Memorize Chapter 223

‘Are you really too dumb to understand, or are you just pretending not to get it?’

The voice from ahead pierced sharply into Kim Han-Byeol’s mind. She looked up with a blank expression. There, sitting arrogantly with her legs crossed, was Seong Yu-Bin, looking down at her. She took a drag from the cigarette in her right hand and exhaled a thin stream of smoke.

‘You’re that clueless? What? You don’t get it? Hahaha!’

Seong Yu-Bin clearly laughed—or at least, the sound of laughter rang out. But the Seong Yu-Bin sitting in front of her wasn’t laughing at all. Her sharp gaze pinned Kim Han-Byeol, who instinctively tried to step back.

“Ah.”

Kim Han-Byeol let out a gasp. It felt as if invisible chains bound her entire body, preventing her from moving even a single step. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t budge, and despair slowly began to creep across her face.

‘Fine, I’ll spell it out for you. Listen carefully with those clean ears. You—spread your legs for that guy. That precious body of yours, offer it up to the Mercenary Lord. Got it? Do I have to be this blunt?’

“No…”

Kim Han-Byeol managed to squeeze out a feeble voice. But nothing changed. Her body remained bound, and Seong Yu-Bin’s gaze now dripped with mockery. She couldn’t turn her head, cover her ears, or close her eyes. Then, memories she wanted to forget began flooding around her.

‘Don’t worry. Once the job’s done, we’ll help you out. Just close your eyes this once. And even if you have to strip yourself, throw yourself at him.’

“I don’t want it like this…!”

‘Ho ho. Why are you trying to stay so pure all by yourself? Don’t feel wronged. When I joined Golden Lion…’

That’s when it happened. As the memories poured in, Seong Yu-Bin’s form began to distort grotesquely. At the same time, the words stabbing at Kim Han-Byeol’s mind started to fade.

She hadn’t regained control of her body, but Kim Han-Byeol let out a sigh of relief. The mere fact that Seong Yu-Bin had vanished loosened the chokehold on her breathing.

But then, Seong Yu-Bin’s distorted form began to reshape into a new face. Arrogant eyes, a sharp nose, calmly pressed lips, refined features, and an overall indifferent expression.

The moment Kim Han-Byeol saw the fully reformed face, she let out a faint scream. The person now standing before her was none other than Kim Su-Hyeon.

As their eyes met, the momentarily paused flow of memories surged back like a tidal wave, bringing new ones with it.

‘People who trust me. And people I can trust.’

‘I just hoped there’d be one or two people who felt like family.’

“No…”

The memory from the day before graduating from the player academy. Kim Han-Byeol tried to deny it. She shook her head desperately to reject it, but only a few futile tears fell. Ignoring her resistance, newer memories began to flood in.

‘Throughout that process, nothing ever happened to break our trust.’

“No! It’s not true!”

‘Honestly, if I were you, I wouldn’t trust someone who’s already left.’

“Nooooooo!”

*

When I opened my eyes in the morning, my head was buzzing. Maybe because I hadn’t slept well, my entire body felt heavy with fatigue. Han-Byeol’s groans in the night had woken me a few times—probably a nightmare. Glancing reflexively at the bed next to mine, I saw it was neatly made and empty. She must’ve left early in the morning before I woke up.

I let out a meaningless sigh and slowly got up. Today was a special day—a visitor I’d been looking forward to. The eighth week’s most anticipated event: Go Yeon-Joo’s visit to the academy. I was eager to hear about the kids I hadn’t seen in a while and curious about what decision she’d made regarding Park Hyun-Woo’s proposal.

After a quick wash, I left the lodging and was greeted by a slightly bustling scene at the academy. Normally, weekends were quiet, set aside for rest. But today’s commotion was likely due to the meeting between Go Yeon-Joo and Park Hyun-Woo.

‘Golden Lion must be pretty fired up.’

Knowing a bit about Golden Lion’s internal affairs, I clicked my tongue and started walking. There was still plenty of time, but I planned to head to the Easter Egg early to wait for Go Yeon-Joo leisurely. The persistent mental clutter from earlier also made me crave the fresh air mixed with the scent of grass.

Strolling to the Easter Egg, I stretched widely and lay down on the grass. The crisp air rushed into my nose, and as warm sunlight bathed me and a cool breeze blew, it felt like the fatigue embedded in my body was slowly washing away.

“…”

Just in case someone approached, I kept my senses active while enjoying a brief moment of rest.

Time passed, and soon my internal clock signaled lunchtime. Having skipped breakfast, I felt a slight hunger. Thinking Go Yeon-Joo might be late, I considered grabbing something from the cafeteria when I sensed someone entering the Easter Egg from the right.

Turning my head, I saw Go Yeon-Joo emerging from between the trees, a faint smile on her face. Spotting the basket on her left arm, I inwardly cheered.

“Honey~.”

“It’s… been a while.”

Her bold opening caught me off guard, and I stammered slightly. Letting out a wry chuckle, I noticed she was dressed differently than usual. Unlike her usual slightly provocative vibe, today she gave off the impression of a refined wife. It suited her surprisingly well, and I enjoyed taking in her appearance.

After sharing a warm hug to mark our reunion, we sat side by side on the grass and opened the basket. Seeing the delicious food Go Yeon-Joo had made herself, I was glad I hadn’t eaten breakfast.

“Hungry? How about we eat and talk?”

“Sounds good.”

I ate the food she’d prepared while listening to her stories. Since I was eating, the conversation was mostly light, a thoughtful gesture on her part to keep things relaxed.

