Yggdrasil (2-44)
“Mmm…”
Han Bom was sleeping soundly, using my arm as a pillow. After going at it once in the cowgirl position earlier, she’d declared a knockout from sheer exhaustion.
In pure physical stamina, Han Bom was far superior to any ordinary person.
Ballet might look like a beautiful art form from the outside, but the practice hours and training intensity were notoriously murderous.
Getting into the National Ballet Company meant she’d already surpassed ordinary standards.
The fact that even she had passed out like this suggested that, unlike Min Ha-yeon, she simply wasn’t the type who could go many rounds by constitution.
'…Is it because her insides are so tight that the pleasure hits her several times harder?'
Armonia no longer even bothered answering my unnecessary questions.
'Han Yeo-reum… By now he should be watching my video nicely, right? Too bad I can’t check for myself.'
After having a good time with Han Bom, I’d snuck out and handed the video I’d filmed to one of the organization members.
They were the types who listened well to Yang Ji-hyeon, so they’d definitely make sure Han Yeo-reum got a good look at it.
'Oh… That’s a good idea. I should.'
I turned my head to the side.
'But… why is she this pretty?'
I gazed steadily at Han Bom lying beside me.
Beyond mere prettiness, girls this overflowing with charm were rare.
When a woman who’d been as prickly and aloof as a cat suddenly started wagging her tail like a puppy, clinging and cooing for affection—what man wouldn’t fall for that?
A woman who wagged her tail only for me.
Han Bom instinctively drew out the sense of conquest that slept inside me, as naturally as breathing.
Even the way she slept was subtly different from Min Ha-yeon.
When Min Ha-yeon slept beside me, she felt like a woman.
Han Bom felt like a girl.
The way she clung to my body and smiled faintly in her sleep looked almost childlike.
I spent a while simply admiring Han Bom’s appearance before my thoughts drifted to the plans ahead.
'Hmm… Should I leave after three days… or play around for five and then go?'
'Yeah… Better to leave some margin.'
I decided to stay here for about three days. It was time to leave this place soon, but quite a few unstable factors were still scattered around—and every last one of them was directly tied to Han Yeo-reum.
As long as Han Yeo-reum didn’t die, even if things went sideways I could just come back and restore everything to normal.
But if he died while I was away at the Academy, it would become a genuine headache.
I found myself wondering whether I could really just leave him in those people’s hands and go.
'Yeah… Let’s trust them for now. And that Boris guy… he listens well to Yang Ji-hyeon, after all.'
Thanks to Yang Ji-hyeon, progressing through Yggdrasil had become remarkably smooth.
Originally it had been twenty days in Yggdrasil, five days at the Academy—moving between their respective worlds on that schedule.
But those five days at the Academy always left a lot to be desired.
It was a workplace, after all; being late or absent would cause serious trouble.
And this wasn’t some ordinary job—it was the nation’s top elite training institution.
My skill as an assistant instructor was already rated low; if my diligence got rated low on top of that, I’d be in for a real headache.
This time, though, Yang Ji-hyeon had made it possible for me to stay at the Academy for a much longer stretch.
I’d ordered her to secretly watch over Han Bom while I was away for a while, and to keep Han Yeo-reum alive.
The total number of days I’d asked of her was seven: three days of honeymoon fun with Han Bom first, then four additional days of holding Han Yeo-reum after I left this place.
Once I left, four days here would become forty days at the Academy.
I planned to spend about a month there.
'True, nothing much happens on weekends anyway.'
There was no need to overcomplicate the calculations.
The world without me would flow slowly; I could just live at the Academy, pick a convenient weekend, drop into Yggdrasil for a bit, relieve myself with Han Bom while I was at it, and head back.
Perfect situation.
But first I had to explain the situation to Han Bom.
Let’s think about what to do tomorrow!
Reviewing the plan once more in my head, I pulled Han Bom close and drifted off to sleep.
“R… Rescue him? My oppa?”
“Yeah. No matter how I look at it, that’s what we have to do.”
I’d said it over breakfast after we woke up.
While we were preparing the meal together, I’d gotten her permission to speak casually with her.
In return, Han Bom said she wanted to keep using the same speech style she always had.
That worked just fine for me too.
I brought the conversation back on track.
“Han Yeo-reum… Honestly, I don’t have the slightest desire to save him.”
“Th-then why go through the danger…?”
It was a funny situation. Han Bom was Han Yeo-reum’s family, yet she showed no intention whatsoever of rescuing him.
She seemed to have decided that if he was just going to regress anyway, there was no need to go through the trouble of keeping him alive.
'Wow… What a little fox. Was that whole “please save my oppa” act from before just acting?'
'Because of the ballet, maybe? Her acting’s solid.'
She had her clumsy moments, but when she set her mind to hiding something, she was the type who could bury her true feelings well. Still, when it came to sheer shamelessness, I had her beat by a mile. I had to pretend I knew nothing about the concept of regression.
“…I really hate it, but Han Bom… he’s your family. I can’t just walk past that.”
“Th-that’s…”
She wouldn’t be able to stop me easily either.
She couldn’t exactly come out and say, My brother’s a regressor!
Speaking selfishly about family is something that might be forgiven once or twice when one's mind is hazy from sex.
Han Bom wasn't such a thoughtless child that she would say such things without hesitation in her daily life.
“For now, I’ll scout the area quietly and get a feel for the Red Summoners’ level.”
“Then I’ll come too!”
“No. I’m going alone. If we go together, it might just make things messier.”
“Ugh…”
Fortunately, Han Bom understood.
She already knew that before the regression I’d wiped out the entire Red Summoner group by myself, so she was well aware she’d only get in the way.
On top of that, I’d shown that kind of skill gap while injured at the time—so she would trust my ability and lean on it.
