Cohabitation Begins
It was right around the time Han Yeoryeon and I had just started living together.
The whole world was buzzing with the news that the third Primal Stone had been discovered in India, the country famous for having the most awakeners in the world.
The stone had turned up in a hidden cave on the first floor of a Tower, of all places. Talk about "darkest under the lamp"—it was found right at the starting point of the Tower.
The guy who found it must've hit the jackpot in life.
Rumor had it that the F-rank awakener who stumbled upon the stone by sheer luck had become a national hero, raking in massive fame and fortune.
For someone like me, who didn't even have a shot at finding one of those stones, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy deep down.
"Whoa... Life's so unpredictable, huh?"
"Tell me about it. ...I wish I could find one of those stones too."
We were casually watching TV while I massaged Han Yeoryeon's body.
She leaned back against me and shot me a sidelong glance, tossing out a choice.
"Finding a Primal Stone VS marrying Yeoryeon. Which one?"
"Hmm."
"Huh? You're actually thinking about it?"
"Can't I do both—find a Primal Stone and marry you?"
"You should've said you'd pick me over the stone!"
"I'm greedy like that."
"You... Hey, wait! The sofa's getting wet...!"
"I'll clean it up anyway. Spread 'em wider."
After we started living together, we spent way more time glued to each other than before.
Except when one of us was out, we were basically always in contact.
To quote someone, we'd lock eyes and immediately get down to business.
Exaggerating a bit, we spent more time naked at home than in our underwear.
"Should... we order dinner...?"
"Didn't you say you'd make fried rice earlier? You sounded so confident—what happened?"
"It's all your fault... My body's still shaking so bad I can't move...."
"Who's the one who jumped me again?"
"Eek. I'm sorry, hubby. Please let us order dinner~."
They say when you live together, little incompatibilities always pop up somewhere.
But since both she and I were the types to accommodate each other, we didn't run into any real issues on the daily life front.
...Except for those occasional moments when my ex's shadow popped up out of nowhere.
"Oh, it's Ma Yeonseo."
"...Yeah."
Ma Yeonseo, who'd gone to the US, had contracted with some higher-dimensional entity and was skyrocketing through the ranks.
The media called her a "one-woman army."
True to the nickname, her overwhelming firepower from her summons had earned her the number one spot on the global power rankings.
Thanks to that, the Korean Hunter Association president was getting flak left and right and on the verge of resigning.
So naturally, she showed up pretty often on Korean TV and news too....
"I've got a question. Can I ask?"
"What is it?"
Was it rivalry kicking in? Whenever Ma Yeonseo appeared on TV, Han Yeoryeon would ask me to compare them.
"Between her and me, which one's better in bed?"
It was usually a loaded question with an obvious answer.
"Dunno."
To be honest, in terms of pure "satisfaction," Ma Yeonseo edged out just a tiny bit.
By the slimmest margin. Exactly the difference in chest size.
But I couldn't just blurt that out, so I'd pretend to mull it over before giving her the response she'd like.
"You're way better."
"Really? You're not just saying that?"
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"Honestly, I can barely remember what it was like with her anymore."
"Liar."
"We've probably done it more times than I ever did with her?"
"You think I'd fall for such an obvious lie?"
"It's true~ You're the only one for me, Yeoryeon."
Even with my cheesy line, Han Yeoryeon would secretly fight back a smile, clearly pleased.
She had such cute sides to her.
Turns out living together isn't half bad.
That's when I started realizing we were a perfect match, and I began thinking more seriously about marrying her.
Marriage, huh...
Growing up in an incomplete family environment had left me with a lingering longing for a proper home in the corner of my heart.
Don't get me wrong—life with Mom had been happy.
But Dad's absence weighed heavy.
I'd even wondered once or twice if that "uncle" guy was really my dad.
Thank goodness he wasn't, in the end.
Anyway.
For some reason, I had a strong feeling that marrying Han Yeoryeon would make me happy.
To make that happen, I needed to prepare.
First things first, save up some money.
Objectively speaking, she was way out of my league right now.
Stylish and cute looks, killer figure, top of her department smarts, and a sweet personality to boot.
She was too good for a guy like me, scraping by on part-time gigs.
At the very least, I needed to become someone she wouldn't be ashamed of.
So I decided to learn a trade.
Special Mana Equipment Manager. As the name suggested, it was a job handling mana-related gear.
Yeah, this was the one.
It required specific certifications, but right on cue, Mercury Corp had teamed up with the government to launch a new training program.
The company famous for awakener gear—the smartphone Ma Yeonseo had gifted me back in the day was a Mercury product too.
Lucky break.
I quickly submitted my application before spots filled up, then confessed to Han Yeoryeon.
"I'm going for a certification."
Up until then, I'd assumed she'd cheer me on.
"What...?"
