Chapter 47: Warmth
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 47: Warmth
When I came out of the rift, Shin Yu-jeong was already walking far ahead.
What the hell was she doing, walking around in her armor with a box tucked under her arm?
“I don’t get it, I just don’t.”
If she went home like that, she’d just make a fool of herself.
I went to the changing room, took off the constricting armor, and changed back into my regular clothes.
“Good work today.”
Yoon Ji-an, who had been lingering nearby, greeted me.
Her expression was even stiffer than usual.
Did she think acting like that would make what just happened disappear?
If anything, it was more awkward because I could clearly tell she was forcing it.
“You did well too, Ji-an.”
She reached out her hand.
“Please give me the armor. I’ll have it cleaned and sent to your home, Mr. Kim Do-jin.”
“Thanks.”
Holding the bundle of armor, she hesitated before slowly speaking.
“Um, about… as I said before, what happened in there should be kept secret…”
“Don’t you worry. I’ll keep that secret even if a knife is at my throat.”
I chose my words carefully to reassure her as much as possible.
It would be a problem if she stopped managing me because things got awkward over this.
There was so much I needed to do from now on.
At first, I hadn’t thought about it in that way at all, but now I couldn’t help it.
Whatever the reason, she had given me a handjob and a blowjob.
And my body had clearly imprinted the memory of it.
Now that it had come to this, I had no choice but to see it through to the end.
“Let’s go. I’ll take you home.”
“Then I’ll take you up on that offer.”
As soon as she finished speaking, I got into the car.
I was originally planning to take a bus or a taxi, but I just couldn’t.
My mind was exhausted from the magic, and my body from ejaculating.
Both were completely drained.
Right now, all I wanted to do was get home as fast as possible and lie down.
The scenery flew by outside the window.
And yet, the ride was incredibly smooth.
Her excellent driving skills were part of the reason, but magic played a bigger role.
These days, high-end cars came with various built-in magic features.
From basic things like shock-absorption magic to spells that maintained a constant temperature.
Of course, the mana stones were consumed faster whenever the magic was activated, but the convenience was guaranteed.
“If you’re sleepy, you can get some rest.”
Yoon Ji-an spoke to me while keeping her eyes on the road.
Just as she said, my body felt incredibly drowsy.
It felt like I could fall into a deep sleep the moment I rested my head against the window, but…
“I’ll hold out and get a good night’s sleep at home.”
“Ah, that would be better.”
There was nothing worse than taking a clumsy nap and ruining your sleep for later.
“We’re here.”
Before I knew it, we were in front of my house.
I forced my fatigue-ridden body to move, got out, and stuck my head through the open car window.
Because there was something else I wanted to say to her.
“Uh, I saw you checking some things in the dungeon. Was that my evaluation form?”
“Yes, it was. Is there something you’re concerned about?”
I knew it.
I didn’t need to ask if I met the criteria.
“If I were you, I wouldn’t submit that evaluation form as is.”
Yoon Ji-an’s brow furrowed slightly.
“What do you mean by that…?” she asked, her tone full of confusion.
“Because I think that’s the only way I’ll get to see you for a long time.”
With that, I pulled my head back from the window.
“Get home safe.”
After a final goodbye, I opened the main gate and started up the stairs.
“She should get the hint after that.”
As the Hunter society began to enter a period of stability, the Association started to rot from within.
It was a situation where connections had become more important than one’s own abilities for climbing the ladder.
In a situation like that, what would happen if Yoon Ji-an submitted an evaluation form with unbelievable results?
Yoon Ji-an, who was still just a low-level employee, would immediately be taken off my case.
Someone higher up, someone who wanted to climb even higher, would reach out to me instead.
“And that would be a problem.”
With Yoon Ji-an, it was fine.
Human relationships couldn’t always be pure and clean, could they?
So I didn’t mind if someone like her used me to a reasonable extent.
But anyone else was a no-go.
Especially not a man.
“Ugh…!”
Seriously, why were there so many damn stairs?
Wasn’t there some magic that could turn all these stairs into an escalator?
“It seems possible, actually.”
I’d just have to use magic to make the ground of the entire staircase move.
Though it would probably consume an insane amount of mana.
Lost in such idle thoughts, I finally managed to climb all the stairs.
But there was someone unexpected standing in front of the door.
“Ajumma…?”
It was the Ajumma.
“Ah, Do-jin…”
Hearing my voice, the Ajumma turned around, and her expression was different from usual.
How should I put it? It was as if she was embracing a mountain of worry.
The Ajumma walked over quickly and grabbed both of my arms.
“Are you hurt anywhere? Any broken bones, or, or stabs…?”
Huh, was all that worry on her face really for me?
Turns out it was a very precious expression.
It had been a long time since someone worried about me this much, and my heart felt warm.
I wanted to savor this feeling a little longer, but I stopped because the Ajumma looked so distressed.
“I’m fine, so please calm down.”
When I said it with a smile, her expression softened.
“Phew…”
The Ajumma sighed, placing a hand on her chest.
“About thirty minutes ago, Yu-jeong came in like a madwoman without even changing her clothes, so I was worried, you see.”
“Ah…”
Looks like Shin Yu-jeong made it home safely, at least.
“Nothing happened in the dungeon, did it?”
I shook my head.
“Not at all.”
Strictly speaking, something happened to me, but not to her.
The hand on her chest reached out and cupped my cheek.
Ah, this soft touch.
“You look so tired… Your first dungeon must have been really tough.”
“I guess so.”
I felt a slight pang of guilt.
To be honest, I think I was more tired from shooting so much semen than from clearing the dungeon.
