The Hand Reaching for the Saint #4
Adele climbed into the passenger seat wearing a slightly oversized light-purple sweatshirt, light-wash jeans with a wider hem, and white sneakers. She had even tilted her cap slightly to the side for a bit of flair. It suited her perfectly. The outfit matched Adele’s lively image, radiating an energetic vibe, and the way the oversized sleeves of her sweatshirt peeked just beneath her palms was especially cute. I fastened my seatbelt and noticed her nails were painted white.
“Did you get your nails done?”
“Yes! How do they look?”
She curled her fingers like a cat and showed them to me. Her eyes curved into perfect crescent moons, far too pretty. Ah… wanting to devour her is normal, right? Yeah, it has to be.
“They’re pretty. What about Silvia? Is she at home?”
“She went to the salon. When she saw my nails, she said she wanted to get hers done too. Such a busybody.”
“I see.”
“But you asked if dawn was okay. It’s already five in the afternoon.”
She was wondering why I had come now instead of calling her at dawn. I shrugged.
“I had a headache.”
“You should’ve prayed back then!”
No thanks. Praying would probably give me a headache I didn’t even have.
“Of course I prayed. That’s why it got a little better.”
“As expected of a true believer! Well done!”
“Thank you. Shall we go?”
“Yes!”
Smiling contentedly, I started the car. Adele was still gazing at the scenery when the car turned onto an unfamiliar road. She tilted her head.
“Huh? Jihyeok! You took the wrong turn!”
“This is the right way.”
“What? The study café isn’t here.”
“We’re not going to the study café today.”
“Then where are we going?”
“The lab.”
Adele’s eyes widened at those words.
“The lab…?”
“More precisely, the headquarters. Beast Slayer Headquarters.”
Slap! A sudden, crisp sound effect rang out. I glanced sideways in surprise to see Adele pressing both hands to her cheeks, mouth agape.
“Wooow…!”
Her expression was pure shock. She had clearly slapped her own cheeks out of sheer joy.
“Are you that excited?”
“Yes! I’m so happy! Finally… finally I get to enter the forbidden zone!”
Forbidden zone, huh… Between that and her earlier reaction, the more I got to know her, the more I realized she had a bit of a crazy streak. And I liked that even more.
“If you expect too much, you might be disappointed. So calm down.”
“I can’t calm down…! Jihyeok, give me that candy! The mint one that helps with tension!”
Smirking at her fussing, I opened the console box and showed her the candy tin. Adele happily grabbed it, popped one into her mouth, and asked,
“Do you want one too, Jihyeok?”
“I’m good.”
“Come on, eat one. Let’s cool down together!”
She held out a candy. I reached for it, then simply opened my mouth instead. Adele popped the candy straight in. A natural gesture. I glanced at her through the rearview mirror. Even in small moments like this, you could pick up hints about male-female dynamics. But Adele was so kind, cheerful, and four-dimensional that it was hard to read her. That bright smile on her face was just her usual expression. If she had hesitated even for a second or said something, it would’ve been easier to read her mind… Disappointing.
‘As long as things keep going like this, it’ll be fine.’
One thing was certain, though—her affection for me was steadily accumulating. That was enough.
Biometric authentication complete.
With a whoosh, the massive doors slid open to either side, revealing the lab hidden beneath Eunpyeong-gu. Adele, who had been tense the whole way, gaped the moment she saw the lab hall.
“Wooow…!”
“Go on in.”
“Y-yes…!”
Adele took hesitant steps forward. With both hands clasped tightly together, she looked around the entire lab. While I operated the panel near the entrance, I watched her poking around before calling out to her.
“Adele.”
“Yeees!?”
She jumped as if she had seen a ghost. I chuckled and beckoned her over. When she approached, I pointed to a fairly large scanner emitting a faint red glow.
“Stand in front of this light.”
“Why?”
“Remember how I entered the lab?”
“Um… I looked up. Then the door opened. It was really amazing…”
“It scanned my biometric data. The machine read my registered information and granted me access. I’m doing the same for you so you can come in anytime, just like me.”
Adele’s eyes sparkled.
“R-really!?”
“Yes. Of course I should. Don’t worry, nothing will happen. Just stand there.”
Adele nodded frantically, swallowed, and stood in front of the scanner.
“Can I move?”
“No.”
“Understood!”
I burst out laughing at her standing perfectly still in attention pose and operated the scanner. With a whirring sound, the red light scanned her entire body. Moments later—
Biometric authentication complete.
A short, cheerful notification echoed through the lab hall. After closing the panel again, I said,
“That’s it.”
“Huh… It’s over?”
“Yes. Try going out and coming back in.”
“W-what if I can’t get back in?”
“That won’t happen. And even if it does, I can just open it from inside.”
“Come with me! The hallway is dark and scary!”
She could’ve just lit it with that golden divine power of hers. Agreeing, I led Adele out of the lab. I had her stand in front and look up at the scanner on the ceiling. Then—
Biometric authentication complete.
The emotionless mechanical voice sounded, and the door opened.
“Waaah!!”
Perhaps because she was now officially registered at the lab, she cheered with both arms raised before turning to me and bowing her head.
“Thank you, Jihyeok! I’m a proper hero now too!”
“.....”
“What’s wrong?”
“No, it’s nothing. Shall we study?”
