Ch.66White Mountain Range 1

“You’re just in time.”

The curly-haired man smiles upon seeing Jeoksa.

They are clearly meeting for the first time.

Yet his smile was as warm as if he were greeting a childhood friend.

“Hello, I came over from the next table.”

“Yes…”

Jeoksa responds curtly to his friendly greeting.

His bespectacled companion clears his throat awkwardly, reading the atmosphere.

“I’ve been watching you two for a while, and I really like what I see.”

“…”

Jeoksa’s red eyes flash.

Usually when people witness her eyes, they freeze up like his bespectacled friend.

But this curly-haired man in front of her just smiled brightly, radiating a unique positive energy.

It felt like seeing a male version of Miho.

“Unni, these oppas are really fun~”

Siho, who had transformed into Miho, grinned broadly and playfully tapped the man’s shoulder.

Seeing this, the area under Jeoksa’s eyes twitched.

Op.pas?

“Oh, so you’re the older sister. I thought you two were the same age.”

The man pours oil on the fire with a smooth line.

Jeoksa snorted, knowing that men who talk this smoothly are often playboys.

Jeoksa approaches Miho.

She grabs her shoulder and whispers.

“Let’s go now.”

At her firm, cold words, Miho looks up at her sister intently.

The fox-like younger sister, oblivious to her sister’s feelings, links arms with her.

“Why~ This is fun. I’ve never done this before!”

What am I going to do with this girl?

Jeoksa closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.

Who could have known Siho’s drinking habit would be this bad?

It’s as if a new personality had awakened from slumber.

“This is our first time doing something like this too. It’s more comfortable when everyone’s a first-timer, right~?”

At the man’s words—clearly from someone experienced at this game—Jeoksa’s eyebrow twitches involuntarily.

First time, my foot…

She works at Korea’s top black company.

How could she not recognize this neighborhood thug style?

In this anarchic era where survival is a struggle, his permed hair and hip jacket.

And the association badge pinned to his flashy collar.

It’s golden.

Gold means… he’s a ranker.

Is this man an association ranker who doesn’t recognize me?

Surely the Intelligence Bureau would have distributed information about enemy rankers.

In contrast, the man sitting next to him seems unremarkable.

He has distinct features but hunched shoulders that make him look timid, plus glasses.

Not a hunter, probably just a regular civil servant in the association.

Relieved that no one recognized her as an Ilshim executive, Jeoksa sighs.

Now she just needs to figure out how to get rid of these guys.

How to get rid of them…

“Cheers~”

Siho raises her glass in the air with a nasal sound.

Following her lead, the male Miho and the timid civil servant also toast.

Only Jeoksa merely holds her glass without joining.

“Ah~ Unni… my arm’s falling off!”

“That’s right~ Drink with us~”

The two foxes are making a scene together.

Finally, Jeoksa raises her glass, and the official gathering begins.

The male Miho in front of her.

His name is Eunchan.

As expected, he’s a ranker affiliated with the association.

Moreover, his position is head of the security team.

He must not have checked the blacklist yet, having been appointed team leader less than a week ago.

Then again, she doesn’t regularly check that list either unless preparing for war with the association, so it’s understandable.

“Siho said she’s a bartender, what do you do, Surin?”

Eunchan asks with a grin.

Jeoksa deflects his smile with an expressionless face.

“Just distribution business.”

“Hehe, my unni is super cool. She has lots of followers, and her work is…”

Jeoksa covers Miho’s mouth as she mumbles with a loose tongue.

Is she really going to cause a funeral at this pub…!

“Ah, distribution company. You’re both impressive people.”

At Eunchan’s words, his friend nods.

After that, an awkward atmosphere briefly settles over the drinking party.

Seeing her chance, Jeoksa whispers to Miho.

“Okay, that’s enough. Let’s go now.”

Hearing those words, Miho shakes her head like a child.

She leans her shoulder against Jeoksa and makes a pitiful sound.

“Why are you being so boring~”

She suddenly stands up.

Then excitedly clenches both hands.

“Let’s play a game~?”

“Oh, sounds good. What kind of game?”

Eunchan seizes the opportunity to liven up the atmosphere, nodding enthusiastically.

The bartender staggers to the pub’s refrigerator.

She returns holding a bottle of Baekseju and Sansachun in each hand.

Her eyes have been completely glazed over for a while now.

“A truth game hosted by a professional bartender~”

“It’s very simple. Hold up three fingers, and the first person to fold all their fingers loses.”

“What makes us fold our fingers?”

The timid man quietly asks.

