Interview (3) – The Loophole

The ‘second party’ cannot leak any secrets.

Right. I really couldn’t.

When I tried to speak, no sound came out. When I tried to type, my fingers would just freeze!

This is how contracts between Awakeners work.

Unlike the eye-straining, dizzying contracts of non-Awakeners—filled with clauses like “Party A,” “Party B,” “this, that, and the other thing are included,” “if violated, Party A shall do this,” “Party B shall do that,” “this means that,” “that means this,” “the contract must be signed and sealed in duplicate, with each party retaining one copy”—Awakener contracts are different.

You cannot do it. The end.

Of course, it’s not like there aren’t a few minor details tacked on.

Anyway, the reason such a contract is possible is that it’s the effect of a ‘skill’, which is like magic.

The moment you agree to the contract and write your name on it,

Party A: David Han
Party B: Seo A-gyeol

You fall under a spell.

David Han and Seo A-gyeol were under a spell. Because they had signed their names on the contract.

So, what’s the standard for a ‘name’? A legal name? An alias that feels like a real name?

The standard is simple. If the contract is an effect of ‘magic’, then the answer can also be found in that ‘magic’.

[Seo A-gyeol (Succubus)
Trait: Succubus
Sub-trait: Optimal Physique
Sub-trait: Demonic Seduction
Sub-trait: Demonic Horns
Sub-trait: Demonic Wings
Trait: Transformation – Lee Han-gyeol
Trait: Spirit Summoner
Trait: Master of Lust
Strength: 86
Magic Power: 396+110
Essense: 6415/35481
Mana: 1203/35481
Innate Vital Energy: 1000+226/1000]

[Lee Han-gyeol
Trait: Elemental Mage
Sub-trait: Elemental – Flame
Sub-trait: Elemental – Lightning
Trait: Transformation – Succubus
Sub-trait: Demonic Horns
Trait: Spirit Summoner
Strength: 86
Magic Power: 396+110
Mana: 1203/35481
Essense: 6415/35481
Innate Vital Energy: 1000+226/1000]

Do you see the difference?

That’s right. The name used in a contract is based on the status window.

Therefore, ‘Seo A-gyeol’ is bound by the spell and can’t do a thing, but ‘Lee Han-gyeol’ is not.

Just like this.

For a while now, I’ve been typing and deleting the message, “Yi-jun, someone hired me to keep you occupied.”

Who? Lee Han-gyeol.
On whose phone? Seo A-gyeol’s phone.

….

It actually works.

Just in case, I reverted my transformation and tried typing the message. It worked perfectly.

My options had expanded. I could side with David, or I could side with Yoo Yi-jun.

The catch is that they’re both criminal organizations.

….

It has to be Yoo Yi-jun. He’s a much better choice than David.

David’s grating attitude is one thing, but honestly, comparing him and Yoo Yi-jun is like night and day.

First, Yoo Yi-jun. He’s an A or A+ rank. He gives way more Essense than some C+ scrub like David.

And he’s surprisingly polite. Sure, he talks dirty during sex, but if I remember correctly, he even asked if it was okay to talk so crudely.

David, on the other hand, acts like he’s superior— (the rest is better left unsaid).

Besides, Yoo Yi-jun’s affection for me is overwhelming.

“…But to me, you’re the only one…”

“I told you… there’s no one else but you. Even when I’m with other women… I can’t stop thinking about you.”

It’s a bit embarrassing to recall these things while I’m a man, but anyway, the level of affection he has for me is undeniable.

On top of that, Yoo Yi-jun is my Enhancement-type teacher. He taught me about Enhancement types, strength training, explosive power release… I’ve learned a lot from him.

And then there’s this:

[Targets of the Mark of Subjugation: Yoo Yi-jun, Park Se-hyuk, Kim Hee-an]

His name is proudly listed first.

He’s already my slave… well, that’s a bit much. More like my ally.

Is he a slave?
…Looking at the description again, I think he is.

Anyway, the point is, he’s already mine.

Although I was deeply disappointed to learn he was a drug offender, isn’t David, who’s targeting Yi-jun’s operation, the same?

There’s no guarantee things will get better if David’s organization pushes out Yi-jun’s. No guarantee they’ll get worse, either, but isn’t there a saying about the devil you know?

And most importantly, Elemental could suffer in the process. If the two organizations fight and word gets out, the police could get involved….

Of course, being the backer of a drug ring is something that deserves criticism and punishment, but it’s still my guild….

I’ve already turned a blind eye once. What’s a second time?

It’s also a matter of contribution.

