A New Relationship
“...Can we?”
To think that I had asked him—with my own mouth—to become a relationship where we only mixed our bodies because mine couldn’t forget him. It was embarrassing, mortifying, and I felt truly sorry. I didn’t have any particular plans to get married, but he might feel differently.
“...”
Watching him lost in thought made my head drop. What if he saw me as some loose woman now? For some reason, the thought of him looking disappointed felt like it would hurt my chest quite a lot.
“If you end up liking someone else, you can stop right away. If there’s anything you want…”
“That’s not what’s important right now.”
At his slightly lowered voice, I felt the blood drain from my body.
“...”
He stayed quiet for about a minute before speaking again.
“Can I ask why?”
“...Why?”
“Yeah. Why you’re specifically asking me.”
I couldn’t read the thoughts behind his eyes. I quickly organized my thoughts and told him only the truth.
“You know my secret. And you’ve kept it this whole time. I thought I could trust you.”
“...”
“And… honestly, if it’s not you, I don’t want it.”
“...?”
Confusion rose on his face. Even I thought it sounded strange. I said I had no intention of dating, yet here I was saying I didn’t want anyone but him. I was starting to feel disgusted with myself.
“Just thinking about being held by another man fills me with revulsion. That feeling only happens with you. You’re the only man who doesn’t make me feel repulsed.”
I told him nothing but the facts. Every reason I needed him. Now all that remained was to wait for his choice.
…What I said earlier wasn’t a lie, but there was one thing I hadn’t mentioned. The problem was that even I didn’t know how to put it into words. There was something more. There was some indescribable something that made me ask this of him, but since I didn’t even understand it myself, I couldn’t explain it. If I tried to dig deeper into this unknown feeling, it felt like things would get weird. So I just buried it.
“...Alright. Let’s do it. That sex friend thing or whatever you call the relationship.”
“Really?!”
“But it has to stay a secret from everyone else. Don’t even tell my little sister.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“And I’d like to get something out of this too.”
“...Huh?”
He was setting a condition. What was it? I felt uneasy.
“Grant me one request later. Not now.”
“Like a wish ticket?”
“Something like that. But if you hate it or it’s impossible, you can refuse. I’m just asking you to think about it positively.”
“...That’s all you want?”
It wasn’t even a proper wish ticket—just asking me to think positively. If I acted stubborn, wouldn’t that make it meaningless?
“That’s enough. The rest… we can figure it out slowly.”
“Okay… Thank you…”
I was relieved that he accepted. At least now I wouldn’t have to spend every night in heat, unable to sleep. That was how our relationship—born from blackmailer and victim—turned into sex partners. Was this growth or regression?
Cheon Maru felt quite conflicted. It was because the person he liked had asked him to become her sex friend.
“...”
Baek Arang was completely hunched in on herself. Did she think he was angry or disappointed? It wasn’t exactly that. He just felt strange.
In her position, he probably wasn’t her only option. Even with the glasses, she was famous at the academy, and as Baek Wol without them, she could pick and play with any man she wanted.
After looking into it, the privileges of an X-rank hunter were beyond imagination. China’s X-rank hunter Cheonma had openly murdered people and still received a not guilty verdict. A slightly messy sex life probably wouldn’t be enough to do anything about.
So he had asked. Why him, of all people? And her answer was…
‘I guess Arang likes me at least a little.’
It might be wishful thinking. Still, considering her personality and behavior, it seemed she held some romantic interest in him. But her strong sense of responsibility appeared to be suppressing those feelings.
‘It’s probably related to her family.’
She treasured her family more than anything. In a situation where she was the only one who could protect them, she probably couldn’t focus on romance. Knowing the circumstances, he felt more pity than anger.
“...Alright. Let’s do it. That sex friend thing or whatever you call the relationship.”
That was why he had accepted. It wasn’t the kind of body-only relationship he wanted, but pushing her now didn’t seem like it would yield good results. And if he refused and she went to someone else, he didn’t think he could bear it. Though from her words, that probably wouldn’t happen.
“Grant me one request.”
Instead, he had set a condition. One non-coercive request. He wasn’t sure how he would use it yet, but he needed to get something out of this too. The fact that he could continue with her was enough, but he didn’t like this kind of relationship. There had to be a price for going along with it.
