Chapter 94

Posted by Kuze, ? Views, Released on January 2, 2025

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‘…. Yoo Ju?’

I couldn’t understand. Why was Yoo Ju here?

Well, she’s also investigating, so it’s possible she could be here. But that wasn’t the reason I was flustered.

‘Why is she dressed like that…’

Yoo Ju also recognized me and froze, unable to move.

From her perspective, it must be embarrassing too. She was wearing the same bunny girl outfit as the employees here.

Yoo Ju froze for a while, then finally noticed her outfit and her face turned bright red.

‘Damn… what, what should I do?’

I had no idea what to say in this situation.

Given the place, I couldn’t loudly act like I knew her, and ignoring her felt awkward too.

Wi Ho-yeon also recognized Yoo Ju and was so surprised her eyes went wide.

Ho-yeon probably didn’t expect to see Yoo Ju here, especially in that outfit.

‘Is she dressed like that… for the investigation?’

She must be disguised as an employee.

I don’t know how she got in here, but as a Returner, she probably used her own methods.

In the momentarily frozen situation, Yoo Ju hesitated and then approached us.

“Um… sir, ma’am… by any chance…”

“……”

“Uh…”

“Wait…”

“Ah…!”

I grabbed Yoo Ju’s wrist and moved to a less crowded area.

I didn’t know what to ask her first, but I opened my mouth.

“…Why are you here, Yoo Ju?”

Yoo Ju’s face was still red as she bowed her head.

She seemed embarrassed by the situation.

“Well, um… while investigating… I found out about this place…”

“Ah…”

“B-but why are you and Ho-yeon here?”

Of course, just as we didn’t expect to see Yoo Ju here, she probably didn’t expect to see us either.

“…Where do I even start… We’re in the same position as you. We came here while investigating, but Ho-yeon and I have roles…”

“Roles?”

“Yeah, well… it seemed better to disguise ourselves to investigate the casino. I’m pretending to be a young nobleman, and Ho-yeon is my bodyguard.”

“Ah… I see… I thought your outfits looked different…”

“…Are you also in disguise, Clan Master?”

‘Ugh… this clueless girl…’

I deliberately avoided mentioning Yoo Ju’s outfit, but Ho-yeon brought it up anyway.

Yoo Ju, who probably wanted to quietly move past her outfit, turned even redder at Ho-yeon’s question.

If I were Yoo Ju, I’d want to run away too.

“Ah, yes! For the investigation! I had to wear this outfit! I had to disguise myself as an employee…!”

Her rambling was painful to watch.

“So…! I didn’t wear this because I like it! Don’t get the wrong idea! Yoon Seong, you too…”

“I know. I won’t misunderstand. Don’t worry.”

“That’s a relief…”

“…..”

“….”

‘Ah, this is so awkward…’

Not only was it awkward, but the problem was that Yoo Ju was standing right in front of me in that outfit, and I didn’t know where to look.

“…Anyway, we plan to continue our investigation. Have you found anything, Yoo Ju?”

“…A little. The group running this casino seems to be the same one distributing drugs. I don’t have proof, but I think there might be a connection to the Red Ant Clan in this city.”

‘Red Ant Clan…’

The fact that Yoo Ju mentioned the Red Ant Clan means there’s a high chance they’re involved in this somehow.

But the question is…

‘The Red Ant Clan is a medium-sized clan. Not even a large clan, but they have this much influence in the underworld?’

It’s not impossible, but I suspect the Red Ant Clan has a backer.

‘A medium-sized clan wouldn’t have the resources to handle all this.’

“Have you and Ho-yeon found anything?”

“Not much yet. But we’ve reached this VIP casino, and since it’s secretly operated, I suspect drugs are being distributed here.”

“Ah…”

“Looking at the people here, there are a lot of wealthy-looking individuals. If I were a drug distributor, I’d probably approach some of them here.”

“I see… So, do you and Ho-yeon plan to keep visiting as guests?”

“Yes, we haven’t found any evidence yet.”

Honestly… I wasn’t entirely sure the casino was connected to the drugs, but the fact that Yoo Ju was here undercover meant this place was likely the key.

