Chapter 27: The Clause He Added

Seong Ju-an only then recalled the things the Constellations had said in the chat window.

If their sole purpose was the realization of ambition, then the Creator of Sacrifice, who could spend coins infinitely, must have been a thorn in their side.

That was why they had tried to drive him out of the Constellation seat, making excuses of all kinds.

When Seong Ju-an nodded as if he understood, Baek Eun-hoo continued his explanation.

“Joo Ji-chan and Mo Jun-young outright despise Constellations. As for me, I wouldn’t have minded contracting if it benefited me, but… well, the problem is that the Constellations are just too stupid for my taste.”

Surprisingly, Baek Eun-hoo spoke candidly.

Seong Ju-an didn’t believe everything outright, but at least he could feel that what Baek Eun-hoo was saying now held no lies.

“Most skills have already been developed up to S-Rank, and all that’s left are the dungeons that require a full party. But those dungeons need Constellation support. No matter how you stack a party full of S-Ranks, it’s tough without buffs. So everyone’s just been waiting for the right moment.”

“…Then are you saying that I’m that ‘moment’?”

Baek Eun-hoo lifted only one corner of his mouth and looked steadily at Ju-an.

His lightning-like blue eyes moved slowly.

The sensation was as if Ju-an’s inner thoughts were being laid bare, making it hard to meet his gaze.

When Ju-an looked away, Baek Eun-hoo let out a low chuckle.

“Well… who knows? The real question is whether the Seong Ju-an buffer is more valuable to me than foolish Constellations, or even the coin-rich Creator of Sacrifice.”

Baek Eun-hoo’s gaze deepened.

Though the question itself demanded proof of value, the expression in his eyes revealed unmistakable desire directed at Ju-an.

Knowing Baek Eun-hoo inside and out, Ju-an quickly grasped his intent.

‘Don’t shake. The more confident you are, the more he’ll be drawn in.’

Ignoring the pounding of his heart, Ju-an stared straight back at Baek Eun-hoo and spoke.

“Then what about you, Baek Eun-hoo? Are you someone who can truly help our team until every dungeon is cleared?”

“Ha.”

Baek Eun-hoo laughed from deep in his throat.

Ju-an’s eyes were drawn to the way his eyes curved and his Adam’s apple trembled.

He hurriedly averted his gaze, then provoked him again.

“Think about it. Who needs whom more right now? I’ve already persuaded three Awakeners. Mo Jun-young, a tanker. Gong Se-yoon, who has already completed all his skills up to SS-Rank. And Joo Ji-chan, who possesses overwhelming destructive power. As a buffer, I could clear dungeons with just them.”

No.

That was a lie.

Ju-an knew better than anyone the difficulty of the dungeons in this game.

They could clear a fair amount, but reaching the ending would be impossible.

The issue wasn’t rank, it was skill attributes.

Fire and ice had their limits.

They needed a hunter with lightning-based skills.

And among those, S-Rank Baek Eun-hoo was the best possible choice.

Baek Eun-hoo’s eyes flickered strangely, then began to crease with irritation.

Damn it, did that piss him off?

If this went wrong and the contract fell through, everything would be ruined…

Before Ju-an could finish that thought, a large hand suddenly shot toward his solar plexus.

Certain he was about to get hit, Ju-an squeezed his eyes shut, but felt no pain.

When he opened them, his collar was being yanked, and Baek Eun-hoo’s face was right in front of his.

Baek Eun-hoo leaned in closer and closer, until his lips nearly brushed Ju-an’s ear.

Hot breath swept into his ear canal.

“Seong Ju-an, you can’t say you’re not interested while looking at me like that.”

When did he look at him like that…?

“Your eyes are practically boiling with desire.”

Ju-an didn’t bother denying it and kept his mouth shut.

He should probably be grateful things hadn’t escalated further.

As Ju-an swallowed unsteadily, Baek Eun-hoo pulled back.

Ju-an spoke in a trembling voice, saying what needed to be said.

“Let’s stop probing each other and cooperate, shall we? You want me anyway. Didn’t you say it yourself earlier? With the Creator of Sacrifice gone, you need a buffer.”

Baek Eun-hoo nodded and pointed at the contract.

“But this feels less like cooperation, and more like…”

“Mutual restraint.”

A mask-like smile spread across his cold face.

‘Ugh, creepy.’

At this rate, wouldn’t Ju-an end up getting crushed between Awakeners fighting each other?

Well, still better than getting kidnapped by anarchists or foreign hunters… probably.

