Taming #2
“Hello, Dr. Jennifer Cash. My name is Silvia Liz.”
“Hello! Dr. Jennifer Cash! I’m Adeline! You can just call me Adele!”
While Silvia bowed her head with a tense expression, Adeline remained as lively as ever. The Doctor smiled brightly at the two women who greeted her in unison.
“I’m Jennifer Cash.”
After shaking hands with both of them, the Doctor showed great interest in the translator device Silvia politely handed over. An object crafted with technology unseen on Earth—her curiosity was only natural.
“Jihyeok, how do you operate this?”
The Doctor asked while examining the translator from every angle.
“Just rub the side a few times left and right.”
“Like this?”
Whirrr—!
“Yes, that’s it.”
“This is really fascinating… What kind of technology is this? Could I take it apart?”
“Hmm. You should probably ask Silvia about that…”
While we were chatting, Silvia, who had activated the translator, cut in.
“I’m sorry, but this is essential until we’ve learned the language… We can’t allow it to be disassembled.”
“Ah, my apologies. I got too excited seeing a machine I’ve never encountered before…”
“It’s all right. It’s truly an honor to meet you.”
Silvia bowed her head once more. Her manners were far more proper than when she dealt with me. It didn’t seem like an act… Did she have a habit of bowing to those in authority? Or did she instinctively recognize someone she needed to show respect to? Either way, it worked in my favor. The more Silvia trusted the Doctor, the easier she would be for me to handle.
I approached Adele, who was beaming at the spaghetti I’d brought from the table, and invited her to join the conversation. Then I stepped back slightly and listened carefully to the three of them.
In truth, there wasn’t much of importance in their talk. Most topics revolved around how the lab was run, the progress of the search for Tyrat’s hiding place, and how monsters were detected when they appeared on Earth. When the subject of Aether came up, the Doctor’s eyes sparkled at the Aether storage box Silvia produced.
“This as well…”
“Yes, it’s a storage unit made on our planet.”
“Your technology is truly impressive. I’d love to take it back and study it.”
The Doctor had already switched to casual speech while praising her. Silvia’s nose lifted slightly. She seemed pleased to hear her homeworld complimented.
“If you create the devices for us, Doctor, I’ll give you as many as you like.”
“I’ll try to make them as quickly as possible. With Jihyeok here, we should be able to finish them in no time.”
At those words, Adeline—who had been fidgeting like an easily distracted child—suddenly perked up with sparkling eyes.
“Is Mr. Jihyeok as smart as you, Doctor?”
“Smarter than me.”
“Wow! Really?”
“Really. Honestly, without Jihyeok, the lab probably wouldn’t even be running. It’s thanks to him that we were able to establish our infrastructure across the entire planet.”
Having my praises sung in front of them was… embarrassing. Not that I minded. The more favorably they viewed me, the better.
The conversation only ended after three hours. The Doctor answered every question Silvia had to the best of her ability, and thanks to that, I was able to dispel most of their suspicions. She promised to visit again, comforted the reluctant Silvia and Adeline, exchanged farewells, returned the translator, and left the house.
I was about to follow her out when Silvia stopped me.
“I feel like we had a very productive time today. Thank you.”
“Not at all. As the Doctor said, we’ve begun work on the devices, so I’ll bring good news soon. Until then, try to bear with the itch.”
“Yeah. I feel relieved knowing the Doctor is such a good person. And… I was surprised. Even if it’s the Doctor, I never expected that someone who used to be an ordinary person would join the lab and help out…”
Her relaxed expression told me my evaluation had gone up. That was a relief. There had been a real chance she would grow more suspicious, but it seemed Silvia trusted the Doctor quite a bit, so I benefited from the spillover. The goal of clearing their doubts had been achieved. For someone as wary as Silvia, this was a solid result.
“As I’ve said many times, let’s do our best from now on.”
“Right. I’m counting on you. Please give my regards to the Doctor as well. I’m looking forward to the day we meet Lee Sehwa and Yuria Elenar.”
“Of course. Rest well.”
As I turned to open the front door, Adeline suddenly dashed over and blocked my path. I chuckled.
