I thought Cha Soo-yeon was there, but Ha Tae-heon was the only one I could see. It seemed that Cha Soo-yeon was sent away first and he came back alone.
“I thought you left.”
“I had to finish our conversation.”
At that, I said with a puzzled expression, “I’m serious about giving you an item. I have something to gain from you.”
“Your circumstances don’t matter.” Ha Tae-heon rolled up his shirt sleeve and exhaled, irritated. “You must know how much damage you have done to our guild. Don’t resist, just follow me.”
“Follow… wait a minute. To where?”
“The guild.”
Guild? I blinked my eyes. Which guild? It can’t be…
“Ha Tae-heon-ssi. I’m just asking in case… Are you going to take me to the Roheon Guild now?”
“And if I am?”
I stepped back in a panic.
“Don’t you think I’d have to be crazy to follow you? I said it clearly. Even if you drag me by force, you’ll never…”
“Then explain it with that smooth-talking mouth.” Ha Tae-heon stood up and looked at me. “How can I trust you and let you leave when the only thing you have is your body? How can I contact you later?”
“That’s…”
“Besides, how are you going to get back? The only car left is the one I took.”
Ah.
Come to think of it, I took Cha Soo-yeon’s car when I came here, so there was no transportation to go back. I felt a bit awkward, but I answered in the most mischievous manner as best I could, “Are you worried about me?”
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
Yes, yes.
“Even so, if you want to lock me up, I can’t follow you.”
I said it calmly, but without realizing it, tension flowed through my body. I already knew it, but when I actually faced Ha Tae-heon, the difference in power became more apparent. How long would I be able to survive if he made up his mind to attack?
‘Probably 10 minutes. Even if I run away, I’ll be caught.’
Ha Tae-heon looked at me without answering my words. As the silence continued, cold sweat formed behind my back and my fists tightened. Above all, it was hard for me to stand still because I was not feeling well.
“I have no intention of wasting energy.”
How much time has passed? Ha Tae-heon opened his mouth as I worried.
“I’m taking you to the guild to sign a contract.”
“Contract?”
“You asked me to make a deal.”
I hesitated for a moment and then nodded. “Do you mean to make a contract for a deal?”
“I have three things to establish regarding you. First, a fair contract. Second, a means of contact. Third, to inform my guild master of your presence.”
“…I wouldn’t play a trick in the contract.”
“You and I will write a contract with the same contents. And the process will be carried out in front of the Master.”
A contract. Would that be an opportunity or a poison for me? I rolled the thought around my mind as calmly as possible.
After taking the time to weigh various possibilities, I smiled slightly.
“The second part, let’s leave out the matter of determining the means of contact. Instead, add it to the contract. I will go to meet you at the right time, and if I don’t keep it, I’ll be penalized.”
“The reason is?”
“I’m not in a situation where I can decide things hastily.”
I took out my cell phone and waved it towards Ha Tae-heon.
“I guess it’s not yours.”
“With this, everything we exchange will go straight to my boss. I kind of hate it.”
“……”
Ha Tae-heon thought about something for a moment then turned around with an indifferent expression.
“Let’s go back first.”
I don’t know if he accepted my opinion or not. I dragged my throbbing legs and quickly followed Ha Tae-heon.
* * *
“So now…”
The woman who was looking at me from head to toe said with a puzzled expression, “You’re saying you brought the kidnapper? To our guild?”
“Not a kidnapper, but a business guest in this case…”
“Yes,” Ha Tae-heon answered, cutting my words off. The woman, the Roheon guild master, smiled with the attitude of asking if there was a problem.
“What kind of bullshit is this? Hand him over to the police right away!”
“Then you’ll lose the S-class item.”
“Do you believe that?”
“I don’t believe it.”
“Then why on earth…”
Ha Tae-heon slightly raised the corner of his lips. “But I believe in the contract. If we sign the contract, even that foxy bastard won’t be able to change his mind.”
What foxy… are you talking about me?
“Sigh… Tae-heon. It’s not like you to do this kind of thing.”
No, if it was Ha Tae-heon, this was what he would do.
