The Second Coming of Gluttony (WN KR)
Chapter 40: Glorious Shackles, Perilous Freedom

Salcido’s group left as if they were running away, and the guy Oh Min-Young was contracted with also disappeared from the view without raising a fuss.

They certainly did not wish to get on Sinyoung’s bad side, but whatever the case may be, the end result was that the burly guy and Oh Min-Young had been abandoned by their supposed backers.

Didn’t matter whether one was an Invited or a Contracted, it was not that hard to imagine what would happen to them without their backers protecting them anymore.

“You, clench your teeth real tight, got that?” (Hyun Sahng-Min)

Pow!

Blood exploded out from the burly guy’s nose.

Now that the situation was reversed, Hyun Sahng-Min was like a fish swimming in water. He begged Kim Hahn-Nah for a chance to get even, and as soon as hearing the words ‘Don’t kill them’ came out from her mouth, he proceeded to punch the burly guy in the face.

The burly guy was already too numb to notice the punch, and he collapsed to the ground like a piece of falling paper.

“Hey, you f*cking son of a b*tch, how do you feel now, eh?” (Hyun Sahng-Min)

As if that one punch wasn’t enough to satisfy him, Hyun Sahng-Min straddled on top of the burly guy and began pounding on him.

“You never imagined this is how it’ll end, right? You f*cking as*hole!!” (Hyun Sahng-Min)

The fists containing all of his emotions crushed the burly guy’s nose before completely turning the bone into soft mush. The punches continued to hit the mark; soon, the burly guy went limp while the whites of his eyes showed.

Hyun Sahng-Min breathed out heavily while wiping his nose. He wasn’t done yet, though. With a pair of still-burning eyes, he looked around, and….

“Where do you think you’re going?!” (Hyun Sahng-Min)

“Ah-ahck?!”

He ran like a wild beast and snatched the hair of Oh Min-Young, who had almost managed to inch her way out of danger zone.

“Weren’t you stepping on my hand real hard just now? Ah?” (Hyun Sahng-Min)

Slap!

With that clear slapping noise, her head spun around hard enough as if it wanted to fly away from her neck.

“You clench your teeth, too.” (Hyun Sahng-Min)

Hyun Sahng-Min forcibly made her face the right direction, before headbutting her, hard.

“Euh-heuph!!” (Oh Min-Young)

Her eyes wide open now, Oh Min-Young covered her mouth with both of her hands and fell hard to the ground.

Her pained screams couldn’t escape from her broken mouth. She rolled around on the ground before bursting out in tears.

And as Hyun Sahng-Min began kicking her like a soccer ball, Seol was inwardly wondering what he should do here.

How should he describe this….?

Those two were indeed in the wrong…. But, Seol thought that Hyun Sahng-Min was going just a bit overboard.

Even then, asking Hyun Sahng-Min to stop was a problem in itself, too.

“…Me, I can endure unfairness, but I can definitely not stand losing out, man.”

He said those things when they first met. One could technically argue that the reason why Hyun Sahng-Min ended up in the present situation was all because Seol asked him for a favour. So, trying to stop him now would be more or less like betraying him, in a way.

“Sahng-Min-ah. Enough. That is enough. Please stop.”

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It was then, a middle-aged man came out from the crowd and hurriedly approached Hyun Sahng-Min to grab his arm.

“Eish, who the hell…. Oh, it’s you, ahjussi!” (Hyun Sahng-Min)

Hyun Sahng-Min angrily shook his arm loose and shouted at the man.

“Why did you show up so late?” (Hyun Sahng-Min)

“I’m sorry. Really. There was something I had to do.”

“Do you even know what happened to me just now?” (Hyun Sahng-Min)

“I know. I understand, so let’s stop for today, okay? She’s a property of Sinyoung now, so if you damage her too much, we gotta reimburse them.”

Seol didn’t like the term ‘property’, but thankfully, Hyun Sahng-Min did stop his beatings after that. The middle-aged man quietly pushing Hyun Sahng-Min away was his Inviter.

“No need to feel sorry for her.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

Kim Hahn-Nah’s voice remained icy cold.

“There should be more than a few people wanting to beat her up, you see.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

“Really?” (Seol)

“Yep. That incident of Yun Seo-Rah getting beaten up? That woman incited the Cartel boys to do it.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

“?”

