Catastrophe

The day was drawing to a close. The light stones neatly embedded in the ceiling were turned off, allowing darkness to slowly creep into the room. Yet, a sliver of light still streamed through the window on the left wall, casting a deep sunset hue. On a bed that seemed a bit too spacious for one person, a woman lay sprawled.

Her face was more alluring than innocent, with features that exuded a seductive charm. Even with her hair scattered wildly across the bed and strands occasionally sticking to her face, it only accentuated her sensuality rather than appearing messy.

Her figure was generally slender, yet her chest was pleasantly full, avoiding the look of being overly thin. This woman was none other than Seong Yu-bin.

Yu-bin lay there, breathing evenly, until she suddenly grimaced and sat up abruptly. She shrugged off the robe covering her body, pulled down her lower garments, and spread her thighs. Leaning forward to inspect herself closely, she let out a string of curses.

“Damn it. Swollen again. Can’t you just take it easy, you crazy bastard?”

She gently caressed her sensitive area, then rummaged through her robe with practiced hands. Soon, she pulled out a glass bottle, hastily uncorked it, and poured its contents over the inflamed area.

“Ah, ah, ah. It hurts like hell. All because of that damn bastard. Ah, ah, ah.”

Each time the clear liquid touched her skin, Yu-bin flinched, releasing soft, pained moans. But the remedy seemed effective; as the liquid in the bottle diminished, so did the swelling. After emptying the bottle, she tapped it with her slender fingers before tossing it aside, where it shattered with a clink.

“Ah. That’s better.”

Pulling her clothes back on, Yu-bin stretched her arms wide and collapsed backward onto the bed. Just as she was about to close her eyes, a knock came at the door. Instinctively, she cursed again.

“Who is it?”

“It’s Kim Han-byeol from the clan. I heard you called for me.”

“Kim Han-byeol? Oh, right.”

”…I’m coming in.”

The door opened cautiously, and Han-byeol stepped inside, taking a few steps into the room before stopping in front of Yu-bin. A moment of silence passed. Yu-bin, still lying on the bed, spoke without looking at her.

“Guess why I called you?”

”…”

“No answer, huh? Well, you should know by now. I’ve asked you so many times I’ve lost count. Anyway, how’s that task going?”

”…”

“Still no progress, I see.”

Han-byeol remained silent. She couldn’t answer because the orders from above hadn’t moved forward at all. She braced herself for a scolding or perhaps a slap, but Yu-bin’s next words caught her off guard.

“Hey. Just drop it. Don’t do it.”

”…What?”

“If you don’t want to, just quit.”

Han-byeol couldn’t believe her ears. Her face showed disbelief as she opened her eyes wide. Yu-bin sighed and sat up again, crossing her legs as she continued in a weary voice.

“Orders came from above. They said we don’t have to stick to this method.”

“Oh, so we’re giving up on the Mercenary Road?”

“Are you crazy? Quite the opposite. Not sticking to one method means we can use any method. Do Yeong-rok wants results by the end of this week, no matter what. Since the higher-ups want news quickly, we need to try various approaches.”

Yu-bin’s expression turned troubled as she spoke. Sensing her sincerity, a brief look of relief crossed Han-byeol’s face. But then, a thought struck her, and her eyes widened.

“You’re changing the approach?”

“Yeah. I’m thinking of approaching him myself. What do you think?”

“What?”

“Sleeping with him a few times might not be a bad idea. Honestly, he’s decent-looking and has a good body. Plus, he seems to like me, so why not do each other a favor for a good relationship? It’s not wrong, right? I’m a leader in the Golden Lion, and he’s a promising rookie.”

“But there’s no guarantee it’ll work. And if you approach him suddenly in this situation, won’t it seem strange?”

“True. That’s the problem. But thanks to someone, we don’t have much time left. The academy ends soon, so we need to wrap this up by the end of the week. Anyway, nothing’s set in stone yet, and I’m considering various options. If it gets tough, we’ll have to use the last resort, but that’s really a last resort.”

The mention of a “last resort” left Han-byeol feeling dazed. Though Yu-bin hadn’t spelled it out, the words carried an instinctive sense of danger. Her mind went blank, and worry for someone began to swell in her chest.

Seeing Yu-bin still deep in thought, Han-byeol blurted out words she couldn’t take responsibility for.

“I’ll do it!”

“Whoa, you scared me. Keep it down! My head’s killing me as it is… What did you say?”

Yu-bin’s brows furrowed at Han-byeol’s outburst, but something in her words made her look up and ask again.

“I-I’ll do it. Please let me handle it.”

“What? Wait a minute. Weren’t you the one who didn’t want to do it? Why the sudden change?”

“I was just hesitating a bit. If you give me a little more time, I can deliver results.”

“That ‘give me more time’ line. Do you know how many times I’ve heard that? What if you mess it up? Are you going to take responsibility?”

Yu-bin’s skeptical voice made Han-byeol’s mind race again. She steadied her wavering resolve and spoke.

“The Mercenary Road is attracting a lot of attention from various clans. If you make a sexual advance or use other aggressive methods, it might lead to bad rumors. We don’t need to give anyone a reason to criticize us.”

“That’s a fair point. But isn’t that the same for you?”

“No. I have a history with the Mercenary Road from the initiation ceremony. It’s not perfect, but it’s a better look than if you or someone else tried. At least there’s a way out.”

“Right. If we handle it well, we can find a couple of good excuses. But why the sudden change of heart?”

Yu-bin tilted her head, puzzled. Han-byeol paused, then cautiously continued in a low voice.

“I’ve seen how hard the leaders have been working lately… I’ve received a lot of help… And as a prospective leader, I want to contribute to the clan…”

”…Hmm.”

