Chapter 114: A Dark Past
Chapter 114: A Dark Past
In the Hall Plain, a woman’s body could be a means of survival. It could also be a weapon, used for assassination in the guise of a shared bed. As such, the concept of chastity wasn’t particularly rigid. In a place where murder and death were commonplace, attitudes toward sex were, if anything, rather open.
Of course, openness did not mean lawlessness. Crime and coercion were still condemned. The Northern Continent, where military discipline remained strict, could not be compared with the Western Continent, where murder, robbery, and rape ran rampant. But when both parties were willing, sexual relationships were by no means rare in the Hall Plain. Even Year 0 Users who still clung to modern sensibilities gradually became accustomed to such customs as the years passed.
Jung Hayeon had been betrayed and abandoned. No, perhaps ‘abandoned’ wasn’t quite the right word. It seemed the man had never intended to take her in from the start. She had kept the pain from that time locked away in a corner of her heart. For over a year after, she had lived with that trauma.
It went beyond a simple distrust of men; she had become unable to trust anyone’s inner self. And operating in the Hall Plain while carrying such trauma was a source of immense stress. I didn’t know what she had gone through since then, but I could easily imagine they had been days filled with anxiety and anguish.
As that suffering accumulated, she was slowly being pushed to her limit. Perhaps she had managed to endure it while her sister was with her, but the sense of loss that filled her heart after losing her had caused the trauma she’d suppressed for so long to finally explode.
And she was all too aware of her current situation. She knew that if things continued this way, it would be dangerous. She knew her own mind was breaking down.
But then, she met a User like me. My early actions had been similar to those of her first love, but afterward, I had forged a path entirely different from his. I had done the very things she had hoped for and wanted from that man. After hearing what the others said about me and seeing how they treated me, she had revived feelings she had long forgotten. She must have made her decision after the incident with the Crystal of Truth.
She wanted to use me to cast off her trauma. And she needed a place to lean on. In a way, I was partly to blame for her ending up like this. After all, I was the one who had killed her sister.
But I felt no guilt. I convinced myself that if she maintained these feelings, all I had to do was treat her well from now on. A dry laugh escaped me as I thought it. I couldn’t be considered normal either. After ten years in the Hall Plain, my emotions had broken down. Then again, it would be stranger to remain sane after more than a decade in this hellish place.
Without a word, I led Jung Hayeon to the bed. I lifted her onto it, still holding her in a near-embrace. She yielded her body to me willingly, looking up at me. Drawn in by her gaze, I lay down beside her on the bed.
Now that I had confirmed her true feelings, I needed to accept her. I wasn’t noble enough to refuse a woman who came to me of her own will. I didn’t know what consequences this choice would bring later, but for now, taking her in my arms felt like the better option.
I spoke lightly, intending to ease her mood.
“It feels strange, being in the same bed like this.”
“It’s going to get a lot stranger, so you can’t be like this already.”
She got me there. Jung Hayeon was still Jung Hayeon. Having made a pointless comment and lost the exchange, I just scratched my head and rested it against her chest.
Soon, I felt her cool hand gently cup my head. I pressed my face deeper into her chest. My eyes widened at the distinct sensation I felt, even through her robe. The only thing I could feel underneath was a thin piece of fabric. That meant she had been wearing nothing but a thick robe and her underwear.
After lying in her embrace for a moment, I lifted my head and spoke to her.
“If you want to stop at any point, just give me a signal. I’ll stop immediately.”
“That won’t happen. Even if I send any signals midway, please just keep going.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at her bold words. I moved up to lie beside her again, meeting her eyes. She looked at my face and spoke.
“I have a request.”
“Go ahead.”
“From now on, when you call me, can you just use my first name, without my last?”
I nodded readily.
“Alright. Hayeon-ssi.”
“Drop the ‘ssi’ too. Just my name.”
“…Hayeon.”
“Good. Then…”
She nodded, her expression one of relief at my answer. I slowly placed a hand on her robe. Now that I had Hayeon’s permission, I carefully began to untie the front. I loosened the knot and pulled the string sticking out at the end. With a soft rustle, the front of her robe fell open.
I focused my gaze on her form, faintly visible through the opening.
First, I saw the valley between her full, shapely breasts, wrapped in underwear. Lowering my gaze, I saw a slender waist, beautiful hips, and long, shapely legs. She was beautiful. Her entire body exuded a noble grace, like that of a crane.
I raised my eyes again. Her chest, which seemed to beckon to any man from within the robe, came into view. I raised a hand and caressed her face for a moment. She reached out and caressed my face in return. Seeing her shimmering, short hair beautifully disheveled on the pillow, I used my other hand to throw the robe wide open in one motion.
Sometime during all this, complete darkness had fallen outside. The only light in the dim room was a single moonbeam shining through the window. As if embarrassed by her naked form illuminated by the light, Jung Hayeon averted her gaze slightly. At the sight of such a fresh reaction, I spoke in a quiet voice.
“Hayeon. If it’s too much, we can stop.”
“It’s not that. It’s just… a little embarrassing…”
Perhaps because it was her first time, she was incredibly shy. She kept trying to close her legs and cover her chest with her arms, avoiding my gaze.
I smiled gently, accepting all her actions and waiting. This was her first time. I wouldn’t rush her. I wouldn’t force anything in my haste. I waited, giving her enough time to accept the situation. It might have felt tedious, but since it was her first time, I wanted to create a good memory for her rather than a bad one.
