Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Jealous Inspection
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I furrowed my brow and approached the uninvited guest.
"Jubin. Didn't I say I'd contact you first?"
My tone was laced with obvious irritation.
It wasn't because I disliked her.
I was just exhausted from the day, and in no mood to deal with anyone.
Seo Jubin ignored my sharp reaction, adjusting her glasses as she looked me up and down.
She was in her usual impeccable suit, but the glint in her eyes behind those lenses was unusually sharp.
"I'm here to confirm you're really safe."
"I told you I am."
"Your voice alone isn't enough."
"Fine, suit yourself. You've seen with your own eyes now, so you can go."
Seo Jubin didn't budge an inch at my words.
Only one thing moved.
Her gaze lingered on my pants.
"Your clothes are different. Not what you were wearing on the way to work."
"I changed them."
"Kidnapped on the way to work, and you even had time to change clothes?"
Seo Jubin narrowed her eyes.
She clearly wasn't dropping her suspicions.
"I need to see for myself if you really escaped safely, if there's anything wrong with you."
"Yeah, yeah."
I gave a half-hearted reply and glanced around.
"More importantly, what brings you here alone? I figured you'd come with Min Seola as a package deal."
"Seola-nim doesn't know."
Seo Jubin stated it flatly.
"I didn't report your kidnapping to her."
"What? Why not?"
"Because half the buildings in downtown Seoul would be gone by now if she knew."
She let out a sigh.
"The Association's workload is already piled sky-high. If your issue got added on top, it'd overload her. So I came to check first, and if everything's fine, I'll quietly cover it up."
That judgment call was worth respecting, at least.
If Min Seola had gone flying around looking for me, the rumors would have spread everywhere.
"Good call. Thanks."
"Are you really okay? No need for surveillance?"
Seo Jubin asked, sounding anxious.
"Yes. Please. Having someone watching me is the worst."
"Protection you wouldn't even notice..."
"Please just leave me in peace. Knowing someone's watching wears me out."
I couldn't even pick my nose freely.
Couldn't fart without worry.
I'd get paranoid and die of stress first.
"But there's no guarantee something like today won't happen again. You're an easy target."
"So? You gonna follow me 24/7, even to the bathroom?"
"If necessary."
Her eyes were serious, but I shook my head.
"Pass. I can't breathe like that."
"Then let me make a proposal."
Seo Jubin hesitated for a moment, then opened her mouth as if she'd made up her mind.
"How about staying home for the time being? No going to the office."
"Pardon?"
"Quit the company altogether. You won't have to commute anymore, and I'll personally match your current salary out of pocket. No risks if you just stay home."
It was a tempting offer.
No hellish commutes, no nagging from Team Leader Choi, no overtime.
Liberated from all that, still getting paid?
The dream life of every slacker.
But I smirked and looked at Seo Jubin.
"Jubin. I'm not an idiot."
What if I quit on her word alone, and later she says, "We don't need Kim Seonghwa anymore," and cuts off support?
Too late to regret when reemployment's impossible.
"I don't wanna end up like a duck egg in the Nakdong River. How can I trust a verbal promise with no contract?"
"Then we'll draw up a contract."
"No. I don't want to be jerked around using that as leverage. Who knows what tricks you'd pull in the fine print."
I shot back coldly and brushed past her.
"We're done here. Go. I'm in a shit mood after getting chewed out at work today."
"Wait."
Seo Jubin grabbed my arm urgently.
No, she spun me around forcefully.
"Ah, seriously, what the..."
I glared at her in annoyance, but her expression was off.
The rational, worried look from moments ago was gone.
"......"
Seo Jubin buried her nose near my neck and sniffed.
"What's this smell?"
"Sweat, probably. Office workers sweat too, you know."
"Sweat?"
Her voice turned icy cold.
"This isn't sweat. It's a high-ranking demon's pheromones. They won't wash off even if you change clothes and shower."
Seo Jubin adjusted her glasses and glared at me.
How sensitive is her nose?
Or as an analysis-type Awakener, can she see the particles in the scent?
"Yupia. That bitch."
"......!"
To identify the owner just from the scent.
"Not just kidnapped, huh. What's with this vibrating smell?"
Her hand was trembling.
It wasn't fear.
It was blatant jealousy, and rage at her possession being soiled.
