Aftermath (2)
“It’s more complicated than just lovers, I’d say.”
“Marriage?”
“No, nothing like that.”
“Living together when you’re neither lovers nor married. Young men and women these days really are open-minded, huh.”
Professor Cheongha nodded repeatedly, looking genuinely impressed. Since we had already done everything there was to do, calling it open-minded wasn’t exactly wrong. Still, hearing those words come from a woman who looked like an older version of Han Yeoreum left me with a very subtle feeling.
It was hard to put into exact words. Besides, for her to talk about “young men and women these days,” Professor Cheongha herself was plenty young. The faint blush coloring her cheeks made her look like a teenage girl.
…Cute?
My tastes really were consistent. A strange wave of self-loathing washed over me.
Beside me, Han Yeoreum cracked one eye open and stared.
“What are you looking at?”
“I wasn’t looking.”
“Let’s go with that then.”
“It’s true…!”
Pfft.
Professor Cheongha let out a small laugh as she watched us.
“Ahem. Anyway, we’re in a complicated relationship that can’t be summed up in a word or two.”
“More than friends, less than lovers? Got it. I understand perfectly.”
“…More importantly, I have a question.”
I changed the subject. If this kept up, my mental state was going to crack. It might have been Professor Cheongha’s way of trying to ease my mind, but that expression on her face was unmistakably the look of a girl bursting with maidenly feelings.
“Yes, ask me anything.”
“I killed someone while still a student. Is that really okay?”
If this had been a game, it obviously wouldn’t have mattered. But after what I felt back at the room café, this place was a new reality. The finer details—like specific laws—fell into the “game’s margins,” an area I still didn’t fully understand. Because the game mindset was still lodged in my head, I hadn’t even thought to check beforehand, simply assuming it would be fine.
“…Murim people aren’t bound by ordinary laws. Who would want to bell the cat? Since it’s practically impossible to impose sanctions unless the other party is also a Murim person, we’re granted broad autonomy.”
“So you’re saying it will be recognized as self-defense?”
“I’d need to review the full picture, but yes. That is most likely how it will turn out.”
For now, it seemed things operated roughly the same as they did in the game.
After that came the expected questions. When I pressed for more details, it became clear she hadn’t come for a formal investigation so much as to check on a student. That was why a professor had come in person.
“There may be a few more visits from other parties later, but nothing that will cause you any harm, Student Kim Mugong.”
“Understood.”
I saw Professor Cheongha to the door and stepped back inside.
“All done?”
“Yeah.”
“But what’s that ‘certain informant’ thing you mentioned?”
“The file function.”
“…Huh?”
Han Yeoreum tilted her head.
“I don’t know the exact details either, but it updates on its own.”
“Was it always like that?”
“No way. I’m supposed to collect the information, but it felt off. The file function is supposed to tell me about past events.”
What I had seen was clearly the future.
“Maybe the time we’re living in right now is being treated as ‘the past’?”
Han Yeoreum offered a surprisingly sharp observation. It was entirely possible.
“Since when do you say smart things?”
“I’ve always been smart, you know.”
“Sure you have.”
“Ugh, you wanna get punished?”
“Oh? With your skills? How exactly do you plan to punish me?”
Bang—
Han Yeoreum suddenly charged at me while I was sitting on the sofa. The violent motion sent my body toppling backward. Since she overpowered me in raw strength, a reckless rush like this was hard to stop.
“Like this.”
She was practically straddling me now. Her long hair spilled over my face.
“Pfft—your hair’s in my mouth.”
“Shut it. If you keep resisting…”
“What if I keep resisting?”
“I’ll devour you.”
Han Yeoreum pressed her body fully against mine and sank her teeth into the side of my neck. She bit hard enough to leave clear marks.
“That hurts. Am I bleeding?”
“I bit you so it would hurt. You sober now?”
“Thanks to you.”
I wrapped both arms tightly around her waist. Our heartbeats overlapped, and a strangely peaceful feeling settled over us. We stayed like that for a long while, skin against skin, without saying a word.
“So… you’re really okay, right?”
Han Yeoreum’s lips brushed against my ear.
“You were worried about me.”
“How could I not be? You killed someone.”
“I’m really fine. I have a mental-type trait. Sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”
I gently stroked her back as I spoke.
“No wonder you seemed oddly calm.”
“Being calm is just my personality.”
“That too.”
“You’re admitting it faster than I expected?”
“On second thought, never mind. Our dear Kim Mugong would be perfect if he could just drop the frivolity.”
She always ruined her good momentum by throwing in a jab like that.
“Fuck you.”
“Gonna bite again?”
“My bad.”
If any more marks were left, they’d be visible even under the school uniform.
“So what do we do now? We’ve still got some weekend left.”
“Hmm.”
It didn’t look like anyone else would show up anytime soon. The Unscarred Demon Shadow, who held the more critical suspect, and the victims—Lee Jia and Shin Ari—would be higher priority.
“…Wanna do it?”
“Do what?”
“S-E-X.”
“Washing up?”
“Washing up my ass. You know exactly what I mean, so why do you keep pretending?”
“I genuinely don’t know.”
“Keep pretending and I’ll fuck you right here.”
“What kind of language is that coming from a girl?”
Just hearing “fuck” made my head throb.
“Ugh, whatever. Are we having sex or not?”
