Island of Beauties – Chapter 0

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Vine
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‘God damn it.’

I looked at my colleagues standing before me, bound as I was.

“So, Jinwoo assaulted you?”

“Sob! Sob! Yes, he suddenly came into my room and…”

“Bullshit…! I didn’t even know that was your room! You took your own clothes off in the first place.”

“Kim Jinwoo, be quiet.”

Team Leader Shin Seomhwa’s sharp gaze turned to me.

It was infuriatingly unfair, but there was nothing I could do.

I was already the perpetrator, and Han Soyeong was the victim.

“Phew! Alright, let’s get this straight.”

Shin Seomhwa said, touching her forehead as if she had a headache.

“Han Soyeong, you were resting in your room after finishing work. Then suddenly, Kim Jinwoo came into your room. And he forced you to take off your clothes and assaulted you. Is that correct up to this point?”

“Yes…”

Han Soyeong nodded, even starting to sob.

She wrapped her arms around her shoulders.

The image really evoked a pitiful victim who had just been attacked.

‘Damn it.’

I was going crazy, but I had to endure it.

Getting agitated here would only make things worse.

“So you screamed for help, and I heard it and came running. And that brings us to the current situation… is that right?”

The first thing Shin Seomhwa did upon arriving was to subdue and bind me.

It was infuriating, but it couldn’t be helped.

Han Soyeong was, in fact, naked.

But I absolutely did not undress her.

“Is there anything wrong with what’s been said so far?”

The team leader’s gaze turned to me this time.

“It’s all lies. I didn’t lay a finger on Han Soyeong.”

“Then why was Han Soyeong naked in front of you?”

“She suddenly took off her clothes as soon as I entered the room. And then she screamed for help.”

“Hmm, she took off her own clothes, you say.”

Shin Seomhwa’s finger twitched.

She seemed to be checking for inconsistencies in our statements.

“Then why did you go into Han Soyeong’s room?”

This was a detrimental question for me.

But I had a legitimate reason.

“Because I received a letter.”

“A letter?”

Team Leader Shin Seomhwa tilted her head.

“I received a letter addressed to me from Hyejeong.”

“…Hyejeong?”

The team leader’s head turned to her side.

Yu Hyejeong, who joined the company at the same time as me.

Most people knew that she and I were close.

But Hyejeong shook her head.

“I, I didn’t send any letter… Oh, no! Of course, I’m not doubting Jinwoo.”

“…So she says.”

So it wasn’t from Hyejeong after all.

I had expected that much.

Someone must have impersonated Hyejeong to trap me.

But it was enough to assert my innocence.

“Check the outer pocket of my coat. The letter should definitely be in there. You can tell who wrote it by the handwriting.”

The team leader, with a momentarily suspicious expression, rummaged through my pocket.

And what she pulled out was—

“…Underwear.”

…What?

I looked at the scene with an expression of disbelief.

In the team leader’s hand was a pair of black women’s panties.

How could that be? It’s impossible.

The letter addressed to me should have been there.

“Th, they’re mine…”

Han Soyeong sobbed, speaking at that moment.

“He probably took them while he was undressing me. Because I was too scared to resist, he went that far…”

“That’s ridiculous…!”

My mind couldn’t process it.

How did the panties get into my pocket?

Who put them there, and when?

“It seems we need to hear the story in more detail.”

Team Leader Shin Seomhwa’s cold gaze turned to me.

I felt a chill run down my spine at her gaze.

Unlike before, the scales had clearly tipped in Han Soyeong’s favor.

“No. I never put anything like that in my pocket.”

“Then why are the panties in your pocket, and the letter you mentioned nowhere to be seen?”

“Th, that…”

Damn it. My voice involuntarily became anxious.

I knew it was a bad idea, but it was hard to stay calm.

Without that letter, it would be difficult to prove my innocence.

“Someone must have switched them. Otherwise, why would I make things worse for myself by talking about a non-existent letter?”

“Well, you might have committed a crime of passion and are now saying anything to get away with it.”

My mouth went dry.

With those panties, Team Leader Shin Seomhwa completely suspects me.

Could the culprit have planned for Team Leader Shin to investigate me?

“A victim has come forward, and I caught you at the scene. Above all, there’s no reason for Han Soyeong to lie to you, showing you her naked body.”

