#67. Traitor

“Song Jong-Chul is a turncoat,” Lee Jun-Young began.

Kim Jin-Woo had already known that Song Jong-Chul was a different person on the inside, and yet Lee Jun-Young’s words caught him by surprise.

“That son of a bitch is living trash that never had any interest in either the rights and interests of the explorers or understanding the pain of the dungeon babies, right from the start.” Lee Jun-Young sounded radically unlike her usual self, as she started to confide about Song Jong-Chul’s past at a rapid-fire pace. “Back when we were tunnel diggers and lived like wild beasts, not all of us went through the same situation. There were a few among us that cunningly attached themselves to the Underworld beings to earn their favor. Those were Song Jong-Chul and his crew.”

Kim Jin-Woo was surprised once again. Back during his days as a tunnel digger, everyone had worked together to survive in unison. Countless adults had died trying to save him, and many others had lived to help others. Even despite that, he was the sole survivor from the 12th Floor to have made it to the surface.

But to hear that there existed such people, that had leeched off their own kind and sucked up to the labyrinth masters for their own benefit, was something Kim Jin-Woo simply couldn’t believe.

“Looks like you don’t believe me,” Lee Jun-Young remarked.

“If what you’re saying is true, why did you leave Song Jong-Chul as he was? As far as I know, not even the government took in those trash-tier human hunters.” Kim Jin-Woo threw out a question. Many hunters who leeched off their own kind for their own benefit were severely punished or isolated from society. But he couldn’t understand why Song Jong-Chul and his crew had been left untouched.

“I hate to admit it, but we’re a minority. To adapt and survive on Earth, we had to stick together. We’re treated like ordinary people nowadays, but back when the war had just ended, very few people treated us as equals,” Lee Jun-Young said, speaking about how two-faced and materialistic the Terrans were. She emphasized the fact that the Terrans spoke much about how the dungeon babies were victims of the war on the surface, but deep down, saw them as nothing but monsters rising from the Underworld.

“At least now we know our worth because we can make money out of being dungeon babies, but back then, I always thought it was rather stupid to be creating a rift and fighting among ourselves. But that was a mistake,” she continued.

There was a saying called ‘In-Shim-Am-Gui’ (疑心暗鬼). It meant that doubts in one’s heart would in itself create evil.

Considering the situation the dungeon babies had been in back then, one could easily see why they had behaved in a certain manner. It wasn’t something unfathomable.

Perhaps, in order to survive, they had embraced one another and endured all manner of external pressure and harassment. Even now, despite their social status having been uplifted, the unusually strong bond and solidarity between the dungeon babies had only grown stronger, not weaker.

However, some things were still unclear.

“Why didn’t you deal with him back then? There must have been plenty of opportunities after that,” Kim Jin-Woo asked.

Lee Jun-Young let out a sigh. “Those who knew the past history of Song Jong-Chul and his crew were often met with… accidents during their explorations. And by the time we connected the dots, most of our colleagues had already died. On the other hand, Song Jong-Chul was well established as a ‘tough guy’ that would stand up for his colleagues. It was already too late.”

The story fit with what Kim Jin-Woo knew. The fame and position that Song Jong-Chul enjoyed now wasn’t something he had built overnight. He must have been slowly building his reputation and power over the years with his current position in mind.

In that process, the explorers had made a ridiculous amount of profit, and as a result, the current generation of explorers regarded Song Jong-Chul as a guardian of their rights and interests.

Most of the dungeon babies who knew the truth had already died, while the surviving members had chosen to remain silent. Lee Jun-Young had chosen to be the latter, but today, her long silence was finally broken.

“But it’s not just because of what happened in the past that I hate Song Jong-Chul and his gang. If they had truly tried to correct the mistakes and wrongdoings of their past, I would have accepted them as well.” Lee Jun-Young’s gaze sharpened.

“Does that mean…” Kim Jin-Woo began.

“That’s correct. Their misdeeds aren’t yet over.” Lee Jun-Young ground her teeth, saying they had yet to change one bit. “My addiction to down gems was also a plot by Song Jong-Chul.”

“Wait, what?” Kim Jin-Woo exclaimed, falling into thought as he looked at Lee Jun-Young.

“It’s the Explorers’ Association that’s in control of the production and distribution of drugs made from down gems,” Lee Jun-Young explained.

That was something Kim Jin-Woo had suspected. When he’d found out that all the missing down gems were headed to the Association, he’d suspected that they could be behind the drug distribution. But that alone couldn’t account for Lee Jun-Young’’s addiction to down gems.

Lee Jun-Young seemed to have read his thoughts, as she explained further. “I’ve never tried to run away from reality with drugs or anything like that.” She seemed to recall how she had been addicted to the down gems and lived like an animal not too long ago, as a sense of shame crossed her eyes.

“No way…” Kim Jin-Woo muttered.

“Yes. Chan-Sik… Jung Chan-Sik, that bastard… He poisoned me without my knowledge,” Lee Jun-Young spat.

Kim Jin-Woo felt as though he had finally received the last missing piece of the huge puzzle. It had been hard for him to comprehend that a strong and upright woman like her had turned to drugs to forget her pain.

It had also been strange to think that Song Jong-Chul had allowed both Lee Jun-Young, whom he had issues with, and Jung Chan-Sik, whom he had worked with together for a long time, to be in the Association. But now it all made sense.

“It means Jung Chan-Sik and Song Jong-Chul have been planning this together,” Kim Jin-Woo finished.

