Chapter 107
Chapter 107
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 107
Chapter Title: My Sister and the Queen (2)
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“S-Sis?”
As Oh-jin whipped his head around in shock.
“—Pfft!”
A suppressed laugh burst from Ha-eun’s lips.
Oh-jin frowned and turned his head back toward her.
Underneath the towel, he saw Ha-eun playfully sticking her tongue out, clad in a black, off-the-shoulder bikini.
“Seriously.”
A dry laugh escaped Oh-jin’s lips.
“Kyahahahaha!!! What? Were you hoping your big sis would come in stark naked?”
Ha-eun clutched her stomach, exploding with laughter as if it were the funniest thing in the world.
“Hmm~? Go on, say it. ‘I wanted to see my sister naked~’.”
“…”
Poke, poke.
Ha-eun giggled, poking his cheek with her fingertip.
A thick vein bulged on Oh-jin’s forehead.
“…Fine.”
“Huh? What’s fine?”
“What’s our relationship that we need to cover up with a scrap of cloth like this?”
He pressed his body against hers, pinning her to the wall.
“Wh-Wha?”
Ha-eun’s eyes darted around in a fluster.
“—Now, take it off, sis.”
He said, pointing to the bikini covering her body.
“Y-Y-You crazy bastard! Take what off?!”
Ha-eun’s face flushed red as she kicked Oh-jin’s shin.
“Th-That’s… l-l-later.”
“What was that?”
“Sh-Shut up and sit here, you brat!”
*Bang, bang!*
Ha-eun shouted, roughly slapping the bathroom stool.
Oh-jin stared at her, dumbfounded.
“Are you really going to wash me?”
“You want me to pretend to wash you?”
“I’m not a kid.”
“In your sister's eyes, you still look like one.”
*She’s only a year older than me.*
“I guess there is a difference. We’re in different decades now.”
He was still in his vibrant twenties, while she was now thirty—
“Huh? What did you just mutter?”
“Goo goo. Me baby Oh-jin. Bathe me.”
“Whatever.”
Ha-eun smirked and picked up the washcloth.
Oh-jin sighed, taking the towel Ha-eun had been wrapped in to cover his lap before sitting on the stool.
-Swoooosh!
Warm water from the showerhead drenched his body.
“Your hands… do they still hurt?”
“They don’t hurt anymore. They just won’t move.”
“Honestly.”
*Smack!*
Ha-eun slapped him on the back.
A vivid red handprint appeared on his well-muscled back.
“…You always come back hurt.”
*Thud.*
Ha-eun rested her forehead against Oh-jin’s back.
“Do you have any idea how worried I was when I heard you collapsed, you punk?”
Her voice was choked with tears.
After his fight with Cheon Woo-seong, Oh-jin had said he would just sleep for five minutes, but he ended up unconscious for over three hours.
It was Jeon'gyeon Choi Woo-jin who found him.
While engaged in a fierce battle with the Owls led by Cheon Woo-seong, he had been tracking the escaped Cheon Woo-seong after the situation was resolved and stumbled upon Oh-jin.
When he was found, both of Oh-jin’s arms were said to be in a state beyond recovery.
‘Well, I did use Hydro-affinity to heal them afterward.’
But the fact that his fingers hadn’t moved an inch even after several days suggested the internal damage had been severe.
“Sorry.”
“This isn’t the first time.”
Ha-eun pouted and reached out to caress Oh-jin’s back.
His firm, muscular back was covered in scars, big and small.
Countless wounds acquired throughout his life.
Among those scars were ones he had gotten before becoming an Awakened, while caring for her when she was blinded by the curse of the Heavenly Dragon Barbatus.
“You’re really… such a fool.”
“I’m not a fool.”
Oh-jin smiled faintly and shook his head.
“Without these, I wouldn’t even be here with you, would I?”
“…”
Ha-eun’s eyes trembled.
“I’ve gotten hurt in all sorts of ways, but I’ve never once regretted it.”
For her sake.
He could accept scars like these with a smile.
“Ah, ugh. Th-This bastard, saying things like that again.”
Ha-eun hid her apple-red cheeks and slapped his back once more.
This time, it was as gentle as a caress.
“Really… you’re impossible.”
A soft smile played on her lips as she squeezed body wash onto the washcloth.
She gently scrubbed Oh-jin’s body with it.
“Until your hands are fully healed, I’ll take care of you, so you better behave, understand?”
“…You’re not going to follow me in every time I wash up, are you?”
“Heehee. Why? Isn’t it nice to get a look at your big sis’s gorgeous body?”
It was true.
