“Seyeong.”
“Why?”
“Isn’t it about ti you considered getting married?”
At the Oak family headquarters.
While organizing the piled-up docunts, Seyeong frowned at the comnt. She put down her pen and glared at her sister.
“I’ve said I won’t get married.”
Seohyun was showing a sudden interest in her younger sister’s marriage. Seyeong wondered why she was so obsessed with the idea of marriage.
Seeing her sister’s reaction, Seohyun chuckled.
“Hey, Seyeong. Marriage isn’t a big deal. You’d probably love it once you try.”
“Why are you pestering when I’ve already said no?”
“Marrying soone from a good family ties bonds, right? It’s a good thing.”
Seyeong looked at her incredulously.
“You know exactly what I’m going to say, right?”
“Yes.”
“Get lost, you nutcase.”
Seyeong flipped her off. Laughing, Seohyun headed towards the office door.
“Call if you change your mind~”
“Sure, I absolutely won’t.”
Bang.
The door closed. Seyeong sighed, scratching her head in stress.
‘Damn marriages.’
Marriage between families was a peculiar growth thod of the Oak family. There were solid reasons why Seyeong loathed arranged marriages.
It was a complicated situation.
Blind dates, or in professional terms, matchmaking.
Just as dieval nobles secured political benefits through marriage, the Oak family also reaped nurous economic benefits through matrimonial alliances with other families.
An aggressive approach. Thanks to the Oak family having the deep-blooded lineage of the World Tree, it was feasible. It was undeniably a smart strategy, excluding ethical issues.
Families wanting to intensify the World Tree’s blood needed the Oak family’s lineage. Consequently, the Oak family gained a respectable reputation relative to its size.
But growth required sacrifice. Seyeong’s sisters were all exploited as political tools.
From a young age, she had seen the horrid side of her family, and she had grown to sowhat despise them. Who would enjoy being born a re political tool?
In frustration, Seyeong tore a docunt beside her.
Rip! Rip!
After ruining the insignificant paper, she finally cooled down.
‘I’ve worked hard to get to this position because I didn’t want to get married. And now they’re pressuring ? Enough with this nonsense.’
She didn’t want to be a re tool. More precisely, she didn’t want her life to end as a tool. Young Seyeong had to prove her worth to break out of that rut.
She closed her eyes, reminiscing about those tis.
She had desperately studied history, mastered academics, honed her combat skills, and stolen adult teachings. To climb to a higher position, she had to be more cunning than anyone.
She had to be bad. She had to snatch opportunities. Even if it ant killing.
Such twisted values accelerated her growth. Ethical deviations aside, she had made countless egregious decisions.
Even if it all ended badly, breaking away from the fate her family set was satisfying.
Indeed, she managed to escape that fate, proving her capabilities to the family and securing a relatively high position.
See? She was capable.
But the joy was short-lived. Once she reached that position, she didn’t feel at ease.
It probably started during high school.
She began to suddenly feel the guilt she had always ignored. Unlike other criminals who grew accustod to their wrongdoings, she only felt worse with every transgression.
Every night after work, she would hear hallucinations experiencing nightmares regularly. Even now, when she slept, she occasionally saw the faces of those who suffered because of her.
Perhaps it was too much to bear.
Deep down, Seyeong wished soone would punish her.
Back then, she was in the throes of depression. She harbored a naive hope that if she received punishnt, it might alleviate so of the weight from her heart.
She also had a peculiar personality. At so point, she had watched an explicit video that involved non-consensual actions. That video beca the catalyst for her fantasies.
Enduring so much hatred made her think she could also undergo the sa. And there was a secretly rising sexual desire. A combination of these thoughts might have transford her attitude to a ‘whatever happens, happens’ ntality.
She was out of her mind. At least, that was how Seyeong assessed herself.
‘I’d rather die than get married.’
Even while saying this, she secretly wondered if the person marrying her might be dood. After all, she was a wreck. What would soone gain from marrying soone like her?
“What a mood killer.”
Seyeong decided to wrap up her work for the day. After tidying up so docunts, she headed to the terrace and naturally lit a cigarette.
Flick.
The fla from her fingertips caught the end of the cigarette.
A sudden thought.
“I wonder what Shiheon is doing.”
Perhaps the only man with whom she had ever been intimate. She chuckled at the mory of the mask he wore.
She wasn’t sure why she thought of him so often. It probably had to do with her peculiar disposition.
Their first encounter had been provocative. As usual, she was after her own gains when she detected the valuable scent of the Tree Circle Pill from him. She tried to take it from him but was unsuccessful and ended up being dominated.
She could’ve killed him right there, but her heightened desire at the ti had led her to submit.
