Starting a Reversal in Life From the Time of Release

23 – Two Slaves (2)

What if they’re slaves?

It was better than continually suffering.

Rather than languishing in idleness and compromise, it was better to be a slave, living a lifetime of regrets.

Of course, it was only possible if the other party accepted, but the two women had no thought except achieving their goal by any means necessary.

Therefore, Nam Bora investigated how Yu Sihu knew the woman he was dating.

The result led them to find a profile from the NK Intelligence Agency.

It was the profile of Mary Elizabeth.

Seo Haneul and Lee Yeorum, the two women, each extracted profile information from the agency via email and drove to Seo Haneul’s mansion.

Seo Haneul drove her sedan, while Lee Yeorum rode a tuned motorcycle, an artifact.

As Seo Haneul returned home, she immediately turned on her computer in the room.

Seo Haneul waved her hand to open the internet mailbox while Lee Yeorum stood behind, gazing at the now illuminated monitor.

“Mary Elizabeth? The name and appearance seem foreign… but it says she’s from North Korea?”

There were people, albeit few, on the land known as the hermit kingdom.

Seo Haneul was aware of that much, but the idea of a foreigner residing in North Korea troubled her deeply.

“People held captive must have given birth, right? One or two missing people in North Korea?”

Lee Yeorum murmured as if it didn’t concern her much.

Seo Haneul, acknowledging the point, nodded, indicating that the appearance of Mary was more important than her background.

“The personality is not mentioned.”

“Where would you find someone who includes their personality in a resume? Even if they do, it would be mixed with lies.”

“That’s true, but since there’s no contact information, it’s difficult to call them separately.”

Seo Haneul felt disappointed that there was too little information that could be obtained from the profile.

Lee Haneul felt the same way.

If only there were contact information, it would have been perfect to call them separately.

It was strangely awkward to see Yu Sihu’s number listed as the guarantor.

“Well, then we have to confront them directly. What else can we do?”

As if in frustration, Lee Yeoreum wrinkled her forehead and muttered.

She had concluded that if she couldn’t find an answer, she would just do what she can’t see.

Seo Haneul nodded her head as if there was no other way.

“Ah!”

Once the conclusion came out that they should confront them, a bright light bulb popped into Seo Haneul’s mind.

Taking advantage of the situation where Nam Bora was in a bad mood, it was a natural way to approach.

This was thanks to thinking about Lee Yeoreum’s words.

“Why?”

Lee Yeoreum blinked her eyes sparkly and asked.

“Probably because of the person who is with Shiho, right?”

“What about it?”

“That’s why Nam Bora is angry.”

“Uh…probably? Because something got tangled up, so she got angry.”

“That’s right. So if we go and apologize on behalf of being teammates…it might not be perfect, but it will fit, right?”

“Huh?”

Lee Yeoreum’s eyes widened and she clapped her hands.

She was not saying it with her voice, but with her expression and gestures, she was saying that it was the right answer.

“Really? That’s great.”

“Yes, isn’t it?”

The two women laughed as if they didn’t care about being on the same team.

They simply thought that since they were the ones who made the mistake, they could only be humiliated.

“Then let’s go buy a gift first.”

“Gift? Whose gift… Ah.”

As Seoha-neul stood up from her computer desk, Iyeoreum nodded, understanding the situation.

She had thought about adding a reasonable gift to enhance the sincerity of the apology.

“A luxury item like jewelry would be safe… What do you think, Summer?”

When Seoha-neul asked Iyeoreum as they left the room, Iyeoreum replied, following her.

“For jewelry gifts, you need to know the size first. How are you planning to do that?”

“Well, you can buy an artifact that can be resized.”

“Artifact?”

Wow. Seoha-neul’s lips subtly twisted when she heard the surprised tone from Iyeoreum.

She found Iyeoreum, who looked surprised, quite amusing.

“You’re quite straightforward.”

“Even if it’s explicit… No, because it’s explicit, it will convey sincerity.”

“Then I’ll get one too.”

Iyeoreum spoke as if she had money to spend and it was a good opportunity.

Seoha-neul also thought about buying a high-end artifact since she had saved a lot of money.

A high-end artifact that cost at least the price of a house in Seoul.

“I’ll focus on mana efficiency. What about you?”

As they headed out the front door, Iyeoreum asked, wearing her shoes.

Seoha-neul parked her car in the back garage. Iyeoreum had her motorcycle waiting at the front gate.

Because of this, they couldn’t have a conversation for the time being.

That’s why they had decided to discuss the items they would purchase in advance.

It was possible to negotiate at the artifact market, but they were in a hurry.

“Well… should I look for weapons mainly? I saw in your profile that you’ve used a sword a bit.”

“Sounds good.”

Then let’s see in a little while.

With just that one word, Iyeoreum left the yard.

Her resolute stride was very confident, but the urgency in her demeanor was evident.

Seoha-neul watched her silently for a moment and then turned away.

She, too, planned to drive to the market as soon as possible.

.

“Hmm….”

“Why are you like that?”

