Wanting to Stay Together (2)
Seong Hyun-jin's voice was laced with utter bewilderment. To confirm whether Serena truly understood the implications of her words, he asked, “S-Serena. That thing you said… you know what it means, right?”
“Pardon?”
Serena looked puzzled at his question, her expression wondering why he was so flustered.
“What's wrong?”
“Well, it's just…”
But her innocent reaction didn't last long. Soon enough, Serena realized what he was getting at, and her face flushed crimson. In her shock, she let go of his wrist and frantically waved both hands in front of her.
“N-No, that's not what I meant…!”
“It's not?”
“I-I just wanted to be with you. That's all…”
“Ahh…”
Seong Hyun-jin nodded, understanding her true intent at last. Realizing why she'd grabbed him, he gazed at the bashful Serena as if she were utterly adorable.
“Worried you'd have that nightmare again?”
“……”
Serena felt a twinge of embarrassment admitting it, but she nodded anyway to keep him there. The nightmare she'd just had made her anxious at the thought of him going anywhere without her.
Seeing her honest admission, Seong Hyun-jin smiled in satisfaction.
“In that case, shall we?”
“Y-You'll really do it?”
“Why would I lie?”
Seong Hyun-jin shrugged off his jacket and loosened his tie. He hung them on the armchair, then turned to Serena.
“Gotta get comfy. Serena, you should take off your jewelry too. Can't lie down properly otherwise.”
“Ah, right.”
Serena removed her earrings, necklace, and the gemstone ornaments adorning her horns, placing them on the table. She tilted her head back slightly and glanced at her own back.
At the odd gesture, Seong Hyun-jin cocked his head.
“What is it?”
“Um, I want to take off my corset…”
“Corset? You were wearing something that uncomfortable?”
Corset. It was undergarment worn inside clothes to cinch the waist for aesthetic purposes, shaping the torso—like the nipped-in silhouette of her current dress. But it came at the cost of discomfort, and if laced too tightly, it could even crack ribs or damage organs.
Seong Hyun-jin was shocked, but Serena spoke as if it were obvious.
“Of course when wearing a dress. Without a corset, the silhouette falls flat. Everyone at the banquet in a dress would have been wearing one.”
“You'll snap your waist in half.”
“It's not laced that tight…”
Serena sounded exasperated.
“This isn't centuries ago. Who laces it enough to break their back?”
“Then why wear it? You're slim enough already.”
“Even so, wearing one versus not makes a huge difference in the lines.”
With that, Serena turned her back to him briskly.
“The laces are in the back—I can't undo them alone.”
“……Huh?”
“Could you… loosen them for me?”
Serena faced forward again. Her ears burned red, fully aware of how bold her request was.
Seong Hyun-jin stammered in fluster.
“M-Me? Undo it?”
“Wh-Who else is here right now?”
She seemed dead serious.
“It must be uncomfortable keeping it on, huh?”
“……Yes.”
“……Got it.”
Seong Hyun-jin decided to accept the situation. It wasn't weird at all—just helping Serena out. With that self-hypnosis in place, he steeled himself.
There was a reason he was trying so hard not to sexualize her actions. Sure, their relationship could handle a steamy turn without issue, but this was the Levatein estate. You didn't hook up with your girlfriend at your friend's house, right? He thought that much restraint was proper.
Oblivious to his mindset, Serena—who'd asked him to loosen her dress—explained in detail.
“Once you undo the laces holding the dress back, you'll see the corset laces inside. Just loosen those a bit. I can handle the rest.”
“……O-Okay.”
As requested, Seong Hyun-jin reached out. He swallowed hard.
Her pale, smooth back was already on full display, stirring odd feelings in him. What would happen once he undid it? Imagining it, he instinctively loosened the dress laces.
The moment the tight cords securing the dress gave way, the fabric slipped down slightly and parted at the sides, revealing the corset laces just as she'd said.
But instead of immediately tackling them, Seong Hyun-jin stared blankly at her back.
The corset covered it, sure, but more bare skin was visible now than before—and it was inevitably stimulating. She wasn't some stranger; she was his girlfriend, a beauty any man would find stunning. It was only natural for him to feel stirred.
“Seong Hyun-jin…?”
But Serena didn't seem ready for that. Her earlier fluster had been a clue.
Rushing things might make her hate him, so Seong Hyun-jin shook his head lightly.
“Sorry, just spacing out for a sec.”
He finished loosening the corset laces. As they came undone, the vivid groove between the erector spinae muscles running down her back to her waist drew his eye in a strangely captivating way. He had no idea why it pulled at him like that.
