Chapter 189
Chapter 189
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 189
Chapter Title: Twin Rush (3)
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"Siwoo, come here for a sec."
Just as he'd grabbed a blanket and a pillow to crash on the sofa, Sharon peeked out from her bedroom door and beckoned him.
He'd half-expected her to call him over, so Siwoo followed her into the room without protest.
Sharon, now changed into her pajamas, looked utterly flustered.
Her hands, neatly clasped in front of her chest, betrayed her unease.
"What in the world is going on?"
"Beats me—it's all so sudden. They said they wouldn't show up for another five years."
"Those two... you mean the apprentice witches you told me about? The ones you so heroically rescued back then?"
"Heroically? I'm not so sure about that... but yeah, pretty much."
Sharon glanced toward the closed door, beyond which the twins were sleeping in Siwoo's room.
The three of them looked incredibly close.
Maybe even closer than she was to him, in a way.
The twins eyeing her suspiciously when she called Siwoo's name.
The nagging anxiety of not knowing exactly what had gone down between them in the past.
And the twins openly showing their affection for Siwoo without a hint of restraint.
All three combined to stir a flicker of unease in her heart.
It was an anxiety she couldn't quite put into words.
If she had to describe it, it was the absurd delusion that Siwoo might just up and leave her someday.
She knew she had no right to claim ownership over him—she'd only ever been on the receiving end.
Yet that left her feeling oddly resentful.
So she'd pulled him into her room without knowing what to say or even why.
"Must've been a shock. They'll only be staying a few days anyway, so just bear with it even if it's uncomfortable."
"It's not that... If anything, I'm the one freeloading here."
"Don't say that. Uh..."
In the middle of their talk, at the most unexpected moment, Sharon threw herself into Siwoo's arms.
The feminine curves pressed against him with just that contact alone.
Sharon's soft body enveloped him completely.
Siwoo, momentarily startled, chuckled and stroked her hair.
He figured the shock from Deneb the debt collector showing up out of nowhere had rattled her into this confusion.
"What's gotten into you?"
"Nothing... just..."
Their thoughts slightly misaligned, Sharon felt something surge up from her throat.
Her eyes began to sting.
Lately, things had been off.
She'd never been such a crybaby before.
No matter how tough things got, how tangled the problems, she'd always powered through strong and spirited.
But ever since meeting him, she felt like she'd turned into an idiot.
She cried at the drop of a hat, clung to him constantly, and craved his gentle comfort.
Now that she had a place to lean on, had she just developed this bad habit of relying on it?
"What's wrong? Are you crying? Did the twins say something weird?"
Siwoo noticed the dampness in Sharon's voice as she buried herself in his arms and asked in a serious tone.
But Sharon wiped her tears and shook her head vigorously.
Even so, her arms stayed locked around his waist.
"No, no... It's just me being weird..."
He wanted to pry her hands off and get the full story, but Sharon refused to let go.
"What is it? You can tell me honestly."
"No, really, I don't even know... And they didn't say anything."
At first, he'd wondered if the twins had rubbed her debt in her face, but they were just apprentice witches—unlikely they even knew about it. More importantly, they weren't the type to be that malicious.
Sharon hadn't offered any elaboration either, so Siwoo was left clueless.
"Sorry."
"No need to apologize. If there's something tough you haven't told me about, spill it. Don't keep it bottled up like last time."
"No, really, there's nothing. I swear."
"Good, then."
Siwoo calmed her with a steady voice.
Sharon buried her face in his chest, listening to the rhythm of his heartbeat.
For some reason, just that eased her a little.
"...Can you do me one favor?"
"What is it?"
"A kiss... just one? Not like a lover's kiss, but like comforting a friend... It's fine if you're uncomfortable..."
A kiss was inherently an act between lovers—there was no such thing as a "friend consolation kiss."
Sharon knew that much.
So she wrapped her impulse to kiss him in that vague excuse and presented it.
Siwoo, already teetering on the edge with her as more than just friends, didn't find the request burdensome.
He didn't know what was up, but if teary-eyed Sharon was asking...
Of course he'd do it.
Sharon leaned in first, her lips meeting his.
Since their first kiss, she'd never initiated one, nor had he with her—it had been quite a while.
"Mm... hmm..."
A soft, plump tongue cautiously nudged his teeth before slipping inside.
The fresh scent of mouthwash mingled with sticky saliva, leaving a tingling sweetness on his tongue tip.
It didn't last long.
Just until their lips' temperatures equalized, that subtle difference fading.
They parted quietly.
"........."
"Feel better?"
"Yeah, thanks, Siwoo."
Sharon, who moments ago had looked like a lost puppy desperate for its owner, now seemed much more settled.
She probably just needed time to think, so he decided not to press about the sudden kiss request.
2.
"Sis asleep?"
"Nah, you, Odette?"
"I'm not, that's why I'm talking."
Confined to bed by Siwoo's firm insistence, the twins lay side by side.
At first, they were blissed out by the assistant's scent wafting from everywhere.
But smell is the sense that dulls quickest to stimuli.
Soon, they couldn't detect Siwoo's lingering presence on their skin anymore.
All that remained was the frustration of being separated from him right after reuniting.
"The assistant's being too mean."
"But if Master finds out, it'll be trouble. Just sleep and tomorrow we can hang out with him from morning on."
"True, but... isn't this the perfect chance when Master's away to do all the stuff we couldn't before?"
