Chapter 41: The Price of Cooperation

Sagyeol sought me out a day after the airship’s departure.

“Are your ears ringing, or do you feel dizzy?”

“In the Demon Realm—”

He flinched at the mention of the ‘Demon Realm’.

“Even in far worse situations than this, I remained unaffected.”

“…I see.”

I no longer concealed my true identity.

Sagyeol remained silent after that. Perhaps it was my imagination, but he seemed somewhat dispirited. He continued to hold the tray, presumably containing a meal, in his hands.

I gazed intently at the man, who continued to fidget uneasily. What did I wish to do with him? No, what did I even want to *do* with him?

Even after following him this far, I didn’t truly understand what I was doing.

It felt as though my mind and body were detached. Thoughts of Lee Myeong-hwan still made my blood boil, and seeing Sagyeol, who had deceived me, churned my stomach. Yet, I couldn’t cut him off coldly as I usually would.

Thus, this entire situation felt both ludicrous and utterly wretched.

Sagyeol, who had been frozen in foolish rigidity, finally managed to speak.

“Th-this is breakfast. It’s a sandwich and soup, but if there’s anything else you’d like to eat, please tell me. I’ll prepare it right away.”

He seemed to have belatedly recalled his original purpose.

“I’m not particularly hungry right now.”

“But you should eat at least a little… You must eat properly.”

“Leave it there; I’ll eat it later.”

As I coldly drew a line, he wilted and fell silent. My stomach churned.

It felt as though I had poked a harmless snake, minding its own business, with a stick. There was absolutely no reason for me to feel this way.

Or rather, since I had poked a snake that bit me with its fangs, wasn’t it self-defense?

My mood worsened further. The ‘snake’, who had been observing my reaction, spoke.

“You’re twenty-eight this year, aren’t you?”

“……”

“I’m twenty-seven.”

‘So what?’

“So, how about we speak more casually?”

Sagyeol smiled. It was evident he was forcing a cheerful demeanor.

“If that’s what you wish, then do so. I find this more comfortable.”

His fingers, which had been resting downwards, subtly curled inward. Silence descended upon us. The only sound in the room was the faint hum of the floating airship. I felt an unnecessary awkwardness, yet, upon reflection, such prolonged silence had rarely occurred when I was with him.

He had always filled the gaps in our conversations, prattling on about various things to capture my attention.

“An excuse or an explanation. Which would you prefer to hear first?”

“What if I wish to hear neither?”

“Then I would appreciate it if you would at least hear my explanation.”

I let out a scoff.

“An explanation?”

“……”

“You wish to enter the Sea of Trees, and to do so, you need a returnee with resistance to demonic energy. Isn’t that all I need to know?”

My usually taciturn mouth, as if possessed, poured out words without restraint.

Sagyeol’s expression hardened, becoming rigid. The usual ease and languor he wore like armor were nowhere to be found.

“You know who I am.”

A returnee, sent to the Demon Realm by Lee Myeong-hwan’s hand twenty years ago, and now back.

“And I know who you are.”

Lee Myeong-hwan’s son, who survived the Great Calamity twenty years ago, and the current Guild Master of the Credit Guild.

This was everything that lay between him and me.

“Let’s do this. I also have a reason to enter the Sea of Trees, so I will cooperate with you. In return, you will pay me the price.”

Sagyeol remained silent for a long time.

Above the clouds, the sky cast no shadows. The sun, setting slower than on the ground, illuminated my back and his cheek.

My shadow enveloped half of his body. It seemed as if the light and darkness originating from me were somehow trying to merge with him, or perhaps like a skeletal vine striving to entwine itself around an ancient tree.

After a long moment, he finally spoke.

“What were you planning to do after going to Grisha?”

It wasn’t an answer to my question. Nevertheless, instead of pressing him, I replied obligingly.

“My immediate plan was simply to reach Grisha. After that, I intended to consider my next steps once I had safely entered the city.”

While truly famous information was known even to the public, it was usually limited to the profiles of renowned S-rank hunters. Details about the current subjugation efforts or power struggles within guilds were not accessible to ordinary people.

If one truly wished to know, they would have to go through an informant in the back alleys. The information I needed was no different.

The Sea of Trees subjugation was said to be a collaborative effort among several guilds, but the central guilds remained unchanged, both then and now. The unofficial overall commander would likely be the same. Therefore, if I had succeeded in reaching Grisha…

‘…I probably would have sought out Sagyeol.’

I deliberately kept that fact to myself. Why? Why conceal it?

As I questioned myself, a truth that had long slumbered in my subconscious quietly awoke and surfaced.

‘Because Sagyeol’s current state of helplessness is beneficial to you.’

I asked. ‘Beneficial? In what way? Surely it doesn’t mean it would give me an advantage in our negotiation?’

Even though it had just awakened, it whispered in a remarkably clear voice.

‘It means it will help his heart remain with you.’

Involuntarily, I snapped my head up. My eyes met Sagyeol’s across the room. It was then that I realized: since entering this room, Sagyeol had never once taken his eyes off me.

