Predetermined Relationships (4)
Vigorous twenties—a time when even savoring a delicious meal can suddenly make you crave rice cakes. Was it because erectile dysfunction had struck him at the peak of his youthful vigor? Seo Joo-hwan had one peculiar habit.
"Looking spry again today."
The moment he woke up in the morning, he checked if his tent was properly pitched. How thrilled he'd been after regressing to see his little soldier standing at stiff attention. Those who haven't experienced ED can't possibly understand. The sense of loss when you suddenly realize one day that the tent won't pitch anymore.
That was one of the reasons he was so obsessed with sex.
"Still not quite as good as during the blessing, though."
Two days ago, the Mongma's Blessing period had ended. Of course, his precious one was still shooting up straight as a steel rod right now. But there was a noticeable difference in the vitality surging through his body. He brimmed with energy compared to an average adult, yet his body, having tasted the blessing, could clearly feel the gap.
They say you feel contrast most sharply with what you've directly experienced, right?
Blessed Virility Potion (x3) has been granted.
Effect: Dramatically increases semen production for 3 days.
"Oh!"
He'd just grumbled about the blessing ending, and bam—exactly the item he wanted popped out. Maybe today's luck was on par with the blessing days? Seo Joo-hwan chuckled to himself, then suddenly felt a pang of regret thinking about last night.
"If it'd come out sooner, I wouldn't have held back yesterday."
He'd let Jeong Ha-yeon go last night to save it for today. Whether it was the triple-stack effect kicking in or not, she'd been giving off clear signals without him even touching her first. It'd taken every ounce of willpower to hold back from that tantalizing sight.
"How am I supposed to wait until night..."
He'd only just woken up, but he already wished it were bedtime. Today was going to drag on forever.
* Addiction refers to symptoms from overconsuming things like alcohol or drugs. In other words, if you stop before it gets out of hand, you can quit surprisingly easily. The shorter the exposure, the better.
Jeong Ha-yeon, who'd fallen into a "very mild" addiction from the Pheromone Boost, was no different. By the next day, the restless craving for sex had vanished like a lie. A nicotine-level addiction faded in just one day.
Jeong Ha-yeon frowned and said,
"I told you no at school."
She gently but firmly pushed away Seo Joo-hwan as he leaned in for a kiss. She didn't mind when they were alone, but she wanted to avoid skinship in public places where others might see.
"No one's around right now."
"You never know. What if someone shows up?"
"It's just a quick peck on the lips—how long could it take?"
"Still, hold back a bit."
With no room to push further against her resolute attitude, Seo Joo-hwan nodded reluctantly, looking deflated.
A kiss is all? Did the item effect wear off already? There's still time left.
He wasn't even trying to slip her the tongue. Sure, you should avoid PDA, but a quick smooch when no one's watching should be fine, right?
"Tch. Fine."
As he grumbled and pulled out another cigarette, Jeong Ha-yeon sidled closer. She whispered softly in his ear,
"You're not mad, right? We promised—let's hold out until tonight."
The triple-stack effect of the item lasted 72 hours. The impulse had subsided for now, but the effect wasn't completely gone. Deep down, Jeong Ha-yeon was looking forward to tonight too.
"Be ready tonight. I'm not going easy on you."
"Oh? How far we going?"
"Until Ha-yeon you is begging for mercy through tears?"
"What the—perv!"
Jeong Ha-yeon smacked his chest. Honestly, at this point, she was starting to both anticipate and dread the night. She knew Seo Joo-hwan's stamina was ridiculously good.
"I'm heading out first. Finish your smoke and come in."
"Yeah."
Jeong Ha-yeon fled the scene with slightly flushed cheeks. Watching her back, Seo Joo-hwan vowed to hit pentuple stack tonight no matter what.
Then, a poke from behind.
"Oppa."
"Whoa, you scared me. Ji-kyeong, when'd you get here?"
"Just now, when Ha-yeon unnie left. Hey, can I bum a cig?"
"Ji-kyeong, if you're gonna do that, might as well ditch the vape, no?"
Seo Joo-hwan handed her a cigarette as he spoke. What was the point of carrying a vape if you're lighting up analogs anyway? Yoo Ji-kyeong gave an embarrassed laugh.
"I'm actually thinking about it. Dieting's making me crave real smokes nonstop. And I'm not hiding it anymore anyway."
"You went public?"
Pre-regression, Yoo Ji-kyeong had hidden her smoking like Jeong Ha-yeon. It wasn't until her senior year that she'd smoked openly. But this time, both seemed unfazed by others' opinions.
Yoo Ji-kyeong lit up and nodded.
"Yeah. Not broadcasting it, but not hiding either. A few people even asked me recently if smokes taste good. Probably got curious seeing you guys and Ha-yeon unnie."
"Eek. Because of us?"
"People always wanna copy what hot and pretty folks do."
Was he supposed to be flattered by being called handsome and pretty? Lee Seok-chan and Jeong Ha-yeon fit, but he wasn't so sure about himself. Seo Joo-hwan scratched his eyebrow awkwardly.
Not like they were middle schoolers aping trends—smoking for that reason? Well, cigarettes often start over trivial reasons anyway.
"Still, smoking's a bit..."
"Pfft. Oppa, why so serious? They're just curious. No one's actually doing it."
"Good to hear. Don't go teaching them."
"Duh. Why would I get that kinda hate later? Anyway, oppa, how do I look? Lost some weight, right?"
