Ch.134Miho 5

“Now, please come this way.”

I guided the target man and his group with a gentle tone.

In contrast, his followers seemed to be visiting such a place for the first time, their eyes wide with wonder.

“Wow…”

Soft, beautiful blue lanterns.

Magnificent tiled roofs and an ornate pavilion.

To these people who appeared to be homeless based on their appearance, this place must feel like a paradise.

The young men, emitting a musty odor, lined up in a row and followed my guidance to sit in the pavilion.

Fortunately, the Madam allowed this, and the part-time older sisters didn’t show any discomfort.

However… the leader of the group still looked tense.

“You all… don’t let your guard down! This is enemy territory!”

“My goodness… enemy territory?”

I smiled sweetly and stood close beside him.

Then I linked arms with him and pointed to one side of the pavilion.

“This is just an ordinary tavern. Isn’t that why you came here earlier?”

“…”

He uncomfortably chewed on his lip.

But soon, seeing the fierce glares from Anna and Jeoksa who were watching nearby, he let out a deep sigh.

He sat down in the same spot as before.

I sat across from him.

Then Anna and Jeoksa sat on either side of me like guardian deities, glaring at the target.

This seems more like an interrogation than persuasion…

“What food would you like to order?”

“Not necessary.”

“Come on… your younger brothers seem to need it, though?”

I smiled sweetly and pointed to the back.

There, the target’s subordinates were huddled together, drooling as they stared at the food.

They looked as if they hadn’t seen proper food in a long time.

Seeing this, the man closed his eyes in resignation.

“Sigh… serve whatever you want…”

“Understood~”

I signaled to the Madam.

She immediately went into the kitchen.

Soon, the delicious aroma of galbi-jjim (braised short ribs) began to waft throughout Ilhwa Tavern.

Thanks to this, his subordinates who had been holding back could no longer contain their drool.

Eventually, part-timers dressed in elegant hanboks brought out warm galbi-jjim and Korean dishes to the table.

The subordinates began tearing into the meat ravenously, not even saying thank you first.

Except for one person.

“Please eat.”

“I’m fine.”

The man just stared down at the meat placed before him.

Then he suddenly picked it up and moved it to his subordinates’ table.

“You’ll get drunk quickly if you drink without food…”

I carefully rolled up my sobok sleeve.

Then I slowly poured clear soju into his cup.

Though I’d only received brief training, I’d already grown accustomed to wearing the sobok.

According to the Madam, it was as if I’d received similar training before.

I didn’t respond to that comment.

It would be too long to explain…

He just stared down at the poured alcohol.

Jeoksa and Anna’s faces were reflected in the transparent liquid surface.

Seeing their expressions, the target trembled as he drank the alcohol.

Thanks to this, the man’s tongue loosened, and he finally stopped shaking.

“Now, are you feeling more relaxed?”

“I would be if those rankers weren’t stuck right next to you…”

“Don’t mind us. Just think of us as jangseung statues.”

Jangseung…

They’re both too pretty and glamorous to be traditional guardian posts.

The two rankers crossed their arms and fiercely watched to see what the target would say next.

With an air that suggested they’d slice off his arm if he so much as touched me…

“Ah, I get it…”

“Everything I showed you in my memories was true. I hope you believe me.”

“I do.”

He agreed quite readily.

And he gulped down the second cup I poured him.

“Congressman Park used the same ability. If he really stole your power, then it makes sense.”

“Plus… those rankers I saw in your memories. They were there when I first met the Congressman.”

“They were all spreading the drug, each assigned to a different area.”

So the drug has already spread throughout the Korean peninsula.

That means many hunters have become stronger through the drug’s effects.

If they all side with Park Shinae who provided them with the drug…

Both the Association and Ilshim might have to fight against the entire population.

“But I never imagined that the drug was made from abilities extracted by kidnapping and torturing people…”

The man covered his face with both hands in distress.

He seems unable to believe that the power of victims resides within his body.

“Power without a price doesn’t exist.”

Jeoksa, sitting close beside me, remarked indifferently.

Having sacrificed her family for power, she would know this painfully well.

“If this matter went well, I was supposed to receive medicine for my brothers too…”

“Why didn’t they give your brothers the drug they were already distributing?”

Anna asked a sharp question.

The man sighed deeply and looked at his brothers.

“Non-ability users don’t respond well to the drug in the first place. Even if they do, the side effects are severe…”

Soon he took out Angel Tips from his pocket.

However, its color was somewhat different from the drug that 06 and 08 had taken in the past.

“This is a new version of Angel Tips that the Congressman is currently researching.”

Unlike the previous version, this drug emits a dull, musty light.

Jeoksa picked it up and examined it carefully.

“It’s still incomplete, so taking it would twist your body. But if properly completed…”

The man looked at me with serious eyes.

Pierced by that gaze, I swallowed deeply.

“Even non-ability users can randomly develop abilities.”

“What…?”

“Of course, it would manifest from the consumer’s greatest desire.”

The target took back the pill.

And carefully put it back in his inner pocket.

“That’s why I’m helping the Congressman. When the drug is completed, my brothers can also rise in status by becoming ability users.”

Jeoksa crossed her arms, seemingly displeased with his words.

And she glared at him with her red eyes.

“Why are you so obsessed with abilities? Even non-ability users can live well enough in this world.”

