A Fitting Reward (9)
Gulp, gulp—
"...Whew."
After stepping out into the living room and chugging a bottle of water, gripping it so hard the plastic nearly crushed in my hand, I grabbed a fresh bottle from the fridge and headed back to the bedroom.
Approaching the bed with a bit of caution, I held it out to Baek Seol-ah, who was sprawled out on the mattress.
"Here. Water."
"..."
Baek Seol-ah, who had been staring blankly at the ceiling with exhaustion written all over her face, slowly rolled her eyes toward me without bothering to turn her head or sit up.
Feeling the thick, heavy resentment dripping from her gaze, I cleared my throat.
"Ahem. Want me to, uh, open it for you?"
"..."
She didn't answer, but I quickly twisted the cap off anyway and offered the bottle to her as politely as possible.
For a long moment, Baek Seol-ah just glared coldly at me, her head still buried in the pillow.
Just as I was seriously debating whether I should pour the water directly into her mouth myself, she finally reached out and snatched the bottle from my hand.
Snatch!
Pushing herself up against the mattress, she raised her upper body and began to rehydrate.
Just like I had done moments ago, she gulped it down, chugging away to replenish all the fluids she had lost.
"...Phew."
After completely draining the bottle, Baek Seol-ah set it down on the nightstand and let out a long sigh. It seemed she had recovered at least a fraction of her energy.
"You pervert. No, you absolute beast."
"...Mm."
This wasn't exactly great news for me. Now that she had regained a sliver of her strength, she immediately glared at me with sharp eyes, spitting out venomous words.
But I didn't bother arguing back. Now that my sanity had returned, I was a man with a functioning conscience.
Seeing Baek Seol-ah trembling, her lower back shaking as if she couldn't even find the strength to support herself—if I didn't walk on eggshells after that, I wouldn't be human. I really would be a beast, just like she said.
Unlike me, who had taken a quick break and thrown on some underwear, Baek Seol-ah had been lying in bed the entire time since we finished, still completely naked.
She had pulled the discarded blanket halfway up to cover her private parts, but...
The sheer contrast of her exposed upper body and covered lower half created an incredibly alluring, provocative atmosphere.
Anyway, Baek Seol-ah brushed her bangs back with a weary expression, muttering in irritation.
"...Just how many times did you dump it inside me? Seriously, were you trying to break my waist?"
"Ahem. Well, you see..."
"And even when my eyes were completely out of focus and I couldn't even move a finger, you still made me clean you up with my mouth... Are you even human, Han Taeyang?"
I had absolutely no excuse. As her scolding continued, my head naturally drooped lower and lower.
To be honest, I had gotten a bit carried away and kept going without showing any consideration for her stamina.
And to be even more honest, seeing Baek Seol-ah beg me to stop with tears welling up in her eyes had been so incredibly hot that it drove me wild.
Either way, it was practically an irresistible force.
How is any guy supposed to hold back in that situation?
Still, lacking the courage to look her in those sharp eyes, I let my gaze wander around the room.
That was when her mouth caught my attention.
...Ah.
She must have rinsed her mouth when she drank the water, but she hadn't managed to clean the outside.
Seeing the sticky white fluid still clinging to her jawline, I quickly grabbed a box of tissues.
When I silently held one out to her, she finally realized what state she was in.
Frowning, she glanced at the mirror in the corner of the bedroom.
"...Wipe it off yourself, you beast."
"Sure."
As she turned back to me with an even colder glare, I had no grounds to refuse her command. I quickly climbed onto the bed.
While Baek Seol-ah glared daggers at me, she obediently lifted her chin, and I awkwardly but meticulously wiped her mouth with the tissue.
I wasn't usually the type of character to walk on eggshells around Baek Seol-ah like this, but...
I figured I should cater to her whims for the time being.
Given what I had just put her through, I didn't have the heart to act as smug and annoying as I usually did.
"Clothes."
So, when Baek Seol-ah gestured with her eyes, I picked up her underwear scattered haphazardly across the floor.