Feeling his face heat up, Seong Hyun-jin said to her,
“……Done.”
“Th-Thank you.”
Serena was just as embarrassed—her face, cheeks, and earlobes flushed bright red while he'd worked.
Then she made one more request.
“C-Could you turn around for a moment? I need to take the corset off…”
“Oh? Sure…”
Seong Hyun-jin turned away. Relieved, Serena gripped both sides of the corset, spread them apart to fully release the laces, and slipped it off.
But she'd underestimated his patience—or lack thereof. He was the type who boldly confessed his desires even to his master; his restraint was notoriously weak.
If he'd held back better, he'd have gotten far fewer scoldings from Karin. His track record proved it.
Glance.
He'd turned his body, but slyly twisted his head back to peek at her.
It was exactly as he'd imagined. With the corset gone, her fully exposed back, nipped waist, and sharp valley were maddening.
“……”
“Ah, Seong Hyun-jin.”
Whether she sensed his gaze or not, Serena set the corset aside and spoke.
“Could you tie the dress laces back up? It's… a bit open to sleep like this.”
“……”
Seong Hyun-jin stepped toward her boldly. Her back and waist bared as she waited for him ignited a fierce urge to dominate, drawing him in.
Standing behind her for a long moment of internal debate, he suddenly pulled her into a firm embrace.
“!?”
Seeing his thick forearms wrap around her waist in an instant, Serena whipped her head around in shock.
“S-Seong Hyun-jin…?”
He held her silently for a while before letting out a deep sigh.
“……Be careful, seriously.”
“Y-Yes…?”
“If you pull this in front of another guy, you're in real trouble. No joke.”
With that, Seong Hyun-jin released her. He sighed again and tied the dress laces.
Understanding his point, Serena's face turned beet red.
“N-No…I didn't mean it like th-that…”
“I know.”
His voice was low.
“But if you do it again…”
He finished tying and grabbed her shoulders, spinning her around sharply. Their faces were now inches apart.
In that position, Seong Hyun-jin whispered,
“I won't hold back either, babe?”
“……!”
Shock and fluster colored Serena's expression. Yet beneath it flickered a hint of anticipation. Her body had reacted instinctively, against her reason.
Confused by her own response, she felt Seong Hyun-jin's hand gently stroke her hair.
“Got it?”
“Eek…!”
Though soft, she flinched in surprise from the tension.
Seong Hyun-jin chuckled, convinced he had to hold back tonight.
“Sleep well. I'll be over there.”
He lay down on the sofa. Serena's tension eased into relief—and gratitude that he'd respected her nerves by not pushing further.
She definitely felt it was for the best, yet… just a tiny bit, there was regret. She couldn't quite understand her own heart.
The victory banquet concluded splendidly, but the duke, his knights, and soldiers of the duchy had no time to rest—they had to move out again soon.
They'd culled a great many magical beasts in the first sweep, but not all. Now came the second subjugation to mop up the rest.
Elcarus Levatein wasted no time preparing, and mobilization was ready the day after the banquet ended.
On the third day of their experiential learning, Seong Hyun-jin and his group finally joined the beast subjugation procession. Hyun-jin, in particular, was over the moon.
“Finally, beast subjugation! This'll be fun!”
“Don't get too hyped—you might end up in danger. Calm down.”
“What danger? The family troops are with us.”
“You never know—never!”
To Serena's nagging, Seong Hyun-jin shrugged it off.
“Come on, aren't you overthinking it?”
“Sigh, you lack all sense of caution.”
“By the way, you two—where'd you sleep last night?”
Yeonhui asked.
“You didn't come back to the room…”
“In the lounge. I was drunk, so Hyun-jin carried me there.”
Serena answered honestly, and Seong Hyun-jin nodded in agreement.
Ciela jumped in alarm.
“Y-You slept together in the lounge?”
“We slept together, yeah, but I was on the sofa. Nothing happened.”
Seong Hyun-jin explained, and Serena gave a small nod. It didn't seem like a lie, so Ciela relaxed a bit.
“……D-Did anyone see you two come out?”
“Morning? No one around.”
“That's a relief.”
“Why?”
Seong Hyun-jin asked, and Ciela replied simply.
“It's called a lounge, but it's basically for other purposes. Especially if a guy and girl go in together. If it was just for rest, why have a bed? A sofa's enough.”
“Huh?”
Seong Hyun-jin tilted his head, then his eyes widened as realization dawned. Internally, he regretted it.
Shouldn't have held back…?
Thinking he could've just gone for it right there.