Watching her face mix with relief and guilt, he fell into thought. His desire to date her hadn’t changed, but he also hoped she could smile purely again.
Right after our relationship changed from friends to sex partners, I finished cleaning up and rummaged through the fridge.
“Is there anything you want to eat?”
“Um… do you have curry?”
“I have curry powder at my place. Should I bring it over?”
“Yeah. If it’s not too much trouble.”
“It’s right next door. I’ll be right back.”
To clear away the awkward atmosphere that still lingered, I decided to cook. Doing something might make things a little better.
By the way, there were no study group meetings on weekends. I had followed Kim Chaeeun’s strong insistence that weekends should be kept free for rest.
I quickly made curry using the powder I brought over in an instant. A simple curry with potatoes, carrots, onions, and pork.
While the curry simmered, I checked the news on my phone. The main breaking story was…
“Oh? You’re already done cleaning up?”
The announcement that the cleanup of North Korea was finished had come out. It had taken almost three years because the magic beasts that appeared there had such strong reproductive abilities. Now the Association and government had made it official that all the magic beasts in North Korea had been cleared.
Of course, that didn’t mean everything was over. They still had to deal with the new Gates that had formed on North Korean soil and lay down basic infrastructure like roads. Even in a world where magic was real, it would take quite a while.
“Ah, the curry.”
I turned off my phone and tasted the well-simmered curry. Mm, I really am a chef’s daughter. I could handle home cooking perfectly. It was a bit weird to brag about something as simple as curry, though.
“Is it done?”
“Yeah. Just now.”
We each scooped rice into bowls and ladled curry over it. Cheon Maru ate quite a lot. Ever since that day I met Nuri, I had been cooking for him often, and he always ate a lot. Honestly, seeing someone eat well was the best reward a cook could ask for.
“Thanks for the meal.”
“Thanks for the meal.”
We ate the curry while chatting lightly. After I finished and did the dishes, Cheon Maru…
“What are you doing? Working out?”
“Yeah. Today’s leg day.”
Cheon Maru worked out every day, and he did it quite seriously. He had a set routine and stuck to it. When I asked if he didn’t go to the gym, he said he preferred working out without a shirt, so he didn’t. At least he wasn’t bothering the neighbors.
Still, that meant he couldn’t lift heavy weights. Right now he was doing squats with a 20kg kettlebell.
“I’m working out harder to prepare for the possibility of getting squeezed dry.”
“S-squeezed dry…”
How could he say it like that? And didn’t I only have memories of him wringing my soul out twice?
Come to think of it, there was something that had been bothering me, so I decided to ask now.
“Um, so you know…”
“Just a second. What?”
Cheon Maru set the kettlebell down and looked at me. Maybe I shouldn’t have asked right now.
“When we… do it… did you like it?”
“...Huh?”
“I’m asking if it felt good…”
It had been weighing on my mind a little. After we did it, he was always still hard and energetic. And I had never done anything for him. Cheon Maru always took the lead. Wasn’t a relationship supposed to be something both people did together, not just one person doing everything? But I had only ever lain there moaning.
“I’ve never done anything for you. I was worried you might not be satisfied.”
“...I never thought I’d hear those words from you.”
“Hey! Did you like it or not?! Just tell me that!”
I forcefully ignored Cheon Maru’s amazed tone and pressed him. Since we were going to keep doing this, I needed to know.
“Of course it felt good. Insanely good.”
“Really? Phew…”
“Like I always think, you really are something else.”
“It’s part of my charm. Just accept it.”
Well, it wasn’t exactly a normal question for a woman to ask. I must seem pretty unusual.
Just then, my phone suddenly rang. Who could it be all of a sudden?
"Do you have time right now?"
“Ah, right.”
I had completely forgotten about Cheon Maru’s imprinting ability.
“Yes, Mr. President.”
“Do you have some time available?”
“I do. Is this about the imprinting request?”
“Yes. I’ve secured someone we can trust completely. It’s someone Miss Baek Wol knows well, too.”
“Someone I know well?”
Who could it be? Was there anyone like that among the people I knew? The only imprinting specialist I knew besides Cheon Maru was Momo or…
“...It can’t be?”
“Yes. I have brought the master of the Hephaestus Workshop—Andreas.”