Episode 468. Irene’s Grievance

Just before Lee Hoyeon arrived, in Alice’s room.

Irene knocked on Alice’s door and went inside.

“Alice. Unnie, may I come in?”

“Yes. Come in.”

“You looked a bit down, so I brought you a peeled apple. It’s a cute bunny.”

Irene placed the plate with the cute apple and a fork on the table.

Irene, smiling brightly, felt her heart warm up as she looked at Alice.

‘As expected, Alice is beautiful today too.’

Despite the earth-shattering confession that shook the very foundation of their sisterhood, their relationship surprisingly hadn’t changed much.

Originally, Irene was always the one to approach first when they were home.

Irene treated Alice as if that confession had never happened, and didn’t try to act strangely.

As a result, Alice, who had been wary at first, also let down her guard towards Irene.

“…It is cute, though.”

“Yes. Unnie cut it.”

Poke.

Alice poked the cute, bunny-shaped apple with her fork.

She wondered how her Unnie could cut it so well when she herself found it difficult no matter how hard she tried.

‘…She said this was because of me too.’

Alice remembered what Irene had told her.

She said it was when she was 13.

Alice had been hospitalized after getting injured during training, and she had told her Unnie she wanted a bunny-shaped apple.

She had cried that it was ugly after seeing the apple she cut with all her effort, so she had practiced every day since then.

“It reminds me of the old days. Alice wanted a bunny-shaped apple, so Unnie cut it for her. You cried that it was ugly back then, it hurt so much.”

“…Stop talking about that.”

Alice let out a sigh.

Ironically, her Unnie was thinking the same thing.

‘So the bunny liked me too, that’s why it happened.’

That her own sister liked her.

She understood that ‘fact’, but couldn’t accept it.

Alice still couldn’t let go of her old mindset.

‘I don’t know if this is a problem of an old mindset, but….’

The saving grace was that Irene remained the same.

She was just like her Unnie before she confessed her feelings.

Her actions, her way of speaking, the way she looked at her – it was all the same.

…If she didn’t do anything strange, maybe there was no need to worry about it.

Alice thought that.

“Right. Alice. Today’s the day Hoyeon is visiting.”

“…Mm-hmm.”

“Should Unnie bring out some tea? I have some high-quality tea leaves saved up. It would be nice to drink it together.”

“No. Today, I’m meeting him alone.”

“Oh, um. You’re going to…?”

“Yes. Unnie said it back then, remember? That you’d grant me anything.”

“Th-then. Of course. Unnie just needs Alice.”

Irene gave a bittersweet smile as she saw Alice’s smile.

She thought her sister had opened her heart to her, but maybe it wasn’t time yet.

Ding-dong- Ding-dong-

“Unnie. Lee Hoyeon is here.”

“Mm-hmm, okay. Unnie will be right back, so don’t fight with Hoyeon, okay?”

Alice got up and placed the prepared wine on the table, while Irene smiled and came out of the room.

“Haa….”

As soon as she stepped out of the room, Irene let out a sigh.

Since Alice hadn’t contacted Lee Hoyeon for a week, she couldn’t share a bed with him either.

But to not be able to do it this time either. She was very disappointed.

“Right. It can’t be helped.”

Irene swallowed her disappointment with difficulty.

Alice will probably open her heart soon. It’s all a matter of time.

‘I’m not asking for a lot.’

She wanted to progress just little by little from the relationship she had built with Alice until now.

Saying good morning, eating meals together sometimes, cooking for her, hugging her with love sometimes, sleeping together very occasionally, giving massages, sharing even their most intimate parts….

She just wants to be ‘slightly’ closer sisters.

Tsk. Irene smacked her lips.

Forging a path others don’t take is bound to be a series of hardships.

This is also because Alice and she were born so beautifully.

She, as the older sister, must bear this burden and walk forward.

Click-clack.

Irene went down to the entrance hall to greet Lee Hoyeon.

