Chapter 269

Chapter 269

Then, one day:

Ryu Hyerin was about to wait in Seo Dawon's office as usual. But, just as she was about to grab the doorknob, someone called out to her from behind.

"Hyerin-ssi."

"...Yes?"

It was Bae Jaemin. He called out to her and, as if he was a little embarrassed, hesitated for a moment.

Ryu Hyerin had no interest in Bae Jaemin, but, at that time, she was obsessed with becoming close with everyone in [Red Lotus]. Thus, she couldn't ignore him. Eventually, she turned around and approached the Priest, leaving behind the door she was about to open. "What is it?"

"...I saw, earlier, that guildmaster-nim was speaking with a client..."

"What?"

"I thought it'd be best if you go in later." Bae Jaemin looked awkward as he spoke.

Ryu Hyerin was about to answer him but thought better and turned around. Before Bae Jaemin could stop her, she strode forth and turned the doorknob to the office.

The handle rattled and turned; through the gap of the open door, she could see Seo Dawon sitting at his desk. And a woman sitting on his thighs...

"......"

"O-Oh my god! Excuse me... Hold on a second? Hey, get off..!"

Their posture seemed to imply that they had been kissing enthusiastically until just this moment. The woman blushed, embarrassed, and pushed Seo Dawon's chest away.

Only Seo Dawon remained calm. He gave Ryu Hyerin a wink, told her to close the door behind her on the way out, and gently grabbed his girlfriend's weakening arms with an indifferent expression.

Seo Dawon's new girlfriend glared at him with a dissatisfied face. "So embarrassing, seriously... That's why I said I hate this!"

She obviously lowered her voice so that no one else but her companion could hear, but Ryu Hyerin had clearly heard it all. Seo Dawon began to soothe his girlfriend with a low laugh, "I forgot to lock the door."

"That's the problem you lunatic... How many times do I have to remind you, consider the time and place...!" With that said, the woman suddenly felt a gaze and turned around towards Ryu Hyerin.

Ryu Hyerin couldn't tell what expression she was making right now, but the woman, who had looked embarrassed and ashamed, suddenly frowned, the downturn of her lips laden with strange emotions.

The woman, who looked at Ryu Hyerin with a questioning yet uncomfortable gaze, turned her eyes back towards her boyfriend again. And Seo Dawon...

"Hyerin-ah, if you have something to say, come back later. I'm going to take my work outside for a while."

"......" He softly set his girlfriend back on the ground. After organizing her disheveled clothes and wiping her smudged lips with a tissue, he looked at the Priest, silently 'Do you have anything else left to say?' with his eyes.

Only then did Ryu Hyerin realize that Seo Dawon had no feelings for her. That is to say, she finally calculated that he had not treated her kindly because he had an interest in her as a woman.

Seeing Ryu Hyerin's expression, Seo Dawon's girlfriend's face became slowly shuttered; they passed the Priest and left the office. The mage walked behind his girlfriend; she could hear the couple talk to each other at the end of the hallway, where the elevator was located.

"By the way, who was that woman?"

"Our team's Priest."

"Did you go out with her too?"

"I've always said you should be a novelist instead of a Warrior...."

"Aghh come on. Are you gonna evade with a joke?"

"You said something laughable, though."

With the ding of the elevator arriving, the conversation cut off there. However, Ryu Hyerin was drowning in humiliation and could not move.

At that moment, Bae Jaemin came to her side. "Hyerin-ssi. Um, if you perhaps have the time..."

"......"

"Would you like to go with me to a cafe?"

Ryu Hyerin couldn't control her surging emotions and glared at Bae Jaemin.

Bae Jaemin noted, from her resentful eyes, that his words must not have been needed. "Well... If you would rather not, you don't have to come with me..."

Bae Jaemin retreated a bit lamely; Ryu Hyerin closed her eyes for a while before opening them again. Then, she replied to the lingering man, "Let's go. It just so happens that I'm feeling a little restless."

* * *

When Bae Jaemin first joined [Red Lotus], Ryu Hyerin noticed that he looked at her more than his fellow regular guild members, even after everyone had been introduced. When she looked back at him, he would always be looking away, but this happened often enough to make her certain the man was interested in her.