“Introduce everything to me first! I want to know everything about this headquarters.”
Yeah, that was necessary. Adele’s curiosity was so strong she might try touching things she shouldn’t. Once she learned everything, I’d have her guide Silvia when I brought her here. I spent quite a long time showing Adele every corner of the lab, ending at the fabrication table where Devices were being made. Adele showed immense interest in the Device under construction. Kneeling with her hands on her knees and leaning forward to examine the Device’s frame, she turned her head. Her flawless, unblemished face was filled with curiosity. I wanted to pinch those plump cheeks right away.
“Jihyeok, is this what we’ll be using…?”
“That’s right. It’s a Device.”
“I shouldn’t touch it, right?”
“Not right now.”
At my firm answer, Adele’s shoulders slumped. Then, as if a question had occurred to her, she clapped her hands.
“Jihyeok! I have a question.”
“Go ahead.”
“The Device charging method! Tell me now!”
I’d rather not. That’s territory you can’t handle yet. I’ll tell you once you start seeing me as a romantic interest, at least. I quickly changed the subject.
“I’ll tell you once it’s finished. We have about an hour left. Shall we study now?”
“O-one hour? That’s all?”
“Why? Is it not enough?”
“Time isn’t important. As long as there’s faith. But… it’s a little disappointing…”
“Why disappointing?”
“Just because…”
Adele stared at the lab floor, kicking her feet lightly. She was so cute it was ridiculous. Letting out a long, shallow sigh, I asked the disappointed Adele,
“Want to postpone the company work?”
At that, Adele jerked her head up, then quickly grew sullen again. She subtly scolded me.
“No… You said it was important. I wish you had called me at dawn instead…”
“That’s when I’m sleepy and can’t concentrate.”
“Even so… Sigh…”
Letting out a cute sigh, Adele said in a deflated voice,
“I’ll be in the lounge… Bring the Bible…”
“Understood.”
**
On the way back to Uijeongbu after class, Adele tried to make me review what I needed to learn, insisting she had to study even in the car, but then stopped, as if something had occurred to her.
“I think my enthusiasm was too much… I’m sorry.”
Adele apologized with her hands wedged between her thighs. I answered with a gentle smile. Encouraged by my reaction, she asked again,
“You’ll study tomorrow too, right? Should I go to the lab?”
“No. I’ll come to your place in the evening. We’ll do it at the study café tomorrow.”
“Either is fine with me. Oh, and I didn’t see The Doctor today… Did he go somewhere?”
She asked so quickly.
“He wasn’t feeling well. He said he’d rest at home.”
“Ah… Did he catch a cold?”
No. His crotch hurts. And it’ll probably hurt again today.
“I’m not sure about that.”
“Would he get angry if I contacted him?”
“He absolutely wouldn’t. But it seems best to let him rest properly.”
“You’re right. I’ll do that. By the way, Jihyeok.”
“Yes.”
“What food do you hate the most?”
“Food? I don’t really have any dislikes… What about you, Adele?”
“I hate eggplant! I really hate it!”
“Have you tried it?”
“No.”
Conversations with Adele sometimes made all the energy drain out of me. This was one of those times. Her absurd answer made my body go limp. No, maybe she just hated how it looked. Shaking my head quickly to clear my thoughts, I said,
“You hate it without even trying?”
“Yes! It looks like the tasteless vegetable I ate when I was little, so I hate it.”
Right. You really do have to hear Korean to the end. Still, that’s too much for eggplant. I like how it looks like a dick.
“Don’t be picky. You won’t grow taller.”
Adele flared up. Clenching both fists and holding them up to me, she shouted,
“What did you say!? I’m average height, you know? 163 centimeters!”
“Yes, I’m sure you are.”
At my slightly mocking response, Adele rummaged through the candy box and shoved three candies into her mouth. Then she huffed through her nose while grinding her teeth. I must have hit a complex. I apologized obediently.
“If I hurt your feelings, I apologize. I’m sorry.”
Adele’s gaze softened considerably.
“It’s okay. People treated me like a child because I’m short, you know? So I’m a little sensitive about it. Please be careful from now on.”
Well… I doubt it was just because of her height that they treated her that way…
“Understood. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“That’s why I’m really grateful to Silvia and you, Jihyeok. You treat me like a proper adult. Ah, of course I like The Doctor and Sehwa too. I really want to meet Yuria soon…”
“Yuria’s been busy lately… But I’ll make sure you meet her soon.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
While chatting about this and that, the car arrived in Uijeongbu. I carefully parked in front of the annex. Adele unfastened her seatbelt and said,
“See you tomorrow.”
“I’m really sorry about the height comment. I just said it because I like petite women.”
“You said you’d be careful, so I’ll forget about it! Hehe… Goodbye!”
“Yes, go on in.”
After saying goodbye, Adele got out of the car and walked briskly toward the entrance. I stepped on the accelerator, putting distance between us, and checked Adele’s reaction in the rearview mirror. I had been subtly showing interest this whole time, and now I had expressed it openly. Would she notice? As I slowly pulled away from Adele, I smirked when she, who had been entering the password, suddenly looked up and stared at the rear of the car.
‘She noticed.’
She had her hand over her mouth. Her eyes were too far to see clearly, but that was definitely a surprised reaction after mulling over what I had said. A good reaction. Things would get fun starting tomorrow.