That’s what’s driving me crazy.

Han Soyeong and I, as senior and junior, weren’t close, but we weren’t on bad terms either.

There was no particular grudge, and she hadn’t demanded money.

I thought I was rather helpful since I was quite good at my job.

There was no motive for her to deliberately trap me like this and lie.

‘Wait, lie?’

At that moment, a person flashed through my mind.

“Xiaolin! We should call Xiaolin!”

“Xiaolin?”

“With her skill, she can determine whether I’m lying or not!”

Xiaolin is a teammate who joined the company two months before me.

She’s usually quiet, but her ‘Lie Detection’ skill can unconditionally reveal the lies of others.

‘Of course, it can only reveal ‘whether it’s a lie or not’ and it consumes all of her daily mana.’

But right now, it’s the only way to prove my innocence.

“Xiaolin…”

Team Leader Shin Seomhwa seemed to hesitate for a moment.

With me in this state and Xiaolin unable to fight, this expedition would be as good as a failure.

But it wasn’t something that could be overlooked either.

Soon, Team Leader Shin Seomhwa nodded as if she had made up her mind.

“Did you call for me?”

Shortly after, Xiaolin entered the room.

She was expressionless even in this situation.

I still couldn’t tell what she was thinking, but it was clear that she was my only hope.

After hearing the team leader’s explanation, Xiaolin slightly opened her mouth.

“Kim Jinwoo assaulted Soyeong?”

“To be precise, he claims he’s innocent. I want to confirm that.”

“Hmm, I understand.”

Xiaolin’s eyes glowed brightly.

This is a characteristic that appears when she uses Lie Detection.

Anyway, this will reveal my innocence, so there’s no problem.

“It’s a lie.”

My face brightened at those words.

“Really?”

“Yes, I confirmed it with my ability, so it’s certain.”

Xiaolin nodded.

“What Kim Jinwoo said is a lie. It seems he really did assault Soyeong.”

“Huh?”

I let out a dazed sound without realizing it.

I couldn’t understand the situation.

What does this mean?

I… lied? I assaulted Han Soyeong?

Or could it be?

“Ji, Jinwoo…”

“Ha! I was going to recommend you for a promotion. This is the worst.”

Hyejeong and Team Leader Shin Seomhwa looked at me with disappointed eyes.

“Of course, your rank will be stripped as of today. After this is over, you’ll go straight to the police station. How dare you do such a thing in my team. Even if you get out of prison, I’ll make sure you never set foot in this industry again.”

Team Leader Shin Seomhwa said in a cold tone.

But I was still staring blankly at Xiaolin.

She also stared back at me and sighed deeply.

“Assaulting a woman and even stealing her panties. How pathetic. To think I considered such a person my rival.”

And then, she smiled slightly, very slightly, so that only I could see.

At the same time, my mind started racing.

Han Soyeong, false accusation, plan, motive, Xiaolin, two months, promotion, rival.

And above all, what Xiaolin had just said.

‘…The team leader didn’t tell Xiaolin about the panties.’

The puzzle pieces in my head quickly fell into place.

If Han Soyeong and Xiaolin were in cahoots from the start…!

“Team Leader!”

Crash!

Suddenly, the ship rocked at that moment.

The lights went out, and my body flipped over on its own.

“Kyaaaak!”

“Wh, what?!”

My bound body was thrown.

The sensation of my feet leaving the ground.

The unfamiliar feeling of being in mid-air engulfed my whole body.

I wasn’t the only one.

Team Leader Shin Seomhwa, Han Soyeong, Hyejeong, and Xiaolin.

Everyone was flying in the air.

‘What’s happening?’

It didn’t take long for the world to turn upside down.

Perhaps because my concentration was broken, the rope made of mana snapped.

There was no time to rejoice, as the furniture in the cabin tilted and objects spilled out.

The deafening roar drowned out even the screams.

‘Damn it, with the ship like this, there’s nothing I can do…’

Were they all panicked by the sudden situation?

Even though they were all outstanding ability users, they couldn’t respond.

The windows shattered, and we saw the surging waves.

The vast sea was approaching rapidly.

‘The ship has capsized–’

That was my last thought.

The gurgling sound of water filled my ears.

And then, I lost consciousness.

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