David sees me as an ‘additional safety measure,’ a ‘nice to have, but whatever if not’ kind of asset.

But if I give this information to Yoo Yi-jun, I’ll be playing a major role for him.

Or not. Whatever.

Honestly, if David had been just a little less grating, maybe. But after he spoke so arrogantly, you expect me not to just walk away?

The fact that he promised to keep investing if I succeeded means he planned to keep using me like this.

I’d rather put Yi-jun heavily in my debt and have him get me the Succubus Queen’s Blood.

Once a decision is made, I have to act fast. Time is short.

Me: Someone hired me to keep you occupied. They offered a reward.

Yoo Yi-jun: Can you explain in detail?

Whoa, why’s he replying so fast?

Yoo Yi-jun: Can you talk on the phone?

Hmm… a phone call is a no-go… I’m in my male form right now specifically to get around the confidentiality agreement…

Me: Can’t talk. Text only. Because of a confidentiality agreement.

Yoo Yi-jun: You can’t talk on the phone, but you can text?

Me: I can ignore a contract with a little loophole.

Yoo Yi-jun: Oh.

Yoo Yi-jun: That’s not what’s important. When?

Me: Sometime this Saturday, Sunday, or Monday?

Yoo Yi-jun: I see.

Me: They said I was just an ‘additional safety measure’ or something.

Me: Seems like the plan is already pretty far along.

Me: They only came to me today.

Yoo Yi-jun: I see.

Me: And they said you’d be in bad shape around then, that you’d be drugged.

Yoo Yi-jun: Hmm.

Yoo Yi-jun: Anyway, thank you. You told me as soon as you got the offer, right?

Me: That’s right.

Yoo Yi-jun: I thought you’d be sulking.

Sulking? Sulking?? Where the hell is this bastard’s conscience?

Me: ?

Yoo Yi-jun: Just kidding. Anyway, thanks. But how much did they offer?

Me: We were going to negotiate the final contract then.

Me: From what I heard, it was in the hundreds of millions? And they also offered other potions that are hard to get with money.

I didn’t mention the Succubus Queen’s Blood. Yi-jun might figure out I’m a succubus.

Or maybe not? I heard Succubus Queen’s Blood is a famous potion. It’s not like only succubi drink it, so maybe I wouldn’t have been exposed?

Yoo Yi-jun: I can give you that much.

Me: Oh.

Yoo Yi-jun: Thanks again. I’ll contact you when this is sorted out.

Me: Okay.

Yoo Yi-jun: Looks like I’ll be busy for a while.

And with that, the tip was delivered.

But his reaction was calmer than I expected. Did he already know something?

Well, it’s possible. If he’s supplying top-tier drugs to the upper class, like chaebol heirs, and has Elemental as a backer, he might have some intel on organizations trying to take his spot.

He’ll handle it.

….

Should I just take David’s down payment and run? That is, if the plan goes ahead this weekend as scheduled.

He’s unlikely to suspect me, since I even signed a confidentiality agreement. He won’t know I leaked the info, so I can just take the advance and be done with it.

But now that I’ve told Yi-jun, the plan probably won’t go as scheduled.

*

The interview turned into something else entirely, but I still have two more to go.

The situation suddenly got annoying, and I considered postponing, but since I already replied, I figured I should at least meet them once.

To be honest, it’s because I have nothing better to do.

I’m bored, sure, but if I work hard now, I’ll have a little more breathing room when things get busy later.

It was nighttime, but one of them said he was free now.

Since it was night, there weren’t many places to meet, so we just decided to meet at a 24-hour unmanned cafe.

“Hello.”

“Hello. Are you perhaps Mr. Song Gi-woo?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

Song Gi-woo. A handsome, B-rank Magic-type Awakener who primarily works as a mercenary. He supposedly specializes in curses that apply debuffs and blessings that apply buffs.

He was high-end talent, obviously.

I didn’t know why he was a mercenary. If he joined a guild, he’d probably be valued just below, or on par with, a healing mage of the same rank.

Indeed, while others sent messages like, “I want to join the guild,” he sent one that read, “Inquiring about guild membership.”

The mindset of someone who wants to learn about the guild first and decide on joining later.

He actually had the skills to back it up, so I didn’t find it grating or anything.

We had simply agreed to meet in person and talk.

And most importantly, he had no criminal record.

Of course, he could be hiding his crimes, or having others do his dirty work while he stayed clean, but for now, his record was clear.

“So, you had some questions about me and my guild?”

“Uh, I heard you were beautiful, but this is… staggering.”

“Thank you.”

I could even see his flustered state as a white flame.