“You didn’t know? I thought you already figured it all out. She was the one telling them her arm was damaged. She was the one leading them on, telling those idiots to attack Yun Seo-Rah, baiting the poor kid with the promise of some free points. That was all that b*tch’s handiwork.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

“Seriously?” (Seol)

Seol dumbfoundedly stared at Oh Min-Young, currently pouring out her tears on the ground. What little sympathy he had for her flew away in an instant.

“That wasn’t all, though. Didn’t she kill the other girl in the Tutorial to steal away her coins? One hit at the back of the head with a mop! Pop!” (Shin Hahn-Sung)

The youth with the curly hair suddenly butted in. The way he kept on smiling, he gave off an impression of being a pleasant fellow, almost to the point where Seol found it scarcely believable that he destroyed the burly guy’s hand with nothing but a dagger.

This youth saw Seol looking at him and began raising a big fuss.

“Ahh! Hello there!! My name is….” (Shin Hahn-Sung)

“Hey, Shin Hahn-Sung? Why don’t you carry those two back to our carriage, mmkay?” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

Just as Shin Hahn-Sung tried to weasel his way into the conversation, Kim Hahn-Nah suddenly assumed her characteristic prim and stiff expression.

“Che. Always making me do things you find annoying.” (Shin Hahn-Sung)

“Oh, so should I do it?” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

“Fine. I’m going.” (Shin Hahn-Sung)

Shin Hahn-Sung complained as her sharp glare landed on him.

“That’s why you haven’t found a husband yet….” (Shin Hahn-Sung)

“What did you just say?!” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

But, before Kim Hahn-Nah could rage on, Shin Hahn-Sung quickly made his escape while dragging away the unconscious burly guy and the bitterly resisting Oh Min-Young.

Kim Hahn-Nah began gnashing her teeth as she glared at the curly haired youth, now already nothing more than a small speck in her view.

“That b*stard really wanna….?!” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

She must’ve sensed Seol’s stare, because she then suddenly calmed her heaving breaths and changed her expression.

“Have you eaten breakfast yet? Should we talk after you had something to eat first?” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

Seol slowly shook his head. He lost his appetite after experiencing quite a few unexpected events right after leaving the Zone.

As if she was expecting this sort of response, Kim Hahn-Nah proceeded to sweep away the mess of plates off the table. It was here that she finally spotted Yun Seo-Rah standing there awkwardly near them and smiled quite brightly at her.

“Miss Yun Seo-Rah? I’m sorry, but we gotta have a bit of private chat between Seol and I.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

“…..”

“Shin Hahn-Sung should return pretty soon, so why don’t you grab an empty table and wait for him?” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

Although the bushes were beat, it was pretty clear what was being implied here. Yun Seo-Rah was no dummy, either. She didn’t seem too satisfied, but after glancing at Seol for a moment or two, she quietly turned around to leave.

Kim Hahn-Nah waited and watched on as Yun Seo-Rah gradually walked further away, before latching herself tightly to Seol’s side.

“!?”

And the youth got to feel the softness of her curves as she pressed against his elbow. Just before the flustered youth could pull his arm away….

“Listen carefully, okay? While we talk, I’ll show you two sets of contract papers.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

Kim Hahn-Nah’s voice became much lower in tone.

“Two sets?” (Seol)

“That’s right, two. And when I place my hand on top of a document and start talking, you gotta be skeptical of everything I say, okay?” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

“What are you talking about?” (Seol)

“I don’t have the time to explain it to you. I was supposed to take care of Yun Seo-Rah’s contract too, but I got a sudden order to let Shin Hahn-Sung take care of that, instead. I’ll try to obstruct him, but what with his slick tongue and all, he’ll definitely butt in, so be mindful of that.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

In the middle of her speech, Kim Hahn-Nah signaled to Seol with her eyes. He didn’t think much about it and took a simple glance around him, before his expression became weird.

Now that some amount of time had passed by, all of the survivors as well as those who had invited them or signed contract with them were here. And even though most of them were in the middle of negotiating with other survivors, some were sneaking glances at him, and a few were openly staring at him from afar.

“And they are the ones wishing for our negotiation to fail.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

Kim Hahn-Nah narrowed her eyes rather prettily and whispered to Seol with a grave voice.

