Chapter 56
Chapter 56
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: First Partner (3)
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"What's the penalty?"
An awkward air flowed between them.
Se-young's face twisted in shock as she asked again, as if she couldn't believe what she'd heard.
"You die."
At my firm confirmation, Lee Se-young's expression hardened, then her eyes narrowed in disgust.
"...You're not kidding, are you?"
Se-young draped the cardigan she'd hung over the sofa across her chest and pressed her index finger to the spot between her nose and upper lip.
It was her habit whenever she was deep in thought.
"So that's why you raped me? Because you'd die if you didn't."
"Yeah, pretty much."
"I see."
A somewhat bitter remark.
"Damn, you must've agonized over it. 'If I don't commit rape, I'll die.'"
I don't think that was it, actually.
I'd gotten heated up and half-mad, genuinely enjoying the moment back then.
No matter how you sliced it, I was a societal menace at the time.
"Honestly? I didn't agonize. I half-welcomed it when they told me to rape you."
"Come on, be real. How could you know it'd turn out okay?"
"I wasn't thinking straight back then. I hadn't adjusted to being a 'husband candidate' yet."
I still wonder sometimes.
Why did I do it?
Tracing back through the past always leads me to one conclusion: my bottled-up resentment toward Lee Se-young probably exploded in tandem with my anger issues.
That's why, now that my mental strength has improved, I don't fly off the handle anymore.
Ah. Baek-do's a different story, of course.
"I see."
Se-young pondered my words for a moment, then slyly glanced at my eyes beneath the mask.
"What about that cult freak back then?"
"That one's... complicated."
I settled in comfortably and told her the whole story.
From receiving the quest to make three friends.
To realizing failure meant death, scrambling to seduce Azalea and getting shot down.
Then running into Lee Seong-han by chance, peering into Azalea's heart, and deciding that was the only way to win her favor—sparing no details.
"Pfft-haha. What the hell?"
Se-young burst out laughing at my tale, cackling for a good while.
She wiped tears from her eyes and clung to me.
"You could've just made other friends, no?"
"Well... Azalea had the highest favorability. Even if she hated my guts."
"Hated you? No way it'd be that bad. Maybe you just didn't know many people?"
Huh.
"Shit, you think?"
"Kukuku. Idiot."
Realizing how far off track I'd gone made my face heat up.
Se-young saw my flushed jaw peeking from the mask, thought it was cute, pulled the mask off, and pinched my cheeks.
"Still, my baby went through a lot."
"Baby? Are you nuts?"
"How old am I?"
"...Just this once."
Se-young grinned mischievously, kneading my cheeks. Then a question popped into her head, and she asked.
"So, what's my favorability now?"
"Dunno. Hang on."
I immediately opened the World Tree Auction to check Lee Se-young's favorability.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ ▶ Lee Se-young: ♥♥♥♥♡ (93/100) It had gone up even more since last time.
Feeling playful, I didn't tell her right away and teased instead.
"What do you think it is?"
"Huh? What's the max?"
"A hundred."
"Hmm, really?"
Se-young shifted her cardigan aside and pressed her body against mine. Our faces drew closer.
*Smack.*
A lingering warmth on my right cheek.
"Told you to give me a number... You're definitely number one, though."
Her evasive master-level response made my little buddy stand at attention like an unyielding pillar.
This is what experience gets you.
"Ninety-three."
"Aw, what? Not maxed out? If you fill my womb with yours, does it hit a hundred?"
"God, your mouth is so vulgar."
"What... Don't like it?"
Se-young licked her lips with a hint of disappointment.
Just as the mood heated up again, she pulled back like it wasn't the time, fanning herself with her hand and changing the subject.
"Anyway... so that's how it was. When you suddenly ran off with Lee Seong-han for a showdown, I was burning up inside, thinking you'd lost your mind."
"It was a fight, so why were you worried?"
"Wanna know? Then you're not going home tonight."
"...I wanna graduate healthy."
"Pfft-haha. You cute little punk."
*Squish squish.* She started playing with my cheeks again.
"But—"
Then Se-young's face hardened slightly.
She was glaring daggers.
"—Those World Trees are crossing the line."
Her icy tone caught me off guard.
The World Trees formed this world—practically gods—and here she was, showing outright hostility.
Excluding that crazy cultist, it was a first.
"They're exploiting the husband candidate system right now."
"Yeah."
"This is a big problem."
Muttering to herself, having already thought it through from every angle, Se-young patted my shoulder.
"Si-heon."
Her voice was still cold.
"Yeah."
"What do you think'll happen if you keep going like this?"
"No idea."
"A World Tree harboring hostility toward you—what kind of storm do you think that'll stir up in our world right now?"
Religiously absolute World Trees.
And hundreds of millions of blind believers.
This world justifies anything a World Tree does, even immoral acts, fabricating righteousness out of thin air.
If it came out that a World Tree had tampered with my quest info out of spite?
"Probably..."
I muttered bitterly.
"I'd be done for."
Branded as an enemy of a World Tree, declared a heretic, and eventually strung up.
No matter how suspicious the circumstances, they'd turn a blind eye.
To them, World Trees were truth itself, divinity incarnate.
The World Trees' will was morality absolute.
