Episode 98. Stage Two, Round Five

The mission wrapped up successfully. Or rather, it was a mission with virtually no chance of failure from the start—but its success carried a deeper meaning beyond that.

For one, Jeongho had become more honest about his netorare tendencies. And now, even Seohyeon knew about them.

Yumin found the situation quite encouraging. If they weren't going to hide it anyway, wouldn't it be better for everyone if they just laid it all out openly? No one knew yet if escape from Paradise was possible. But even if it was, Jeongho and Seohyeon were still husband and wife—nothing changed that. If the wife could truly understand and accept her husband's sexual preferences, their sex life would only improve, leading to greater satisfaction for both moving forward.

"Shall we head out now?"

Angel's mission success announcement had appeared, and the return signal had sounded. They couldn't linger here savoring the afterglow forever.

"Yeah, Brother Jeongho."

"Yes... honey."

"Seohyeon, sorry... I came all over your breasts...."

"No... it's okay... honey...."

Jeongho carefully wiped Seohyeon's breasts with his own shirt. In the meantime, Yumin gathered and put on his clothes.

"Yumin, help Seohyeon get dressed. She still seems unsteady."

Jeongho said this as he shrugged on his cum-stained shirt.

"...Sure."

Yumin was already fully dressed, and he was used to helping the women in the group dress after missions anyway. He followed Jeongho's request without hesitation.

Yumin picked up Seohyeon's pants, slipped them over her feet, and slowly pulled them up. Seohyeon helpfully lifted her thighs and hips a bit to assist.

Once Yumin had her fully dressed, his eyes fell on Junyoung, who had been standing awkwardly to the side the whole time.

In truth, Yumin had forgotten about Junyoung's presence entirely while he was lost in sex with Seohyeon. And it wasn't just Yumin—Jeongho and Seohyeon had too.

"Let's head to the square... Seohyeon. Yumin."

Jeongho decided it would be awkward to acknowledge Junyoung now, so he just ignored him. Seohyeon felt the same, and Yumin... well, did he even need to say it?

Jeongho led the way, with Yumin and Seohyeon walking side by side behind him. Junyoung trailed hesitantly at the rear.

As they exited the mission room, Junyoung approached his partner Soyeong for a brief greeting before heading straight to his personal room.

Yumin, Seohyeon, and Jeongho now faced the rest of the group, who had been waiting for them.

Even though he wasn't directly involved, Yumin felt a bit tense.

Jeongho had revealed his sexual preferences without reservation in that mission. And it wasn't just Seohyeon who had noticed. Jeongho had kept yielding Seohyeon to Yumin, working to create opportunities for her and Yumin to enjoy themselves more. It would have been stranger if the others watching from the square hadn't picked up on it.

"You all did great. Brother Jeongho, Sister Seohyeon, Yumin too."

"Nah... it wasn't that tough...."

"Thanks... Suji."

"Yeah... Sister Suji."

"I was really worried when I first heard the mission details... but I'm so relieved nothing bad happened."

"Yeah...."

"Me too... I was so worried.... Thank goodness that guy didn't do it with Sister Seohyeon."

Gayeong's face was filled with genuine concern. She was probably the only one here purely worried without any ulterior motives.

"Yeah... thanks, Gayeong."

"Well, since everyone worked hard, we should all go rest up, right?"

"S...ounds good?"

"Yes, Brother Jeongho, you should rest too."

"Yeah, I should... See you all at the square later."

"Sure. Rest well, Sister Seohyeon. Yumin, get some good sleep."

Suji steered the conversation without giving anyone else a chance to speak, smoothly dismissing the group.

"Yeah, Suji."

"Sure, Sister Suji."

Suji had probably acted this way to avoid any sensitive topics. If something like that came up, Jeongho and Seohyeon would have been put in a tough spot. Yumin was always grateful for how perceptively Suji handled things. Age aside, in some ways, she was the big sister of the group.

Of course, the day would come when the others learned about Jeongho's tastes for sure—but dragging out the process a bit would make it easier for everyone to accept naturally.

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The evening square opened, and Yumin's group gathered again. Junyoung never showed up, though it wasn't particularly important.

"Seohyeon, we earned points from today's mission—what do you want to buy?"