“I think I’ve been thinking wrong all this time. I’m sorry. Honestly, the stress has been intense, but I want to be free from it now…”

”…Heh.”

Yu-bin had given Han-byeol strange looks as she stumbled over her words, but her last statement made Yu-bin chuckle. She watched Han-byeol, who had her head bowed, then her expression softened as she slowly stood up.

Yu-bin circled Han-byeol, who stood still, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“That’s the first thing you’ve said that I like.”

”…”

“Yeah. That’s the attitude. Admit your mistakes and do something for the clan. You’re still a prospective leader, not a full leader, right?”

“Yes, you’re right.”

Yu-bin smiled deeply at Han-byeol’s words. Her hand slid from Han-byeol’s shoulder, down her chest, and over her stomach. Han-byeol’s face flushed with embarrassment, but she bit her lip and endured.

“Can I really trust you?”

“I hope you’ll give me another chance.”

“Heh. Sure. You’re a prospective leader now, but soon you’ll be an unprecedented rookie leader. You need at least one achievement. Alright. If you handle this well… you know what I mean?”

“Yes. I’m confident I won’t disappoint you.”

“Good. Very good. Our precious jewel princess is begging, no, asking to spread her legs herself. How could I refuse? Alright! I’ll leave this to you.”

Seong Yubin’s sharp words cut into Kim Hanbyeol once more. But she clenched her teeth and closed her eyes. She knew Yubin was a suspicious woman, likely testing her on purpose. With that thought, Hanbyeol lowered her head slightly, signaling her submission.

Yubin, seemingly satisfied that Hanbyeol had finally yielded, flashed a triumphant smile. After a moment of stifled laughter, she wrapped an arm around Hanbyeol’s shoulders, offering a gentle pat and a whispered encouragement to do well.

“Ahahaha! Ahahaha!”

As Hanbyeol left Yubin’s quarters, the sound of Yubin’s laughter echoed behind her. Only then could Hanbyeol finally relax her clenched jaw. Yet, the deep bite marks on her lower lip and the thin trickle of blood between her tightly clenched hands betrayed her inner turmoil.

Go Yeonju left Barbara as I had suggested. Though her eyes were filled with concern for me, I felt an inexplicable calm. I wanted to understand why my heart was so at ease. To find the answer, I began to slowly sift through the events that had unfolded.

The most pressing issue was the death of the matriarch. The burning question was who had killed her and why. There were two possibilities: it was an inside job, or it wasn’t.

If it was internal, there were two paths to consider. Either the Golden Lions and their allied clans were responsible, or the non-expedition clans were. Objectively, both had reasons to kill her. They stood to gain from her death.

Yet, something felt off, as if I was missing a piece of the puzzle. Despite retracing my thoughts along those two lines, the uncertainty lingered. So, I decided to explore a third possibility.

‘What if it wasn’t an inside job?’

Then there was only one answer: the vagrants had a motive to kill the matriarch. Although there were some unclear aspects, I decided to focus on the outcome.

Why would the vagrants kill her? What was their goal? The only thing they had suffered was the plan to eradicate them…

“Ah.”

The thought struck me like lightning. A memory flashed through my mind, and I shot up, a chill running down my spine. Until now, I had avoided relying on my first cycle memories, thinking the future had changed. But in the first cycle, the vagrants had indeed invaded the northern continent. They sought revenge against the Golden Lions, and the southeastern clans merely watched as the western continent backed their vendetta.

‘Right. There was no need to separate those three scenarios. If I consider them all as one…’

It all fit together. It wasn’t strange at all. Realizing this sent shivers down my spine, and I understood why I felt so calm.

In the past, the uncertainty of the future had made me anxious. But not anymore. The current situation mirrored the first cycle, only the internal dynamics had shifted. So…

Just then, as a puzzle piece was about to click into place in my mind, a soft voice interrupted my thoughts.

“Hey… Oppa.”

”…?”

“Aren’t you going to sleep?”

“Oh. I’m not really sleepy. Are you?”

Turning my head, I saw Hanbyeol nodding slightly, her face buried in her pillow. Silence stretched between us for a moment, but then her lips parted slowly.

“Oppa, do you have time this weekend?”

“The weekend? Do we have another dinner planned?”

“No, not really.”

“Then why?”

“It’s just… never mind.”

“You’re being vague.”

I was a bit annoyed at being interrupted during such an important train of thought, but I didn’t show it. Soon, her voice reached my ears again.

“Still, you’ll come back to the dorm, right?”

I looked at her calmly, and she lowered her gaze, trailing off. I replied, “Probably. I need to sleep, after all,” and closed my eyes. She didn’t say anything more.

The early morning air was cool in the dorm. Pulling the blanket up, I revisited my earlier thoughts.

One side wants to regain control. The other wants to seize it. Conflict is inevitable. And there are those who desire this conflict. So…

‘The future has changed. But it hasn’t.’

---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=

Hello, this is Ro Yujin.

Thanks to your messages and comments, I’ve found great strength. Many of you have offered advice and expressed concern. To those feeling bored with the Academy chapter, it will soon end. Today, I completed a major project I’ve been preparing since April. Next week, I’ll start preparing for exams, but fortunately, I can spare some time this weekend.

Whether I continue with consecutive updates or increase the length, I plan to wrap up the Academy chapter by this week. Please bear with me just a little longer. Thank you so much. :)

PS. To college students or soon-to-be college students: never volunteer to be the group leader for any project. ㅜ.ㅠ

PS2. Thanks to “Broken Fan,” new images of Kim Suhyun and Kim Hanbyeol have been uploaded to my page. I plan to include these images when I update the character stats in the story. A big thank you to Broken Fan!

PS3. I’ll resume the reader replies from the next chapter. Thank you. (__)