Chapter 71
Chapter 71
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: Beyond the Spoils
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The lovemaking continued until dawn broke. The two of us desperately ravaged each other's bodies, as if there were no tomorrow—as if today was our last.
Desperately.
Passionately.
Fiercely.
Only as the faint light of predawn began to recede did we finally peel our sweat-slicked skin apart.
-Shhhhhhhh.
I sat quietly on the edge of the bed, listening to the distant sound of the shower. The morning air drifting in through the slightly open window cooled the sweat we'd shed all night and aired out the thick, musky scent that had filled the room.
Maybe because the sex had been so intense, the alcohol buzz had long since worn off. With the booze gone, the overwhelming emotions subsided, and cold reason began to fill the void.
"Haa."
A wave of complicated feelings hit me late, and I let out a sigh. I thought about lighting up a cigarette but decided against it. It'd be awkward to step out and smoke while she was showering, and I couldn't exactly fill the room with smoke by the time she came out.
Instead of thick cigarette smoke, I exhaled a heavy sigh and bowed my head. Head down, I replayed last night's heated passion and everything leading up to it.
I'd received a confession from Ji Ye-won yesterday. And we'd made love.
It had all been so sudden. A sudden confession, followed by sudden sex. The alcohol coursing through our veins had made us more emotional, more sentimental, more impulsive. She'd come at me emotionally, I'd accepted her sentimentally, and we'd given in to impulse together.
But even with the alcohol flowing, it wasn't just drunken folly. Neither of us had lost our reason entirely—we'd been swayed by emotion and impulse, but not blinded.
It was a decision we'd thought through enough, judged enough. Now that the buzz had faded and morning had come, I didn't regret accepting her spoiling whims. And she probably didn't regret confessing her feelings to me.
The only thing nagging at me was Kang Ha-neul. I felt sorry for her—that was all.
Toward the end of yesterday's truth game, Kang Ha-neul hadn't said it outright, but she'd all but confessed with her hints. Ji Ye-won and I had both picked up on it. And yet we'd gone ahead and made love. That's why I felt guilty. Fine for Ji Ye-won, maybe, but I—at least I—should have considered Kang Ha-neul's feelings.
With my clear-headed reason restored, my mind was filled with regret and unease. Deep sighs escaped my throat like cigarette smoke, spilling out those emotions.
-Creak.
Just then, the bathroom door opened, and Ji Ye-won emerged amid rising steam.
"……."
Ji Ye-won gazed at me shyly, her body wrapped in a towel. Seeing her brought last night's scenes flooding back vividly.
Her clinging to me, craving affection, devouring my lips.
Her awkward movements as she tried so hard to please me.
Her twisting her hips beneath me, letting out heated moans.
Even as she gasped for breath, locking those lovely eyes with mine, smiling happily.
The first emotion those memories stirred was, ironically, guilt. Some for the Ji Ye-won in front of me, the rest for Kang Ha-neul, blissfully asleep next door, oblivious to the world.
"……Why are you acting so awkward?"
She approached me as I awkwardly averted my gaze. The fresh scent of shampoo tickled my nose.
"I told you yesterday. Just think of it as a one-night fling between a grown man and woman. Take it easy."
She said it casually, but I knew it wasn't sincere. Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke.
'A one-night fling.'
Sure, it'd be easy to brush it off like that. But we'd shared too many emotions to fool ourselves with that.
'……What a piece of trash.'
And I was ashamed of myself for hesitating like an idiot despite knowing better. If you know it's shameful, do the right thing. Take responsibility as a man. Don't toy with her feelings. I repeated that to myself endlessly.
"Ji Ye-won. I……"
After repeating it to myself, I finally opened my mouth.
Meeting her eyes, with a serious expression.
But.
"Stop."
Ji Ye-won wouldn't accept my serious resolve.
"Ahn Su-ho. Just answer me casually."
Her violet eyes peeked through damp strands of hair, shimmering faintly. Her soft voice whispered gently in my ear.
"Was last night bad?"
