Chapter 233. Threads of Bonds Gathering Together (2)

That night, a small party was held in Carpe Diem’s office to celebrate Kim Hannah joining the team.

“I’m paying so drink to your hearts’ content.”

Chohong simpered, raising a bottle of booze into the air.

Thinking that she had escaped from Seol Jihu’s evil clutches, she had planned this event herself.

The team members reacted positively with cheers.

No matter how rich one was, free food and drinks were always the tastiest.

Everyone ate and drank merrily as a huge drinking party broke out.

Surprisingly, Kim Hannah didn’t reject Chohong’s goodwill.

No, never mind rejecting it, she was partying in high spirits, getting along with everyone. Her usual formal attitude was nowhere to be seen.

“Well, this is unexpected. I thought you’d hate parties like this.”

When Seol Jihu struck up a conversation, the red-nosed Kim Hannah took her mouth off a bottle of liquor.

“Company get-togethers are an extended business duty. But here, they went out of their way to throw a party for me, so what would they think if I skipped it?”

Kim Hannah said it was important to participate in such parties to maintain a good relationship with one’s colleagues.

This aspect of her really showed how she became the chief of a large conglomerate like Sinyoung when she wasn’t even 30 yet.

It was then.

Just as the atmosphere was ripening, a light knock was heard from the door.

The clamor of the party made it hard to hear, but Phi Sora, who was near the door, heard it clearly.

“It looks like someone’s here. Who is it? Come in!”

The door clicked open, and a beautiful woman appeared behind it.

Everyone’s eyes widened.

Because Seo Yuhui was standing there with a backpack on her back, a sack in each of her hands, and a sack hanging over her shoulder.

Seo Yuhui walked in groaning before seeing the drinking party and widening her eyes in surprise.

“Oh, um… hello.”

Jang Maldong was thrown into confusion with a vegetable pancake in his mouth.

The attention must have embarrassed Seo Yuhui as she blushed. She put down her baggage carefully and spoke.

“Um… Jihu told me to come…”

Hearing this, one or two people looked back and forth at each other and nodded their heads.

It wasn’t as if the team wasn’t acquainted with her. Given Seol Jihu’s personality, it was likely that he called her over to party together.

But why did she bring all those bags?

Did she bring food?

At that moment, Seol Jihu, who had offered her to join Carpe Diem, shot up from his seat.

“Noona, does this mean that you’re…!”

Seo Yuhui smiled bashfully as she tucked her hair behind her ear.

“Yeah…”

Her following words delivered an explosive shock.

“I thought hard about it… and I decided to rely on Carpe Diem for a bit…”

Silence instantly descended in the office.

“PFFFFT!”

Kim Hannah spat out a mouthful of liquor a beat later, and Marcel Ghionea hiccuped. The vegetable pancake in Jang Maldong’s mouth dropped to the floor.

“Welcome!”

Only Seol Jihu ran forward and welcomed her with open arms.

“Come in, hurry. Aii, it’s okay. You came at the perfect time.”

Once he took the lead and grabbed her bags, she walked in modestly.

Just like that, Kim Hannah’s welcoming party also became a place to introduce Seo Yuhui.

Only after a huge ruckus were the other members of Carpe Diem able to face reality head-on.

“No way… Really? You’re really joining us?”

“This is insane. I really hit the jackpot entering this team. With the Daughter of Luxuria here, a bright future is practically guaranteed.”

Chohong muttered in a daze, while Phi Sora laughed in disbelief.

With many people muttering to themselves, Seol Jihu noticed an empty hope and spoke up to clarify the situation.

“No, that’s not it.”

He drew the line from the get-go. That way, there wouldn’t be any complaints later.

“Yuhui Noona won’t be participating in any outside activities in Carpe Diem. She’s going to focus on recovery, and I’m going to help her as much as I can. That was the condition for her joining in the first place.”

Seo Yuhui nodded as people glanced at her to ask for confirmation.

“…Yes.”

It was an open secret that Seo Yuhui had lost most of her ability as a Priest. Simply put, she currently owed a huge debt because she forcefully drew in all of the divine power that could be used in the future.

While she had recovered a little from constantly praying and using the offerings Seol Jihu brought, she still had a long way to go.

