Gobi Desert's Aether #2
The Aether of the Gobi Desert reacted far more violently whenever I touched the Device these days. It was as if it sensed the encroaching corruption and was growing desperate.
I had already prepared the choker that the corrupted Leona would soon wear around her neck. The strap was made of black latex, with a hollow purple heart at its center. It looked blatantly lewd—a clear mark of ownership.
Next, I planned to craft a leotard that would leave her abdomen completely exposed.
Once everything was ready, I expanded the Device’s capacity further and headed into the bedroom. Sehwa had just finished showering and greeted me with a bright, expectant smile.
She’s brought something… but why is she hiding it? I decided to play along for now.
“I was going to watch a movie. Want to join me?”
Sehwa gave me a look that said the question was ridiculous. She didn’t even bother answering. Her manners had slipped lately. I’d have to correct that before bed.
I sat on the sofa and fiddled with the new home theater system I’d bought. With a soft whir, a massive screen descended to fill the living room.
Maybe something violent and gory tonight? Sehwa had never watched this kind of film before. I was curious how she’d react now that she’d changed so much.
While browsing for a movie, I paused when Sehwa stepped out wearing white dolphin shorts and an oversized T-shirt. She wasn’t wearing underwear. Her breasts swayed with every step, the fabric stretched taut over her nipples, and the outline of her labia was clearly visible through the thin shorts. It was incredibly erotic.
Her hands were clasped behind her back. A gift for me, apparently.
“What are you hiding?”
Sehwa hurried over and sat beside me. Without a word, she held out her hands. It was a ring box—far more elegant than the one Yu Seunghyeon had given her.
“No way…”
When I just sat there stunned, she grew shy and opened the box herself. Inside were a pair of rings. Engraved on the inner band in tiny Korean letters were the words [Jihyeok♡Sehwa]. Simple, timeless rings.
“Let’s wear these together.”
She’d actually bought couple rings? For real? They looked like platinum, yet no charge had appeared on my phone. That meant she’d paid with her own money… even though she barely had any. She must have emptied every pocket she had.
Honestly, I never expected Sehwa to do something like this. Still dazed, I reached for the rings, but she shook her head and took the larger one, sliding it onto my ring finger. It fit perfectly. Her thoughtfulness was obvious.
“I hope you never take it off.”
She was repeating the exact words Yu Seunghyeon had once said to her—only now she was saying them to me. My mouth stretched into a wide grin.
Sehwa looked up at me, cheeks flushed. “Put mine on too.”
Of course I would. I took the remaining ring and slipped it onto her left ring finger, right where Yu Seunghyeon’s ring had once sat. A surge of triumph washed over me.
Sehwa beamed, then showered my entire face with kisses. I pulled her away and tapped her lips affectionately with my fingers.
“Hnn…”
She let out a small, disappointed whine. I asked, “Are you sure this is okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“You told Yu Seunghyeon you got couple rings from him at the bar. People saw. What if your classmates ask?”
“No one looks that closely at a ring during a confession. Besides, some friends noticed my hand was bare two days ago and asked what happened.”
“What did you tell them?”
“That it was too tight and I sent it to be resized.”
Not a bad excuse. During a confession, people would be looking at the couple, not scrutinizing the ring. The bar lighting had been dim, so the color probably hadn’t been obvious either. Yu Seunghyeon’s ring had been simple too, so it should be fine.
“What about Yu Seunghyeon? What will you do when you meet him?”
“I’m not planning to see him for a while.”
“And after that?”
“I don’t know. I’ll just wear the one he gave me when I have to.”
Her expression soured as she spoke. She was still furious with him.
I smiled. “Don’t do that. I’ll have an exact replica made of the ring he gave you. Wear that when you go see him.”
“An exact replica?”
“Same on the outside. Obviously different on the inside.”
I meant changing the engraving. Sehwa swallowed and nodded, her eyes curving with excitement.
“Okay. But we don’t know where he bought it. How will you match it?”
“I’ll take it to a jeweler and have one custom-made. Where is it now?”
“In the nightstand drawer in the bedroom.”
“I’ll take it tomorrow.”
“All right.”
I nodded and was about to pick a movie when Sehwa grabbed my arm and opened the Twinkle account.
“We haven’t posted in a while. The follower count’s stuck at fifty thousand.”
Twinkle had been created to torment Yu Seunghyeon. But the guy was currently sulking after Sehwa slapped him and told him never to contact her again. Between work and everything else, he probably didn’t have time to check the account. I’d been thinking of deleting it since there was no longer any point in posting… but if I wanted to nurture Sehwa’s exhibitionism, I still needed it. And she clearly wanted to continue.
“You enjoy it that much?”
“I looked into it. People make money from this. Sponsorships, ads…”
“Are you worried about money right now?”
“No… honestly, I just want to keep doing it. It’s fun. It excites me.”
Finally being honest. I’d have to take her out for some outdoor exposure soon.
“Focus on the movie tonight. We’ll do it next time.”
“Can’t we do it now?”
I gave her a stern look without answering. Sehwa deflated and climbed onto my lap, then chose the movie herself. She was clearly sulking, and it was adorable.
**
The world had been in chaos for the past few days. Gates had appeared twice a day for three days straight. Fortunately, only D-class monsters and below had emerged, so the various nations had managed to hold them back with military force—though the damage had been severe. People were even suggesting that more Beast Slayers needed to be created.