“Ho-yeon and I will look around here. What about you, Yoo Ju?”

“Ah… I’ll continue investigating as an employee.”

“Got it. Then…”

After finishing our conversation, Ho-yeon and I started acting as guests, while Yoo Ju continued as an employee.

The game I joined was blackjack.

About an hour into playing and scoping things out, an unexpected situation arose.

Here, you could pay to have a girl accompany you during the game.

Of course, I had no intention of paying for that, so I thought it didn’t concern me…

“Oh, this young master has a pretty girl with him, huh?”

One of the guys I was playing with started eyeing Ho-yeon like he’d lost his mind.

“Did you pay for her?”

‘This crazy bastard…’

“No, she’s just my bodyguard.”

“Ah, I see. Seeing this young master makes me feel a bit lonely. Hey!”

By sheer coincidence, the person he called out to was Seo Yoo-ju, who happened to be passing by.

Seo Yoo-ju, startled by the call, responded in confusion.

“…Yes?”

“What do you mean ‘yes’? Come here. I’ll pay you to sit next to me.”

“Ah… well, um…”

Seo Yoo-ju, noticing that the man was playing a game with us, seemed flustered and hesitated.

Even I was at a loss for what to do in this situation, feeling equally bewildered.

“Alright, let’s start over.”

With that, the game restarted, and the guy began talking to me.

Fortunately, he just kept Seo Yoo-ju by his side without getting too touchy.

“Young master, where are you from?”

“…I came from a place quite far from here.”

“You look like you’re from a noble family… am I right?”

“…Is it that obvious?”

‘This guy… why is he so talkative?’

I briefly checked his status window, but his stats seemed average for a player. I wondered how someone like him ended up here.

‘Is this guy… a member of the Red Ant Clan?’

Given that this gambling den is connected to the Red Ant Clan, there must be some clan members around here.

If this guy is a Red Ant Clan member… there’s a good chance he’s involved in drug trafficking.

‘If that’s the case, what I need to do is… appeal to him.’

“Well… I came here because I heard there were many pleasures, but it’s not as exciting as I thought. I don’t see much difference from the gambling dens upstairs…”

“Haha… that’s because you don’t know much about this place, young master. There’s so much to enjoy here.”

“Are you talking about gambling? I’m already tired of gambling upstairs.”

‘Come on, say something else? There must be more than just gambling, right?’

“Hmm…”

After a moment of thought, the guy leaned in and whispered quietly into my ear.

I felt disgusted by the sensation of a man whispering in my ear, but I held it in.

“Hey, young master, have you ever heard of drugs?”

‘Perfect.’

I almost smiled at his words. I never thought I’d find the connection I was looking for just a day after arriving here.

Since this is a VIP-only place, it’s hard to get in, but once you’re here, it seems easy to hear such things.

“Drugs?”

“They make you feel incredibly good. It’s a pleasure you can’t compare to anything else.”

‘Idiot. He’s just spilling everything without being asked.’

Seeing him spill the beans so easily without even being prompted made me want to laugh.

“Really? If they exist, aren’t they expensive?”

“No, the price isn’t too bad. Of course, it’s a bit more expensive than regular items, but for a young master like you, it shouldn’t be a big burden.”

Typical drug dealer talk. At first, they don’t charge much or sell it cheaply.

But once the buyer gets addicted, their attitude changes completely.

“Oh, really…”

I pretended to be impressed, and the guy eagerly started offering me drugs.

“How about it? If you’re interested, I can connect you with a seller. No, no, after this game, I’ll share some of what I have. How about it? Want to try it today?”

‘This is tricky…’

Of course, I came here to catch drug dealers, not to do drugs myself.

But if I reject his offer, he might get suspicious or hide, which would be problematic.

‘And… why is he so pushy? Why is he so desperate to sell?’

Drug dealing is usually done cautiously. His eagerness made me suspicious.

‘Is there something going on?’

It was natural to think there might be some underlying reason.

‘No, for now… this isn’t the time to think about that. How should I respond?’

The longer I took to answer, the more suspicious he might become.

In such situations, it’s best to respond quickly.

“Alright. I can’t pass up something good like that.”

“Hehe… good choice.”