Chapter 20: An Invitation (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 20: An Invitation (1)
The next day, after a blissful night.
The Ajumma and I were discharged from the hospital.
The Ajumma hadn't been seriously injured in the first place, and there was nothing more the hospital could do for me, so the doctor sent us home, telling me to get plenty of rest.
As soon as we got home, the Ajumma and I sat side-by-side and ate lunch.
It was the same side dishes we always had, but today, they tasted even better.
Why?
“Here, say ‘ah.’”
“Ah-”
Because the Ajumma was feeding me herself.
The truth is, I’m ambidextrous.
To be precise, when I was Son Si-woo, I was right-handed, but this body is left-handed.
Perhaps as a result of that, I can now use both hands freely.
In other words, even with a fracture in my left arm, I have no trouble eating on my own.
But the Ajumma doesn’t know that.
She just remembers me as being left-handed.
So I pretended to be in a little pain, and this is what happened.
“What side dish should I get you?”
“The bean sprouts, please.”
A perfect bundle of bean sprouts on her chopsticks entered my mouth.
They were so crunchy. They’d be perfect mixed with rice.
We have some at home, so tonight I’ll mix them with some gochujang and sesame oil.
“Is it good?” the Ajumma asked, watching me eagerly accept the food.
A warm smile melted onto her lips.
“Maybe because you’re feeding me, but it tastes even better than usual.”
“Oh, you.”
A wide smile lingered on her lips as she shook her head, as if thinking I was incorrigible.
I could feel it.
The distance between the Ajumma and me had closed immensely overnight.
Things seemed similar to how they usually were, but the number of times we made eye contact had changed completely.
And every now and then, she would blush or avoid my gaze like a shy young lady.
She must be recalling moments from last night with me.
Good.
Things are moving in the direction I want.
“Want another bowl?”
I had polished off my entire bowl of rice.
Part of me wanted this moment to last longer, and my stomach wasn't quite full, but…
“No, I’ll pass. I’m on a diet, remember?”
“Oh, right.”
I couldn’t forget.
I’m on a diet right now.
That one bowl could make my last few days of exercise all for nothing.
“Then I’ll cut up some fruit for you.”
“Okay.”
This, I didn’t refuse.
To be honest, I wanted to be with the Ajumma more than I wanted the fruit.
“Whew.”
Letting out a small breath, I turned my head and saw the Ajumma’s back as she picked out fruit from the vegetable drawer at the bottom of the fridge.
I gulped without realizing it.
Because she was bent over, her rear was pushed out in my direction, looking incredibly tempting.
“Do you like apples?”
“Huh? Ah, yes!”
I answered in a strange voice and quickly turned my head away.
If I had looked any longer, I would’ve gotten hard again.
I snuck glances at the Ajumma as she stood at the sink, peeling the fruit with a paring knife.
Hum, hum. I found myself staring, mesmerized, at her profile as she hummed a little tune.
After what happened last night, my heart had already crossed the line.
The feeling that I shouldn’t be doing this with her had vanished, replaced by thoughts of how we could become even more intimate.
“Here, have some.”
Before I knew it, she had finished cutting the fruit and sat down across from me, offering me a slice of apple on a fork.
I munched on the apple and looked at her.
Or more accurately, at the two breasts resting prominently on the table.
Last night, I groped those huge breasts like I was kneading dough.
“Um… Do-jin?”
The Ajumma’s voice snapped me back to my senses, and I lifted my head.
She was smiling awkwardly, her face flushed.
Ah, my mistake.
I hadn’t even tried to hide it; I was just staring holes into her chest.
There was no way she wouldn’t have noticed my gaze.
“S-sorry.”
The atmosphere turned a little awkward again.
Ugh, why did I do that?
Everything was going so well.
A body in its twenties is incomparably more active than one in its forties.
It springs to attention at the slightest opportunity, and when it sees something erotic, the urge to look is unbearable.
“That… about what happened last night.”
The Ajumma’s face was beet red.
It seemed her recollection of last night, brought on by her own words, was incredibly vivid.
“L-last night, the reason I helped you, Do-jin… was because you helped me, and I… I wasn’t in my right mind for a moment, so…”
She forced the words out, her lips trembling.
“I-it won’t ever happen again. I’ll make sure of it, so, Do-jin, could you also just leave it as a memory of one night…?”
A mix of emotions was visible on her reddened face.
Embarrassment, resolve, shyness, excitement, and more.
The traces of a long night spent agonizing over this were plain to see.
I was certain.
The Ajumma’s heart was moved last night.
Proof? Of course I have it.
When I placed the rose I made of ice in her hand, the light pink mist that emanated from her body was the proof.
Watching the mist faintly disappear, I got a similar feeling to when I saw the black smoke rising from the orc’s corpse.
So, just like before, I waved my hand and absorbed all of the scattering mist, and what do you know.
[Successfully absorbed mana from Seo Jeong-hee.]
