The Doctor Shows an Unexpected Side
The Doctor showed an unexpected side of herself. I spent the day in an exceptionally relaxed mood, enjoying a date with Sehwa. It had been a long time since we'd simply wandered around outside together instead of staying cooped up in the secret base or my officetel. Sehwa was so thrilled to be out that she practically skipped down the street, though I kept worrying her fluttering tennis skirt would flash her panties to the world.
"Jihyeok! Look at this!" Sehwa's eyes sparkled as she pointed at a soft-serve ice cream stand, bouncing on her toes with one finger thrust out dramatically. The sight of her childish excitement brought a smile to my lips without me even realizing it.
One thing bothered me, though—the weather. I would've preferred gloomy rain, but the sky was obnoxiously bright and cheerful. It pissed me off.
I walked up to the middle-aged vendor and asked, "How much?"
"Vanilla is five thousand won... chocolate-dipped is six thousand."
What the fuck. They're totally ripping me off. Even in a tourist trap, five thousand won for a single cone? Assholes like this are why honest small business owners get a bad rap. This is exactly why humanity can't be saved.
"One chocolate-dipped, please."
"Coming right up. Thank you."
After paying, I snorted as Sehwa immediately latched onto my arm. She must've been in an exceptionally good mood. When the ice cream came out, she held it out to me first. I opened my mouth wide and devoured more than half of it in one bite.
"Huh...?" Sehwa stared blankly at the suddenly diminished treat, her face twisting into a look of pure disbelief. "Are you kidding me...?"
Giggles erupted from the people around us. Sehwa's utterly crestfallen expression was apparently a masterpiece. If you keep laughing, she'll remember your faces and kill you all later. Just mind your own business.
I shrugged nonchalantly. "It's expensive, so it must be good, right?"
"Ugh... you're the worst."
Grumbling, Sehwa reached up and wiped the chocolate syrup from my lips with her finger, then popped it into her own mouth and sucked it clean. The bold move drew stares from several men nearby. Jealous? If you want it so bad, become the Demon King and seduce her yourself.
Still, the missing Aether nagged at me. Marcela was currently tearing the entire planet apart looking for it, running another full scan, but there was no trace whatsoever. I tried to console myself with the fact that this was the sixth installment and the storyline had changed, but... well, even a Demon King has feelings. It wasn't easy to brush off.
Maybe I need to probe the core itself to make it appear...
"Jihyeok."
"Yeah?"
"Are you spacing out right now?"
At some point Sehwa had puffed her cheeks out in a pout and was scolding me. It was our first date in a while, and I'd been neglecting her. "Sorry."
I draped an arm around her shoulders and we continued strolling. The massive electronic billboards atop the towering skyscrapers were plastered with countless images of Yuria taken in Huabei. There were plenty of Sehwa too—some even showed the two of them holding weapons together. Most weren't real photographs but hyper-realistic paintings by renowned artists.
I pointed at the billboards. "What do you think? Earth's heroes, they call them."
Sehwa leaned in close and whispered, "Earth's enemies, more like."
Then she blew gently into my ear. The ticklish, suggestive sensation made my cock twitch and begin to rise. I grinned and pointed at myself. "And me?"
"Hmm... Earth's owner."
"You're really worked up today, huh? Look at you getting all cheeky."
"Hehe..."
She beamed at me. Today, I decided, I'd give Sehwa anything she wanted.
The next day, in the Doctor's laboratory.
I entered the lab with dark circles so heavy they practically reached my cheekbones—an only slight exaggeration. The Doctor, still hard at work, looked up and did a double take.
"Song, are you okay...?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"You look exhausted. Didn't you sleep?"
"Ah... this? It's fine. I'll just wash my face real quick."
"R-right..."
Once inside the bathroom, I filled the sink with cold water and plunged my face into it. Only then did my mind start to clear. Yesterday Sehwa had sucked me dry—literally. I'd seen plenty of photos of athletes returning from trips with their wives, and nine times out of ten their faces looked just as gaunt. Today I was no different.
Sehwa had been spoiled rotten with all my attention and aegyo, so she'd run wild like a fish in water. She dragged me all over Seoul without getting tired, then from evening onward we holed up in the officetel and fucked like animals. I gave her every caress and position she demanded all night long until she'd wrung me dry of every last drop of semen. I'd been genuinely afraid she might drain my life force, my body, and even my soul. Of course that wouldn't actually happen, but it had been terrifying enough.
When I came out, I stretched and sat down beside the Doctor. She gave me a soft smile.
"You must have had a good time with Sehwa, huh?"
"Yeah. We had sex."
"....."
The Doctor froze, completely stunned. I shrugged. "What? Weren't you about to say the same thing?"
"N-no... it's just, hearing it said so bluntly is a little..."
"For someone from such an open-minded country, isn't this pretty tame?"
She let out a small laugh. "Well... it depends on the situation. Speaking of countries, I've been in Korea so long I'm starting to feel like I've become Korean."
"Just from the way you talk, it's hard to tell you aren't. Wait a second..."
I trailed off and reached out to flick away an orange droplet that had landed on her forehead.
"W-what are you doing?"
The Doctor looked flustered. I calmly examined the orange liquid now staining my finger.
"You had something on you. What is this?"
"Oh, that... I was painting a new batch of arrows. Some pigment must have splattered. Thanks."
