Chapter 241

Yoo Ju, who was staying at the training facility for the time being, had recently been observing other trainees. Just in case there was someone worth recruiting. From her memory, this batch wasn’t particularly remarkable during the first round, but you never know. “…The only standout is Shin Han-sol.” However, from what she could see, there didn’t seem to be any particularly outstanding trainees among the raid group. Of course, that doesn’t mean they’re below average. At least they’re hitting the mark. It’s just that Eternity Clan’s recruitment criteria are unique. Other clans are already sending love calls to the trainees in the raid group. Anyway, with no lectures scheduled for today, she had plenty of free time. ‘Hmm, maybe I’ll go see Yoon Seong.’ She knew Yoon Seong didn’t have any plans for the day either. Just as she was about to change clothes and head out to meet him—knock knock. “Instructor Yoo Ju?” She felt puzzled by the sound of someone knocking on her office door. ‘…Who is it?’ She could tell from the title “Instructor” that it was a trainee, but she couldn’t pinpoint who exactly. “Who is it?” “Uh, it’s Trainee Jeong Min. Is this Instructor Yoo Ju’s office?” A name she didn’t recognize. If she didn’t remember the name, it meant the trainee hadn’t stood out much in the facility. It seemed a trainee had some business with her. “Yes, it is. Please come in.” As an instructor, she couldn’t dismiss a trainee, so she let them in, not knowing what they wanted. Click— “Haha, uh, it’s an honor to meet you, Instructor Yoo Ju.” The trainee who entered gave off a slightly unpleasant vibe for some reason. After greeting her, he just stared at her. His mouth slightly open, looking dazed, which made her frown involuntarily. She’d seen that kind of face many times before. She sighed inwardly at the man who seemed captivated by her appearance and spoke up. “…Trainee Jeong Min, was it? Please have a seat.” “Ah, yes! Haha…” He seemed a bit flustered by her demeanor, but she didn’t pay it much mind. She wasn’t being rude, just maintaining basic manners. ‘What’s he looking at…’ She followed his gaze and felt a wave of discomfort. ‘Sigh…’ She had worn a revealing outfit to show off to Yoon Seong, so her legs were fully exposed. The trainee’s gaze was fixed on her legs. He seemed to be trying to hide it, but there was no way a mere trainee could deceive her eyes. Still, she suppressed her discomfort. After all, she was the one who chose to wear such an outfit. ‘Hoo…’ “So, what brings you here?” “Ah, well…” He hesitated, and just from that, she could guess why he came. ‘…He probably wants to join the clan.’ It wasn’t an uncommon situation. For trainees, the three months at the training facility were crucial for their future. Many would go to great lengths to join a large clan, often approaching clan representatives like this. Kneeling, begging, or making grand promises—it was all part of their struggle to survive. Yoo Ju herself had never been in such a position, but she didn’t find it ugly. She understood that their futures were at stake. Of course, as an instructor, it was a bit annoying. But contrary to her expectations, the man’s next words caught her off guard. “Uh, are you close with Instructor Lee Yun-seong?” “…Huh?” She was puzzled why he mentioned Yun-seong. “…Why do you ask?” “Haha… well, from a distance, you seemed pretty close with Yun-seong.” She felt a surge of anger when he referred to Yun-seong casually, but then she felt a pang of curiosity. After all, a trainee wouldn’t casually address an instructor like that without a reason. “Wait, Trainee Jeong Min, was it? What’s your relationship with Yun-seong?” “Oh, no need to be so guarded. Yun-seong and I were friends back on Earth.” The mention of being friends with Yun-seong made her mind race. ‘Friends? Then…’ After quickly processing the information, she straightened her posture and put on a smile. ‘Yoo Ju, get it together. You need to make a good impression.’ If this man was really Yun-seong’s friend, she couldn’t afford to be careless. She felt a significant amount of tension. After all, she had to show her best side to Yun-seong’s friend. “Ah, yes! Uh… Mr. Jeong Min? Please feel free to be casual. I had no idea you were friends with Yun-seong. Haha…” Her sudden change in demeanor seemed to confuse the man, who looked momentarily bewildered. But soon, he smiled and spoke up. “Haha, yes. Actually, I heard you’re the master of the clan Yun-seong is in.” “Yes, that’s right.” ‘Did I make any mistakes?’ She swallowed nervously. Of all times to meet Yun-seong’s friend… “Uh, but if you’re Yun-seong’s friend, why come to me instead of him…?” “Ah, before that, may I ask what your exact relationship with Yun-seong is?” When he asked about her relationship with Yun-seong, only one thought came to mind. ‘This is my chance.’ A perfect opportunity to establish herself as Yun-seong’s girlfriend in front of his friend. “Yes, of course. It’s a bit embarrassing, but Yun-seong and I are dating. Hehe…” “…Huh? D-dating?” ‘…Did I mess up?’ She had only mentioned that she was dating Yun-seong, but the man’s reaction seemed off. His expression suddenly darkened, and something felt wrong.





