Taming the Doctor
“Hello, Jihyeok?”
Adeline’s greeting came with a smile so radiant it seemed to illuminate the entire room. Even without a translator, her pronunciation was remarkably natural. It meant she had studied the language with genuine effort. A surge of unwarranted pride rose in me, and I gave her a thumbs-up.
“Hello, Adel.”
“Want to see this? A hair clip!”
Adeline jumped in place and spun her body a full 180 degrees. Seeing her hair neatly twisted and pinned up exactly as I had taught her, a warm smile spread across my face.
“It’s holding perfectly.”
“Right!? Have you eaten? We’re completely out of spaghetti. Rose pasta, carbonara, aglio e olio, bolognese…”
Adeline folded her fingers one by one as she listed the types of pasta. She was unbearably cute. If she weren’t a saint, I would have pinned her down and devoured her on the spot, but the fear that insertion might reduce her body to dust kept my hands away.
“I’ll buy some tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? Promise? Yo?”
She had slipped into casual speech at the end, then flinched and hastily added the polite ending.
“I promise. I’ll buy it and bring it tomorrow.”
“Pinky swear!”
The way she thrust out her little finger was so lovable it made my heart melt. I broke into a fatherly smile and hooked my pinky with hers, pressing our thumbs firmly together.
“Hehe…”
Adeline giggled with a bashful grin and finally stepped away from the doorway.
Inside the house, Silvia was sitting on the sofa watching television.
“Hello, Silvia?”
“Hey. It’s been a while. Where have you been?”
As always, her pronunciation was flawless—better than most native speakers.
“I went to Sokcho. Do you know it?”
“I do. Gangwon Province.”
“That’s right. Any inconveniences while staying here?”
“Wait… speak slowly.”
“Are you having any inconveniences living here?”
When I enunciated each word clearly, Silvia let out a soft “Ah” and nodded in understanding.
She was beautiful too. Her ice-cold aura gave her a charm that was the complete opposite of Adeline’s warmth.
“None. Thank you for everything.”
Having said her piece, Silvia tossed the translator device aside. It seemed she wanted a real conversation. I caught the device with slightly clumsy hands, activated it, and asked.
“Is there something you’d like to discuss?”
“I was wondering if it’s really okay for us to be living like this.”
“What do you mean?”
“Think about it. We arrived on Earth, stayed in America for a while, then you rescued us and brought us here to Korea. Thanks to you we’re living comfortably, but we have our own purpose. You know that.”
“Yes. Your goal is to fight against evil alongside the comrades who received the oracle.”
“Exactly. It’s too peaceful. Doesn’t that feel strange?”
Of course it’s strange. But what are you going to do about it? I’m the one deliberately not releasing the monsters. And if it weren’t for Adeline, you would already be brainwashed inside a secret base. Count yourself lucky.
“It is strange. But like I told you last time…”
“Yeah. That bastard Tyrat might have noticed and gone into hiding. Are you actually trying to find him?”
No, not even slightly. I’m far too busy taming the doctor right now.
“Of course. We’re searching every corner of the world thoroughly, day after day.”
“I wasn’t trying to belittle your efforts. If it sounded that way, I’m sorry.”
“Not at all. The devices for both of you will soon enter production, so for now I’d like you to focus on language study and learning about this culture.”
At the mention of the devices, Silvia’s expression brightened. The thought of infinite Aether that could annihilate evil was clearly tempting.
“That’s wonderful news. But how exactly is the Aether charged?”
“I’ll explain once production is complete. Try not to overthink it.”
“Fine. And… could you arrange a meeting with Lee Sehwa and Yuria Elenar? Since they’ll be our comrades, it would be good to at least recognize each other’s faces.”
Comrades, yes. Not comrades who will destroy evil, but comrades who will become evil itself and conquer the entire universe.
“I’ll set something up soon.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
“Then pinky swear.”
“…..”
Did she catch that from Adeline? Where the hell did she learn this?
I forced an awkward smile and hooked fingers with Silvia.
“There. Satisfied?”
“There’s more. I want to meet Dr. Jennifer Cash.”
“I’ll promise that too. Soon…”
“No. I want to meet her tomorrow.”
My heart sank. Was there a specific reason she absolutely had to see the doctor? Did she not trust me?
Silvia read the panic on my face and continued.
“I think I’ll only feel at ease after meeting her.”
She’s suspicious of my intentions. Well, it was strange that she hadn’t met the person in charge of the lab yet. She must have felt like she was being kept prisoner in Uijeongbu. I can understand why she’s acting this way.
“Understood. I’ll arrange it for today instead of tomorrow.”
“Is that possible?”
“Yes. I’ll persuade her. The doctor will gladly meet you. However, since she’s a very busy person, you won’t be able to talk for long.”
“Of course.”
When I arrived at the lab and saw the storage room door standing open, I quietly slipped inside. The doctor was there, carefully placing sealed Polymus on the shelves. She apparently hadn’t heard the door. I moved up behind her and gave her plump backside a firm slap.
Smack!
“Kyaa!”
Her scream echoed loudly through the storage room as her body shook violently. She even flung the sealed Polymus away as though throwing her hands up in surrender. She must have been terrified. I reached out, snatched the falling Polymus from the air, and lifted it up.
“You have to be careful.”
“You…! What the hell do you think you’re doing!?”
She pressed a hand to her chest to calm her racing heart, then exploded at me. I replied with perfect nonchalance.
“Why?”
“That’s not how a scientist should behave! Every material must be handled with care, yet you’re acting like a child! It’s a good thing I caught it, but what if you had dropped it!?”
