After ending the call with Shin Jungho.

Park Soyul headed straight for Jungho’s studio apartment, as a matter of course.

Yoon Changdae hadn’t made a move yet, but there was no guarantee he would keep his hands to himself going forward.

Arriving near the Jeonjeon Cafe as quickly as she could manage, Soyul immediately activated an item and launched herself into the air.

Ring of Levitation.

An item she had received as a special reward for clearing the 40th floor in the shortest time.

Its ability was exactly as the name suggested—lifting one’s body into the air.

With this item in her possession, Soyul had been able to achieve remarkable feats, like wings sprouting from a tiger’s back.

It also served as an instant escape route in emergencies.

Which meant that if she had a Tower climb on the horizon, it was an ability she should never use carelessly.

And yet here she was, burning through such a precious item in the real world, not even inside the Tower.

All to char that gorilla-sized rat to a crisp!

“Now where could this Mr. Rat be?”

Hovering midair, she scanned the area for any sign of Yoon Changdae.

He was undoubtedly crouched somewhere nearby, lurking like a spider.

A moment later.

A large figure burst up from the rooftop of a villa.

“……Bingo.”

One corner of Soyul’s mouth curled upward in a chilling smile.

She was genuinely prepared to fight to the death.

She had never been this fired up before.

That’s right. Just come this way.

I’ll strike you down right here.

Mentally chaining together every skill combination she could muster, she waited for Changdae to make his way toward Jungho’s studio.

But the figure that emerged from the darkness was, for some reason, sprinting full tilt in the opposite direction, as though something were chasing him.

Had he…… noticed she was there?

It was possible.

The sky was heavily overcast, but the altitude wasn’t so high that someone with good eyesight couldn’t spot her.

……Hah. What a letdown.

Soyul stared hard in the direction Changdae had vanished before turning her gaze toward Jungho’s studio.

From the outside, nothing seemed amiss.

Still, just to be safe…… should she check?

Soyul chuckled and shook her head.

A woman who clings too hard comes across as cheap, doesn’t she?

For now, a morning café latte would do nicely.

If she happened to run into Jungho there naturally (?), she could casually ask him a question.

How best to carve up this rat and that snake?

* * *

After slipping free from the clutches of Shin Jungho and Lea—those twin evils.

Yoon Changdae sat alone in his private space, replaying everything that had transpired.

Having his identity as an assassin exposed was bad enough, but being taken captive in the first place was already game over.

On top of that, the blonde girl named Lea had radiated a deadly seriousness—any wrong move and she would sever his head without a second thought.

The truth was.

Despite his assassin class, he had never actually killed anyone in the real world.

Those two lunatics probably regarded him as some legendary assassin.

But that was all a fabricated persona.

A boisterous laugh and rough mannerisms like some macho tough guy.

Behind that facade lay the cold, ruthlessly calculating face of an assassin.

But no one knew the truth about the man called Yoon Changdae.

The reality was…… he was a basement-dwelling loner^[1]!

He had somehow awakened with an assassin-class skill set.

To hide that identity, he had hit the gym hard, and before he knew it, everyone had simply assumed he was a tanker.

Granted, he was a loner, but a voluntary one—so socializing with others wasn’t particularly stressful for him.

He simply found mingling with people to be a hassle…… nothing more than a solitary wolf!

That was precisely why he could rub shoulders with the likes of Kim Taemin and Park Soyul—those insufferably accomplished individuals.

Of course, at drinking sessions, he would bide his time just long enough before bolting like his life depended on it!

Perhaps that was why the assassin class suited him better than anyone else.

But even his blockbuster-caliber method acting.

Was only feasible under the precondition that it would keep him alive.

Under the tension of potentially dying in the next second.

Who on earth could keep their composure—let alone hold onto their sanity!

Those haughty eyes that looked down on him as though he were a mere insect.

That merciless blade that could snuff him out as effortlessly as swatting a mosquito.

To put it bluntly.

He had been utterly terrified.

That was why Changdae had lost all composure and could fixate on only one problem to solve.

Shin Jungho.

If he failed to be of use to that incarnation of evil, he could be crushed like an ant anytime, anywhere!

So how would he prove his worth?

What could he use to demonstrate his usefulness?

Deep into the night.

At odds with his hulking, muscular frame.

Changdae sat in his gaming chair with his knees tucked together, gnawing at his thumbnail incessantly—when revelation struck.

Bzzzt-!

“Gah! You scared me!”

He had been concentrating so hard in a state of extreme tension that the text message on his phone startled him out of his wits.

He checked his phone—an unknown number.

– It’s Lea.

……No. It was the grim reaper who held his life in her hands.

– If you do not wish to die, respond within one second.

> Yes, Ma’am!

– Good. From now on, all responses must come within one second.

One second?

She wanted him glued to his phone twenty-four hours a day?

But despite the rebellion flaring in his mind, his body responded with perfect obedience.

> Yes, Ma’am!

