Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Guilt (1)

“Ouroboros was originally formed around the Boss. This meeting was held under the assumption that the Boss was dead, so it’s natural that the members wouldn’t cooperate properly. Judging by the lack of news from the other two, it seems they have no intention of coming.”

“You mean Bathory and Maestro?”

“Beast Buster is dead, so only those two are left. But Maestro seems to have changed his mind since the war and returned to civilian life, while Bathory has become a wreck.”

“A wreck…?”

“She became a nun. She went insane to the point where she couldn’t endure without clinging to religion.”

…That arrogant and ruthless slaughterer became a nun.

It’s hard to believe, but the same goes for Anatomy.

The disparity between the past and the present was enough to make him abandon any lingering feelings for her.

“So, Ouroboros is truly over now.”

With that, Anatomy took another drink.

Seeing his resigned demeanor made it clear.

Just like me, he was still tied to the past.

Even someone as strong as him couldn’t find a way to rebuild the organization.

“Still, it’s not like this meeting was completely fruitless.”

Trying to shake off the somber mood, Anatomy chuckled and raised his smartphone.

The video he’d been recording earlier started playing.

“Nonetheless! I got a video of that proud lady drinking like a dog. I can’t be too disheartened!”

“…Hey.”

“What’s wrong, friend? You don’t look too happy. You didn’t seem to get along with her either, so let’s watch and laugh together~!”

That bastard can’t stay serious for more than three minutes unless he’s killing someone.

I sighed deeply and slowly approached him as he replayed Seolhwa’s drunken antics.

“Look, here. She’s drinking and screaming like a beast. Man, I was going to just laugh it off, but if she’s this messed up, I might add it to my private collection. Indeed! Treat a person like a dog, and they become one…”

-Smack!

I struck the back of his head with a hand imbued with superhuman strength.

His face collided with the table, but I didn’t care about his nose.

“Ow, friend, what are you doing…?”

When he came to his senses, he saw the smartphone in my hand.

No, to be precise, the SIM card I had just removed.

The moment I held it between my thumb and forefinger and applied pressure, his face turned pale.

“No, don’t! Please stop! If you do that, everything will be erased! Everything will be erased!”

-Snap.

“Aaaaagh!! My files! My cuckoo! My warbler! My sparrow! Nooooo!!”

What ridiculous file names.

As I tossed the broken SIM card, he began to sob with his face buried in the floor.

His sorrow was almost touching.

His tearful gaze turned towards me, filled with resentment.

“Friend… Why? We were soul friends, childhood friends. Why…?”

“Sorry, but I’m not an executive, just a former grunt.”

And no matter how much I disliked Seolhwa, I played along with him because there was something I genuinely wanted.

Even as a villain, I didn’t want to just stand by and watch.

“Bread.”

Leaving the crying Anatomy behind, Boss called out to me.

Her gaze was directed at the firmly closed exit.

An entrance difficult to traverse without Shadow’s ability.

“Is she bothering you?”

“…No, it’s just that I didn’t like what he was doing.”

Yes, it was Anatomy, not Seolhwa, who bothered me.

At least, I wanted to conclude it that way personally.

“You’re not being honest.”

But Boss denied my answer and gave me a pitying look.

To her, my denial seemed like a lie.

I could get angry and feign ignorance, but that would mean going against Boss’s words.

-Boss, I’m back. I left Seolhwa to get some fresh air on the deck… Anatomy? Why is he crying?

“Don’t ask… I’m not in the mood to explain.”

-…Huh? Explain what?

“Just ignore the drunken fool’s ramblings.”

Shadow has returned.

I tried to push my complicated feelings aside and approached him.

And then…

***

“Ugh…!!”

After spending quite some time in the ship’s bathroom.

Having finally succeeded in emptying her stomach, Seolhwa staggered down the hallway in a precarious state.

It was inevitable.

No matter how strong she was against external enemies, internal damage was fatal.

‘It’s humiliating… Even if he holds the information, to be manipulated like this.’

They had barely interacted outside of operations back in the organization, but she never imagined he would torment her with such malice.