And when her silent, expectant gaze didn't waver, what else could I do? I had to read the room and help her put them on.
Moving behind her, I fastened the hooks of her bra, then slipped her arms and torso into a plain white t-shirt as she raised her arms.
As she sat on the edge of the bed and stretched out her bare legs, I knelt down to help her pull up her shorts.
"...It's about time for lunch."
"Huh? Oh."
"I'm kind of hungry."
Baek Seol-ah gestured toward the wall clock with her chin as she spoke.
Turning my head, I saw that it was already 2:00 PM, just as she said.
Nearly five hours had passed since she arrived at my dorm early this morning, and we had spent all of it rolling around in bed. It was safe to say we had completely missed lunchtime.
Still, I wasn't stupid enough to miss the meaning behind those golden eyes staring intently at me while she slowly rubbed her stomach.
I quickly pulled out my smartphone and asked her.
"Should we order something? My treat."
"Malatang. And YeopX tteokbokki."
"..."
Though her choice of menu was a bit terrifying.
"What?"
"...Nothing. What spice level?"
"Level three."
"Got it."
The moment my finger hesitated over the food delivery app, her eyes narrowed in a glare, so what choice did I have?
I wasn't a big fan of extremely spicy food, but today, I just had to shut up and eat whatever she wanted.
Ding!
Your order has been placed successfully.
And I placed orders from both restaurants.
Only after showing her the confirmation screen did the prickly expression she had been wearing all morning finally soften a bit.
"Hmph. Set it up when the food gets here. I want to eat the second it arrives."
"...And what are you going to do in the meantime?"
Baek Seol-ah stood up from the bed and stretched. I looked up at her as she answered.
"Well, obviously... I need to wash up. You made such a sticky mess of me all over, I feel absolutely disgusting right now."
"Ah. Right."
I nodded absentmindedly, but my jaw dropped when I saw her immediately pull off the t-shirt I had just helped her put on and head toward the bathroom.
Wait a minute.
...What the hell?
If she was going to shower immediately because she felt so sticky, why did she make me dress her in the first place?
If her body was really that sticky, didn't she just ruin a perfectly clean shirt for nothing?
"Oh, and if you peek, you're dead."
I stared at her in utter disbelief, but Baek Seol-ah didn't even look back as she shut the bathroom door behind her.
Soon, the sound of the shower running echoed softly through the door.
Shhhhhh—
"Unbelievable."
It was completely absurd, but it wasn't a big enough deal to waste energy overthinking.
Maybe she just wanted to see me wait on her hand and foot like a servant.
Actually, that was highly likely the exact reason.
I shook my head.
About thirty minutes later, just as I finished setting up the freshly delivered food on the table, Baek Seol-ah stepped out of the bathroom, steam rising from her skin.
She was dressed in clean clothes again, drying her wet white hair with the towel I usually used.
She pulled out the chair opposite me and sat down.
"?"
She paused, staring at the spread on the table.
"...You idiot! Why did you order the plum flavor? Even if I didn't say anything, you should have obviously ordered peach!"
Whack!
Without a moment's hesitation, she infused the towel with mana to harden it and smacked me right on the crown of my head.
All because I had ordered the plum-flavored Coolpis—the ultimate companion to spicy food—instead of peach.
I clutched my throbbing head, my face twisting in pain.
"...They were out of peach, so I didn't have a choice."
"I don't care."
"..."
Swallowing the anger bubbling up inside me at her swift retort, I lowered my gaze.
I was only letting this slide because she had let me fuck her to my heart's content today. Any other day, and she wouldn't have gotten away with this.
Fucking bitch.
Seriously. I meant it.
After finishing our late lunch, Baek Seol-ah hung around my dorm for a while.
She sprawled out on the sofa, deliberately avoiding even looking toward the bedroom, completely absorbed in the TV.
For some bizarre reason, her feet were draped over my lap. I stared down at them with a disgruntled look before tossing a casual remark her way.
"Hey, Baek Seol-gi."
"What?"
"Aren't you going back to your room?"
"Huh...?"
Only then did she seem to realize how much time had passed. She blinked her round eyes and lifted her head.