My relationship with her was simple. She would act alongside me, and I would protect and care for her. Hayeon had been lost before she met me. Of course, I intended to use her for my own purposes. But as long as she leaned on me and wanted me as her sanctuary, I was confident I could be a more reliable shield than anyone else.
I waited for her calmly. As if sensing my demeanor, I saw her arms, which had been covering her chest, and her closed legs slowly begin to relax. Hayeon looked at me as I quietly gazed down at her and spoke in a low voice.
“That expression just now…”
“Yes?”
“I liked that expression. Show it to me more often from now on.”
I tilted my head at her cryptic words but moved my hands again. I pulled down the half-opened robe even further. The deep, rising cleavage between her breasts, wrapped in her undergarment, was visible. Then, the pale mounds of her breasts were shyly revealed. I placed my hand over them and slowly pulled the undergarment down.
Pop. Pop. Snap.
“Ah…!”
Her breasts, which had been pressed down by the descending fabric, revealed themselves with a faint jiggle as I removed it completely. Two beautifully formed, pale mounds. As if bewitched, I fixed my gaze on her chest. Glimmering softly in the moonlight, her breasts held a simultaneous air of unapproachable serenity and alluring charm.
“Please… don’t stare so intently…”
“They’re pretty. So beautiful.”
Hearing Hayeon’s tiny voice, I immediately shook my head and replied. But it wasn’t just empty flattery; I meant it. Her face flushed red at my compliment, and she turned her head to the side as she lay there.
I had felt them once before due to an unforeseen accident(?), but her breasts were much larger and fuller than they appeared. They weren’t so large as to be burdensome, nor were they too small. They were, the perfect size, with a softness that felt like they would melt at a touch.
“How old are you?”
As I continued to stare only at her chest, Hayeon spoke to me. Perhaps the silence had become uncomfortable. I swallowed hard and answered.
“I’m twenty-four.”
“Oh my. You’re two years younger than me.”
I knew. Hayeon was twenty-six. An age when a woman’s charms were in full bloom. I gently brought my hand to her sensual chest. Watching me, Hayeon let out a small laugh.
“…Pfft. Do you like breasts that much?”
“Yes, huh?”
“It’s true, isn’t it? You’ve been staring at my chest nonstop. It’s not like you at all. Now you finally seem a bit younger.”
I smiled to myself at her reaction. Did she know? That I was showing her this side of me on purpose. Considering she had a younger sister and had a habit of letting me rest my head on her lap or cradling it against her chest, it seemed she had a maternal side to her.
I was trying my best to be considerate of her. Perhaps because of that, her face was much more relaxed now compared to the tense expression she’d had at the beginning. Taking it a step further, she took my hand, which had paused in mid-air, and guided it to her own breast.
Soon, her hardened nipple touched my palm, and my fingers gently cupped the mound below. I felt a soft sensation envelop my entire hand as her body trembled slightly.
“……!”
She didn’t make a sound. Not a cry of pain, not a moan. She simply endured it, perhaps worried she would be a burden to me. Accepting her goodwill, I placed my left hand on her other breast.
A softness that felt as if it would melt away in my hand if I squeezed even a little too hard. I savored the pliancy of her breasts, which changed shape with the movement of my hands. I pinched the hardened peak that rose from the top of the mound and moved my fingers once or twice. Finally, she let out a heated moan and twisted her body slightly. But she immediately covered her mouth, and her movements stilled. The texture of her moist skin unfolded in my hand, raw and unfiltered. Her reaction and the sensation transmitted through my hands were so ecstatic that I quickened my pace.
After I had my fill of touching her breasts for a while and removed my hands, her pale mounds had turned a rosy pink. This time, I lowered my gaze below her chest. At some point, we had stopped talking. We were that focused on each other’s actions.
She was now wearing only the underwear covering her lower half. I leaned my head back slightly and admired her entire body. Narrow shoulders and large, beautiful breasts. A slender figure. I took in every part of her body, one by one, marveling at its beauty.
I gently raised my hand and stroked her naked form. I caressed her waist, where not an ounce of fat could be found, and paused my hand around her navel. My hand, which had been circling her thin, vertical belly button, quickly moved to her shapely pelvis as it shyly revealed its presence. Everywhere my hand touched, Hayeon’s body squirmed in response. Having only seen her usual calm and rational side, I wore a faint smile at her fresh reactions.
I lifted my head and moved closer to her face. An expression of desperation was on her intelligent and elegant face. Seeing her pleading expression for the first time, I felt as if I was bewitched, slowly closing the distance to her tightly sealed, cherry-like lips.
Hayeon’s eyes widened as she realized what I was about to do. Her face flushed with surprise, but she quickly regained her composure. For a first-timer, her consideration for a man was so touching that it made me want to kiss her.
Haa. Haa.
Soon, the distance between us had shrunk so much that I could hear her breathing. Hayeon, who had maintained a composed demeanor at first, subtly lowered her gaze as I drew closer. Seeing this, I paused for a moment and spoke.
“May I… kiss you?”
“…I’d like to try it once. Go ahead.”
Don’t tell me this was her first kiss too. In any case, now that I had her permission, there was nothing holding me back. I carefully pressed my lips against hers, which carried a faint, sweet scent. Aside from a brief flinch when our lips first met, Hayeon simply accepted my kiss, occasionally moving her lips a little awkwardly.
The sensation of Hayeon’s lips against mine was so sweet, soft, and warm. For a moment, I even felt like I wanted to fall asleep right then and there.