episode_0029

Karen couldn’t comprehend the scene unfolding before her eyes.

“You should scram too. And don’t forget the warning I gave you earlier.”

Though she prided herself on having experienced every kind of absurdity as someone scraping the bottom of life’s barrel, the bizarre events happening right now were beyond her understanding.

To Karen, life was simple—

Whether good or evil, it was all about devouring or being devoured.

Having realized that brutal truth far too early, Karen was always too busy guarding herself against the world.

All so she wouldn’t become someone else’s prey.

Even if there had been those who extended a helping hand to her, every single one of them had hidden dark intentions behind their kindness.

There was no such thing as goodwill without reason.

That was the unshakable truth Karen had learned through her own harsh experiences.

Yet today, that truth was about to be shattered.

“You must’ve been really desperate, huh? Borrowing money from those kinds of people…”

The male student approaching her was fundamentally different from her in every way.

He could easily obtain the amount of money it would take her months of grueling work to earn.

He could casually acquire information she wouldn’t be able to get her hands on even after years of searching.

He carried a reputation she could never achieve in her lifetime as if it were nothing.

A being born into a completely different world.

Karen, who had lived—and would continue to live—in the filthy, wretched depths of society, was someone who shouldn’t even dare to associate with him.

That was how it should have been.

So why was someone like him so fixated on her?

Why was he showering her with such undeserved attention and kindness?

What in the world could he possibly want from her?

She was just some back-alley girl, dime a dozen.

A girl who was a little too steeped in malice, the kind you could find anywhere.

Park Junghyun’s figure shifted unpredictably as he walked toward her.

One step, and he seemed like a demon.

Another step, and he resembled an angel.

Which one was the truth? Karen couldn’t decide.

“…What the hell do you want from me?”

Bound by the suffocating weight of doubt and fear, Karen finally burst into tears.

As hot tears streamed down her cheeks, Park Junghyun’s movements came to an abrupt halt.

“Money, fame, information—you have everything people could ever want. So what the hell could you possibly expect from someone like me that you’d go this far…?! Answer me!!”

She spat out the whirlwind of questions raging in her mind.

For a moment, Park Junghyun’s expression stiffened.

Then, as if contemplating something, he closed his eyes briefly before—

“…What I want from you? Of course there’s something.”

With a faint, unsettling smile, he whispered to her in a low voice.

A truly spine-chilling statement.

Did he want to make her his slave?

Had he set his sights on her body after all?

Or was he about to make a demand she couldn’t even begin to imagine?

Terrified of what was to come, Karen squeezed her eyes shut.

Then—

A warm sensation brushed against her hair, followed by a playful voice.

“I just want you to grow up without getting twisted. That’s enough for me.”

……?

Unable to believe what she had just heard, Karen slowly opened her eyes.

Park Junghyun was smiling gently as he patted her head.

Like an adult soothing a foolish child.

“……”

“Oh, by the way, about the 8 million Mihan I just paid off for you—that’s not free. You’re going to pay me back properly, got it?”

“Grow up without getting twisted,” he said.

What right did he have to say that to her?

He wasn’t her parent, her sibling, her cousin, or even her benefactor.

At best, they had only met a week ago.

“And make sure you eat dinner every night. If I catch you skipping lunch again, I’m adding interest.”

Maybe there was something between her and Park Junghyun that Karen didn’t know about.

But whatever it was, none of it resonated with her.

So Karen stopped thinking about it.

After all, no matter what she thought, it wouldn’t change anything.

Instead, she defined Park Junghyun with a single word.

“…Fucking psycho.”

A very gentle fucking psycho, at that.

—

The golden weekend, arriving after a grueling week.

On such a precious weekend, I left my dorm and headed toward the main building.

Some might ask if I was going to the training hall there.

While that was part of the plan, there was somewhere else I needed to stop by first.

After taking the elevator to the 12th floor, I glanced around.

‘If the interviews are being held in Room 1202… Ah, there it is.’

I spotted a noisy crowd of students gathered in one spot, waiting.

That had to be the place for the travel club interviews.

The interviews started at 2 PM, and it was currently 1:50—so I’d arrived with about 10 minutes to spare.

Still, there were way more people than I expected.

A rough estimate put the number at several dozen.

I had no idea how many new members the travel club was planning to take in this year, but the competition was clearly fierce.

I couldn’t help but feel a little nervous.

Swallowing lightly, I made my way toward the crowd.

Then, a familiar figure caught my eye.

Not Xiaolin or Ume—those two had already finished their morning interviews and left.

Sitting quietly in a corner chair, scrolling through her phone, was—

“Rachel, long time no see. Has it been a week?”

“Gah—you scared me!”

