Chapter 305
Chapter 305
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 305
Chapter Title: 94. First Experience (6)
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Bom stared at Yoo Ji-tae for a long while with eyes that anyone could see were utterly smitten.
She spoke words of trust and faith in him.
They shared stories about each other's happiness.
And finally, she naturally fed him some food.
There wasn't a single overt expression throughout the process, but those watching couldn't help but widen their eyes. It was all too easy to guess what was going on.
'Oh my, oh my...'
'Are those two... that kind of couple?'
Their relationship had already been one of the biggest mysteries in the Federation.
One day, "Prophet Season" had suddenly appeared, shaking up the command structure, and eventually came to be revered as a god-like existence.
And the young, beautiful "Prophet Haru" whom Season had brought with him.
They had arrived separately, but they always left together. They often rode in the same car.
No one dared ask what their relationship was.
But everyone speculated it was close.
Some even let their imaginations run wild, picturing them like a princess and her knight from a fairy tale.
All those accumulated suspicions now burst forth.
'Wow... What did I just witness?'
'Those two really are lovers...'
Around then, Yoo Ji-tae shaped his mana into an extremely thin, secretive thread. He shot it toward Bom, mimicking the technique of long-range voice transmission, "Whisper."
He sent her his thoughts.
'Bom. What are you doing?'
'You called me selfish...'
A memory surfaced at her words.
On the day the carrot girl incident blew up, Yoo Ji-tae had comforted Bom while scolding her for being selfish.
Her emotions had run wild, twisting things her way like a child. It was quite violent, even. That selfish streak could hurt others and would eventually poison her own future. So he had earnestly scolded her, calling her selfish.
What had Bom said then?
— ...You're the one making me selfish, Ajusshi.
Then Bom explained.
She wanted to chase away every "certain woman" from the Federation. But she couldn't.
So she turned them all into "friends."
'Sorry, Oppa. I can fix anything else. But that... no matter how much I think about it, I can't fix it.'
And in front of those "friends," she had subtly declared that Season was hers.
'I guess I really am a selfish girl...'
At that moment, Yoo Ji-tae inwardly marveled.
He had thought Bom's social savvy was at a high level, but he hadn't realized it was this advanced.
Now, like it or not, rumors would spread. Subtle advisories would come down through back channels.
There hadn't been any women approaching Yoo Ji-tae anyway, but this would give Bom even more confidence.
Moreover, the contact just now had been exquisitely restrained, without damaging Bom's authority.
Even as she indulged in jealousy, she perfectly controlled her emotions and the situation, getting exactly what she wanted.
It was masterful buildup.
But he couldn't view the situation entirely positively.
'Bom. Earlier, I asked if you were planning something behind my back. You said no.'
'I was just... making friends...'
In the end, she hadn't deliberately hidden it from him.
Nor had it been some sneaky act meant to deceive him.
'But those aren't friends in the pure sense, are they? If you were going to do this, you should've given me a heads-up. Or at least asked for my consent beforehand. One slip, and all the authority you've carefully built could have been damaged.'
'Yes...'
'Still, you pulled it off without a hitch. You get it, so I won't nag anymore.'
Bom nodded. With slightly downcast eyes. Gazing at the dark red wine in a thin glass like a fragile goblet.
'But why go this far? That's what I'm curious about.'
To that, Bom replied sullenly.
'Sorry. I can't tell you...'
For some reason, she looked aggrieved.
So he dropped the probing.
But since things had come to this, Yoo Ji-tae decided to coordinate a bit more with Bom's operation. Bom was sitting with her head half-bowed, looking sleepy. People were still glancing their way. So Yoo Ji-tae carefully placed his hand on her small head. Then he gently pulled her toward him, letting her lean against his chest.
Startled, the sound of Bom's heartbeat thundered loudly.
In truth, Yoo Ji-tae had relationships with a few other superhuman women besides her. He had met "Genie Ansirem" during the post-tower cleanup. And he occasionally met "Amin," the new chief secretary to Kalliovan.
However, the reason Bom had specifically befriended Kang A-jin and Je-gal Hae-yeon was really just one thing.
Most East Asians have black hair.
The dinner party matured.
Bom, who had pretended to nap briefly, soon woke up.
Her expression was noticeably brighter when she did.
Afterward, she chatted with him about daily Federation life, feeding him canapés, cheese, crackers, and such in between.
Her eyes were fixed on Yoo Ji-tae.
Her ears heard only his words.
Then, when he wanted to be alone, she tactfully slipped away.
Until she was out of sight, Bom thought of Yoo Ji-tae.
Setting aside complicated emotions, Yoo Ji-tae gave her an unfamiliar feeling. It was as if the 1-meter space around him felt like Room 301.
Upon reflection, it seemed to be "comfort." Strange. He rarely felt at ease around anyone.
Maybe it was the stark contrast to the extreme discomfort he'd felt with Mu earlier that day.
Meanwhile, something interesting happened over there.
Bom, now separated from Yoo Ji-tae, joined the group of 5th-grade female agents she'd befriended. Ranging from late 20s to 40s, their conversation topics were anything but ordinary.
"Huh? A-jin, you mean you've never had your first kiss?"
"Ah, yes... I haven't."
"You're always holed up in the office working. At your flower-like age, you should be dating some guys!"
"Is that so? Well... I have some ambitions. Romance feels like a luxury."
"What ambitions?"
"Someday, I want to be Federation Chair!"
