Chapter 33

Chapter 6 – JMC President’s Daughter, Gwak Sa-yeon

[Death Light and Heart: “Long time no see.”]

[Doremipasolo: “Hi, Juk-sim. I was at the hospital for a bit.”]

[Death Light and Heart: “I heard a bit from Ayu.”]

What a loose-lipped guy.

I started chatting with Juk-sim, who’s always online, and began clearing my weekly quests.

It’s a weekday afternoon.

Since most guild members are busy with work, no one else is online except Juk-sim.

Ding!

Just as I finished my weekly quest, I got a message from someone.

[Ediknorjeva: “Oh, Domi, you’re out of the hospital?”]

Is that Eva?

[Doremipasolo: “I’m fine now.”]

[Ediknorjeva: “I heard you overworked yourself and collapsed. Domi, you always go overboard. It’s good to work hard, but you need to take care of your health too.”]

Nope.

Today, it’s Eva noona.

Ediknorjeva is a character raised by twin siblings.

The one who uses polite speech is usually the younger sister.

The one who speaks in dialect is usually the older brother.

‘From my perspective, both are older than me.’

Anyway, their playstyles and speech patterns are so different that it’s easy to tell them apart.

It seems Ayu told them I couldn’t log in for a while due to overwork.

[Ediknorjeva: “I’m not in a position to say this, but…”]

At that moment, Eva noona showed signs of exhaustion.

[Doremipasolo: “Noona, is something going on at work?”]

[Ediknorjeva: “The juniors made some mistakes, and now we’re clashing with another business.”]

[Doremipasolo: “(Crying emoji)”]

Hearing her talk about work, I sent a sympathetic emoji.

I was once jobless, but now I’m a proper office worker.

So, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her, being crushed by work.

[Ediknorjeva: “Thanks to that, work’s a mess. I can’t even log into the game much.”]

[Death Light and Heart: “Everyone’s so busy these days, no one’s playing. Complaining.”]

Is everyone just busy these days?

Ggotbi’s idol work has really taken off, so she’s swamped.

Ahin-nim was always busy anyway.

With Ayu and me also busy, our guild has started to feel empty.

‘It’s a bit sad, feeling like everyone’s drifting away from the game.’

Now that I’m an office worker, I get it.

Gaming isn’t something you can easily do without free time.

More than anything, now that I have a new goal, I can’t just play games all day.

‘Thinking about it…’

I stopped doing my quest and crossed my arms, staring at the chat window.

My university life was a mess because of false accusations, and I gave up on everything.

But even though I was so exhausted back then, would I really give up on my dreams so easily?

I know myself well.

No parents, no money, completely ignored by everyone.

Growing up in that environment, I’m stronger than anyone when it comes to misfortune.

Of course, when that woman falsely accused me, I almost went insane.

The looks from my classmates and professors treating me like trash.

Being isolated in the world, that b*tch’s smile was enough to make me snap.

‘But isn’t getting back up after falling my specialty?’

Even now, thinking about that time is horrifying, but I feel a strange sensation.

I started playing games by choice, but it’s weird that I didn’t think about getting back up for five years.

“Hmm…”

Why am I only now realizing how strange this is?

I looked up at the sky.

Baeksan never logs into the game with me.

The reason I’m thinking this way.

Maybe it’s related to Baeksan.

I finished my daily quest and logged off.

Turning my gaze, I saw Baeksan yawning boredly.

He made eye contact with me and, as usual, asked with a tired face.

“Done?”

“Baeksan, I want to ask you something.”

I then asked him about the doubts I had.

After hearing everything, Baeksan nodded.

“Right. There was a curse on you. I removed it when I entered.”

Hearing that, I smacked my forehead.

Because everything finally made sense.

The daughter of JMC, Korea’s top hunter company.

Gwak Sa-yeon.

The woman who falsely accused me at university and ruined my life had hired a hunter to curse me.

“What kind of curse?”

“Weak willpower. Easy to cast, and unless you’re a professional curse user or the caster, it’s hard to tell if it’s even there. But the effect is certain. Once you fall, you can’t get back up without help.”

Hearing about the weak willpower curse, all the pieces fell into place.

At the same time, I started grinding my teeth.

That woman not only ruined my life but also broke my legs so I couldn’t get back up.

What kind of crazy b*tch would do that? But she’s exactly the type.

‘So that’s why my five years flew by so meaninglessly.’

As a normal person, there’s no way to break a curse.

So, I ended up escaping into games.

“…But recently, I haven’t felt the weak willpower?”

“It’s a weak curse, so if a strong presence is nearby, it would’ve shrunk and hidden in my stomach. That’s why others didn’t notice you were cursed. It would’ve naturally disappeared around strong beings.”

Hearing that, I remembered that I regained my will to dream after meeting Ayu.

The reason I could find my dream again was thanks to meeting Ayu.

I’ll treat her to something delicious later.

