The Trap Tightens
The next morning, I headed down to the buffet early, loaded up a plate, and took a seat. As if on cue, Sehwa appeared right on time. She looked utterly drained. Even after masturbating for nearly an hour the night before, and despite the waves of arousal that had hit her, the Device still hadn't replenished its energy.
Too bad, Sehwa.
She'd tried so hard to hold back her moans, terrified I might hear them... Seeing her face now, I could barely suppress a grin. I kept my expression carefully neutral as I ate, and soon Sehwa set her plate down with cautious movements and slid into the seat across from me.
"Why did you come down alone? We could've eaten together... I tried calling, but you didn't pick up, so I figured you were just tired and sleeping."
"I left my phone in the room... I thought you were still asleep too, so I came down by myself. We did walk around a lot yesterday, after all."
"Yeah, we did... But next time, make sure you call me, okay? At least check in. So we can eat together."
"Got it. Then you call me too."
"I will."
Sehwa flashed a bright smile at my reply and was about to start eating when her phone rang. She answered it quickly.
"Hello?"
-It's me, Sehwa. You up?
"Ah, yeah..."
-Still in Incheon? You coming back today?
"I'm not sure yet. Um... sorry, can I call you back later? I'm eating breakfast right now."
-Oh, I see. Then don't bother calling. I'll probably be sound asleep anyway. I'll reach out when I wake up. Enjoy your meal!
"Okay."
After hanging up, Sehwa gave me an awkward smile.
"It was Seunghyeon. Guess his shift's over."
It wasn't. Yoo Seunghyeon still had two or three more hours before his work ended. This was just him, desperate to hear her voice, sneaking in a quick call during a break.
"Really? Why'd you hang up so fast then?"
"Because I'm eating..."
"Poor Mr. Yoo Seunghyeon must feel pretty hurt."
"Come on... it's not like that. We're past that stage."
She'd insisted I call her, even just to check in, but she cut off her own boyfriend without a second thought. Of course the situations were different, but I couldn't help the bloom of satisfaction in my chest. Watching her step deeper into the curtains I'd drawn for her filled me with a strange, twisted delight. I wanted to pin her down right then and there. I wanted to charge that Device on her wrist as fast as possible.
"Well, that's good then... But when are you supposed to see Mr. Yoo Seunghyeon again..."
At those words, Sehwa's body gave the tiniest tremble.
"He's been so busy lately... I probably won't be able to see him for a while...?"
She didn't want me meeting him. That made sense. A three-way encounter would be incredibly awkward.
"Alright. Let's just eat."
Sehwa nodded, then noticed the pork cutlet on my plate. Her expression shifted into that familiar of course look as she spoke.
"I grabbed way too much. If you finish yours, just take some of mine instead of going back. You love pork cutlet, right?"
Aaah... I'm losing my mind. She was so adorable I thought I might actually go crazy. Just hold on until tonight.
"Sure."
"I'm the only one for you, right?"
"Yeah. Only you. Now eat."
Sehwa seemed to have completely forgotten about the call from Yoo Seunghyeon. She chatted with me as she ate, clearly enjoying herself. She laughed brightly at my lame jokes and shared stories from her childhood without hesitation. When The Doctor eventually came down for breakfast, her face clouded with worry—probably because she feared she'd get scolded again about the Device charging issue.
Looking at that expression, I thought to myself, Don't worry. I'll fill it all the way up for you today.
**
Today's investigation used different equipment from yesterday, but it still ended with zero meaningful results. Now I was back in my room with Sehwa, watching a comedy movie on the bed.
"Puhahaha!!"
I could feel it. I could feel her gaze. Every time a funny scene played and I burst out laughing, clapping my hands, Sehwa watched me with complicated eyes.
"Is it fun?" she asked suddenly, her voice rather gloomy.
The crack in her heart had widened a little more. I turned to look at her.
"It's hilarious... You not enjoying it?"
Sehwa countered with her own question.
"Doesn't it bother you at all?"
"What?"
"Being here with me."
My easy smile gradually faded. I let my expression harden.
"You think it wouldn't bother me?"
"...It looks like it doesn't."
"We promised we'd act normal until you found the courage to talk about it later, remember?"
"And you're actually keeping that promise?"
"I'm trying my best to."
Sehwa leaned her back against the headboard and drew her knees up. She wrapped her arms around them and buried her face there for a moment. Then she turned her head to the side and stared at me intently. That beautiful face resting on her pale legs—it was like a perfect spring flower-viewing scene. I wanted to take a photo and keep it forever.