Miho opens her eyes seductively and speaks mischievously.

“For example, like this. ‘People wearing glasses, fold!’ Then—”

Miho gently extends her hand and personally folds one of the man’s fingers.

The man blushes at the skinship.

“Whoever folds all their fingers must drink my ‘special bomb shot’!”

As she grabs the bottles, Miho’s glazed eyes sparkle again.

For that moment, she returns to being Siho, pouring drinks with practiced hands.

Into a clear beer glass…

One shot of clear soju.

One shot of golden Baekseju.

One shot of red Sansachun.

One shot of fizzy beer.

Mix all these together with a light stir of chopsticks and…

<Sobaeksanmaek>

Grade: ★★★

Effect: Increases willpower by 10 and decreases judgment by 20.

Information: A traditional Korean bomb shot. The name comes from the first syllables of the drinks (So-ju, Baek-seju, San-sachun, Maek-ju). A higher-grade bomb shot is ‘Jokkassibal’ (mixing Johnny Walker, Camus, Chivas Regal, and Ballantine’s).

“Hehe…”

Miho places the completed brownish drink in the center of the table with a mischievous smile.

“Well then, as the host, I’ll start first.”

Miho rubs her hands together.

Her first target is, of course, Jeoksa.

“People with shoulder-length hair, fold~”

Jeoksa indifferently folds one finger.

“Oh, right! My hair touches my shoulders too.”

The vixen flutters her ponytail like a tail.

The men’s gazes follow that tail.

“Then, my turn? I often hear people say I look scary. Fold~”

At Eunchan’s words, Jeoksa’s lips twitch.

This is clearly aimed at her too.

Soon her index finger folds.

Jeoksa points her remaining middle finger at everyone.

“T-then I’ll go… People wearing dress shoes, fold…”

Everyone except Jeoksa bends down to look under the table.

The two men’s gazes turn to Jeoksa and Siho’s shoes.

“Ugh… caught me~”

Siho makes a nasal sound and folds a finger.

Now she also has only one finger left.

But…

Jeoksa soon folds her raised middle finger as well.

“Jeoksa~ you lose!”

Siho excitedly shakes her body while looking at Jeoksa’s clenched fist.

The vixen immediately pushes the Sobaeksanmaek toward the red-eyed woman.

The killer turns pale at Siho’s words.

If she says that name here…

Her red eyes violently fluctuate.

She turns her head to look at the two men.

The timid man shows no recognition.

As for Eunchan…

“…?”

Surprisingly, he seems clueless.

He just claps his hands and repeatedly shouts “Drink!”

What’s going on?

He shows no reaction to hearing the name Jeoksa.

Is he really a rookie…?

Surprised by Eunchan’s unexpected reaction, Jeoksa finally drinks the alcohol.

After emptying the glass, Siho kindly refills it immediately.

“You know~ The first loser always drinks twice.”

“Are you in your right mind?”

“Yes~ I’m perfectly fine?”

Saliva drips from Siho’s mouth.

Not in her right mind at all.

Jeoksa downs the brownish alcohol again.

She’s originally quite good with alcohol.

Having endured countless rough company dinners and drinking heavily to avoid being looked down on as a woman, she’s built up quite a tolerance.

This common alcohol is like a cocktail to her compared to hard liquor.

“Now it’s Jeoksa’s turn~”

Finally, it’s her turn.

The killer speaks firmly and boldly.

“Men, fold.”

At those cold words, both men feel a chill down their spines.

The red eyes continue to flash until they fold their fingers.

“Then it’s my turn~ People with flushed faces, fold.”

Eunchan targets Siho.

The girl, prettily flushed like a peach, hiccups and covers both cheeks with her hands.

“Ah~ I’m caught…”

She grabs the glass.

Jeoksa’s hand stops her.

“Black Rose.”

Jeoksa announces to the two men in a serious voice.

Before they can say anything, she downs the drink in one go.

“Unni, you’re so cool~”

Miho clings to Jeoksa as she wipes her mouth with the back of her hand.

She rubs her cheek against Jeoksa’s shoulder.

“Just shut up for a bit.”

Jeoksa pushes Miho away.

Her eyes are focused solely on the two men.

“I didn’t think of Black Rose.”

Eunchan narrows his eyes and stares at Jeoksa.

He grins and says.

“Then it’s my turn, right?”

“People with red eyes, fold.”

Jeoksa immediately folds her finger.

This game…

Doesn’t seem like it will end easily.

“—.”

A clock hangs in the middle of the pub.

That clock now points to midnight.