The man’s slightly distorted expression revealed his discomfort.

‘What? Did I say something wrong?’

Only thoughts of ‘what should I do?’ were swirling in his head.

It was understandable, as he felt like he had made some mistake given the situation.

So, he cautiously opened his mouth, trying to gauge the mood.

“…Uh, Mr. Jeong Min? Did I make some mistake…?”

“…No. I was just startled for a moment. It’s fine.”

“Ah… That’s a relief. I thought I might have done something wrong…”

The problem was, despite saying it was fine, the person in front of him didn’t seem fine at all.

‘…Is it just my imagination?’

Whether it was his imagination or not, he felt an uneasy gaze from the eyes staring at him.

It felt as if… he was being looked at with greedy eyes.

‘No, snap out of it. This is Yoon Seong’s friend. What am I misunderstanding?’

Perhaps because he had been receiving such looks from trainees lately, he might have developed a sense of victimization.

“Uh, can I call you Yoo Ju?”

“Ah… Sure.”

Even though they were clearly in the roles of trainee and instructor, he didn’t feel great about the sudden change in address…

…but he couldn’t say anything to Yoon Seong’s friend.

“Yun Seong… I mean, Yoon Seong, are you two okay? He hasn’t been causing you any trouble, has he?”

‘Why is he asking this?’

“Yes, of course. He treats me very well. He hasn’t caused any trouble at all. If anything, I’m the one who’s lacking.”

He thought he had given a model answer, but…

“…Really?”

‘Again…’

The man’s face didn’t look any happier than before.

Strangely… it felt like he didn’t like hearing about how close they were.

He noticed the man’s face seemed bothered every time Yoon Seong was mentioned.

‘…Weird.’

At first, he was distracted by the fact that this was Yoon Seong’s friend, but no matter how much he thought about it, something felt off.

‘Why didn’t Yoon Seong mention his friend in the first place?’

If he had seen his friend at the training facility, he should have mentioned it.

But he had never heard Yoon Seong talk about this friend.

‘Did he just forget to mention it?’

“…Uh, Mr. Jeong Min? How did you and Yoon Seong get along on Earth? I’m a bit curious. If it’s not too much trouble, could you tell me?”

He was genuinely curious, but also felt something was off.

However, the man in front of him seemed to welcome the question.

“Ah, of course. Haha, that Yoon Seong had a tough life on Earth.”

Of course, he had a tough life. Yoon Seong grew up in an orphanage, after all.

“Actually, even though we were friends, both the other friends and I were always worried about Yoon Seong.”

“Worried?”

“Yes, well, he didn’t have a family, you know? Yoon Seong was an orphan. It’s easy to go down the wrong path, so as his friend, I was always concerned.”

“…..”

‘Why…’

He didn’t like the way the man was speaking.

At first glance, it seemed like a normal conversation, but… there was something in the tone.

But he brushed it off as his imagination and decided to keep listening quietly.

“But just as the other friends worried… Ah, tsk, this is a bit hard to say. Haha…”

“Hard to say? Did something happen to Yoon Seong on Earth?”

At his question, the man opened his mouth with what seemed like a pleased expression.

“Well, as his friend, it’s a bit difficult to talk about his flaws to his girlfriend, you know?”

‘…Flaws?’

He tried to hide his expression, but the slowly rising corner of his mouth gave him away.

“……”

As he remained silent, the man reluctantly continued.

“Well, Yoon Seong had a bit of a complex about wealthy people, and he did some bad things to them. And… um… this is a bit hard to say, but…”

He glanced at him and continued as if he had no choice.

“He gathered some bad kids and blackmailed adults for money, or beat them up if they didn’t pay… things like that.”

“……”

“There’s more, but… I was really debating whether to say this, but seeing you, Ms. Yoo Ju, I just felt so sorry for you. Yoon Seong has a way of charming women…”

‘…Enough.’

He felt disgusted.

Of course, it wasn’t directed at Yoon Seong.

The reason he felt disgusted was solely because of the man in front of him.

Now, it seemed like the man wasn’t even trying to hide it, as he continued to badmouth Yoon Seong with a smirk.

He even started to doubt whether the man was really Yoon Seong’s friend.

After all, a real friend wouldn’t tear down their own friend like that.

‘Shut up.’

He wanted to rip that mouth that kept spewing nonsense.

‘Shut up, how dare you… what are you even saying…’

From talking about Yoon Seong’s natural talent for deceiving women to his jealousy of wealthy friends, everything coming out of that mouth was unbearable.

“Haha, tsk, as Yoon Seong’s friend, I shouldn’t be saying this, but…”

‘Sigh…’

“Ms. Yoo Ju, my advice to you is to keep your distance. Yoon Seong is…”

“…Won’t you shut up?”

In the end, harsh words slipped out of his mouth.