requested that I contact an unfamiliar number. “Call this number here.”
“Huh? Yeah…”
The cell phone I received from him was already ringing. And, not long after, an unfamiliar woman answered the phone.
–Who are you to contact me through this number?
On the laptop screen, Seo Dawon wrote to me, ‘I sent the account book that Geum Miyoung had written to your previous email account.’
I read exactly what was written, in a nervous voice, to the stranger. “I’ve sent the account book that Geum Miyoung had written…to your previous email account.” 1
–…Who are you, really?
The woman’s voice turned stormy.
“Hang up, Lee-kyung-ah.”
I hung up in a hurry; as soon as I hung up, I kept getting calls from the number I just called. However, Seo Dawon placed the cell phone back into his personal inventory, and the hospital room became tranquil again.
I folded my arms, silently asking the Mage to explain.
Seo Dawon docilely opened his mouth. “Do you remember? A long time ago? Lim Jisoo’s younger brother?”
“What? Ah….”
“That was the person who helped me back then.”
“What exactly does that person do?”
“She’s a prosecutor. She has enough talent that it’s a pity she’s not a User.”
I recalled the woman’s voice and glanced at the Mage momentarily. Was she perhaps his ex-girlfriend? It can’t be, right? However, Seo Dawon immediately guessed my thoughts after looking at my expression. He giggled and smiled, “No. Besides, didn’t we both decide to leave our pasts behind?”
Though I felt relief at his rebuttal, I felt his statement about leaving our pasts behind a little too much. Temper flaring, I retorted, “Don’t be ridiculous. You may have a lot to leave behind, but I don’t.”
Perhaps I wouldn’t feel this way if I had at least dated one other person. However, Seo Dawon listened to me with a strange expression. Straight away, he asked, “Really? Then why did you mumble Han Kiseok’s name in your sleep?”
“What?!”
“I heard it not long after we began our contract. And, afterwards, you often mumbled his name in your sleep.”
“No..!”
“That’s why I thought you two had an extremely intimate relationship.”
Never in my wildest dreams did I expect the Mage to be under this delusion. Face flushed, I rambled and made excuses, “Wh-What are you saying?! Honestly, haven’t I said that Han Kiseok didn’t like me… Besides, he’s no longer recognizing me on social media. It says he unfollowed me… Really…I’ve said many times that he and I had no relationship, but how long will you latch onto this delusion?!”
As I spoke I cringed as I remembered a previous reckless incident, but… In any case, that wasn’t anything comparable to what Seo Dawon had imagined, so I was determined to correct his misunderstanding.
Seo Dawon nodded at my desperate excuse. “Alright, Lee-kyung-ah. I’ll apologize to you.”
“…Th-Thank you…?” However, when I thought about it again, I felt a bit cheated.
I glared at him immediately, but, rather than being intimidated, Seo Dawon approached me with a grin. However, before he reached me, Lackey wriggled up to my shoulder.
[Clack Clack.]
[I love you so much.]
Then, the skeleton rubbed its cheek against mine. I stroked its cheek, savoring the Mage’s annoyed expression.
Immediately, Seo Dawon crossed his arms, “I think Lackey is too stupid. I thought its brain might be as intelligent as a chimera’s, but…”
“Don’t say such horrible things.” To protect the skeleton from Seo Dawon’s sullen gaze, I sat on the bed again and stared at him. Then, I re-visited our prior topic. “So, what sort of data did you send?”
“Geum Miyoung?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, things about her double ledgers, of course.” 2 The Mage said, as if it were obvious. Apparently, they had barely managed to find Geum Miyoung’s weak point.
However, I still didn’t know what all this had to do with Bae Jaemin’s phone call and our appointment tomorrow. I asked about it, “Geum Miyoung’s double ledger…No way, does it implicate [HaHae]?”
“No. I put everything *except* for [HaHae] in that document. [Virtuoso, [Opera]…even [Red Dragon].”
As soon as I heard that, I realized what he meant–how his plan would put Bae Jaemin in trouble.
However…
“Even [Red Dragon]?”
“Just one more criminal charge to add to Koo Kyungman’s list.”
“……”
Fortunately, there seemed to be a way for Koo Hui-seo to escape the fallout. When I looked a little relieved, Seo Dawon immediately sarcastically remarked, “Why? Are you worried something will happen to Koo Hui-seo?”
“He’s our cash cow, after all.”
“Hmmm…”
Well…To be frank, that wasn’t the only reason for my relief. Fortunately, though, the mage didn’t question me further.
After watching me fidget, Seo Dawon finally got to the main point. “I didn’t only send my ‘suspicions’ to the prosecutor; I tipped off mass media as well. I attached solid evidence of the double ledger to the email.”
“What?”
“To be exact, I informed the press that a prosecutor was investigating this case. Furthermore, I stated that they’ve received this scoop before the guild masters of all the large-scale guild masters. They could negotiate manuscript fees in advance…before this matter makes it to the front page of the news.”
“Then…”
“It’s safe to say that there won’t be a single large-scale guild executive who hasn’t heard about this by tomorrow morning.”
That meant, starting tonight, Bae Jaemin would be so busy he wouldn’t be able to pay attention to anything else. Seo Dawon smiled at my expression. Then, he dropped another bomb. “That’s why… We’ll have to kidnap Geum Miyoung by tomorrow morning.”
“What?!” I was startled, but I suppose Geum Miyoung was one of our revenge targets anyway. But, it was another matter to consider kidnapping her while we’re being so publically scrutinized.
However, Seo Dawon had already set up a trap for Geum Miyoung. “I’m sure she’s heard the news too. The guild executives are sure to contact her and make a giant fuss. They’ll try to stealthily meet her tonight.”
“That’s…”
As the double ledger scandal was on the verge of bursting out to the public, the media would soon contact those involved; since Geum Miyoung was in charge of the finances, the guilds were sure to interrogate her. They were bound–within the same boat–like those from the [Tower of Command] incident. Then, Geum Miyoung was sure to have been transported to a specified place.
Then, Seo Dawon informed me that Geun Miyoung was currently staying in an exclusive, gated neighborhood. Therefore, there was only one road leading in or out. “Furthermore, you have to pass through a tunnel to reach the hub’s downtown.”
When I heard his explanation, I wondered, “Can’t people just Warp or Teleport there?”
“Executives won’t gather at places that allow for Warping or Teleportation. That’s a perfect recipe for assassination attempts, after all.”
Hearing that, I thought about possibly finding and raiding their gathering location. However, my current capacity only allows me to summon one servant; it would be too much to sweep all those Users away with only one servant.
Seo Dawon nodded, “Frankly, it would be best to try and knock them all out at once. Well, at least Geum Miyoung would make a good hunting target.”
“Really?”
“First, we should rob the slush fund. After all, warehouse managers are known to make as much money as the businessmen that own the warehouse contents,” Seo Dawon said, smiling coldly.
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