If I was alone, I would have settled for joining the Red Mercenary Guild. No, it was just that I wouldn’t ever join the Blue Guild. In my view, it was a guild that was already stepping on the train to ruin. Not to mention, it was run by a group of old guys whose contributions only weighed as much as a pile of dung.
If one were to think about this rationally, it was completely irrational to pick Blue Guild.
I knew it was because of people like Lee Seolho, who brought down the guild. Even Lee Sang-hee was at fault for allowing her guild members to be so unruly at just the slightest insult.
No wonder they were often ignored by other guilds. They truly made it look like joining the Blue Guild was like joining a sinking ship - doomed right from the very beginning.
It must be so fun and exciting to join a guild such as the Red Mercenary and watch as the Blue Guild fall to its ruin, but I wasn’t overly confident with my own skills, either.
We couldn’t expect change to come just because we joined the Blue Guild. That would be the same not only for me but also for Kim Hyunsung. Our crafty leader was still very careful.
Nevertheless, Kim Hyunsung obviously wanted to join Blue. That had been a fact since the beginning.
Of course, it didn’t seem like I didn’t think about any of the other options, but until this moment, everyone thought it would be the best decision. I was only sure of one thing.
Whether it was the distant or the near future, joining Blue would be much more beneficial than joining Red.
We would already be treated as a team with high potential, so there was no need for us to look for another route just because the path we were presented with would prove to be rocky. On that same note, it would be absurd for me to back out just because of a few crazy old men.
Of course, it didn’t mean that I would completely disregard this fact.
‘My safety.’
My safety was the most important. The reason for finding Cha Hee-ra in the first place was to ensure my safety. Her name weighed heavily on everyone here.
I could not rely on Kim Hyunsung’s plans forever. I also had to find other ways to protect myself.
‘I can handle it.’
A guild filled with senile old men? I could handle that. I hated gambling, but felt like now was the necessary time to play.
“You mean the Red Mercenary?”
“I’m going back to her for a while.”
“Why all of a sudden…”
“I have something to talk about with the Mercenary Queen.”
“With Cha Hee-ra? Are you serious?”
I nodded roughly.
Kim Hyunsung’s expression showed his uncertainty while Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan seemed positively opposed to the idea.
Their reactions were not unreasonable, and I knew it too. After all, why would I bother going back to the same, dangerous woman who had openly kissed me in front of everyone?
Jung Hayan seemed to be the most affected, as her skin had turned into a ghastly pale color.
“Oppa…”
“Oh, Hyung… Why must you do that?”
“It would be helpful for the party.”
“Even though… to that woman…”
“Oh, Oppa…” Jung Hayan’s stricken expression worried me. I hadn’t yet cleared things up with her ever since the incident, after all, and now, hearing that I would talk to Cha Hee-ra again spelled bad news.
Honestly, I was anxious about what kind of conversation we would have, but if this meant that I would gain another safety backup, then I would willingly take the risk.
“Can I ask why?”
There was no reason to lie in this scenario.
“I thought I needed someone to look behind me. I’ll tell you a little more about it after things go well.”
“Ah… I see,” Kim Hyunsung’s expression showed that he did not disapprove of my plans. He probably knew why I was doing this, and thus felt no reason to stop me.
Jung Hayan, however, still sported a frightened expression. She might be thinking that I would have her replaced, but of course, that was not the case.
Her lips were parted, almost as if she wanted to intervene between my conversation with Kim Hyunsung. However, with much restraint, she did not speak. Park Deokgu was practically the same.
I had no choice but to calm Jung Hayan down by holding her hand for a moment.
“I won’t take long.”
“Yeah… o-okay.”
Seeing Jung Hayan’s normal reaction - which was to blush - had some of the color return to her cheeks. Park Deokgu seemed to have cheered up upon hearing this as well, and a smile spread across his face. He had started to turn and walk away with her when she spoke again.
“Oppa… Don’t go.”
“It won’t take long.”
“Still…”
“Trust me. I’m just going to share our story with her. Don’t worry.”
“But… Oppa… I’ll go, too.”
“It would be better for me to go alone.”
“Oppa…” her voice gradually trailed off.
It was a slightly expected situation, but even I felt a chill when Jung Hayan settled for silence. However, it was important for me to do this, as this would also help the party.
As talented as she was, Jung Hayan could not protect me as she was right now.
I gently pushed her against the wall. From her startled expression, she wasn’t expecting me to do so.
“O-Oppa…”
I didn’t speak. Instead, I lifted her chin up with one hand.
Jung Hayan immediately turned as red as a tomato upon my bold action. She blinked up at me, once, twice, trying to understand what it was that I was planning to do.
“Oppa… Oppa…”
I slowly began to bring my face closer to hers, gazing down at her so tenderly that she could hardly react.
And then, I kissed her.
There was genuinely no emotion. It was just a simple little kiss, but it seemed to be enough for Jung Hayan. After I wrapped my arms around her, our tongues began to entangle themselves as the kiss began to deepen.