“…I do want to.”
“Then strip. Hurry up. This one’s suffering too.”
Han Yeoreum subtly ground her pubic bone against my crotch. Truth was, I had been painfully hard for a while now. Somehow the gender roles felt completely reversed.
“Logically, we probably shouldn’t right now.”
I wanted to so badly it hurt, but I needed to hold back here.
“You’re talking logic at a time like this? Got something else planned?”
“Training.”
If I spent all my stamina on sex, when was I supposed to train? Especially after skipping proper training yesterday because I was fooling around.
“Is training more important than me? Just abandon me and live your best life, you bastard.”
“No—what do you mean abandon? You’re training with me. Hurry up and get ready, Miss Han Yeoreum.”
“Ugh.”
Han Yeoreum pouted dramatically and stood up. It wasn’t just dealing with big shots like before. To face not only division leaders but the Twelve Apostles, the young sect leader, and even the sect leader himself, I needed to raise my strength quickly.
Of course, I didn’t have to shoulder everything alone. The future was uncertain. And with my interference, it was clear the original timeline had already been twisted. Better to be overprepared than underprepared.
“So, who exactly is this guy?”
The woman sitting with her legs crossed on an ornate chair asked the question. Bright yellow eyes gleamed from between strands of pale pink hair.
“…He is a first-year student at the Academy. His name is Kim Mugong.”
The man answered carefully, keeping his head lowered.
“Hmm, so he’s my junior. Kim Mugong. I know the name. Our junior supposedly took down twelve Blood Fiends, one Crimson Fiend, and even a Fiend Division Leader? All by himself?”
“According to the information, yes.”
“Ahahaha! Brother Hyeokri Ak must be furious. How many did he kill?”
The woman clutched her stomach, laughing as if she couldn’t contain her delight.
“That is…”
“Why? Is my question funny?”
She tilted her head, narrowing her eyes. Seeing those sharp pupils that reminded him of a cat staring at prey, the man slammed his forehead against the floor.
“N-no! It ended with just two of the underlings!”
His hands trembled as he shouted. If she caught him speaking carelessly about Hyeokri Ak, he would die by that man’s hand. But if he didn’t answer, he would die right now.
Fucking lunatic.
The man cursed inwardly in every way he knew. What rotten luck, running into a woman like this.
“Do I seem like a lunatic to you?”
She crossed her arms, pushing up her ample chest as she smiled.
“N-not at all.”
“Come on, I can hear your true thoughts from here. Lunatic. Even lunatics should be proper lunatics. If I had the strength, I would have made a bitch like you scream beneath me. What do they call it these days? Human onahole? That’s what you were thinking, right?”
“N-not at all! How could I possibly harbor such blasphemous thoughts toward the Thirteenth Apostle!”
“Hmmm.”
The woman called the Thirteenth Apostle let out a coquettish hum.
“It’s fine. I understand. What man wouldn’t have dirty thoughts when looking at a beauty like me? They’re all the same.”
“I have never once had such wicked thoughts!”
“So you’re saying I’m the one speaking nonsense right now?”
“Please forgive me!”
The man banged his head against the ground repeatedly. Blood began to spread across the stone floor.
“Hey, stop that. If you overdo it, what does that make me? And yes, I am a lunatic.”
“…Pardon?”
The man flinched, letting out a dazed sound.
“In a place overflowing with crazy bastards who kill people just because they’re annoyed, how could I not go crazy? I may look like this, but I come from a prestigious righteous sect with a long history. Everyone knows the Zhuge Clan, right?”
“T-that is…”
You’re the same way, you crazy bitch—going on rampages whenever you’re angry. The words rose all the way to the man’s throat but never left.
“Hey, you should speak properly. I’ve never killed anyone.”
“Y-yes, of course. The merciful Thirteenth Apostle values human life and—”
“What are you even saying? Killing them instantly like Brother Hyeokri Ak is too merciful. You should keep them alive and torment them slowly.”
What a fucking sadist. No matter how beautiful she was, her personality was rotten. The man felt his mind growing distant.
“You are correct. There is no need to show mercy to the enemies of the Blood Sect.”
Despite his true feelings, smooth words flowed from the man’s mouth like a mountain spring.
“Our Blood Hounds really know how to talk. It makes me want to kill you.”
“I-I’m sorry.”
“Relax your face. It’s not like I’m actually going to kill you. But now that I look at you again, you’re quite handsome.”
“Pardon?”
“Keep saying ‘pardon’ and I might rip your mouth open. What exactly did they teach you in the Holy Blood Corps?”
“I’m sorry!”
The woman tilted her head again.
“No matter how I look at it, he doesn’t seem like someone capable of taking down a group led by a Fiend Division Leader alone. It should be impossible at the level where he barely defeated Kim Yong. What could it be? What is he hiding?”
“…He may be connected to the Heavenly Demon Sect.”
“Yeah? Do you think he’ll be happy if I go visit him?”
“…”
“Hey. I’m asking you a question.”
“Of course he would be. There is no man who would dislike a beauty like the Thirteenth Apostle.”
“Hmmm, of course. I’ve decided. I should go see my junior’s face.”
Watching the Thirteenth Apostle smile as she began dressing up beautifully, the man—though they were enemies—silently wished Kim Mugong luck as a fellow man.