“Jung Chan-Sik might have been under Song Jong-Chul’s orders right from the beginning.” The light of pain that flashed through Lee Jun-Young’s black eyes revealed just how much pain she was suffering from Jung Chan-Sik’s betrayal.

Kim Jin-Woo looked Lee Jun-Young in the eye as he asked, “Aren’t you angry?”

“I was angry. But now, I have more anticipation than anger within me,” Lee Jun-Young replied. She wasn’t lying, either. The Eyes of Truth revealed as much, and her unshakable black eyes said the same.

“Why?” Kim Jin-Woo asked.

Lee Jun-Young simply smiled, revealing her pearly white teeth. “Because Song Jong-Chul made you his enemy.”

When the conversation ended, Kim Jin-Woo looked at Lee Jun-Young with much gentler eyes than before. He now knew that everything she’d said was the truth, based on what the Eyes of Truth had told him. Because of that, he was now certain that there was virtually no possibility that Lee Jun-Young would work together with Song Jong-Chul and the Association.

Lee Jun-Young seemed to have noticed the change within Kim Jin-Woo as well, as she treated him with a rather friendly attitude. Only then did Kim Jin-Woo feel that he had returned to the days of exploring together with her. But he knew that it was impossible for the two of them to return to the past.

“I’ll never betray you, Jin-Woo. I mean, Master Jin-Woo,” Lee Jun-Young said.

Kim Jin-Woo was the Highlord who ruled over the Grand Labyrinth, and the one who had absolute control over her life, while she was just a mere member of the Underworld who had been forced to entrust everything to him. She swore allegiance to him, and he accepted. Although it wasn’t an allegiance imposed by the Underworld system, her oath was sincere.

“If there’s anything you’d like to order me to do, please do so. I’ll do anything. For example…” Lee Jun-Young playfully but awkwardly performed bewitching gestures with her body, trailing off on a mischievous note. She seemed to have completely regained her former self, and Kim Jin-Woo laughed when he understood the meaning behind the joke.

“I mean it.” She looked at him as she smacked her lips, but laughed it off in a cool manner after a while and scratched her cheek, perhaps finding her own actions funny. As she smiled widely, she looked as though she had returned to the past, when she had led a team of explorers.

***

After hearing about Song Jong-Chul’s past from Lee Jun-Young, Kim Jin-Woo completely revised his plan. He had initially planned on simply destroying the Association by force, but now, he intended to consume the damn Association whole.

Not only did Lee Jun-Young fully support his plan, she also utilized all her personal connections to secretly gather the people who had been at odds with Song Jong-Chul. She explained, “Right now, it’s enough to let them know that they’re not alone. This will be a great help to those who have thought they were all alone in their struggles.”

Countless people had gathered, most of whom had stopped their exploration of the Underworld for fear of a mysterious death. They had gained great strength from the fact that there were many others apart from themselves who were also concerned about the Association’s actions.

However, right now, Kim Jin-Woo didn’t have enough power to do everything by himself, so he had to be extra cautious and passive in his actions on the surface. But if he, who was unparalleled in strength, was being this cautious, the others were even more terrified.

Dominique, who had been watching from the side with a look of incomprehension, had just such a look on her face. For someone who believed in the ‘survival of the fittest’ rule of the Underworld, it seemed the sight of these weak beings on the surface was too disgusting to be acceptable.

“Just like there are laws of the Underworld, there are also laws on the surface,” Kim Jin-Woo said.

If he could, he would have wanted to destroy the Association and take everything down with it, but doing so would immediately brand him as a criminal, and he would probably never be able to set foot on the surface ever again.

“How dare they! These weak Terrans!” Upon hearing that, Dominique flew into a rage at the thought of a scenario that had yet to even happen.

Looking at the sight of a Dominique that was contrary to her usual cold and intellectual image, Lee Jun-Young excitedly remarked, “What a cute lady.” It seemed she had regained a lot of her casualness ever since her return to the surface.

It was a casual, mischievous remark, but Kim Jin-Woo ignored it as he showered Dominique with praise. “She’s a good subordinate. I wouldn’t be here without her.”

“Seems like it!” Lee Jun-Young exclaimed empathetically as she looked at the blindly loyal and affectionate Dominique.

“Dominique is wise, but she’s not used to the surface. She’ll require a lot of your help from here on, Jun-Young,” Kim Jin-Woo said.

It had been less than a day since their oath of allegiance, but the two had already dropped all formalities. There was just something about Kim Jin-Woo that made their conversation flow naturally, with none of the awkwardness. Perhaps it was his charisma.

Before she knew it, Lee Jun-Young found herself eagerly nodding and obeying his orders. When she had first met him, he’d seemed like an ordinary but arrogant man who looked down on orders, but now, she found himself naturally following him. The image of Kim Jin-Woo she had in her mind couldn’t be more perfect, and she soon found herself sneaking glances at him.

“Hah.”

Lee Jun-Young found herself staring at Kim Jin-Woo blankly for a moment, but felt his cold gaze looking back and quickly looked away. Dominique glared at Lee Jun-Young with her mysterious, slitted purple eyes. Recognizing her own folly, she smiled awkwardly. But when she looked at Dominique, her expression only grew stiffer.

“So, I hope the two of you will be good friends in the future,” Kim Jin-Woo said.

I think it’s already too late, Lee Jun-Young thought to herself, smiling bitterly.