I'm Done For (3)
I'm Screwed (3)
"......!!"
A question that felt like a bomb declaration out of nowhere. I almost bit my tongue and stammered.
"...Uh, n-no, I don't."
The moment she heard that answer.
Her red lips drew a very subtle and seductive arc.
"That's a relief."
"...Pardon?"
"Nothing."
In the blink of an eye, she had returned to her usual pure and pretty smile.
I scratched the back of my head, which had turned red.
'What is this crazy tension? That was definitely a flirty atmosphere, right?'
No way. Did she really fall for me at first sight?
Did I look that dangerously attractive on stage earlier?
She took a step back and spoke as if humming a tune.
"Your academy life won't be smooth sailing from now on. The title of Unawakened carries quite a heavy weight."
"Probably... you're right."
"But."
She leaned in close again, bringing her lips right next to my ear.
Her hot breath tickled my earlobe.
"I'll help you. A lot."
My breath caught.
A sickeningly sweet peach scent that seeped deep into my lungs, like the smell of an animal in heat.
She turned away without hesitation and walked lightly toward the door.
"Get plenty of rest today."
Grasping the doorknob, she looked back over her shoulder and whispered.
"I'll see you again tomorrow."
"...Uh, yeah. Have a good night."
Before closing the door, she paused for a moment and stared at me.
Was it because of the red magical lamp light in the hallway? Her blood-red pupils seemed to glisten with an almost grotesque intensity.
For just a moment. A truly fleeting instant.
Her red tongue slipped out like a snake, licking her lower lip as if moistening it.
Just like—
A predator unable to control its appetite, swallowing its saliva.
"...Good night."
—Click.
The door closed.
Left alone in the room, I slumped down on the edge of the bed, staring into space and thinking for a long time.
"...No way."
In the quiet room, I let out an involuntary chuckle. The corners of my mouth kept twitching uncontrollably.
"No matter how I think about it... she likes me, right? It's obvious! Honestly, if I wash up and look in the mirror, I'm above average. Definitely!"
Lee Jeong-hoon. 20 years old.
Finally, spring has come to my life too, I thought as I hugged my pillow and rolled around on the bed.
Of course, foolish me had no idea.
That at this very moment. Right on the other side of my firmly closed dorm room door.
That perfect top student representative was leaning precariously against the hallway wall.
"Haa... Haaaat...!"
Clutching her own neck and chest with both hands, her knees giving way as she slumped down, breathing heavily.
"...Just a little, hng, aah... just hold on a little longer."
The thick peach scent emanating from her body was filling the entire hallway like a sticky mucus.
From under her uniform skirt, a bright red heart-shaped demon tail emerged and scraped painfully against the floor.
"Today..."
Snake-like, thin and elongated pupils.
The succubus's eyes, dyed red with madness, hunger, and perverse lust, were glaring as if piercing through my closed door.
"...Not yet. We still have a whole week, a whole week left."
Wiping the drool flowing from her mouth with the back of her hand, she rubbed her cheek against my door and trembled as if in ecstasy.
The first morning in the dorm arrived.
It was the last remaining day off before the official semester began.
Staring at the unfamiliar ceiling and recalling last night's crazy tension, I kicked off the blankets, washed my face with cold water, and aimlessly stepped out of the dorm.
It was a day off with nothing to do anyway.
I thought I'd take a walk in the academy garden to clear my confused head.
But.
"Good morning."
"...Gasp!"
A silver-haired beauty leaning casually in the shadow of a giant statue in front of the dorm.
It was the First-Year Representative.
Her silver hair, shimmering in the sunlight, looked even more unreal than yesterday, and that sickeningly sweet peach scent wafted from her casual attire—a thin white blouse.
"R-representative? What are you doing here? It's a day off today......"
"I was waiting for you."
She walked lightly toward me.
She did say "see you tomorrow" yesterday, but I never imagined she'd be waiting for me in front of the male dorm first thing in the morning.
"You seemed really lost with directions yesterday, Jeong-hoon. It's good to familiarize yourself with the campus geography during the break, right?"
"No, but for the Representative to waste her precious day off on an Unawakened like me......"
Before I could finish, she naturally linked arms with my right arm, just like yesterday.
The soft, substantial sensation transmitted through the thin, nearly skin-tight blouse.