But Beast Slayers were rare, noble existences. Only five existed in total. They weren’t something that could be mass-produced in a factory.
Because the gates had been low-ranked, we hadn’t been deployed. We had publicly declared that Beast Slayers would only be sent for C-class gates and above. Of course, smaller nations were an exception—those lacking military power still needed us.
Still, the victims turned their anger on us. They accused us of selectively responding to gates and questioned whether we were truly humanity’s protectors. Some even claimed we were making backroom deals with certain countries and deliberately staying away.
There was truth in the saying that continued kindness becomes entitlement. The Doctor, Sehwa, and I were righteous people saving humanity without expecting anything in return. If people had any common sense, they wouldn’t open their mouths against us after we’d given them Evilion scanners and a ranking system to build proper defenses.
But humans were selfish creatures. Once they suffered losses, they lost their minds and spewed whatever accusations they could. This was all part of my plan to shake Sehwa’s sense of justice. I had opened the gates specifically to provoke this backlash.
When Sehwa heard the news, her fists trembled with rage. The Doctor tried to comfort her.
“It’s just a few instigators. Don’t let it shake you. Far more people are grateful to us.”
“Even so…”
“The World Coalition promised to silence the critics.”
“They promised? Why does it sound like they’re doing us a favor?”
“Ah, I misspoke. They came to us begging to handle it.”
“I don’t like it. We should take back the scanners from the countries badmouthing us and demand a proper apology…”
“Lee Sehwa! Get a hold of yourself!”
The Doctor’s sharp shout made Sehwa flinch. She realized she’d said something she shouldn’t have. She shook her head and slapped her own cheeks hard enough to make a sound, then apologized.
“I-I’m sorry… I don’t know what I was saying…”
The Doctor’s expression softened when she saw Sehwa’s genuine remorse. She handed her a glass of cold water.
“Drink.”
Sehwa gulped it down and lowered her head.
“I… I must be losing it. I’ve been too sensitive lately…”
The Doctor’s face relaxed further. I seized the moment.
“Want to transform? It might help you feel better.”
“Transform? But…”
“The Device’s capacity has increased a lot, and this lab is completely hidden. You can transform for just a moment and change back right away.”
The Doctor nodded approvingly. After a brief hesitation, Sehwa tapped her Device. A pure white light burst forth, and both the Doctor and I squeezed our eyes shut before opening them again.
In the center of the lab stood Leona, radiating a sky-blue aura. She had deliberately adjusted the light so I could see her face clearly. Her pupils were like a clear ocean—deep enough to drown in. Still beautiful. Noble. Reliable.
Such a pure, exalted being was now looking at me with loving eyes. Her cherry-red lips parted.
“Jihyeok.”
The tremor in her voice was gone. Leona’s strength must have filled Sehwa’s mind. But deep inside, distrust toward humanity had already taken root. For now, it was only forcibly suppressed.
“Yeah?”
I answered with a full smile. Leona approached, her sky-blue hair swaying, and pressed her lips to mine, closing her eyes. A brief, blissful kiss.
Leona pulled away and released her transformation. With a soft hum, the sky-blue light was sucked back into the Device, and Leona returned to being Sehwa. Her expression was completely refreshed.
The Doctor winked at me, then turned back to Sehwa.
“Feeling better?”
“Yes. Much better.”
“That’s a relief.”
“How much energy did it use?”
“Less than one percent. Don’t worry. Transforming once in a while when your head feels cluttered isn’t a bad idea.”
“Thank you…”
“You should thank Song.”
Yeah. I’d just given her a way to instantly clear her confused emotions. She should thank me. I waved my hand dismissively with a smile.
“I just said what was on my mind.”
The Doctor asked Sehwa for a moment and led me into the side room—the same room where she and Sehwa had once shared secrets. Her expression turned serious.
“Song, don’t let Sehwa read internet articles or watch the news.”
“I’m already doing that.”
“Good… At first I wasn’t happy about you getting close to Sehwa, but things are different now. Take good care of her.”
Of course I would. I’d take care of her thoroughly—both before and after her corruption.
“I will.”
“What about… Sehwa’s boyfriend?”
“Yu Seunghyeon? I’ve only met him once, so I’m not sure. Why?”
“No reason. Never mind.”
Right. She was terrified that Sehwa might waver between Yu Seunghyeon and me, and that the guilt might turn into righteousness. Don’t worry. I had everything under control. And it was already irreversible. There was nothing she could do now to change that.
Beep—! Beep!
A warning alarm rang from outside the lab, indicating detected Evilion energy. It was the final surge to cap off the three-day ordeal.
The Doctor and I exchanged a glance. I flung the door open and rushed out. Sehwa, who had been staring at the monitor, spoke up.
“It’s already at… forty percent.”
The Doctor hurried out of the room and checked the monitor, startled.
“It’s already D-class? This is…”
“I should go, right?”
“Yes. The location is fortunately the Gobi Desert. Only a small number of locals live there, and being a desert, the damage should be minimal. We’ll depart immediately, so stay here and use the portal the moment the gate opens.”
“Understood.”
“Song!”
I was already sprinting toward the hangar where the fighter jet was docked. The Doctor cursed at my back and hurried after me.