Yato’s expression twisted, contorting into something almost demonic. She was beyond disbelief—rage was boiling up inside her.
There was a limit to how ignorant one could be of their place.
She had been trying to sweep everything under the rug, only for it to be undone in an instant.
With just one careless mouthful of words.
‘Now that Xiao Yun has shown this much interest, there’s no turning back…’
Unlike Yato, who stood in stunned despair, Xiao Yun burst into loud laughter. He laughed so hard that he let out strangled gasps, tears welling in his eyes like a person driven to hysteria.
“…Hahahaha! Puhahaha! This is truly hilarious. Taeseong, what are we going to do?”
Everyone else remained silent, as if they had taken a vow of silence.
Only Xiao Yun continued to laugh loudly.
“Isn’t anyone else finding this funny? Is it just me?”
At that, the others forced out awkward laughter, like new employees humoring their bald manager’s terrible dad jokes.
“Hahaha! Hahahaha!”
“Haha… haha…”
“Hahaha! Hahahahahaha!”
Looking closely, Ito was genuinely laughing. That is, until Yato shot him a murderous glare, at which point he hurriedly covered his mouth.
Just then, the duelists who had finished receiving treatment entered the room.
“Deputy Manager! We’re back! The healing staff at the Japan branch are really kind—”
Oh Haeyoung, as lively as ever, cluelessly asked,
“Is something funny going on?”
Miyuki, who had already spotted Xiao Yun, quickly whispered to Haeyoung. The two had grown considerably close, perhaps forming a bond through their earlier fight.
“Haeyoung, it’s best if you stop talking now.”
“Ah… okay!”
The relatively quick-witted Gi-jun and Hitoshi scanned the situation. They didn’t need to look far—the expressions on their respective team leaders’ faces gave them all the answers they needed.
‘The captain must’ve gotten into trouble again.’
‘The vice leader must’ve caused trouble again.’
Xiao Yun, who had been clutching his stomach in exaggerated laughter, finally calmed himself and spoke.
“Team Leader Yato.”
“Yes, Xiao Yun.”
“You’re still refusing?”
“Taeseong is still a Delta-rank—”
Before she could finish, Xiao Yun interrupted, his snake-like eyes narrowing to slits. It was impossible to tell whether they were open or closed.
“Is rank really that important? I was still an Epsilon-rank when I took off a Gamma-rank administrator’s head.”
“……”
Yato silently screamed inside.
‘You crazy monster, that was before you even got ranked.’
Taking a deep breath, she continued carefully,
“That incident was certainly… memorable. But I doubt headquarters saw it in a positive light.”
“What, you think they’d make a fuss over a little duel? What’s wrong with a senior administrator teaching a junior administrator a lesson? Don’t worry, if anything happens, I’ll take full responsibility.”
Where did everything go so wrong?
Of course, after everything that had happened, it was true that Yato held some resentment toward Taeseong as an administrator.
But that was a personal feeling, nothing more.
After returning to headquarters and reviewing the events involving Taeseong, she had taken the time to reflect on her own attitude.
She hadn’t realized it in the heat of the moment, but with a clear mind, she could now see things more objectively.
Taeseong’s provocations had indeed crossed the line, but she had reacted too emotionally as well.
‘I’m not Ito, for god’s sake…’
As someone responsible for keeping Ito in check, she had ended up being the one who lost control. The thought embarrassed her.
At the end of the day, Taeseong was a fellow administrator, dispatched from another country to assist them.
For the sake of efficiency in the upcoming missions, maintaining a good relationship with everyone was the ideal approach.
But still…
‘Why does this damned bastard keep digging his own grave? What the hell is he relying on?’
With Xiao Yun pushing this hard, there was no way Yato could cover for him any longer.
“If he’s this confident, he must have a reason. Isn’t that right, Taeseong?”
Taeseong nodded without hesitation.
“That’s right.”
Watching this unfold, Lee Eunha could only let out a hollow chuckle, having already resigned herself to whatever was coming.
‘What am I supposed to do with this reckless brat?’
Xiao Yun smirked.
“The Japan branch has some pretty reputable administrators. You’re not just going to take this kind of disrespect lying down, are you?”
In the end, Yato surrendered.
“…Fine. Let’s do this.”
She had done her best.
She had given him plenty of chances.
Taeseong had been the one to dig his own grave.
At this point, all her logical reasoning had been thrown out the window—she just wanted to beat this reckless bastard until the words “please spare me” came out of his mouth.
Taeseong turned to Ito.
“You haven’t forgotten our bet, have you?”
Both Yato and Xiao Yun asked at the same time.
“A bet? Ito, what the hell did you do this time…?”
“Did you two make some fun wager?”
Ito grinned brightly and replied,
“Of course not! I remember it clearly! The loser becomes the winner’s subordinate!”
Xiao Yun chuckled.
“A subordinate? Pfft! Sounds good. You two better keep your promise, my friends.”
Standing up, Taeseong walked toward the exit.
He turned back and spoke to Lee Eunha.
“Deputy Manager, you remember my request?”
“…It’s almost done. It’ll be ready before the match starts.”
“Thank you.”
