The Second Coming of Gluttony - Chapter 149

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 149. A Night Like a Dream (4)

The moment the harbor came into view, clever Floné disembarked on her own, finding a spot where few people lingered.
Pisora’s tears had dried. Her reddened eyes lay calm now, though a faint crimson tint lingered in them; there seemed to be no signs of delirium or mental disturbance.
In any case, their journey together had effectively ended the moment they reached land. Since the situation surrounding Pisora remained murky, neither of them needed to risk drawing unwanted attention.
Yet noticing that Pisora hesitated ever so slightly, Seol Jihoo quietly pressed two silver coins into her hand—enough to cover a hearty meal at a tavern and the carriage fare from Nur to Sheherazade, with money to spare.
He wondered if it was overstepping; surely an Upper Rank wouldn’t lack carriage fare?
The worry lingered, but seeing her accept the coins with hesitant care made clear that her team handled all finances.
Besides, she’d left behind all the rewards they’d painstakingly gathered, so she couldn’t possibly have any money. She couldn’t strip off her valuable equipment just to scrape together a few coins.
Before they parted.
“I’ll… no, I’ll repay you….”
Pisora wouldn’t quite meet his eyes, but her characteristically sharp expression had softened, and she mumbled something through her lovely lips. Her voice, however, was far too small for Seol Jihoo to catch.
After sending Pisora on her way, Seol Jihoo wandered aimlessly through the harbor. By the time he figured Nur would be well behind them, he quietly entered the city.
The suffocating darkness that had filled the Abandoned Mansion contrasted starkly with Nur’s bright and vibrant atmosphere, and an eerie sense of displacement washed over him. It felt like a dream from just hours before—having been in that manor of death.
Once he boarded the carriage to Haramag with two other Earthians as passengers, relief finally washed through him, and Seol Jihoo managed a bitter smile.
‘Hands clean.’
He’d wagered his life instead of money—was that not gambling either? Perhaps the reason he felt no withdrawal symptoms after quitting cold turkey was because of this very thing.
Seol Jihoo released a hollow sigh, then another.
The driver only climbed onto the outer seat and set the wheels in motion after gathering four Earthians.
‘It’s over….’
Seol Jihoo leaned carefully against the creaking wooden wall, then his half-closed eyes suddenly snapped open.
‘…or is it?’
The critical juncture had passed, but everything wasn’t finished. If you started something, you had to know how to end it.
Of course, there was no reason to take responsibility for an incident someone else had caused—but he’d decided to make his choice once they returned to Haramag.
Because the moment Bok Jeongshik had proposed the expedition, a pretext had been created.
The bare minimum pretext through which Seol Jihoo could intervene.

