The Witches' Obsessive Care
Those crazy bitches. 'What the fuck is going on here?' I quickly scanned my surroundings and saw a pool of blood on the floor. The sight of Eve wrapped around my hand, blood smeared all the way up to my wrist, was especially ridiculous. 'This bitch… did she seriously…?' Had she gotten so worked up that she sucked up not just my cum but my blood too? I let out a hollow laugh, and Choi Ahyeon shouted.
"Huh? Seonghyun's awake!"
"What?! Pour more!"
"Okay!"
Chaaak. Cold potions rained down over my head. They must have been kept in the fridge—my mind snapped into focus instantly.
"I'm up now, so stop—"
"Huh? Seonghyun's talking!"
"It must be working! Pour more!"
"Okay!"
Chaaak!
"You crazy bastards! I said I'm awake!"
"More, pour more! Keep pouring until this bastard dies!"
"Roger!"
"Fuck this!"
It took a long while before the situation finally calmed down. When I asked what the hell had happened, I learned that Han Yuri had come to the hospital to pick me up and called, but I hadn't answered. So she came to the dorm, only to find the door locked. When I didn't respond to her calls, she got a bad feeling and broke the door down. What she saw was me lying in the middle of a blood pool. Seeing blood coming from my wrist, she thought I'd attempted suicide.
"Take that defective thing out and give it to me. I'll burn it."
"No. It was an accident."
"Accident my ass! What if that bastard sucks all your blood while you're asleep?! You'll regret it after you're dead?! I'll give you a sturdier weapon, so hand that thing over right now."
Good grief.
"I agree with Yuri. But the person who gave it as a gift put thought into it, so throwing it away feels wrong."
"Ahyeon, you too…"
"Hmm. Then let's do this!"
Chief Justice Choi Ahyeon's verdict was:
"If something like this happens one more time, we'll switch to a different weapon. We'll keep the ring stored separately. Yuri, is this acceptable?"
"Haa… But…"
Han Yuri's expression showed she wasn't satisfied. She chewed on her lips for a moment before finally saying,
"Whatever. Do whatever you want—boil it, grill it, I don't care."
She stormed out.
"Thanks, Ahyeon."
"Hehe. This is what a legal wife does! Right, right!"
Legal wife, my ass. Anyway, another incident had passed without incident.
After being trapped in the dungeon, it was my first return to school. Even though it had been a while, the delinquent recognition was still the same. I brushed past their stares and arrived at the classroom, where Kim Jihun greeted me with a grin.
"Hey, Lee Seonghyun. If you got discharged, you should've at least contacted hyung. I'm really hurt, you know. Hurt."
"I did contact you, you bastard. You ignored it."
"Ahem. I was a bit busy at the time."
Probably busy hugging some girl.
"Here, I bought your favorite flavor as a discharge gift and apology!"
It was mint chocolate ice cream.
"I'll let it slide because of this."
After eating the ice cream, I headed to the back. Lee Seol and Choi Ahyeon were chatting.
"Hyun-ah, you're here?"
"Seonghyun, hi."
"Yeah."
Another day had begun. At first, I was shocked just by Lee Seol sitting next to me, but people really are creatures of adaptation. Now I could even doze off with her beside me.
"Hyun-ah… Hyun-ah… Wake up."
Nope. Not getting up.
"When this happens, take this! Iyap!"
Choi Ahyeon pinched my thigh. Her tiny hands didn't even leave a mark. Sweet, honey-like sleep. It felt like I'd figured out Irena's trick, so I could happily wander dreamland. And then… I would come to regret this action today.
The next day. Three minutes before class. As usual, I was about to lean back in my chair to sleep when—
"Hyun-ah. Want to try this?"
"Huh?"
Lee Seol held out a small pill in her hand.
"…What's this?"
"It's an energy supplement. I saw yesterday that you seemed to have bad aftereffects from being trapped in the dungeon."
"Uh… Okay. Thanks, I'll take it."
A minty scent filled my mouth. It felt like it was waking me up. And Lee Seol's eccentric behavior continued. Just as I was about to step into dreamland again—
"……!"
I felt someone interlacing their fingers with mine and snapped my eyes open.
"Hehe. You finally woke up…"
Lee Seol was smiling while holding my hand. Her hand was as soft and warm as silk, making every hair on my body stand on end. I quickly tried to shake her off.
"No. The effect is still being applied right now."
"…What effect?"
She slightly opened our interlocked hands to show what was inside. A talisman. A small, fingernail-shaped talisman rested there.
"It's a talisman that increases stamina recovery speed. My dad made it just for me. The effect only activates when I'm holding hands with someone."
"No… I'm perfectly fine, so you don't have to—"
"Liar."
Lee Seol's eyes stared straight at me. Her gaze was fixed on some distant place—the same look she'd had when I broke our promise to watch the fireworks festival together.
"You've been dozing off since yesterday."
"No, that's…"
"It's because the wounds you got in the dungeon haven't healed yet. In a way, it's my fault you got trapped in the dungeon, so I'll help you."
