Chapter 54: The First Partner (1)
“Seyeong.”
“Why?”
“Isn’t it about time you considered getting married?”
At the Oak family headquarters.
While organizing the piled-up documents, Seyeong frowned at the comment. She put down her pen and glared at her sister.
“I’ve said I won’t get married.”
Seohyun was showing a sudden interest in her younger sister’s marriage. Seyeong wondered why she was so obsessed with the idea of marriage.
Seeing her sister’s reaction, Seohyun chuckled.
“Hey, Seyeong. Marriage isn’t a big deal. You’d probably love it once you try.”
“Why are you pestering me when I’ve already said no?”
“Marrying someone from a good family ties bonds, right? It’s a good thing.”
Seyeong looked at her incredulously.
“You know exactly what I’m going to say, right?”
“Yes.”
“Get lost, you nutcase.”
Seyeong flipped her off. Laughing, Seohyun headed towards the office door.
“Call me if you change your mind~”
“Sure, I absolutely won’t.”
Bang.The debut release of this chapter happened at Ñøv€l-B1n.
The door closed. Seyeong sighed, scratching her head in stress.
‘Damn marriages.’
Marriage between families was a peculiar growth method of the Oak family. There were solid reasons why Seyeong loathed arranged marriages.
It was a complicated situation.
Blind dates, or in professional terms, matchmaking.
Just as medieval nobles secured political benefits through marriage, the Oak family also reaped numerous economic benefits through matrimonial alliances with other families.
An aggressive approach. Thanks to the Oak family having the deep-blooded lineage of the World Tree, it was feasible. It was undeniably a smart strategy, excluding ethical issues.
Families wanting to intensify the World Tree’s blood needed the Oak family’s lineage. Consequently, the Oak family gained a respectable reputation relative to its size.
But growth required sacrifice. Seyeong’s sisters were all exploited as political tools.
From a young age, she had seen the horrid side of her family, and she had grown to somewhat despise them. Who would enjoy being born a mere political tool?
In frustration, Seyeong tore a document beside her.
Rip! Rip!
After ruining the insignificant paper, she finally cooled down.
‘I’ve worked hard to get to this position because I didn’t want to get married. And now they’re pressuring me? Enough with this nonsense.’
She didn’t want to be a mere tool. More precisely, she didn’t want her life to end as a tool. Young Seyeong had to prove her worth to break out of that rut.
She closed her eyes, reminiscing about those times.
She had desperately studied history, mastered academics, honed her combat skills, and stolen adult teachings. To climb to a higher position, she had to be more cunning than anyone.
She had to be bad. She had to snatch opportunities. Even if it meant killing.
Such twisted values accelerated her growth. Ethical deviations aside, she had made countless egregious decisions.
Even if it all ended badly, breaking away from the fate her family set was satisfying.
Indeed, she managed to escape that fate, proving her capabilities to the family and securing a relatively high position.
See? She was capable.
But the joy was short-lived. Once she reached that position, she didn’t feel at ease.
It probably started during high school.
Was she about to give away her heart and soul?
Chuckle.
“Why do I like such a guy?”
The ashtray filled with more and more cigarette butts.
“I bet that ugly guy’s price has skyrocketed by now because of his new-found appeal, huh? Hehe.”
It was clear he must be roaming around wreaking havoc. He was the type to expose things when least expected. She just hoped he wouldn’t get caught because of meddling with the wrong crowd.
Seyeong stroked her neck, slightly lowering the choker she wore, and checked her nape in the reflection of her phone. A fading kiss mark was evident.
Ding!
A message notification. She tapped on her phone screen to check the message.
Shiheon: What are you doing?
A smile naturally played on her lips. As if all stress was a distant memory, a warm atmosphere enveloped her. Half-squinting her eyes, Seyeong typed her response happily.
Me: What do you want?
Shiheon: ????
Me: You reached out because you want something, right? -_-
After a brief pause, probably startled by her straightforwardness,
Shiheon: You know me well.
“Hehe.”
Promising to accommodate her, he had said so.
Shiheon: I contacted you to discuss the upcoming quest.
‘A quest? Well, considering he’s the husband of the World Tree.’
Based on the information provided by Jung Siwoo before, failing to clear a quest came with a penalty. Conversely, clearing it granted appealing rewards. Given that Shiheon was a candidate for the World Tree’s spouse, the penalties couldn’t be that severe unless the World Tree purposely wanted to make it difficult for her spouse. Who would do that?
Tap, tap-tap.
Me: Which quest?
Shiheon: It’s a quest we definitely can’t fail. (An emoticon of a cat with a mock-serious expression)
She chuckled at the cute emoticon but soon headed back into the office to check her calendar. It was packed with back-to-back appointments. Considering her influential position within the Oak family, this was expected.
“Let’s see...”
She took a pen from her desk and hummed a tune while bringing it to the calendar. Swiftly, she crossed out a section of her schedule. Looking at the tidied-up calendar, a satisfied Seyeong picked up her phone, tapped on the screen, and held it to her ear.
Ringing.
[Hello?]
“Hey, I have a favor to ask.”
[Yes, yes?]
Seyeong said with a voice full of laughter.
“Can you cover for me? Let’s hang out!”
She had always wanted to say that at least once.
“????”
I stared blankly at my phone after the call ended.
“Peep?”
The awake chick-like Shiba was chirping and snuggling up to me. I gently stroked Shiba’s head and looked at our message exchange.
As much as I looked through my messages, I didn’t remember asking for any favor. Moreover, the main topic wasn’t even brought up. How did she even guess about the meetup?
“Shiba.”
“Peep.”
“I think the teacher might become a bit scarier.”
Shiba, as if not understanding anything, innocently rubbed her cheek against my embrace.
There were two more left.