Bottles of alcohol roll around on the floor.

Two people have their faces planted on the table, seemingly dead.

Miho and the timid man.

They passed out long ago.

Only Eunchan and Jeoksa remain upright.

The two rankers coldly stare at each other.

“You’re holding up well?”

“You too.”

Eunchan rotates his shoulder as if it’s stiff.

But even while doing so, his fingers remain raised.

“It’s my turn now, right?”

“Yes.”

In truth, neither of them was normal anymore.

They had each drunk over 8 bomb shots.

Especially Jeoksa, who had drunk a total of 11 shots including the early rounds.

As a result, the killer’s legs began to shake violently.

“Ha- I’ve been playing so long I can’t think of anything.”

“Then skip your turn.”

“That’s not an option. We both seem to be reaching our limit…”

Eunchan glances at the woman before him, looking her up and down.

Indeed, apart from her red eyes, she is breathtakingly beautiful.

If only he could date her, he’d even give up his team leader position…

“Then let me try this.”

Eunchan says with glazed eyes.

“I’ve killed someone before. Fold.”

Jeoksa momentarily freezes at his words.

Even her shaking legs stiffen.

“…”

She silently folds her finger.

Then drinks the Sobaeksanmaek placed before her.

The killer wipes her lips with the back of her hand and asks the ranker.

“I guess you haven’t.”

“Not yet.”

The air in the pub grows cold at his words “not yet.”

Even the auntie dozing in the kitchen corner opens her eyes.

“My turn. I’ve never reached ranking 10 or higher. Fold.”

Eunchan’s eyebrow twitches.

With his pride hurt, he grimaces and folds his finger.

Then he downs the extra drink.

He slams the glass down hard enough to make a loud noise.

Soon the ranker’s brown eyes flash dangerously.

“I’m a thug. Fold.”

But Jeoksa doesn’t fold her finger.

At her reaction, the association team leader irritably asks.

“What? Why don’t you fold?”

“Why? Because I’m not a thug.”

At her firm answer, Eunchan tilts his head.

Soon he asks the killer with a fierce gaze.

“That’s strange…”

“I’m sure I saw the name ‘Jeoksa’ on the Ilshim list?”

“Didn’t you recently injure two of our rankers and a council member?”

He asks with his cheek resting on the back of his hand.

So he did know after all.

Even a rookie would know if they’ve risen to a key position in the association.

“So what, you want to try something?”

But Jeoksa wasn’t one to cower at just this much.

She is, after all, one of the four snakes of Ilshim.

“…”

At her question, Eunchan smirks.

That snicker soon turns into a hearty laugh.

“Of course not. Who would dare challenge Jeoksa of Ilshim!”

Despite his laughter, Jeoksa still doesn’t relax her expression.

Eunchan responds to her cruel killing intent with a smile.

“I’m just surprised that even a killer like you has ‘someone precious’.”

Eunchan looks down at the soundly sleeping girl as he speaks.

From her gestures urging to leave quickly, to the Black Rose.

Young and perceptive, he had already roughly figured out the relationship between Jeoksa and Siho.

“She is cute, I’ll admit.”

Eunchan muttered as if regretful.

“I don’t know how you ended up in Sindaebang…”

He slowly rises from his seat and takes care of his friend who passed out earlier.

Then quietly warns the killer.

“Consider yourself lucky to have met me today. My seniors also frequent this place.”

It was sincere advice.

Feeling the words as an unspoken pressure, the killer gripped her glass tightly.

“If I were involved in evil like you… I wouldn’t go around with someone precious.”

He lifts the pub’s blinds.

“I’m not saying this out of jealousy.”

And before leaving, he stabs a dagger into Jeoksa’s heart.

“It’s just that they might be in danger because of me.”

The silhouettes of the two men gradually move away from the pub.

Jeoksa watches them intently.

The killer rolls Eunchan’s words around in her mouth thoughtfully.

They have the nerve to talk about evil deeds when they’ve committed countless themselves.

But…

In this world, strong power is justice.

As long as ranks 1 through 5 in Korea belong to the association, the association is absolute good.

Jeoksa hiccups.

With each hiccup, the smell of alcohol rises from her mouth.

“Damn…”

She looks down at Miho with a reddened face.

And lightly shakes her shoulder.

“…”

Miho mumbles and shakes her head.

Seeing her like this, Jeoksa sighs deeply.

With no choice, the killer carries her on her back and leaves the pub.

“You seem heavier than before…”

Holding Miho’s soft thighs, Jeoksa walks through the night streets.

She looks around for a place to stay for the night.