Jeongho casually asked Seohyeon how to spend the points from the mission.

"......I'm fine with these clothes for now, so I'll save them. Just in case...."

Here was the mindset of a homemaker. While some of the younger women prioritized clothes, Seohyeon focused more on essentials and saving.

"Really? Then should I save some too?"

"Yes, honey.... We don't know how things might change...."

Jeongho's words were harmless on their own, but the group couldn't help recalling the mission that had earned those points. Seohyeon seemed to think the same, blushing slightly as she replied.

But Jeongho showed no hesitation, as if he planned to be completely open and unashamed with the group from now on.

A few had been steeling themselves to subtly ask about the daytime mission when they met again at the square, but Jeongho's boldness made them back off.

Jeongho and Seohyeon thus sank into their own world, ignoring those around them. Yumin already knew they were a truly harmonious couple who never even bickered, but watching them today felt like they'd returned to their honeymoon phase—sweet and sugary.

A smooth marital relationship couldn't be built on mental rapport alone. Sexual compatibility was just as crucial. In that sense, hadn't Jeongho and Seohyeon finally become the perfect couple?

And the result was the honey-dripping display they put on throughout the square's open hours. It was embarrassing to watch from the sidelines.

But that embarrassment belonged to the onlookers in the group—not to Jeongho and Seohyeon themselves.

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The day before the mission, Yumin had summoned Angel and used his Preview privilege. The details displayed on the wall were as shown.

As always, the Special Mission came with high intensity and significant risk. This one was no different.

Yumin had several concerns. First, naturally, the participants. Second, the mission's time limit.

Based on his experience so far, a pleasure level of 70+ meant the woman's climax. Reaching 80+ required not just any climax, but one intense enough to make her lose her mind completely.

It might be possible to hit 80+ in a single burst, but accumulating a full minute demanded keeping her in that state.

For the female participant, that was the challenge. For the males, ejaculating twice in 10 minutes was no easy feat either.

"Um... Angel."

"Can I use my Time Change privilege on the Special Mission time limit?"

Doubling it only made it 20 minutes. Far from generous.

Yumin figured he could manage the two male ejaculations somehow, but he worried about hitting the woman's pleasure threshold. It would require some gambles.

That meant changing participants.

Fortunately, Paradise wasn't short on couples—there was also the ill-fated pair, Junyoung and Soyeong.

The key was whether his privileges could swap both at once.

"Then, can I change mission participants with my Partner Selection privilege...?"

The Special Mission's unique nature limited the normally single-partner Partner Selection to full couple swaps, as Angel explained.

Angel seemed concerned the privilege might not apply properly, but for Yumin, it was a stroke of luck.

"Then I'll use Partner Change to swap the whole couple and Time Change to extend the limit."

"No. Perfect."

Once the words were out, Yumin thought of Junyoung's current state. From the last mission, he seemed to be suffering from erectile dysfunction.

Dragging him into this would be tantamount to sending him to his death.

Yumin disliked Junyoung and Soyeong, but not to the point of wanting them dead like some other past grudges in Paradise.

Still, he had no choice. The value of Jeongho-Seohyeon versus Junyoung-Soyeong was incomparable to Yumin.

He tried to steady his mind, but it wasn't easy. Unlike pushing Baek Seongyeop or Oh Juseok into doom, this didn't sit entirely right.

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Mission day dawned. Yumin ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠rose early, did some mental rehearsal for the mission, jogged around the square—but his unease lingered.

Time marched on relentlessly toward the mission hour.

Angel's mission start announcement rang out, drawing all Paradise participants to the square.

Yumin couldn't stop his gaze drifting to Junyoung and Soyeong, who stood side by side but seemed awkwardly distant.

Angel's explanation continued. Yumin already knew it, but listened intently again.

Junyoung and Soyeong, hearing it for the first time, paid close attention.

As the details unfolded, their expressions darkened—especially Junyoung's, which twisted like rotting fruit.

Truth be told, Junyoung had been trembling with anxiety since his name was called.

He'd participated in the previous mission too, but that was a freak circumstance. In a normal one, he might have already been eliminated.

Now, having heard the full details, Junyoung realized there was no escape. The penalty wasn't just anything—it was "death."

In other words, he had to prepare to die today.