Her eyes checked the clock, but her indifferent expression didn't change much.
Twitching one eyebrow slightly, Baek Seol-ah kicked my thigh with her heel. Thud!
"...Well, I guess I should head out soon. How did it get so late?"
"Probably because you stuffed your face with malatang and tteokbokki, and then went ahead and stole my ice cream on top of that."
"Oh, please. Don't be so petty over a single tub of ice cream. Where's your masculinity?"
Baek Seol-ah curled her lips into a playful smile, her eyes curving mischievously.
Then, with a cute little grunt, she pushed herself up.
"...What are you doing?"
"Hold on a second."
As I mentioned, her ankles were resting on my lap. I was basically being used as a footrest.
But since Baek Seol-ah had used her impressive core strength to sit straight up, what do you think happened?
Suddenly closing the distance between us, bringing a faint scent of citrus with her, she wriggled her body forward once more.
She slid her legs over mine—from her ankles to the back of her knees, then her thighs, until her hips were right in front of me.
What did this mean?
"Take a picture with me. I need it for something."
"...What?"
In short, while I was still trying to process what was happening, Baek Seol-ah had used my lap as a chair, practically throwing herself into my arms.
Startled by her sweet scent at point-blank range, I flinched in embarrassment.
"Now, say cheese."
Click!
Before I could react, Baek Seol-ah wrapped her left arm around my neck, pressed her cheek firmly against mine, and snapped the photo.
The camera captured her cheek squishing cutely against mine from the close contact.
While I stood frozen with a dumbfounded look, completely unable to comprehend what was going on, Baek Seol-ah checked the screen of her phone and nodded with a faint smile.
"Yeah, this came out well. This'll do."
"He really is good-looking..." she muttered under her breath, so softly that I barely caught it.
Covering her mouth with her locked phone, Baek Seol-ah peeked at me and spoke.
"Well then, Han Taeyang? I'll be going now. I've overstayed my welcome since this morning."
"...What? No, wait. What the hell was that just now?"
As she finally stood up from my lap to head back to her room, I asked in confusion, and she turned back to look at me with a shy smile.
"Oh, nothing much. Just..."
Her phone screen lit up, displaying the photo we had just taken.
...A picture of Baek Seol-ah and me, clinging tightly to each other like a pair of deeply in love sweethearts.
Showing me the screen as if to flaunt it, her golden eyes flickered with a strange, alluring light.
"A little piece of evidence... to torment my foolish boyfriend a bit, I suppose?"
"...?"
Naturally, I had no idea what she meant by that.
Regardless of my confusion.
"Anyway, I'm off! I've said this before, but I'm always truly grateful that you play along with my selfish demands, Han Taeyang."
"..."
"Oh, and since we took the photo anyway, I'll send it to you later."
"Well."
"If you like it, you can save it as a keepsake."
With that strangely sensual smile and coquettish remark, Baek Seol-ah gave me one last look.
She slipped into her slippers at the entryway and left my room.
Ding!
Just as she promised, a photo from Baek Seol-ah arrived via the messaging app shortly after.
I stared at the photo with a complex expression that was hard to put into words.
Then, I let out a soft gasp.
Ah.
...Her cheek, which I had always imagined would be incredibly soft, was squished flat against mine.
I frowned, thinking to myself.
Seriously. Baek Seol-ah is a real piece of work.
That was exactly what she was.
Just a few weeks ago, she looked at me with pure disgust, saying even brushing hands with me made her feel sick.
And now, without anyone prompting her, she was pressing her cheek against mine like this.
If she was doing this consciously, she was wicked; if she was doing it unconsciously, she was a natural-born temptress.
Either way, she was still a piece of work.
At the very least, she was an absolute expert at playing with a guy's heart. Whether she realized it or not was a different story.
I furrowed my brow for a brief second, then quietly tapped a spot on the screen.
Photo saved successfully.
It really was a perfect shot to set as a wallpaper.
Well, actually setting it as my wallpaper would make me feel like a total creep, so I wasn't actually going to do it.