– I hereby issue you one critical order. If you do not wish to die in one week’s time, complete it with your life on the line.

> I will see it done without fail!

Fail to do it and die. Fail to complete it and die.

This was literally a matter of life and death!

– Admirable resolve. From this moment forward, you shall sing the praises of the noble Lord Shin Jungho.

……Excuse me?

– One second has passed.

> I’m sorry!

> My phone dropped to the floor!

> This will never happen again!

– I will forgive the same mistake only once.

> Thank you!

– So, your answer?

> I wil

> I will complete it without fail!

– Then begin with Park Soyul first thing this morning.

He couldn’t follow the thread of the conversation at all, but if he wanted to live, he had to respond first and figure out the rest later.

> Yes, Ma’am!

– I have already informed the Lord, so you may seek him out directly.

> Yes, Ma’am!

– There is more.

> Please speak!

Changdae fired off replies as fast as he could read the rapid-fire instructions.

– I trust you will not disappoint me.

> I will bear it in mind!

And so ended the exchange with that terrifying grim reaper.

Changdae read Lea’s orders again, and again, and again.

And then…… it dawned on him.

In a way, this might be.

The one path to proving his usefulness!

Praising Shin Jungho.

In other words, worshipping Mirinae.

If he could establish his value through that.

Not only Jungho but Lea as well would recognize his worth all over again.

And as long as he remained useful.

His death sentence would be automatically stayed.

“……Keuheuheuheu.”

The answer was simple.

Praise Shin Jungho and buy himself another week of life at a time.

This, this…….

This was practically my specialty!

Perhaps because he had found the definitive answer to staying alive.

The suffocating tightness in Changdae’s chest gave way to a sensation of liberation more complete than he had ever felt before.

* * *

While preparing the cafe for opening in the morning, Park Soyul dropped by unannounced, just as expected.

“Jungho! Big news! Big news!”

What on earth was she making such a fuss about so early in the morning?

Curious as he was, Jungho asked in his usual indifferent tone.

“What happened?”

“They’re trying to recruit Mirinae for the New York Tower!”

……I already know all about that.

“Is that so?”

“Wow, what a completely expressionless reaction! But this is the official position of the United States! The Vice Vice Commissioner of the Superhuman Management Agency said so directly! Oh, and this is strictly confidential, so you can’t breathe a word of it to anyone, understood?”

……I already know that part too.

“Then shouldn’t you not be telling me first, Boss?”

“Come on, you’re not a stranger, Jungho! What secrets could there possibly be between us? Right?”

……There are more than enough secrets between us.

It was a thoroughly awkward question, so Jungho answered with silence instead.

One thing seemed certain, at least.

Yoon Changdae hadn’t fed her false information.

Soyul beamed as she watched Jungho look uncomfortable.

He really is such a cutie, our Jungho.

But now I have to go and break his poor heart! What ever shall I do!

“So that’s why I think we need to find Mirinae quickly!”

Jungho felt puzzled.

Wasn’t she giving up on finding Mirinae?

“That rat and that snake ganged up to freeze me out! So I’m going to flip the whole board this time! You can’t just sit back and take something like that, right?”

He had a rough idea of how worked up Soyul had gotten yesterday, based on Changdae’s report.

But was she really willing to cut ties with them entirely over something like this?

Having heard various things from Soyul already, Jungho decided to play along for now.

“Are those two individuals…… Yoon Changdae and Mr. Kim Taemin?”

Soyul smiled sweetly and waved her hands dismissively.

“Hey, you can’t just go naming specific people like that! What if their names end up on the deceased list later?”

……She seemed dead serious about turning everything upside down.

Since it was a difficult topic to respond to, he decided to change the subject.

“But why are you looking for Mirinae?”

Soyul answered as though she had been waiting for that exact question.

She explained that this time, Taemin was taking a commission from the United States to track down Mirinae.

That part was nothing new—he had already heard it through Changdae.

But he never could have imagined that this was Soyul’s reason for seeking Mirinae.

“So after I find Mirinae…… I’m going to seduce him! Then Mirinae won’t go to the States, and the Summoning Stone will never make its way back to that snake, right?”

If Mirinae went to America, the Summoning Stone would be returned to Kim Taemin.

Likewise, if Mirinae died, the Summoning Stone would transfer to Taemin as well.

So what was the surest way to screw over Kim Taemin here?

Make sure Mirinae neither crossed over to America nor died.

She’s really going all in…… our boss.

Soyul put on a pitiful expression and tried to console him.

“So, Jungho, you won’t get upset if I set my sights elsewhere, will you? Mirinae is just a toy to play with—my heart belongs only to you, through and through! You understand how I feel, right?”

“Yes, do as you please, Boss.”

Soyul immediately flipped her expression and protested.

“Wah! You can’t just say that! You’re supposed to say, ‘I don’t understand at all!’ or ‘You were just playing with me?!’ or ‘Is our relationship really worth so little?!’ You’re supposed to push back like that!”

“That all sounds like a trap.”

