Chapter 100 : The Contract Until Death

Cha Hae-jin was that kind of person.

If he considered someone one of his own, he would take care of them to the point of giving his life, but he was someone who showed not a shred of mercy toward an enemy.

Thinking about what he had done to the Headquarters that chose not to save his father, to the mother who turned away from him, and to the monsters that harmed his friends at Legion, it was easy to see what kind of punishment would fall upon me.

To think I had become the target of Cha Hae-jin’s revenge…….

It hadn’t even truly begun yet, but I was already getting goosebumps.

‘Why am I acting surprised now……. It’s not like I didn’t know I’d be treated this way if we met again, especially considering how he acted right after the guiding.’

I opened the contract with a self-deprecating smile.

As I read through it slowly, it wasn’t as strange of a contract as I had expected.

The beginning contained content similar to a typical employment contract.

However, the problem lay in the salary, the compensation for contract termination, and the special provisions listed at the back.

[Annual Salary: 100 million won]

[In the event of contract termination, compensation equal to 100 times the received annual salary shall be paid.]

[Special Provisions:]

[1) Party B, Jung Lee Chae, shall perform contact guiding for Party A, Cha Hae-jin, once a week.]

[2) Party B, Jung Lee Chae, shall reside and eat at the (former) Legion building, which is the current residence of Party A, Cha Hae-jin.]

[3) If Party B, Jung Lee Chae, does not sign this contract, Party B shall be tracked for life by scout Espers and Guides belonging to Legion.]

[4) Party A, Cha Hae-jin, shall spare no support necessary for the guiding of Party B, Jung Lee Chae. (Provision of food, clothing, and shelter for a stable life; educational programs for self-development; special training for improving combat power; provision of scholarships for family stability.)]

[5) The contract period shall last until the death of Party A, Cha Hae-jin.]

My eyes widened as I read and re-read the passage.

No matter how many times I read it, the contents of the contract did not change.

It was content I simply couldn’t understand.

A salary and compensation amount that defied imagination, along with those special provisions.

Furthermore, what was this special training for improving combat power when he had told me to go to the operations team instead of the combat team?

I couldn’t fathom his intentions—whether he planned to take revenge or to keep me and raise me.

I felt terrified, yet at the same time, a strange sense of stability washed over me.

Was I actually happy to see this unchanging obsession?

‘If you don’t like it, try running away again. Or do you want to scream?’

To think I was happy seeing this even after just meeting the Cha Hae-jin who spat out such words…….

Truly, I have no pride.

The one who was crazy wasn’t Cha Hae-jin, it was me.

I stared for a long time at the part where the words ‘until the death of Cha Hae-jin’ were written, tracing them with my fingertips.

I had always believed that love changes eventually, and that once you realize love is an illusion, you might regret promising forever.

That belief was the reason I had hesitated to imprint with Hae-jin at first, and the reason I managed to push away the Cha Hae-jin who whined for me to love him.

However, the thirst and hunger I felt from Hae-jin earlier, and the feelings of his that were packed into this contract, meant that his past emotions still remained.

So, Hae-jin—I mean, Hyung—still feels for me…….

Hyun-jun, who had been watching my rapidly changing expressions with anxiety, cautiously spoke up.

“Um, you’re going to sign, right?”

“Let me think for a moment…….”

Hyun-jun was horrified by my words.

“You can’t. You must sign. Please sign, if only to save a life. If I can’t get this back, things will get really difficult for me. It’s a bit much to say, but I have a baby due soon. My parents are sick, so I have to keep working here.”

I looked at Hyun-jun with wide eyes.

On the surface, his words seemed to show passion for his job, but underneath, they contained complaints about Hae-jin.

Anger suddenly flared within me.

Cha Hae-jin was not a person who deserved to be insulted like that.

In this country where the Headquarters held all the power and deceived the people, Cha Hae-jin was the only one with the will to oppose them and grow a guild.

He was the man who fought with his life on the line every time he went into battle, and who remained loyal to the end to those he considered his people.

Cha Hae-jin was such a fool that he would offer these kinds of special provisions to a guide who ran away from him. And yet…….

‘Who are you to badmouth my Esper?’

The corners of my eyes sharpened.

“Excuse me, Team Leader, you seem to be misunderstanding something. Our Representative isn’t the type of person to just fire an employee because they couldn’t get one signature. He isn’t a person with a broken personality who runs Legion based on personal feelings. The Representative is someone who fought a monster alone even when he was on the verge of a rampage just to save a child, saying that an individual’s life is more precious.”

My voice kept trembling.

Without even knowing why I was saying this to this man, I continued.

“He operated Legion transparently and fairly even when it wasn’t a guild. When his friends were in danger, he was the first to step forward and fight. He is a true hero. So please, don’t speak carelessly about the Representative.”

Hyun-jun blinked in confusion and spoke with a dazed expression.

“……Pardon? You seem to know our Representative quite well.”

Ah.

My face turned red after blurring out whatever came to mind.

The thought that I had made a fool of myself in front of the team leader made me feel dizzy.

How was I supposed to fix this?

“Ah, well, that is to say……. I’m a fan!”

“A fan?”

“Yes, he’s very famous, isn’t he? Besides, we’re alumni……. You know how it feels bad when you hear someone badmouthing a graduate from your own school, right?”

Hyun-jun tilted his head with a confused face, then grinned as if seizing an opportunity.

“Well, that’s great then. Since you’re an alumnus and a fan, of course you’ll be signing.”

I had dug my own grave.