The sun, setting not behind mountains but beyond the clouds, slowly but steadily descended, becoming a twilight glow that stretched between him and me. Where light and darkness had vanished, only dusk remained.

Unbeknownst to me, he had already permeated my being. Like lukewarm water, or like body heat.

“You said we should make a deal.”

I startled, jolting from my reverie, and looked at Sagyeol. His upper body, enveloped by my shadow, leaned towards me.

“This is my answer.”

“……!!”

Sagyeol kissed me. Startled, I pushed against his shoulders and chest. Yet, it was merely a pretense.

My hands held no strength, and all my senses converged on our joined lips and the intertwining tongues within. A low groan echoed from deep within my throat. Sagyeol growled like a beast.

“Hah. Haah. Haah.”

“I won’t make a deal with you. Unless it’s a romance, perhaps.”

Having uttered those words, Sagyeol’s eyes widened slightly, as if surprised by his own declaration, before soon settling into an expression of relief. I could see the desire, now emboldened by certainty, rapidly swelling within him. Cold sweat trickled down my neck.

“Get off me!”

This time, I truly exerted force, roughly pushing him away. Sagyeol stumbled, resisting for a moment, then finally created some distance.

A red, destructive impulse reared its head. I gritted my teeth and took a deep breath.

‘Don’t act emotionally. Be calm.’ I admonished myself. If I acted emotionally… I felt I might see Sagyeol’s blood.

“Let’s end this unproductive conversation here. If you won’t make a deal, there’s nothing more to discuss.”

Thus, I insisted even more on formal speech, using the barrier of language to restrict my attitude towards him.

“Yeowon.”

“Don’t call me that. I will not permit you that name.”

I sprang to my feet as if propelled upwards. Sagyeol flinched in surprise.

“……”

“……”

And then, nothing happened. My face was probably flushed, inappropriate for the atmosphere, so I spoke with an even more serious expression.

“If you won’t make a deal, there’s nothing more to discuss. Please leave.”

“Yeo…”

He paused, about to call my name again. I seized the opportunity and headed for the door.

“It’s fine. If you won’t leave, then I will.”

“No, wait. Just a moment!”

Sagyeol, having risen even more vehemently than I, clasped my wrist. Frankly, I was surprised. Not by the pain, but because his hand was trembling uncontrollably.

“You said you would give me a chance, didn’t you?”

“?”

When I looked puzzled, Sagyeol appeared greatly shocked. Belatedly, the conversation we’d had in the small room came back to me.

“I did.”

“Then…”

“I clearly gave you a chance. Just now.”

Sagyeol’s face, as he belatedly understood, turned utterly pale.

“Please wait for me.”

“Let go.”

I snapped coldly and glared at him. Sagyeol, who had been fidgeting nervously, finally released my hand. As I tried to pass him and head for the door, he grabbed my clothes this time.

“I told you to let go.”

He seemed to resist for a moment, then let go. This time, he grabbed my other sleeve.

‘Let go. Aren’t you going to? Stop holding me. Ah, I said let go!’

With each step I took, he would let go and then grab me again, making the journey to the door take an eternity. I hadn’t even made it halfway. Now, seeing Sagyeol completely embracing me from behind, I let out a deep sigh.

Honestly, I was flustered. If he was going to cling to me like this, then why had he deceived me in the first place? He was the one who had so brazenly lied.

“If it was going to be like this, why didn’t you just agree to the deal?”

Sagyeol no longer responded, instead tightening his arms around me. Burying his face in my shoulder, he faintly shook his head.

“I don’t know why I’m doing this either.”

‘He’s not a child, for crying out loud.’

“No, actually, I do know.”

‘…Is he really a child?’

As I lost my words in utter bewilderment, Sagyeol, clinging to me, rustled and pulled me even tighter. I felt his breath on my neck. He whispered in a low voice.

“I like you.”

It was a confession like a breathless sigh. A dull shock struck my head. Furthermore, Sagyeol’s confession didn’t end with just one declaration.

“I like you. I like you. I like you.”

Amusingly, I recalled the daily life he had intruded upon. I was taciturn, and he was unnecessarily verbose. Naturally, he was the one who filled the silences in our conversations. It was the same dynamic as back then. The only difference was the repetition of a single phrase.

“Please give me just one more chance.”

He opened his mouth wide and gently bit my neck. Contrary to his fierce demeanor, I felt only a light pressure and a pleasant tingle.

Unlike my mind, which was swirling with confusion, my body’s reactions were simple. My stomach felt hot. A place I couldn’t quite pinpoint also throbbed.

“This time, I won’t disappoint you.”

Having whispered that, Sagyeol devoured me like a beast. My flushed body refused the shouts from my mind, which screamed, ‘Why aren’t you pushing him away right now?’

“……!!”

My current confusion was entirely due to the pervasive red sunset.

My chest felt heavy because we were inside an airship soaring high in the sky, and my once calm heart stirred because I had embarked on a journey with an uncertain future.

Everything had a plausible reason. So, perhaps there was some unknown reason why I felt this urge to throw myself at this man.

Even as I thought this, a part of my heart remained chillingly cold.

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