"Did you fuck her?"
"What? Come on, it was unavoidable. They came at me in a group—what was I supposed to do?"
"Ha."
Seo Jubin let out a short, hollow laugh.
That laugh was so chilling it sent shivers down my spine.
She glanced around once, then took my wrist and dragged me toward my apartment.
She punched in the passcode on her own, flung the door open, and shoved me roughly inside.
"Come on in."
"What? Wait a sec. How do you even know my passcode? Is that one of your abilities? Or did you snoop while surveilling me? This is why I said no!"
"Be quiet."
Killing intent flickered in Seo Jubin's eyes.
"This is a security check right now."
She closed the front door.
That moment, the door lock's click sounded like a prison gate slamming shut.
"What the hell is this all of a sudden..."
Seo Jubin ignored me completely.
She just herded me toward the shoe rack under the dim entryway sensor light.
"Succubi sometimes implant 'marks' or 'curses' on those they touch. Could be a tracking spell too."
She took off her glasses and pocketed them in her jacket.
Her bare eyes weren't those of a rational aide anymore—they were the eyes of a female whose territory had been invaded.
"So we need a thorough inspection. Take off your clothes."
"Nice excuse."
I was floored.
Anyone could see her jealousy had flipped a switch.
"Jubin. I got reamed like a dog by my team leader at work today—I'm in a foul mood. Don't push me right now."
"......"
"I might take it out on you. Think you can handle that?"
Seo Jubin paused at my warning.
But she didn't back down.
Instead, the corner of her mouth twisted upward.
"Take it out on me? Sounds good."
She placed her hand on my chest and whispered.
"Go ahead. You think I can't handle it better than that villain bitch?"
This woman...
Something inside me snapped.
I seized her wrist and slammed her against the shoe rack instead.
"Hng?!"
"Fine. Inspect me. But on my terms. You handle the consequences."
I didn't unbutton her blouse one by one.
I grabbed the collar and yanked it open to both sides.
Buttons popped off in a clatter, slicing through the silence.
"This is expensive..."
Seo Jubin just said that, but didn't resist.
Instead, she welcomed my rough hands, breathing hotly as she wrapped her arms around my neck.
"Yeah... let it out on me... use me..."
She brought her lips to my ear and murmured.
"The soiled parts need to be washed clean."
"Washed clean? Don't make me laugh."
I grabbed her chin and forced a kiss on her.
There was no tenderness. It was a violent tangle of tongues, like devouring each other—jealousy, anger, and stress all mixed in.
"Mmph! Ungh...!"
I pulled back from the kiss and whispered low in her ear, mimicking her.
"You just want to overwrite it. Cover that bitch's scent on me with yours."
Her pupils shook, like I'd hit the nail on the head.
But she didn't deny it.
Instead, she ripped open my shirt buttons and buried her face in my bare chest.
"Snuuup... haa..."
She wrinkled her nose sniffing my scent.
As if displeased by Yupia's lingering trace, she stuck out her tongue and licked thickly from my collarbone up to my chest.
"It's dirty. Smells."
Like an animal marking its territory, or scrubbing off filth.
Her slick tongue left trails of cool saliva glistening everywhere it passed.
"That bitch's cheap perfume has seeped into every inch of your soft skin."
Seo Jubin whispered with disgust laced in her voice.
At the same time, her hand brushed against my pants.
"I'll lick every corner clean for you. Spotless."
"Lick?"
I gripped her ass firmly.
The taut flesh felt springy through her tight H-line skirt.
"To disinfect properly, your tongue alone won't cut it."
I lifted her up and sat her on the shoe rack.
Seo Jubin's legs naturally wrapped around my waist.
She met my gaze without flinching and hiked up her own skirt.
Smooth legs clad in black stockings.
And between them, her soaked panties exposed blatantly.
"Inspection, my ass. For an excuse, the wet heat seeping through your stockings is way too obvious."
"Guess it'll have to stay a secret from Seola-nim."
Seo Jubin tugged my tie, pulling me toward her chest.
Without her glasses, her eyes were no longer cool and sharp—they were clouded with lust.
Filled only with the obsession to devour me, to erase any trace of another woman.
"She'd do more than kill that bitch if she knew."
"Threatening me?"
"No. Proposing we be accomplices."
Her hand slid into my pants.