I listened closely to updates about the kids’ training, my main interest, and was thrilled to hear they were doing well. With the academy graduation approaching, I looked forward to seeing them even more grown than before.

After hearing that Vivienne missed me terribly, I finished most of the food. Rubbing my full stomach, I watched Go Yeon-Joo delicately clear away the leftovers. Her unusually submissive demeanor today felt a bit odd, but I brushed it off, thinking good is good.

As she neatly folded the cloth spread on the grass, I gazed at her and spoke in a quiet voice. Having heard the casual updates, it was time to get to the point.

“Go Yeon-Joo.”

“Yes?”

“Park Hyun-Woo’s proposal—what’s the deal?”

“Oh, that. I accepted. It seemed like helping out a bit would be for the best.”

“Accepted, huh.” Go Yeon-Joo replied in a casual tone. It wasn’t surprising since it was within my expectations. She must have her own reasons. But I was curious about them.

“Didn’t you tell me not to trust Golden Lion?”

“I did. And I still don’t trust them. But even considering that, I concluded this matter is worth investigating. You’ve heard the rough details, right?”

“Yeah. What’s your take? Do you think the godmother really went missing? Or is it just Golden Lion’s paranoia?”

At my question, Go Yeon-Joo paused her hands from organizing the basket and took on a thoughtful expression. After about a minute, she turned to me and spoke calmly.

“Honestly, when I first heard it from you, and even this morning, I was inclined to refuse. But after doing some digging on my own and looking at the records Park Hyun-Woo gave me today, I changed my mind.”

“So, the godmother is missing?”

“Nothing’s certain yet. But it doesn’t seem like Golden Lion is just whining. And…”

“And?”

“Well, I’ll have to see for myself to know. But I have this weird, uneasy feeling. I keep thinking it might already be too late…”

Go Yeon-Joo trailed off with a worried look, then closed the basket’s lid. Pushing it to one side, she turned to me with a bright smile.

“We’re setting out tomorrow. They’re recalling the current investigation team, and I heard they’ve pulled support troops from allied clans, so it shouldn’t be too dangerous.”

“Are you leading them?”

“Of course. First, we’ll investigate whether to enter the mountains. If we confirm she went inside, we’ll need a second investigation. If it ends with the first, it’ll be quick. But if it goes to the second, it’ll take at least two weeks.”

“Two weeks, huh? The kids will be thrilled.”

I spoke sincerely, but she took it as a joke and burst into giggles. “Don’t worry, Ha-Yeong’s got it covered,” She said, reassuring me.

“Oh, speaking of Ha-Yeong, since we’re leaving tomorrow, I need to delegate things in advance. I came here planning to refuse, so I forgot to arrange it.”

“Couldn’t you do it via communication? Sounds like you’ll be pretty busy today.”

“Probably. I’ve got to hand things over… and we’re meeting up with the investigation team in Prinsica later.”

“Sounds tough. Aren’t you exhausted?”

“Ugh, Su-Hyeon~ I’m so tired~.”

At my attempt to comfort her, Go Yeon-Joo immediately played coy and threw herself into my arms. I hugged her back with a wry expression. Her initial demure demeanor was slowly fading, replaced by her usual self.

‘Why do I feel so uneasy?’

Forcing myself to calm my restless mind, Go Yeon-Joo’s excited voice broke through.

“We start for real tomorrow. We’re meeting up this afternoon, so thankfully, there’s still a bit of time.”

“Hm. Still, shouldn’t you prepare in advance?”

“I’d love to, but my whole body is totally drained right now. Someone needs to recharge me quick.”

“Haha, so hugging me is your recharge?”

I replied with a bitter smile, recalling past moments. But to my surprise, Go Yeon-Joo shook her head.

“That’s a recharge too, but it takes too long. I need something more direct, faster.”

“What? Faster recharge?”

“Yup. You need to pump some energy into this Go Yeon-Joo product, or I might collapse from exhaustion.”

“What does that—”

Before I could finish, Go Yeon-Joo gave a sly smile, spreading her thighs apart. She pointed her index finger to the center of her parted legs, right at her private area.

“Here’s the outlet. So, plug it in already.”

Her gaze locked onto my lower half. I instinctively closed my thighs and stammered in a flustered voice.

“Yeon-Joo, this is inside the academy, an open space.”

“So what? A little outdoor play is fine now and then. I’ve always wanted to try it.”

“Wait, hold on. Why is this conversation going there?”

“Ugh! Who’s the one who tempted me first?”

With a spirited shout, Go Yeon-Joo launched herself at me. I wanted to ask when I’d ever tempted her, but then I remembered a past crystal communication we’d had. It was just a light kiss, so how did that become provocation?

But I had no time to think or react. As she swiftly grabbed at my pants, all I could do was stare at her in a daze.

*

Thankfully, that day’s outdoor play went off without a hitch (meaning we didn’t get caught), and Go Yeon-Joo left with a very satisfied look.

I was supposed to see her off, but instead, she ended up supporting me back to the main building. As an aside, when I stumbled into the lodging, Kim Han-Byeol, who was sitting on the bed folding my instructor uniform, looked shocked at my state.

Anyway, after seeing Go Yeon-Joo off, I heard that the investigation team led by the Shadow Queen set out at the start of the ninth week. It wasn’t publicly announced—Park Hyun-Woo just quietly let me know—but since they’d gathered support from various clans, it was practically an open secret among some clans.

There was nothing I could do in the meantime. I just hoped for her safe return and spent my days wrapping up the academy, which was nearing its end.

And so, two weeks passed.