The Promise with Yee Eun-chae (Part 5)
Thump— The moment that thought surfaced, her heartbeat quickened. Memories of his hands roaming over her body the day before, kneading her hips and thighs, flooded her mind and left her feeling utterly disoriented.
"Will you allow it?"
"Ah, I understand…" Yee Eun-chae, caught in a panic, didn't even realize what she had just said. And when Seo Moon-jin truly pulled her into his arms—
"Hik!"
Later, she would recall with burning embarrassment how she had even kicked at the blanket. For now, she simply stood frozen in his embrace, her sense of time slipping away as she melted against him.
'So soft, and the elasticity is incredible.'
Seo Moon-jin could feel the full, supple resilience of her body even more clearly now that he held her. The sweet scent rising from her skin grew sharper, and despite her physical-enhancement abilities, her figure remained perfectly balanced between softness and toned firmness. Her generous chest pressed against him, and the memory of her elastic hips from the previous day nearly made his hand drift downward. He restrained himself and instead gently stroked her from head to back.
'Hmm. I could kiss her right now if I wanted.'
Judging by how panicked and lost she looked, Yee Eun-chae would probably accept a kiss without even realizing what was happening. But that would derail his plans. He needed her to confess first, to desperately want to become his woman. He refused to be the one chasing after her.
"This is healing. Holding you like this really puts my mind at ease, Eun-chae."
"Uwaa…"
Yee Eun-chae still seemed unable to collect herself. Seo Moon-jin held her for five full minutes, savoring the feel of her soft, elastic body, before finally releasing her. The urge to enjoy more of her voluptuous figure was overwhelming, yet he set it aside for the sake of the future. He stroked her hair once more, letting his fingers linger on the silky strands.
"Thanks. Thanks to you, I feel much calmer now."
"A-ah."
Yee Eun-chae's face had turned bright red, and she still looked dazed. For a sheltered girl who had grown up almost entirely within her family and had never even made proper friends, the stimulation had been far too intense.
Seo Moon-jin casually placed his hand on her cheek. As he gazed at one of the most beautiful faces in this world, he couldn't help but admire her flawless features while watching her panicked expression.
"Wow~ You really are pretty."
The words slipped out naturally. Yee Eun-chae's panic deepened at the compliment. She had once evaluated his appearance as well, so hearing him call her pretty struck her especially hard.
'She's already conscious of me as the opposite sex rather than just a friend.'
Seo Moon-jin's presence had already taken deep root in Yee Eun-chae's subconscious. Her trust in him ran so deep that, combined with her complete inexperience in romantic matters, she had opened her heart without ever imagining where those feelings might lead. Being his first true friend, receiving constant kindness from him, and seeing him embody the ideal companion she had always wanted had all drawn her closer.
'And Eun-chae herself has this magnetic charm that makes people genuinely want to be good to her.'
Even Arian Liberin and Yoo Eun-chae had developed sincere affection and friendship toward her. Seo Moon-jin himself often found himself wanting to extend her every kindness.
'It's about time I helped her regain her senses.'
He leaned closer and called her name softly while patting her back.
"Eun-chae. Eun-chae."
She gradually came back to herself. But the moment she did—
"Ah, mmph!"
Still unsteady, she accidentally stepped forward and their lips met.
Lips touching lips. The realization sent Yee Eun-chae's mind into an even whiter blank than before. She understood instantly that this was a kiss—the affectionate act lovers shared in stories. Experiencing it herself, and with her very first friend no less, left her utterly shaken.
It wasn't his fault. She had been the one lost in panic, stepping forward by mistake.
"Huu… Cheon…"
Finally pulling back, Yee Eun-chae panted, her face flushed as she looked at Seo Moon-jin. He had closed his eyes for a moment, breathing in as if deep in thought.
'S-should I apologize first?'
She considered apologizing for the accidental kiss, then realized that hesitation itself was rude. If she had done something wrong, she should apologize immediately.
"Cheon… I'm sorry. It wasn't on purpose."
"I know. It was an accident. But this kind of stimulation is a bit troublesome for me."
Seo Moon-jin murmured and placed his hands on her shoulders.
"When I get this stimulated… I can't help but have strange thoughts."
"S-strange thoughts? W-what kind of thoughts?"
"It's a little hard to say out loud… Phew, let's both calm down first. Eun-chae, take a deep breath."
"Ah, okay."
Yee Eun-chae followed his instruction and tried to steady herself. Once she did, a different kind of embarrassment washed over her.
"Ugh, I really showed you an embarrassing side of me…"
"It's fine. I'm a little confused too, so if I say something weird, just understand."
"U-uh… I understand. If my mistake made you uncomfortable, I'm sorry…"
She apologized for forcing a kiss on someone who wasn't even her lover. Seo Moon-jin shook his head.
"I wasn't uncomfortable. It was surprising, but how could I be upset about receiving a kiss from the most beautiful girl in the world?"
Yee Eun-chae assumed he was just trying to comfort her with a joke. Even so, hearing those words made her face grow hot again.
"I-is that so?"
Her thoughts began to wander toward the possibility that he might have romantic feelings for her.
'Ugh, what am I thinking? Cheon is my first friend. After making such a mistake with a friend, trying to justify it like this…'
She scolded herself for the thought, seeing it as a defense mechanism to avoid facing her own fault. Still, she didn't run away from the embarrassment.
"Thank you for saying that, Cheon."
Instead of fleeing, she smiled at him with genuine gratitude for his kind words.
During lunch, Seo Moon-hyun watched Seo Moon-jin and Yee Eun-chae leave the academy together after receiving weekend permission to go out. A surge of anger rose within him.
'Eun-chae said she was going home this weekend? And she's taking Seo Moon-jin instead of me?'
He felt sorry that he could do nothing to save her. Seeing his former close friend being deceived by the suspicious Seo Moon-jin—who only sowed discord—made him feel deeply regretful.
While seething with both anger and pity, Seo Moon-hyun searched for any possible way to rescue Yee Eun-chae, but he found none. His current power wasn't enough to stop their outing.
"Hyun-ah?"
Even Lee Se-na's gaze, which now felt like surveillance, was beginning to irritate him. He felt deep betrayal at how she seemed to act as Seo Moon-jin's pawn, unable to understand how she could discard their long history for such behavior.
"Se-na-ya."
Seo Moon-hyun decided not to mention it and simply pretend he didn't know. He was prepared to forgive Lee Se-na if she ever came to her senses, admitted her betrayal, and apologized. He would make Seo Moon-min-hye, Arian Liberin, Yee Eun-chae, and Yoo Eun-chae all acknowledge their mistakes and repent—for their own sakes.
With that thought, Seo Moon-hyun defined Seo Moon-jin as the evil he, as a righteous person, must eliminate. He now had more than enough reasons to dislike and hate him.