M E M O R I Z E - Chapter 126

Chapter 126 A Small Resistance (4)

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Yeonju Go looked at me and provocatively leaned forward. I met her anticipating gaze and grabbed the dagger between her breasts to take it out.

“……”

“That bothered me a little bit.”

Her eyes widened in surprise before her lips twitched to a smile. I held the warm blade between my fingers, which felt like her soft skin. Yeonju Go spoke in a teasing voice.

“Be more daring. There’s only two of us.”

“Thank you, but no.”

I placed the dagger on the table and could see that it was no ordinary weapon. Now was time to answer her question.

“The reason I told you this…”

She hummed in reply. I looked at the table and saw a bottle still holding liquor and poured into two empty glasses.

“-Was because I wanted you to evaluate me.”

“Me?”

I nodded as I handed Yeonju Go a glass. However, her light gray eyes were asking me for additional information, and I decided to bait her.

“I wanted to know what the Shadow Queen would think of my plan.”

She answered with a smile.

“While there are many uncertain factors, it is a scary plan. If the factors become real…that means you will have one secret class and two rare ones. Other clans will notice you. Also, getting justification by free mercs and contract managing…I admit I did not think of a mercenary clan happening here…But…”

Yeonju emptied the glass and now looked at me with a deep smile.

“Your lying abilities are not up to par.”

While I flinched inside, I stayed calm. Yeonju Go laughed as I remained silent.

“Well, it’s more like that would not be your only reason.”

“Why do you think that?”

“You look into peoples’ eyes when you speak the truth. However, you gave me a drink to avoid my eyes when speaking.”

She was reaching too far.

“That’s only a guess. What if I simply wanted a drink?”

“No, I can see it in your eyes.”

Yeonju Go answered quickly, and her face lost that languidness. Her eyes were shadowed, and I could feel her aura spread out thick. I felt my body tingle at seeing the Shadow Queen I knew from my first time here. She stood up, took the dagger back from the table, and now approached me.

Her walk was peculiar, and while it was sultry, I knew that her pace quickly reached its target.

I woke my senses, feeling the tension in the air, but Yeonju Go laid a hand on my chest and slowly went behind my back. I heard her speak quietly to me.

“I have been here for five years, you know.”

“You told me that-”

She hugged me before I could continue and took two cigarettes from my breast pocket. Her chin was now on my shoulder as she placed one between her lips. I lighted it for her, and she placed the other one between my lips. Her lighted cigarette brushed against mine, and we enjoyed the smoke for a moment.

“Are you curious why I am acting like this?”

“A little.”

I could feel her chuckle at my admission.

“I remember you telling me that your clan aims for survival and return. That made my heart turn, you know.”

“You want to go back to Earth?”
“Desperately.”

She seemed to have her own story to tell.

“Who do you think I was back at Earth?”

I became silent as I thought over her question. She was in her late twenties, so she would not be a college student, but did not seem like the type to hold a stable job. Her voice was bitter as she continued on.

“I know what you’re thinking. Yes, I worked as a companion in a bar. I didn’t prostitute myself but had to learn the tricks of the trade.”

“I believe everyone has their reasons.”

I could feel her head shake at my inadequate answer.

“I’m sorry, but there really isn’t any reason. I was not threatened or had debts. I just wanted money and to satisfy my desires. What do you think of me now?”

I listened to her speak. Her voice wavered slightly, and she did not want my answer but was curious. That was conflicting. I decided to answer her honestly instead of sweetening it.

“Everyone had their own jobs…and a bar companion has a bad image.”

Yeonju Go snickered at my answer and now took a step back from me. She slowly circled me as she spoke.

“Do you know the best thing about Whole Plane?”

“There is no good thing about here.”

Yeonju Go shook a finger at my immediate reply.

“No, I have one. Hayeon… she seemed like a stable type, unlike me. The reason I had been angry at her was her gaze…”

“What was it?”

“She looked at me like I was cheap. I really can’t abide that.”

I could now guess her state of mind. She seemed to have an inferiority complex between who she had been on Earth and who she was now here. I could see that we had one thing in common – we were disappointed in people and could not believe in others well.

“Whole Plane is curious in that people can lead completely different lives. A cheap barmaid can become the Shadow Queen here.”

She now looked straight at me, and her body was again close to mine. I could not feel any threat from here. She gently leaned her face against my chest.

“I always look into people’s eyes because they tell me what people think of me.”

I thought her unique ability <Alluring Eyes> had been a part of her abilities as the Shadow Queen. But, that may not be the case.

“I wanted to rest for a while because things had been so hectic. That was why I got this motel and managed it. I hid who I was because this motel reminded me of my past. I became more seductive and provocative, and the responses I got from people amused me. I could beat them if necessary, unlike on Earth.”

She now became silent and pulled her head back to look into me. I could see her beautiful face up close, and her breath was sweet with liquor and musky with smoke. She stared into my eyes.

“You’re different.”
“…Why?”

“No matter what I did, your eyes are empty. I could see only two emotions in them. One is that you found me irksome.”

I smiled as her story intrigued me. I agreed that she had been irritating at times.

“The other?”

Yeonju Go looked at me again for a while before she opened her mouth.