Lee Hoyeon was making lighthearted remarks as always, but today he seemed a bit listless.

‘Is he nervous about meeting Alice?’

If that’s the case, she could understand that completely.

Irene also used to check her own condition before entering Alice’s room.

“I did come out of the house… Do I have anything to do today?”

Irene left the house and walked down the street, spacing out.

She had left the house for Alice and Lee Hoyeon, but she actually had nothing to do.

She didn’t want to go to the Korean branch to work, and the weather wasn’t great for a walk.

“Ah… Maybe I should look into Lee Hoyeon?”

Come to think of it, Lee Hoyeon’s condition had been strange.

Maybe he fell victim to voice phishing. He’s a playboy, but surprisingly naive.

He might have been scammed in a way that’s hard to talk about.

‘Or maybe investigate his relationships with other women….’

“Irene-nim. It’s been a while.”

“Eek!”

Lost in her thoughts, Irene turned her head towards the direction of the sudden voice.

Behind her, she saw Scarlet, a familiar face.

“S-Scarlet?”

“Yes. This is the first time I’m greeting you since we met by chance last time.”

“Uh, yeah. That’s right. It’s been a while.”

Irene blinked, seeing her former colleague who had suddenly appeared.

Scarlet.

Until recently, she had been a guild member of the Iris Guild, and was quite a talented one at that.

She was scheduled to be promoted to Team 1 when her mission in Korea ended, but… she submitted her resignation unexpectedly, which was puzzling.

Of course, since her father had allowed it, Irene had nothing to say and intended to forget about it.

However, recently, she met Scarlet in an unexpected place.

She got caught up in a battle coincidentally while helping Student Council President Moon Surin during the operation to capture the Orc Moon Sungmin.

‘At that time, she was having a meal with Lee Hoyeon.’

It wasn’t that she didn’t investigate at that time.

By pestering the Korean branch manager, she found out that Lee Hoyeon and Scarlet had quite a deep relationship.

Unfortunately, since they said they absolutely couldn’t tell her anything beyond that, she intended to continue her personal investigation.

‘Of all times, back then, she was busy trying to get permission for the investigation into the black pillar and dungeon anomalies….’

Helping Lee Hoyeon meant Scarlet’s investigation kept getting postponed.

Moreover, her relationship with Alice changed drastically recently, leaving her no time to pay attention to work.

In the end, it had come to this point in a vague state.

Irene slowly opened her mouth as she looked at Scarlet, who was watching her expressionlessly.

“So, um. What is it? Showing up so suddenly.”

“I apologize for the sudden visit. I have something urgent. It concerns Lee Hoyeon-nim.”

“Lee Hoyeon?”

Irene slightly raised her guard.

Lee Hoyeon is a precious existence who connects her and Alice.

He’s not as beautiful as Alice, but… in many ways, he’s a man who’s about a 1.5-star rating.

“Yes. You’ve been spending a lot of time with Lee Hoyeon-nim recently, so perhaps you’ve noticed any suspicious points or questionable behavior regarding him? This is important.”

“….”

There were.

Just then, Irene, who was thinking about Lee Hoyeon, almost blurted out her thoughts unconsciously.

There were definitely suspicious behaviors.

A strange obsession with the black pillar and research deeper than a scholar’s.

Meticulously observing dungeon anomalies and understanding related papers.

And even suspicions about the black pillar that appeared at the academy.

She had let it slide because it was Lee Hoyeon, but if it were someone else, she would have definitely investigated the cause.

Irene scanned Scarlet’s body up and down.

As Team 1 leader, Irene’s senses sharpened.

Eye contact, breathing, trembling pupils, and brow.

Information leaked out endlessly, even from the expressionless Scarlet.

‘She already knew and came here.’

Scarlet was convinced that Irene knew something.

As expected of the former ace of the Iris Guild.

She had realized that Irene’s actions, observed while accompanying her, were suspicious.

Irene actually thought Lee Hoyeon’s actions were suspicious, so her guess was spot on.

