Chapter 54: The First Partner (1)
“Seyeong.”
“Why?”
“Isn’t it about time you considered getting married?”
At the Oak family headquarters.
While organizing the piled-up documents, Seyeong frowned at the comment. 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 me when I’ve already said no?”
“Marrying someone 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 me 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 method 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 medieval nobles secured political benefits through marriage, the Oak family also reaped numerous 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 somewhat despise them. Who would enjoy being born a mere political tool?
In frustration, Seyeong tore a document 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 me? Enough with this nonsense.’
She didn’t want to be a mere 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 times.
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 meant 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 accustomed 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 someone would punish her.
Back then, she was in the throes of depression. She harbored a naive hope that if she received punishment, it might alleviate some of the weight from her heart.
She also had a peculiar personality. At some point, she had watched an explicit video that involved non-consensual actions. That video became the catalyst for her fantasies.
Enduring so much hatred made her think she could also undergo the same. And there was a secretly rising sexual desire. A combination of these thoughts might have transformed her attitude to a ‘whatever happens, happens’ mentality.
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 doomed. After all, she was a wreck. What would someone gain from marrying someone like her?
“What a mood killer.”
Seyeong decided to wrap up her work for the day. After tidying up some documents, she headed to the terrace and naturally lit a cigarette.
Flick.
The flame 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 memory 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 time 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 moment 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. Somehow, their paths crossed, and they shared the academy. She was exploited by him because of that.
Yet, strangely, from the second time they met, her disdain for him started to wane. Perhaps her twisted disposition and skewed values played a part.
She became 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 something he aimed for.
The more she saw him, the more different he seemed.
‘It’s really strange.’
Sometimes, he’d be explosively volatile; at other moments, 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 some point, she found herself spending a portion of her 24 hours thinking about Shiheon.
Right, why deny it? She liked him. She admitted it.
Some might mock their relationship, which began with an assault, but what of it? She had been smitten for quite some time now, from when they started spending more time together before he took off his mask.
-Then, would you just get into a scandal and live with me?
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 meddling 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 message notification. She tapped on her phone screen to check the message.
Shiheon: What are you doing?
A smile naturally played on her lips. As if all stress was a distant memory, a warm atmosphere enveloped her. Half-squinting her eyes, Seyeong typed her response happily.
Me: What do you want?
Shiheon: ????
Me: You reached out because you want something, right? -_-
After a brief pause, probably startled by her straightforwardness,
Shiheon: You know me 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 came 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.
Me: 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 appointments. Considering her influential position within the Oak family, this was expected.
“Let’s see…”
She took a pen from her desk and hummed 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 me? 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 me. I gently stroked Shiba’s head and looked at our message exchange.
As much as I looked through my messages, I didn’t remember asking for any favor. Moreover, the main topic wasn’t even brought up. How did she even guess about the meetup?
“Shiba.”
“Peep.”
“I think the teacher might become 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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