Holding On to Joanna (6)

A few days had passed since my meeting with the investors. Right now, I was having sex with desperate intensity. The body I held up high shook violently. I was reaping the benefits of pumping up my strength and stamina beforehand.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

"Kyaaah! Haaah…! Heeek!"

"I'm sulking here."

"Sniff! You're such a meanie! Haaang…!!"

"This is what happened to me, right? You're the one getting wrecked."

"Ah, nooo!"

Joanna had stayed in our country because she wanted to live with me. But even here, she was buried in work, leaving us with barely any time together. Now she was dropping the bombshell that she might have to return to Marenchino.

It was like catching a fish and then starving it until it ran away. Shit.

I'd even acted like a spoiled kid, throwing a tantrum.

"Take it back."

"Hngh! Sniff!"

"How could you do this out of nowhere? It's too much!"

Squelch! Squelch! Squelch! Squelch!

"Nngh, ahhn!! Too rough~! Baby…! Ahng!"

When she first said she was leaving and glanced at me for a reaction, my mind went completely blank. I must've been speechless for a good five minutes. But once I calmed down and carefully considered her situation, I understood why she'd snapped at me. That just made me angrier.

I should've paid more attention sooner.

Among my women, May Lin and Joanna were in the trickiest positions. Especially Joanna—if I made her choose between her career and love, I'd be tilting my head in doubt. I couldn't be confident she'd pick me. She had immense pride in her work, and she had the talent and credentials to back it up.

Clinging to her isn't necessarily the right thing. That's just my selfishness.

I didn't want to limit a woman who could achieve even greater things just to keep her by my side. I wanted to be a supporter, not a deadweight.

But could I really let her go? Imagine another guy with her. Could I stomach that?

Fuck! Just thinking about it made my blood boil.

Still, I wasn't sure if blocking her path forward to keep her was right either.

She's attractive, and it'd be a shame to lose her. But if you ask if she's as precious as Jua noona…

Our history just wasn't deep enough. Honestly, I felt like I could let go of May Lin anytime. She'd turned pretty cold right after snapping out of her slump. I'd already concluded we were more friends than lovers. Our relationship was basically down to occasional texts.

Joanna was different—our connection from Marenchino had carried over here, so cutting it felt regrettable.

She's not the type I can force to stay, so maybe let her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠go loosely but leave a thread to tie her back.

Even if I begged her not to leave, she wouldn't budge. That's just who she was. I was tormenting her during sex out of pettiness, but I wasn't even serious about it. I just didn't want to let her slip away so pointlessly, so I was dragging things out with sex.

I needed time to sort my tangled thoughts during the act and figure out what kind of relationship we'd have moving forward.

To keep Joanna out of her right mind, I actively used pleasure amplification. She was gasping for breath now, her throat bobbing desperately.

Come to think of it, this is the first time I've used pleasure amplification on her.

I knew it was a dick move, but I wanted this sex to be unforgettable for life. With this level of pleasure, no other guy could satisfy her. Even if she left, she'd masturbate thinking of me forever.

Squelch-squelch-squelch!

"Oh, my… god! Eek!… Ahaaaah!! Wait, hiiik! Wha-what's this…! Aaaang!"

Lifting and pounding her was great, but hitting it from behind was amazing too. Watching her plump, jiggly ass clap and ripple against my groin got me so hyped I thrust even harder.

Damn, what a waste to let this go.

Her Western curves were so alluring, and our compatibility was perfect—bodies slapping together just right. My resolve to send her off crumbled mercilessly.

I had a way to hold onto her, which made it even harder.

Further details in the description:

I'd prepared this item long ago. But now that the moment was here, I hesitated to use it. The instant I did, Joanna would either live alone forever or come crawling back to me. I'd be the only man in her life.

If only there was something milder… but they're all insane.

There were tons of items that turned people into slaves, brainwashed them into loving me forcibly, etc. This tattoo was the only one that didn't mess with her mind and still kept her from leaving.

I couldn't stomach forcing someone who didn't truly love me to love me. So, the tattoo was my only option.

Though its power isn't the strongest.