The restriction placed on her ability might be resolved through steady recovery, but that didn’t change the fact that she was indebted.

And this debt would only increase every time she used a spell.

As such, the best method was to not use any skill until she fully paid off the divine power she borrowed.

“What Jihu said was still on my mind… so I shamelessly decided to come. I’ll do my best not to disrupt everyone’s activities. Please take care of me.”

Seo Yuhui bowed with an apologetic look.

A hint of disappointment flashed across a few members’ faces, but no one opened their mouths carelessly.

They knew she lost her abilities because of Seol Jihu, their leader, so how could they say anything?

Moreover, it was obvious that saying something like, ‘Eii~ so she’s here to do nothing,’ would only make Jang Maldong yell and Seol Jihu resent them.

Jang Maldong hurried up a moment later.

“Welcome! Aigoo, thank you for coming. Think of this place as your own and make yourself at home. Jihu, well done!”

He made a fuss, which was unlike his usual self.

Regardless of whether Seo Yuhui was officially joining or simply staying, her coming here was a huge shock to Jang Maldong.

Plus, Carpe Diem wouldn’t be taking a loss even if Seo Yuhui did absolutely nothing. Even though her abilities were sealed, what the name ‘Seo Yuhui’ symbolized in Paradise was undeniable.

Although she had worked in temporary teams she formed, this was the first time the Daughter of Luxuria was choosing to be affiliated with a team.

Just this fact alone was enough to gather the public’s attention. And they would inevitably gain hard-to-measure benefits as well.

For example…

“…Hey.”

Kim Hannah called the happily grinning Seol Jihu.

“Have you sent the documents yet?”

Seol Jihu went “Ah.”

He had planned to do so in the morning but forgot about it after teasing Chohong.

“I forgot…”

Seol Jihu took out an envelope from his pocket and glanced at Kim Hannah. He expected her to immediately yell at him…

“Good job!”

But she surprisingly praised him before snatching the envelope out of his hand.

“Cheat keys! You have three cheat keys!”

Babbling on about things he couldn’t understand, she shot up from her seat.

Seol Jihu stared blankly as Kim Hannah ran into her room, saying she would add just one line before hurrying back.

Meanwhile…

“Ah… no… fuck, why…”

Chohong was wallowing in despair with her hands pressing down on her forehead.

*

“Come eat.”

When the next morning dawned, Seo Yuhui woke everyone up with a kind voice.

But she smiled bitterly in the next moment as she felt someone sneaking a secret glance at her.

Although a day had passed by, yesterday’s shock had not fully vanished.

It couldn’t be helped.

What happened was the same as a world-class celebrity coming to live in an ordinary middle-class household.

Seol Jihu, who was responsible for inviting her, was sitting on the couch, smiling gleefully at Seo Yuhui.

Seo Yuhui must have felt his gaze as she returned a gentle smile.

“Why are you smiling, my Jihu?”

“Nothing.”

“Hmm?”

“Just that, I like it.”

Seol Jihu replied while swaying side to side. Even his legs were swinging front and back. He was clearly on the brink of dying from happiness.

“Are you that happy that I came?”

Seo Yuhui giggled and lightly pinched Seol Jihu’s cheek.

“Let’s go. You gotta eat before the food goes cold.”

“Okay.”

“What do you want for lunch? I can make anything. Just let me know.”

“No.”

Seol Jihu suddenly grabbed Seo Yuhui’s hands.

“You don’t have to cook. I didn’t call you over so you could make meals for us.”

He looked up at her and spoke with a thoughtful gaze.

“Noona, you don’t have to worry about anything during your time here. And just tell me if you need anything.”

“Oh, really? I’m happy to hear that.”

“Of course!”

Seol Jihu wasn’t saying this for show.

His third Level of Cognition was the Golden Rule.

Seol Jihu was devoted to paying back the kindness she showed him.

Right, his intentions were good… but the problem was with his method.

“If you want, I can even pluck the stars and the moon in the sky and give them to you. From now on, I won’t let you dirty your hands at all.”A flustered look flashed past Seo Yuhui’s smiling face.

“Y-Yeah. I’m happy you would go that far for me.”

“It’s true. I’m being sincere.”

“R-Right. But Jihu, do you know what that means…?”