“What is it? Did you have something else to say?”
“No! I wanted to say thank you! Thank you so much!”
Adeline bowed deeply at a perfect ninety-degree angle. I barely suppressed the urge to pat her head and stepped outside after she finished.
Once I started the car, the Doctor—who had been staring out the passenger window—asked in a casual tone.
“What did you two talk about after I left?”
“Nothing much. Just praised you, noona.”
“What kind of praise?”
“Praise is just praise. Why are you digging for details?”
“I’m curious… You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
“It’s nothing worth being curious about. Silvia said you were a good person, so I agreed. Satisfied now?”
“Yeah… I’m satisfied.”
I sneered inwardly at the Doctor. If she was this curious about trivial matters, it was only a matter of time before it became a serious problem.
I switched to autonomous driving mode, reclined my seat, and looked at her.
“What did you think of the two of them? They seemed all right, didn’t they?”
The Doctor reclined her seat as well and shrugged.
“I already thought they seemed nice when you told me about them, but seeing them in person made me like them even more. They’re good kids.”
Of course they were good kids. The same good kids who hadn’t noticed I was slowly devouring the Earth.
“Right? Silvia’s always calm, and Adele’s full of energy… I think they’ll make a great team. Their looks complement each other too, don’t you think? Cold Silvia and cute, warm Adele…”
The Doctor shifted uncomfortably at my words. She didn’t answer, only nodding a couple of times. In the past she would have scolded me for making childish jokes like her late husband, but this reaction… It was proof that jealousy was stirring in her subconscious. Right now it was only mild discomfort because I’d left her some room, but if I kept mentioning it whenever the chance arose and deepened our relationship… Eventually she would develop hostility toward the two of them. When that time came, I would have to reshape their images in her mind however I pleased.
The preliminary work for creating a device that could seal Aether had also gone smoothly. I unbuckled my seatbelt and moved over to the Doctor’s side.
“Hey…! That’s dangerous right now…”
She tried to scold me in surprise. I buried my face in her ample chest and let out a languid sigh.
“Haa… This is nice. I’m staying like this until we reach Seoul.”
“You…”
The Doctor hesitated for a long while before finally reaching out and gently stroking my head. The soft breast-pillow and the maternal touch unique to a mature woman made drowsiness wash over me. I’d just take a short nap.
**
“Jihyeok… We’re here. Wake up.”
“Mmm…”
I groaned with effort and slowly opened my eyes. The car was dark. Rain had started falling outside at some point, pattering against the windows. It didn’t seem like a downpour… which was actually nice. Rainy days carried their own earthy scent and created a gloomy, damp atmosphere beneath the overcast sky. People with rich sensibilities would be swept up in that mood—and right now, the Doctor was.
With our relationship having progressed, leaving her alone would make her terribly lonely. If she stayed by herself in that empty house, she would probably cry her eyes out thinking about her husband and me. No—she wouldn’t even entertain the thought of being alone in the first place. In that case, I might as well go straight to the Doctor’s house and settle everything there.
“Where are we?”
“Near the lab. It’s a spot you often use when you bring the car. Hurry and get up.”
The Doctor tapped my back lightly, as if soothing a child. I nodded and made a groaning sound as I returned to the driver’s seat.
“How long have we been here?”
“Thirty minutes.”
“You should’ve woken me.”
“You were sleeping so soundly… Do you have an umbrella in the car?”
“I do, but… shall we just head back today?”
“Why…? Are you very tired?”
Her voice trembled. As expected, she was anxious.
“No. I was originally planning to spread out a mat by the Han River and drink before the weather got cold, but it’s raining.”
“We could just drink inside a store.”
“It’ll probably be too noisy. I’m not really feeling it.”
“Let’s go somewhere with private rooms.”
“Can’t we just go to your place, noona?”
“O-our place…?”
Even in the dark car, I could see the Doctor’s eyes widen. Was she reluctant to let me into her personal space? No. She knew full well what would happen if we went to her house together. Her reaction was because of the lingering traces of her husband Edward—because the idea of having sex in a space that still held memories of him felt wrong. “Uncomfortable” wasn’t quite the right word; “guilty” was more accurate.