No, wait, that act itself was part of clearing the dungeon, wasn’t it?
Yeah, that’s right.
“Hehe… Yu-jeong was the same. She looked dead on her feet after her first dungeon, she was so exhausted.”
Recalling that time with a fond expression, the Ajumma suddenly came to my side and wrapped an arm around my waist.
Oh, what’s this?
“Let’s get you inside. Ajumma will make you some food, so you can eat and get some rest.”
Is this the charm of an older woman…?
As if mesmerized, I entered the room, and the Ajumma immediately pushed me into the bathroom.
“Hurry up and wash while I make dinner.”
“Okay.”
I answered obediently, immediately stripped off my clothes, and turned on the shower to wash away the sweat and dust.
Washing with the warm water felt like it was melting some of my fatigue away.
A delicious smell wafted in from outside the bathroom, tickling my nose.
“This is the life.”
Clearing a dungeon with a few goblins and getting a warm, home-cooked meal.
To think that Son Si-woo’s life—who, just three or four months ago, would come back from clearing an S-rank dungeon only to make dinner for himself—could change so much.
My heart swelled with emotion…
I hastily dried myself with a towel and went straight outside.
“Oh my, Do-jin!”
The Ajumma blushed when she saw me.
Why was she acting like that?
“You should at least put on some underwear…!”
Oh, so that was why.
I pointed to the dresser in the corner of the room.
“All my underwear and clothes are in there.”
“Th-then you should have asked Ajumma to get them for you…”
A playful urge suddenly came over me.
“Hmm…”
I took the underwear out of the dresser, placed it on the desk, and walked toward the Ajumma, still naked.
“It’s not like you haven’t seen it all before.”
Just a moment ago she was like a warm mother, but now she was like a girl my age.
Just how far did the Ajumma’s charm go…!
“Stop teasing and hurry up and get dressed. You’ll catch a cold.”
“Yep.”
That was enough playing around.
By the time I was dressed, the small dining table was filled with all sorts of side dishes.
There was even a steaming bowl of kimchi stew, though I didn’t know when she’d made it.
“I brought the stew from my place while you were washing up. It’s leftover from dinner, is that okay?”
“Of course.”
It wasn’t like it was a week or ten days old, just an hour or two. How could it not be okay?
“Thank you for the food, Ajumma.”
“Okay, eat up before it gets cold.”
As I took a big spoonful of freshly made rice, the Ajumma, as if she’d been waiting, picked up a side dish and placed it on top.
A small piece of ham dotted with ketchup.
It brought back memories.
Back when we were newlyweds, Han Ju-hee used to put side dishes on my rice like this, too.
Though her cooking was terrible, so it tasted awful.
“Why aren’t you eating?”
Her voice was laced with concern.
“This is only the second time someone’s ever put a side dish on my rice for me.”
“Oh…”
I think I said the wrong thing.
The Ajumma’s eyes filled with pity as she looked at me.
That wasn’t the expression I was hoping for…
But that only lasted a moment.
“From now on, Ajumma will do it for you sometimes, so for now, let’s just eat. Okay?”
Maybe it was a good choice after all…?
I put the spoon in my mouth.
The savory taste of the rice, the sweet and sour ketchup, and the saltiness of the ham.
It was a familiar taste anyone would recognize, but for some reason, it felt exceptionally special today.
“Here, this too.”
Every time I scooped up some rice, another side dish was placed on top.
The feeling of being cared for was so strong that I felt more uplifted than ever.
And so, I finished one bowl of rice.
“Want more rice?”
“Then just a little more…”
“‘Just one spoonful’ is no fun.”
With the kind of line you’d expect from a mother, she packed another bowl full of rice, and only after I’d finished that did the meal end.
“I ate well…”
Ugh, I think I ate too much.
My already full stomach felt like it was about to burst.
I think I gained at least a kilogram.
“Alright, now that you’ve eaten.”
The Ajumma pushed the table to the corner and lay down on the mattress.
Then she patted the empty space beside her, calling me over.
As if in a trance, I walked over and lay down next to her.
I thought the service had already gone above and beyond with the warm meal and the side dishes.
But it seemed that wasn’t the end of it.
“They may be monsters, but it’s still hard taking the life of a living creature, isn’t it…?”
No, not really…
“Honestly, it is a little hard.”
My words were the complete opposite of my thoughts.
The Ajumma gently patted my chest as I lay there and whispered.
“It’s okay. All you did today was make the world a little safer.”
The kind of thing people always say to those who’ve just finished their first dungeon practical.
I’d heard it before in my past life.
Back when I couldn’t stand the filthy feeling of ending a life and was retching my guts out, a senior Hunter patted my back and said it.
That I wasn’t killing, but protecting.
Back then, it didn’t resonate with me one bit, so I flipped him the bird, got smacked on the back of the head, and passed out right in my own vomit.
That’s definitely what happened.
So why did those words sound so comforting today?
Was the problem not the words, but the person saying them…?
“Ajumma…”
Everything was perfect.
“Yes…?”
The soft mattress, the warmth coming from the once-empty space beside me, the gentle patting on my chest, the faint sound of the Ajumma’s breathing.
The perfect environment, making it impossible not to fall asleep.
“Just… stay with me until I fall asleep.”
“Hoho… I didn’t know our Do-jin could be so childish.”
I smiled lightly and snuggled deeper into the Ajumma’s embrace.
“I’ll stay until you’re asleep, so don’t worry and rest well.”
Listening to the sweet whisper in my ear.
I slowly drifted off to sleep.
Deeper than ever before…