“You…. You should know of your worth.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

“Noo-nim! I’m back~!” (Shin Hahn-Sung)

It was right then a joyful voice entered their ears.

‘He’s back already?’ (Seol)

Accompanied by Yun Seo-Rah, the curly-haired youth was walking closer to them while carrying an affable smile.

“And why are you sitting near us?” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

Shin Hahn-Sung was about to occupy a seat on the opposite side to them, before an awkward smile crept on his face.

“Well, I just want to see the skills of the famed senior of mine?” (Shin Hahn-Sung)

“You should stop the unfunny comedy routine and take care of your own contract signing, okay? Why are you trying to weasel your way into our conversation here?” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

“Oww, come on now, there’s a plenty of space here, so please share~.” (Shin Hahn-Sung)

“I told you to scram. You better listen while I’m still being civil.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

“Oww, don’t be like that. In the end, both him and Miss Seo-Rah will sign up with Sinyoung anyways.” (Shin Hahn-Sung)

“And how do you know that?” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

Hearing her icy tone of voice, Shin Hahn-Sung displayed a bit of surprised expression.

“It’s not like that?” (Shin Hahn-Sung)

“Don’t you ever think that I don’t know what’s going on here. I’ve already figured out why the higher-ups sent you here with me. However, I believe I’ve already explained my position enough times by now.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

“Well, that is….” (Shin Hahn-Sung)

“Of course, I’ll do my utmost best today. But the final decision rests with him, understand? Don’t forget, he’s not a Contracted, but an Invited. Got that?” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

“….I got it. Fine. I’ll go away.” (Shin Hahn-Sung)

‘He gave up more easily than I thought?’ (Seol)

He was supposed to cling on incessantly, yet the depressed-looking Shin Hahn-Sung turned around to leave.

However, Seol soon realised that he was underestimating this curly-haired youth. Why? Because, he simply dragged another table and placed it close enough to Seol’s until they were actually in a touching distance, that was why.

Kim Hahn-Nah glared at Shin Hahn-Sung in a show of disbelief. Seol thought that, after witnessing the curly-haired youth sit down on his spot with a carefree attitude, this guy had to have a substantially thick skin.

There was one more thing Seol failed to figure out, though. And that was Yun Seo-Rah choosing a seat very close to him, rather than opposite to Shin Hahn-Sung’s.

“I’ve kept you waiting, miss. I’m sure you’re curious about why I’m here instead of the Director, yes?” (Shin Hahn-Sung)

With an attitude that seemed to imply he didn’t mind whether other party was listening in on or not, he began the contract negotiation.

“Well, the Director was embarrassed pretty badly. I’m sure you can guess the reason why….” (Shin Hahn-Sung)

Yun Seo-Rah lowered her head a little.

“In any case, I’m also here to convey the message from the President.” (Shin Hahn-Sung)

Those words caused her to raise her head; her eyes gained renewed light.

“….Directly from him?” (Yun Seo-Rah)

“Yes. It’s not that long, though. Well, it’s a no-frills, no-fat, refreshingly direct message, actually. You know what our President is like, right?” (Shin Hahn-Sung)

Yun Seo-Rah nodded her head to indicate that he should go on.

Shin Hahn-Sung cleared his throat with a fake cough and spoke up.

“First of all, I congratulate you on entering the Paradise. To be honest, I did not wish for you to step foot into this world, but now that things had turned out this way, I shall respect your choices.” (Shin Hahn-Sung)

“………”

“However, your actions during the Tutorial and the Neutral Zone proved to be rather disappointing. Most likely, if you hadn’t received that young man’s aid, you wouldn’t even have cleared the Neutral Zone. Your older sister is most embarrassed by you.” (Shin Hahn-Sung)

Yun Seo-Rah’s body flinched just a little, then.

“I won’t say anything long. If you wish to remain in this world, then show me that you’re prepared.” (Shin Hahn-Sung)

Shin Hahn-Sung spoke up to here and placed a dagger on the table.

“When you get to the carriage, you’ll find those two from earlier all tied up and waiting. That burly guy and the woman. Remember them?” (Shin Hahn-Sung)

“….Yes.” (Yun Seo-Rah)

“You must kill those two in the presence of the President and Lady Yun Seo-Hui. With your own hands.” (Shin Hahn-Sung)

Seol couldn’t help but question his own hearing just then. She needed to do what now?