Painting arrows? Why waste time on something so pointless? Ah. She has nothing else to do. She probably did it because she'd feel lonely otherwise. Her reaction when I mentioned sex earlier probably stemmed from the same place. She must be pent up but can't do anything about it. Her sense of chastity really is something else. I should seduce her properly today.
"Did you finish painting all of them?"
"Yes. I made seven and painted them in rainbow colors."
"Because Aether is rainbow-colored?"
"Exactly. You caught on quickly. Later, maybe I'll borrow Sehwa's Device and paint her sword the same way?"
Sehwa's Aether had already turned pitch black. You couldn't find a single trace of the rainbow left in it.
"That's up to you, Doctor. By the way, any suspicious news lately? Like what happened in Syria?"
She flinched. Looking at me with concern, she asked, "Are you okay?"
"I've forgotten all about it now. I actually feel refreshed..."
"That's good to hear... After what happened in Syria, I've been on high alert too, but... there haven't been any suspicious reports. No good news either."
I couldn't care less whether some shady organization popped up or not. The reason I'd asked the Doctor was simply to see if she had any information about the Aether. As expected, she seemed completely clueless.
"I see. In that case, I'm going to take a nap here... Wake me up when it's evening."
"Will do. But why sleep here instead of at home?"
"We need to have that drink together. I told you before, remember? That we'd definitely share a drink someday."
"Ah... that's right... So that's why you came?"
"Yep."
"I thought you were here looking for more work."
"I'm not that far gone yet."
"So you're saying I am?"
"Well... that's for you to decide, Doctor."
She smiled faintly at my joke. She seemed to be taking it rather positively. Well, I hadn't mentioned her husband today, and since I was probably the only person who ever looked after her while she worked alone for long stretches... it made sense that she'd be in a good mood.
I flashed her a mischievous grin, then headed to the break room in the corner of the lab and lay down to sleep. Time to recover some of the energy Sehwa sucked out of me.
"Song, wake up."
I'd been sleeping quite deeply. The Doctor's gentle voice pulled me awake. I forced myself upright, cracking my neck from side to side, and asked, "Mmm... what time is it...?"
"Nine."
"Nine...? Nine at night?"
"That's right."
"You were working until now...?"
"No, I took a nap after lunch too. When I woke up, it was already this late."
I nodded and got to my feet, doing some light stretches. The Doctor burst into quiet laughter.
"You're only twenty, but you act like a middle-aged man."
"That's a stereotype."
"You're right. Sorry. Shall we go? Do you know any good bars?"
"We can just pick any place."
"Hmm... I'd prefer somewhere quiet. I can't stand noisy places."
Why? Planning to do something naughty with me? I chuckled inwardly. "A quiet place... I'm sure we can find one."
"Then let's look it up first."
"No need. Let's just go. Walking around and getting some fresh air would be nice too, right?"
"You think so...? You might be right."
We left the lab and walked together through the streets of Eunpyeong District. I'd released a criminal organization to accelerate Sehwa's corruption, and many areas they had wrecked still hadn't been fully restored, so the crowds were thinner than usual. Still, once we reached the bustling commercial district, it became reasonably lively.
The Doctor looked around with curious eyes. "There are so many people...? It feels strange."
"That's because you only ever go between home and the lab. You should come out by yourself sometimes, get some air."
"I should. I was starting to feel like a hikikomori. Thank you, Song."
"No need to thank me. How about that place? It doesn't look like a noisy karaoke bar... says it has private rooms?"
I pointed at a bar on the top floor of a five-story building. The Doctor read the sign and smiled brightly.
"That looks good."
We went straight up, told them how many we were, and were shown to a room. After ordering some simple snacks and various drinks, I handed the menu back to the server. Once the server closed the door and left for the kitchen, the Doctor asked, "You didn't ask what I wanted to eat?"
"You don't know what you like anyway. I ordered things I thought you'd enjoy."
"That's a stereotype."
She was throwing my own words from earlier in the lab right back at me. I made an expression like I'd been hit.
"Fair enough. I'm sorry."
"No need to apologize... You're right, I really don't know. I just wanted to tease you a little."
"You have a mischievous side too, Doctor."
"Do I?"
She smiled softly. Her rectangular black-framed glasses suited her voluptuous features perfectly. She wore no makeup, but her stunning figure and natural beauty didn't need any enhancement. This must be the textbook definition of a hot older woman. She almost always wore formal suits and long skirts. It would be nice if she switched to something more like a stylish new-city milf look...
While entertaining these dirty thoughts and chatting with her, the food arrived and I grinned. I shook a soju bottle, opened it, and asked, "How much are we drinking tonight?"
"Everything in moderation, right? Let's drink moderately."
"That doesn't sound like you at all. You should moderate your work too."
"Are you going to pour for me or not?"
"Of course I'll pour for you."
I tilted the bottle toward her with polite deference. A pleased smile spread across her face. After pouring for her, I was about to pour for myself when she raised a hand to stop me.
"I'll pour for you."
"You've completely adapted to Korean culture, haven't you, Doctor?"
"I was actually planning to drink straight from the bottle, but your manners made me rethink it."
I burst out laughing and lifted my glass. Her hand trembled slightly—like she had a mild tremor—as she poured for me.
"Shall we make a toast?"
"I don't like that."
"Understood."
I nodded theatrically and downed the shot. "Kya..." The sound escaped me, and the Doctor chuckled before taking a delicate sip herself. I'd thought she was the rough type, but she was surprisingly refined about it.
"So, Doctor..."
I began steering the conversation in earnest, starting to dig into her personal life and gather all sorts of information.