“Your shoes do look a bit dirty…” Lee Ji-Hye said.
Jung Yoo-Ra frowned after Lee Ji-Hye said that, but seeing her slowly crawling toward me made me think that she decided to put herself down. Her body was trembling, but I didn’t feel any murderous intent from her.
‘Hm…’
It seemed like she was more worried about Lee Ji-Hye than me.
I was interested in how Lee Ji-Hye got to her position more than how Jung Yoo-Ra fell. But before I could say anything, I heard a voice. “You seem like you’re curious about a lot of things,” Lee Ji-Hye said.
“Of course. I honestly didn’t think that you’d handle this woman this way. At one point, she was the talented member that the Black Swan Guild supported and she was also powerful… you’re not the type that enjoys risks though, Ji-Hye. So are you prepared for what might happen after?” I asked.
“There’s no risk. There is none, so you don’t have to worry, oppa,” she answered.
I was going to ask what she meant but I stopped because I noticed Jung Yoo-Ra’s status window in front of me.
[Checking Player Jung Yoo-Ra’s Status Window and Potential.]
[Name - Jung Yoo-Ra]
[Title - Most Hated Person, Worst Woman Ever]
[Age - 29]
[Nature - Calculative Strategist]
[Job - Assassin Thief - Rare Rank]
[Job Effect - Acquired basic archery knowledge]
[Job Effect - Acquired basic dagger knowledge]
[Job Effect - Acquired basic entrapment knowledge]
[Job Effect - Acquired basic assassination knowledge]
[The acquired knowledge cannot be used.]
[Stats]
[Strength - 41→05/Above epic growth limit]
[Agility - 55→10/Above epic growth limit]
[Stamina - 43→11/Below epic growth limit]
[Intelligence - 40→30/Below rare growth limit]
[Endurance - 20→05/Above rare growth limit]
[Luck - 23→10/Below rare growth limit]
[Magic - 43→09/Above epic growth limit]
[Overall Review - Due to the external shock Jung Yoo-Ra received, her body has been damaged. Not only has the majority of her mana circuits been destroyed, but her stats have decreased due to muscle fiber damage. She may be able to do everyday things, but it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that her life as an adventurer is over. Her wounds may heal through a legendary medicine called the Elixir or through the holy healing magic of a saint-level priest… but who knows. Anyway, I feel really bad for her. Unlike Player Lee Ki-Young who had nothing from the start, people who lose the things they already had would feel a great sense of loss.]
‘Wow…’
What caught my attention was her poor physical condition more than her new title. I had a feeling that she was eventually going to get that title, but her overall stat had decreased. Before I could figure out exactly what happened, I heard Lee Ji-Hye’s voice.
She quenched my curiosity.
“Her body’s been injured all over the place.”
“...”
“She may look fine on the outside, but people are saying that they’re unsure whether she’ll be able to live an ordinary life. Of course, I wouldn’t know the details, but if the press weren’t so focused on her, she should have been dead long ago. Honestly, I’m no different from her savior and I’m sure you understand that she needs to be alive. There are still people who have no idea what’s going on… and that’s why the higher-ups of our guild are very angry,” Lee Ji-Hye explained.
“I understand.”
“The guild tried to help her grow, but she went around creating conflict on a daily basis and from what I heard, this wasn’t her first time doing this. Jung Yoo-Ra basically got caught for her actions. I don’t know the details, but I guess there were a lot of people who thought that the guild’s power was their power. I think they’re taking this opportunity to pick those people out… as an example, this woman got caught,” she said.
“Hm…”
“I’m sure there’s a more political reason, but since it’s an internal issue, I can’t tell you even if you’re my oppa,” she added.
“I guess an internal strife really did happen,” I surmised.
I was sure of it and as expected, I saw her lightly nod.
I expected it to get messy internally, but I didn’t think it was going to get this messy. It could be just my imagination, but I was sure that the members of the Black Swan Guild were getting a headache because of people like Jung Yoo-Ra. I was sure that they were eventually going to reform the guild and there should be members with power that wanted to replace some of the guild’s members. Basically, Jung Yoo-Ra became a good reason to start the purge at the perfect time.
“Since the guild was rotting away internally, I’m sure the higher-ups believed that it was time for reform. At least, that’s what the current guild master unnie thinks,” Lee Ji-Hye said.
“Current?” I asked.
“I’m usually not a blabbermouth, but with oppa standing in front of me, I can’t help but share all this information. Well, you’re eventually going to find out anyway, so it doesn’t matter, but we just haven’t made an official announcement yet. Once this situation has been taken care of, the guild master will be replaced and there are going to be a lot of changes internally. The succession of power was handled peacefully, so you don’t have to be suspicious about it,” Lee Ji-Hye explained.
“Then does that explain why you’re here right now? No, you said that the succession of power was handled peacefully, but seeing Jung Yoo-Ra like this makes me think that your words can’t be trusted…” I told her.
“Is it really important to know what happened internally? The world doesn’t revolve around the truth. What matters is what the public thinks and I think the same thing can be said about the situation you created…” she said.
“I don’t understand what you’re saying…” I told her.
“You’re worried about a lot of things. We don’t live in a world where recording magic exists… but anyway, half of what you’re thinking is correct, oppa. Even though I’m not the type to take risks, I need to pick a side since my guild master unnie believes that different types of talented people are important,” Lee Ji-Hye explained.
“So?” I asked.