“The President added that, if you’re unable to do even that, you should stop dreaming about entering Sinyoung, and that he’d even use force to make you go back to Earth.” (Shin Hahn-Sung)

Seol thought that Yun Seo-Rah would at least take a second or two to make her decision.

Unfortunately, she didn’t.

“I don’t care about the man, but is there a reason for me to kill that woman as well?” (Yun Seo-Rah)

“Of course. If you want reasons, there are plenty. That much, I can tell you without holding back.” (Shin Hahn-Sung)

“I’ll do it.” (Yun Seo-Rah)

She didn’t even hesitate as she picked up the dagger.

“In that case, it’s all good.” (Shin Hahn-Sung)

Shin Hahn-Sung smiled and pulled the contract out.

“This here is a temporary contract. As soon as you perform the task assigned to you just now, this contract will come into effect.” (Shin Hahn-Sung)

Yun Seo-Rah took her time to peruse the contents of the contract before promptly signing on the dotted line.

“Then, right away, I should….” (Yun Seo-Rah)

“Ahh, wait a minute, please.” (Shin Hahn-Sung)

Shin Hahn-Sung raised both hands while looking a bit troubled by her willingness.

“It’s just that, there’s the condition of you performing the deed in front of the President, so…. Although I can vouch for you, I’m sure you prefer to be certain, no?” (Shin Hahn-Sung)

Yun Seo-Rah agreed with his notion.

Looking relieved now, Shin Hahn-Sung said his job was completed. Then, while resting his chin on both of his hands, he began gazing at the table next to his.

“….Uh-whew.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

Kim Hahn-Nah spat out a lengthy groan before producing two bundles of contracts as well as a pen.

“….First of all, I’d like to say that you did wonderfully in there.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

She then studied Seol for a bit.

“Also, thank you. Thanks for keeping the promise of negotiating with me first.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

“Well, it’s…. nothing.” (Seol)

She noticed that Seol was kind of getting embarrassed by her words, so without further ado, she placed the two contracts side by side on the table.

If the contents of the contract on left seemed neatly summarised, then the one on the right side had small texts utterly filling up the page space top to bottom.

When he took a quick glance at both, he couldn’t help but feel a bit odd. Especially the contract on the right – the more he read, the more his head tilted at the oddly restrictive clauses.

If he were to be more specific, then this contract was choke-a-full with wordings that could be interpreted either way.

Just as he discovered the words ‘Kim Hahn-Nah’ on the left document and ‘Sinyoung’ on the right, he could hear her continuing on.

“You already understand why the survivors leaving the Neutral Zone must sign a contract right away, right?” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

Indeed, he could more or less figure out why, without hearing an explanation.

No matter how well one might pass the Tutorial or the Neutral Zone, when facing the gigantic stage called the Lost Paradise, one would be no different to a lost child wandering the edges of a river. In other words, this was the time where one needed both support and protection.

Of course, even now, a clear difference between the Contracted and the Invited existed. If the former was one-sidedly ‘do as told’, then the latter was more like ‘via mutual agreement’. If an Invited didn’t like the terms offered, then he or she could simply get up and leave the negotiating table.

“Mm…. Well, then. Should I start with Sinyoung’s offers, first?” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

Kim Hahn-Nah started with her sales pitch.

“First of all, the moment you sign the contract with Sinyoung, the organisation will immediately pay you $450,000 as your signing fee. Not in installments, but in one go.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

‘$450,000?!’ (Seol)

Seol couldn’t hide his shock at the amount. As someone who grew up in your typical lower middle-class household, he’d never imagined having that much money.

“It’s too early for you to be this surprised, you know.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

Kim Hahn-Nah crossed her arms in front of her chest and continued on with a business-like tone of voice.

“Sinyoung will support you in three key areas. First of all, financially. The moment you sign the contract, you’ll have become an employee of Sinyoung, whether it’s here in the Paradise or back on Earth. And every fortnight, $5000 will be deposited to your bank account. So, the monthly salary will be $10,000. Not to forget, you will also receive performance and merit based bonuses, along with regular year-end bonuses, based on the going rate set by the HR of the organisation. And, you will also receive mission clear payouts as well as danger pay, too, while you’re here in the Paradise. As an aside, those should easily exceed your monthly salary. Of course, that’s provisional to you passing the on-the-job probation period first.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

Kim Hahn-Nah rattled off the offered terms quite quickly.