‘But the real problem is…’

That woman who ruined my life.

She’s the most despicable person I’ve ever met.

How can someone be like that?

‘She’s not human.’

She’s a beast.

A beast.

“You felt something strange, right? That thing had been coiled around you for a long time, so when it disappeared, the contradictions surfaced. But there shouldn’t be any aftereffects.”

“I know who cast the curse. Is there nothing I can do?”

Hearing my question, he smirked as if I was asking the obvious.

“An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, right?”

“But that woman has money, power, and connections?”

“Ha, what nonsense.”

Baeksan laughed and pointed out my thoughts.

“Who in Korea can outmatch your connections?”

“Well…”

Hearing about connections, I first thought of Baekseolhyang.

The president of the World Returner Association.

She has the best connections among the people I know, but since it’s not related to returners, I didn’t want to use her.

If it were Ayu, maybe, but Baekseolhyang and I are just acquaintances.

But even excluding her, the people I’ve recently met are all extraordinary.

“And as for power, who do you think is by your side? Me, of course.”

While Baeksan confidently boasted, I fell into thought.

How can I get revenge on that woman for my five years?

It won’t be easy.

Then, I suddenly remembered someone.

Someone who said they owed me and wanted to repay the favor.

Seollsan Iri, Ha Seo-ho.

An S-class hunter and the face of JMC.

‘If I want revenge, I need to start with reconnaissance.’

I picked up my phone.

Ha Seo-ho, the “Repay the Favor” project begins.

Of course, my revenge is just a bonus.

—

S-class hunter Seollsan Iri, Ha Seo-ho.

Today, he received a call and headed to a fancy-looking restaurant.

The caller was none other than Kang Ha-chan, his younger brother’s benefactor.

Though the request came sooner than expected, he gladly accepted.

‘Gwak Sa-yeon.’

Thinking of that familiar name, he frowned slightly.

While he could easily accept Ha-chan’s request, just thinking about that woman made him frown.

The daughter of JMC’s chairman, Gwak Hae-ju, and a woman who grew up thinking the world revolved around her.

Her greed is unmatched, and her actions are infamous in the industry.

But the fact that nothing about her leaks out shows how powerful JMC is in Korea’s hunter industry.

She’s like a Venus flytrap raised in a greenhouse.

Remembering her like that, Seo-ho straightened his tie in his suit.

Today, he was meeting Gwak Do-ryeon, JMC’s director and the chairman’s eldest son.

Seo-ho didn’t call Gwak Sa-yeon separately.

Even if he didn’t want to, she’d show up anyway.

“Welcome, Ha Seo-ho-nim.”

As Seo-ho entered, a middle-aged man who seemed to be the manager greeted him.

Being the guest of JMC’s chairman’s eldest son, and Ha Seo-ho himself, warranted such treatment.

One of the few S-class hunters in Korea.

They’re rare, even compared to returners living in Korea, and are considered national treasures.

So, it’s natural for him to receive such treatment when visiting a restaurant.

Though Seo-ho seemed uncomfortable, he followed the manager’s lead.

“Have a good time.”

After the manager left, Seo-ho turned his head.

Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be a good day.

“Seo-ho!”

Clang!

And as expected, a woman rudely pushed her chair back and stood up, catching Seo-ho’s eye.

Her brown hair, styled at a professional salon.

Her pretty face with a mole on her upper lip—it was none other than Gwak Sa-yeon.

Her overly shiny eyes met Seo-ho’s, and his expression twisted again, but he only sighed and said nothing.

‘I’m here today for Ha-chan hyung’s request.’

He didn’t know why she was curious about him, but he had a favor to fulfill for his benefactor.

Forcing a smile, Gwak Sa-yeon ran up to him with a flushed face.

“Seo-ho, what’s this? You look so handsome today. Did you dress up to impress me? Right?”

“Not at all.”

He disliked Gwak Sa-yeon.

She’s rude, self-centered, and gets a thrill from ruining others’ lives.

Honestly, there’s no one in the world who could like her.

But her family’s power overshadows even her personality.

“Hehe, I love how cold you are, Seo-ho. My heart races just seeing you. If it were anyone else, I’d make sure they never lifted their head again. But you’re special.”

Giggling, she wrapped her arms around Seo-ho’s waist and buried her face in his chest. Seo-ho’s expression turned to one of disgust.

He reflexively tried to push her away but stopped, remembering Ha-chan’s request.

Damn it, just endure it for today.

As Seo-ho stood still, Gwak Sa-yeon widened her eyes, laughed, and hugged him tighter.

But Seo-ho remained cold as a stone.

No, the strong perfume she wore was giving him a headache, making his frown deepen.

“What’s the occasion? Seo-ho, if you’re this nice to me, I might even consider finding you a venue tomorrow. Or maybe you’re finally starting to fall for me?”

As she said this, she gently stroked Seo-ho’s neck.

“Should we go out today?”