"……No way."
"It was good, right?"
"Yeah. It was good."
"There. That's all that matters."
What was that supposed to settle? I wanted to retort, but she gently pressed her index finger to my lips.
"You don't have to force yourself to take responsibility. Last night was my spoiling whim and selfishness. We both have complicated situations. Binding ourselves together would bring more harm than good. Right?"
The Ji Ye-won speaking now wasn't the emotional girl from yesterday. This was her usual rational self. Considering her circumstances and mine, she'd successfully killed her own feelings.
'More harm than good.'
I didn't want to accept it. But I had no choice—it made sense. Both of us had too much to worry about for carefree love. If we became lovers, we could lean on each other in tough times, but we might also become each other's burdens.
That seemed to be her thinking, and I couldn't deny I felt the same to some extent.
I was disgusted with myself for that.
"And since I confessed out of nowhere, you need time to think it over, right? Plus, you noticed Kang Ha-neul likes you too."
"……Yeah."
"Two pretty girls like you for once—take your time deciding. Actually, no need to agonize. Dating a normal girl like her would be way better than a criminal like me—"
"Stop."
I cut her off. She looked at me with a slightly surprised expression.
"Don't talk yourself down like that."
She'd probably meant it as consideration for me, but to me—already disillusioned with myself—her words stabbed like a cold dagger. Seeing her worry about me despite her own pain only highlighted how pathetic and trashy I was.
But at the same time, I felt relief. She was considering my situation. If I just leaned on that kindness, I could muddle through this awkwardness.
With a complicated mix of reassurance and self-mockery, I looked at Ji Ye-won. As she said, I needed time to sort my thoughts. About her. And about Kang Ha-neul.
I felt so sorry for myself that I couldn't even meet Ji Ye-won's eyes. Biting my lip, I turned my head slightly.
Then.
-Squeeze.
A soft hand wrapped around the back of my neck, gently pulling my face into her chest.
Her warm softness pressed against my cheek. I tried to lift my head in surprise, but she held it firmly, refusing to let me move.
As if to keep our eyes from meeting.
"Thank you."
She murmured softly, clutching my head tight.
"Thank you for hearing my confession last night. For indulging my whims, going along with my selfishness. And just now, for telling me not to talk myself down."
I shook my head. No need to thank me.
"So it's fine. I've already received more love than I deserve. That's enough for me."
How could it be enough? I shook my head desperately.
"So let's leave it here for today. Think it over plenty, agonize plenty, and give me your answer whenever. It's not too late."
Even so, her kindness—saying things she didn't mean out of consideration—left me unable to meet her eyes. I buried my face in her chest.
How much time passed like that?
A sudden thought struck me. I gently pushed her away and pulled a small trinket from the nightstand drawer.
A transparent cross like ice, embedded with a red gem.
I handed it to her silently. She looked back and forth between me and the cross, puzzled.
"What's this?"
"An artifact from that double dungeon last time."
"Artifact?"
"Yeah. Wear it, and once a day, it'll auto-detect life-threatening attacks and deploy an ice shield. From an over-rank dungeon, so it'll block most anything."
It was the Cross of Frostfire. In the original story, an absolute defense artifact Ryu Tae-hyun was supposed to get—one that blocks any attack once.
I handed over the artifact I'd originally meant to keep without hesitation. Better for her to have it than me. She was about to head off on a dangerous mission Min Chae-ryeong had assigned.
"Isn't this super valuable? Why give something like this to me—"
"I'd never even use it anyway. Better for you, heading into danger."
"But—"
"Just take it."
I practically shoved the cross at her. As if using the artifact as a substitute for absolution.
She gripped the slender cross—slightly longer than my thumb—and murmured softly.
"……Thank you."
She clutched the Cross of Frostfire tightly, as if it were precious. In the morning sunlight from the window, a faint blush colored her face.
"Keep it on you always. Tuck it in an inner pocket or make it a necklace…… Ah, but can you even pierce it?"
"Hmm. Like this, then."