Was it really better?

It felt like being a rabbit thrown into a pack of lions.

“This is a bit burdensome, isn’t it? If restraint turns into a fight, won’t I be the one getting hurt?”

“That won’t happen. Unless another S-Rank buffer appears, no, even if one does, we’d still be more favorable toward Seong Ju-an. Of course, if you try to use us like the Constellations do, that’d be a different story…”

An unexpected stab of guilt pricked Ju-an’s conscience.

It felt as though his plan, to use them to clear the dungeons, reach the ending, and wish his way back to the original world, had been exposed.

“But in the end, aren’t we just using each other? We’re contracted out of mutual necessity.”

Baek Eun-hoo snorted softly.

“Necessity… true enough. But from where I stand, Seong Ju-an doesn’t seem to have ambition for power, or for wealth. You almost look like someone who’s already seen through the world.”

How did he know?

In this fabricated virtual world, wealth and power were only needed to survive.

What Seong Ju-an truly wanted was to end this absurd game and return to being an ordinary nobody.

Reading his expression, Baek Eun-hoo lifted the corner of his mouth.

“Yes. That look right there. Awakeners are sensitive, we read atmospheres like that. Not just me. The others will notice too.”

It made sense, but Ju-an thought differently.

The reason Awakeners were drawn to him wasn’t because he lacked desire, but because the instincts embedded into their characters were unconsciously directed toward their creator, the developer.

But… it was almost over.

All that remained was the signature.

“Shall we… sign?”

Baek Eun-hoo pulled out a fountain pen from inside his jacket.

Why did Ju-an feel so anxious when all that was left was a signature?

The pen tip touched the paper, and Baek Eun-hoo suddenly paused.

“Ah. Almost forgot.”

“…Yes?”

“There’s a clause I want to add.”

Of course.

Things had been going too smoothly.

“Go ahead. If it’s something I can accept, I’ll add it.”

Baek Eun-hoo nodded and pointed to the clause about taking turns guarding Ju-an.

Ju-an hesitated.

He’d already promised Gong Se-yoon the first slot.

Surely Baek Eun-hoo wasn’t about to ask for priority too… right?

Baek Eun-hoo spoke slowly.

“On the days I guard you, how about you come to my house instead of the facility?”

Seong Ju-an’s mouth fell open at the unexpected demand.

“Why? Do you dislike the facility, or do you just want to take me to your house?”

“Both. If safety’s the goal, my house is far better than the facility.”

Since Baek Eun-hoo ran a guild, it wasn’t entirely wrong.

Still, Ju-an couldn’t bring himself to walk into a tiger’s den of his own accord.

An uneasy premonition made his eyelashes tremble.

“And I can’t stay even a single day in the facility.”

“…Why?”

“It’s unsanitary.”

Strangely, that very Baek Eun-hoo-like reason put Ju-an at ease.

Seeing shared facilities as filthy suited his personality so well that it didn’t feel like he had an ulterior motive.

All that anxiety for nothing.

“I’ll add it.”

Seong Ju-an added the clause to the contract.

Mo Jun-young would definitely nag him for this level of inflexibility, but it couldn’t be helped.

When it came to cleanliness, Baek Eun-hoo would never compromise.

No wonder he’d been so sensitive over a single strand of hair earlier.

What a pain.

When Ju-an placed the amended contract in front of him, Baek Eun-hoo signed it in elegant handwriting.

The most troublesome person was convinced—now he could finally breathe.

All that was left was to clear the dungeons quickly and reach the ending.

At least, that was what Seong Ju-an believed.

****

Mo Jun-young didn’t scold him over the added clauses as expected, instead signing the contract without much comment.

His face, as he mechanically scribbled his signature, was deeply etched with fatigue.

Dark circles stretched down toward the sides of his nose.

When Ju-an thanked him, Mo Jun-young spoke.

“I’ve already called Joo Ji-chan. But…”

An awkward look crossed his face.

“What is it? What’s the problem now?”

“When he heard that Gong Se-yoon and Baek Eun-hoo had signed, Joo Ji-chan changed his mind.”

It made no sense.

He hadn’t shown any opposition earlier, why now?

Something had gone wrong.

“Either way, try persuading him. He’ll be waiting in the conference room.”

“I will.”

As Ju-an left the director’s office and headed down, he couldn’t figure out why Joo Ji-chan had changed his stance.

When he opened the conference room door, Joo Ji-chan was already seated inside, his face twisted into a deep scowl.