Chapter 24

After thinking hard for a while, Morae’s expression suddenly changed.

She turned away with practiced elegance and shot the women a cold glance.

“I tried to play along because it looked like someone needed help, but you really don’t know when to stop. Do whatever you want. Just don’t come crying to us after you get played and end up regretting it.”

With that haughty attitude, Morae completely turned the situation around.

Kim Iyeong found herself confused again.

She could no longer tell what kind of relationship the two of them really had.

If Morae insisted, “I was only playing along,” then the truth disappeared like smoke.

As expected of White City, where laws and ethics meant little and schemes ruled everything.

If you let your guard down for even a moment, you’d be deceived.

Still, one thing was certain.

Eun Morae was clearly upset.

If it had been anyone else, they would’ve simply ignored it.

But Morae was different.

The so-called royal villain kids—those born with both overwhelming authority and strength—were known for being extreme.

And as Morae’s mood turned colder, Yu Pado’s expression darkened along with it.

The five women exchanged glances and silently came to the same conclusion.

“You don’t seem interested today, so we’ll head out. We shouldn’t keep bothering you.”

“Finally?”

A little sarcasm was something they had to endure if they wanted to survive.

Keeping her smile perfectly intact, Kim Iyeong held out three business cards to Yu Pado.

“This one’s mine. This one’s our Downtown Workshop leader’s. And this one’s from the oldest male member in the Downtown Workshop. Give us a call if you ever need anything.”

The names read, in order:

Kim Iyeong.

Yu Sinae.

Lee Jinseo.

“You even have business cards… Why are you giving me the guy’s card?”

“In case you want to hear things from someone with experience.”

One of the women standing beside Kim Iyeong grinned.

“You should appreciate thoughtful service like this.”

Yu Pado casually crumpled all three business cards into his pocket.

“Like I said, I’m—”

“We know, we know. We won’t contact you for a while. Just once in a while through official channels.”

“Thanks.”

“If you end up disliking us, we’re the only ones who lose out. Call us if you get bored.”

Kim Iyeong finished with a playful wink.

Looking slightly awkward, Yu Pado stood up.

Morae, who had been standing beside the sofa, quietly followed him out through the room with the destroyed wall.

Only after the two of them had left did the café staff, passersby, and curious onlookers finally begin peeking inside.

One of the alluring women still sitting among the ruined café popped the remaining ice from her drink into her mouth.

Rolling it across her tongue, she reapplied her lipstick.

“This is different from what our leader told us. She said he’d probably be very interested in women.”

“He doesn’t seem to despise women, so I’d say there’s still hope… Though who knows? Maybe we misjudged him again.”

Another woman lifted her chin thoughtfully as she replayed Yu Pado’s behavior.

He wasn’t uninterested in women…

Yet he behaved differently from most men.

He wasn’t socially awkward…

Yet he remained calm.

He didn’t seem like someone suppressing his desires…

Yet his eyes never wandered anywhere inappropriate.

“So he’s just… unusually normal when it comes to women.”

“Exactly.”

For all the dramatic buildup, Yu Pado simply looked like an ordinary man with strong self-control who took relationships seriously.

Just because they believed in open, multi-partner relationships didn’t mean they were ignorant of mainstream values.

Unless someone was desperately starved for sex, they wouldn’t immediately jump at the opportunity to sleep with several people from the same organization.

Turning down the chance to build separate relationships with each of them might seem overly cautious…

But for someone like Yu Pado, it wasn’t unusual.

If he were the kind of man who’d never even had the chance to hold a woman’s hand, that would be one thing.

But a man who had as much going for him as Yu Pado wasn’t about to sleep with just anyone.

Unless…

He really was the type their leader had described.

“I was hoping Pado would be that kind of man.”

The Downtown Workshop had been founded for one purpose:

To find the kind of man who could give them a once-in-a-lifetime, unforgettable love.