[Mana has increased by 1.]
[The absorbed mana can be used after purification.]
[Time remaining until purification: 23:59:42]
The same phenomenon as the black smoke from the orc’s corpse occurred.
While the Ajumma had spent a sleepless night wondering what to do, I had been racking my brain trying to figure out the identity of that light pink mist.
Eventually, I reached a conclusion.
It was mana, created by the sudden shift in her emotions.
Even non-Awakened people have mana in their bodies.
They just can’t feel it or use it.
Humans sometimes display abilities that surpass their limits depending on their emotional state.
There’s that famous story of a regular, non-Awakened mother who displayed superhuman strength to save her child who was taken hostage by a villain.
A thought suddenly occurred to me.
Could it be that such feats were possible because of a dramatic change in emotion?
If so, then yesterday’s pink mist and the black smoke both made sense.
One was born from warm words, the other from death—drastic emotional shifts that created mana, which I then absorbed.
Well, it’s just a hypothesis for now, something I’ll have to investigate further, so I’ll set that aside.
In any case, assuming this is true, it means the Ajumma was definitely feeling some strong emotions last night.
So, what should I say to her in this situation?
After some thought, I made my decision.
“Ah, r-right. Yes… you wouldn’t do something like that, of course, yes…”
I decided to go along with her words, but in a way that showed I was doing so reluctantly, leaving the door open for more.
I considered pushing things a little faster, but it was too soon.
Frankly, I’m still amazed I even got a handjob yesterday.
The very fact that she could get in the mood while looking at this fat body is proof of what a virtuous person she is.
I needed more time to work on myself.
But at the same time, this strange emotional tension between us had to remain.
I replied with a sheepish expression.
“I-I’ll do as you say, Ajumma. What happened last night… let’s just… leave it as a happy moment…”
I continued, trying my best to sound disappointed, as if I didn’t want to but had no choice for her sake.
“D-Do-jin…”
I heard the Ajumma’s flustered voice.
Good, it’s working.
Inwardly, I was celebrating, but on the outside, I kept an awkward smile on my face and my shoulders slumped.
In that state, I scrambled to my feet.
“S-sorry. I just remembered something urgent… I have to go!”
“D-Do-jin!”
I heard her call after me, but I ignored it and left through the front door.
I hurried up the stairs.
When I figured I was far enough, I slowed my pace and turned around, only to find an unexpected visitor.
A woman in a neat suit.
“Who are you?”
The woman, who had been lingering in front of the door, turned around.
She had an overall stern impression.
Not that her body was brawny, but rather her tightly closed, well-defined lips, or the way her eyes stared at me without a hint of wavering.
She gave off a strong impression of being rigid and formal.
“Are you Mr. Kim Do-jin?”
See?
Her voice was a low alto, rare for a woman, and even her speech was stiff.
“Yes, that’s me.”
She walked up to me and held out her business card.
“I’m Yoon Ji-an, from the Hunter Association’s Inspection Department.”
The card said the same thing.
The Hunter Association’s Inspection Department.
That must be a department within the Association that only the most skilled people can get into.
“I’m here to discuss compensation for yesterday’s incident and to make you a proposal.”
“Ah, I see.”
I walked past her and opened my door.
“It’s probably better to talk inside, right?”
“Then I’ll come in for a moment.”
Once inside, I unfolded the small table we used for meals.
I opened the fridge and found an energy drink, the kind the original owner of this body used to chug one by one during his all-night gaming sessions.
“Please, have this.”
“Thank you.”
Some people look down on energy drinks, but this woman accepted it readily.
I waited for a moment while she quenched her thirst, then brought up the topic.
“First, could you tell me about the compensation?”
“Ah, yes.”
She placed the can she was drinking on the table, pulled an envelope from the inner pocket of her suit jacket, and handed it to me.
“This is compensation for the damages you suffered due to the orc we failed to contain.”
“Oh.”
I took the envelope and opened it right away.
Inside was a single check.
I lifted it slightly to check the amount. It was for ten million won.
“I understand you were in a life-threatening situation. It’s a paltry sum for a human life, I know, but the Association’s rules have a set limit on compensation… I sincerely hope you understand.”
Yoon Ji-an gave a slight bow.
She was right.
For someone who almost died because of their mistake, ten million won was a weak price for a life.
But I decided not to press the issue.
From the way she bowed her head, I could tell she was genuinely sorry.
However, there was one more thing to clarify.
“I’m not the only one receiving this, am I?”
“Of course not. Ms. Seo Jeong-hee, who was with you, will also be compensated. However, as I mentioned, I came to see you in person, Mr. Kim Do-jin, because I also have a proposal for you.”
“Ah, right. So what’s the proposal?”
I was curious.
What kind of proposal would the Inspection Department have for me that they’d deliver the compensation in person?
Her gaze met mine.
“Mr. Kim Do-jin, have you ever considered learning magic?”