With her mouth gagged, she was taken till she was exhausted and fainted. It was the ideal image she had always fantasized about. She recalled the mont she clung to the man, her eyes rolling back, unconscious.
… It made her blush now.
‘Indeed… There’s such a thing as post-coital clarity.’
After that, she was played by that man. Sohow, their paths crossed, and they shared the academy. She was exploited by him because of that.
Yet, strangely, from the second ti they t, her disdain for him started to wane. Perhaps her twisted disposition and skewed values played a part.
She beca interested. She wanted to observe him, just like a flower in a pot.
So, she deliberately shifted her position from the second year to the first year to covertly watch him. It didn’t take long to realize that the man she had thought to be the worst was surprisingly good-natured.
Shiheon was considerate enough to offer tea to a guest. Even when tired, he’d support a drunk person’s shoulders. He was willing to stake his life for sothing he aid for.
The more she saw him, the more different he seed.
‘It’s really strange.’
Sotis, he’d be explosively volatile; at other monts, he’d be cold and calm. He’d curse but then be considerate. His inconsistent behavior…
‘It felt like a personality opposite to his original was planted in him.’
At least, that was how Seyeong saw him. She was confident in her ability to judge people. And if that was true, Shiheon certainly belonged to the kind-hearted side.
Maybe she fell for that side of him.
Exhale.
After putting out one cigarette, she took another.
‘I want to smoke with him.’
At so point, she found herself spending a portion of her 24 hours thinking about Shiheon.
Right, why deny it? She liked him. She admitted it.
So might mock their relationship, which began with an assault, but what of it? She had been smitten for quite so ti now, from when they started spending more ti together before he took off his mask.
-Then, would you just get into a scandal and live with ?
His cheeky, heart-racing proposal, everything about him was simply endearing. That was how love was, after all.
‘I’ve really gone mad.’
She was clearly infatuated.
Was she about to give away her heart and soul?
Chuckle.
“Why do I like such a guy?”
The ashtray filled with more and more cigarette butts.
“I bet that ugly guy’s price has skyrocketed by now because of his new-found appeal, huh? Hehe.”
It was clear he must be roaming around wreaking havoc. He was the type to expose things when least expected. She just hoped he wouldn’t get caught because of ddling with the wrong crowd.
Seyeong stroked her neck, slightly lowering the choker she wore, and checked her nape in the reflection of her phone. A fading kiss mark was evident.
Ding!
A ssage notification. She tapped on her phone screen to check the ssage.
Shiheon: What are you doing?
A smile naturally played on her lips. As if all stress was a distant mory, a warm atmosphere enveloped her. Half-squinting her eyes, Seyeong typed her response happily.
: What do you want?
Shiheon: ????
: You reached out because you want sothing, right? -_-
After a brief pause, probably startled by her straightforwardness,
Shiheon: You know well.
“Hehe.”
Promising to accommodate her, he had said so.
Shiheon: I contacted you to discuss the upcoming quest.
‘A quest? Well, considering he’s the husband of the World Tree.’
Based on the information provided by Jung Siwoo before, failing to clear a quest ca with a penalty. Conversely, clearing it granted appealing rewards. Given that Shiheon was a candidate for the World Tree’s spouse, the penalties couldn’t be that severe unless the World Tree purposely wanted to make it difficult for her spouse. Who would do that?
Tap, tap-tap.
: Which quest?
Shiheon: It’s a quest we definitely can’t fail. (An emoticon of a cat with a mock-serious expression)
She chuckled at the cute emoticon but soon headed back into the office to check her calendar. It was packed with back-to-back appointnts. Considering her influential position within the Oak family, this was expected.
“Let’s see…”
She took a pen from her desk and humd a tune while bringing it to the calendar. Swiftly, she crossed out a section of her schedule. Looking at the tidied-up calendar, a satisfied Seyeong picked up her phone, tapped on the screen, and held it to her ear.
Ringing.
[Hello?]
“Hey, I have a favor to ask.”
[Yes, yes?]
Seyeong said with a voice full of laughter.
“Can you cover for ? Let’s hang out!”
She had always wanted to say that at least once.
“????”
I stared blankly at my phone after the call ended.
“Peep?”
The awake chick-like Shiba was chirping and snuggling up to . I gently stroked Shiba’s head and looked at our ssage exchange.
As much as I looked through my ssages, I didn’t rember asking for any favor. Moreover, the main topic wasn’t even brought up. How did she even guess about the etup?
“Shiba.”
“Peep.”
“I think the teacher might beco a bit scarier.”
Shiba, as if not understanding anything, innocently rubbed her cheek against my embrace.
There were two more left.
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