63
There is always a good reason why an uninvited guest is an uninvited guest.
It could be because they lack awareness and risk causing a nuisance to other guests, or because they share a bad relationship as ill-fated connections.
"I was worried. I waited in front of your room, but you wouldn't come out."
Sometimes, they fall into both categories.
"But fortunately, Hunter Lee told me. That you had gone down first."
And unfortunately, the guest who came looking for Baek Woo-jin's party now was an uninvited guest who fell into both categories.
"Now that you've seen me, would you mind leaving?"
Hong Yeon-ha, who had stopped stepping on his foot, glared at Arthur Taylor as if she wanted to kill him and pressed her body even closer. Considering the maddened fury she had displayed yesterday, she was currently reining in her emotions quite admirably.
"Yeon-ha. This is a free place. No one should be restricted from going anywhere."
"Fine. Then Jo... Hmph, don't talk to me. You're being extremely unpleasant."
"I know you're annoyed with me. It's all to hide your embarrassment."
Crack!!
She squeezed so hard that Hong Yeon-ha's arm, linked with his, trembled as if having a spasm. The intensity of that trembling likely represented the magnitude of the anger she was currently enduring.
'He really knows how to get under someone's skin.'
Even if there was something to gain, I had no intention of actively intervening in someone else's business. The same would hold true going forward.
However, openly treating me like I didn't exist was a slightly different matter.
It definitely wasn't because I was worried Hong Yeon-ha might snap and cause an incident.
'It would have been nice if the translation had been one-sided.'
Setting aside a hint of regret, I gently brought my hand to Hong Yeon-ha's left cheek as she glared at Arthur Taylor.
"……?"
"……!!"
Through my expanded senses, even the subtlest movements of Arthur Taylor's facial muscles were vividly perceptible.
"Hong Yeon-ha."
"Y-yeah?"
As if her earlier anger had vanished entirely, Hong Yeon-ha was so flustered she even stuttered. Honestly, Hong Yeon-ha's reaction didn't matter much. The real one was the reaction of Arthur Taylor, who was right behind her, continuously twitching the corners of his eyes.
"Focus on me."
"Y-yeah, mhm…"
The cheek that my hand touched had grown considerably warm.
…Click.
It seemed he thought he was restraining himself as much as possible, but regrettably, within the domain of expanded senses, nothing could be hidden.
'Where I've heard that name before is no longer important.'
What mattered now was that the other person had ignored me.
Of course, if I were alone, it wouldn't have mattered. It was a relationship that would end after seeing each other once anyway. But the situation was different now.
Though it may not seem like it, I could feel the surrounding gazes subtly focusing on this direction. That was why I had to step forward. Accepting the other person's disregard now wouldn't just damage my personal reputation—it would undermine the judgment and prestige of Hong Yeon-ha, who had chosen me as her partner.
"Hong Yeon-ha."
"Yeah…?"
Hong Yeon-ha, who had been repeatedly glancing down and then back up, unable to properly meet my eyes, finally made proper eye contact only after I called her name once more.
"From now on, don't exchange a single word with any man other than me, no matter who it is. Greetings are forbidden too."
"Uh, w-well, not all…"
Like ripples forming on a calm water surface when something drops, Hong Yeon-ha's eyes wavered. So, to help her make her choice, I pushed my face even closer and urged an answer.
"Answer."
"Y-yes…"
"Good."
I wasn't sure whether she used honorifics because she got swept up in the atmosphere or not, but since I heard the answer I wanted, I removed my hand from her heated cheek and sat up straight.
Crack…!!
A very pleasant sound to hear.
True revenge is not about crushing the target of revenge, but about shattering what that target holds most dear. That is the real revenge.
Therefore, directly pressuring Arthur Taylor because he ignored me would be the work of an amateur.
The real method was like this.
"I-It's a bit hot…"
By having Hong Yeon-ha—the subject the guy wants most—show a reaction she would never show to him, thereby clearly demonstrating where her heart currently lay, that was the true way to get under his skin.
However.
"……."
"……."
