Chapter 436
Chapter 436
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 436
Chapter Title: Merry Christmas (8)
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1.
To fully describe the stunning beauty of Malkuth Gallery, even dedicating several pages wouldn't suffice.
If I had to liken it to a landscape from a similar era, it would be the Belle Époque at the tail end of the 19th century, when Europe basked in unprecedented prosperity and progress.
Gazing at the glass dome reminiscent of London's Crystal Palace and the dazzling array of crimson candelabras illuminating every corner evokes a nostalgia for that bygone age, even if you've never lived through it.
"Reminds me of the old days, huh?"
"Yeah, we used to go shopping like this all the time."
"Yeah, yeah. Totally."
Sharon hooked her arm through his as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
She used to be content with just holding hands, but these days she clung to him like this more and more.
The soft, cushiony feel of her arm against his was just a bonus.
Malkuth Gallery was usually teeming with people around noon on a weekday, but today the crowds were thinner than expected—maybe the witches were nursing hangovers from last night, or perhaps they'd all jetted off to fancier spots.
That was a small mercy, at least.
The witches' interest in Siwoo was still red-hot, even if it had cooled a bit from the stalker-fan frenzy of before.
But something about this felt off.
"Why?"
"Nah, just... something's weird."
"What?"
"By now, you'd think one or two witches would've come up to chat us up."
The words had barely left his mouth when a sharp jab hit his side.
Sharon's doing, no doubt.
"Ow! What the hell?"
"You're with me, and you're thinking about other girls...? Complaining no one's hitting on you mid-street?"
"That's not it—it's just weird, okay?"
He could definitely feel the sidelong glances flicking their way.
He'd even sensed Sharon tightening her grip on his arm, like she was showing off—or marking her territory—but not a single witch approached them.
"The rumors aren't what they used to be."
"Huh?"
"You handsomely took down that heavyweight public enemy, the Witch of Desire. Short version: you used to be the cute new puppy breed everyone fawned over, but now they all know that pup's got fangs if you push it."
"Kinda rough metaphor there."
Sharon covered her mouth and giggled, clearly pleased with her own analogy despite Siwoo's grimace.
Person-to-puppy comparisons aside, her reasoning rang true enough.
There were other factors at play, too.
For starters, he'd crossed paths with a ton of witches during his host bar gig, and it'd been a good while since his return to Gehenna—long enough for the hype to fizzle out like a post-boom castella shop or UFO catcher arcade.
But witches being the stubbornly self-absorbed types they were, the real shift seemed to boil down to what Sharon had nailed.
"Guess it's true what they say—respect born from fear."
"That's why I'm playing the obedient girlfriend card with you. Gotta stay sweet, or I'll get schooled in bed."
Sharon squeezed his arm and tossed out the quip with a wink.
Her voice was chattier and higher-pitched than usual—she was buzzing with excitement.
"You're in a great mood today, huh?"
"Yeah, the best. Oh, there it is. C'mon, hurry."
Their first stop on today's date itinerary: Esprit Tailors.
A half-flight of stairs led to the entrance.
If he had to pick a Korean equivalent, it'd be something like a barbershop or one of those old-school British suit shops.
Even Gehenna's moneyed witches didn't deck themselves out solely in bespoke threads.
Ready-to-wear held plenty of appeal if it was styled right.
A full quarter of Malkuth Gallery's floor space was given over to display cases lined with dressed mannequins, after all.
"Let's head in."
"Whoa..."
Of course, "ready-to-wear" didn't mean "budget-friendly."
Gehenna's pricing system was a quirky beast.
Witches ran on sky-high pride and loathed anything that smacked of price tags judging their worth.
So shops catering to them skipped the crass numerical lists.
Instead, they went with this fiddly petal-scattering gimmick—different colors for different values—like festive confetti. And under those mannequins? Heaps that screamed "not cheap."
"Back before the exile, this was my go-to spot for clothes."
Stepping inside revealed a layout that felt way more cramped than expected.
All the outfits perched on mannequins instead of hangers—terribly inefficient.
The racks crammed from entrance to center overflowed with pieces that'd run hundreds of thousands of won apiece.
Mindful of Sharon's pride, Siwoo phrased it carefully.
"...This stuff's legit, right?"
"Totally. I get that dignity upkeep stipend, remember?"
Hard to argue when she put it like that...
Who'd have thought the Sharon who'd sweated every penny would pull off a flex like this?
Siwoo wasn't the only one feeling the timeshift vibes.
Politely waving off the attendant who'd scurried over, they poked around the displays.
"I wanna wear something you pick out."
"Yeah? Any old thing cool?"
"Oh, please... Not just any—something pretty."
Pretty clothes were subjective, but fashion's true finisher was the face, and Sharon looked stunning even in dolphin shorts and a tank top.
