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[Flowering Night (5)]

A bar on the top floor of the Dawn Hotel.

After dinner, Lee Byung-in and Lee Jeong-in were drinking into the wee hours of the night.

Although they were brothers, they were enemies. From the moment they began competing to succeed the Dawn Group, they had been gulping down whiskey as if trying to bridge the gap that was rapidly widening between them.

«Here we go.»

«…Voila.»

The two men turned bright red.

Their tongues twisted together, they drank wordlessly, forgetting why they were drinking.

Outside the window, it was dark. The view of the forest, which was usually green in the evening, was shrouded in darkness.

But where the two men sat drinking, they were surrounded by colorful lights.

It was as if the window separated the inside from the outside.

«It reminds me of old times.»

«What do you mean?»

«When we were young, you… said you wanted to go to space when you grew up.»

«…Did I say that?»

«Yes. I remember how cool you looked then.»

Byung-in didn’t remember, just smiled bitterly and poured whiskey into Lee Jeong-in’s glass.

The sound of ice melting and sliding rang out.

Lee Jeong-in raised the glass to his lips and looked out the window with shaky eyes.

«From tomorrow…let’s try again. Just like the old days.»

«…Okay.»

Lee Jeong-in thought of the universe beyond the window, twinkling with stars in the darkness.

Lee Byung-in was different.

Outside the window, he could see nothing but darkness, just pure darkness.

And it was also his younger brother’s tomorrow, who knew nothing.

«Let’s hope for the best.»

If only tomorrow could come safely.

Byung-in offered a toast.

In the darkness, the plan was already in motion.

It was exhilarating to think that monsters were coming from the unseen world in unfathomable numbers.

It was only a matter of time.

«─Hey, is it that fun for two guys to drink together?»

It happened when the two of them had just finished a new glass.

Since when had she been there?

A seductive smile spread across the face of the beauty with long hair who leaned her shoulders back from the next seat, next to Lee Jeong-in.

«W-who are you?»

«If you’re curious about who I am, buy me a drink.»

Lee Jeong-in, who was still under the influence of alcohol, didn’t harbor any suspicion about the situation of a woman breaking through the player’s security and entering the top floor bar.

He had simply poured a drink into the glass she extended.

«Just me? All alone?»

«…I’m sorry.»

«I’ll pour yours for you, Oppa. Do you have something you want to drink?»

Wearing a tight-fitting dress that showed off her figure, she got up from her seat.

A figure that clearly displayed her curves. She wore high heels, and as she reached up to the cabinet, her dress revealed her back and curves seductively.

It was an irresistible sight that made it impossible to look away.

Lee Jeong-in swallowed hard to the point that he thought he might make a sound. A feeling called desire crept up on him, filling his eyes that had lost their strength.

«She’s a killer~»

«Hyung, I can hear you.»

«I can’t hear.»

Lee Byung-in caught a breeze.

Lee Jeong-in was cautious, wondering if the woman choosing drinks by flipping her hair might have heard something.

Fortunately, she was choosing drinks while humming to herself.

«Here you go. You seem quite drunk, so I chose something light. Is that okay?»

«Perfect.»

Lee Jeong-in couldn’t hide his smile.

The woman who had pulled up a chair and sat down next to him had expressed interest.

With her arms draped over the backrest, she was within reach to hug his shoulder if he reached out even a little.

«All right, cheers~»

«Cheers.»

The woman extended her glass.

The scent of her perfume tantalized his nose.

Sweet like fruit and a penetrating fragrance that went straight to the senses.

Lee Jeong-in’s legs twitched.

He had to restrain the rising desire.

But the scent of a woman was irresistible. Her chest, her back, everything. His gaze couldn’t escape her.

Every time his legs twitched, the sensation that swelled up couldn’t be suppressed.

«Mm? Why does our Oppa seem so uneasy?»

«There’s no way.»

«Really?»

The woman leaned her face closer gently.

Lee Jeong-in unconsciously leaned his upper body backward.

Then, as if he had gathered some courage, he leaned his body forward and tried to kiss the woman’s lips.

«What…?»

And before he could, he blacked out and collapsed.

«…It’s finally over, but why are you so late, you got me drunk, too.»

Lee Byung-in, who had stumbled and stood up from his seat, nudged the fallen Lee Jeong-in with his foot.