Unlike Arthur Taylor's simmering fury, I hadn't anticipated that Shin Hye-ji's expression, sitting across from me, would rot in real time.
"Yeon-ha. From what I can see, a man like that doesn't suit you. A man who tries to confine a woman. I think it's the worst."
"Woo-jin-ssi…? I'm thirsty."
I was only trying to give her an excuse to ignore the conversation, so why was she suddenly not only using honorifics but also asking for a drink?
Click!!
Of course, if the goal was to drive a dagger into Arthur Taylor's chest, the effect was tremendous.
"Miss Hye-ji, please come with us as well."
"…Yes. It's about time to start anyway."
The three of them rose from their seats together.
"……."
"……."
For a brief moment, blue eyes and black irises crossed each other's gazes.
He looked perfectly normal on the outside.
Leaving Arthur Taylor behind, whose mouth corners were trembling with rage despite his smiling face, Baek Woo-jin led Hong Yeon-ha and Shin Hye-ji toward the bar where the largest crowd had gathered.
'Their gazes are all rather strange.'
The people gathered around the bartender chatting among themselves naturally parted ways as Baek Woo-jin's group approached. At first, I thought everyone was simply well-mannered, but through my expanded senses, I could feel that even while having their own conversations, their gazes remained fixed on us.
The reason for that was revealed by Shin Hye-ri, who happened to be ordering a cocktail in front of the bartender.
"Wow, our Yeon-ha really found herself a man, huh?"
"…Shut up."
"See? Did you hear that? She tells her own sister to shut up so casually, but when it comes to the man she's given her heart to, she just──"
"H-Hye-ri! That's far enough!"
The trembling of Hong Yeon-ha's linked arm began to intensify to its peak, and just as I was about to cover Shin Hye-ri's mouth even though I knew it was rude, fortunately her partner and fiancé Jo Soo-hwan appropriately intervened and covered her mouth.
"H-haha. I'm sorry. Hye-ri just likes to tease people, but she has no ill intentions."
"I understand. I know someone of the same type on our end as well."
Naturally, that one person was Lee Da-young, who wasn't present right now.
"Our sweetie, suddenly covering my mouth like that gets me excited, you know~?"
"H-Hye-ri?"
Watching Jo Soo-hwan's flustered reaction to a mere hand gesture from Shin Hye-ri, I felt a twinge of pity.
"Despite pretending not to listen, it seems everyone has their ears wide open."
"Hm? Ah, no, that's not it. It's just that the relationship between Yeon-ha and that crazy guy is too famous, that's all."
"I understand immediately."
"Hehe, so I was surprised, you know? That Yeon-ha would ever use honorifics with a man who's not even older but the same age──"
"Sh-shut up…."
"Dokkeu-tsleugo~"
Watching Shin Hye-ri get under Hong Yeon-ha's skin, one thing became certain. No matter how beautiful someone is, if they act obnoxiously, you want to punch them.
"Hong Yeon-ha."
"……."
When I softly called her name, Hong Yeon-ha's trembling stopped as if it had been a lie. Shin Hye-ri, who was watching this, sparkled her eyes and tried to say something again.
"Miss Shin Hye-ri, I would appreciate it if you could stop around here."
"Uh, um. Alright. I got a little carried away seeing my younger sister's face after a long time. Yes. I admit it."
Fortunately, when I intervened, Shin Hye-ri acknowledged she had gone too far and stepped back gracefully. But as if trying to maintain the law of conservation of mass, as she withdrew, Hong Yeon-ha, who had been linking arms, pressed her body even closer.
After that, we rejoined Shin Hye-ri's party and spent the time with light conversation until the event began.
**
The dim lighting went out one by one, and the people who had been milling about began finding empty seats and sitting down. Shortly after, the bartender who had been making drinks at the bar stepped aside, and the middle-aged man who had been guarding the entrance took his place.
"The event will now begin. Those who wish to participate or their partners, please come forward with your party."
At the middle-aged man's words, Baek Woo-jin glanced at Hong Yeon-ha, who hadn't shown any intention of unlinking her arm since they entered, and asked.
