Ch.14Red Eye 2

Light pours through the curtains at noon.

Dust particles float lazily in the beams.

I slowly count the specks of dust.

I stayed up all night because of Anna, whom I saw in my fantasies yesterday.

I tried countless times to fall asleep.

But my feverishly hot body only mocked my efforts as futile.

Having skipped breakfast and stayed in bed until noon, I’m hungry now.

I rummaged through the refrigerator and took out a tomato I’d received from the store.

I roughly wiped it with my t-shirt and took a big bite.

The tangy juice moistened my tongue.

The freshness made my shoulders involuntarily shudder.

Humans truly feel alive only when they eat something.

After satisfying my hunger, I plopped down on the bed.

Today is Monday, the inn’s day off.

I decided to think about what side job I should take during my time off.

The NPC job at the inn brings in some income, but it’s still far from enough to pay my overdue rent.

I want to somehow make big money with the abilities I have.

Abilities… Angelic Hand… cocktails…

“Cocktails?”

Come to think of it, most of the drinks I made had buffs.

Gin and tonic had a 10% stamina recovery effect, and Kahlua milk reduced status ailment duration by 30%.

That means drinking three glasses would clear 90% of status effects.

There are hardly any potions on the market with such buffs.

Most parties rely solely on healers’ buffs.

If my potions were released to the market, they wouldn’t need to forcibly recruit healers for their parties.

There are still several monster raids that haven’t been cleared in Seoul’s outskirts.

Among them must be many low-budget parties without healers.

If I go there and sell cocktails, I could make several times the profit compared to selling at the store.

The only problem is…

I don’t have ingredients right now.

I can’t take them from the store.

Maybe I should contact the supplier that delivers alcohol to the inn.

I slowly lay down on the edge of the bed.

I search through my call history on my phone.

“I talked to them once when the inn received alcohol…”

Found it.

I immediately called the number.

“Hello, Red Snake Company speaking.”

“Hi, I’m the bartender at Moment Inn…”

“Ah, I remember. Our staff delivered champagne just a few days ago.”

“Yes, thank you so much for that. You even carried it all the way inside the store…”

“Moment Inn is our regular customer.”

I cleared my throat briefly.

This is the important part.

“I was wondering if I could purchase alcohol separately for a personal business venture I’m planning.”

I tried my best to explain while correcting my stuttering speech.

The company employee kindly accommodated me and carefully set up an appointment.

However, he said that the team leader would only be available this afternoon because she’s busy.

I nodded during the call, saying I could come right away.

“But… there’s something you should be careful about.”

Despite his kindness until now, he added something unexpected.

“What is it?”

“Our team leader is in a very bad condition right now… so she might be a bit sensitive during the meeting, please be careful.”

“…”

I responded that I understood.

The appointment was set for 2 PM, and I had to schedule it urgently since there would be no other time available after today…

Be careful because the team leader is sensitive?

Something feels off about this.

Still, I managed to set up the appointment, so that’s good.

I stretched my stiff body and headed to the bathroom.

But I didn’t go anywhere near the bathtub.

The day I could use the bathtub again was in the distant future.

I took a light shower and put on some clothes.

Since I don’t have anything like a suit in my closet, I wore a shirt with a sweatshirt over it.

It should be fine since it has a collar, right…?

I cheerfully flung open the front door and stepped outside.

The sky was clear without a single cloud.

I have a good feeling about today, just like the weather.

“…”

But that hope shatters, as if mocking me.

“Where is this place…”

No matter how much I search, I can’t find a sign for Red Snake Company.

According to the map, it should be around here.

With my crossbody bag on, I wandered around the streets and briefly hid in a shaded area.

The team leader is already sensitive, and it would be a disaster if I’m late for the appointment.

That wasn’t the only reason I was in such a hurry.

This area is the territory of a private hunter organization not affiliated with the Association.

The organization’s name is “Ilshim.”

Rumors say they’re a fearsome group involved in loan sharking, assault, and even prostitution.

Why does the office have to be near that organization’s headquarters!

I bit my finger as I circled around the shaded area.

“You there.”

After circling about three times, a heavy-set man calls out to me.

As that weighty voice pulls at me, my whole body shrinks back.

It reminded me of Siwoong, whom I’d met before.

“Yes…?”

The voice belonged to a member of the organization.

Standing guard in front of the headquarters, he points at me with an irritated expression.

“Who are you, circling around our place?”

“Well…”

“Are you a reporter sent by the Association?”

He approaches me with large steps.

The ground seems to thump with each step he takes.

My heart pounds in rhythm with those steady sounds.

“Are you trying to spy on our organization and spread strange rumors again?”

The member looks me over, checking if I have a camera.

“I’m not a reporter, I’m just looking for a company that’s supposed to be around here…”

“Company? There’s no company around here except Ilshim Group.”

He frowns.

His face, shadowed in the sunlight, resembles a massive ape.

“If you’re going to make excuses, at least make them believable. Hand over the camera now.”

He aggressively tried to snatch my crossbody bag.

I jumped back in alarm.

“It’s true! I came here because I heard there’s a distribution company called Red Snake!”

I spoke to him loudly and clearly.

At that, he stopped in his tracks as if remembering something.

“Red Snake…?”

He rubs his sideburns and rolls his eyes for a moment.

“Ah, you mean Team Leader Han’s company.”

The ape-like man turned his head toward another man guarding the main entrance.

“Jinbae, what room number is Team Leader’s company?”

“Room 203, second floor of the main building, isn’t it?”

“Right, that’s it. We were told a business owner was coming today.”

His forehead wrinkles smoothed out as if he had recovered a forgotten memory.