“Secondly, they promise to provide you with an entire set of matching equipment for free every time you level up. It’s the same even when you go on a team exploration or on a military expedition. And, they also promise you that, if types of equipment that suits your needs drop during a mission, then they are willing to let you have the first refusal.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

Seol slowly swallowed his saliva. The more he heard the offers, the less suspicious he was becoming. Or, at least that’s how he felt.

“And, it seems like you enjoy training.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

“Training? What do you mean?” (Seol)

He wasn’t expecting to hear that.

“Right. Sinyoung possesses a training facility that’ll not lose to anyone in this world. If you want, Sinyoung’s top Earthling will personally train you. And I assure you, that person’s skills are a cut above Agnes’s.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

He tried to listen while remaining skeptical, but it was getting harder and harder to do so.

“Let me assure you once more, these terms being offered, it’s unprecedented in the entire history of Sinyoung. Even that legendary Seong Shi-Hyun didn’t enjoy this kind of acknowledgment, you know?” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

Just as she said, these terms were ridiculously good. Honestly, Seol was deeply tempted. As long as he signed on the dotted line, he’d be able to walk on a firm, solid path, whether that be on Earth or here in the Paradise.

“And then…. As you can see, the contract’s duration is for four years.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

It was at this point that Kim Hahn-Nah placed her hand on the Sinyoung’s contract papers.

….When I place my hand on top of a document and start talking, you gotta be skeptical of everything I say, okay?

Seol was in the midst of heavy dilemma, but his thought process came to an abrupt halt as soon as that happened.

From here onwards…. This would be the real thing.

“You might feel that this is more like a slave contract, but it’s definitely not. It takes an average of around 4-5 years for a talented Earthling to rise up to higher levels. If you consider that fact, you can probably tell Sinyoung rates you very highly. In other words, Sinyoung is willing to throw everything and the kitchen sink to ensure that you’ll rise up to the higher levels in less than four years.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

….So, this was indeed a slave contract. They would initially accept him while pretending to value him greatly, then observe his growth for the next four years before deciding on what to do with him.

“And, the terms of this contract isn’t static. As long as your level rises higher, we can always change the terms contained within for the better.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

….Conversely, it could also get worse.

“Also, about that thing regarding them wanting to support you…. Well, let me be honest with you here. You can think of this as an advance payment. At a bare minimum, you gotta reciprocate as much as you’ve received in the Paradise. This is human nature, after all. Sinyoung is a business entity, don’t forget; a huge organisation, a corporation no less, is investing so much into your future. So, wouldn’t it be only right for you to reward them accordingly? Am I wrong?” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

“………”

“Well, you don’t have to worry about it. Remember, Sinyoung isn’t a place where you’d end up having nothing to do but sucking on thumbs, anyways. Most likely, you’ll end up completely overworked for the next one, two years.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

….What if he failed to reciprocate as much as he received?

“And finally…. Sinyoung is, not just in name only, the most powerful organisation in the Lost Paradise, bar none. I’m sure you’ve felt it after seeing what happened. Cinzia and the Sicilians? Salcido and his Cartel? They are nothing more than a bunch of stray cats in front of a real tiger. Sinyoung has swept everyone away once already; so, even other famed organisations have no choice but to lower their heads and listen to what Sinyoung has to say.

“In other words, Sinyoung can become the most secure shield for you in your time of need.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

….And because of that, they would certainly have a lot of enemies as well.

“Kkyah, oh my. Hahn-Nah noo-nim, your sales pitch is really great.” (Shin Hahn-Sung)

Shin Hahn-Sung let out a squeal of admiration. His expression indicated how pleased he was.

Meanwhile, Kim Hahn-Nah gently lifted her hand away from the document. So, Seol shifted his gaze over to the other contract.

“Oh, and as for this contract…. Well, I don’t have anything too particular to say.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

Seol decided to ask her instead.

“Now that I think about it, why are there two contracts for me?” (Seol)

“Mm? Haven’t I tell you already? That golden stamp wasn’t Sinyoung’s property.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

Kim Hahn-Nah’s eyes went extra round as she feigned ignorance.