"It's not mandatory participation for everyone."
"Seems like it changed."
Whether that was true or not, since I was planning to participate anyway, I simply nodded and moved on.
"Good luck~"
Shin Hye-ri, sitting affectionately with her fiancé, waved her hand in support toward Baek Woo-jin, who was standing up with Hong Yeon-ha, and toward her younger sister Shin Hye-ji.
"It has been confirmed. As everyone may know, but since it is a rule, I will briefly explain."
==
Entry fee is 100,000 euros.
Participants must use every means at their disposal to guess which cup contains the dice.
When the final two remain, if their answers overlap three times consecutively, the one who guesses the dice number correctly or gets closer to that number wins.
==
Just as the middle-aged man said, the rules were very simple.
"Win."
"You don't need to tell me."
This wasn't simply about honor—there was a prize of over a billion at stake. From the moment I learned that fact, this matter became something I had to win regardless of Hong Yeon-ha.
"Then we shall begin, so please take a seat or gather comfortably."
Fortunately, the middle-aged man was right in front, so Baek Woo-jin took a seat. And whether by chance or design, Shin Hye-ji sat on the left, and Arthur Taylor planted himself on the right like a ghost.
"We will begin."
There were five cups placed on the bar.
The middle-aged man placed the dice in the center cup and began shuffling the cups very slowly.
Whether the cups lacked any special treatment, or hadn't been treated yet, the other eye revealed not only the inside of the cups but also the number on the dice within.
"Starting from the left is number one. I will count to three, and please call out your answer."
Perhaps because it was the first round, it was still easy enough to track the dice with just dynamic vision.
"We will begin the next stage."
The middle-aged man's hands were nearly four times faster compared to before.
Of course, it was still manageable.
"We will begin the next round."
The speed was similar to before, but the middle-aged man finally began using techniques.
As a result, half of the participants were eliminated in just three rounds.
'Half eliminated at just this point?'
At that fact, Baek Woo-jin was surprised and disappointed for a different reason.
"Beginning now."
I followed until the middle, but lost track of the dice the moment the technique was used. Of course, since I had the other eye, I didn't truly lose it. I simply reflected on the result falling short of my expectations.
"…Impressive."
Shin Hye-ji, who had been sitting next to me, was eliminated. If it wasn't my imagination, her voice was considerably more amiable than before.
The shell game continued, and by the ninth round, only Baek Woo-jin and Arthur Taylor remained.
"It seems Yeon-ha prepared quite a lot."
"……?"
I wondered what nonsense he was suddenly spouting, but then the middle-aged man's words came to mind, and I quickly grasped what he meant.
'He must be receiving some kind of help too.'
Because the middle-aged man's handiwork had long surpassed the level that hunters of this age group could follow.
"Would it be alright if I made a proposal?"
"If the other party agrees."
At the middle-aged man's response, Arthur Taylor smiled and made an unexpected proposal.
"Let's remove one magical tool or artifact with each increasing round. How about it?"
How about it? What's there to consider.
"Let's do that."
"Very well. Since both parties have agreed, please remove one magical tool or artifact you are wearing starting from the next round."
The middle-aged man moved the cups again, and both of them answered correctly once more.
"I will remove this."
What Arthur Taylor removed was a bracelet he had been wearing on his wrist.
Baek Woo-jin hesitated briefly before trying to remove the ring he had received as an achievement reward from the tower.
"That one is fine."
"…Do you know what this is?"
In response to Baek Woo-jin's question, the middle-aged man merely offered a gentle smile.
"Let us continue the game."
"W-wait!"
When the middle-aged man put the dice in the cup, Arthur Taylor urgently grabbed him.
"I don't know what that ring is, but shouldn't you have to remove something else?"
"Ah."
At that question, the middle-aged man answered with a truly apologetic expression.
"You misunderstood. I'm sorry, but aside from that ring, this gentleman is not carrying any magical tools or artifacts, nothing at all."
"……?"
It was a moment when everyone watching the game, including Arthur Taylor, was struck with astonishment.