Shit… I don't need help. And so, I ended up spending the entire class with my eyes wide open.
Finally, break time arrived. As soon as class ended, I quickly pulled my hand away, went to the bathroom, washed it several times with soap, and returned to the classroom.
"Hyun-ah. Drink this."
"What is it this time…?"
Lee Seol was pouring something into a cup.
"It's herbal medicine."
"……"
The black liquid looked exactly like poison.
"Here, drink up."
Lee Seol held out the cup. I took it and quickly glanced around. Everyone was watching us with amused expressions.
'I'm so fucked.' I could feel the situation slipping further out of my control. That evening, after receiving Lee Seol's not-so-kind kindness, Han Yuri casually asked while we were eating.
"You. Have you been taking tonics lately?"
"No. Why?"
"Your body smells like herbal medicine."
"……"
Lee Seol must have fed me so much that the smell had already seeped into my body. At my silence, Choi Ahyeon excitedly chimed in.
"It's because Seol's been taking care of Seonghyun a lot lately since he keeps dozing off during class. What was it again? A stamina recovery talisman and an energy supplement? Anyway, she's been giving him all sorts of things."
"Huuung… Is that so?"
Han Yuri's eyes narrowed. Then, with a calm expression, she continued.
"Right. I'll be attending lectures starting tomorrow."
"Huh? Didn't you say you were self-studying?"
"There are some parts I'm stuck on."
"Wow! Then our whole team will be attending?! Awesome! We'll get more credits!"
Choi Ahyeon was excited, while Han Yuri seemed deep in thought. As for me—
'She won't do the same thing tomorrow, right…?'
I was trembling with anxiety.
The next day. The classroom buzzed with the simultaneous attendance of me, Choi Ahyeon, and Han Yuri.
"What? They're all here now?"
"Whoa. The world might end tomorrow."
"Fuck, I need to go buy stocks."
After pushing through the commotion and entering, Lee Seol was already standing up from her seat.
"Hyun-ah… Huh? Yuri, what are you doing here?"
"Just. Studying alone was frustrating."
"Ah… I see…?"
"……"
"……"
Lee Seol's unusual silence. As the two of them just stared at each other, Choi Ahyeon stepped in.
"Come on, come on. Yuri, sit down. I'll specially give up my prime seat!"
"Okay."
And so, four people ended up sitting in the very back row. Choi Ahyeon. Han Yuri. Me. Lee Seol, in that order. Since I hadn't dozed off even once yesterday, I thought Lee Seol would behave today, but that wasn't the case. She was even more persistent than yesterday. Ginseng good for joints and waist, candies that reduce muscle fatigue—I didn't even know how much I'd consumed.
"Here. Hyun-ah, this is juice that cleanses the blood."
"……"
My stomach was full, so I just stared at it silently. Han Yuri quietly spoke up from beside me.
"The kid doesn't like it. Stop feeding him now?"
"Hyun-ah. You don't like it?"
She looked at me with a gentle smile, her eyes fixed on mine. It felt like she'd turn into a wild beast the moment I said no. Still, I had to say it. This had gone on long enough. If this continued, I'd probably die from stress. Just as I was about to open my mouth—
"Hyun said it's fine, though?"
"What bullshit. He didn't say anything!"
When Han Yuri raised her voice—
"Ahem!"
Irena gave a warning.
"Tsk."
Han Yuri turned her head away with a displeased expression. An uncomfortable silence. Once warned, Lee Seol stopped offering food. After class ended and Irena left the classroom—
Thud!
"Yuri!"
Han Yuri kicked her chair and stormed out. From the glimpse I caught, she was grinding her teeth, so she must have been really pissed.
'Haa…' This world really is a mess. Watching Choi Ahyeon chase after her, I also stood up from my seat.
Han Yuri didn't return until sunset. Remembering the nightmare from the D-rank test, I called her, and a single text came back.
At least it wasn't a runaway. I spoke to Choi Ahyeon, who was anxiously tapping her feet.
"She said she's getting some air."
"Phew. That's a relief, at least. Ugh, I almost had PTSD……"
Well, both she and I had been completely mentally broken back then.
"I'm tired, so I'm going to sleep first. You should wash your feet and sleep too."
"Okay. Good night, Seonghyun!"
After entering my room, I glanced down at Eve, glowing faintly on my index finger.
'It'll probably take about a week.' It was the cooldown from being forcibly pulled into Eve's mental world. I'd planned to focus on awakening Eve for the time being, but now it seemed I'd have to focus on school matters instead. As soon as I lay down on the bed, sleep rushed over me. My body, which had been tense all day, finally relaxed. How long had I been asleep? I woke up to rustling sounds in the room.
'Ahyeon…?' She sometimes came into my room to borrow things. But the rustling didn't stop. And then—
Swish.
I felt Eve being pulled from my finger, and at the same time—
Sting.
A sharp pain shot through my left arm. I hurriedly opened my eyes.
"What are you doing…?"
Han Yuri was implanting a chip into my arm.