Polymus was a perfect substance that wouldn’t gain so much as a scratch even if dropped from a rooftop or thrown into a pit of fire. Still, there was no arguing against the principle that all materials must be handled with care. My cover identity was that of a genius engineering otaku who loved future science and machines. For someone like that to play a prank while the doctor was moving such a critical material? I would have no excuse even with ten mouths.
Though the real first mistake was yours. Who told you to stand there so defenseless? Who could possibly ignore an ass like that?
“Sigh… What on earth were you thinking?”
“I’m sorry. I just like you too much, sis.”
My instant apology and compliment seemed to leave her speechless. She planted her hands on her hips and let out a helpless laugh.
“I’ll move the rest, so you can wait outside, sis.”
“No. We’ll move them together. I can’t trust you with this.”
Despite her words, her voice had already softened. I grinned and silently helped her finish moving the Polymus.
After we left the storage room and sat down, the doctor—still clearly bothered by the earlier incident—scolded me in a gentle tone.
“That was too careless. You know that, right? Don’t do it again.”
“Are you saying we should separate public and private matters?”
“That’s not what I… It was an important material. If the structure had changed after dropping it… Of course, it’s impossible for Polymus’s structure to change, but still, just in case…”
She was rambling. I chuckled and finished the sentence for her.
“There’s no such thing as one hundred percent, so we should be careful?”
“Yes… that’s what I meant.”
“Got it. By the way, why are you walking like that?”
“What?”
“You’ve been moving uncomfortably ever since we left the storage room. Are your muscles still tight from what we did in Sokcho?”
The doctor’s earlobes instantly turned crimson. She shook her head frantically.
“No! I just… exercised this morning.”
“Exercise? What kind?”
“I went to the gym…”
She must have set every man’s heart on fire.
I narrowed my eyes and made my displeasure obvious. The doctor glanced at my face and tried to act casual.
“Why? Did I do something wrong…?”
“If you were going to the gym, you should have told me. I could have taught you.”
“You’re busy, so…”
“We have to build the devices together now, which means we’ll be stuck together every day. What’s this about being busy? Are you trying to avoid me?”
“No… I didn’t think that at all.”
“Then from now on, exercise with me. Understood?”
“Well… O-okay. I’ll exercise with you.”
The doctor’s face flushed as though she had imagined something lewd. Yes, sex counts as exercise too. Seeing my meaningful expression, she quickly changed the subject.
“Shall we start on the device now? You need to understand the structure first… Come here.”
“Yes.”
I pulled a chair over and sat so close to the doctor that our bodies touched as she enlarged the device schematic. Then I slipped my hand between her back and the chair, resting it on her waist.
“Y-you’re too close! Move back a little…! This is an important moment…”
“Why are you getting so flustered over this? Stop overreacting and just explain.”
“Ahem… First, the central area where the Aether will be housed is the most important… We need to secure enough space for the Aether to move freely… Hyaat…!”
The doctor’s body trembled mid-sentence. I had pressed my entire palm gently against her side. She let out a coquettish moan, then steadied her gaze with visible effort.
“This is important, so listen carefully…! A mistake during production could cost us a fortune! You’re a scientist, aren’t you? Please stop playing around and focus! Got it?”
If you don’t want me to play around, don’t have such a lewd body. Besides, I already know all of this. Why would I want to listen?
“I heard everything. Secure enough space for the Aether to move freely.”
With my free left hand, I spun the floating 3D model around, examined it, and continued.
“And then design it so the components interlock properly to distribute force evenly?”
“Th-that’s correct.”
It seemed the doctor had once again remembered that I was an extraordinary genius. She let out a small sigh, turned off the display, and said.
“I’ll give you the data. Go back and study it thoroughly…”
“Yes. Ah, and sis.”
“Hm?”
“We need to go to Uijeongbu together today.”
“Why Uijeongbu…?”
“Silvia Liz and Adeline want to meet you.”
The doctor’s eyes widened in surprise.
“What…? Why?”
“They’re going to be our comrades. It feels strange for them to only be in contact with me, and they requested it themselves. I believe it’s time for everyone to get acquainted.”
“Is that so…? Then let’s go. While we’re at it, I should examine their Aether directly.”
“Sounds good.”
I nodded and stood up.
“Let’s leave now before it gets any later. After we return, we can have a simple drink.”
“Absolutely not. We need to finish the devices quickly. We don’t have time for drinking.”
“Then there won’t be time for exercise either.”
“That’s…”
“In your current state, sis, working all day would be less efficient than taking it easy.”
“What do you mean?”
“You keep watching me. Do you really think you’ll get any work done? It looks like you’ll make mistakes the moment you start building the device.”
The doctor flinched. She started to deny it, then sighed and admitted the truth.
“You’re right. Then let’s rest today and start properly tomorrow.”
That won’t work either. Device production will remain at a standstill until you’ve completely fallen for me. Every time I tease you even a little, I’ll have to do something lewd.
The doctor stood, removed her lab coat, and slipped on a thin cardigan.
“Let’s go. You’ll drive, right?”
Without answering, I moved behind her and wrapped my arms around her neck. Then, using the tips of my toes, I gently pushed against her heels and began walking forward.
“…..”
She moved in sync with me, tightly gripping the arm around her neck.
Good. Very good. The taming is progressing nicely.
After I melt her a little more, I should have a round with Sehwa inside the lab—leaving the door slightly ajar so the doctor can secretly watch. I’m curious what kind of reaction she’ll show after witnessing my love-filled union with Sehwa. For tonight, I’ll drink with her and sleep at her house.