Chapter 10. Everything is new.
Chapter 10. Everything is new.
"So? You only picked one? And the rest weren't even herbs, so you just got laughed at?"
"Yeah."
My knees are numb.
That's because I'm currently kneeling.
This isn't to gain momentum; it's literally a scolding situation.
I was actually quite nervous right up until I came out of the Gate. Since it was a bag given by Choi Yeon-ju, the effect should be guaranteed, but you never know—if she hadn't developed a new detection device that she didn't know about, and the secret bag turned out to be useless, I'd be the only one losing out.
Up until the moment the Association employee checking my belongings looked at me with an absurd expression, I was so nervous thinking I'd been caught that I even peed myself a little. But that wasn't it. It was just that among the plants I'd dug up as 'herbs,' the actual herbs were so few I couldn't even count them on one hand.
I still can't forget what the employee said to me back then.
[This is not a wild ginseng.]
[I know that.]
[Then why did you mix in weeds like this instead of herbs? Did you pick them up to lay them around the wild ginseng like moss?]
[Aren't they herbs?]
[You didn't actually think these were herbs, did you?]
The male employee looking at me in disbelief was actually bearable. After all, I'm a beginner, so anyone can make that kind of mistake, right? But the female employee behind him was the problem. She looked at my expression—I don't know what part of it set her off—but suddenly she bit her lip and bowed her head.
Seeing her shoulders shaking, I thought she was crying at first.
Because she felt so sorry for me.
It wasn't until another female employee next to her scolded her to stop laughing that I realized I was being mocked, and I wanted to run away.
"You really are something. Not only did you only pick one, but how many herbs? Three?"
"Yeah. There were so few they couldn't even weigh them, so they just gave me 12,000 won."
"Wow. I feel like applauding."
Choi Yeon-ju said she felt like it, but she actually stood up and started clapping. The sound of hollow applause echoed through the large living room. As the clapping continued, my face turned red along with it.
Hey, it's my first time, people make mistakes.
"You didn't exactly do anything either."
"Me? I issued you a license, met Lim Seo-yoon today, and even cast a simple suggestion on her."
"Already?"
"Yes. Meanwhile, you went into the Gate and brought back only three roots. And just one Chaos Flower. The three roots became 12,000 won, which obviously just covered the taxi fare to get here, so what you did today is..."
"Alright. I'm sorry. My bad. Let's stop there, okay?"
"...Understood."
Since the current situation was clearly caused by my lack of ability, I couldn't offer a single word of resistance to Choi Yeon-ju's argument. Therefore, I didn't feel particularly aggrieved about kneeling like this. After all, she lent me equipment, and I ended up playing house.
It was only natural that I had no excuse, even if I had ten mouths.
So, I changed the subject.
"But how can you already cast a suggestion on Lim Seo-yoon? Is that possible? You're not even an ability user."
This was a natural question. How could she hypnotize her without even bringing back the Chaos Flower? Was the 'Doctor' title actually a cover, and she was a hypnotist?
When I asked, Choi Yeon-ju tilted her chin up as if it were nothing. I felt like I was going to be blinded by that immense narcissism.
If I listened to any more, I felt like I'd end up looking at my own back in a bridge pose.
"It's nothing special. I just inserted one 'keyword' subconsciously while using appropriate sounds and rhythms to disrupt her deep thinking. Since it's still very shallow, I need to do it quite consistently. I'll be visiting again tomorrow anyway, so I'll just deepen it by alternating between the mansion and the Association."
"Does that count as hypnosis?"
"What kind of superpower do you think this is? What I'm doing is a form of gaslighting. The kind that forces a person's behavior through words. Real hypnosis is nowhere near that simple."
Then isn't it nothing special?
Is it really a situation where I should be getting scolded?
I was confused.
Choi Yeon-ju's words started sounding like bullshit, but since I don't know anything about that field, I can't even judge whether she worked hard on something or not.
As I stood there blankly, unable to even reply, Choi Yeon-ju, who had been watching me, let out a deep sigh.
"Well, I didn't have the slightest expectation that you'd do well from the start. It's a problem that it was even more pathetic than I thought, but in a way, isn't it a good thing? Thinking that the only way is up now makes me feel a bit relieved."
"You're surprisingly positive, aren't you?"
"This is also a form of self-hypnosis. Should I drop the 'Doctor' title and become a hypnotist?"
"......."
Does a timeline exist somewhere where I win an argument against Choi Yeon-ju?
I doubt it.
"Since we're both exhausted, we should get ready for bed. You can go scrub yourself thoroughly like yesterday."
"What about you?"
"I already washed earlier. Do you still ask that question after seeing my outfit?"
As Choi Yeon-ju said, she was wearing a slip dress, as if she were already ready for bed. Since she has a great figure, the thin slip dress is obscenely sexy. After briefly soothing my 'junior' that was trying to react, I nodded and ran to the bathroom to wash thoroughly.
If we sleep together, wouldn't there eventually be a chance to touch something? I wish there was a chance to put it in, but I think it's better to consider that an insurmountable four-dimensional wall in this situation.
