Chapter 159
Chapter 159
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 159
Chapter Title: An Intimate Moment
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***
Softly.
Kalli’s pale hand reached out and touched the cheek of the defenseless Cheon-seong.
At the sudden contact, Cheon-seong's gaze wavered. Kalli met his eyes and blinked.
“……”
With a faint blush on her face and her eyes losing focus, Kalli simply took in the sight of Cheon-seong.
After placing her hand on his cheek, she said nothing more.
A few seconds passed like this.
In what felt like an eternity, Kalli slowly began to move her hand.
Her touch, as it slowly caressed Cheon-seong's face, was incredibly gentle and cautious. Anyone watching would have thought she was stroking something precious, a touch filled with a special emotion.
"...Instructor?"
As the bewildered Cheon-seong spoke amidst her touch, Kalli suddenly parted her lips.
“Just a moment…”
The voice that spoke those words was laced with heat.
Hearing such a tone from her for the first time, Cheon-seong couldn't bring himself to respond.
He could only become more acutely aware of the warmth radiating from the hand on his face.
Seeing his reaction, focus slowly returned to Kalli's eyes. She looked at Cheon-seong, who was staring right at her, and her lips hesitated for a moment.
*I still don't understand.*
Throughout the spar, a heat she couldn't comprehend had been rising in her heart. It continuously shook her, and the more she exchanged blows with Cadet Han Cheon-seong, the more intense the tremor became.
Even as she parried, blocked, and deflected his spear, her heart refused to calm down.
*Thump.*
*Thump.*
And even now, it hadn't settled.
“……”
Her heart was clearly beating faster than usual. She knew it wasn't the heat from the spar, nor was it her body signaling exhaustion.
Moreover, she naturally came to realize that this wasn't the first time she had felt this way.
...And so, she began to understand, little by little.
The emotion and heat she felt when she was with Cadet Han Cheon-seong.
It was just that today, for some reason, the feeling was especially strong…
Slide.
The skin her hand was gently touching felt different.
Had she ever felt someone's skin like this before? Looking back, she had no such memory.
Perhaps that's why this feeling was so unfamiliar, yet she had no regrets about her actions.
She had thought that if she touched him, if she got closer, her heart might calm down a little.
Even while aware that she was leaning on the kindness Cadet Han Cheon-seong had shown her, she just found herself looking at him.
What was this heat filling her heart? She wanted to know more.
Right now, it was almost unbearable to hold back.
*Stroke, stroke…*
Every time she carefully caressed his face, she saw Cadet Han Cheon-seong flinch. It was an expected reaction, yet it seemed somewhat fascinating to her.
The way he obediently accepted her touch... was strangely addictive.
So much so that she wanted to keep touching him a little longer.
Then, a strange thought occurred to her.
*The reason Cadet Han Cheon-seong is so submissive to me is surely…*
...because of our relationship as instructor and cadet.
He was being so obedient right now because he was taking my words—to wait just a moment—literally. Wasn't that why he wasn't resisting my touch at all?
As she thought this, a strong sense of danger washed over her.
*Right now, I'm…*
...I shouldn't be doing this.
The thought that she was using her authority as an instructor to touch Cadet Han Cheon-seong weighed heavily on her heart.
*Flinch.*
And so, she unconsciously stopped her caress.
Then, he came into focus more clearly.
She saw Cadet Han Cheon-seong, who had accepted her touch, looking at her with a slightly deeper gaze. And his confused eyes seemed to ask if it was over now.
“……”
She bit her lip, thinking she had to pull her hand away now.
The words of pure kindness Cadet Han Cheon-seong had offered her. She felt she had already pushed the limits of acting on that kindness.
...But her hand, still touching him, wouldn't pull away.
No, she didn't want to pull it away.
Looking at Cadet Han Cheon-seong, her heart had already calmed down.
It was no longer pounding like before, and her thoughts had become rational, as if she had regained her composure.
So she realized what she was doing right now.
“Can I… for a little longer?”
But before she knew it, she had uttered something absurd.
And in a tone that sounded as if she were asking for Cadet Han Cheon-seong's permission…
If before she had approached him by leaning on his words with her authority, now she wanted to test him, to see if he would accept her. She unconsciously wanted to gauge his feelings.
As she looked at Cadet Han Cheon-seong, her heart filled with tension.
Her heart began to pound for a different reason.
What if he refused? Could she take responsibility for the words she had just spoken?
What was she thinking, saying something so foolish…?
Just as all sorts of thoughts flooded her mind.
His lips parted.
“I don't know the exact reason why you're doing this, Instructor. But if you want to continue, I'm okay with it.”
While speaking cautiously with a faint smile, Cadet Han Cheon-seong's eyes were focused entirely on her.
The reflection of herself in his pupils seemed unfamiliar, and she found herself nodding blankly.
Softly.
*Because Cadet Han Cheon-seong trusts me.*
Ironically, she could feel his trust in the words he had just spoken.