It would be ridiculous to back out of signing now.

Hyun-jun pushed the documents forward, his eyes sparkling.

I finished signing, rationalizing to myself that I was only doing this because of the situation, definitely not because I wanted to.

Hyun-jun thanked me several times with a moved expression.

‘I thought Cha Hae-jin’s image had improved, but since he’s the team leader, does he know his true nature? He should learn to restrain himself a bit.’

I clicked my tongue inwardly as I handed the contract back to Hyun-jun.

Then, Hyun-jun spoke up as if he had forgotten something.

“Ah, right, and this is something it would be good for you to know in advance.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

Hyun-jun looked troubled, as if it was awkward to say.

“Well, the Representative forgives almost anything else, but there is one thing he absolutely cannot tolerate.”

“What is it?”

“Physical contact.”

“Pardon?”

“Ah, it might be hard to understand. It’s just that there are so many people who try to cling to him because he’s so great, so he really hates it when other people touch his body.”

As I tilted my head, Hyun-jun suddenly looked around and lowered his voice.

“Last time, a new guide who joined the combat team tried to initiate guiding, and the whole of Legion was turned upside down. If the Vice-Captain hadn’t stopped him, he might have actually filed a lawsuit. He’s like an iron wall.”

Hyun-jun’s words contained a lot of information about Hae-jin.

That Hae-jin’s loathing for guides had continued while we were apart; that despite being an Esper who couldn’t maintain his physical condition without guiding, he had endured immense hunger and thirst alone to maintain his principles.

The reason my heart had ached at the scent of burning dry wood must have been because his condition was being fully transmitted to me even though the imprint was broken.

It was the same for me.

Since I didn’t have Cha Hae-jin, my first and last partner of desire, I couldn’t feel desire itself, and physiological responses were only possible when I met Hae-jin in my dreams.

‘You were just like me.’

That fact hurt, yet it made me happy.

The nonsensical emotion made my breath hitch again.

How much longer must I endure this heart that can’t help but love him even while knowing I shouldn’t?

“I’m really not joking. It would be best for you to be careful in advance.”

“Yes, I look forward to working with you.”

I nodded with a bittersweet smile.

It was my first day at the Legion guild.

Just as I stood up, thinking about how quickly this hectic day was passing, the door to the meeting room clicked open.

• “F*ck, how did it end up like this?”

Hae-jin distorted his face, clutching his head with both arms.

He couldn’t understand why he had done that.

“I worked so hard to set this up…… and then I ruined it.”

Only after Lee Chae left the Representative’s office did Hae-jin realize what he had done.

Unless a madman had truly lost his mind, how could he say such things to Jung Lee Chae?

He was full of regret, but no matter how much he raged alone, he couldn’t take back the words he had already spat out.

At first, he was definitely keeping his wits about him.

Even if Lee Chae’s reaction was indifferent, he had tried to soothe his own heart and read the room, intending to persuade him somehow.

However, Lee Chae kept showing a side of himself that felt like a stranger, and Hae-jin’s anxiety grew worse and worse.

Still, Hae-jin tried to endure.

He was prepared to even beg for his life if persuasion didn’t work.

The problem was the cruel words that had flown out out of spite because of Lee Chae’s consistently detached reactions.

Because once those words were uttered, emotion began to fill Lee Chae’s indifferent eyes.

At that moment, his twisted nature reared its head.

I don’t know if it’s already too late, but should I beg him even now to forget how I looked earlier?

But it feels like those words were too harsh…….

Hae-jin knew better than anyone that Jung Lee Chae didn’t have anyone else.

Because from the moment he tracked down Lee Chae’s location until now, he had never once lost track of his movements. He knew, he knew, but…….

No. No matter what excuse he made, the words he said had crossed the line.

“Let’s apologize. Like a man.”

Hae-jin jumped out of his seat.

He was about to leave the office with the intention of going to the 4th floor where the operations team was located to bring Lee Chae back, but then he hesitated.

What if Lee Chae draws a line again while using formal speech like before?

Would I be able to restrain my madness then?

If things went wrong, he might go there to apologize and end up committing an even more irreversible mistake.

But he couldn’t not apologize, either.

While he was agonizing, Lee Chae’s words suddenly came to Hae-jin’s mind.

‘So, being anxious, rushing in, showing that you’re happy enough to die—you should be the one to do that, Hyung.’

He remembered every word Lee Chae had ever said, no matter how trivial.

Even Lee Chae’s expression and tone of voice when he said it.

Whenever he was troubled, the answer was always within Lee Chae’s words.

“I ruined it, so it’s only right that I fix it.”

Hae-jin clenched his fists and left the office with a determined expression.

When he reached the 4th floor and stood in front of the meeting room at a brisk pace, he heard Lee Chae’s voice coming from inside. Hae-jin lowered the hand he was about to use to knock and listened.

Lee Chae’s voice was louder and sharper than usual.

‘Our Representative isn’t the type of person to fire an employee just because they couldn’t get one signature. He isn’t a person with a broken personality who runs Legion based on personal feelings. He’s a hero who is transparent, fair, and fights for the weak. Don’t speak so carelessly.’

‘Our Representative is… a hero?’

At those words, which he could hardly believe even as he heard them, his chest swelled uncontrollably.

Even while thinking it made no sense, he pinched his thigh to ensure this wasn’t a dream but reality.

Hae-jin couldn’t bring himself to open the door, and without hearing the conversation that followed, he simply let time pass aimlessly.

Jung Lee Chae—that means you…… me…….