“I apologize. We’ve had so many spies lately… Please come in.”

With a face completely opposite to his earlier expression, the man apologizes to me.

Then he gestures toward the imposing main building.

“In… there?”

A bleak and massive building.

Below it, a stone engraved with the Chinese characters for “Ilshim” looks down at me.

So… the supplier that provided alcohol to the inn was Ilshim, Korea’s largest criminal organization?

I stood there dumbfounded, overwhelmed by my first impression of this black company.

The member gestured for me to follow him.

With no choice, I followed him through the organization’s hideout.

Along the way, I occasionally spotted black Starex vans and sedans.

If I tried to escape, those Starex vans would surely chase after me like mad.

And hunters with blades would pour out to catch me.

I’ve really gotten myself into trouble this time…

What if they pretend to help my business but actually harvest all my organs?

Or maybe they’ll make me sign an unfair contract and use me as a slave for the rest of my life…

While thinking about various scenarios, I had already reached the stairs of the main building.

When I was halfway up the stairs, I heard the sound of people coming down from above.

Soon, a man wearing sunglasses at the front of the group made eye contact with us.

The yellow snake tattoo on his neck stands out.

That snake has its mouth wide open as if trying to bite its owner’s neck.

I feel like I’ve seen that somewhere before…

“Who’s this kid?”

“She’s Team Leader’s guest.”

“Which team leader?”

He looks down at me with his hands in his pockets and his head held high.

Uncomfortable under his gaze, I shrink behind the ape-like man.

“Team Leader Han Surin.”

“Oh? Since when did she have such a cute friend?”

He chuckles and observes me through the gap in his sunglasses.

Eerie yellow eyes scan my body as if checking the condition of prey.

“Not a friend, a business guest.”

“Business, huh? That’s good. No need to get your hands dirty.”

He hums as if singing and passes by us.

“Miss, be careful not to get backstabbed. That woman’s ‘tongue skills’ are no joke.”

The yellow-eyed man left those words behind as he headed toward a black sedan.

The encounter was chilling.

But thanks to it, I learned one thing.

That the team leader is a woman.

Still, a woman might be better than a sharp-eyed man like him.

With that thought, I continued up the stairs.

And finally, I found the logo of “Red Snake Company” that I had been searching for.

“She’s inside, please go in.”

“Ah, thank you…”

I bowed politely in gratitude.

The ape-like man scratched the side of his head awkwardly and kindly closed the door for me.

“—.”

The office was extremely quiet.

Most of the lights were off, making it feel as desolate as an empty teachers’ office.

Only one thing broke the silence.

The sound of a lighter being flicked.

The sound comes from behind a leather chair at regular intervals.

The chair was turned toward the window.

Curious about who was sitting in the leather chair, I stood on tiptoe to peek.

But I was still too short to see who was sitting behind the chair.

“Excuse me…”

Whoever is sitting in the chair doesn’t answer.

Feeling embarrassed, I slowly walked toward them while looking around the office.

The team leader’s office walls had a very strange interior design.

Black suits were hung on every wall, arranged in sets.

It’s like seeing the secret hideout of spies.

Creeped out by the bizarre image, I swallowed hard and finally reached the table.

“So you’re the bartender from Moment.”

My shoulders flinch at the sudden question.

For the first time, a voice came from behind the chair that had been consistently quiet.

Due to the tension, this time I was the one who stood silently.

Soon the leather chair rotated toward me.

“It’s been a while?”

Dark brown straight hair with the bangs swept to the side.

At first glance, she looks like a pretty college student.

But I soon realize that she’s a person who fits perfectly into this organization.

Because the team leader’s eyes are a perfect crimson, rarely seen in Korea.

I haven’t seen such eyes since “Ranker 09” before I died.

It feels chilling, like a cold wind brushing against my side.

“Do you… know me?”

I firmly grip my crossbody bag.

And barely swallow my dry saliva.

“Have you forgotten me already? That’s disappointing.”

She rests her chin on the table and stares at me intently.

Just like when I first saw Saehee, I had no idea who this woman was.

“That gin and tonic you made me back then was actually pretty good.”

Gin and tonic?

Since my possession, there’s only one person I’ve made gin and tonic for…

“Could it be, Red Death?”

My brow furrows involuntarily.

She narrows her eyes and grins, confirming that I’m correct.

<Han Surin>

Age: 25

Occupation: S-class Hunter, National Ranking 85

Ability: Molting

Information: Current fixer for Ilshim Enterprise

Only then could I remember that spine-chilling smile I had seen from Red Death in the past.

“But you were definitely a man back then.”

“A man? Ah, right. I went to your inn as a dummy that day.”

“A dummy?”

“I can control the skin I shed through molting like a doppelgänger. What I used then was probably Dummy No. 2.”

She points to the second suit on the wall with her lighter.

So all these suits are for the doppelgängers she creates through molting?

Learning the truth makes it even more creepy.

I’ve never heard of a human who can molt like a snake.

What could have been her greatest wish when the monsters awakened?

To gain the ability to molt?

That unfamiliarity soon transformed into fear.

I began to slowly back away.

As if aware of my reaction, Red Death stood up from her chair.

Her sensual figure in black slacks and a white shirt is revealed.

“I was told that I’m a bit sensitive today.”

The red-eyed killer slowly approaches me.

The air seems to get colder as she gets closer.

“Yet you still came to see me, which means you must have a very attractive proposal, right?”

Red Death puts her hands behind her back and brings her face close to mine.

Her red eyes begin to constrict me as if putting me under hypnosis.

“Well…”

“If it’s nothing special, you’d better be prepared.”

She grips my shoulder and whispers.

Why do all the people I meet have to be like this…