However, that was all. Bae Jaemin was far too quiet; her impression was that he was too bland.

A man without a presence: that was her first impression of the Priest. Although she was wary that he would approach her, Bae Jaemin would only occasionally blatantly stare at Ryu Hyerin before leaving her alone. At the very least, she was thankful for that.

"So, Bae Jaemin-ssi, you stopped me because you knew I liked Seo Dawon."

"...Yes, well."

They sat awkwardly in front of each other in a cafe that was about ten minute walk from the headquarters. Ryu Hyerin hastily tried to make small talk as soon as they sat down.

However, rather than being flustered, Bae Jaemin seemed to have something to say. He hesitated, enough to make her frustrated, but soon opened his mouth as if he had steeled his resolve. "You had no idea that... There's been talks that guildmaster-nim is getting married, right?"

"......"

"The person you saw earlier... She's the only child of a famous career-law family."

Ryu Hyerin was shocked but endured by clenching her fists under the table. However, Bae Jaemin didn't stop there and continued to drop bombs. "I think everyone except for Hyerin-ssi knows. Not only me, but the other guild members... They all knew Hyerin-ssi liked guildmaster-nim, so they tried to keep the matter a secret."

When she heard that, the faces of several guild members-including Kim Olim-flashed by, one by one, in Ryu Hyerin's head. Even though she admitted it must have seemed amusing, she felt betrayed. Even though she hadn't gotten friendly with them for a pure motive, her anger flared as she thought how the others may have viewed her.

'So, I was the only one who didn't know. And, they knew, but didn't say a single word to me... What were they thinking, standing back, when they saw me trying to approach Seo Dawon with all my might?'

Did they laugh?

Ryu Hyerin asked Bae Jaemin in a chilly tone, "...So, why are you telling me this."

"Because I want to help."

"Why? You're part of the [Red Lotus] too."

"I don't intend to stay here forever."

Ryu Hyerin flinched; someone she had thought as dull stared at her, and a flash of ridicule and mockery passed through his expression. Her impression of the man had completely changed as he lowered his voice.

He continued, "I see no future for this guild. I don't know what Ryu Hyerin-ssi will think when I say this, but..."

"......."

"I've been thinking about it, but while Seo Dawon has excellent interpersonal skills, he's not a good guild master. He considers completing the scenario his lifelong goal, but he can't see how the others struggle with it or consider them akin to consumable items."

Bae Jaemin's words sounded so plausible because Ryu Hyerin knew how obsessed Seo Dawon was with clearing the scenario.

Often, Seo Dawon stayed up all night to find new ways to raid for the scenario and crafted seemingly reckless challenges. There had been many times when their lives had been in danger.

Bae Jaemin continued to talk, disregarding how she was lost in thought, "He's selfish. Same with his romantic life..."

"......"

"If you die like this, you'll die to achieve Seo Dawon's dreams. Not your own. Am I being too harsh here?"

After a brief silence, Ryu Hyerin shook her head and replied, "No, I understand."

Bae Jaemin began to speak faster, excited that she took his side. "And... I was also personally disappointed to see the way Seo Dawon-ssi took care of Ryu Hyerin-ssi."

"......"

"Honestly, though I've just joined the guild, don't you find it strange how Seo Dawon doesn't notice your feelings? He's very perceptive in other matters."

"...Hah."

"What's the point in being mum about it? He wants to treat High Priests like Ryu Hyerin-ssi well in order to receive their heals free of charge, but he's trying to marry a woman with a large family backing instead... As a man...this is all too obvious to me."

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TL: Man, it's so interesting to see how Ryu Hyerin and Bae Jaemin started out. You can definitely see the way he's trying to sway her too (not that she needed much swaying...) He says he's disappointed in the way that Seo Dawon took care of Ryu Hyerin, but he literally just treated her like any other person he wasn't interested in romantically-more importantly, he treated her like a coworker. She did also try to endear herself as a younger sister archetype...and I don't think people are out to date their younger sisters either O.O