«I was looking for an opportunity. It wasn’t hard to break through the guard, but the target’s mana resistance was pretty stubborn.»

«Mana resistance? What kind of player is this guy?»

Lee Byung-in looked down at Lee Jeong-in, who snorted.

Lee Jeong-in was a businessman. He might be able to use some simple magic, but he wasn’t as specialized as a player.

«Maybe….»

The woman turned her back to them and flipped over the fallen Lee Jeong-in’s body.

«This.»

She pulled a handkerchief from his shirt pocket.

The item with the embroidered Morning Glory, the emblem of the Dawn Group, looked like an ordinary handkerchief.

«…It’s an artifact with protective magic inscribed on it. I don’t know who made it, but they crafted it quite skillfully. Can I take this with me?»

«If you handle this job well.»

«Don’t worry about that.»

The woman infused mana into the handkerchief.

This is amazing.

It was an artifact that resisted her mana even when she didn’t enchant it.

Lee Byung-in didn’t realize it, but artifacts that could work just by being left unattended were quite valuable.

Maybe it could stop a sixth-ranked monster?

She looked at the protective magic centered on the handkerchief, and the corners of her mouth twitched.

«Then, I’ll leave the rest to you.»

«Yes, please be careful inside. If something goes wrong, never leave the underground auditorium.»

«Hmph, I know.»

Lee Byung-in staggered through the door.

The player he had stationed at the entrance, waiting for Lee Jeong-in, had collapsed.

Without paying any attention to the player who had fallen to the ground, he left the bar with the players he had hired.

Meanwhile, the woman, helping Lee Jeong-in stand up, said,

«The client looks like that… but your brother is surprisingly handsome, isn’t he?»

She licked her lips with her tongue.

☆

«What?»

«Captain, what’s wrong?»

It was indeed the Dawn Hotel.

After completing the courage test, the children were on their way out of the public bathhouse on the top floor of the hotel.

Eunha, who was drying his wet hair from a towel headband given by Ha-yang, stopped in his tracks as he walked back to his room.

Walking alongside him, Eunhyuk raised his eyebrows.

Eunha was just sipping on his coffee milk.

«<Fox>?»

«Fox? Oh, you mean that Seona couldn’t tie her hair properly? That was hilarious.»

Eunhyuk brought up the subject, remembering the girls coming out of the bath.

Eunha didn’t listen at all, his eyes fixed on the woman in the dress and the man walking away, supported by the woman.

If I’m not mistaken, that’s <Fox>, isn’t she?

Oh Yeon-jung.

He knew her well.

There was a story about her in his Player Academy lessons.

It was about the First Recapture of Uijeongbu, so there was no way he wouldn’t remember it.

He could recognize all the faces of the players from that battle.

『─–Do Wanjun (Myungwang Clan), who would later be promoted to the Twelfth Seat, led a group of players, including Oh Yeon-jung, to fend off an army of third-tier overranked monsters, Gwisinis, at Uijeongbu City Hall.

Player Oh Yeon-jung.─..』

Do Wan-jun of the Twelve Seats <Illusionary Arrow> organized a small team to evacuate the city and held off the Gwisinis’s forces.

One of those players was <Fox> Oh Yeon-jung.

She was killed while trying to lure Gwisinis’s army with her gift, <Fascination>, which uses mana to entrap opponents.

If she hadn’t been able to hold off Gwisinis’s forces, the players who had joined in the effort to retake Uijeongbu might not have been able to escape to Uijeongbu Station and might have been annihilated.

The story of <Fox> had also been famous.

The reason why memories of Oh Yeon-jung were impressive was that she was not just involved with one high-ranking government official.

Especially, the story involving one of the successors of the Dawn Group, Lee Jeong-in, was very famous.

Lee Jeong-in, who had been highly regarded as the next chairman following the inaugural chairman of the Dawn Group, Lee Yoon-hee, was drawn into a sex scandal and ended up taking the path of withdrawal.

No matter how much he claimed it was a conspiracy, the evidence was so concrete that it couldn’t be denied.

Above all, the public wanted a sensational incident rather than apologies and appeals.

«…and then what happened.»

«What happened is that Seo-na couldn’t do it, so the captain did it instead.»

«No, not that.»

Eventually, Lee Jeong-in resigned from all his positions, unable to withstand the public outcry.

As far as Eunha knew, he eventually chose to take his own life by hanging himself.

