The Rabbit Hole Share House! (3)
Yeon-ha returned two hours later, just as the morning sun began to rise. Iron Colossus was still sitting on the bed in exactly the same position, watching her through the gap in the open door. She looked exhausted—face drawn with fatigue, hair sticking out wildly, pajamas thrown on haphazardly, and the mottled traces of the previous night still clinging to every inch of her body.
Yeon-ha trudged in with heavy steps, then spotted him and widened her eyes for a moment. Soon after, a soft huff of laughter escaped her.
“You’ve been like that the whole time?”
“I went to find you once.”
“I know. I saw you from the window. I thought it was a dream, but I guess it was real.”
Yeon-ha plopped down heavily beside him and let out a deep sigh. Then she slowly scooted closer, almost hesitantly, and asked in a careful voice.
“Sorry. Do I smell?”
“No. It’s fine.”
“Well, I’m not fine. I’ll go wash up. Just wait a minute.”
Yeon-ha stretched with a groan and headed for the bathroom. Waiting was something he was used to. Iron Colossus thought so as he slowly lowered his head.
Shortly after, Yeon-ha returned looking fresh and clean. The kiss marks on her nape and chest couldn’t be helped, but at least the sticky remnants of semen and arousal had been washed away. She let out a long, satisfied hum as she sat beside him and slowly leaned her head against his shoulder.
“I failed. I’m sorry.”
“There’s no need to apologize.”
“The way I spoke to you earlier… it must have hurt. I’m sorry.”
“It didn’t.”
Iron Colossus quietly took her hand. In the end, this was all his fault. Because of his selfish wish for a child, he had dragged her into this burden. No matter what she said or did, all he could feel was guilt.
“Was it… loud?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s not that I didn’t try to hold back on purpose. Really. It hurt my pride and I was embarrassed, so I tried. But after a while, I just couldn’t control it anymore.”
“It’s okay.”
“Even though I was that out of it, I still failed to ovulate in the end.”
“Mm.”
Yeon-ha seemed to be drowning in guilt. Since she had agreed to sleep with that man for the sake of ovulation, failing to ovulate meant she had simply gone out and enjoyed “affair sex” for her own pleasure. The two of them, each carrying the same level of guilt toward the other, let out deep sighs at almost the same moment. Then they looked at each other and smiled faintly.
“We’re kind of idiots, aren’t we?”
“Mm.”
“I really tried to finish it in one go if I could. I kept thinking, ‘This isn’t right…’ and I dropped hints about it being ‘affair sex’ several times. I even said some pretty nasty things to you.”
“I know.”
“Still… if it’s not working… mm.”
Iron Colossus looked at her carefully. She wasn’t used to failing at anything. Perhaps it was because she had lived a life where the word “failure” simply didn’t exist. She was the kind of person who never even considered the possibility of failing, which gave her an unbreakable mentality that refused to bend no matter the situation. She might waver sometimes, or feel frustrated now and then. But even so—always—she would bounce right back up, laugh with a bright “Haha!” and charge forward again.
He had become a hero because he admired that brilliance. He had proposed to her because he had fallen for that beauty. If someone like her ever said, “I can’t do this,” he would have understood. If the price of failure was frustration, that would be one thing. But it could not be the humiliation of repeated rape.
Yet Yeon-ha let out a soft laugh and said,
“Then I guess I have no choice but to use a method that guarantees success.”
“Is there such a thing…?”
“Yeah. It’ll be a bit tough, but… from now on, I’m going to give this my all. This is too humiliating for my pride. If I give up without even trying properly, I’ll just become some easy slut who spreads her legs for anyone and comes crawling back.”
“You’re serious?”
“Not fake affair sex with ‘hints’ thrown in. Real affair sex. The kind that makes even me believe I’m genuinely cheating.” She would need a very thorough, very ruthless mindset reset. That was Yeon-ha’s conclusion.
“So… I’m going to do terrible things to you. A lot. Often. And harshly. Even so… can you wait for me? Can you believe that I’ll come back, and keep waiting while only looking at me?”
What did the hesitation in Yeon-ha’s eyes mean? Iron Colossus gazed into both of her eyes for a moment, lost in thought. Was it guilt over willingly throwing herself into another man’s arms? Anxiety that he might lose affection for her and suggest they break up? Or was it a final plea for him to stop her now if he hated the idea?
Yeon-ha was generally not very honest, so Iron Colossus still couldn’t tell the difference between her words and her true feelings. And right now, that fact felt unbearably painful.
Without answering, he gently stroked her cheek and pulled her into his arms.
“Promise me one thing.”
“Okay.”
“If you ever truly… become sincere. If you ever want to leave me.”
“…That would never happen. Why are you even worrying about that? You’re the only one I have!”
“But if it comes to that. Can you at least be honest with me once? Tell me you want to leave. That you want to live a different life.”
“Iron Colossus!! What are you even saying!”
When Yeon-ha shouted, Iron Colossus simply shook his head and continued in his steady tone.
“If you tell me that, I won’t hold onto you again. Because I respect your life. Because I respect your choice.”
“No, in that situation you’re supposed to cling and beg! If you told me to break up, I’d cry and scream and follow you around and never let go!”
