Chapter 346: The Cheonghae Shin Clan (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 346: The Cheonghae Shin Clan (3)
Shin Yuna suddenly stood up and sat right next to me.
For a moment, I was flustered by how uncomfortably close she was. Then, she tapped the back of my hand and spoke.
“Th-Then, as fan service, should I give you a little peck…?”
“?”
Her completely unexpected words left me speechless.
I naturally assumed she was joking, but her eyes, fixed on me, were trembling precariously.
The atmosphere was entirely different from when we’d met at Han Lael’s workshop.
Back then, she had been a bit more playful, but now she was like a college student on her first blind date.
Thanks to her, my own mind started racing.
‘What’s with her all of a sudden?’
Logically, I should have refused.
I had just been on the verge of grabbing the head of the house by the collar. If I got caught kissing his daughter, we’d both be kicked out for sure.
In the worst-case scenario, he could use this as leverage to demand marriage.
Of course, knowing that senile old lizard’s personality, his pride would probably be too wounded for him to demand marriage, but the risk of getting caught was still huge.
‘...Well, as long as we don’t get caught, it’s fine, right?’
No matter how I looked at it, this was hard to resist.
It would be one thing if it were someone else, but this was Shin Yuna.
I must have gone through dozens of tissue rolls to her pictures.
She, along with Han Lael, had been like a first love to my high-school self. The mere fact that she was sitting next to me was enough to make my heart pound erratically.
‘...We’re both adults. A peck isn’t a big deal, is it? It’s not like we’re making out.’
I tried my best to rationalize it as I nodded.
As a man, I couldn’t let this opportunity slip by.
Pleased by my reaction, Shin Yuna’s face brightened.
However, her next action left me unable to hide my bewilderment.
Slap!
“...?”
“Th-Then, I’ll do it…?”
Shin Yuna suddenly cupped my face with both hands. Breathing heavily, she moved closer—slowly, but without hesitation.
Despite saying it would be a peck, her gaze was clearly aimed at my lips.
“Wait, hold on—”
I used ‘Thought Transcendence’ to buy myself a moment.
But it didn’t take long to realize what a terrible move that was.
Her face was flushed bright red, as if it would burst at any second. Her eyes were squeezed shut in nervousness, and her moist, rosy lips were cautiously pushed forward.
The moment I saw that up close, the reason and instinct within me began to clash violently.
As a result, I was a little too late in stopping her.
Or maybe, I never had any intention of stopping her in the first place.
“...”
Our lips met and parted in an instant.
A soft, warm sensation quietly spread through me.
Of course, it wasn’t anything particularly special. I was long past the age of being surprised by a simple kiss.
But the fact that it was Shin Yuna made the experience feel completely different.
And it seemed I wasn’t the only one who felt that way.
“...So this is what it feels like.”
Shin Yuna touched her lips with her fingertips, murmuring to herself.
She then turned away somewhat awkwardly and grabbed her teacup with a trembling hand.
Of course, the cup was empty.
“...Are you embarrassed?”
“...”
As if a delayed wave of shame had washed over her, Shin Yuna buried her face between her knees and fell silent.
“Besides, what kind of celebrity gives out pecks as fan ser—”
Before I could finish, Shin Yuna glared at me.
But with tears welling up in her eyes, it wasn’t very threatening.
If anything, it was a little pitiful.
“B-But! I wanted to try kissing a guy, too!”
On the verge of tears, Shin Yuna raised her voice.
I couldn’t help but be surprised by her words.
The Shin Yuna had never kissed a guy before?
“...If that’s the case, it didn’t have to be me, did it?”
It was true I’d gotten handsome thanks to the elixir and Metamorphosis, but compared to top-tier celebrities, I was bound to fall short.
“...A-A man isn’t all about his face, you know.”
“?”
Shin Yuna fidgeted with her fingers, glancing at me nervously.