Even though she clearly felt that her actions were making Cadet Han Cheon-seong flustered and confused. Still, she wanted to lean on him.
Because he was accepting her right now.
Because he wasn't rejecting her, she felt a strange desire to keep leaning on him.
*Stroke, stroke…*
His eyes wavered with bewilderment and confusion, yet he didn't avoid her gaze. Seeing this, she carefully began to stroke his face again.
In truth, she was a little scared to do anything more than this.
Cadet Han Cheon-seong must already be very flustered. If she did anything more, she felt he would surely reject her.
So she couldn't bring herself to take the next step.
The way Cadet Han Cheon-seong flinched at her touch but still accepted it was becoming increasingly unnatural. Even she didn't think her actions were right.
And when she thought about going further, she unconsciously shook her head.
Slowly.
As she finally pulled her hand away, it felt as though an even greater heat was rising in her body.
...She had reached out to understand why her heart was so shaken.
But now that it was over, she found herself even more confused about her own feelings.
*Have I become strange after being on the front lines for so long?*
She had often heard various reasons why one shouldn't stay on the front lines for too long.
They say that prolonged exposure to blood and negative thoughts inevitably causes abnormalities in both mind and body.
Even if you think you're fine, you end up in a state that's anything but…
She had dismissed those words, but perhaps that was what was happening to her now.
On the front lines, her heart had gradually grown numb, and she had to spend the first few days at the academy just to adapt to its completely different, lively atmosphere.
Touch.
Cadet Han Cheon-seong, who was unconsciously fiddling with the spot on his face where her hand had been, was looking at her.
His gaze, which seemed to ask if she had anything more to say, made her flinch.
"..."
Her lips hesitated, but no words came out.
*What am I supposed to say here?*
How could she explain the meaning behind her actions, or why she had done it? She couldn't even think of a reason.
*I just… wanted to.*
That's why she had approached him; she had a strong desire to see Cadet Han Cheon-seong up close.
And that's why she had acted that way.
But she couldn't say that, not even if it killed her.
It was too strange. The mere thought of what Cadet Han Cheon-seong would think of her was terrifying. Perhaps stopping at just caressing his face was the last shred of conscience she had.
The last shred of conscience that told her she was an instructor dealing with Cadet Han Cheon-seong.
The other... actions that had come to mind were things she didn't dare even attempt.
“Um, Cadet Han Cheon-seong.”
As she forced the words out, her heart pounded.
Heat rose to her face, her thoughts breaking off intermittently, yet she managed an awkward smile.
“Yes, Instructor.”
Cadet Han Cheon-seong replied calmly, having already regained his composure. Looking at his face, which seemed ready to listen, she suddenly felt like she was the only strange one.
*Why…*
...am I the only one who's this flustered? Cadet Han Cheon-seong, the one who was subjected to my actions, should clearly be more flustered and confused…
Amidst her foolish thoughts, she gave a cautious nod.
“...My mind was a little confused, so I think I did something really foolish. There was no deep meaning behind my actions just now. S-so, I hope you won't think too much of it, Cadet Han Cheon-seong. I'd appreciate it if you could forget all about it after today.”
Even her words came out haltingly.
Still, her head felt like it was about to explode, and those foolish words were the best she could manage right now.
*What in the world... have I done?*
An instructor, casually touching a cadet like that.
...Thinking back on why she had even asked if she could continue, she felt so ashamed she wanted to hide somewhere.
But she couldn't run from Cadet Han Cheon-seong's gaze, which sought an answer from her.
She had to face him, even though she felt so mortified having to deliver such an excuse.
Just then, she heard a soft chuckle.
...When she looked up blankly, Cadet Han Cheon-seong was, for some reason, smiling faintly.
***
The bewildering moment ended when her hand fell away.
And the words Kalli spoke at the end were, to be honest, quite difficult to understand.
I didn't know why Kalli was so embarrassed and ashamed, nor did I have any clue why she had reached out to me in the first place.
*It's not like I did anything special today.*
My actions toward Kalli were no different from usual.
I was simply being polite and engaging in our spar. That was truly all.
So, after mulling it over, a silly laugh escaped my lips.
Touch.
As I absentmindedly fiddled with the cheek Kalli's hand had touched, I saw her staring at me blankly.
With her flushed face and look of shame, she seemed to regret her actions, but I found that expression strangely cute.
“A confused heart... If you put it that way, I can understand. You're a person too, Instructor, so I think it's perfectly possible. So please, don't be so embarrassed or ashamed. It's not like I disliked it."
I just told her honestly.
That moment just now.
I actually hadn't minded it.
When a beauty like Kalli does something so strange to me... well, to be honest, my heart fluttered a little.
"...You didn't dislike my touch?"
Looking at Kalli asking me so blankly, my hand unconsciously started to itch.
*If you ask me with that expression, it makes me want to do it too.*
...If I could, I wanted to return the favor and do to her what she had done to me.
To show her what it feels like to just be on the receiving end of someone's touch.
Just how intimate it really feels…
...so she could experience it for herself.