Weaker ones had such subtle effects they were pointless.

There were items perfect for my situation, but I couldn't find them, which was frustrating. That's why the AI status window upgrade was so pricey.

Please add a search function…

Squelch-squelch-squelch-squelch!

"Hngh! Haaah! Hak! Ahaaaah…!!! Heeek!!"

She wrapped her arms and legs around me like a snake. Her pleasure-drenched body trembled as if overloaded. It was a familiar quiver to me now, so I stroked her head and back to calm her.

Of course, with my hips still going, it was pointless up top.

"Aaaahn…! I'm going… insane!"

Boosting my stamina and virility made sending women off too easy. Would superhuman skills make sex boring? Hell no—every time felt fresh! Bliss! Pleasure amplification forever!

Gotta get my fix while I'm young; can't do it when I'm old.

Suddenly, I worried about the health of the women taking me. They were mostly in their twenties, but with Boksun noona in her thirties and Jeonghwa-ssi in her forties, I needed to look after them. I was already protecting them from aging with coins, though.

"Haaah, haaah!"

Unable to withstand my power, Joanna stuck out her tongue, panting desperately. Seeing her limp and stamina-drained, I came inside her.

"Haaah!" Tremble tremble!

"Ngh! Whew, Joanna, you okay?"

I brushed off the familiar alert and gently laid the limp Joanna on the bed. Once we got started, we went until she was parched, so giving her water afterward was essential.

"Water?"

"Yeah."

I held the glass to her lips, and she gulped it down like nectar. I patted her head proudly. After drinking, she flopped back, too exhausted to even twitch a finger. Only her eyes blinked.

After a moment's thought, I lay beside her. I tidied her messy hair, savoring the languid afterglow. Time to revisit the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠conversation we'd postponed with sex.

"Sorry."

Joanna broke the silence after catching her breath.

"You've been thinking a lot, huh?"

"Yeah. I thought being by your side would make me happy. But even here, work kept me from ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠staying with you properly. You were busy too. At this rate, there's no reason for me to stay."

Joanna really was swamped—not just because she was capable, but because she had a huge drive for work. I should've made time flexibly, but of course, that didn't happen. She was busy; I was no slouch either, especially with unfamiliar acting gigs.

"I haven't done right by you either, so I can't beg you to stay. Were you hoping I'd hold on?"

"No!"

She shook her head firmly.

"We were both clumsy and rushed. I know it's not about blame, but my fault's bigger. I came here first to see you and stayed because I wanted to be near you."

She looked deeply depressed. We'd rushed into this connection without considering circumstances, and the hasty start was backfiring.

"Our timing was off. That night at the bar, we should've ended it as a fantastic one-night memory. If we'd met after you'd grown more and I'd settled down, things would've been different. Right?"

I'm a rookie idol. Debut was successful, but I hadn't secured a stable spot in the industry yet. Give it time, though, and it'd change. I'd have breathing room; she'd have space after handling her work. If we reunited then?

If it's a shame, I should hold on…

But hitting her with something cruel while she apologized like that? My conscience poked at me!

Parting amicably isn't bad. She trusts me so much; backstabbing feels wrong.

No regrets if I don't, regrets if I do? Better to try. But this time, I decided against it.

"How about this?"

"?"

"We meet again in five years. We'll sort out our relationship then. Ending it like this feels too regrettable, doesn't it? We barely did anything together. Both too busy."

"…Yeah. We did nothing. That's why it feels so unfair."

"I'll focus on work with all I have for five years too. Then we decide—friends or lovers. Honestly, I couldn't let go of my feelings for you right now. You have lingering feelings too, right?"

"Yeah! I still like you. I'm going back to Marenchino because our situations don't match."

She agreed eagerly to my idea. Like me, she regretted the current setup and had attachments.

Using an item doesn't suit me. Let's end it like this.

If we felt the same in five years, I'd hold onto her. My situation would be different by then, right? She seemed relieved too, figuring five years would give her room.

What if she meets another guy in that time?

…I'll buy a Wish You'd Remember Me Candle at the airport as a gift. What else can I do?