“It’s just… no matter how handsome a man is, if he’s weaker than me, I can’t really see him as a man…?”
“Ah.”
Only then did I understand the truth behind the chastity she had maintained for 29 years.
Fundamentally, the physical abilities of the Dragonfolk were among the best of all races. Even the Minotaur Tribe, famed for their monstrous strength, had to concede to them.
And among the Dragonfolk, Shin Yuna not only inherited a strong bloodline but was also a 5th Circle mage. It was no exaggeration to say she was a top-tier A-rank Hunter.
A celebrity who could beat her?
Realistically, there were none.
The only possibility might be a high-ranking hero working as a celebrity in the United States.
Besides, recalling a question a reporter had asked her at a past movie premiere, the answer was already clear.
—Ms. Shin, what is your ideal type?
—Hmm, let’s see… I haven’t thought about it deeply, but if I had to choose, I think I’d like someone younger and manly-looking, don’t you think?
To sum it up, he had to be in his early to mid-twenties, stronger than a top-tier A-rank Hunter, and handsome enough to catch her eye.
Honestly, those were incredibly demanding conditions.
The age requirement was especially difficult.
Considering the average age of an A-rank Hunter was their early thirties, finding a man who fit the bill perfectly would be no easy task.
On top of that, her circumstances made it difficult for her to date openly.
No matter what anyone said, Shin Yuna was the top actress not just in Korea, but in all of Asia. There were plenty of rabid paparazzi who didn’t value their own lives.
“Still, for someone like you, Ms. Shin, those conditions are practically non-existent…”
“No!”
Shin Yuna looked at me and vehemently denied it.
“Of all the men who’ve approached me, not a single one has met my conditions! Not one!”
“Uh…”
She even looked a little resentful.
“But aren’t there some among the Hunters…?”
Even if the number of A-rank Hunters was small and their average age was high, if you expanded the search globally, it shouldn’t be impossible to find someone.
It wouldn’t be easy, of course, but for Shin Yuna, who frequently traveled abroad for work, it wasn’t entirely out of the question.
“...I thought so too, at first. But reality isn’t so kind, you know?”
Shin Yuna let out a faint laugh.
She looked like someone who had been crushed by a cruel reality.
“Every single one was either older than me, or if not, they were ugly.”
“...”
It made sense. After spending years in the entertainment industry, Shin Yuna’s standards were bound to be high.
And being a Hunter was a rough profession; the higher the rank, the more likely they were to have scars on their faces.
“...So is that why you kissed me, talking about fan service and all that?”
It felt weird saying it myself, but objectively speaking, I fit all of Shin Yuna’s conditions.
I was stronger and younger than her, and I was quite handsome.
“...Yes.”
Shin Yuna blushed and nodded.
I sighed inwardly and rubbed my face.
It was great for me, but wasn’t this a bit too impulsive for the heir of a great family?
“I mean, what would you have done if I spread rumors? How would you continue your acting career?”
“...Are you going to spread rumors?”
The way her voice trailed off left me at a loss for words.
As if my reaction gave her courage, Shin Yuna broke into a bright smile.
“Besides, if I can’t act anymore and get kicked out of my family, you can just take me in, Hyun-woo.”
“...You do know I have a lot of women around me, right?”
“Of course.”
Shin Yuna nodded confidently.
“So adding one more shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
At her words, I put my hand to my forehead.
This woman… she wasn’t a 5th Circle mage for nothing.
“Oh, right. You’re also participating in the exchange meeting hosted by the Eumyangryo, aren’t you, Hyun-woo?”
“...Did you hear that from Lael-noona?”
“Something like that.”
Shin Yuna gave a slight smile and glossed over it.
I took the hint and didn’t press further.
After that, I spent some time chatting with Shin Yuna about various things.
Fortunately, it seemed achieving my initial goal of building a friendly relationship with her wouldn’t be too difficult.
Well, the moment we kissed, I think we’d already gone beyond just ‘building a friendly relationship.’