By the time they reached Haramag, Sheherazade was in chaos, as expected. The moment Pisora returned alive, a whirlwind of controversy swept around her—accusations aimed at both factions as if they’d been waiting all along.
Claims of ignorance didn’t land. Neither did the assertion that they’d tried signaling dozens of times but received nothing in return. Appeals that the expedition had failed and yielded no gains fell on deaf ears.
PAX maintained that ‘the ruins were thought to be extraordinarily difficult and they’d been preparing thoroughly, but you recklessly interfered and turned the interior into a complete wreck—what do you intend to do about it?’
Bok Jeongshik countered with ‘the moment PAX lodged their protest, I sent a signal immediately. I repeated the attempt several times because it didn’t connect, but we received not a single signal from your side either’—stonewalling consistently.
To make matters worse, they pressed hard about responsibility for the expedition’s failure and the loss of seventeen core members.
Considering that all the dead belonged to Pisora’s line, it was plainly absurd—but on the surface, there wasn’t a trace of legitimate fault.
Bok Jeongshik was genuinely and nominally the leader of White Rose, and the fact that Pisora had independently forced through the expedition was undeniable.
“At this rate, there are only two fates awaiting that poor bastard.”
Kim Hanna held a hand up before her face and carefully examined the tips of her slightly curled fingers.
“The cleanest option would be to independently retry the expedition under PAX’s supervision, succeed, and deliver all the gains to them. But that’s not realistic. After failing so spectacularly and White Rose’s circumstances getting worse, they probably won’t even entertain helping. Though they won’t say it aloud.”
She drew her brows together and picked up a wooden stick lying on one corner of the desk.
“A comparatively rational compromise would be for that bastard to join PAX’s expedition as an unpaid meat shield. But the odds are low. Seventeen out of eighteen died—PAX probably clutched their chests in relief when they heard. Lucky they didn’t go.”
She carefully removed debris from under her fingernails with the pointed end, one piece at a time.
“But you can’t waste a golden opportunity like this, can you? They wreck the ruins and tell us to go? That’s transparent. They’ll keep pressuring until some compromise allegedly emerges, demanding labor equivalent to the ruins’ gains. Free labor from a skilled Upper Rank warrior—that’s what they want. White Rose has no intent to compensate independently either, so the ending’s already written.”
She blew through the gaps in her nails, smacked her lips, and nodded to herself.
“Poor soul really does have a twisted fate. She entered with a Red Mark, clawed her way up through hell, and turned her life around. Now she’s set to go right back into servitude.”
Satisfied at last, she smiled as she examined her now-clean nails.
“But whether that bastard accepts it quietly is questionable. Given her personality, she’ll either cause a spectacle or hang herself. One or the other, probably.”
Kim Hanna flicked her hand dismissively, and at last turned her gaze to a transparent crystal that gleamed with clear light.
“But that’s not what you called to hear about, I’m guessing.”
Within the crystal, the image of a young man reflected back—a cigarette wedged in one hand, his chair turned to face away.
Kim Hanna, watching the back of his head jutting above the chair’s headrest, tilted her head slightly and continued.
“The one who traded the ruin information is named Charlie Harbor. Area 4, Canadian.”
– Charlie Harbor?
Seol Jihoo, who had been listening in silence, spoke.
“Do you know him?”
– Not know exactly, but… didn’t that person participate in the Event?
“Yeah, you’re right. He vanished after the Event ended. My guess is he tried to fake his death as an accident, using the chaos of the Event as cover. Though someone ruined those plans.”
Kim Hanna let out a low chuckle.
“But you think I can’t hunt down someone in hiding? To put it bluntly, he did sell information to two places. That part’s true, but here’s the thing—don’t be shocked. Bok Jeongshik knew about it and actively encouraged the sale.”
Yet Seol Jihoo was not shocked at all.
– How’d you figure all that out?
He asked the question calmly enough.
– Really?
Kim Hanna’s eyebrows rose.
“You don’t know much, do you? Paradise has plenty of methods.”
– Are you sure about this information?
“Magic—a power that’s almost a cure-all—and drugs too. Once we’ve got you cornered, making you spill the truth is child’s play.”
Kim Hanna, her tone sharp, leaned forward and pressed her face close to the crystal barrier.
“What do you think?”
She continued with a grin spread across her face.
“I could stay quiet about this, or I could report it upstairs and get praised for landing good intel, or….”
She tilted her head side to side, peering past the crystal as if desperate to see his expression, her eyes crinkling with amusement.
“Or I could blow this whole thing wide open. What do you think?”
– Will you do whatever I want?
“With the relationship you and I have? There’s nothing I wouldn’t do—if there’s profit in it.”
– Then do it.
His answer came without hesitation, and Kim Hanna’s eyes went wide.
“What? You want me to? Seriously?”
– Yes. Blow it open.
“Are you serious? You’re not thinking this through.”
– I am.
His voice was low. Kim Hanna straightened and clasped her hands together.
“Then what? I can do it, but you seem too certain about this. Tell me why.”
– …….
“Don’t tell me you’re trying to save that bastard.”
A short snort escaped from behind the crystal.
“…That can’t be it. Anyway, why?”
– Let me ask you something instead.
Seol Jihoo turned the question back on her.
– Why did Bok Jeongshik buy that information and try to drag me into it?
“That’s….”
Kim Hanna’s eyes darted about.
“Your connections are extraordinary.”
– ?
“Sure, the danger’s known now, but the Ancient Imperial Villa was an incredibly attractive ruin.”
Seol Jihoo had been nodding slowly, then stopped.
“But having already schemed to get it, White Rose alone couldn’t stomach the risk. So when PAX raised objections, they wanted someone who could back them up—or better yet, share the blame if things went south.”
Kim Hanna tapped the desk and continued.
“Eat alone and you get sick, but split it and it’s just indigestion. Which means his claim that he gave up because he couldn’t find cooperation partners is probably the truth.”
– That’s all?
“All? Don’t joke. Carpe Diem aside, Jangmaldong alone, the Haramag Royal Family—just those two could throw real weight around. That’s not even counting how you could sweeten the pot and pull in the Triad and Sicily’s backing too.”
– Does that change the situation?
“It changes it. Changes it plenty. Say he’d rounded up just five people with connections like yours—do you think PAX could make half as much noise? They’d have no choice but to accept a token consolation payment and be grateful for it.”
Seol Jihoo let out a hollow laugh.
– The situation is completely different depending on who’s involved, isn’t it?
“That’s how it always works.”
Kim Hanna grinned.
“In front of profit, principles shift with circumstance and power.”
– Circumstance and power….
“Didn’t know? This is the Paradise Style.”
– A filthy style it is.
Seol Jihoo shook his head.
– Either way, the conclusion’s the same—Bok Jeongshik tried to drag me into that cesspool. That’s reason enough.
“True enough… but you turned him down, so you never got hurt, right?”
She broached the subject carefully.
– A crime that never happened is still a crime.
Seol Jihoo answered tersely.
– I stepped over the shit myself—nobody saved me. That’s the difference.
It was a fair point, and Kim Hanna chewed on it.
– I was almost treated like shit. Only fair I return the favor.
“That’s way too big for a pile of crap. We’re talking some seriously massive shit.”
– Whether you step on it or sidestep it, that’s your business to sort out. And frankly, if I’d played my cards wrong, I’d have spent the rest of my life tagged as a relic thief. Doesn’t seem all that monumental to me.
Kim Hanna broke into a pleased smile at that.
She’d seemed different since the Expedition—but that last exchange clinched it.
Seol Jihoo had changed. Or rather, he was still changing. In exactly the direction she’d wanted.
– If there’s one thing I’m still worried about, though….
Seol Jihoo, half-turning his chair, caught a sideways glance at Kim Hanna. She caught his drift and smirked.
“Hey, you really underestimate me? This isn’t even a challenge.”
– Then I’m relieved.
“I mean, if I had my way, I’d step right out front and show you me doing the crushing myself, but that’s not my style. Besides, I’ve got more enemies than I’d care to admit.”
Kim Hanna let out a bashful laugh.
“Anyway, there’s always a way. You just lie back, watch the show, and make sure you eat well while it happens. Don’t let some stubborn bastard mess with the setup, got it?”
– I’m not sure what you mean.
“Don’t play dumb. I’m not criticizing you. I just mean—don’t waste this. Not when I’m going this far.”
Seol Jihoo shrugged. Kim Hanna laughed outright, and just before she reached for the candlestick, she asked.
“By the way, why have you been sitting backwards this whole time?”
– …Huh?
“Why are you posing like that? It’s basic courtesy to look someone in the face when you talk to them, isn’t it?”
– Oh.
After a brief silence, Seol Jihoo scratched at his head.
– I thought I needed to sit like this…?
“?”
– Well, you know. Like movie protagonists, pulling the strings of Paradise from the shadows and all that….
“Good grief.”
Kim Hanna’s expression shifted to something between exasperation and disbelief.
“Just stop talking nonsense, will you? Seriously?”
She let out an exaggerated snort as if to say ‘of course you’d think that,’ and struck the candlestick with a snap.