With a nod, Taeseong left the room.
Taeseong, who had entered the training hall, began warming up slowly.
He had analyzed the terrain by watching the previous matches, but seeing it in person was different.
A habit engraved in his body.
One never knows when, where, or how a battle might unfold.
For that reason, he always memorized the geography and objects around him as if drawing a map in his mind.
‘I almost messed things up.’
His duel with Ito was a crucial part of his plan.
It wasn’t that he was a battle-crazed maniac doing this for fun.
Of course, to others, he might seem like nothing more than a lunatic.
‘Lee Sooah. My sister.’
The moment he arrived at the Japan branch, Taeseong realized that his position was even weaker than expected.
A Delta-grade administrator from another country had no influence here.
He knew that a Korean administrator named Go Young hee had been dispatched here before him, but judging by how they were being treated, he assumed her situation wasn’t much different.
The only blood relative he had left.
He had come to Japan solely to find her. And to do that, he needed the help of the administrators here.
If he could gain control over at least a Gamma-grade administrator, finding his sister, Lee Sooah, would no longer be difficult.
—Marriage? No way! Oppa, you’re going to marry me! Right?
—Oppa! Where are you going? Off to protect the country again? You’re lying! Again! You promised to play with me today!
Her face still wouldn’t come to him clearly.
Only the faint image of a girl playfully laughing would briefly flicker through his mind.
‘I was smiling too, huh.’
For some reason, the one thing he could recall vividly was himself smiling.
Lost in thought, time passed, and before he knew it, Yato and Ito entered the training hall.
“Do you need time to prepare?”
Yato, having neatly folded her black coat and set it aside, spoke with an air of disdain.
“I just can’t understand it. Where does your confidence come from? Do you seriously think you can take on two Gamma-grade administrators at once?”
“Of course. It’s possible.”
“You crazy bastard. There are plenty of people who lose their minds in this job, but you’re the most idiotically insane of them all. I was willing to let this slide for the sake of your team leader’s efforts. But no more. I won’t hold back. Today, I’ll grind your arrogant nose into the dirt and make you beg for mercy.”
“For the first time, we see eye to eye.”
“……”
Yato was left speechless.
Watching from the side, Ito realized that his sister was truly furious.
“Hey, Joseon bastard. You’re in big trouble.”
“Why the hell can’t you understand words, you dumbass? It’s not Joseon, it’s the Republic of Korea. How many times do I have to say it for you to get it through your thick skull?”
Normally, it was Yato who kept Ito in check, but when truly enraged, she was even more hot-tempered than he was.
Inside the room, observing through the glass wall, the group watched in silence until curiosity got the better of Oh Haeyoung.
“Deputy Lee Eunha, why does that administrator, Ito, keep calling Taeseong a ‘Joseon person’?”
“……”
Naturally, the question was directed at Eunha, as she was the smartest person they knew.
But, of course, she had no way of knowing the answer.
Instead, it was Xiao Yun who responded.
“I can tell you that.”
“Oh, thank you! But… who are you?”
“I’m Xiao Yun.”
Being polite, Haeyoung bowed slightly.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Oh Haeyoung.”
“You’re a polite one.”
“Thank you.”
“So, you were wondering why Ito keeps calling Korea ‘Joseon’?”
“Yes!”
“That’s because he’s from that era.”
“Huh?”
The Japanese administrators showed no reaction—they already knew.
Xiao Yun smirked playfully, like an uncle about to spin a tale for his young nieces and nephews.
“Hmm… where should I start?”
Eyes shining with curiosity, Haeyoung urged him eagerly.
“I’m dying to know. Please tell me quickly!”
“What’s your rank again?”
“I’m Epsilon! Haha!”
“Epsilon… Then what rank do you think I am?”
Haeyoung’s gaze scanned Xiao Yun’s entire figure before she made her judgment.
“Hmm… I’d say Gamma-grade!”
The Japanese administrators, already aware of his rank, instantly turned pale.
Rumors abounded that Xiao Yun had once ripped off the head of an administrator who had offended him.
Xiao Yun reached out toward Haeyoung’s head.
Alarmed, Eunha tried to intervene, but of course, she was far too slow.
“You remind me of my little sister.”
Xiao Yun didn’t tear Haeyoung’s head off.
Instead, he simply patted it gently.
“Hehe. Your hand is warm.”
“Really? That’s the first time I’ve heard that. Oh, right—I forgot to tell you my rank. I’m Beta-grade.”
“Oh, I see. Beta-grade…”
Enjoying the head pats like a golden retriever basking in affection, Haeyoung’s face slowly turned pale.
Then, with wide, rabbit-like eyes, she stared at Xiao Yun.
“Be… Beta…?”
Xiao Yun simply smiled and nodded.
“You’re really… a Beta-grade?”
“Yep.”
Silence fell.
【B-Grade Entity Management Report】
No. 0124.
Entity Name: Xiao Yun.
Grade: Beta.
Threat Level: ■■
Information:
Data Removed.
[Observation Record #023]
This document is accessible only to personnel with ■■ clearance or higher.
[Observation Record #052]
This document is accessible only to personnel with ■■ clearance or higher.
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