Siwoo wasn't exactly a women's fashion whiz, either.
This was only his second time clothes-shopping with a girl, after Eloa.
A one-piece dress with a subtle, watery shimmer caught his eye.
It'd pair great with a coat, he figured.
"How about... this one?"
"Love it! I'll try it on."
Sharon had been browsing too, but she jumped on his suggestion without a second glance.
"Not even gonna look?"
"I'm trying it on to look pretty for you."
How did she make lines like that sound so effortlessly sweet?
No artifice, no flattery—just pure, unfiltered sincerity that hit even harder.
"C'mon, follow me."
Sharon tugged him by the arm into the fabric-curtained fitting room.
"This cool, going in together?"
"What's the big deal? No one's around to see."
Without hesitation, Sharon stripped off her outfit and handed the still-warm bundle to Siwoo.
There she stood in her underwear, her lush figure as captivating as ever—no matter how many times he'd held her.
Her breasts were generous, sure, but that near-perfect teardrop shape held its allure even cradled in her bra.
Locking eyes with him suddenly, Sharon teased in that impish tone.
"You totally just checked out my tits."
"Can you blame me? You put 'em right there."
Sharon beamed and melted into him, underwear and all.
She peered up with that cookie-thief grin, then whispered conspiratorially.
"Wanna... do a quickie right here?"
"What? Here?"
They'd fooled around outdoors once before, in a dim Tarot Town alley.
Siwoo remembered the thrill—the electric rush of public risk fueling the pleasure...
But a fitting room? That was uncharted territory.
Prime hot-couple fantasy fodder.
"Clerk's downstairs anyway... I just gotta keep quiet... I'll magic away the mess after. Sound good?"
Had she gotten hooked back then?
Siwoo swallowed hard.
Just a single curtain separated them from the shop.
No room for slip-ups—they'd need ninja-level stealth sex.
"When'd you turn this wild?"
"Your fault, y'know."
His chuckle earned an OK sign from Sharon.
She deftly undid his belt and dropped to her knees before him.
No drawn-out foreplay—the direct approach needed spit as lube for that initial tightness.
"Slurp... smooch... smooch...!"
From the moment she freed it, already swelling huge, Sharon planted a kiss on the glans to kick off the blowjob.
Her tongue swirled the head like candy, hot breaths teasing his groin—his cock surged to full mast in seconds.
"Good now?"
"Yeah..."
No lingering here—they had to keep it snappy.
Sharon shimmied out of her panties and braced against the wall, thrusting her ass back invitingly.
Impeccable birthing hips flowing into long, sleek legs.
Her model-perfect proportions in that wall-doggy pose ignited dangerously potent lust.
Rubbing his cock against her pretty petals while throttling his breaths to whispers...
"Hngh..."
Soaked.
Dripping outside already.
No caresses, no kisses—the culprit was obvious.
The blowjob had done it.
Her cheeks flushed as the bold initiator turned shy.
"Told you—you did this to me..."
"Guess I gotta own it, then."
He grazed her ass with fingertips, then eased into the tight slit.
Hot mucosa enveloped him, slick as silk.
Smooth enough that the oral warmup felt almost redundant.
Sharon clamped a hand over her mouth to swallow moans, then murmured.
"S-Siwoo... not too deep, okay...? Can't hold back if you do... And cum outside when you finish... got it?"
"Yeah, mana surge in here'd be a disaster."
"Exactly..."
Sharon's playbook never varied much.
She'd prowl the edges, pounce the second an opening showed.
But once the main event hit, her older-girlfriend vibe flipped to full submission.
Handing her body over completely.
Soon the fitting room hummed with soft skin-on-skin friction, dripping nectar, and stifled pants.
2.
-Ting-a-ling! Ting-a-ling!
"......"
"......"
The cheery door chime rang behind Siwoo and Sharon as they stepped out side by side.
Today's shopping prize dangled from Siwoo's hand; Sharon, now in her pretty new dress, stood there blushing furiously.
"Feels like... we totally did something naughty..."
"Kinda does..."
"My face had to have been beet red... Think the clerk figured it out at checkout?"
"Nah, we're good. No way she caught on—cleanup was solid."
Sharon was a pro at riding the vibe.
The same girl who'd pitched the daring fitting-room romp now second-guessed it post-climax.
Full-on pout mode.
One surefire fix for that.
"Sharon."
Just reach a hand toward her face...
"What? Why?"
"Don't sweat it. Plenty of time left—let's have fun."
And she'd nuzzle into his palm like a spoiled kitten.
Tension? Gone in a flash.
Her moods flipped with enviable speed—simple as that.
"Let's grab food."
"Sigh, fine. I started it—what am I even doing?"
From there, Siwoo and Sharon headed to the nearby restaurant they'd reserved.
Long-overdue shopping spree, shared meals.
Even a dull play to kill time till evening.