"Sis, opportunities like this will come again. If little Master catches us, we might never set foot in the mortal world again until we become full witches."
Odile shot Odette a sidelong glance at her unusually mature words.
"Did you eat something weird?"
"I've always been the mature one. You're the childish one."
"Ugh, whatever."
Normally, spry Odile would've been ready for a full-blown squabble over that.
But not tonight.
They had to prep for the mortal world early tomorrow, and today's eye-opening sights had drained their mental energy.
So even Odette's preemptive jab wrapped her in a peaceful drowsiness.
"Tomorrow, we definitely... have fun with the assistant... yawn... night, Odette."
"Yeah, night, sis."
The twins closed their eyes, sleeping soundly together in harmony.
3.
The rain poured relentlessly all night, veiling even the city lights like a curtain.
The living room was shrouded in charcoal-gray twilight.
"Hmm..."
Siwoo lay against the sofa backrest, scrolling through his tablet.
It held his notes on magic studies.
The world sure had come a long way.
No need for lamps or shuffling through stacks of paper—he could study like this.
Every time he appreciated modern tech, he was reminded anew how those five years in Gehenna weren't short at all.
Take the styler at the officetel's entrance, for instance.
Just hang your clothes, and it sterilizes, dehumidifies, and smooths wrinkles.
Nothing like that in Gehenna.
This was what conveniences of civilization were for.
-Click!
Then, the quiet sound of a door opening.
Sharon? Siwoo glanced up briefly.
But the small shadow's size and silhouette suggested it was one of the twins.
He turned off the tablet, set it aside, and sat up.
"Assistant, you're still up."
"Eh, I can sleep or not—doesn't matter."
"True, you're a witch now too."
Her voice was a bit husky from just waking up.
But the twins' tones were naturally high, so even her whisper sounded like a bird's chirp.
Careful not to wake anyone, Odile closed the door softly and toddled over, diving straight into Siwoo's arms.
"Whoa, you need to sleep if you wanna play all day tomorrow."
"But... I've missed you so much... How can I just lie there knowing you're out here in the living room?"
"What about Odette?"
"She's out cold. Snoozing away."
He lifted the blanket for her, and she burrowed in like into a nest.
Once inside, Odile took a deep whiff.
"Ahh, yeah, this is it."
"Stop shoving your hand under my armpit."
Her hair tickled his neck, and she kept trying to tickle him, so Siwoo gently scolded with a laugh.
Normally, Odile would've shot back with something like, "Can't do this, can't do that—you're like a mother-in-law!"
But tonight, she just clung quietly, saying nothing more.
Instead, after sharing body heat for a while, she asked in a very soft voice.
"Assistant, can I ask you something?"
"Sure, go ahead."
"What do you think of Odette?"
"Odette? She's great. Super cute too."
"That's it?"
"What else is there? Her magic's a bit clumsier than yours, but she's got a kind heart. So maybe don't fight so much and get along?"
The last part felt a bit unnecessary.
They bickered constantly, but they were always stuck together and got along fine.
"I... see... Then what about me?"
"You?"
"Yeah, me."
He hadn't thought much when she'd asked about Odette—since Odette was in the room anyway.
But rating herself right in front of him felt awkward.
He wasn't sure what she was getting at either.
"You're cute too."
Cute was a fact, so he let it stand.
"And that's all? Nothing like I'm special compared to Odette?"
"Tough question to answer. You've both been so good to me."
Siwoo chuckled, stroking Odile's head as it rested on his chest.
A satisfied hum escaped her, her breaths warming his collar warmly.
She wriggled contentedly—it felt good.
Time to send her back.
"Head to bed. I'll show you all the local spots tomorrow morning. We've got plenty of time."
"Mmmph..."
Odile shook her head.
Instead, she clung like a magnet, refusing to let go.
"You like me better than Odette, right?"
"Huh?"
"That's why you went on that last night walk with me instead, yeah?"
"Well..."
Not really.
He found Odette just as cute as Odile.
That night walk had just been Odile coming out last to comfort him.
And Odile, who knew that better than anyone, asking this meant...
"Is Odette pretty upset about that?"
"Yeah, super upset."
Her mumbling voice came with her hand, which had been roaming his chest, sliding lower.
There was a hint of defiance in her touch.
"Eek!"
"Shh... she'll wake up."
"What are you doing all of a sudden...!"
Then she grabbed his cock like a snake striking.
Her hand slipped right into his panties, moving this way and that.
Slim, delicate fingers coiled sneakily around his shaft.
At the familiar touch, it perked up in greeting, swelling eagerly.
"To... to spend time together... this might be our last chance... right, Assistant...?"
"No, you have to be careful tonight. I told you—Deneb might drop in unannounced."
"Just once, super quick..."
Siwoo grabbed her wrist, trying to pull her hand away from his twitching cock.
No matter how he thought about it, betraying Deneb's trust after just one night felt... a pang of conscience.
But Odile wouldn't relent.
Still gripping it, she tried to burrow down and take it in her mouth.
"Odile!"
Siwoo raised his voice sternly at her reckless behavior.
He yanked the blanket off and faced her.
And realized.
"Sis is so unfair... You're bad too, Assistant..."
It was too dark, and crucially, she'd completely changed her speech pattern.
So he hadn't noticed.
But seeing her eyes brimming with pearl-like tears, her face trembling... he knew instantly.
The one who'd snuck into his arms pretending to be Odile was Odette.
"You always leave me out... It's not fair at all..."