“After the incident blew up, all I did was write a few reports and give it to her. I analyzed the current situation, the cause, the reason why the guild was corrupted, the path that the Black Swan Guild should take from now on, the relationship between the Red Mercenary Guild and the Blue Guild, the Blue Guild’s growth potential, and… hm… what kind of man Lee Ki-Young is. I don’t remember the details because things had been so chaotic,” she answered.
“...”
“Anyway, I guess the higher-ups found my actions to be quite refreshing. What would they think if an ordinary guild member visited their office while there were bullshit conversations going on amidst the chaos?” she asked.
They would find that member useful.
The crazy gramps in my guild would react by saying that the idea was bullshit, but if I were a senior member of the Black Swan Guild, then I definitely would have appointed Lee Ji-Hye for the job. Basically, she got the chance to use her abilities as the guild was experiencing an internal crisis.
“Honestly, I don’t think the report is perfect. I’m not as smart as you, Ki-Young oppa, and I didn’t have enough time. But when a person takes charge of a situation that no one wants to, don’t you think they’ll be treated well? Well, there was some risk to it, but I think it’s okay to take risks once in a while,” she said.
“Did something change your mind?” I asked.
“Of course. Well, I’m sure you know the details better than me oppa… let’s talk about this later and first discuss the conditions you want. We’ll try to tailor our offer to your conditions as much as we can. In addition to what was announced, we can tailor a variety, up to… oh! If you want that woman, you can have her,” she explained.
“You’re pretty sincere,” I told her.
“Of course.”
When I quietly looked down, I saw Jung Yoo-Ra hanging around me. She seemed very desperate. I knew the exact reason why she ended up this way.
‘I’m sure she wants to recover.’
I was right. Finding a saint-level priest or the Elixir wouldn’t be easy. Since there weren’t many people that could be called high-priests to begin with, bringing them here would cost a lot and the same thing applied to the Elixir. Not only did it require ingredients, but there wasn’t a single alchemist that could make it. As such, people had to rely on the drops during a dungeon capture. Basically, she wouldn’t be able to recover on her own. Since she had to receive support from the guild to have any chance of recovering, she had to look good in their eyes.
When I slightly lifted her hair, I noticed her looking up at me. Compared to my shoes which were now clean, her face was filled with anger, resentment, worry, and regret.
“I didn’t think that it would work out so well…” I said.
“...”
Honestly, I couldn’t say that I was interested anymore.
“The world’s a bit messed up… don’t you think?” Lee Ji-Hye asked.
“Yes…” Jung Yoo-Ra answered.
“After watching you, I realized that no one really knows what’s going to happen to them,” Lee Ji-Hye added.
“...”
“I’m sure it’s difficult to understand, but consider it as paying for what you’ve done so far. It’s basically karma for all the things you’ve done,” she told Jung Yoo-Ra.
“Okay…” Jung Yoo-Ra said.
“You’re looking at me as if what I said also applies to me,” Lee Ji-Hye said.
“N-No, I didn’t…”
“It probably won’t happen the way you want it to. What would you know when you’ve never been at the lowest point in your life? Pffft.”
“...”
“In your case, you were just unlucky this time. Yeah, consider it as stepping in shit cause that’s basically what you did. If you work hard, you may be able to make a comeback, so live your life as best as you can. And hm… this is for making his shoes clean. I didn’t really like you, but… you should still be rewarded for your hard work. That’s the beauty of society,” Lee Ji-Hye explained.
When I searched my pocket, a frown appeared on Jung Yoo-Ra’s face. I took out a bag full of gold and I slowly dropped them to the ground. I noticed Jung Yoo-Ra biting her lips until they bled. Her eyes were filled with tears and I was certain that she was angry. Even now, I must still look like an insect in her eyes.
“You should look happy,” Lee Ji-Hye told her.
“That’s right, Miss Yoo-Ra. It’s a present from oppa, so you should smile,” she added.
“Th-Thank you,” Jung Yoo-Ra said.
The way she slowly grabbed the gold that was on the ground was a sight that I wanted to see and honestly, the fact that a person was able to fall this easily was actually a bit fun. Her acting that way could be a lesson. Rather than the lesson that I shouldn’t live like her, the fact that I could end up like her if I wasn’t careful enough was more relatable. I did think that it wasn’t what a normal person would think, but I also didn’t think that it was wrong to think that way. I had to raise my own value and get rid of my enemies and in that sense, I really liked how this incident ended. I couldn’t say that it was completely over yet, but at least my connection with Jung Yoo-Ra would end here.
“It was fun. You can leave now,” I said.
I knew that she had no chance for recovery because a large guild wouldn’t have any reason to invest in her again. Despite that, the fact that she still wanted to live without losing hope was a part of her that I liked. After all, the more hope she had, the greater the despair.
Thinking that she was going to live with the thought that she was going to recover someday and return to her place caused me to laugh. Jung Yoo-Ra probably thought that there was going to be a light at the end of the tunnel, but I didn’t think that she was going to reach the end anytime soon. Even if she did reach the end of that tunnel, it wouldn’t happen for a while. Still, she must be going to console herself while imagining her life in 10, or maybe 20 years later.
‘Because that’s what humans do.’
I had no idea what kind of life she was going to live from now on. She could die once the press quieted down a bit or she could end up living an ordinary life. But if I ever encountered her in the slums, there was only one thing that I would say to her.
‘You messed with the wrong person.’
When Jung Yoo-Ra slowly left the living room, Lee Ji-Hye started talking.
“Are you satisfied, oppa?”
“About half… now, it’d be nice if you could tell me what you can do for me,” I said.
“Of course. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.”
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