“Someone from the upper class like you wouldn’t understand. From the beginning, non-ability users and ability users receive different pay, treatment… everything is different!”

He shouted loudly as if he couldn’t accept it.

At this, Anna made a gesture of drawing her sword.

“I was just doing my best for my brothers…”

Seeing the growling blade, the man finally calmed down.

And he sat back down firmly.

“Non-ability users being discriminated against… that’s quite unexpected?”

“Of course you wouldn’t know. There’s no way you’d know in the capital region where the upper class lives…”

The man glares at Jeoksa resentfully.

She responds to his gaze with a leisurely expression.

“What are you talking about? Every area managed by our Ilshim is equal.”

“W-what…?”

“Exactly as I said. In our area, non-ability users and ability users receive the same treatment. We even provide employment support for non-ability users.”

“Is that really true…?”

His previously cloudy eyes begin to sparkle.

The wine glass on the table ripples due to the man’s excitement.

“Of course, not all of the capital is like that. It only applies to those residing within Ilshim’s territory.”

Jeoksa picked up a yugwa (traditional Korean sweet) from the table.

She split it in half, eating one piece herself and putting the other in my mouth.

Consuming sugar seems to clear my head.

I mumbled in agreement while chewing the snack.

“That’s great! Then these people can move to Ilshim’s territory!”

I perked up my fox ears while looking up at Jeoksa.

Seeing my face full of yugwa, she cleared her throat and quickly averted her gaze.

“That would be difficult. To enter Ilshim’s territory, you need to pay an annual protection fee. But how would vagrants like them find work?”

“Besides, the entry conditions are so strict that people like us couldn’t even dream of it…”

The target sighed and picked up the overflowing wine glass.

He poured it into his mouth with a bitter expression.

“Jeoksa…”

I looked up at Jeoksa again.

She was staring at the yugwa crumbs on my cheek.

“Can’t you help these people for my sake?”

“Are, are you serious?”

The man’s eyes flashed upon hearing my request.

But Jeoksa looked at him with rather contemptuous eyes.

“Why should I trust people who only blame the world…”

“We can do anything! My brothers may look like this now, but they were hardworking men before the gates opened!”

He knelt down at the prospect of receiving Ilshim’s protection.

Seeing the desperate man, I also joined in persuading Jeoksa.

“That’s right… they just didn’t have opportunities.”

“I won’t live much longer anyway. Please just accept my brothers. I’ll reveal all the information I know…”

His hands on his thighs were trembling.

Seeing this, Jeoksa finally spoke.

“Let’s hear the information first, then decide.”

“There’s a rumor about a drug manufacturing facility in Ansan slums.”

“A rumor?”

“Yes, we only receive the manufactured drugs, so we don’t know the exact location. But it’s definitely in Ansan.”

Jeoksa fell into thought, as if calculating the value of this information.

Her tightly closed lips are attractive.

“Well, if it’s true, we’d be raiding one of their bases.”

“Yes… it’s just a rumor, but it’s as good as fact!”

He spoke with a desperate voice.

Sensing the truth in his voice, Jeoksa sighed lightly.

“Fine, Ilshim will protect you. But there are conditions.”

The female executive of Ilshim raised her fingers.

Her fingers indicated the number 2.

“First, never reveal what happened today to anyone.”

“Second, the vagrants’ entry will only happen after we capture Park Shinae.”

That makes sense.

It would certainly be suspicious if subordinates connected to Park Shinae suddenly moved to Ilshim.

These are unavoidable conditions.

The man seems to understand this and nods.

“I understand. I swear on my life to keep the secret!”

“Casually betting a life that could end at any moment…”

Jeoksa makes a cold remark.

At this, I poked her side repeatedly, warning her to watch her words.

Instead, she looked down at me fiercely.

And whispered in a deadly voice.

“I did this because of you.”

“Oh, y-yes… thank you…”

I was startled by her sudden words.

But soon I heard a chilling “request” from Jeoksa.

“I granted your request, so now it’s my turn, right?”

“Huh…?”

“Come to the hotel later, dressed just like that.”

Jeoksa fiddles with my fox fur costume.

Feeling goosebumps, I stared blankly at Jeoksa.

“Well then, let’s write up the contract.”

The female executive of Ilshim smirked and stood up.

Then she briefly left with the man.

“Haah…”

Only Anna and I remained in the pavilion.

Only then could I finally breathe a sigh of relief.

While gazing at the night sky, I suddenly felt Anna’s gaze.

Unlike before, she had become quite emotional and was staring at me.

When our eyes met, she half-closed hers.

The Russian woman’s face soon became suggestive.

She soon grabbed the fox tail protruding from my sobok.

And whispered in my ear teasingly.

“Quite the bitch outfit.”

Seriously, why are you like this too…

Memories from the cabin come flooding back.

What on earth did I do to her back then…

For Anna to become so suggestive.

My eyes suddenly drift to her attire.

Perhaps because of the memory of me touching Anna’s chest?

My gaze keeps stopping at her chest.

Her body, wrapped in a silk dress, seems much softer than before.

Could that all be because of me?

Suddenly feeling too embarrassed, I stood up.

And fled from the pavilion in a hurry.

Now everywhere I go, everyone just thinks about that…

The only one I can trust is kind Sister Jisoo!

I hurriedly went to find her, heading toward the back of Ilhwa Tavern.