Ha-eun possessed a figure that most models couldn’t even dream of, and seeing her in a revealing bikini was breathtakingly alluring, but…
“…I don’t think I could handle it.”
The destructive power was far too great.
Even though he had been with her for a long time, he was still a healthy man. If she came in with him every time he washed, he wasn't confident he could control his desires.
“…You don’t have to.”
“What?”
“N-Nothing, you brat.”
*Scrub, scrub.*
Ha-eun rubbed the washcloth vigorously, as if she were scrubbing off dirt.
“By the way, where’s Vega?”
“Her time was up, so she went back to the Sanctuary.”
*So that’s why it’s so quiet.*
“Anyway. From now on, I’ll ask Liak for help, so you don’t have to come in.”
“What, are you embarrassed?”
Ha-eun playfully tickled his side.
“Such a petty guy. We’ve already seen everything, so what’s there to hide now?”
“…”
He remembered the time Vega and Ha-eun had ganged up to strip him bare.
“Heehee. Don’t go asking that ridiculously prideful wolf bastard just to get an earful. Just leave it to your big sis, okay?”
Ha-eun grinned and turned on the water, rubbing every inch of his body with the washcloth.
Her slender fingers, felt through the cloth, tickled his skin.
‘This is seriously dangerous.’
His reason was starting to fray.
“I’ll do the rest.”
“Huh? You’re still covered in soap, what are you…”
“Hurry.”
Ha-eun’s gaze drifted toward the towel covering Oh-jin’s lap.
“A-Ahem!!”
Her face flushed crimson.
“W-Well then, I’ll be going first!!”
*Scurry.*
Ha-eun hastily exited the shower.
“Haaah.”
A deep sigh escaped Oh-jin’s lips.
‘I have to do this every day?’
The image of Ha-eun in her bikini lingered in his mind.
The feel of her soft fingers on his skin.
Even the movement of the washcloth as she diligently cleaned his body.
“…I need to get better fast.”
He had always thought he was good at self-control.
But now, he was starting to think that might not be the case.
* * *
It was about a week later that his fingers began to move normally again.
“Hooah!”
Waking up early for the first time in a while, Oh-jin went to the nearby Awakened-exclusive training facility and moved nonstop for a full six hours, from dawn until noon.
“Ahh! Now this is living.”
After being held captive by Ha-eun and Vega for the past week, subjected to confinement in the name of care, he was reminded of just how precious it was to be able to move his body freely.
‘Well, it was nice, though.’
In fact, it was too nice, and that was the problem.
From simple meals to getting dressed and washing up, he was cared for in every single aspect, to the point where he wondered if it was okay to live like this.
‘I need to get my act together and focus on training again.’
He needed to adapt to the physical changes and increased magic power that came with reaching 6-Star.
He also needed time to test his new skills, Charge and Discharge.
‘I got a decent feel for it during today’s training.’
Oh-jin focused mana into his right hand and used the skill.
‘Charge.’
*Crackle—!*
Fierce blue lightning blazed.
‘Discharge.’
*Kzzzzzzzt!!*
The blue lightning that had gathered in his right hand swept forward with savage intensity.
“Using it just once doesn’t pack much of a punch.”
It was far more efficient to use Blast Lightning or Spear Lightning than to use a single charge.
‘I need at least three stacks for it to have any real power.’
Right now, the maximum number of charges he could stack without straining his body was five.
Anything more than that caused pain to shoot through his entire hand, putting a burden on his body.
‘It also takes a lot of time to charge.’
For combat, about three stacks seemed appropriate.
“That’s enough training for today.”
Oh-jin pulled his smartphone from his pocket and checked it.
Messages from Department Head Han appeared on the screen.
[The Guy Who Bought Me Beef: Oh-jin, are you feeling better?]
*Tap, tap, tap.*
He sent a reply.
[Oh-jin: Yes, I’m all better.]
[The Guy Who Bought Me Beef: In that case, could you stop by the Association today? The President said he has something to discuss with you.]
*Hmm.*
Something to discuss.
‘Is it about my reward?’
His eyes filled with anticipation as Oh-jin quickly typed.
[Oh-jin: I’ll be there around 2 PM.]
[The Guy Who Bought Me Beef: Yep, yep! See you then!]
After setting the appointment with Department Head Han, he left the training room and headed home.
“For 6 hours and 27 minutes in a private training room, with a 10% discount, the total is 678,000 won~”
“Fuck.”
“Excuse me?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Even considering that Awakened-exclusive training facilities were expensive, how could six hours cost nearly 700,000 won?
And that was with a discount.
‘Is there… not one?’
Oh-jin shot a sharp glare at the innocent employee and handed over his card.
“Haaah.”
