Chapter 58: Fractured Smiles, Crimson Fate

A few moments later.

After talking for a long time, Ji-hye finally tried to lighten the atmosphere.

She cleared her throat before speaking.

“Ahem… well then, how about we go have dinner first? I know a famous restaurant near here.”

Hearing that offer, Seo Jin couldn’t possibly refuse.

Even though Seo Jin was known as a reckless and persistent journalist, she absolutely could not reject an invitation when it involved food. Eating was her greatest weakness—no, her greatest love.

“Of course!”

Seo Jin answered with overflowing enthusiasm.

Her eyes sparkled as if all the tension from earlier had completely vanished.

The two of them stood up from their seats.

But just as they were about to leave…

The office door suddenly opened.

Someone entered.

It was the new secretary.

Kyung-Mi.

An A-rank hero with spirit-based powers. She had light brown hair tied neatly behind her head, and wore her signature round glasses. In her hands, she held a stack of documents.

The moment Kyung-Mi stepped inside, her eyes widened.

“Good heavens! Miss Lightnova! What did you do to your desk!?”

She stared at the shattered table in disbelief.

Seeing Kyung-Mi’s shocked and furious expression, Ji-hye immediately broke into a cold sweat.

“U-uhm… the desk broke when I leaned my hand on it…”

Kyung-Mi’s eyebrow twitched.

She clearly didn’t believe a single word.

“Even an idiot wouldn’t believe that excuse, Miss Lightnova! This is already the twelfth desk you’ve destroyed!”

Seo Jin stood there awkwardly, frozen in place, smiling nervously as she watched the scene unfold.

A few moments later.

Ji-hye was kneeling in front of Kyung-Mi.

Both of her hands were raised above her head, clenched into fists in a classic punishment pose.

Kyung-Mi stood with her arms crossed, looking extremely annoyed.

Then she glanced at Seo Jin.

And pointed at her.

“You! You kneel too!”

Seo Jin blinked.

“H-huh? Why me too—”

Before she could finish, Kyung-Mi shouted.

“You’re also involved because you made Miss Lightnova angry!”

Seo Jin tried to argue.

She really did.

But in the end…

She ended up kneeling right beside Ji-hye, mimicking the exact same pose.

“So,” Kyung-Mi said coldly, adjusting her glasses,

“How are you two going to take responsibility for this? This is the twelfth desk already.”

“I’m sorry… I just got carried away,” Ji-hye said quietly.

Kyung-Mi sighed deeply and rubbed her forehead.

“Huh… I know you get emotional easily, but you need to control yourself. You know our Korean branch is short on funds, right? Do you want your salary to be cut even more because of this?”

Ji-hye pouted.

Her voice became small and pitiful.

“No… my salary is already low enough… and now you want to reduce it again…”

Kyung-Mi stared at her.

“You know that, and yet you keep doing this…”

Then she turned toward Seo Jin.

“You. Since you’re also involved for provoking Miss Lightnova, you’ll pay for the desk this time.”

Seo Jin’s face froze.

“…What?”

Kyung-Mi spoke calmly.

“The total cost of that desk is 900,000 won.”

Seo Jin’s heartbeat literally stopped for a second.

Then resumed violently.

“N-nine hundred thousand won!? Why is a desk that expensive!?”

She felt like she had just been robbed in broad daylight.

900,000 won.

That was basically her entire savings.

Eight years of being a journalist.

Gone.

Seo Jin looked like she was about to cry.

“P-please stop, Kyung-Mi… you can’t extort a journalist like this…”

Kyung-Mi glanced at Ji-hye.

“Then do you want to pay for it instead?”

Ji-hye went silent.

Her face turned pale.

Her current salary was only around 300,000 won per year, and her bank account barely had anything left. She absolutely couldn’t afford it.

Kyung-Mi smirked.

“Relax. I have a better solution for both of you. You two can split the payment.”

Hearing that, Ji-hye and Seo Jin screamed at the same time.

“THAT’S NOT A SOLUTION AT ALL!!”

*Somewhere in a Dark Cave*

The cave was only illuminated by a few burning torches.

At the very end of the cave stood a throne made of hardened earth and dark stone.

A woman sat on that throne with her legs crossed.

Her head rested on her right hand.

It was Helena.

Her golden hair glowed faintly, almost identical to Lightnova’s. But unlike Lightnova, her pupils were blood-red, shining like burning rubies in the darkness.

In front of her, five figures were kneeling, trembling as they bowed deeply.

Helena finally spoke.

“Why did you ignore my orders?”

All five of them shook in fear.

One of the men raised his head slightly, his voice trembling.

“F-forgive us, Your Grace… we only wanted your enemy to stop following your trail…”

Helena’s expression darkened.

Slowly, she lifted the fingers of her left hand.

A dark power wrapped in a crimson aura appeared, forming the shape of a massive hand made of shadows.

That shadow hand grabbed the man by the throat.

Lifting him into the air.

“Enemy?” Helena said softly.

“Since when is Indigo my enemy?”

The man gasped, struggling to breathe.

Helena stood up from her throne and walked toward him step by step.

“Indigo is not my enemy,” she said calmly.

“He is my savior… my beloved… and you dare call him my enemy?”

The man choked.

“F-forgive me… Your Grace…”

Helena raised her other hand.

Dark energy erupted again.

Instantly, the remaining four were also grabbed by invisible shadow hands, their necks being crushed.

They all screamed in pain.

Helena smiled.

A gentle smile.

But filled with madness.

“Indigo is the one destined to help me… to save me… to help me cover this world in darkness…”

She spread both her arms slowly.

The five of them felt unbearable pain.

“BUT!!”

Helena suddenly screamed.

Her voice echoed violently through the cave.

“HE CHOSE TO HELP THAT BASTARD INSTEAD OF ME!? DOES HE HAVE ANY IDEA HOW HARD IT WAS FOR ME TO CLAIM HIM AS MINE!?”

Her scream was so loud that the cave walls trembled.

With a violent motion, all five of them were thrown against the cave wall.

Their bodies slammed hard, bones cracking.

They collapsed to the ground, barely conscious.

Helena stood still, breathing heavily.

Her red eyes glowed brighter.

“I will make you realize it… I will make you remember your destiny… You will never stop loving me!”

She laughed.

A wide, beautiful, horrifying smile.

Then she turned her gaze toward the darkness deeper inside the cave.

“Flinch… it’s time for you to act.”

From the shadows, a single red eye opened.

A male voice echoed.

“As you wish… Your Grace…”

The red eye vanished.

Only the sound of footsteps fading into the darkness remained.

And somewhere far away…

Indigo felt a strange chill run down his spine.

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