It started yesterday, but I thought it would be good to get into the habit of scrubbing myself clean every day. There will definitely come a day when I need to use my 'junior,' and if the other person gags because of the smell when that time comes, I might get psychogenic erectile dysfunction. Emotional wounds are hard to heal, so it's important to know how to prevent them.
After washing thoroughly, I passed through the living room where Choi Yeon-ju was no longer present—she must have gone into her bedroom—and I went into my bedroom as well.
Choi Yeon-ju wasn't asleep yet; she was leaning her upper body against the headboard, reading a thick book by the light of the mood lamp.
"You're here?"
"Yeah. What book are you reading?"
"It's a book called 'Hypnosis and Abnormal Psychology.' I need information too."
"Oh. Reassuring. You're the best."
"I wish you were a bit more reassuring too."
"........"
I'll try my best.
"Tomorrow is training, so it's impossible, but I'll try to bring the Chaos Flower properly in two days."
"The Chaos Flower isn't the end. Your goal isn't just to hypnotize Lim Seo-yoon, but to turn her into a slutty slave, right?"
Huh?
Even I get a little shy when you say it so bluntly.
"Hehe."
"Don't laugh. It's creepy."
"Ahem."
"Why are you shy? You're the one who shamelessly asked me to show you my pussy and said all sorts of nonsense to me."
No matter how I think about it, I'm curious about what kind of thoughts Choi Yeon-ju lives with. How can a person be so unpredictable?
"That's true, but."
"Then, no matter how many Chaos Flowers you have, it's actually impossible. You need to hit on Lim Seo-yoon from various directions."
"How do I hit on her?"
"First of all, the difficulty has skyrocketed because you're a virgin."
"...How do you know whether I'm a virgin or not?"
I had never told Choi Yeon-ju that I was a virgin.
Choi Yeon-ju smirked, raising only one corner of her mouth at my question. She didn't say a word, but it was a more painful attack than anything I'd heard so far. My 'junior,' which had been trying to stretch out because of the scent of Choi Yeon-ju next to me, shriveled up, intimidated.
Choi Yeon-ju said.
"If the only thing you could say while trying to sleep together was 'Should I give you an arm pillow?', anyone would think that. Don't you remember what you said to me at first? 'Show me your pussy?' How can a person wear a human mask and say such things?"
You are absolutely right...
"Bu...but what does me being a virgin have to do with Lim Seo-yoon having a hard time becoming a slutty slave?"
"From the perspective of someone who doesn't know that, you don't even have the qualifications to keep Lim Seo-yoon as a slutty slave. Wouldn't she spread her legs on her own if the sex felt good? Do you think you're good at sex? No. You wouldn't know. Because you've never done it."
"Ugh...."
Today's attack is even more intense. It's an attack that really makes me feel like my heart is going to break.
"But I might have talent."
"Talent? Talent? Let me be clear. There's mental talent and physical talent, and mental talent actually isn't that necessary. Because it can be replaced by long training. But physical talent is different. This is given from birth. Now. What kind of talent do you have?"
"Um..."
Please stop...
But Choi Yeon-ju had no mercy.
"People, whether men or women, are attracted to handsome and pretty individuals. First, do you think you're handsome? Put your hand on your conscience and tell me."
"Do I really have to put my hand on my conscience...?"
"Second. If not that, your dick at least needs to be big. You don't need an incredibly huge dick. In fact, there are more women who find it painful if it's too big. But you probably can't even manage that much. Do you know why?"
"W...why."
"Because according to global statistics, the size of Korean men's dicks is slightly smaller than average. It's not that there aren't people born with big ones, but for most, the expression 'cock' might be more accurate than 'dick'."
I gaped at Choi Yeon-ju's blatant diss. Choi Yeon-ju wasn't just a 'mouth fighter'; she was a 'mouth destroyer.' She was a destroyer who shattered all my pride.
Choi Yeon-ju looked at me intently, then pointed at my lower body and opened her mouth.
"Yours is probably a cock, not a dick."
I struggled. Because my back was practically against a cliff.
"How do you know that? You've never even seen it!"
"Do I have to see it? The fact that you're getting worked up right here is proof that you admit your 'place' is a cock, not a dick. People who are truly big just smirk and let it slide; they don't get worked up."
It was such a correct statement that I couldn't say anything. As I stood there frozen, mouth agape, Choi Yeon-ju seemed to have made up her mind, looked at my lower body, and reached out.
A cold sensation touched my lower abdomen.
Soon, Choi Yeon-ju's hand, which had been wiggling, pushed aside my underwear, dug inside, grabbed my 'junior' firmly, and let go in an instant.
What just happened?
I froze, looking at Choi Yeon-ju, who had suddenly grabbed my dick. Choi Yeon-ju already pulled her hand out, gestured in the air, and started wiping it with a wet tissue from the bedside table.
Then she smirked at me.
"It is a cock, indeed."
I had no choice but to sink.