Chapter 52
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Fresh? First Date! (3)
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Spoiled act.
That's when a child puts on the cute act to grab some attention.
The cuteness in question here usually means aegyo, and aegyo comes in all sorts of flavors.
Innate cuteness or behaviors picked up through practice.
There were countless tools for pulling off aegyo.
And among them, the most powerful wasn't what you'd expect—it was that one unexpected punch.
Reversal charm!
When someone who never shows weakness suddenly lets their guard down.
We feel their humanity, empathize, or discover a fresh allure.
And right now.
Airi's spoiled act hit that reversal sweet spot, striking Kim Geon-ho's heart dead center.
"Wh-what... do you want me to do?"
"...Hug me tight and stroke my hair. It's not that hard."
The lust that had been surging moments ago vanished in an instant, replaced by a flood of new emotion.
Protective instinct writhing, demanding he pull Airi into his arms and pet her right then and there.
Kim Geon-ho yanked her deep into his embrace, out of sight from prying eyes.
"...My hair."
"Y-yeah, uh... okay."
Thump-thump-thump.
His heart was racing.
The pounding was so furious, he couldn't even tell whose heartbeat it was where their chests pressed together.
It went beyond a side hug—they were facing each other, locked in an embrace that wouldn't look out of place anywhere.
Airi's legs had somehow ended up draped over his thigh.
Her arms clung tight to his chest.
Like a wounded beast finding its den, Airi felt an overwhelming comfort.
Of course, she didn't truly believe Kim Geon-ho would always be on her side forever.
She'd already been burned once, learning that people could change on a dime depending on the situation.
But.
'Right now...'
For this one moment, she firmly believed he was completely, utterly hers.
A life where she couldn't trust even someone going this far for her sake would be far too heartbreaking.
Airi melted fully into Kim Geon-ho's arms.
Stroke-stroke-stroke.
Each pass of his hand through her hair brought a deep sense of calm.
It went beyond merely filling a void.
She just loved the feel of his fingers threading through her locks.
The movie had been playing for ages, but who cared?
Airi's gaze was locked on Kim Geon-ho, and the film's soundtrack was nothing more than sweet background flavor for the moment.
Crunch.
A soundproof room that should have blocked everything.
Yet the unmistakable sound of popcorn crunching leaked through from outside.
"Did we order popcorn too?"
"...Yeah, we got some."
"Then I want some."
So Airi asked for popcorn, and Kim Geon-ho held out the bucket.
"...You have to feed me. I don't have hands, you know."
Can't you see I'm hugging you so tight I can't do a thing?
Her eyes brimmed with that exact message as she looked up at him.
Pure, innocent eyes.
A hunger for affection she wanted to sate all at once.
All of it swirled in those wide pupils.
'Ah... she's got a real talent for driving people insane.'
Kim Geon-ho was dying inside.
'Why do I wanna tease her so bad right now?'
Farting on her butt would be the bare minimum.
He wanted to tickle her soles, poke her armpits, ruffle her hair—everything.
So this is what it feels like to go crazy over someone being too damn cute.
The urge to pamper her clashed wildly with his rising lust, both surging like mad.
But.
This was her time to act spoiled, so Kim Geon-ho held back—again and again—before fishing a piece of popcorn from the bucket with his free hand.
The hand not stroking her hair.
The moment it slipped from her waist.
"Ah..."
Airi let out a sigh, already missing even that brief separation.
Crunch.
Seizing the moment of her sigh, Kim Geon-ho popped the popcorn into her mouth.
Crunch-crunch.
A few chews later.
With her mouth empty, Airi laid her hand over his now-idle one.
"More?"
"Mm, no."
Shake-shake.
Her head wagging in cute denial was just too adorable.
Airi had eaten the popcorn, but her expression said her craving was far from sated as she continued.
"Not that. Your hand's empty."
Hug me tighter.
Squeeze.
She gripped his hand and tugged it back to her waist, pressing it firmly there.
It was a big, warm hand.
'They say tigers run hot.'
His body heat was high enough to brave the winter—turns out it was true.
Murmuring that to herself, she slowly closed her eyes.
She'd been so exhausted lately.
Memories of facing those frigid winter winds alone flickered through her mind.
Just for a little while, she wanted to be the tiger's bride and claim his side all to herself.