I hadn’t planned to take it this far yet, but it didn’t seem to matter. I had to appease her in one way or another.
The hands that gripped my hair pulled, and it became a painful sensation, but there was something about the kiss and the way she held onto me that seemed to make this into a pleasurable feeling all in all.
“Ah…”
I only planned on kissing her, but it seemed that Jung Hayan had other plans. She was relentlessly nibbling away at my bottom lip and holding me close, her hidden desires coming up to the surface. Because of this, it was hard to break free from her.
It was only after she realized that I needed to catch my breath that I was able to step back. However, Jung Hayan’s wanting expression had successfully drawn me in once more.
“Oppa, oppa, oppa…”
I kissed her again. There was no reason to avoid her want for intimacy. If there was a time for foolishness, then that time was now.
I didn’t know if it was intended, but Jung Hayan had started biting and suckling on my tongue. A slightly sore feeling emerged from the sensation. Although I didn’t necessarily like it, I did not complain about it, either.
It was only after a few seconds that Jung Hayan realized what we were doing, and she drew back to look up at me in surprise. Smiling down at her, I leaned in to whisper softly right into her ear.
“I like you.”
Upon hearing my words, I could see her struggling to contain her joy.
“Me too… I… I love you…”
“I want to be able to protect what we have now.”
Half of what I said was sincere. Too bad, she didn’t know the hidden message I wished to convey with my words.
“Me too… Me too…”
“I don’t want to get hurt.”
“Me, too!”
“That’s why this is necessary. We need to have a good relationship with Cha Hee-ra because we are not strong yet.”
“I… I’m not strong, either…”
“Do you get why I’m doing this now?”
“Still…”
“It will be fine. Please, trust me.”
Jung Hayan shut her mouth, her expression shifting into a more complicated one. I could guess what she was thinking, but I didn’t try my best to decipher it properly.
Instead, I squeezed her hand and gave her a light kiss.
This was no big deal. She would understand.
Jung Hayan seemed to know that I was in a position of being sold out, but I was only planning on holding a conversation with Cha Hee-ra. I didn’t bother explaining.
‘Good.’
After all, one couldn’t really believe an unpredictable woman.
Anyway, after the steps I had taken today, Jung Hayan would definitely be immersed in her growth a little more from now on. However, I knew she was still worried about me going to see Cha Hee-ra.
I couldn’t help it; I had to laugh. She was getting so anxious over nothing.
“The same thing won’t happen this time.”
“But…”
“I love you.”
“Ah… Alas…”
I had never said these words out loud before, but it seemed to have done the trick. Jung Hayan’s legs wobbled, almost as if she was on the brink of falling to her knees.
After I kissed her on the forehead once more, I began to walk away.
Some of my plans did not go as intended. I ended up rushing my relationship with Jung Hayan because of the circumstances that presented themselves to us.
Of course, this did not necessarily mean that it was a bad thing. Our relationship had gotten stronger, which meant a stronger attachment. This would serve me well in the long run.
‘Crazy old man.’
It was not only Jung Hayan who lacked proper strength. It was also me. Therefore, we had to find a way to get past this shortcoming.
Shaking my head to rid myself of these thoughts, I continued making my way out, my mind already set into analytical mode.
It wasn’t long before I reached the place where the Red Mercenary Guild was staying. A guild member who saw me with his startled eyes began to rush over.
“What is it?”
“I came to see Cha Hee-ra.”
“Ah! Could you wait a minute?”
“Of course.”
It almost felt like they had been waiting for me all this time.
“You just have to go inside. She is in the last room.”
“Alright, thank you.”
As I walked, I tried to find the right words to say. However, it wasn’t easy to do so in a situation like this.
‘You shouldn’t be so interested in Cha Hee-ra, Lee Kiyoung.’
If I really planned on joining the Red Mercenary Guild, then maybe the situation about how I felt would have changed. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case.
I knocked on the door. A voice immediately came from inside.
“Come in.”
“Thank you.”
As I opened the door, I saw a familiar woman lying in bed and yawning. She was still wearing the same bold attire, her red hair as daring and unruly as ever.
Like last time, I fumbled about where to look, but I was faster to regain my senses. I decided to stare at her eye to eye.
“Did your thoughts change?”
“Not like that.”
“Then… You have to explain why you chose to come here alone. I was having a pleasant dream until you came. Honestly, this is a little unsettling. I can’t just calmly sit around watching as the younger girl you came with gets to have you as her lover.”
Only
I blinked. I suddenly forgot how I planned to start my story. I couldn’t, for the life of me, understand this woman at all.
Did one automatically become immune to embarrassment once they were aware of how they looked? I did not know.
As I was in the position to make an offer, I needed to be just as confident as her. Taking a deep breath, I collected my thoughts and blurted out what I had planned to say all along.
“I want you to be a sponsor.”
There was a stunned silence.
After a few seconds, Cha Hee-ra recovered from her surprised expression and faced me with an expression that showcased her newfound interest.
“Hmm… you are indeed very interesting.”
‘What was she talking about…?.’