"Oh, yeah, you mentioned dieting."
Seo Joo-hwan eyed Yoo Ji-kyeong anew. He'd been focused on Jeong Ha-yeon since they started dating and hadn't noticed, but she'd slimmed down noticeably. Come to think of it, at lunch yesterday, she'd left half her fried rice.
He checked her status window for the first time in a while.
Dropped 5kg in a week.
From her original 56kg, she was down to 51kg. At this rate, she'd hit the 40s soon. She was already cute despite her plumpness, but a bit more would really make her glow. One worry, though.
"Ji-kyeong, you eating properly?"
As expected, she shook her head.
"Nah, barely. Maybe some fruit?"
"You're gonna wreck your health. Could get yo-yo rebound too. Best to lose it with exercise. And start taking care of yourself young to avoid suffering later."
"Tch. Naggy like an old man."
"Hey, old man?"
His soul might be an ahjussi, but hearing it to his face stung. Yoo Ji-kyeong giggled at his shocked face.
"Oppa, so? With the weight loss, don't my boobs look bigger? Weirdly, they didn't shrink."
She thrust her chest forward. As she said, compared to her slimmer face and body, her breasts stayed the same—making them look proportionally larger.
"For real? They do look bigger than before."
"Wanna feel?"
Without thinking, Seo Joo-hwan reached for her chest—then yanked his hand back.
They'd already done everything, so he'd almost touched absentmindedly. Yoo Ji-kyeong tsked disappointedly.
"You could've. Why pull back now?"
"Nah, that was back when you didn't have a boyfriend. Kinda weird now."
"Oh? Then no prize for our old promise either?"
"Prize?"
"We said I'd get one from the MT."
Seo Joo-hwan recalled the MT day at her sly, suggestive smile. Yeah, he'd promised a prize. And it sure wasn't some gift.
Yoo Ji-kyeong added in a subtle tone,
"I can keep it secret."
"..."
Instead of answering, Seo Joo-hwan hardened his expression. All sorts of thoughts raced through his mind. Then Yoo Ji-kyeong burst out laughing.
"Pfft! Kyahaha! Oppa, your face is hilarious!"
Pointing and cackling, she shattered his dark thoughts. Realizing it was a joke, he scowled.
"Yah! Prank someone else!"
"Pfft. If you'd said yes right away, I was gonna tattle to Ha-yeon unnie."
"Hey... Don't even joke about that. Ugh, got chills."
"Heh. But oppa, you're weirdly loyal."
"What do you mean weirdly? You'd be cool with your boyfriend banging other girls?"
Seo Joo-hwan scolded, flicking her forehead. Yoo Ji-kyeong inwardly tsked, wrinkling her nose.
Boyfriend my ass. This oppa has no clue.
His obliviousness irked her. Or had she hidden her feelings that well? She'd never shown it during sex or after he started dating Jeong Ha-yeon. Still didn't make the annoyance vanish.
She stuck out her tongue and said,
"Oppa, you hesitated just now, right?"
"...Hesitated what."
"C'mon. I'll really keep this secret, so be honest. Pleeease?"
"Cut the nonsense. Lecture's starting—let's go."
"Hmph. Using class as an excuse."
They stubbed out their smokes and left the smoking area. Before entering the classroom, Yoo Ji-kyeong said as if it just occurred to her,
"Oh, right. I'm claiming my prize separately, okay? A promise is a promise."
"Mm. Buy you some clothes?"
"Nah. Grant me a wish."
"Wish? What?"
"Hm... Not sure yet. Later okay?"
"Sure. But keep it reasonable."
"Hehe. I just recorded that?"
She shook her smartphone to show she wasn't kidding.
"What kinda wish you plotting..."
Seo Joo-hwan felt uneasy for some reason.
*
After class, Seo Joo-hwan headed straight home, Jeong Ha-yeon at his side. She started to nag that it wasn't even night yet, but his devouring gaze left her speechless—she just gulped and followed.
Once home, he immediately pulled her into a hug.
"Ha-yeon."
"Joo-hwan, hey! Wait! I need a shower!"
"Just do it like this."
"Absolutely not! You know it's not even night? If you won't let me shower, I'm out."
"Tch. Fine."
He released her reluctantly with a smack of his lips. While Jeong Ha-yeon showered, he sat on the bed waiting. Idly sitting made him recall school.
Ji-kyeong's fetish was masochism.
Precisely, bidirectional sadomasochism (Sado-masochism) and algolagnia (pain fetish).
He hadn't refused right away when she offered to keep it secret. The SM Play Set in his inventory had flashed in his mind.
Really startled me.
He had no intention of doing it. He'd just glimpsed her fetish while checking her weight. It matched the SM set too perfectly. That was all.
"..."
What if she hadn't laughed it off as a joke?
I'd have refused, obviously.
He was certain. There might've been a brief conflict, but he wouldn't betray Jeong Ha-yeon. He'd already turned down Im Su-hee's temptations before. Manly Seo Joo-hwan doesn't sway to feminine wiles.
"Joo-hwan, I'm out. You go wash up."
Jeong Ha-yeon emerged wrapped in a towel. He nodded and headed to the bathroom.
Shower sounds rushed. He finished quickly and downed the Pheromone Boost. He'd already taken the morning's Blessed Virility Potion long ago.
The bathroom door creaked open. Seo Joo-hwan stepped out with a determined face.
Today, at minimum five times—pentuple stack achieved!