"Yeah. Getting it now?"
"...Yeah."
The World Tree of Purity... No.
Not now.
"Lighten up."
Se-young reached out and pulled my head to her chest.
Without the mask, her embrace felt incredibly warm.
"One warning and you're moping? Is this the guy I know?"
"What?"
"It's fine, punk. Hey? Still moping? Keep it up and I'll toss you in the Han River."
"Pft."
"There you go, kid. Laughing's the way at your age."
Silence.
Her hands touched my face.
*Tap.*
This time, her cheek pressed against my forehead.
I looked up, and Se-young was gently stroking my cheek and hair with her eyes closed.
"Worst case, if you're screwed, I'll take you in and raise you."
"Thanks, I guess."
"Yeah. Oh right, you mentioned a quest. What's this one?"
Uh... Not a great time to say.
Gauging her mood, I figured I had to, swallowed hard, and squeezed my eyes shut.
"Have sex with three Wood People."
Her hand stopped stroking my head.
"......"
Her cold stare bored holes into my brain.
...I know. The kind of shit only trash would say.
But I'm the wronged one here—you asked.
The silence dragged on until she sighed.
"Sigh. Hey."
"...Yeah."
"Give me back my touching moment, asshole."
I couldn't say a word.
"And I'm your first, right?"
Why ask that?
*****
"Ugh, me and that punk. Sigh. I even wore expensive lingerie and treated him like royalty, but my favorability must've dropped."
"It went up by one."
"Shut it!"
Se-young threw on her cardigan and spoke to the wilted flower—me—with my head bowed.
"Hey! Get up already!"
"Yes, ma'am."
I stood with a cute reply.
Looking like a wet puppy, it nearly made her smirk.
"You know what you did wrong, right?"
*Nod.*
"Then why say it?"
"But you told me to."
"Talking back, you little shit?"
"...Yes, ma'am."
Pfft-haha. Feels like I bought a great slave.
Se-young linked arms with me and strolled the dim predawn streets.
"I'm not your keeper, so I won't say much. But asking for my help to clear that quest? You're insane?"
"No—"
"What, want me to hook you up for a one-night stand?"
Mask back on, I hesitated, then grumbled.
"No, I was just gonna call someone for a quick fuck."
"Oh."
My bad.
Se-young scratched her cheek awkwardly, then smacked my back to reset.
"Ack! Why'd you hit me?!"
"'Cause you're pathetic."
Despite the back-and-forth, Si-heon's harsh reality shocked Se-young.
At first, she'd wanted to hug him tight out of pity.
She had, eventually—but that sympathy surged just as hard.
'Three of them.'
Walking pressed against him, she savored the trickle of his seed still inside her.
'Two more to go.'
Irritating, sure, but she'd thought he had the looks for it, and since they weren't marrying, no need to cling.
She was pretty open-minded.
Or so she told herself.
Especially since failure meant death. Deadline: 30 days.
'Better wrap it up quick... right?'
The longer it dragged, the more anxious he'd get.
*Squeeze.*
She crushed his arm between her breasts with all her might.
"Why're you so clingy today?"
"Hate it? Peel off then."
*Snicker.* He laughed, and so did she.
The sweet time, like licking soft-serve in midsummer, melted away in a flash. Before long, the dorm gate ended our walk.
"Get some rest inside."
"What about you, Teach?"
"My schedule's shot. Time to recharge. Teachers are human too."
"Got it. Rest well."
"You too."
I waved and headed into the dorm.
Se-young smirked at my back, then turned away, pulling out her phone to scan contacts.
'I'll protect my student myself.'
Pure self-interest, but human nature, she figured.
She flipped through, pondering.
'Someone decent... too low-class, no. Too noble, risky. Not pretty enough... his standards are sky-high, obviously.'
Had to be sharp, self-sufficient.
So no leaks after sex.
Weighing options, a wave of self-loathing crashed over her.
"Fuck."
Dead serious.
Lending her favorite guy to another woman? Even for open-minded her, it stung.
But she'd get over it quick, she thought.
She wasn't exactly normal, just like him.
*Click.*
Her finger stopped on one entry.
*Ring ring.*
Call connected instantly. A playful voice amid clacking.
[Se-young-jang~ What's up this early?]
*Rat-tat-tat.*
Gunfire blared from the phone.
[Whoa whoa, A-site! Block it! Block! Okay, what's up! A-yeon-jang!]
"Crazy bitch."
[Why call outta nowhere cursing?!]
Star.
Alias: Starfruit.
Pretty infamous, batshit crazy, but handled her shit like a pro—and gorgeous to boot.
Go big or go home. Se-young pried her lips apart after ages.
"Hey."
[What.]
"Wanna hook up with a guy?"
[......Se-young-jang's finally got taste? I'm wrapping this game. What? Don't bullshit me?]
Bickering echoed from the phone.
[Heh heh heh, I decline. This humble one shall seek a boyfriend elsewhere.]
Star, post-game, got serious.
[Anyway.]
"Yeah."
[Hot?]
Se-young pictured Si-heon.
"Carrot-straight."
Probably the world's hottest.
In her eyes, anyway.
'And you're just a one-night disposable.'
Se-young's eyes smiled.