And the next successor, Lee Byeong-in, became the second chairman of the Dawn Group.

Later dubbed as the Rarest Maniac, he failed in one business after another, causing problems left and right, so he lost his position as fourth in line to Alice Group.

Anyway, for Oh Yeon-jung to be picking up men at this hour… it must mean that a sex scandal will break out sooner or later.

It was none of his business, but it bothered him.

Why here?

He wondered.

Why would she come all the way to Chuncheon, all the way from Seoul, to create a scandal.

If she simply wanted to cause a scandal, she would have been better off planning it in downtown Seoul, where evidence would be easier to obtain.

But to travel all the way to such a faraway place to stir up trouble….

«─Why do I feel a little uneasy?»

«Captain, that’s not the way to the room.»

«Eun-hyeok, you should go back first.»

Eun-ha walked in the direction where Oh Yeon-jung and the drunken man had disappeared.

«…Just in case, go to the girls’ room until I get back.»

«Why there? Min-ji will be annoyed.»

«That’s your problem.»

«Haa, okay.»

Eunhyuk nodded.

Not bothering to ask why, he waved to Eunha and headed down the elevator.

«I should probably get going.»

He suppressed his presence.

He hesitated for a long time in front of the room where Oh Yeon-jung had entered.

The door was locked, but that wasn’t a problem.

He unlocked the door as quietly as possible, making sure not to make any noise.

Oh Yeon-jung was classified as an A-rank supporter in this era.

Even if she was in the middle of something, he had to be cautious.

«…It’s hot, isn’t it? Let me unbutton it.»

«Mhm…»

«But why, ah is here…like this?»

He heard heavy breathing from beyond the bedroom.

Eunha walked quietly in the direction of the sound.

«Feeling stifled?»

«Ah….»

«What should we do… in this situation?»

A situation where you have to judge the situation by sound alone.

Eunha gauged the timing of his escape.

If what she was doing was simply a sex scandal, he would leave without regret.

If only the word «monster» hadn’t come out of her mouth.

«Hah… ah…, fool.

You shouldn’t have trusted him, he never meant to…, share.»

«Well…, hang in there.

Whoa, any minute now, the monsters are gonna be here, and you’re gonna be doing…something fun with me.»

«Hey do it properly, that’s not going down well.

You’ve been set up by your brother, and you’re not even realizing what’s going on right now, right?»

«Leave it to me, I’m going to show you a hot night, and you won’t even think about the hell that’s going to start tomorrow.

What’s more, you won’t even remember that you slept with me, sorry, the drugs were so cheap….»

Gradually, the woman’s moans were heard.

All the while, she didn’t stop talking.

She was enjoying it.

Enjoying this moment of taunting and mocking the heir tofthe Dawn Group.

Eunha was grateful.

The more she let her guard down, the more accurately he could assess the situation.

So, even before the regression, she had been working for Byung-in.

He had expected it. Anyone could have predicted it.

But people wanted sensationalism over truth, and truth without sensationalism can’t be explained in dozens or hundreds of sentences.

So Lee Jeong-in hanged himself.

While appealing for justice through death, he also embraced criticism from those who trusted him

Not my business.

This, too, was none of his business.

He didn’t care if Oh Yeon-jung had been paid by Lee Byung-in to stir up a sex scandal with Lee Jeong-in.

As long as he didn’t get caught up in it.

But now, you’re going to incite monsters to cause a drama?

And the victims were people who happened to be staying at the hotel and students from Doan Elementary School.

There was nothing more to hear.

«Then, now fall–!!»

Eunha, who had been hiding in the bedroom, kicked Oh Yeon-jung, who was about to take off her dress, as soon as he revealed himself.

Unable to make a sound, she fell on top of Lee Jeong-in.

Eunha trampled on her back to prevent her from getting up.

«What, who are you?»

«Never mind. What about the monsters?»

«Gah!!! My head…!!»

She hadn’t assessed the situation yet.

As she struggled to break free, Eunha grabbed her by the hair.

«Uh, kid…?»

Her head snapped back, and she was forced to face the eyes staring down at her.

They were eyes that revealed no emotions.

«That plan, since when….»

Eunha stopped himself from speaking.

He spread his mana-sensing net as wide as he could, because he caught a few reactions approaching the hotel.

Monsters were gathering.