I reminded myself once again: I need to escape from Joo Seunghyuk as soon as possible.
Just then, the auctioneer’s voice rang out.
“This will be the final item of today’s special auction.”
Finally, the last one. I looked toward the platform, tense.
“It’s the Horaitron Pistol. A treasure that needs no introduction.”
A pistol? That ans—it’s not a ring. I let out a small sigh of relief. Not even a ring showed up until the very end.
He might have bought a bunch of tools to fill up his trash bin, but at least he skipped the ring. That was a win.
What’s done is done. I relaxed a little and decided to enjoy the last auction item.
So that’s the Horaitron Pistol.
It was a treasure that erged after defeating the boss of an S-rank gate that opened in Seoul two years ago. I had participated in that subjugation too. Not just as a Guide, I had actually gone into the gate.
But I didn’t get to see the boss being taken down...
The Horaitron Pistol was an S-rank treasure, classified under security level.
It amplified bullet power by 30 tis, extended range, and—reportedly—could generate an S-rank protective barrier for 24 hours to guard its owner.
A weapon for offense, and an S-rank armor for defense. It was highly functional for both Espers and Guides, and a lot of people wanted it.
The Center tried to claim ownership, but the Ability User Association pushed back. I’d heard the two sides were fighting fiercely, so I guess the Association won—since it’s now up for auction.
The mont the Horaitron Pistol appeared, the mood in the auction hall shifted.
Those who had been casually enjoying the auction now entered combat mode. So were so excited, they were leaking mana.
So this was what everyone had really co for.
Special auctions operated under strict security. The items sold, who won them, and for how much—all of it was kept secret.
But among the kind of people who had access to this place, it seed information still leaked in advance.
So who will end up with this treasure?
I looked around the room, feeling like a spectator at a stadium. But the first person to raise a paddle was soone I hadn’t expected at all.
“Seunghyuk...!”
“Give a second.”
Joo Seunghyuk cut off and raised his paddle again.
“Number 15, 2 billion won.”
“Yes, number 17, 2.05 billion!”
“Number 39, 2.1 billion!”
The price shot up fast. It was on a completely different level compared to everything before.
Sure, it was a weapon with both S-rank offense and defense capabilities—but the numbers were absurd. So this is what they ant by astronomical prices.
And yet again, the winner of this brutal bidding war... was Joo Seunghyuk.
***
After the auction ended, we moved to the office for special auction winners.
The staff said they would deliver the purchased items directly to the house. Apparently, Espers from the Ability User Departnt Store would handle the delivery themselves, guaranteeing safety.
But Joo Seunghyuk waved that off, saying it was a hassle and that he wanted everything now.
In the end, the staff personally loaded the items into his car.
Except for the Horaitron Pistol, the rest were just tools to fill up his cozy little trash bin.
Before that trash bin lifestyle from the original unfolds, I have to escape this story. I need to co up with a plan the mont I get back to the dorms.
“Co ho with tonight.”
But the mont the engine started and the car pulled away, Joo Seunghyuk dropped a terrifying line.
After buying that and that, and those—he wants to go to his house?!
“Seunghyuk...”
“We need to check what we bought.”
Can’t we not check?
But I could already see the future if I said that out loud.
“Seunghyuk, I need to head in early tonight. I’ve got howork.”
“Just a quick look and you can go.”
How exactly are we supposed to quickly check all that? You’d need an all-nighter—or maybe even a full week.
“Do we really have to check?”
“Yes.”
Just one syllable, but it radiated pressure I didn’t dare resist.
In the original, Kim Jun would’ve said, “Why ? I’m not the one who wanted this stuff,” and boarded the whip express straight to hell. I didn’t want that.
If I had to go to the mad dog’s house either way, it was better to go quietly than make a fuss.
“...Okay. Got it.”
I replied ekly.
***
The mad dog’s house was as black as ever.
This was the place where Kim Jun was permanently imprisoned in the original. I’d worked so hard to avoid coming here—and now I was visiting, whip in tow.
Could I escape again this ti? Even if I did, the emotional damage from dealing with all those tools was already giving anxiety.
Is this really the start of a hardcore R-rated SM story?
“Co in.”
“Yeah.”
I was frozen in place at the entrance but finally stepped inside.
It was nightti and the house was black in every direction, so even with the lights on, it still looked dark.
“Take a seat.”
“Okay.”
I sat on the black leather sofa in the living room. Everything was black, so there wasn’t even a need to check what color anything was.
“Want so tea?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“Drink so.”