“Why? Is that not okay?”
“W-well… I don’t think I have much in the way of snacks…”
The Doctor was already drowning in loneliness. She had been more than satisfied by our sex, and even just having sweet conversations with me sent her into ecstasy. On top of that, it was raining. For the Doctor whose emotions were running high, for the Doctor who was falling for me, refusal was never an option.
“We can just buy some. I saw a convenience store right in front of your building last time. If it’s too much trouble, we can just go back today.”
“N-no! Let’s go to my place… We can go. It should be fine.”
The Doctor agreed in a rush. She was afraid I might leave her hanging.
“You don’t have to force yourself. We can just do it tomorrow…”
“It’s not forcing myself. I was just embarrassed to show you because the house is a little messy… We can go.”
“Really? Then let’s go. It’s XA Housing, right?”
“Yeah…”
The Doctor’s house was close to the lab. Thanks to that, we arrived not long after I started driving. As I grabbed an umbrella and tried to get out of the car, the Doctor spoke in a hurried tone.
“Jihyeok! Wait a second…”
“What is it?”
“I’ll go in first and tidy up, so could you stop by the convenience store and pick up some alcohol and snacks?”
“Are you that embarrassed? Is it bad enough that you can’t show me?”
“.....”
The Doctor said nothing, only fidgeting with her fingers. I answered by placing the umbrella in her hand. She shook her head as if to say it was fine.
“I’m okay. I can just run, so you use it…”
“I’m fine too. You use it, noona. I’ll be right back.”
After flashing her a grin, I dashed straight for the convenience store. I deliberately took my time picking out alcohol and snacks before paying. When I stepped outside with the large bag, the Doctor was waiting for me in front of the store. I pressed close to her, snatched the umbrella, and held it a little higher as I asked.
“Did you already finish cleaning?”
“What do you mean ‘already’… You were in there for about fifteen minutes.”
“Was I? I was being so careful with my choices that I didn’t even notice the time passing. I’m looking forward to it.”
“To what?”
“I’m curious what your place looks like.”
“It’s just… ordinary.”
That wasn’t what I was curious about. What I wanted to know was how the house had “changed” while I was at the convenience store.
When I arrived at the house with the Doctor, I sniffed the air at the faint scent of air freshener. A clean lavender fragrance. It had a naturally calming effect.
“Smells nice. Is it lavender?”
“Yeah. It’s my favorite scent. Want to set out the snacks on the table? I need to use the bathroom…”
“Can’t we just drink while watching TV?”
“That’s fine too. Then put them on the sofa table.”
“Got it.”
The Doctor gave me an awkward smile before heading into the living room bathroom. I heard the sound of running water. She must have turned on the shower. She probably didn’t want me to hear the sound of her peeing. I chuckled and noticed the bedroom door was slightly ajar. Moving quietly, I pushed it open a little further. The door swung open without a sound. I turned on the light and looked inside, my eyes gleaming when I saw the nightstand was clean. When I had looked into the bedroom through the tracking monster, there had been a wedding photo of Edward on the nightstand. But now it was gone. She had hidden it. Partly because she thought I wouldn’t like seeing it, but mostly because her guilt toward her husband was too great. She must have thought that if the frame was there, it would feel like her husband was watching. Widows who felt they were committing adultery all thought the same way.
With the corners of my mouth lifted, I quickly turned off the light and sat on the sofa when the sound of the shower stopped. A moment later, the Doctor emerged from the bathroom and tilted her head in confusion.
“Huh? Why are you just sitting there?”
“I got distracted looking around the house… It’s spacious but cozy. I like it.”
“Really…? I’m glad you think so. Shall we drink now?”
“Yes, let’s.”
While I busied myself taking the alcohol and snacks out of the bag, I patted the spot next to me on the sofa. The Doctor approached hesitantly and sat down beside me. I placed my hand on her waist and smiled.
“Turn on the TV.”
“Ah, okay…”
I had only put my hand on her waist, yet the Doctor’s breathing was already growing rough. Maybe I should have her give me a handjob today.