City of Witches

Looking at the various administrative buildings and large corporate offices, he inwardly agreed with the moniker ‘Heart of Seoul’ that people usually used to describe this area.

The road was practically bustling with cars, though there was barely anyone walking on the sidewalk.

But that wasn’t to say there weren’t any people there, as most of them were just flocked to the bus stop.

The brightly lit office buildings made him realize that there were actually numerous office workers who were currently working overtime.

As he mindlessly stood near the bus stop, he heard various exclaims from the distance.

“What’s that?”

“Is that the real thing?”

“Wait, let me hang up for a moment—”

“Take a picture, take a picture.”

Whether it was men waiting in the long line for their turn to ride the bus to come, women with tired expressions and slumped shoulders, or middle-aged men pressing their temples in fatigue, all of their gazes were drawn into an unfamiliar sight of a supercar that was zooming through the road.

It had a glowing black color, just like a limousine.

With low body, aesthetically pleasing curves that were hard to find even among the more common luxury cars, cool looking air vents that seemed like it could suck through all the air around them, long, protruding bonnet and horseshoe-shaped grille at its front.

Siwoo didn’t know much about cars, but even he could tell at a glance.

That the car was fucking expensive.

Even taxis, which were well-known for their reckless driving and buses, which were bigger vehicles, made a considerable distance from the car.

“Ah…”

The supercar, which was leisurely going through the lane, suddenly made an U-turn and stopped in front of the bus stop.

No, to be exact, in front of Siwoo, who was standing on the side of the road mindlessly.

On its royal blue-colored license plate, ‘diplomacy’ was written instead of a region’s name.

If he didn’t know any better, he’d think that the owner was some oil prince from the Middle East or something…

But he knew of one fact.

Some witches were so damn rich that it was stupid to associate them with common sense.

The witches that he was currently close to, Eloa and Sharon, were among the most frugal compared to the rest of them.

“Uh, it’s been a while?”

The passenger side’s window opened, revealing Periwinkle, who immediately leaned in to say hello to him.

She was wearing gradient sunglasses with a pink-ish green color that would remind one of the sunset in Maldives’ beaches.

Well, they weren’t exactly sunglasses, but rather fashionable-looking colored glasses.

He could only see part of her clothes from where he was, but she was dressed like a movie star.

“Get on.”

The eyes of the surroundings were focused on Siwoo.

Not only that.

‘Who is that person?’ ‘Is he someone famous?’ ‘Maybe he’s a third-gen chaebol.’ And so on.

The whispers surrounding him were so clear that it made his face burn.

Unable to take it anymore, he quickly got into the car.

As soon as he entered the car, which was so expensive that it would cost him thirty million won just to replace the oil, it left the onlookers in the dust with a smooth buzz.

2.

Siwoo carefully looked around the interior of the first supercar he had ever ridden in his life.

Out there on the street, it should be loud with the sound of car engines and such, but here, it was quiet.

So quiet that he could leisurely enjoy the old pop song that was playing.

The seats, dashboard and even the door pads were all coated by cowhide leather.

Sitting in this place made him feel uncomfortably guilty for some reason, maybe because it felt like his skin would stain the expensive cowhide leather and made the car’s whole price completely drop.

Though the seat wasn’t wide, it was made so one could feel comfortable sitting, or even lying down there.

There should be one or two occasions when one was still a child and their parents reminded him to not sit down inside a stranger’s car.

Well, if said stranger car was something like this, even the parents would sit in it without hesitation.

“Do you want to eat something?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“Are you okay now?”

“Thanks to you, yes.”

Periwinkle had saved him from the brink of death not too long ago.

Siwoo knew that a grand witch could overturn common sense with ease.

When a witch reached the 15th rank, their self-essence magic synchronized with their instinct.

From this rank onwards, a witch wouldn’t be hurt by their own magic unless they wished so.

This was because of the synchronization, the magic followed the witch’s basic instinct to survive, so it wouldn’t move to harm her.

And this was the principle behind a witch’s autonomous self-defense that could trigger automatically against threats from her surroundings.

Then, if a witch could advance five ranks above of that, to the 20th rank…

Their self-essence magic would have enough power to even twist the laws and principles that governed this world.

Those who were in the realm of a grand witch could break the laws of physics, ignore the laws of nature and even fool the principles of the world.

Siwoo had encountered quite plenty of grand witches, but it was the first time he had ever felt this nervous.

Mostly because he didn’t know what this witch in front of him was up to.

“Why do you look so nervous? Relax. Or do you hate going around in a car?”

Periwinkle, who had been driving leisurely while following the traffic laws properly, turned her head towards him.

She asked that question, giving him a subtle glance from beneath her glasses.

“No, I like it. It’s just, this is the first time I’ve ever ridden this kind of car…”

“Really? Well it’s three-of-a-kind. I got it from the Korean government as a thanks for opening up a hotel.”

So that’s why the license plate is different from normal…

While Korea wasn’t a third world country, it was still unthinkable for them to just give her a car worth billions of won just for opening a hotel, at least Siwoo thought so.

In his mind, the whole process probably went like this: She built a hotel -> She stayed in Korea often to manage it -> Since she stayed often, she also hunted Homunculi often, so to tie her to the country they gave her the car as a gift.