Rather than settle for an ordinary romance, they’d rather be a man’s twentieth lover if it meant sharing a passionate love with someone who shone like a star.

Their leader had promised to find a man like that.

This time…

That candidate was Yu Pado.

Whether he truly was the man they’d been waiting for…

Only time would tell.

“Let’s wait a little longer.”

Leaning back against the sofa, Kim Iyeong absentmindedly picked at a hangnail.

The scouting war…

Had only just begun.

“They’re even trashier than I expected!”

Morae slammed a fist into her thigh as she complained.

The Downtown Workshop was a small organization that operated all over the country, and it was constantly surrounded by rumors and controversy.

She’d heard plenty about them.

Today was the first time she’d actually met any of their members.

They were well-groomed, attractive…

Even more confident than she’d imagined.

And far more honest about their desires.

If she were being generous, she’d call them bold.

If she weren’t…

They were shameless.

She’d expected them to be more subtle, to flirt gradually.

Instead, they immediately started talking about his dick.

“Making jokes like that…”

In White City, there were no rules about “things you shouldn’t say.”

In a city of outlaws that prized freedom, asking someone, “Did you sleep with them?” was practically a greeting.

Saying, “I want to sleep with you,” was considered a compliment.

Boasting about your stamina or your skill in bed was something to be proud of.

Here, if you were even a little familiar with someone, talking openly about what happened in the bedroom was perfectly normal.

People who squealed and overreacted to what outsiders called “explicit conversations” were usually newcomers.

The longer someone lived in White City, the more desensitized they became.

Eventually…

They stopped seeing it as anything special at all.

Morae, who had been born and raised in White City, was naturally no different.

Yet somehow…

The moment the conversation became about Yu Pado…

She found herself growing irritated.

Who gave them the right to talk about someone else’s dick however they pleased?

Feeling strangely protective of an organ that wasn’t even hers, Morae quietly simmered with resentment.

“You’re a lot more persistent than I expected. I never thought you’d secretly follow me all the way here. Even sending a surveillance robot… You must’ve been pretty anxious.”

Yu Pado’s relaxed voice came from behind her.

He sat casually on the back seat of the jet ski she was driving across the water, not even bothering to hold onto her waist or shoulders.

At first, Morae had kept telling him to hold on because it was dangerous.

Now…

She didn’t bother anymore.

Even if he somehow fell off, there was no chance the water would actually hurt him.

“I only came because Auntie Jimin told me where you were.”

“That’s basically the same thing. You were digging into someone else’s whereabouts.”

“Auntie was worried you didn’t have any friends. She said you had to ask her because there wasn’t anyone else to come with you. Doesn’t that sound pathetic?”

Morae shamelessly threw Jimin under the bus.

She’d only said it because she didn’t want to admit she’d been following him.

But the moment the words left her mouth…

She found herself worrying about him.

Even if Jimin had refused because she already had plans…

Surely he wouldn’t have come alone.

Morae had naturally assumed he’d be meeting someone else.

She’d thought he was getting along well with everyone in the Legion.

So how had he ended up coming here without a single friend?

“Are the others not hanging out with you? I know a lot of people our age are from White City, so maybe things are awkward, but I don’t think anyone would actually exclude you. Did you fight with someone? I’ll take care of it.”

“Who do you think I am, an elementary school kid? What kind of idiot brings another guy along when he’s going to turn down women who are trying to hit on him? I’m not showing off. It’d just be obnoxious.”

“You asked Auntie Jimin to come with you.”

“She’s older than me. And she’s a woman.”

Morae couldn’t help thinking that made it even stranger and more awkward, but apparently, that was enough to make sense to Yu Pado.

“Auntie Jimin is easy to be around.”

“There’s a pretty big age gap between you.”

“Hm… She feels kind of like a mom.”

“Auntie Jimin?”

Morae’s voice rose without her realizing it.

It wasn’t that she meant to belittle Yu Jimin, but as far as Morae knew, Jimin was the last person who fit the image of “motherly.”

