How to Kiss Well
Adele summoned the greatest focus of her entire life as she read through the guide on kissing techniques. After reaching the final tenth paragraph, she returned to the beginning and began memorizing it word for word. Only after a long time had passed and the methods were completely burned into her mind did she bury her face in her pillow.
“Haaah…”
Letting out a long, deep sigh in that position sent a rush of heat blooming across both cheeks. It felt exactly like the state of her heart right now, she thought. Adele crossed her legs and kicked at the bed.
It was all because of what had happened that afternoon. She had handled Jihyeok’s aggressive tongue well enough at first. But the moment he began swirling it in earnest and pressing firmly into her armpits, she panicked and clamped her teeth shut. Thankfully, she hadn’t drawn blood. Still, the sight of Jihyeok in such pain left her at a complete loss. He had comforted her for making such a fuss, yet the guilt refused to fade.
She stayed completely deflated through the entire meal and couldn’t even meet his eyes on the way home. In the end, she had completely ruined their date.
I’m such a fool…!
If she had just stayed still, she could have managed an average performance at least. She really was an idiot. Jihyeok must have lost every last ounce of affection for her by now.
Adele was sighing again and again when her phone rang with a cheerful tone. She jumped, then hurriedly checked the caller. It was Jihyeok. Swallowing hard, she pushed down her trembling heart and answered.
“Still sulking over there?”
“Jihyeok… are you okay?”
“I’ve told you I’m fine multiple times. There’s no swelling, so stop worrying.”
“B-but it hurt…!”
“I was only pretending it hurt.”
She had clearly heard that guttural “ugh” groan rising from his chest. Yet he claimed he was pretending. He was lying for her sake. If he had simply admitted it hurt, she wouldn’t feel this much worse.
“I’m sorry…”
“I’ll accept your apology. So stop saying sorry.”
“O-okay… We’re still meeting tomorrow, right? You don’t have any urgent work, do you?”
Her heart tightened at the thought that he might say no.
“What a silly question. I’ll come get you in the morning.”
The answer she wanted to hear made her cheer silently. And she would get to see him from the morning onward? It was perfect. With her face now glowing, Adele answered brightly.
“Great…!”
A low chuckle came from the other end of the line. The wonderful sound made the corners of her mouth lift on their own and her body twist with delight.
“What are you doing right now?”
“Just lying down…”
“Going to sleep?”
“No…”
“Your voice sounds sleepy.”
“It doesn’t! I’m not sleepy at all!”
Anyone would have called that acting. Jihyeok let out another pleasant laugh.
“I should hang up now.”
Adele’s face fell into a pout. She really wasn’t sleepy… her voice had simply grown quiet from embarrassment… and here he was, completely missing the point again! She was about to beg for a little longer when his next words left her stunned.
“Sleep well. See you tomorrow. I love you, Adele.”
“…..”
Even after the call ended, Adele kept the phone pressed to her ear for a long time. She couldn’t believe it. She had wanted to hear those words, but actually hearing them far surpassed her expectations. The feeling was so euphoric it rivaled the ecstasy of believers gathered to sing hymns to Rosario.
With her mouth hanging open, Adele kicked wildly at her blanket. It was too hot. Her heart hammered wildly and her face burned. Just hearing it over the phone did this to her. She couldn’t even imagine what it would feel like hearing it face to face.
Still riding the high, she fiddled with her Device and accidentally pressed the charge display button. The moment she saw the result, she nearly jumped out of her skin.
+3% since last reading
Intimate contact detected. Aether resonance rising.
F-five… fifty-three percent…?
Did that mean the kiss alone had raised it by three percent? No—during the kiss Jihyeok had touched her waist and armpits. It had felt good, but even taking that into account, it didn’t make sense. She had been so startled she nearly bit his tongue off. Yet it still charged three percent… Could it be that she hadn’t been startled at all, but actually excited?
When she thought about it that way, it almost made sense.
No… don’t get confused!
This was something she had already resolved to do. She had decided to charge with Jihyeok, hadn’t she? So an increase was a good thing. Right now she should only think about the words he had said.
I love you, Adele.
Replaying the confession calmed her chaotic heart. Once her emotions settled, Adele closed her eyes with a silly grin on her face.
Adele’s complexion was especially bright today. It must be because I told her I loved her. Seeing that sunny expression makes even me feel good.
Adele, sitting in the passenger seat, was acting unusually prim and proper. Knees pressed tightly together, hands crossed neatly over her thighs. Yet her eyes kept darting sideways to steal glances at me. She was obviously still worrying about yesterday—the love confession and the moment she bit down on my tongue during the kiss.
Because of that little accident our charging plan had gone off track, but what did it matter? As long as she was cute, everything was fine.
I flashed her a toothy grin and asked, “Did you bring your ID?”
“My ID…? I brought it, but… why?”
