Between Two R – Ranks

I pinched the back of Baek Hee-do’s hand as he claimed we were “intimate” and rested his palm on my thigh beneath the table, but he didn’t budge. If anything, he only gripped my knee tighter.

“What kind of relationship? Why don’t you explain it, Han-sol?”

“What kind of relationship do you think? The kind where we’ve done everything a germaphobe like you wouldn’t dream of doing in a lifetime.”

“…”

“…”

I was speechless, stunned to learn that Yoo Se-rim was a germaphobe, while Yoo Se-rim seemed silenced by the sheer audacity of Baek Hee-do’s claim.

But Baek Hee-do didn’t stop there; he drove the stake in deep.

“Think long and hard about why we’re eating together at a hotel at this hour, Se-rim.”

At those words, Yoo Se-rim’s expression contorted more violently than I had ever seen. With a look of pure disgust, he flicked his gaze between me and Baek Hee-do before abruptly standing up.

I wanted to blurt out an excuse right then, but seeing Yoo Se-rim’s crumpled pride sparked a secret, tiny sense of gratification deep in my heart. So, I didn’t call out to him as he turned away with a coldness that could freeze the air. I had no idea back then where this misunderstanding would eventually lead me.

Once I confirmed Yoo Se-rim had left the restaurant, I snapped at Baek Hee-do.

“…Take your hand off my leg now.”

“Keke… Hey, wasn’t Yoo Se-rim’s face a masterpiece?”

Baek Hee-do smoothly withdrew his hand. I let out a heavy sigh, fighting the urge to smack him. Pretending to be gay with Baek Hee-do just to see Yoo Se-rim get worked up… I must be losing my mind.

“What if I get kicked out of the party now?”

I grumbled, but Baek Hee-do just smirked at me.

“You really are slow, aren’t you?”

“What?”

“Yoo Se-rim can’t kick you out.”

“Why not?”

“The fact that you don’t know why is exactly why you’re slow.”

Baek Hee-do muttered some cryptic nonsense and gave my back a heavy pat. I glared at him, but since he got up to settle the bill for dinner, I forced myself to stay quiet.

[Han-sol-yoi! I’ve been waiting-yoi!]

“Han-sol!”

I returned to “the other side” after my two-week vacation to the warm welcome of my party members—though that really just meant Ahn Hwa-young and Seong Kyu-rim.

During the break, I had stayed at the hotel where Baek Hee-do lived long-term. “The other side” had uncomfortable beds and low-quality linens, whereas the hotel on “this side” was the pinnacle of comfort.

Baek Hee-do didn’t seem to mind me using his suite, so I enjoyed a full “hocance” (hotel-vacance) before returning for duty. And surprisingly, just as Baek Hee-do had bet, I was still a member of Yoo Se-rim’s party.

“…”

Of course, Yoo Se-rim’s attitude was frigid.

Once the group gathered, he briefly explained the route to the dungeon and began walking ahead without another word.

Ping—!

Even when Ping sat on top of Yoo Se-rim’s head and rubbed against him, the man remained stoic.

‘The kind where we’ve done everything a germaphobe like you wouldn’t dream of doing…’

Recalling Baek Hee-do’s words, I looked at Yoo Se-rim’s hands. The sight of him wearing those thin, veil-like gloves caught my eye more than usual today.

‘Does he really hate touching bare skin that much…?’

Just then, Yoo Se-rim glanced back and our eyes met. Unlike my expectation that he’d look away immediately, he stared at me intently. I felt a flicker of discomfort and something strange in his gaze.

‘You really are slow.’ ‘Yoo Se-rim can’t kick you out.’

Baek Hee-do’s words echoed in my mind again. For some reason, my heart began to pound. I tried to calm myself with deep breaths, but unfortunately, it didn’t help much. Yoo Se-rim, who had been watching me the whole time, finally looked forward and continued walking once I averted my eyes.

Ding, drrr-ing, ding.

Suddenly, the beautiful melody of a harp began to drift through the air. These were the monsters guarding the entrance to the dungeon, [The Queen’s Baptism].

The monsters here were all golden statues that played music designed to bewitch humans. I had secretly come prepared with earplugs, but even so, my head throbbed. If it weren’t for the bracelet, I would have been in serious trouble.