Soyul giggled softly.

“You really are consistent, aren’t you! Anyway, you said I could do whatever I want, so no taking it back later, okay? And if I show up here with Mirinae, you’re not allowed to get jealous?”

Hmm.

That is something that would absolutely never happen.

“……Ah! I made a mistake. Even though you said that, Jungho, you’re probably hurting inside, aren’t you? Should I…… comfort you?”

Soyul stuck out her tongue and playfully licked her lips.

She leaned in close, pressing her bewitching face toward him as if demanding a definitive answer this time.

If he were being honest.

He wanted nothing more than to escape this infinite loop.

The problem was that his boss had zero intention of letting him go.

Fortunately, salvation arrived right on cue.

Jingle-

“My, my. Getting awfully cozy this early in the morning.”

The hulking figure of Yoon Changdae.

He strode into the Jeonjeon Cafe with his hair swaying, filling the space with his sheer presence.

Jungho had been briefed that Changdae would come to the cafe, so he had been waiting for this moment.

Changdae could serve as the perfect card to keep Soyul in check.

“Well, well…… who do we have here? Isn’t this the rat that scurried off with his tail between his legs last night?”

Soyul’s demeanor shifted violently, like a mortal enemy encountered on a narrow bridge.

“Whoa, whoa. Calm down. I came to negotiate a ceasefire, that’s all.”

“You certainly have a talent for taking the long way around saying you want to die.”

Crackle!

Soyul rose from her seat, lightning crackling from her hand.

Changdae immediately produced a slip of paper from his coat and flicked it toward her.

“Catch.”

Snatch.

Soyul snatched the paper out of the air.

At a glance, it looked like an item.

“……A Return Ticket?”

“That’s right. Consider that my apology for this whole mess.”

Soyul looked back and forth between the Return Ticket and Changdae before asking.

“Are you out of your mind?”

“……Kekeuk! Well…… let’s just say you should take it for what it’s worth. Anyway, that should be more than enough to cover the coffee tab for this incident, don’t you think?”

“Get lost.”

At Soyul’s crisp dismissal, Changdae merely shrugged and, instead of leaving, walked further inside and took a seat at a table.

“I’ll have…… hmm, a caramel macchiato.”

Soyul was dumbfounded by the man’s shameless behavior but decided to observe the situation for now.

For one thing, a Return Ticket was by no means a trivial item.

And she was genuinely curious about his intentions in offering such an item to back off.

“What? Having your usual? Running a bit short on cash these days?”

“Hmm…… let’s go with that.”

Moreover, his reaction was unusual.

This gorilla of a rat had never meekly accepted her words like this before?

What on earth was going on?

Question marks kept popping up in Soyul’s mind at this utterly unfamiliar behavior.

Meanwhile, Jungho took the order and went to prepare the coffee, keeping his ears open while quietly going about his work.

Yoon Changdae, who displayed the makings of a formidable strategist.

His acting skills were impressive enough to conceal his true nature while mingling with Seoul’s first and second ranked superhumans, Kim Taemin and Park Soyul.

Just how would a man like that go about reconciling with Soyul—and winning her over?

“Oh, about Mirinae, by the way.”

Changdae brought up Mirinae as though the thought had just occurred to him.

……Cutting straight to the main topic right out of the gate?

Was this too part of some carefully calculated intention?

From the look on Soyul’s face, it had clearly caught her off guard.

“What about him?”

Soyul demanded sharply.

Changdae flashed a grin and replied.

“Don’t you think he’s kind of cool?”

“Cough! Cough!”

Jungho choked on his own saliva at the unexpected ambush (?).

“Jungho, are you alright?”

“Cough! N-no, it just went down the wrong pipe. Sorry. Cough! Cough!”

“Goodness, be careful. Actually, if you’re going to cough, do it into that cup.”

No…….

Why the sudden unprompted compliment out of nowhere……!

Soyul asked the question on his behalf.

“Have you actually lost your mind? What kind of nonsense is that?”

Then, as if he had been waiting for exactly that opening, Changdae launched into a full-throated eulogy of Mirinae.

“Just think about it! A newly awakened superhuman tearing through floor after floor every five seconds! Has the world ever seen such a superhuman? No, it hasn’t! That Soma fellow doesn’t even hold a candle to Mirinae—no, Lord Mirinae! It’s the difference between heaven and earth! Come to think of it, I’m so deeply ashamed of my own transgression in trying to uncover the identity of such a great figure! I have no doubt that Lord Mirinae will soon stand at the very pinnacle of our Seoul Tower! And so! I’ve washed my hands of the whole thing. I came here today to let you know that.”

Logical flow.

Rational thought.

Neither was anywhere to be found in this unhinged, full-throttle declaration.

Sir, this is not the kind of person you were……!

For a moment, Jungho even wondered if this was some elaborate scheme designed to drag him into trouble.

Right on cue, Soyul asked the very question that captured Jungho’s feelings perfectly.

“You’ve completely lost it, haven’t you?”