Chapter 9

〈 Chapter 9 〉 1. Ash Ronmore (8)

* * *

"Then I'll be off this way. Thanks again for the information."

With the information received, all his business here was done. Leira, who had been sitting with her legs crossed in a rather arrogant manner, made eye contact with the man looking at her and then stood up.

Why isn't he getting angry at such an attitude? Is it because of the information he provided? Or is it because of the name 'Ash Ronmore'?

"You should consider yourself lucky. If you were a bit uglier, you wouldn't have made it back on foot."

"Hehe, yeah. Thanks for that too."

Leira, who was about to turn and leave, burst into laughter at Ash's words thrown over her shoulder.

His overtly flirty tone. Whether he was flirting with her or being sincere, his attitude was more amusing.

She had expected a more serious meeting, but it felt completely different from what she had anticipated.

Clack, clack.

For a moment, the sound of Leira's heels and Velay's heavy boots echoed in the quiet office, then suddenly stopped.

Leira, who had been walking, stopped in front of the door.

Seemingly about to leave, she grabbed the doorknob and asked:

"Hey, you don't take jobs from gangs, right?"

"...If I like the job, I'll take it whether it's from a gang or a death row inmate. If you have something in mind, why don't you give it a shot?"

"Huh, okay."

She received a grumpy response. Despite his tone, he subtly showed goodwill, and Leira found the notorious fixer somewhat endearing, letting out a small laugh.

Thus, the vampire boss, Leira Floris, and her confidant, Velay Forton, left the Ronmore Fixer Office.

*

"How was it?"

"Yeah, he's different from the rumors, quite interesting."

"I've met him twice, but I still don't know what kind of person he is."

"You can't know everything about someone just from a few meetings."

"...That's true."

"Alright. Since we have some free time now, let's think about the fixer later and focus on the 'Beyron' guys for now."

"Yes."

* * *

A few days passed after the meeting between Ash and the 'vampire' master and servant.

Finally, the day of the job arrived. Ash was heading to 'Flower of the Moon,' but unlike a few days ago, his stomach was completely turned upside down.

After receiving the job from Madame Han Se-yeon, Ash had been preparing for the execution day when he received a call from the 63rd District Police Station a few hours earlier.

The caller already knew that the phone's owner was Ash, even though Ash had no official identity and the phone was registered under a pseudonym.

But that wasn't the real issue.

Ash heard a ridiculous story from a man who claimed to be the head of the police special response team, asking for his cooperation in a raid scheduled for today.

In other words, the authorities were going to join his job.

Hearing this, Ash, filled with anger, headed straight to 'Flower of the Moon.'

The job fee hadn't decreased, and the police weren't hostile to him, but deciding such a thing without consulting him was a clear sign of disrespect.

Even if she had known him for a long time, this was clearly over the line.

* * *

"Ah, welcome…."

The door opened, and the woman at the counter greeted Ash but stopped mid-sentence. Ash's demeanor was not normal.

Unlike his usual visits, a knife was hanging from his waist, and he was emitting a sharp, intense aura, which was enough to make her flinch.

Though Ash recognized her, he lacked his usual playful demeanor.

"Where's the Madame?"

"Y-Yes, the Madame is on the 8th floor, handling business…."

Before she could finish, Ash started walking. He climbed the stairs instead of taking the elevator, ignoring the greetings from familiar women he met along the way.

Being exceptionally fast, it didn't take long for Ash to reach the 8th floor.

"Welcome, Mr. Ash. You're early today…."

Passing the guard who greeted him to prevent unauthorized access, Ash headed to the room at the far end of the 8th floor.

Another guard was stationed to protect the room where the Madame was, but Ash ignored him and burst into the room.

* * *

"Wh-Why are you doing this suddenly…!"

The guard's flustered voice echoed as the scene inside the room was revealed.

Madame Han Se-yeon, as always, was sitting at her desk, wearing traditional Eastern attire and handling business. She didn't seem surprised by the sudden intrusion or the roughly opened door.

When the door opened, she lifted her eyes from the documents and calmly instructed the guard who was about to stop Ash.

"It's fine. You can return to your original position."

"But…."

"It's fine, I said."

The guard, who was considering whether to leave, was just an employee and had to follow his employer's orders.

The door closed, leaving Ash and Han Se-yeon alone in the room.

The room felt cold and tense.

A chill, like standing on a sharp blade, filled the air.

They stared at each other in silence for a moment. Then Ash's voice echoed in the quiet room.

"You know why I'm here, Madame."

"Yes, I apologize for not informing you earlier."

"Apologize? Is that it?"

Ash, who usually showed at least some respect to Han Se-yeon, was not in that mood today.

Han Se-yeon, who knew Ash well, understood that his fiery temper wouldn't be calmed by a mere apology.

She explained her situation calmly, hoping to calm Ash down.

"It was also an unwanted interference for us."

The day after Han Se-yeon assigned the job to Ash, she received a call from the police. They had traced a large sum of money to an account that was clearly a pseudonym, which was linked to her.

It was common for the city government to monitor the accounts of certain key figures.

To avoid this, one had to use a pseudonym. Despite her clean record, Han Se-yeon's account was easily discovered, and she had to reveal Ash's job to a high-ranking police official.

Upon hearing the job details, the official, blinded by the potential public benefit, threatened and coerced her, leaving her no choice but to comply.

Ash laughed bitterly after hearing her story.

"Ha, you expect me to believe that?"

Han Se-yeon, who had maintained her business even when 63rd District was under 'Omar's Hammer,' was known for her resourcefulness. The idea that she would bow to the authorities, who couldn't directly threaten her life, was as absurd as a fish drowning in water.

"Even if it's hard to believe, that's the whole truth."

Han Se-yeon, understanding Ash's disbelief, answered as if it were the truth. Despite Ash's angry gaze, her expression remained unchanged.

"Ridiculous lie. It's such a ridiculous lie."

She knew he hated lies, yet she told such an obvious one.

But perhaps it was so obvious that it felt like the truth.

Their eyes met, his burning with rage and hers calm.

There were many points to criticize, but he didn't push further. Once he started, she would stick to the same answer.

Instead of a pointless argument, Ash expressed his disappointment.

"I'm disappointed."

"...I apologize."

She bowed again, the only thing she could do now.

Turning away from her, Ash said:

"I've already received the fee, so I'll handle the job."

But he warned:

"Whether your excuse is real or not, this is the last time I'll let it slide."

The door opened and his footsteps faded away.

Han Se-yeon, who had been bowing in apology, slowly lifted her head only when his footsteps were no longer audible.

Pretending to be calm, her back was drenched in cold sweat, and she had to suppress the shivers that ran through her body during the conversation.

The feeling that he could tear everything apart at any moment. How could a human emit such an aura…?

She had never felt this way, even in front of the tyrant 'Omar.' Just a change in Ash's attitude had caused this.

She glanced at the corridor outside the door he had left open.

"Are you alright?"

A guard, concerned that something might have happened to her, entered. Despite the guard's worry, she and the room were unharmed.

"...I'm fine."

"Thank goodness. Still, I've never seen Mr. Ash so angry. What…."

"That's not your concern. Focus on your job."

"Ah, yes."

She dismissed the guard's intrusive curiosity. The guard, confirming everything was fine, closed the door and left.

"Huh…"

She sighed, realizing she had been asking questions instead of doing her job.

Thinking about the need to reorganize the security team soon, she tried to calm her still racing heart and made a call.

"...Yes, our relationship has somewhat deteriorated, but it shouldn't be a problem. As long as you handle your part well, that is."