“[Invisible Pain]!”

I aimed my curse at a single string on a golden statue’s harp. As the string snapped, the headache-inducing music dulled significantly.

[This is not something I can eat-yoi…]

Ahn Hwa-young’s summon spat out a golden statue it had mangled like a piece of chewed gum. Regardless, it was neutralized, making it a successful attack.

“Haap! [Wall of Fire]!”

Seong Kyu-rim followed up by summoning a wall of flames, sizzle-melting the golden statues.

Clang! Clang!

Meanwhile, Kim Jae-ho used his sharp axe to decapitate the statues or sever their hands to stop the performance.

Yoo Se-rim displayed overwhelming destructive power, coiling his whip around the statues to shatter them completely before moving to the next.

“Good work, everyone. Now, we enter the dungeon.”

Once the entrance was cleared, Yoo Se-rim spoke. I took a deep breath and stepped inside.

As expected, the interior was filled with an astronomical amount of jewels. The air was thick with the sound of falling gold coins—sounding almost like giggling—and the roar of rising mountains of gems.

Exquisite ornaments that were hard to look away from caught the eye everywhere: crowns fit for kings, dresses made entirely of diamonds, and cute dolls with rubies for eyes.

“Whoa…”

Pyo Yu-jeong looked at the treasures with a dreamlike expression. To be honest, my expression probably wasn’t much different, just slightly more restrained. Even though this was my second time here, the magical allure tugged at my senses from every corner.

Yoo Se-rim, walking at the front, cautioned us. “If you touch the jewels, you will turn into a golden statue, so be careful. Also, golden statues are hidden throughout, waiting to ambush us. Do not break formation.”

Pyo Yu-jeong immediately snapped out of her daze and cast a shield over the party.

However, being lower ranked than her and having a naturally weak resistance to mental magic, I was half a beat slow to react. It felt as if my body wasn’t quite mine. A dazed, hazy sensation that willpower alone couldn’t fight began to settle in.

Then, among a pile of gems, I spotted a tiara decorated with beautiful amethysts. Those purple jewels looked just like…

‘This is dangerous…’

Prepared for this, I twisted the gem on the ring I was wearing to the right. As blood began to well up and a sharp sting followed, I started to regain my senses. However, the blood filled up quickly; knowing that storing too much would cause dizziness from anemia, I had to twist the gem back to the left to lock it.

Immediately, the tiara began to shimmer in my vision again. I forced my head down, staggering slightly.

“[Invisible Pain]! Ugh…”

In desperation, I cast a curse on myself. The sharp pain, as if my palm were being split open, cleared the fog from my mind and sharpened my vision.

Kim Jae-ho, smelling the blood, looked back.

“Are you struggling?”

“…I’m fine.”

Kim Jae-ho frowned deeply when he saw the palm I was clutching. He immediately called out.

“Yoo Se-rim!”

Yoo Se-rim, who had been leading the way, turned back and approached me. I didn’t want his attention for something like this, but I knew the situation didn’t allow for pride. Seeing my torn palm, Yoo Se-rim sighed and pulled a potion from his robe, pouring it over the wound.

“…I’m sorry.”

“…”

Yoo Se-rim said nothing in response to my reluctant apology. However, he suddenly held out a round necklace.

“This is…”

“It’s a necklace that increases magic resistance. You haven’t been able to take your eyes off that tiara for a while now.”

“…!”

I recoiled half a step as if burned. Yoo Se-rim pursed his lips as if he had more to say. I spoke up hurriedly.

“I was just…”

“…Just?”

But I soon realized that making excuses would be even more foolish, so I chose to stay silent.

“…Never mind. Thank you.”

I snatched the necklace and put it around my neck. It was a long necklace with a pearl-like gem, fortunately long enough that I could put it on by myself without help.

[Pearl Necklace of Purification]

• Skill 1: Concentration (Increases resistance against bewitchment magic by 20% / Passive)

The necklace had the exact same option as the bracelet Baek Hee-do had given me. Feeling the muddled sensation in my head finally vanish, I had no choice but to bow my head to Yoo Se-rim in thanks.