For training, there was no place better than an Awakened-exclusive facility, but the exorbitant fees were a major drawback.
‘And the facilities aren’t even that great.’
To be precise, Oh-jin’s level had risen so high that the facility’s durability felt relatively flimsy.
‘I wish I had a place where I could train without holding back.’
Finding such a place in the heart of Seoul was not easy.
He could go for a light jog or do some stretches along the Han River, but it was impossible to conduct full-scale training using his Stigma.
‘Tsk… well, it can’t be helped.’
He might have a bit more money now, but it wasn't nearly enough to afford a personal training facility in the 'super' central part of Seoul.
“Maybe I should look into a training facility if I get a nice chunk of reward money this time.”
The Stigma on Oh-jin’s left chest had six strokes.
But he already possessed skills on par with an 8-Star Awakened, specifically a top-tier one on the verge of ascending to 9-Star.
To build a facility that could withstand his magic power would cost at least several billion won.
‘…It’s a damn waste of money, but.’
What could he do?
The training facility he and Ha-eun frequented was not only expensive, but it also wasn't built to properly withstand the magic of 7 or 8-Star Awakened. This forced them to hold back every time they trained.
“Tsk… Still, I can’t be cheap when it comes to training.”
Money was a means to an end, not the end itself.
In a situation where he needed to build his strength as quickly as possible, continuing with inconvenient training just to save money was foolish.
-Thump! Clatter!
As he was lost in thought on his way home.
A loud noise came from the apartment building directly across from his.
‘Are they doing construction?’
He turned his head to look at the construction site.
It was a 30-story mixed-use apartment building.
In front of the building, which had a glamorous exterior like a 5-star hotel or a corporate headquarters, people in yellow hard hats were moving about busily.
“Hmm. It’s going to be a bit noisy for a while.”
After watching the construction site for a moment, Oh-jin turned and headed home.
-Click.
“Oh, you’re back from training?”
“Yeah.”
“You little punk, you should’ve rested a few more days. The moment your fingers start working, you dash out at dawn.”
“Hehe. I rested enough. I’m all better now.”
“Hmph. Really?”
Ha-eun scanned Oh-jin from top to bottom, still looking anxious.
As he said, his body looked perfectly fine, at least on the outside.
“Oh, right. Sis, I need to stop by the Association for a bit.”
“Why the Association?”
“The President said he has something to talk to me about.”
“Ooh, is he giving you a reward? I heard you did something huge this time.”
“I don’t know. Probably?”
“Hmm.”
Ha-eun’s eyes sparkled as she strode over and linked her arm with his.
“I wanna go too.”
“I can go by myself.”
“What if some bad people lead our Oh-jinnie astray?”
“Whatever.”
*Pfft.*
Oh-jin let out a chuckle and headed for the shower.
“Alright, let’s go together after I wash up.”
“Want me to wash you?”
It was a tempting offer, but.
“I’m good.”
He couldn’t keep acting like a child with her anymore.
“…Tsk.”
Ha-eun watched Oh-jin head to the shower, a look of disappointment on her face.
* * *
After showering and having a simple lunch.
Oh-jin and Ha-eun headed to the Association together.
They followed Department Head Han, who came out to meet them, to the President’s office.
“Ah, you’re here?”
“Yes.”
Oh-jin nodded, looking at Han Tae-ho with eyes full of anticipation.
“What was it you wanted to discuss?”
“Ahem. Well, there’s a favor I’d like to ask of you.”
“…Hmm.”
A look of blatant disappointment crossed Oh-jin’s face.
“Hahaha! Don’t look so let down. I haven’t forgotten about your reward for the last incident. We’re planning to give you a 5 billion won reward, a presidential citation, and a Sacred Relic currently being developed by Kim Si-hoo.”
*Whoa.*
A gasp escaped his lips.
He didn't care much for the presidential citation, but a sum of 5 billion won and a Sacred Relic were certainly tantalizing rewards.
“Come on, it’s not like I did it for the reward.”
“Hoh. Does that mean you don’t need it?”
*Is this old man crazy?*
“Haha! Just kidding.”
Han Tae-ho laughed heartily and shrugged.
*So this is why he was called the Viper among the Black Star Organization.*
“So, what’s this favor?”
“Ah, we have a very important guest from abroad. They said they’re a fan of yours and desperately want to meet you. I was thinking you could show them around Seoul and perhaps build a friendship.”
“A fan of mine?”
*Who could it be?*
“Wait just a moment.”
Han Tae-ho walked over to the adjacent room and knocked on the door.
-Click.
Through the carefully opened door.
“It’s been a while, Mr. Oh-jin.”
The Leech Queen walked out, a bright smile on her face.