I gasped for air again.
"Let's go. Since there are no classes today, I'll take you to my favorite spot."
She tilted her head slightly and smiled gently.
It was a smile I couldn't possibly refuse.
Eventually, as if bewitched, I followed her lead and started walking.
Our destination was the 'Secret Garden' located on the academy's outskirts.
Since it was a holiday, even the sparse students around the main campus didn't venture this deep into the garden, leaving the surroundings eerily quiet.
Lush ancient trees and extravagantly blooming unnamed red flowers.
Even sunlight filtered through the leaves, breaking into dreamy rays of light.
"How is it? Pretty, right?"
"Yes. It's very quiet... nice."
At my response, she tightened her grip on my arm and pressed closer.
"I like that it's secluded here. No one will disturb us."
At that moment.
The air in the garden changed abruptly.
A thick peach scent that stung the nose began to fill the area stickily, swallowing all other floral fragrances.
With every breath, that sweet and violent pheromone seeped deep into my lungs, making my head spin.
"Lee Jeong-hoon."
She stopped walking and slowly turned to face me.
Her half-lidded, languid red pupils.
They glistened with an even more grotesque red intensity than yesterday.
"You really don't know anything, do you."
"Huh? Wh-what..."
—Swish.
She took a step closer.
As I unconsciously tried to step back, her pale, slender hand shot out like a snake, grabbing my shirt collar and pulling me forward.
"Uh, uhh?!"
The distance closed in an instant.
My back hit the trunk of a giant ancient tree with a thud, and she pressed against my chest almost as if embracing me.
It was driving me crazy.
Her hot body temperature and breath, even the sound of my own frantic heartbeat ringing in my ears—everything.
"R-representative. What are you..."
Her face burrowed into the nape of my neck.
I heard the sound of her cool, soft nose brushing against my collarbone area as she slowly, deeply inhaled.
"Haa......"
A heavy sigh, as if barely suppressing reason, escaped from between her lips.
Her body, pressed against mine, was trembling faintly.
'What is this? Did she really fall for me? Beyond just flirting, like completely head over heels at first sight...'
My 20-year virgin brain was about to activate its happiness circuit in that fleeting moment.
—Lick.
"...?!"
Something moist and hot slowly licked across the pulsing spot on my neck.
Instantly, all the hairs on my body stood on end, and a chilling shudder ran down my spine.
This wasn't simple excitement. It was a mad warning alarm triggered by biological instinct.
An instinctive fear that sharp fangs would sprout from within those lips licking my neck and cut off my breath at any moment.
"Uh, uhh... R-representative?"
When I called out in a tense, frozen voice, she groaned with her lips still pressed against my neck.
"Just a little... just a little more..."
What did she mean by just a little more?
The knuckles of her hand gripping my shirt were white.
With every touch of her breath, the tingling sensation starting from my nape scrambled my brain like a drug.
If this continues, something irreversible will happen.
Just as I cautiously raised my hand to push her away.
—Rustle!
The sound of footsteps from what seemed like a patrolling security guard came from afar.
"Check the barrier in that area!"
"......!"
At that sound, her body, which had been on the verge of losing reason, stiffened with a jolt.
She slowly raised her head.
Her red pupils looking up at me from under my chin.
Pupils that should have been round were instead elongated vertically, like those of a reptile or predator.
The eyes of a predator, alternating between blatant killing intent and regret.
I froze completely, unable to even breathe.
But those bizarre pupils returned to their original clear and beautiful eyes the moment she blinked.
"Ah. I guess our walk ends here."
She took a step back and smiled with her pure, pretty smile as if nothing had happened.
The tension that had been pushing me as if to devour me moments ago had disappeared as if it were a lie.
"Get plenty of rest for the remaining holiday, Jeong-hoon."
She stood on tiptoe and affectionately straightened my disheveled shirt collar.
"Things will get really busy starting tomorrow. Don't mess around at night and go to bed early."
"...Uh, uhh. Okay."
I nodded, barely preventing my legs from giving way and collapsing.
She hummed a tune and walked lightly out of the garden.
I stood there dazed for a while.
"...What was that, just now."
My heart was still pounding madly.
My neck felt strangely hot.
I raised my hand and touched the spot where her lips had been.
"......?"