…However.

“Even if I knew that… what reason do I have to tell you?”

“There isn’t one.”

“Scarlet. You know better than this. Has your field sense dulled since leaving the Iris Guild?”

Know your enemy and yourself, and you will win every battle.

Information is more valuable than anything.

Irene was the Team 1 leader of the Iris Guild, an information guild.

If someone just shows up and demands information, she wouldn’t just hand it over.

“I will pay the price. If Irene-nim names your price….”

“I’m sorry, but I refuse. I don’t really know anything, and I don’t need money.”

Irene shook her head.

She intended to continue the investigation into Lee Hoyeon personally.

There was no need to share it with a stranger whose motives were unknown.

What if it could harm him.

Just then, Scarlet’s cold voice reached Irene.

“You yourself seem to have lost much of your field sense. Perhaps because you only went on dates all throughout the break.”

“…What? Y-you mean ‘you’? Scarlet. Are you now….”

“Should I call you ‘you’ then? We’re the same age.”

“…….”

Irene shut her mouth at Scarlet’s confident words.

Scarlet is no longer an Iris Guild member.

However she chose to address her, that was up to Scarlet.

“…Fine. Call me whatever you want. But I don’t understand the meaning of your statement right now. Are you perhaps planning to forcibly take it because I’m not giving you information?”

“I don’t want to do that. I hope Irene-nim will pay the price and provide the information.”

“Ha. That’s a lie.”

Scarlet was still expressionless, but her body was already drawing up magic power.

She was putting herself in a state ready to fight at any moment.

Irene also responded by wrapping her body in magic power.

The thought of losing didn’t occur to her.

She knew Scarlet’s level well.

Talented, but below her.

If Scarlet were stronger, she would have taken the Team 1 leader position.

“If you’re going to act like that… Huh?”

Having drawn up magic power, Irene only then felt a foreign sensation covering her body.

“…A barrier?”

A barrier. And a top-tier one at that.

If the magic power was that subtle, to the point she couldn’t notice it, it belonged to an incredibly skilled person.

Moreover, Irene remembered experiencing this magic power.

The Centaur pursuit operation.

It was the magic power of Rebecca, the red-haired woman she met there.

Irene gritted her teeth under the pressure exerted on her entire body.

“Kgh… Gk.”

Click. Clack.

Simultaneously, three women appeared from an empty space.

“As expected, the baby’s dad is strong. It’s not that I’m weak!”

“Rebecca. That story is boring now, so stop talking about it.”

“Uh, excuse me… Is it really okay to do this? It seems dangerous….”

Irene examined the faces of the approaching women.

They were all women she had seen at the restaurant.

The red-haired woman in the center was Rebecca.

She was Lee Hoyeon’s acquaintance who appeared during the Centaur capture operation.

Next to her, the gentle-looking student was Nam Daeun, a first-year.

She was a huge prospect, so Irene naturally knew her.

The last one was yawning, exuding a somehow seductive aura.

She was the only one not in her information network.

Irene realized it was a dangerous situation and tried to escape the barrier immediately, but Scarlet, standing right beside her, blocked her movement.

“Stay still. Irene-ssi.”

“Nnngh….”

“Scarlet-ssi… Is it really okay to do this?”

Nam Daeun looked at Irene with worried eyes.

As soon as she returned from the academy, she was trying hard to understand what the other women were saying, but they all rushed out, suddenly saying the target had appeared.

She followed along for now, but is it really okay to do this?

“Yes. It’s okay. This person won’t break that easily.”

“Nnngh! Nngh!”

Irene struggled to escape Scarlet, who was covering her mouth.

The pressure crushing her body and the terrifying events to come were scary, but she also felt wronged.

She was already upset about being kicked out by Alice, and now she was being teased by Lee Hoyeon, and her former colleague was threatening her the first time they met again.

What did she do wrong to deserve this?

Irene squeezed her eyes shut, feeling wronged.