'If only your love, your warmth, were meant for me alone.'
She indulged in a naughty fantasy for a moment.
"...I'm seriously gonna lose my mind."
The movie finally ended.
Airi slipped from his arms like it was nothing.
Like a butterfly alighting on a flower for a quick sip of nectar, then fluttering away.
He couldn't forget the sight of those wings, and his heart still fluttered madly.
"What're you doing? We watched the movie—time to head to the next spot."
Airi circled him with her usual haughty tone.
Even amid it all, her refusal to meet his eyes was utterly lovable.
Cute didn't even begin to cover it—she was the pinnacle of lovable.
That was Airi.
"You go ahead. I gotta hit the bathroom real quick."
"Then I'll wait nearby..."
Hurry back.
Too shy to say it outright, Airi blushed crimson the second her words trailed off and scurried away first.
'Am I the subject of some social experiment?'
You know, the kind testing how much someone rattles when hit with an unexpected charm?
He half-wondered if that's what this was.
'...Not the point right now.'
The real priority wasn't dwelling on stray thoughts—it was bolting straight to the bathroom.
Not for any natural urge, of course.
'Gotta take care of this lust, no matter what.'
Pat-pat-pat-pat-pat.
He looked like a total pervert in heat, and yeah, a twinge of shame hit him—but it couldn't be helped.
Act normal around a spoiled Airi pulling aegyo like that? Impossible.
'Gotta relieve it before I go back.'
But having such stamina was a curse at times like this.
It took a solid twenty minutes of firm strokes up and down to finally drain it.
He'd rushed and fired off one round, but the damn thing was still half-ready—he had no choice but to stuff it away by force.
'Kept her waiting too long.'
Twenty minutes wasn't forever, but for someone waiting? Plenty long.
Half of him worried she'd get upset over it.
The other half secretly hoped it'd make her act even more spoiled and cute.
Entertaining those thoughts, he stepped back out.
"Hey, why won't you say anything! Say something, damn it?"
"You wreck our family and just chill watching movies? You've got some balls."
He spotted Airi getting harassed.
Snap.
Something inside his heart broke.
Rewind to earlier, when Kim Geon-ho was still taking care of himself.
'Geon-ho's taking forever...'
Tap-tap.
Airi waited for Kim Geon-ho, idly tapping her shoe toe against the floor.
It had been fifteen minutes since he'd said he'd be right back.
No word from inside, no answer to her texts—nothing to do but wait.
Even that wait felt happy, though.
'So warm.'
She could still feel the warmth from her stroked hair, her tightly hugged body, the thick arm wrapped around her waist.
Whether it was cologne or just him, his faint scent lingered too, making it feel like he was right there even without him.
How much longer did she stand there?
Footsteps.
Someone approached in front of Airi.
"What took you so—"
"Whoa! You were bowing your head, no way... it really is Airi?"
It wasn't Kim Geon-ho.
"Playing the pitiful loner card, pulling that 'world's saddest face' routine—when did you find time to hit the movies?"
"Th-that's..."
Her joyful eyes shattered, anxiety flooding in to fill the cracks.
Sharp emotions and those old painful memories tore at her heart.
"Th-that? Now you're stuttering? Hit a nerve, so time for victim cosplay? Do you even know how much damage your family caused us?"
"Holy shit, it really is Airi... you're nuts. Must be nice having some breathing room, huh?"
"Ah, right—with that amazing talent of yours, you clawed your way into Hero Academy without a scratch, didn't you?"
Only four people closing in around her.
But to Airi, it felt like the moment her family had plummeted into ruin all over again.
Hundreds sneering, pointing fingers.
Strangers piling on with unspeakable insults.
Hurling curses like maledictions, all eager to watch her crash and burn.
It had been unjust to her, yet a festival for the crowds cheering it on—that same feeling crept back up.
"Ah... aah..."
Her voice refused to come out again.
Her legs trembled, vision flickering nonstop.
"Say something! Hey! Hey!"
The yelling was too eerily similar to back then.
Airi couldn't hold out any longer—her legs buckled.
As she crumpled like she was falling into an abyss.
Whoosh!
Kim Geon-ho caught her.
"...Don't even think about walking back on your own two feet all fine and dandy."