-Crunch!
A violet blade sprouted from her fingertip. Or was it a blade? The purple crystal she formed shifted freely at her will, slowly enveloping the cross.
"Done."
When she let go, the Cross of Frostfire had become a beautiful earring. Violet crystal gripped the red gem at the center, with a thin chain dangling from a hook at the end. Incredibly intricate work.
-Click.
Ji Ye-won swept her hair aside and attached it to her left ear. It swayed perfectly, as if made for her from the start.
"How's it look? Good like this?"
"Yeah. Pretty."
"Of course. Look at the model."
She grinned playfully and glanced at the clock on the wall. Just past 7 a.m.
"I'll head next door for now. If I stay till they wake, we might get caught. Might already be busted……."
I gave a wry smile at that. Fair enough—her moans last night had been way too loud.
"Anyway. I'll go wake them and prep breakfast. Wash up and come over if nothing's up."
"Got it."
"What, that reluctant look? Morning already, and you want another round?"
"Put some clothes on and get to the other room."
"Tch. Can't even joke?"
Pretending to be fine, she grumbled playfully, snatched her scattered clothes from the floor, and sniffed them dramatically.
"Ew, the smell. Wear these like this, and I'll get busted right away. Can I borrow some clothes?"
Her outfit from last night was ruined with all sorts of fluids.
"Sure. Grab whatever from that drawer."
"Thanks. I'll change and bring 'em back."
She rummaged through the drawer and pulled out a white running shirt, slipping it on. Because of our size difference, the hem fell softly to mid-thigh.
"Hey, wait. You're going out like that?"
"What's wrong? Covers what needs covering."
Covers what needs covering. Her outfit fit the description exactly—and nothing more.
The thin running shirt boldly outlined her naked form underneath. It covered the essentials, but the oversized fit left deep cleavage and armpit exposure, with straps slipping off her shoulders constantly. Watching from the side made me nervous.
But Ji Ye-won didn't care. Probably figured it was just next door to her room—no need to dress properly.
-Creak.
The rusty front door opened, letting morning sunlight flood in.
But the next moment, Ji Ye-won froze, gripping the half-open doorknob. I started to call out, wondering what was up, when she glanced back at me.
Our eyes met as she looked back at me through the dazzling sunlight.
A complex, subtle expression crossed her face. Joyful? Sad? Relieved? Frustrated? Complicated, ambiguous, mysterious—somehow wistful.
"……See you in a bit, then."
Overwhelmed by that expression, I couldn't respond,
-Creak. Thud.
and soon after she left, the rusty iron door closed with a heavy sound.
"Haa."
Left alone, I let out a deep sigh. Ji Ye-won and Kang Ha-neul. My mind was a mess, torn between the two women. Never thought I'd end up agonizing like this someday.
'In my current position, I can't give up either.'
This wasn't about emotional declarations like loving both or two-timing. Purely rationally, logically, both women were 'necessary' to me.
Ji Ye-won. A key character in the system, one of the few allies I could trust in this world. I couldn't afford to fall out with her.
Kang Ha-neul, on the other hand. An irregular with powerful skills, someone the system outright recommended I befriend. Our relationship had to stay smooth too.
Of course, setting aside the rational side, emotionally I couldn't let go of either. In this damned world full of fabricated lies, both had come to mean more than mere novel characters to me.
But emotional issues wouldn't solve themselves by sitting and brooding, so alone, I focused on the rational side of our trio's relationships. How I should act going forward, what policy to take.
'……Right.'
After long deliberation, I reached a conclusion. Not some grand resolution on how to define things with them. Just: for now, do what I can, what I must. A small one.
What I could do. What I had to do.
'First, secure Ji Ye-won's safety.'
The Cross of Frostfire helped, but it wasn't enough for peace of mind. So I called Min Chae-ryeong.
-Riiiing.
After some rings, it connected.
-Ahn Su-ho? What's up this early?
Her sultry voice came through, and I cut straight to it.
"Team Leader. We need to talk."