But her reaction was unexpectedly lukewarm.
"Isn't it a bit early? You could take more time to think about it...."
It almost sounded like she wanted me to keep doing part-time work.
"Still, if we're gonna get married someday, better start prepping now, right?"
"Uh... Huh? M-marriage?"
"It's once in a lifetime, after all. Gotta put a diamond on that finger, yeah?"
"D-diamond...?!"
She froze like a glitchy doll at the casual marriage drop.
"What, you don't wanna marry me?"
I teased her with a grin, and she flailed her hands like she was having a fit.
"N-no! It's not that I don't want to...! I just never thought you'd be thinking about that...."
Her voice trailed off shyly, and with her cheeks slightly flushed, she bit her lip to suppress a rising smile.
Like I'd always noticed, she was terrible at hiding her feelings.
"So, what do you think? About me going for the cert. If it works out, great; if not, oh well."
"That sounds awesome...! I'll cheer you on! Hope it works out—really hope!"
Just like that, she flipped her stance and threw her full support behind my plan.
...Time to hustle.
I steeled my resolve and took my first step toward the future.
While Kang Yuchan was leaping toward a new future,
in a luxury hotel somewhere in America.
"You were so cool today too! Siglu's Hand—bam, one shot! Ugh... You should've seen the other awakeners just standing around dumbfounded...!"
A woman in a light suit was buzzing with excitement, shadowboxing wildly as she couldn't contain herself.
And.
Silently listening beside her was one person.
Damp black long hair, a cool beauty at first glance, and a perfect figure peeking through her thick bathrobe.
Ma Yeonseo herself.
"The Association's on edge, America's courting you, Korea's in a panic!"
"......"
Ma Yeonseo half-ignored her manager Lee Yeona's chatter as she tightened her loose bathrobe and quietly headed to the living room.
Lee Yeona naturally trailed after her, still gushing about Ma Yeonseo's exploits.
"You're definitely snagging number one on the next power rankings!"
Plop. Without a word, Ma Yeonseo sank into the sofa and casually poured whiskey into an empty crystal glass before speaking up.
"This month's report?"
Lee Yeona quickly dialed back her hype and handed over her tablet.
"Prepared it while you were in the bath. Eleven pages total, photos organized separately."
This was why Ma Yeonseo kept Lee Yeona as her manager.
A bit noisy when excited, but she got the job done when it counted.
And her loyalty ran so deep she'd die for her if needed.
"...He applied for the training program?"
Sipping her drink while scrolling the tablet, Ma Yeonseo suddenly furrowed her brow and looked at Lee Yeona.
She promptly summarized the intel she'd memorized.
"Yes. Kang Yuchan applied to the certification course set up by Mercury's Korean branch."
It was about Kang Yuchan back in Korea.
"No word yet from his part-time job, but it seems he's considering a career shift there."
Ma Yeonseo stared at Yuchan's application on the screen, a strange emotion stirring.
...Yuchan applying to our company...
Mercury was the mega-corp her grandfather had built after moving to the US.
She couldn't help but be shocked that Yuchan was once again tied to her world.
It was no exaggeration to call it fateful.
He's definitely my destined one.
Ma Yeonseo recalled the day she'd broken up with Yuchan years ago.
The horrific shock that crushed her body, losing consciousness on death's doorstep, and the conversation with the self-proclaimed "Goddess of Luck."
-Get stronger. Then, someday, your destined partner will naturally come to you.
-Hard to believe, I know, but fate works that way.
Reeking of con artist, she'd actually reversed Ma Yeonseo's death.
Having tasted death, Ma Yeonseo gained the chance to contract a higher being—at the cost of burning her life for her goals.
From then on, she'd charged ahead without rest.
Believing Kang Yuchan was her one and only destined partner.
She'd come to America solely for that reason.
To grow stronger faster.
And as a bonus, tapping America's top-notch intel to keep tabs on Yuchan regularly.
"Make sure Yuchan gets accepted."
"Understood. Shall I prepare a spot in advance?"
"Keep it subtle. Nothing too tough. ...And make sure no one messes with him."
"Got it."
After issuing her orders, Ma Yeonseo stroked her long-thumping chest and checked the rest of Yuchan's report.
But.
-Estimated 82 times over 15 days.
Stripping out the certification stuff, it was all nauseating details: how much they flirted with Han Yeoryeon, how many times they slept together, where they went out.
The thought of Kang Yuchan being defiled again tore her heart to shreds.
That fucking bitch.
Grind. Ma Yeonseo clenched her teeth unwittingly, then tamped down her burning rage and handed back the tablet.
"Dispose of it."
She downed prepped sleeping pills with whiskey in one go, exhaled sharply, and sank deep into the sofa.
...Yuchan... Just wait a little longer...
Her love was still very much ongoing.