She slipped her tongue out just a little, moistening her drying lips. I craved those glistening lips so badly, but I barely managed to hold myself together. I let out a low sigh.
"Haa... Don't do that."
"What did I even do?"
"You know exactly what you're doing. You were fine during dinner—why are you acting like this all of a sudden?"
"What did I do?"
Her repeated questioning carried a heavy layer of seduction. It wasn't intentional. It was just the atmosphere making her look that way.
"Your whole body is screaming for me to look at you. It's so distracting I can't even watch the TV."
"That's just your imagination. And you were watching just fine."
She was blatantly showing off those smooth legs and calling it my imagination? How ridiculous.
"I was just pretending to watch."
"So you were paying attention to me the whole time?"
"How could I not?"
At that, Sehwa's eyes changed. She looked at me with the eyes of a little kitten, as if I were her warm, safe nest. There was even a hint of a puppy longing for its owner's hand. Combined with the way she curled her body, it was unbearably seductive. I swallowed hard without thinking.
Gulp.
The thick sound of saliva sliding down my throat. The comedian on TV was giving a full method-acting performance, causing absolute chaos, but even that couldn't mask the noise. Sehwa didn't move. She just kept staring at me, as if waiting for me to come to her. This was clearly her trying not to initiate anything immoral first—setting up an excuse so she could comfort herself later.
How selfish. I wasn't going to let her have it her way. I'd lead this completely. So come to me. Once you do, I'll match your pace.
Having made up my mind, I pointed toward the door.
"Get out."
"I'll be lonely by myself."
"Then go to The Doctor or something."
"The Doctor's busy."
"How would you know that?"
"I just do."
I frowned, barely keeping my composure.
"Then call Mr. Yoo Seunghyeon."
"He's working right now."
"He'd pick up if it was you."
"Do you want me to?"
The Sehwa before me now was like a bewitching fox. But this wasn't her true self. The situation she was in had shaped her this way. I'd helped with that, of course. The compulsion to charge her energy to fight unknown monsters and countless crimes weighed heavily on her. The humiliating act of masturbation had ended in total failure. Her boyfriend, Yoo Seunghyeon—the one who was supposed to help charge her Device—was swamped with work and hadn't even seen her face lately. Meanwhile, I had always been by her side, through joy and sorrow alike. She also knew that contact with me could replenish her energy. To her, I was someone she could rely on, and she'd come to realize that we both had feelings for each other. To make matters worse, we were alone together in a hotel room where no one could interrupt us.
This is over.
I pressed the remote and turned off the TV.
"Get out right now. I'm going to sleep."
"I noticed it last time... Your hands are really warm."
"Stop changing the subject and get out."
"Will you hold my hand?"
"If you're not leaving, then just stay here. I'm sleeping."
With that, I turned off the lights and rolled over, turning my back to her. Then I heard rustling as Sehwa scooted closer. Even without looking, I could tell. She was now just a handspan away from my back.
"Why are you being so cold to me? It's scary."
When I didn't respond, Sehwa pressed even closer. At first she moved cautiously, testing my reaction. Once she decided it was okay, she grew bolder. Her hand slipped into mine, and she laced our fingers together. I'd never given her permission to hold my hand. This was a choice Sehwa had made entirely on her own. Now, even if she felt the guilt of betrayal, there was no escape hatch left for her.
In a voice that sounded like she was crawling into a hole, she whispered, "I'll just stay like this... Good night."
So this is the limit your guilt can handle? It didn't matter. I had plenty of ways to break her down. Since you'd come to me, I'd meet you halfway.
I subtly uncurled my index finger from our laced hands and began lightly scratching the lines on her palm. Those palm lines were one of the erogenous zones she had never known about until now. It was the weakest one, but also the easiest to target without raising suspicion.
"....."
Sehwa's body reacted instantly. She pressed her soft, perky breasts firmly against my back. At the same time, she brought her lower belly against my backside. Even though she had never slept with Yoo Seunghyeon, they'd shared plenty of basic skinship. But he could never draw out this kind of reaction from her. He simply lacked the experience. On the other hand, I knew exactly how to make Sehwa feel good. I knew exactly how to make her aroused. I even knew which parts of her body, once developed, would make her eyes roll back completely.
"Haa..."
I didn't stop tracing her palm lines, and her breathing quickly grew ragged. At that moment, I released her hand, turned my body, and put a little distance between us. Then I fixed her with a sharp, predatory gaze. Sehwa trembled pitifully but didn't look away. It was obvious—this was the first time she'd ever felt this kind of pleasure. She was probably recalling the excitement she'd felt when I'd touched the back of her neck last time, thinking how much she wanted to feel more. Her pupils were shaking violently, visible even in the darkness. Her breathing came in short, desperate gasps. There was no sign of it calming down.