Tap.
The light went out. Seol Jihoo, checking the candlestick from the corner of his eye, tilted his chin up sharply.
‘Thought I was done for.’
She was such an expert at reading people that he’d had to work incredibly hard to stay under the radar.
He’d turned his chair on purpose—to keep his face hidden. He’d been afraid that even the slightest change in expression would give him away.
“Whoooo.”
Seol Jihoo held a cigarette that had barely been lit and gazed up at the ceiling with vacant eyes.
The die was cast. How things would unfold from here was impossible to predict, but one thing was certain.
‘The moment I said yes, the fate of White Rose was sealed.’
Seol Jihoo suddenly straightened and felt along his waist. He pulled out items from his belt and spread them across the desk in a line.
A Crystal Candlestick, an Emerald Cup, and twelve glimmering Golden Eggs that shone brilliantly.
Each one radiated a soft golden gleam that tinged his face with a warm, reddish light as he carefully examined them one by one, his expression blank.
As Kim Hanna had said, there was only one thing left to do now.
‘It’s not hard.’
To put it in terms anyone could understand: he’d found a broken piggy bank on the side of the road, owner long gone. All he had to do was pick up a coin or two that had scattered before someone else arrived, and move on.
‘Before that stubborn bastard makes off with the whole haul.’
Seol Jihoo took the cigarette from his lips and exhaled as if whistling.
Through the murky smoke that drifted and dispersed, the corners of his mouth curled upward in a dark smile.
Now.
Only now did it feel like he was waking from a long, endless dream of a single night.

(To be continued)

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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