My Man, Your Man (1)
Serena Eldark was the type to rise early every morning. She wasn't without her share of morning drowsiness by nature, but she saw waking at dawn as the kickoff to a diligent day.
After getting up, she washed her face and brushed her teeth, then meticulously cleaned her horns and patted them dry with care. Next, she ran a soft comb through her tousled hair, smoothing it into perfect waves, before spritzing perfume on her wrists, the insides of her elbows, and her neck, dabbing it in lightly. She hadn't used perfume before, but ever since realizing her feelings for Seong Hyun-jin, it had become part of her routine. It wasn't overpowering—just a subtle, pleasant scent she hoped he'd notice and like. With that, she slipped into her uniform.
Preparation complete, Serena stepped outside. Before heading to class, she planned to knock on Seong Hyun-jin's door for a bit of flirty banter. He was usually up by now anyway, so it wouldn't be rude.
But to her surprise, the ever-early riser didn't respond to her knock.
"…Still asleep?"
Was he sleeping in for once? "Hmm…."
She wondered if his sudden growth spurt had thrown off his sleep patterns. She'd never known him to oversleep, so it worried her a little. Should she wake him to perk him up? She lingered at his door, pondering, when—
The door, unresponsive moments ago, suddenly flew open with a bang, and Seong Hyun-jin poked his head out. His face was fresh and dewy, hair damp from water. Serena flushed faintly, staring at him in a daze.
"Serena? What's up?"
Snapping out of it at his voice, she cleared her throat lightly. "…You were awake? No response, so I thought you were sleeping."
"Oh, I was washing up. Didn't hear you."
"I see."
Serena nodded, accepting it, but then her eyes caught something. Below the towel draped over his neck, his shoulders—now properly broad—were on display.
"…Seong Hyun-jin."
"Yeah?"
"What's that?"
"What's what?"
"On your shoulder."
The issue was the nail marks gouged into that shoulder. Red, swollen scratches stood out vividly.
Seong Hyun-jin realized what she was staring at, glanced down, and his face hardened. "……Ah."
It was too obvious to pass off as a random scratch—especially with Serena right there, who knew those marks all too well. She'd left her own on him before.
The air turned icy in an instant. Seong Hyun-jin broke into a cold sweat.
"This……."
He could only watch her expression, words failing him. Finally, Serena spoke.
"……A woman?"
"I-it's, uh, Serena."
"You went to another woman…while I'm right here…."
Her voice dripped menace, but then realization dawned, and she eyed him with shock. "You didn't already make a move on Lady Karin, did you!?"
"Wh-why bring up my master out of nowhere?"
"Huh? It wasn't her?"
Serena blinked at him. "Then who…."
Who the hell had spent the night with him? She was about to demand it when—
A door inside his room burst open, followed by a familiar woman's voice. "Haaah, finally done washing up… You really overdid it last night; even bathing alone was a chore!"
The voice rang out crystal-clear, leaving no room for excuses. Serena's face went rigid. Seong Hyun-jin, sweating bullets under her glare, could only watch.
"……You slept with Ciela Teraport?"
Her tone was lethally sharp, audible to both Seong Hyun-jin and the freshly bathed Ciela emerging in a bathrobe. Ciela turned her creaking neck toward them. Serena looked ready to kill; Seong Hyun-jin flashed an awkward grin.
Ciela had trusted him to handle it and stepped out, only to find things worse. Flustered, she shot him a plaintive look. "H-Hyunjin, why's the door still open…? You said you'd go out first and sort it…."
"…It's already busted. Senior left these nail marks on me."
She'd been peeved at him for stepping out to "resolve" things without doing jack, but that shut her up. Silence was admission enough.
Serena let out a hollow laugh. "Ha…."
She shoved past Seong Hyun-jin into the room, slammed the door, and advanced on Ciela. Knowing his state and still approaching him? She glared ferociously, smirking venomously. "Impressive, Miss Ciela Teraport. Seducing a guy with a girlfriend right in front of her—feels good, huh? Digging your nails into someone else's man like that?"
"……."
Ciela stayed silent, weighing her response. Bow her head? No—maybe go bold. That might resist Serena's momentum. Sure, she'd inserted herself, but was it wrong? Talented guys drew multiple partners; society accepted it. Her upbringing agreed.
"…Yeah, you're right."
Ciela spoke up. "I seduced Hyunjin and slept with him."
"……!"
"But so what? You know that already, Miss Serena Eldark."
Her tone was flat, unshaken—no guilt, utterly calm. It threw Serena off. "Great guys date multiple women… It's common, not weird. If anything, your father's the outlier. My dad has two concubines besides Mom."
"…Even so, there's a line!"
Serena flushed crimson, yelling. "You took advantage of Seong Hyun-jin's condition!"
"…Yeah, I did. It felt like my chance to confess."
"You admit it and still act so smug…!"
"Wanna ask Hyunjin?"
Ciela pressed. "If he only slept with me because of his state."
"……What?"
"If he doesn't really like me—if he just used my body to vent his lust."
With that, Ciela strode past Serena to Seong Hyun-jin, who stood frozen behind her. And—
"…!"
"Senior?"
She lightly hugged his arm, pressing close through the towel. "Hyunjin, you don't like me?"
"……No."
Seong Hyun-jin couldn't lie. He'd admitted defeat last night; honesty was owed here. He glanced apologetically at Serena, adding, "Sorry if you're disappointed. If you are… do whatever you want with me. No complaints."
"……."
He'd handed Serena the choice: accept this side of him or end it. Ciela might not even be the last. Karin still held a deep place in his heart, after all. More scenes like this could come—and if that hurt, she could leave.
Understanding, Serena bit her lip and bowed her head. After stewing in silence, she murmured, "I'm… not disappointed. I like you too much for that."
"…Serena."
"She's right, thinking it over. A guy like you dating multiple girls? Nothing strange. And… vice versa."
"…!"
Serena looked up, a wistful smile on her lips. "If I went to another guy, could you treasure just me then?"
"Serena, that's…!"
"If not."
She stepped forward, took his free hand—the one Ciela wasn't holding—and pressed it to her chest. "At least love me more than this woman."
"!"
"I'm your first. The original. Everything has an order. So…."
Her wistful expression flipped in a heartbeat. Face hardening coldly, she seized Ciela's arm clinging to his side, shoved it off with brute force, and snarled, "Now get off him, you bitch."