I shifted closer to her. She moved forward by exactly the same amount. I spoke with heavy implication.
"If you just decide to forget about it for a little while, it gets easier."
It meant to erase the guilt toward Yoo Seunghyeon that still lingered in her heart. Sehwa understood my meaning immediately. Her eyes grew watery as she finally spoke.
"This... can't be helped..."
She'd erased him. At least for now, she'd decided to push Yoo Seunghyeon out of her mind. That's right. You have to charge the Device. It really can't be helped. So don't worry.
I decided it was time to get serious. I closed the remaining distance and wrapped one arm around her waist. Then I slowly stroked up and down her back. Did that feel good? Sehwa melted right into my embrace like a child throwing a tantrum for attention. There was a slight dimple at the spot where her waist met her hips—the very point that created her perfect rear view and served as a powerful erogenous zone. I slid my other arm beneath her waist and pressed firmly on that spot.
Sehwa's body jerked violently as a loud moan escaped her.
"Ahht...!"
She straightened up and rubbed her face against my shoulder. The Device had been emitting faint resonant sounds ever since I'd started scratching her palm. It meant it had been charging continuously. By my estimate, it was at least three percent now—maybe even five.
"Haa... Haang..."
Without realizing it, Sehwa was breathing hot sighs against my neck. I moved my hand to the back of her neck and began pressing firmly around her cervical vertebrae—sometimes with acupressure, sometimes with the tips of my fingers.
"Ah...! Hng..."
Each time, short, sweet cries tickled my ears. I decided to get even bolder. The hand beneath her waist withdrew and slipped under her t-shirt.
"Ji... Jihyeok, wait..."
"It's okay."
"....."
The gentle words—so different from before—seemed to reassure her somewhat. Sehwa relaxed her body and surrendered to my touch. My fingers, resting on her lower abdomen, began to climb slowly, as if scaling a mountain. I scratched along her perfectly straight navel, then pressed firmly on the lowest part of her ribcage.
"Ahk!"
A sweet, melting moan. I smirked and slid my hand straight into the plain, scentless basic bra she was wearing. Sehwa flinched hard and tried to pull away, but the hand I'd placed against her back stopped her.
"There... just... a second..."
She said no, but there was no real intention of escaping. I snorted softly, ignoring her desperate plea, and raised my index finger to the peak of her soft mound. The nipple was already hard. I gently scratched it with my fingernail.
"Haaung...!"
Her moan rose in pitch, echoing throughout the room. Ooong—! At the same time, the Device's resonance grew louder. Loud enough for Sehwa to hear now. But she was already lost in the whirlpool of pleasure and had no attention to spare for the Device. She simply pressed her lips frantically against my smooth jaw, rubbing them against it.
My crotch was already fully, painfully swollen. She must have been feeling it against her lower belly—the hard, thick shape of my cock.
"Ji... Jihyeok... Hng...! My... lips... lips..."
Sehwa twisted and writhed in my arms as she begged. She was too embarrassed to say "kiss me" outright? And now that her lust was exploding, all she could manage were those sweet, needy sounds. What a lewd little vixen.
Without a word, I pulled my face back slightly and waited for her to kiss me first.
"Mmm...! Jihyeok..."
She fidgeted restlessly, throwing a little tantrum. Initiating would hurt her pride, but waiting seemed unbearable. After agonizing between the two options, she shot me a resentful look as I smirked with one corner of my mouth raised, then made her decision. In an instant, she stole my lips. And that wasn't all—she pushed her tongue deep inside, trying to entwine it with mine.
I continued caressing only her breasts, keeping my mouth still. Annoyed, Sehwa pulled her lips away. The mixed saliva stretched between us in a long, sticky string before breaking and clinging to my chin.
"Why... why...!"
She seemed to be asking why I wouldn't give her my tongue. I remained silent and touched her waist dimple again.
"Hng...!"
Sehwa no longer held back her moans. She squirmed, licked the saliva from my chin with her tongue, then pushed it between my lips once more. It was such an unexpected move that I wanted to feel more, but I gave her a look that ordered her to stop. Sehwa froze, looking confused as she read my eyes.
I withdrew my hand from her chest, flipped her body over, and positioned her beneath me. Then I gently spread her legs and placed my hand on the button of her hot pants. No matter how inexperienced she was, Sehwa understood exactly what this action meant.