“I’m thinking of taking a trip to Jeju Island. You said you wanted to see the sea, didn’t you? We’ll go for the day and fly back up afterward.”
At those words Adele clapped her hands in delight. “Really?”
“Yes. Do you like the idea?”
“I do! But why Jeju? There are closer beaches in Incheon or Gangwon Province.”
Why? Because I planned to stay at least one night and two days, of course. We’ve been dating for quite a while now. After making her wait this long, we should at least reach the stage right before the main event. Don’t you think?
I scratched my head and answered in an awkward tone, “Well… it’s a trip combined with some investigation work.”
“Investigation?”
“Yes. The Evilion detector installed on Jeju Island is showing abnormal readings. It keeps picking up faint traces of magi, yet no monsters have appeared there. The headquarters alarm never sounded either… So I figured we could check it out while we’re there.”
“Ah… so this is work after all?”
“I’ll finish it quickly and spend time with you, Adele.”
“Quickly? What if the detector is actually malfunctioning? Wouldn’t that be a huge problem!?”
I only downplayed it so she wouldn’t be disappointed—why was she raising her voice? And why make that sullen face the moment I explained…
“You’re absolutely right. I’m sorry.”
“Matters involving monsters are extremely important! Yet you say you’ll finish it quickly… Pay attention!”
“Yes…”
Whimpering inwardly, I started the car. We drove toward the airport in silence until Adele cleared her throat with an obvious “Ahem!” I kept my eyes forward and asked, “What is it?”
“Are you angry with me?”
“Not at all.”
“Then why won’t you look at my face?”
“I’m driving.”
“There’s an auto-drive mode.”
“The flight schedule is tight, so manual driving is safer.”
“Weren’t we taking the private jet?”
“Taking a private jet just to go to Jeju Island would be an incredible waste.”
Even while staring straight ahead, I could see Adele’s lips poking out in a pout. How cute… But why was I playing this kind of childish prank? Whenever I was with Adele, I somehow ended up acting just as silly.
In the end I switched the car to auto-drive and turned to look at her. “I’m not angry.”
At my gentle tone, Adele relaxed and silently took my hand. Then she began gazing at me with those deep, meaningful eyes. What was this awkward performance? While I stayed still in confusion, Adele narrowed her brows and widened her eyes. I wasn’t sure what she wanted, but it seemed like she was urging me on…
I decided to tease her. “Are you feeling sick somewhere?”
Her face transformed in the most bizarre way. She bit her lower lip hard, snatched her hand back, and turned away.
“No!”
She shouted, then began frantically searching for something on her phone. She must have read something strange on the internet again. Unbelievable.
Even after sulking, Adele marveled at the crowds in the airport and lit up with joy when she saw we were sitting in business class. But once the plane drew close to Jeju Island, her expression turned anxious. She fidgeted so much that the flight attendant asked if she was all right. Adele forced a smile and said nothing was wrong, then glanced around before leaning close and whispering in my ear.
“I can feel magi… It’s similar to what I felt when I first arrived on Earth, and when I fought that crow monster…”
I already knew. Something was stirring in the deep waters off Jeju Island right now.
Pretending to be surprised, I asked, “Where is it coming from?”
Adele pointed out the window. “Exactly over there.”
Her finger indicated the western sea of Jeju Island—the exact location of the Evilion detector.
I rubbed my forehead and shook my head. “So the detector wasn’t malfunctioning after all.”
“It seems that way. Shouldn’t we contact headquarters?”
“Is the magi strong enough to be dangerous?”
“Not really… It’s hard to explain, but… if I had to compare it, it’s like the air is a little polluted.”
“A little polluted? That also means the range is wide.”
“Yes. Exactly. Weak magi, but over a large area.”
“In that case, let’s handle it ourselves. No need to contact headquarters.”
“Huh…?”
I kept my mouth shut and let out a long breath through my nose, then explained my decision to Adele, who clearly didn’t understand.
“If I call the Doctor, I’ll have to issue an official statement to the World Coalition declaring that I performed official duties. We were attacked by an S-class monster not long ago, and now we’re dealing with another monster-related incident? What would the public think? They’d grow anxious.”
“Ah…”
“Since you said it isn’t dangerous, I believe it’s best to treat this as nothing more than a simple detector repair. If the situation escalates, we can contact them then. Sehwa and Yuria’s support would arrive quickly anyway.”
“Yes… I understand.”
I apologized to Adele in the most remorseful tone I could manage. “I’m sorry. What was supposed to be sightseeing has turned into work.”
Adele shook her head frantically. “No, not at all. I’m a Beast Slayer. This is something I’m supposed to do.”
“Thank you for saying that.”
The monster I had released into the western sea off Jeju Island could be considered a downgraded version of the now-deceased Gaap. I had arranged the encounter so it would also drain Adele’s Aether energy outside of combat. I was curious to see just how effective the setup would be.