If Yu Pado meant she reminded him of his own mother, then there was nothing to argue about.

But compared to what most people imagined as a mother, Jimin couldn’t have been further from it. She certainly wasn’t the kind of person a young man who wasn’t even related to her would describe as “like a mom.”

“I guess ‘comfortable’ is a better word. It feels like she’d put up with me even if I was a little rude, and even if we argued, we’d probably make up right away. It’s also nice that she already likes someone else, so people won’t get the wrong idea. Whenever I’m with someone around my own age, everyone starts talking. Why are the people here so interested in other people’s business?”

Yu Pado grumbled.

People in the Legion were always sticking their noses into his affairs.

It was only natural. He was talented, and he had even caught Eun Morae’s attention, making him an easy topic of gossip.

After spending a while explaining why he’d talked to Jimin about his worries, Yu Pado changed the subject.

“So why did you come?”

“Auntie was worried about you, so—”

“Is that all?”

It was…

And it wasn’t.

Even Morae herself couldn’t give a definite answer.

She opened the throttle, sending up a spray of water.

After struggling with herself for a while, she finally spoke before the silence stretched too long.

“…I came because I wanted to tell you to be more careful about the women you meet! Those women don’t know anything about you. If they were your classmates or people from the Legion, that’d be one thing, but if you fall head over heels for women you’ve barely even met… I’ll be seriously disappointed in you. As a person.”

“Here we go again.”

The moment the subject turned to women, Yu Pado openly sighed.

“Do you have any idea how frustrating it’d be if the promising recruit I personally picked out ruined his future because he couldn’t keep it in his pants? If you’ve ever watched baseball or soccer, you should know exactly what I mean.”

It wasn’t just about Yu Pado.

There had been Hunters at the peak of their careers whose downfall started because they chased after idols and ended up getting into fights with fans.

The first time Morae learned about something like that, she’d spent an entire week feeling empty.

Maybe the people involved were happy, living however they pleased in pursuit of love…

But to someone watching from the outside, it was infuriating.

It made you want to yell at them, argue with them…

Anything to stop them.

“If you’re going to complain about that, you should start with the Hunter Association. You’re not the one who raised me—they are.”

“They were just doing their jobs. I recruited you because I was interested in you.”

“You mean you were interested in my abilities.”

In the side mirror, Morae caught sight of Yu Pado leaning back with one hand braced against the seat behind him.

She warned him it was dangerous, but he paid no attention.

“So when you hear I’m meeting another woman, you come running after me. And that’s why you slept with me, too. You’re at least consistent. Makes you easy to understand.”

His tone wasn’t particularly sharp…

But something about it caught on her nerves.

It sounded half resigned…

Half teasing.

He wasn’t exactly criticizing Morae.

Still…

It wasn’t something she enjoyed hearing.

The jet ski gradually accelerated.

Nearby boats and other watercraft began steering clear of them.

“Want to do it one more time?”

Yu Pado, who had been keeping a little distance despite sitting behind her, suddenly leaned in.

He rested his chin on Morae’s shoulder and wrapped his fingers lightly around her side and stomach.

His fingertips glided smoothly across her waist like fingers dancing over piano keys.

For some reason, it was even more stimulating than if he’d simply grabbed her around the waist.

Without thinking, Morae slammed on the brakes.

The jet ski screeched to a stop, throwing up a huge wall of spray.

She immediately turned around.

Where his fingers had touched still tingled as though electricity had passed through her skin.

An aching soreness also spread through her lower abdomen and between her legs.

Whether that was truly pain…

She wasn’t sure yet.

Completely dry despite the towering spray, Yu Pado raised both hands in surrender.

“We’re still experimenting, aren’t we?”

If he’d at least looked like he was deliberately teasing her, she might have felt a little better.

Instead…

Watching him calmly pretend nothing had happened only made her even more irritated.