The Gilded Leash and the Edge of Purgatory

[Pair-yoi? What’s a pair-yoi?]

“A pair!?”

“A pair… No, that’s impossible!”

“….”

I wanted to flee the spot immediately, but Yu Sae-rim gripped my arm tight as if reading my mind. Then, with a smile, he spoke.

“Yes. So, from now on, Hansol-si will have to carry out party duties by my side.”

The first one to snap out of it was Seong Gyu-rim.

“Congratulations…!”

“….”

[Congratulations-yoi! I don’t know what it is, but congrats-yoi!]

“…How curious.”

Amidst the unwanted shower of congratulations, I locked eyes with Pyo Yu-jung, whose face looked as though a single tap would send a flood of tears spilling out.

“H-how… did you become a pair?”

At the faint tremor in Pyo Yu-jung’s voice, Seong Gyu-rim shut her mouth with an ‘oops’ expression, and I bit my lip, averting my gaze.

Only Yu Sae-rim remained composed. There was no way he didn’t know how Pyo Yu-jung felt about him, yet he spoke with utter nonchalance.

“I requested the pairing, and Hansol-si accepted.”

‘…By force, that is.’

I shuddered at his manipulative phrasing, my fists clenched tight, but it seemed the other party members didn’t notice. Kim Jae-ho stared at Yu Sae-rim and me with a look of disapproval, but he showed no intention of stepping in.

“But, but… Sae-rim-nim! I…!”

Pyo Yu-jung finally burst into tears. The resentment and sorrow in her eyes were directed not at me, but at Yu Sae-rim.

Yet, Yu Sae-rim remained indifferent.

“Do you have something to say to me?”

“….”

At those words, Pyo Yu-jung stared at him with a look of pure shock, and the expressions of the other party members darkened.

Pyo Yu-jung had been very clear about her feelings for Yu Sae-rim until now. For him to suddenly announce a pair with me made her—and everyone else—feel incredibly uncomfortable.

‘You piece of trash.’

I cursed Yu Sae-rim inwardly, lamenting my own situation for becoming trash right along with him. Over the last two weeks, Yu Sae-rim had thoroughly taught me exactly what he was capable of whenever I rebelled. I was currently in a state where I couldn’t react at all due to learned pain.

It was humiliating, and at the same time, I felt frustrated with myself. The situation of being introduced to others as Yu Sae-rim’s pair was equally horrific.

“N-no…”

When Pyo Yu-jung’s face went blank before darkening rapidly as she squeezed out an answer, I instinctively wanted to step forward and explain.

However…

“Ugh…!”

At that exact moment, Yu Sae-rim pressed down hard on the pair-mark he had left on my neck.

It was the spot he had been biting all of last night; a moan nearly tore from my throat instantly. I barely managed to steady myself and pushed his arm away as hard as I could. Only then did he let go of my forearm.

“….”

Pyo Yu-jung watched me with a vacant expression. Her face distorted briefly when she looked at me before returning to a dull mask.

I watched blankly as she wiped a stray tear with her sleeve and took a spot far away from Yu Sae-rim.

Yu Sae-rim lowered his voice and spoke to me.

“Where are you looking?”

“….”

“Focus on me when you’re with me, Hansol-si.”

‘f*ck off.’

Thinking that to myself, I didn’t answer and was forced to move closer to his side. Yu Sae-rim seemed satisfied just by the fact that I drew near and didn’t harass me further.

Splat—!

The battle began as we moved into the dungeon. I didn’t want it, but because my experience was shared with Yu Sae-rim, I grew at a rapid pace.

[Player: Hansol] Level: 80 Job: Debuffer Rank: C Skills:

• Heavy Footsteps (Power 30/31)

• Darkened Pupils (Power 30/31)

• Overlaid Skin (Power 30/31)

• ? (Power 1/20)

Even the maximum capacity of my skills—excluding the question mark—increased by one. Noticing that my movements had become slightly faster, Yu Sae-rim turned to me with a smile.