Well, that was just his guess.

“Crazy.”

Hearing his answer, Periwinkle let out a giggle.

With a curious gaze, she looked at the passenger seat and opened her mouth again.

“You still look nervous. Calm down, you’ll make a fool of yourself.”

“Ah, it’s late, but thank you for saving me back then.”

“I didn’t mean it that way. Oh, right, how was the lady from back then? Miss Evergreen, was it?”

“She is still unconscious, but I’ve been told that she’ll be okay. This is all thanks to you, so thank you again.”

“No need to thank me, it isn’t like I did it for free.”

Her last words made shiver run down his spine.

In fact, that was the reason why Siwoo was unable to fully enjoy the experience of riding such an expensive car.

There were no free meals in this world.

He owed two lives worth of debt to her, how exactly could he pay it?

As he contemplated asking her what was in her mind, thinking that it would be better than sitting here uncomfortably, they seemed to have arrived at their destination.

A signless fancy restaurant in Myeong-dong.

“I know you said that you aren’t hungry, but I’ve already made a reservation here. It would be a waste if I cancel it just like that, don’t you think? So, let’s just have a meal together.”

“Well, it isn’t like I am in a position to refuse.”

“Good answer.”

Periwinkle walked out of the car, threw her key at the employee who was waiting like a valet nearby without looking back and walked inside leisurely.

The restaurant was so wide, it could probably accommodate a hundred people at once.

It was spacious and the ceilings were as high as the barn where Siwoo used to live, but there was only a single table inside, covered by a white cloth.

“C’mon.”

Periwinkle, who was being guided by a waiter, acting as if this was a normal thing for her, sat down before ordering an appetizer and tied a napkin around her neck.

“Did you reserve the whole place?”

“Well, there are days when I don’t mind having people around, but today’s not the day. Anyway, um, Siwoo, right? Alright, let’s have a toast to your health and safety, Siwoo.”

“Thank you.”

As he awkwardly raised his wine glass, Periwinkle let out a grin before drinking her wine gracefully.

Siwoo followed suit while glancing at her, who was sitting right in front of him.

Earlier, when he sat next to her, he couldn’t observe her clearly but now he could.

As expected of a witch, her beauty was otherworldly.

Even though her tied-up hair color was unnatural, dark blue, just like an ultramarine, it didn’t look out of place at all.

Because it suited her face that much.

Her shirt dress that clung to her voluptuous body tightly had a couple buttons undone, revealing her cleavage that didn’t lose out to Sharon’s. The red lips that decorated her face, as red as the wine they were drinking, added to the sensuality that she already exuded.

Lastly, the teardrop mark in her eye looked so alluring that it could seduce even the most reserved of men.

She exuded an atmosphere that could only come from a woman who had maxed out her seductive charm and knew exactly how attractive she was.

“You can stare at me more, no need to be shy.”

Though she was savoring her wine with her eyes closed, she could tell that he was staring at her, so she gave him a knowing smile.

Not expecting that she’d find out, Siwoo was immediately thrown into a state of fluster.

“Wait, you were really staring at me?”

That was when he realized that he had been smitten by her smile and that realization made his body stiffened.

Compared to Sharon, who gave off the air of an airhead and Duchess Tiphereth, who gave off the air filled with wisdom, Periwinkle gave off a completely different air.

The air of a shrewd fox.

“It may be presumptuous of me to ask this, but back then you said that you needed me to do something for you.”

“That I did, in exchange for killing the Drowned Witch.”

“May I ask what it is first?”

“Well, I won’t ask for something difficult.”

Siwoo gulped.

“What I want is for you to do a hundred things for me.”

‘Are you kidding me?’ the words left his mouth, but he managed to hold it in.

When he was agonizing whether she was being serious or not, Periwinkle already sipped through her second glass.

“I was kidding, why are you so serious? Relax, it isn’t like I’ll eat you.”

It was only natural that someone would get even more uneasy when they told them to relax.

Especially when the person who said those words was fiddling with his finger, mumbling something like ‘Now, what should I ask you to do, hm~?’.

From her expression, it was clear that she was enjoying this situation.

“Ah, what about this? Follow me around for the rest of your life.”

“Huh…?”

“It’s nothing big, just go on trips with me, drive together with me and have dinner with me, something like that!”

Siwoo managed to read her intention.

In fact, he already knew what her aim was from the beginning.

She wanted a boy toy who’d follow her around like her cute little pet.

But that was a hard thing for him to do.

“Sorry, but I think that’ll be difficult. I know I owe you for saving my life, but—”

“That so? Then just do it for a day or two.”

Suddenly, she lowered the hurdle sharply without much thinking.

From a lifetime to a day or two.

Because of how nonchalant she was, it was hard for him to tell if she was joking or not.

“So? Your answer?”

“That I can do.”

“Ah, right, there’s one thing. Try to act like my boyfriend, okay? I don’t want you to be all stiff and boring, don’t worry about you offending me or whatnot.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“Alright, why don’t we get to know each other first? So, how did you become a witch? I want to hear your story.”

He hesitated for a while, but when their amuse-bouche was served, he began to tell her about his turbulent backstory.