As I sat in front of the desk contemplating, Mari quietly approached and asked.

So I lifted my gaze from the notebook I was dropping and answered while meeting Mari’s eyes.

“Oh… I was checking when the people I know will be released.”

“Prison… No, isn’t it called a detention center here? The people you met there?”

“Yes. But you don’t have to correct it to ‘detention center’. Many people just call it ‘slammer’.”

I answered that there was no need to correct the word choice and slowly stood up.

Then Mari embraced me as if she had been waiting.

It hadn’t been long since we started dating, but the time we spent getting to know each other felt quite long, enough to feel a sense of familiarity.

Of course, I felt the same way.

“Normally, I should hug a man… It’s strange to hug like this.”

“It’s not uncomfortable?”

“Not at all. I like that it’s different.”

Mari’s voice tickled my neck and sent shivers down my spine.

Of course, it didn’t make me feel bad or give me chills.

“By the way, let’s get a phone for you tomorrow. It’ll be convenient to contact each other.”

“I’m sorry. I’m causing you trouble again.”

“No need to apologize. It’s something I’d like to do.”

As Mari’s voice responded, as if it wasn’t a big deal or as if she had put my selfishness first, it became more comfortable.

It would be nice if she just made me comfortable, but thinking that she was pretending to be comfortable for my sake made me feel unbecoming.

Because if consideration is too deep, it can make someone passive at the end of being too mindful of others.

“Hmm?”

Uhhhhh. The ringing phone in my pocket ruined the pleasant atmosphere.

I felt disappointed, curious, and, on the other hand, thought it was obvious.

There weren’t many people to contact like this.

As expected.

After momentarily separating from Mari, I took out my phone and checked. There was a text message from Seo Haneul.

“Who is it?”

“It’s Seo Haneul… You know him, right?”

“Ah, him.”

Mary nodded as if she understood.

Because she had seen his face once before.

“Right. You mentioned yesterday that Nam Bora, the woman I saw, is also in the same unit, right?”

Mary asked, recalling their conversation from yesterday.

“Yes.”

“In comparison to Nam Bora, are they similar?”

“Not at all. They are completely different. They are a person who has manners. Leaving aside the sense of betrayal that I feel, they are also someone deserving of respect.”

“Is that so? Then it must be difficult to get along…yet they are in the same unit.”

“When we were on the same team, we got along quite well.”

“The more I hear, the more intriguing it gets.”

Mary’s eyes showed not sarcasm but genuine fascination.

It was indeed remarkable that they got along well with Nam Bora.

“But what did they say?”

“They asked if they could go home. They want to apologize to Nam Bora.”

“Oh…is that so?”

Mary asked with a half-gazed look, as if finding it intriguing.

It seemed like she suspected there were other intentions.

I also had the same thought.

“Do you think there may be some other reason?”

“Probably. However, it could also be true that they simply want to apologize. If Seohani has the kind of personality that suits them.”

“There is no doubt about their personality…and Seohani said they would come along this summer too.”

“Oh, this person, Seohani, is also in the same unit?”

“Yes.”

After briefly answering, I summarised the story of the two of them.

Since we were going to be in contact like this, Mary would eventually find out, so it seemed like there was nothing to lose now.

“Well…such things happened.”

After hearing the story, Mary nodded with a very stern expression.

“But…Shihu doesn’t speak ill of them, huh? People tend to bring down those who make them feel upset…but they seem very calm.”

“Maybe it’s because they’re a hunter. Being calm is necessary for a job that prolongs your life.”

The cheek burned hot, perhaps due to the awkward compliments.

“Right. Would it be okay for me to join you there? You’re here to meet Si-hoo, after all…”

“It’s fine.”

When I showed the message on my phone, Mari nodded as if she understood.

Because I knew how to read Hangul, I often read short messages.

I thought that with a little more time, I might be able to read and write characters comfortably, like a native speaker.

Even now, my reading speed was quite fast.

“That’s right. I was the one who fought with Nam Bora, so it makes sense for them to come and apologize to me.”

“Yes, that’s why it says Mari wants to apologize. Did you see it?”

“I saw it. But it seems like this Yi Yeoreum person has a surprisingly good personality, right? Si-hoo said she’s similar to Nam Bora.”

“Their personalities are somewhat alike. But she’s much milder than Nam Bora, quick to yield, and she listens to people well.”

In the end, she was much more refined than Nam Bora.

Mari seemed to understand the meaning and smiled, patting her chest.

“Well, that’s a relief. Even if you know the same words, it doesn’t necessarily mean you can communicate.”

Even if you understand the words, it doesn’t mean you can communicate.

It sounded like a mockery of Nam Bora, who had only made a lot of noise in my ears.

“Right, if they’re coming to apologize, we should at least offer them something. How about making some tea?”

“Um… that sounds good.”

Thinking that Mari’s suggestion made sense, I headed straight to the living room.

There wasn’t much to prepare, so I just planned to take out a couple of cups.

As I took out the cups and checked the green tea powder, a cheerful doorbell rang from the entrance.