“I’ll be back.”
“Yes… Please. Be careful…”
“Yeah. This cave doesn’t stand out much, but if you sense anyone coming in, stay sharp.”
“Yes…”
Han Bom saw me off with a dejected expression as I left the cave.
I was guided straight to the Red Crescent organization’s base.
It was just a cave sitting there by itself—though the fact that it was hard to spot from the outside was interesting.
Trees had been planted densely around the entrance, and organization members stood watch up in the branches.
The one called Boris glared at me with wary eyes even as he maintained the proper courtesy due a superior.
“This way.”
“Yeah~”
I cloaked myself and took a clear look at Han Yeo-reum’s condition with my own eyes.
A haggard face.
Pupils that had completely checked out.
Clothes caked with the moss from the cave.
And… pants that reeked of something foul.
'Ugh! Fuck!'
I jerked my body back the moment the horrific stench hit my nose hairs.
'Ugh… I’ve confirmed his condition, that’s enough. I don’t want to get any closer…'
I grimaced and put as much distance as I could between myself and Han Yeo-reum, then looked at Boris with genuine admiration.
'Wow… This guy feeds Han Yeo-reum every day and administers the paralysis toxin himself, right? He’s more impressive than I thought.'
Boris had explained that even though it was filthy work he could have foisted on a subordinate, Yang Ji-hyeon had given the order personally as a critical mission, so he was handling it himself.
I handed Boris the video I’d filmed yesterday and spoke.
“You’ve got that item you were supposed to give me, right? Hand it over.”
“…Understood.”
Boris took the camera from me, then pulled something from his inventory and passed it over.
I looked over the two items he’d given me with satisfaction before tucking them into my own inventory.
Boris was staring blankly at the camera I’d handed him.
With no further business in this cave, I turned to leave and gave a little wave.
“Alright~ I’m going. Play that for him properly.”
“…Yes. …Understood.”
The last sound I heard from the cave was the dissatisfied voice and the footsteps of Boris approaching Han Yeo-reum.
Around sunset I headed back to the honeymoon cave where Han Bom was staying. The moment I returned, I explained to her that I’d run into a few Red Summoners and taken them out.
“They were more pathetic than I expected, honestly.”
“Hehe… Ajeossi, what the hell kind of person were you before?”
“That… I’ll tell you if you let me drink your breast milk!”
I pulled Han Bom into my arms and started groping her chest freely. She smacked me on the back and scolded me.
Slap!
“Guh!”
“E-eat first, you idiot Ajeossi!”
After taking that hit to the back, I sat down with her and we ate the simple meal she’d prepared, chatting comfortably. Midway through the meal I pulled the two items from my inventory and showed them to Han Bom. The moment she saw them, her spoon clattered to the ground and her eyes went wide as a rabbit’s.
“A-Ajeossi… where did you get those?”
“Earlier, some Red Summoner guys pulled these out and were talking about them in secret. I ambushed them from behind and took them.”
I explained that while scouting I’d discovered a group of Red Summoners and overheard their conversation from behind. They’d been planning to use this dagger and this blinding bomb to target us, I told her.
“It was weird… They were talking like they already knew we were coming here, you know?”
“….”
Han Bom bit down hard on her lip and squeezed her eyes shut. Watching her, I knew exactly what she was thinking.
At this point, Han Bom’s gone past suspecting him—she’s convinced Han Yeo-rum is the culprit, right?
Ah!
Pretending not to notice her state, I continued.
“And earlier they were talking about some kind of hallucinogen too…. Bom-ah, no matter what, do not leave this place. Those guys seem to have a ton of dangerous tools we don’t even know about.”
“Ha… Hallucinogen…?”
“Yeah. I didn’t catch that part properly, though—I got spotted by accident…. But they were talking like someone among us was supposed to make contact and feed it to us…. Well~ who would do something like that?”
“Ugh…”
Han Bom suddenly clutched her chest and began to cry.
I put on a startled expression, practically threw down my spoon, and pulled her into my arms.
“What’s wrong!? Is it the pain again?”
“Th-that… hic… it’s…. Hic…!”
I gently held the pitifully weeping Han Bom and, inside, wore a bitter little smile.
'Han Yeo-reum… All the karma you’ve piled up until now… I’ll settle every last bit of it for you!'
In the end, Han Bom never said a word about why she’d cried.
To explain that, she’d have to explain the regression too, and make excuses for the current situation.
She came here knowing she was going to get hit?
That would be hard to say as well.
She probably thinks it would only make her look more suspicious.
“I… I’m sorry. I just suddenly missed Unnie…”
“Ah… You crying out of nowhere really startled me.”
I held Han Bom and comforted her.
Looking at the way we acted, we were no different from a real couple.
No, by now we basically were one.
'Yggdrasil’s second principal wife…?'
'…'
Damn it, I’m already worried.
Still, I’d achieved my goal.
Seeing the wrecked state of Han Yeo-reum in the Red Crescent hideout earlier only confirmed that seducing Han Bom had been the absolute right move.
I would have seduced her even without the Han Yeo-reum connection, but still…
As I held her in silence, Han Bom grew restless and looked up at me.
“I’m sorry… You’re tired, and I just threw a tantrum for no reason…”
“Hey… Don’t say that.”
“Nn… A-Ajeossi… haah…”
I slowly kneaded Han Bom’s chest and whispered quietly into her ear.
“Spread your legs and throw a tantrum, and I’ll forgive you.”
The next day arrived—the third day total of living in this cave.
The night before, Han Bom and I had coupled like animals, and I’d filmed it and sent it as a quick delivery to Han Yeo-reum first thing in the morning.
It was time to start preparing to leave.
After eating breakfast with Han Bom, I went straight to the point.
“Bom-ah, I won’t be coming back for a while.”