“...Okay.”
I nodded without hesitation. Joo Seunghyuk went to the kitchen and brewed it himself.
The warm jasmine tea spread heat through my body. Even though it was May, the night air was still a little chilly.
At least this ti I hadn’t been dragged here—he was treating like a guest, in his own way...
Still, I couldn’t relax. I glanced at the leather shopping bags stacked on the sofa.
Inside were the items bought at the special auction.
“Wait here a mont.”
“Huh? Okay.”
Joo Seunghyuk picked up several bags and went upstairs.
Why’s he taking those to the second floor?
Last ti I ca here, I’d only seen the master bedroom, the living room, and the dining area.
Even in the original, most of the events happened on the first floor or in the basent—there was nothing I rembered from the second floor.
What the hell was on the second floor?
But there was no way to know, no matter how much I wondered.
I clutched the self-defense device in my pocket. If I pressed the button in the middle, the Center’s Espers would co running. But they’d ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) be no match for Joo Seunghyuk.
“Hyung!”
His voice called from afar. It was faint, but I heard it. I walked over to the stairs.
“Seunghyuk, did you call ?”
“Yes. Co on up.”
“Okay. Coming.”
I climbed the black stairs as he said. On the second floor were three doors. Each of the rooms seed massive.
“This way, Hyung.”
“Alright.”
His voice sounded closer now, but I couldn’t tell which room it ca from.
After so hesitation, I reached for the second door’s handle. That’s when a hand grabbed mine.
“Not that one. This room.”
Seunghyuk had appeared silently. He smiled and firmly pried my hand away from the doorknob. Despite the smile, his grip was strong.
It didn’t feel like he was simply correcting a mistake. It felt like he had to stop from entering that room.
What was inside that room?
Even the original story never ntioned it, so I couldn’t guess.
Should I ask?
“Ah, sorry. But what’s this room—”
“Let’s go.”
Joo Seunghyuk cut off. Clearly, he had no intention of answering. What the hell is he hiding?
I wanted to ask more, but the chill in his gaze shut up.
I followed him into the room next door.
The mont the door opened, a dazzling display of treasures overwheld my eyes.
“This is where I store treasures and weapons.”
“Whoa... amazing.”
I’d seen all kinds of items earlier today at the departnt store. They were all impressive—but this place was on a whole different level.
It felt like a museum. I’d visited the one run by the Center before, but it didn’t have anything like this.
“If there’s sothing you like, just say so. I’ll give it to you.”
“No! I don’t even have anywhere to put it!”
“Well, soon we’ll be living together, so there’s no need to bother moving it.”
“......”
That’s not why I said no...
“But why’d you leave this out like this?”
I changed the subject quickly, before he could start talking about marriage again.
The Horaitron Pistol from the auction wasn’t in a display case—it was sitting on a table.
“I wanted to try it out.”
He handed the gun.
“?”
“Yeah. I don’t use guns. You try it.”
“...Okay.”
So he spent billions on sothing he’ll never use? I’ll never understand rich people’s hobbies.
Still, if it’s just a test run, I could do that. Besides, when else would I get to touch an S-rank weapon?
Even after graduation, once I enter a company, it won’t be easy to get near treasures like this.
“Wait, don’t you have gloves or sothing?”
This thing was worth as much as a building. Seunghyuk owned it, so he could touch it barehanded—but I couldn’t.
“Just take it.”
He placed the building—no, the gun—in my hand.
“How is it?”
“It’s light. So light it’s a little scary.”
“Scary?”
“Yeah... What if I drop it? What if it gets scratched?”
“Haha. It’s fine.”
Maybe it was fine for him. Not for .
I’d heard rich folks and guilds sotis bought high-grade items purely for investnt.
I didn’t know if Seunghyuk was like that, but a single scratch would drop the value.
“Do you like it?”
“Yeah. It’s light, and it feels good.”
I slowly spun around the room while aiming the gun. Through the scope, I could see all sorts of treasures. If I accidentally pulled the trigger, it would be a disaster. I quickly turned again—this ti, Joo Seunghyuk’s face entered the scope.
“Do you want to shoot ?”
“No!”
Startled, I lowered the gun imdiately.
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Not even once?”
He was smiling. But it didn’t look like a smile.
“Not once.”
“Well... if you did, you wouldn’t have saved back then.”
There was sothing faintly lonely in his voice.
Suddenly, the miserable past he’d lived through ca to mind. And with it... the small hand I’d let go of seven years ago.
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