“That Gold Mark, I got that directly from a temple of a god.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

“From a temple of a god?” (Seol)

“Yeah. From the temple of Gula.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

“….What?” (Seol)

This time, it was Seol’s eyes that went much wider at the mention of a name he wasn’t expecting to hear.

“Yeah, Gula. One of the seven gods supporting humanity in the Paradise.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

“Wait a minute. Which means, you as a middleman, I’ll be signing a contract directly with a god?” (Seol)

“Technically, yeah, something like that….” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

Kim Hahn-Nah looked troubled as she lightly tapped on the table with her finger.

“Actually, even I’m not sure.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

“About what?” (Seol)

“It’s true that I did receive the stamp. But what I heard back then was something along the lines of, there will be a time where I must use the stamp so I should hold onto it carefully, stuff like that. And it so coincidentally ended up being used on you. If you want clarification on this matter, I think it might be better for you to directly ask Gula.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

Kim Hahn-Nah shrugged her shoulders.

“In any case, that’s not the most important matter right now. So, you’ve browsed through this contract already…. Right?” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

At a first glance, Seol could tell that this one didn’t even contain half of what Sinyoung was offering.

“You’ll see that what little support mentioned in there comes from under my name, but if you compare it to Sinyoung’s, you should realise that it’s not nearly as much.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

She was right about that.

However, one couldn’t say that the offered terms were all bad. It didn’t try to restrict him for instance, nor demanded anything from him in return, either. And he didn’t have to belong to any organisation as well.

Although Kim Hahn-Nah’s name was included in the contract, it was only up to the point of her providing personal protection whenever she could. The biggest, and perhaps the only advantage this contract had over the other one was that, it promised Seol complete freedom.

“It can’t be helped, right? The support implied on this contract is no more than Sinyoung acknowledging all your accomplishments, past, present and in the future; they will also try to keep an amicable relationship with you for the foreseeable future. That’s all. So, if you want more than that, then sign over here.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

Kim Hahn-Nah presented the Sinyoung’s contract papers.

“Well now, noo-nim is making sure of everything, no? I’ll personally make a glowing report back to the Director.” (Shin Hahn-Sung)

“Keep your pie-hole shut. Can’t you see I’m in the middle of something?” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

“Yes, ma’am! I shall keep my hole shut!” (Shin Hahn-Sung)

Disregarding Shin Hahn-Sung’s noisy chatter, Seol deliberated on his choices.

The terms offered by Sinyoung were, no matter how much he dissected it, incredibly tempting. There were several traps hidden in the clauses, but after hearing Kim Hahn-Nah’s brief persuasion, it seemed like that everyone else was doing something similar in the Paradise, anyways.

So what if he had to go under someone’s umbrella? They wouldn’t dispose of him, just like that. Surely not. If he showed how diligent he is, wouldn’t they at least acknowledge his efforts?

And since he didn’t enter the Paradise with some lofty ambition driving him, only this insatiable curiosity instead, he couldn’t help but think that way.

However, something just didn’t feel right.

For some reason, his heart was saying no again.

A giant presence, one he couldn’t sense too clearly right now, was trying to reach out to him from the depths of the hidden darkness. That’s how he felt.

‘Besides, Kim Hahn-Nah wouldn’t have said those words earlier, either….’ (Seol)

Should he choose the path of glorious shackles, or that of perilous freedom?

Seol remained confused and uncertain in front of this crossroads, both directions filled with boundless possibilities. So, out of habit, he activated Nine Eyes.

‘….D*mn.’

And for the first time since the negotiation began, he ended up in dismay. He couldn’t help it, though.

Yellow, vermillion, crimson, or even black….

If any one of these colours showed up, he was planning to not even consider that contract. That was what his ability was for, no?

Unfortunately, both contracts didn’t shine in the four hues of danger.

One of the two did shine in the golden hue, though, while the other one didn’t have any colour whatsoever.

This was a first for him.

“So, what will you do?” (Kim Hahn-Nah)

Standing on the fork of crossing paths…

“….I…” (Seol)

Seol realised that he was now facing one of the most important decisions in his life.

< 40. Glorious Shackles, Perilous Freedom > Fin.