The golden-haired, heterochromatic girl, Rachel.

She must’ve been really startled—she even forgot to respond in her usual chuuni act.

After a brief pause, she coughed awkwardly, then pointed at me dramatically.

“You dare interrupt this one’s sacred quest to uncover the truths of the universe?!”

Ah, she’s back in character.

“Scrolling through your phone counts as ‘uncovering the truths of the universe’?”

“Fool! To your untrained eyes, it may appear as nothing more than a mundane smartphone screen. But in truth, it is veiled by my supreme arcane magic to prevent information leaks! You can no longer discern truth from illusion!”

As she spoke, she frantically pressed the home button to return to her home screen.

I totally saw her playing a mobile game just now.

Not that it was strange for Rachel, an agent of the Abyss, to play mobile games.

Given that she had to maintain her chuuni persona under orders from above, making friends couldn’t have been easy.

Mobile games were the perfect way to kill time.

No matter how rigorous her training had been, she was still a girl who loved to have fun.

And her reason for joining the travel club was probably similar.

A caged bird always yearns for a wider world.

“Is it fun?”

“What do you speak of?”

She flipped her hair dramatically and glared at me with exaggerated disdain.

“The game you were playing earlier.”

“W-What nonsense! Do you truly believe the Dark Flame Master would indulge in the trivial amusements of mere mortals? If so, I am sorely disappointed in you!”

The way Rachel addressed me kept shifting—sometimes “you,” sometimes “fool.”

Maybe because she wasn’t fully committed to the act, she didn’t bother with the finer details.

Then again, if I had to keep up a magical girl persona, I probably wouldn’t either.

“Sure, whatever. Anyway, I never imagined you’d apply for the travel club.”

“And what reason would this one have to not take interest in the travel club?”

“Well, I figured you’d say something like—‘Fufu, this one already knows all there is to know. There is no need to witness the world with my own eyes’—and brush it off.”

For a split second, Rachel’s expression crumbled.

And in that moment, unmistakable embarrassment flashed across her face.

“O-Of course! This one is indeed omniscient, but my powers and memories are currently sealed! In other words, to reclaim my former glory, I must broaden my horizons firsthand!”

She desperately spewed more cringe-worthy lines to cover up her slip.

I could practically see her squirming internally.

Huh?

Why is this so fun?

When I’m the one being teased, it’s mortifying, but the moment the tables turn, it’s weirdly entertaining.

I don’t even have this kind of taste.

This is strange.

Hmm, maybe I should tease her a little more to be sure.

“That’s impressive. What happened in the past that got your powers sealed?”

“……”

For a second, I could swear Rachel’s eyes screamed “I hate you.”

But that glare lasted only a moment.

“If you must know, this one shall enlighten you. It was in the distant primordial era, when light and darkness first took form and began coveting each other’s domains. Amidst that chaos, this one, on a certain day—”

Rachel spun an elaborate backstory on the spot, clearly racking her brain to keep up with my teasing.

Watching her struggle like this… I don’t know how to describe it, but it’s weirdly satisfying.

I never felt like this when playing the game.

Wait, am I actually a sadist?

“…Why do you grin so foolishly? Do you find this one amusing?”

Yes.

Very much so.

“Not at all. I just have a naturally smiley face.”

“…You grow more detestable by the second.”

Rachel pouted slightly, then turned away with a huff.

Just then—

“Thank you all for waiting! Those whose names are called, please enter Room 1202 for your interview! Park Junghyun, you’re up first!”

A dwarven girl stepped out of Room 1202 and announced loudly to the crowd.

“Got it. Be right there. See you later.”

“If fate wills it, then so it shall be.”

After exchanging farewells with Rachel—who stayed in character to the very end—I headed straight for Room 1202.

The further I got from her, the more the nervousness I’d briefly forgotten began creeping back.

Just looking behind me, I could see dozens of applicants.

No, on second thought, it looked closer to a hundred.

Would I really be able to make it into the travel club with this kind of competition?

‘Well, it’s not like I’ll die if I don’t get in.’

Still, now that I’ve been given a new life, it’d be great to travel around and make some fun memories.

—Knock knock knock.

After rapping on the door of Room 1202, I entered upon hearing a faint voice granting permission.

In the center of the room was a chair that looked very much like the one I was supposed to sit in.

A short distance away, behind a desk, sat two beastkin male students and… a demon girl who looked way too excited to see me?

What?

Why is she like that?

For a moment, I was taken aback, but I kept my composure, bowed politely, and took my seat.

Then, clearing my throat, I began my introduction.

“Ahem, hello. I’m Park Junghyun from Providence Col—”

“You’re in.”

“Huh?”