Chapter 3
Chapter 3
Once again, Vladimir really was a stable boss, easy to work for. There was a reason the scarred man had fought so hard to hold onto this spot for years.
“Ah, boss. That photo came out blurry, so I was going to—”
Vladimir cut off the big guy’s hurried excuse with a single line.
“…Milana and a man?”
The scarred man turned away from his pathetic partner. If you’re going to tear it up, tear it properly. Don’t just rip it into random pieces, not even bothering to separate Milana from the guy. I give up.
“Ah, th-that man is just a customer…”
“I know that.”
Vladimir bent down himself and picked up the scrap with Milana and the man’s faces together. Watching their boss, their stiff and rigid boss, actually stoop down over a piece of paper, the color drained from both their faces. Even the clueless big guy was finally starting to grasp the situation. Vladimir studied the scrap in his palm closely. Then he rubbed it between his fingers, lost in thought for a moment. Behind his glasses, so thick you couldn’t see his eyes unless you looked close, those small violet irises held an unreadable light.
“Boss, the rest of the photos are all fine! Here are the ones I took…”
Vladimir took the stack the big guy handed over. Then he spoke, casual and light.
“Good work. And you—go back to your old team.”
“Huh?”
“First of all, you’re terrible at this job. And the color of your coat is really bothering me.”
Wha— huh? What was wrong with a fine black coat, practically the mafia trademark? The big guy looked bewildered, glancing back and forth between his installment-plan coat and his boss’s face. Vladimir shot him a look, then turned away without mercy, heading toward the building where Milana had disappeared.
“Ahh… Actually, assassination work might suit you better than your old team. I’ll have you transferred there.”
“Boss!”
The big guy’s face went pale at the mention of the assassination squad—notorious for brutal work. He’d fought off countless competitors to land this cushy gig, and now the polar opposite?
“Boss, why all of a sudden! This is insane—!”
“Get this bastard out of here. Now.”
“Yes, sir!”
Vladimir was a stable boss. As long as it had nothing to do with his crush.
Unrequited love really was a tsunami of emotion, powerful enough to drive a person completely insane. Enough to turn even a stable boss into an irrational maniac from time to time. Every team had one—the resident lunatic. On this sweet, cushy team, that role belonged to their little boss, who occasionally had his trigger pushed and became completely unpredictable. All because of Milana.
Well, after years of pining and getting absolutely nowhere, maybe going a little crazy was understandable.
The scarred man shook his head to himself, understanding but still resigned.
This was exactly why their boss could never end up with that tiny woman. Like he kept saying—their images, their personalities, were worlds apart.
Heaven and earth.
♥ ♥ ♥
Being top student at Versina, the best university in the country, was nearly impossible. The school had produced famous scholars, mages, and generals. Everyone fought tooth and nail to climb to that spot. So even when top students lacked social skills or acted selfish, they were still looked up to at Versina.
…Except for one very special case.
Bam. Crash. Thud.
She’d barely made it to class on time after her bakery shift. Milana walked into the lab for their reagent experiment and felt her body pitch forward the second she opened the door. She realized what happened after she’d already hit the floor hard.
“Ugh…”
Why did life have to be this hard?
Shoved by a classmate waiting at the door, she picked up the rare herbs and magic reagents scattered around her, her small face full of misery. Dust was all over her messy brown curls, but she couldn’t even think about that. Getting these expensive materials safely in hand came first.
“Heh. Look at her. Like a little rat.”
The one who shoved her just mocked her, no apology. She couldn’t even get angry. Just sighed. Honestly, her body was always worn out from all her part-time jobs. She didn’t have the energy for that. So whenever stuff like this happened, Milana just gave up and stayed quiet. That was how the Magic Department’s top student, with no family backing, no connections, no looks, no personality to support her sharp mind and strong skills, became a miserable outcast riding on grades alone.
“You? A broke beggar like you wants to use this lab? Did you put a single coin into it?”
“Hey, hey, don’t be so harsh. She’s just so talented and so poor that she gets sponsored for every little thing, even a single pencil. I heard she even has some mystery donor. Money’s money, right? Even if it’s not hers.”
“Why is a beggar like her even in our department? We barely have room for the rich kids. She drags the whole place down.”
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