Ha Tae-heon was the type of person who took revenge by chasing the person who touched him to the ends of the earth. He was a man of extraordinary persistence and obsession.
‘So that’s why he kept butting heads with Cheon Sa-yeon. And Cheon Sa-yeon is just as much if not more persistent than him, and certainly not any less.’
However, the better between the two of them was Ha Tae-heon. If Ha Tae-heon was the type to go head-on, Cheon Sa-yeon was the type to use everything around him.
“The gate has passed. I think we have to make up for that loss.”
“A gate like that…”
“I don’t think it’s a normal gate.”
“That’s right.”
As I slipped into the conversation, Roheon Master glared at me. Compared to how Ha Tae-heon looked, it wasn’t scary at all, so I smiled brightly on purpose.
“It’s a ranked gate.”
“As expected.” Ha Tae-heon nodded with a face that said he expected my words.
The Roheon Master, who saw this, retorted with a sharp voice, “I guess it was A-class. That is nothing to our guild.”
“Is that so…”
I purposely shut my mouth with a smile. There was no need to tell the Roheon Guild that this gate was SS-class. When I didn’t respond, she wrinkled her brow even more.
“Let’s get back to business. Please overlook the contract, Master.” Ha Tae-heon blocked the Roheon Master from saying something else to me.
“…okay.”
Roheon Master, who was a bit dissatisfied, decided that she had to send me away first, so she started the process right away.
The place where I, Ha Tae-heon, and the Roheon Master were currently located was the drawing room inside the Roheon Guild.
There was a soft and spacious sofa, a luxurious table, and fragrant tea, but I just felt uncomfortable. I just wanted to get out of here as soon as possible, so I quickly checked the contract.
‘The personal information part is whatever… As for the contract, it really doesn’t matter.’
It was a contract stating that if I didn’t provide S-class or higher items to Ha Tae-heon, I would bear penalties. I looked at it step by step and asked Ha Tae-heon, who was sitting and writing the contract in front of me.
“There is nothing in the contract about keeping contact. What about that?”
“I’ll fix that now.”
Ha Tae-heon pulled something out of the pocket of his suit jacket and held it out. What I received was a small, old folding phone. There was only one number stored in the phone log.
“This is a specially designed mobile phone that can only be contacted by my number. I’ll take care of the contact.”
“Umm…”
I expected this from the moment I informed Ha Tae-heon of my situation being monitored by Cheon Sa-yeon, but somehow I felt strange to receive it. I rolled the phone around in my grasp and decided to accept it first.
“Well, I guess I understand.”
Ha Tae-heon’s eyebrows twitched as if he didn’t like my baffling answer, but fortunately, he didn’t ask much.
“By the way, please include what I want in the contract.”
“What do you want?”
“When you receive an item, please do one thing for me. No matter when it is.”
“…okay. I’ll put a limit on it.”
“It won’t matter. Ha Tae-heon-ssi, I’m going to ask you to do it without causing any harm to you or anyone around you.”
My contract and Ha Tae-heon’s contract, which were completely written with the additional contents, were exchanged. Master Roheon, who was overlooking the situation, turned off the camera at the end of the declaration that she was a witness and she would watch the contract proceed fairly with honour.
“If you want a video, I’ll send it to you.”
“It’s not necessary. That’s enough.”
In the first place, it was not that I lacked trust in Ha Tae-heon enough to even leave a contract like this. Rather, I expected Ha Tae-heon to believe in me even a little bit through this incident.
“Han Yi-gyeol…”
“Yes?”
I looked forward because I thought I heard my name, but Ha Tae-heon fixed his gaze only on the contract. What is it?
I felt uncomfortable, but I figured it wouldn’t be a big deal. Rather, since the contract was over, I wanted to leave this place quickly.
By now, news of Cha Soo-yeon’s return to the Jayna Guild would have reached Cheon Sa-yeon. Now I really had to go back. Fortunately, the Roheon Guild and the Requiem Guild were not far apart.
“Then I’m leaving. Good luck.”
I bowed and left the drawing room. I was very tired because I was hurt and exhausted. I just wanted to go back and rest.