*
“Isn’t this just too much?”
Thud!
Shin Yuna slammed her teacup down.
“My father keeps bringing home these weird guys, calling it a political marriage! And every time I see Lael, she’s subtly bragging! She knows I’m lonely!”
I swallowed hard at the sight of Shin Yuna suddenly raising her voice, as if overcome with emotion.
I had no idea how the situation had gotten to this point. Everything was fine just five minutes ago.
For now, I just nodded along and played along with her.
‘Did someone spike the tea with alcohol?’
Sniff, sniff.
That wasn’t it.
Watching Shin Yuna become increasingly unruly, I fell into thought.
I had two options here.
One was to put up with her drunken behavior until the end. The other was to quietly slip away.
My choice was obviously the latter.
Just as I was playing along and looking for the right moment to leave…
“...How was it for you, Hyun-woo?”
“Pardon?”
Shin Yuna suddenly thrust her face forward, closing the distance between us.
“Th-The kiss, I mean…”
The moment I saw her half-lidded eyes, I finally understood why she was acting so strangely.
She was drunk on my pheromones.
‘...She can get this intoxicated from a single kiss? Don’t tell me, is it because she’s a Dragonfolk?’
Just as some people have a low tolerance for alcohol, the same applied to pheromones.
From what I’d observed so far, people with heightened senses were more susceptible to them.
Just like the beast-kin Noel and Jeon Seoha.
“Well… I liked it too…?”
Who in the world would dislike kissing a celebrity they had a crush on?
“Th-Then…”
Before I knew it, we were so close I could feel her breath on my skin.
And perhaps because she was drenched in sweat, her scent seemed especially strong.
“Do you want to do it one more time…?”
I swallowed dryly and looked at her.
Her rosy lips were glistening with saliva.
“...I’m not responsible if you regret this later.”
“...It’s not like we’re doing it right now, anyway.”
She had a point.
With those words, the conversation between us ended.
Our lips met.
“Hmph, oop, mmmph, slurp…♡”
Perhaps due to the effect of the pheromones, Shin Yuna aggressively explored my mouth with her tongue.
She exhaled hot breaths as she roughly pushed me down onto the sofa.
Thanks to the unique superhuman strength of the Dragonfolk, it wasn’t easy to resist. Not that I had any intention of resisting.
I wrapped my arms around her slender waist, responding with equal fervor. Then, I slowly moved my hands down and crudely squeezed her large buttocks.
“Hngh, nnh…♡”
Pleased by my blatant touch, Shin Yuna let out a breathy moan, the corners of her eyes curving into crescents.
Soon, she too began to run her hands down, stroking my abdomen.
“Mwah, slurp, mmm…♡”
For a while, I enjoyed the kiss with Shin Yuna, teetering on the very edge of losing my reason.
Thanks to that, my dick felt like it was about to explode.
But I couldn’t cross the line. I wasn’t confident I could handle the aftermath.
If we had met somewhere other than the Cheonghae Shin Clan’s main house, I would have undoubtedly pushed her onto her back long ago.
Feeling a sense of regret, I focused on the kiss again. Just then, Shin Yuna’s fingertips touched my dick.
Even though it was through my pants, the implication of her touch was clear.
“S-So this is a man’s…”
“That’s enough.”
I gathered Vajra Qi at my fingertips and touched Shin Yuna’s head.
Deeeeng—
In that instant, a purifying aura spread out in all directions, and the pheromones that had clouded her mind began to dissipate.
“...Huh?”
A flicker of clarity returned to Shin Yuna’s dazed eyes.
She looked up at me, her eyes trembling faintly.
“Wh-What have I done…”
While Shin Yuna was panicking from the forced moment of clarity, I was shedding tears of blood internally.
If I had my way, I would have stripped her naked and taken her virginity right then and there, but today was not the day.
Knock, knock—
—May I come in?
There were far too many interruptions here.