'Hahaha! Crazy!' Laughter erupted.
Up to here, it was fine. Bom chuckled along.
Becoming friends with them had been part of his plan, after all.
But the problem was...
They'd become too friendly. Especially casually swapping stories about male-female relationships.
The talk starting with "first kiss" naturally escalated.
"My first time was awful."
"Why?"
"It was with my now-husband when I was 24. Turns out I was his first too. He couldn't even figure out where everything was?"
"No way!" "That's kinda cute, though?"
"Cute my foot! I went through hell back then..."
He had no interest in others' experiences, but watching Bom flustered by the explicit talk was amusing. So he listened a bit more.
"Right? Maybe 'cause it's honeymoon phase. He jumps me even during breakfast. And when he gets home at night..."
"Oh my!" "Lucky you..."
Blunt stories poured out. Bom looked dazed, letting it go in one ear and out the other. Her sullen eyes unfocused.
Then, the arrows turned toward Bom.
"Ahem." "Um..."
The hesitant ones cautiously asked.
"Haru. Mind if we ask about this stuff?"
"...Huh?"
"Come on, Linda. Drop it. Why ask her? She's still a kid."
"What? She's not a kid. She said she's turning 24 soon." "Kids these days know everything."
"Whaaat~?"
Among them, a tipsier senior 4th-grade agent grinned slyly.
"Prophet."
"Y-yes?"
"Care to... share? You know."
"Uh, that...?"
"Truth is, until yesterday, tons of people were dying to know."
"Know what?"
"...What your relationship with Prophet Season is."
'Right.' 'Exactly.' Everyone nodded in agreement.
But today, they'd found out.
"Um, I'm not really good with that stuff..."
As Bom waved it off, questions flooded.
"No way you don't know." "Not denying means..." "There is something, huh?"
"Uh, um... Well..."
Yoo Ji-tae thought.
Back in Room 301, when such topics came up (thanks to Yeoreum), Bom always played dumb and moved on.
Why? Embarrassment. She had no resistance to that kind of talk yet.
"Haru-nim seems like a romance expert."
"Right. Earlier, you were giving Hae-yeon so many tips."
"Really?"
"Makes sense... A cutie like you must have guys lining up."
"...N-no, none."
Bom, who had opened up about opposite-sex dynamics in the Federation to gauge things, now found herself cornered.
It was truly self-inflicted.
"No, you two leave together all the time after work. I figured something was up ages ago."
"Not really..."
"Me too. You match so well!"
"Th-thanks..."
"No, no! So, have you held hands? No? From that lean earlier... Kissed?"
"Uh, um..."
"Duh, of course. Didn't you see the honey dripping?" "Right." "Come to think of it, isn't Season surprisingly sweet in private?" "Oh my goodness..."
"......"
Then one woman even used mana to whisper microscopically.
'How was it at night...?'
Bom jumped in shock.
She couldn't respond either way, on the verge of tears.
Yoo Ji-tae felt delight.
Like watching a fox trapped by her own cunning.
Meanwhile, they laughed at her embarrassment but didn't cross the line further.
They only went as far as Bom had allowed. This preserved her authority amid the comfort.
Soon, Bom sent Yoo Ji-tae an SOS. Tapping her watch—she must have messaged.
His wrist vibrated. A message. But he ignored it. When Bom glared, he averted his eyes. Messages kept coming; eventually, he silenced the watch.
"Excuse me, I need the restroom..."
"Oh, perfect. I was going too. Let's go together!"
"E-eh? Uh..."
Her escape plan failed.
Even after the bathroom, the same topics continued.
Only when it became pitiful to watch did Yoo Ji-tae slip in and suggest they leave.
The two teleported straight to the Lair residential district.
On the way home.
"Your watch must be broken."
Bom, sullen and silent until then, finally grumbled.
"It's fine."
"Then my taps evaporated into the sky..."
Yoo Ji-tae kept quiet, in high spirits.
Then Bom snapped at him.
"Why didn't you help? You heard everything."
"Didn't."
"I know you did. So mean... I was dying of embarrassment, and you just watched. I couldn't escape that vibe alone..."
Rare genuine whining from Bom.
She's still a kid, he thought, and asked.
"What was so bad?"
"You don't know...?"
"Just brush it off. You're good at that."
"But..."
Her words cut short.
He turned to her face.
Bom's expression was priceless. Glaring resentfully at Yoo Ji-tae. Eyes widening round. Eyebrows curving down. Biting her lower lip. Head dipping slightly.
Finally, a sigh escaped like pent-up words.
"It makes me keep imagining..."
Of course.
Others' unwanted explicit private lives were burdensome to picture.
Then Bom walked ahead, fiddling with her watch. A bit sulky. She didn't say a word the rest of the way home.
Left walking alone, Yoo Ji-tae didn't smile.
In truth, he hadn't smiled the whole time.
But he was cheerful all the way back.
"...Help with homework."
"Got it."
Back in 301, while helping Winter with homework, he glanced at his watch. He finally checked the silenced messages.
As soon as he did, Yoo Ji-tae felt cheer again.
Desperation seeped from the text.
But below that, messages from another time had arrived. A few minutes ago, on the way home with Bom.
But what was "that kind of girl"?
Yoo Ji-tae belatedly replied.
A reply came right away.
She seemed genuinely pissed.
Then, suddenly, Bom's earlier words resurfaced.
— It makes me keep imagining...
......
......?