Even if he was detestable, she had to deal with him for her goal.

But in her haste to leave, she forgot to take the chip.

To get the chip, she would have to return.

So, instead of stewing in anger, she needed to think about how to deal with him.

‘I want to just go back… But I can’t. I came here as the leader of an organization…’

Yes, she accepted his proposal out of a sense of responsibility to support her organization.

Though its power was nothing compared to Ouroboros, she had joined to fulfill her personal wishes.

Seeing her weakened former lord only solidified that resolve.

Since she couldn’t rely on Ouroboros anymore, she had to focus on her future.

‘Stay rational. You are now an executive, not a subordinate.’

Yes, she had to remember her position, as her subordinates would remind her.

She had to live as a leader, not a subordinate…

‘…Wait.’

As she continued to think, Seolhwa noticed something strange and shook her head.

‘Is it the alcohol? What am I thinking…’

She was the leader of Pandemonia, not an executive of Ouroboros.

Why did she distort her subordinate’s words like that?

It didn’t take long to find the answer.

‘If you show weakness, you will lose the trust of those who follow you.’

What came to mind were the words of a subordinate from her time in Ouroboros.

Back when she first became an executive, a subordinate assigned to her said those words.

Their encouragement helped her develop the responsibility and identity fitting her position.

‘…I wonder what that person is doing now?’

As she reminisced, leaning against the wall, someone began to approach her.

She sensed their presence, but her dazed mind couldn’t muster any caution.

“Hey, look. There’s a woman collapsed here.”

“Her suit looks cheap, but her face… Oh, she’s pretty. Is she from the East?”

“What does it matter? If she looks good, that’s all that matters.”

Two men snickered as they approached the collapsed Seolhwa.

One of them, with a sly grin, pulled out a bag of white powder.

“Wow, you’re up to your bad habits again.”

“What bad habits? Everyone hates it at first. Just one sniff, and they’ll be crying for more.”

“You’ll regret it later.”

“Who cares? If I tell my dad…”

This was the Titanic.

As the largest luxury cruise ship, it was packed with the upper class, who often got bored and sought more thrills.

Connecting with the underworld for more pleasure was common.

One such result was in his hand, but Seolhwa was too dazed to recognize it.

She thought about sleeping it off.

“Excuse me, she’s with me. Can you leave us alone?”

As she was about to pass out, a familiar voice reached her ears.

“Who are you? We’re having fun here… Huh? A paper bag?”

“What’s this? A clown? Why are you wearing a paper bag on a ship?”

“Because I don’t want to be recognized while doing something risky.”

“What the…”

-Thud!

After a scuffle and the sound of flesh hitting flesh, she felt her limp body being lifted.

What was happening in the darkness she couldn’t see?

-Whoosh.

As she mulled over her confusion, she started hearing water.

Not river sounds or waves crashing.

More like water spraying from a showerhead…

“Ugh.”

Finally regaining her senses, Seolhwa sat up quickly.

Damn, did she lose consciousness from the alcohol?

Feeling a sense of urgency, she clutched her head, trying to recall her memories.

It was then she noticed the emptiness under the blanket.

“What…?”

Feeling puzzled, she looked down.

She appeared to be in a cruise ship cabin, but under the blanket, she was completely naked.

-Whoosh.

So whose shower sounds were coming from the nearby bathroom?

‘This must be a misunderstanding…’

The sky outside was still dark.

The full moon suggested she hadn’t been unconscious for long.

Surely, it was too soon for anything to have happened.

‘Right. Someone must have brought me here while I was drunk. And they were just taking a shower…’

Being undressed was likely to cool down her body from the alcohol.

Trying to stay calm and assess the situation…

“Huh?”

She noticed something on the table.

A drink bottle and a square package with pointed edges.

The circle on it was something she remembered from old sex education classes…

-Click.

“Eek!?”

She screamed as the door opened.

Clutching the blanket tighter, she saw a man toweling his hair.

“Ah, you’re awake?”

A well-built man.

She recognized his face under the towel.

End of Chapter