Since it was just the two of us in the unmanned cafe, I had taken off my hood and mask.

“How do I join the guild?”

“Excuse me?”

Already? If this was his plan, why did he even ask to meet?

…He probably just wanted to see my face.

“Ah… there’s nothing special required to join. It’s just a small group, like a guild? There aren’t any real obligations.”

The faces of Park Eun-su, the acting Guild Master of Blue Forest, and Kim Hee-an, who makes the potions, came to mind, but anyway, there are no duties within Narak itself.

“Is that so?”

“Yes. I have a main job, so I can’t run things too intensely. That’s why I made it a relaxed guild from the start. It’s a ‘you get what you put in’ kind of system.”

“Sounds good. I’ll join.”

“Are you part of any other guilds?”

“No. I mostly work as a mercenary.”

“Really? You seem like the kind of talent other guilds would welcome with open arms.”

“I don’t like being tied down to anything.”

“I see.”

I knew he was a mercenary, but I was probing a little to see why.

Being part of an organization can be a pain.

“So… am I in?”

“Yes. I thought you’d have a lot of questions, but I didn’t expect you to join right away.”

“Haha, right? Uh, if you don’t mind, would you like to go for a short walk outside?”

“…I don’t see why not.”

*

The unmanned cafe was at the entrance of an alley.

So our walking path was a winding alleyway.

No need to walk around breathing in exhaust fumes.

“Do you have any hobbies?”

What’s with this question?

Does he not know I’m a succubus?

“Well, I’ve been so busy lately….”

Come to think of it, I’ve been so busy doing this and that, I haven’t had time for any hobbies.

Not that they’d be anything other than YouTube or gaming, anyway.

“By the way, how did you find out about this guild?”

Why did David know, but he doesn’t?

“Ah, I just… heard there was a guild with a beautiful guild master.”

“From whom? An information broker?”

“Yes. I asked if there was anything interesting going on lately, and they mentioned this guild. Ah, come to think of it, I don’t even know the guild’s name.”

“Hmm, I’ll tell you later. But is that all you know? That ‘something interesting is happening’ and ‘the guild master is pretty’?”

“We-ell, yes?”

“I’m not scolding you for not knowing the name. I’m just curious how the information spread.”

“If you ask if anything interesting is happening, they just say, ‘there’s a place like this,’ that’s about it. Besides the fact that the guild master is really pretty, there wasn’t much information.”

“Really?”

Then what about David?

—That’s also correct. To tie a man down, you need a woman. Better than a woman is a beautiful woman, and better than a beautiful woman is a succubus.

Did he just search for “find me a succubus”?

Then most people probably don’t know I’m a succubus.

The “interesting thing” the broker mentioned was probably that the guild master is a succubus, right?

“Yes. So, the guild’s name… what is it?”

“Ah, it’s ‘Narak.’ Narak.”

“Narak?”

“Yes. It’s a unique name, isn’t it?”

“It is unique. Is there a reason you named it that?”

I couldn’t exactly say, Because it’s a trap to easily suck the Innate Vital Energy out of criminals.

“Hmm… I think I know why the information broker called my guild ‘interesting’.”

“You do?”

“Yes. A ‘guild with a pretty master’ is… not exactly what you’d call ‘interesting,’ is it?”

“Just looking at your face, Guild Master, brings a smile to mine.”

“Flattery.”

“Was I that obvious? So, what is it? Suddenly, I’m curious.”

“But it’s a secret….”

“My lips are sealed.”

“We just met today. It’s a bit hard to trust you right away, don’t you think?”

“Do I need to sign a confidentiality agreement?”

What? You said the magic words.

“A written contract is a bit much. How about just a verbal one? You promise to keep the secret until I kick you out of the guild.”

“Hmm… alright. Do you have something for the contract?”

“I do. But you seem familiar with contracts?”

“Oh, you have a contract-related skill? As for contracts, I’m a mercenary, so I’m used to such things.”

“Aha, that makes sense. Then let’s make a verbal contract. I, Seo A-gyeol, on the condition that I do not expel Song Gi-woo from the guild ‘Narak,’ want Song Gi-woo to keep the secrets of Seo A-gyeol and the guild ‘Narak’ from everyone except me.”

“Oh, just like that? Uh… there are no mandatory duties in the guild ‘Narak,’ right? Then I agree.”

“Correct. Let’s add a second condition: that within the guild ‘Narak,’ there are no mandatory duties that Mr. Song Gi-woo must perform. Do you agree?”

“Yes. I agree.”

“Then I’ll tell you.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“I’m a succubus.”