“Hasn’t your level gone up quite a bit?”

“….”

Frowning because I felt like he was fishing for thanks for carrying me, I watched as Yu Sae-rim snapped the necks of two monsters effortlessly before approaching me. The nonsense he spouted next was truly a sight to behold.

“I didn’t hear you. What did you say?”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“Please make sure to answer from now on.”

“….”

“I want to hear your voice.”

Since he didn’t bother lowering his voice, the entire party likely heard him.

“…Fine.”

I answered through gritted teeth, and Yu Sae-rim curled his lips upward again, seemingly pleased with the reaction.

‘Is this a party or his personal dating ground?’

Scoffing inwardly, I spammed curses at the surrounding area to keep Yu Sae-rim from getting close.

But even those efforts were futile. Any monster that approached me was intercepted and slaughtered by Yu Sae-rim first. Throughout the entire dungeon run, he focused solely on me, whispering useless drivel.

He even started trying to control how I used my skills.

“Stop using the Ring of Curses. You look like you’re getting anemic.”

I retorted with a cold face.

“I won’t get anemia from just this.”

At that, Yu Sae-rim spoke slowly with a loathsome expression.

“I’m worried because your complexion has turned pale.”

“I told you I’m fine.”

“Are you going to keep being stubborn?”

“….”

‘Son of a b*tch!’

I had learned that when the word ‘stubborn’ came out of his mouth, it meant his mood was souring.

“….”

Humiliation surged, but I couldn’t bring myself to speak further. Don’t cross him. If I did, there was no telling what he would do to me once the dungeon raid was over.

As I fell silent out of fear and indignity, Yu Sae-rim stroked my hair as if handling a pet. My rage began to pile up, layer by layer.

My suspicion that he intended to carry me around like an accessory was, unfortunately, spot on. From that moment, I could do nothing but stare at Yu Sae-rim’s heels.

‘When will this bastard get bored of me?’

When would I be able to stop seeing this man trying to bind my hands and feet? How could I kill Yu Sae-rim?

Lost in those thoughts, I followed him along a precarious cliff path.

Crumble—

Magma flowed beneath the path we walked, and above us, the ‘Judges’—subordinates of Ramon—swung long, massive scythes.

Naturally, in a place with no room to maneuver and limited mobility, we had to move while maintaining a defensive stance. In other words, Pyo Yu-jung’s skill to grant shields to party members was vital.

However, Pyo Yu-jung did not grant me a single shield. Seeing her dead eyes, I couldn’t bring myself to pester her about why she wasn’t shielding me, so I simply moved with extreme caution. A shitty party is a shitty party, but surviving is a different matter entirely.

And to be honest, I didn’t really need a shield. Yu Sae-rim killed every Judge that came near me. So, I moved slowly, only looking out for the occasional splashes of magma.

But then it happened.

“Kyaaaah!”

Suddenly, a scream erupted from Pyo Yu-jung behind me.

Seeing her being attacked by a Judge and falling toward the abyss, I instinctively threw myself forward and grabbed her hand.

“…!”

Pyo Yu-jung’s eyes widened in shock. And, as expected, Yu Sae-rim’s whip was already wrapped around my waist.

It seemed even Yu Sae-rim was caught off guard; he couldn’t control his strength properly. The moment the whip tightened, an agonizing pain followed, as if at least two of my ribs had snapped.

Despite that… I didn’t let go of Pyo Yu-jung’s hand. She looked at me, crying.

“Why… Why is it you!”

“Ugh… You, watch your feet. Hurry up and put a shield on your legs!”

I didn’t have the luxury to respond to her sentimental outbursts. I only knew that in this dungeon, [Ramon’s Purgatory], she was destined to lose her legs and be abandoned by Yu Sae-rim. That was why I shouted at her to shield them.

Pyo Yu-jung seemed repulsed by my words at first, but her expression soon shifted to one of pure terror as she saw the Judges wielding massive scythes below.