“I can’t do something you would hate, Yeon-ha.”
He kissed her forehead and said,
“Even in the last memory you have of me, I want to remain the same person I’ve always been.”
“You… rock-headed idiot…! In that situation you’re supposed to hold on tight!”
“That’s why. Until the moment you completely leave me. Until the moment that thought even occurs to you… no matter what you do, none of it will be your fault, Yeon-ha.”
Because everything that was happening was the result of his own selfish desire. Because she was doing her best to have his child. Therefore, she had no reason to feel guilty. Iron Colossus truly believed that as he spoke.
“Do what you believe you must. Give it everything so you won’t have any regrets later. And even after that, if you still don’t push me away, I will still be right here.”
Yeon-ha lowered her head and sniffled for a while, then silently wrapped her arms tightly around his body. He sat quietly, gently patting her back. That was how this couple shared their true feelings. Iron Colossus, who was always sincere, didn’t know how to express it in words. And Botal Rabbit, who was always playful, didn’t know how to be serious. So the only way they could share their hearts was in quiet silence, holding each other close.
Yeon-ha cried until his pajama top was soaked through, then whimpered like a wounded animal.
“Still… I wish you would hold onto me.”
“Me too. I hope you never leave me.”
“Yeah. I promise. Forever.”
“I promise too.”
They kissed deeply and fell back onto the bed together.
Later that afternoon, Yeon-ha and Iron Colossus visited the TSS team headquarters. They had an interview about the gate breakthrough and needed to coordinate their future schedule.
“What should we eat after this? We skipped lunch, so since we’re out anyway, let’s go somewhere nice and eat a ton!”
“Mm.”
“Anything you want in particular?”
“Doenjang-jjigae.”
“Aaaargh!! Is there nothing but soybean paste in that head of yours?! You’re not even Korean, so why is your taste so ridiculously local?!”
“Mm.”
As if the events of the morning had been a lie, Yeon-ha was chattering away with her usual boundless energy. In other words, she was exactly like her normal self. Iron Colossus felt strangely relieved by that, which in turn made him feel a twinge of self-loathing.
“By the way, were you serious? About leaving the TSS team?”
“Well… only if the talks don’t go well. Most of my current revenue streams are tied to TSS. If I leave, their stock price defense will collapse, so there’s a lot both sides would lose.”
Yeon-ha hummed as she stepped out of the elevator. She was still chattering away on her way to the team leader’s office when the door opened and someone came out.
“…Botal Rabbit. Iron Colossus.”
“Mm. Chrome Fist.”
“Get lost. I’m in a good mood, and just looking at your ugly mug makes me choke.”
Chrome Fist growled and bumped Iron Colossus’s shoulder hard as he passed. Watching that, Yeon-ha’s eyes flew wide open.
“Should I kill that bastard?”
“Mm.”
“One hit? At most two and he’d be dead, I think.”
She was genuinely furious. The killing intent radiating from her was so thick it was almost tangible. As an S-class hero specialized in villain capture and combat, her “serious” anger was shockingly intense. Iron Colossus let out a small chuckle and gently ruffled her hair.
“It doesn’t suit you.”
“Ugh.”
“If it has to be done, I’ll do it.”
Rank wasn’t an absolute measure of combat power, but Iron Colossus’s objective fighting ability was more than enough even among A-class heroes. On the other hand, Chrome Fist wasn’t even particularly outstanding among B-class heroes. There was no way he could stand a chance against Botal Rabbit, the top S-class, let alone against Iron Colossus in a direct confrontation. And yet he strutted around with that bloated confidence. The fact that he was so full of himself irritated Yeon-ha even more, and she ground her teeth audibly.
“Just give me one more excuse. I’ll really kill him.”
“Mm.”
There was no need to answer. She didn’t actually want that either. But Iron Colossus was already tracking Chrome Fist’s illegal businesses in his own way. Once he had gathered enough evidence to file a villain designation petition with the Association, he planned to apprehend the man himself.
“What are you doing out there? Come in.”
“Ugh. Got it.”
Thunderbird’s voice drifted out from the open team leader’s office. Yeon-ha shivered and headed inside.
“You want to transfer Mr. Tran’s contract?”
“Yeah. We worked together this time and it went really well. The HT team wants to sign him exclusively under me.”
Yeon-ha tapped Thunderbird’s desk with her index finger as she spoke.
“Also, did you know? Chrome Fist has been extorting Mr. Tran’s personal income.”
“That is guidance.”
“…Guidance? Did I hear that wrong?”
“Mr. Tran is a criminal. Not only is he an illegal immigrant, he has a long history of womanizing and even faces quasi-rape charges from several women. Chrome Fist felt his abilities were too valuable to waste, so instead of deporting him after arrest, he is ‘guiding’ him.”
“…That’s hilarious. Since when did we become an educational institution, Miss Thunderbird? If guiding criminals was our job, we should have done it before smashing villains’ heads in.”
“So you’re saying you’ll personally smash Mr. Tran’s head?”
“What kind of crazy nonsense is that?! And if it’s ‘guidance,’ I could do it myself! Does Chrome Fist look like someone who’s good at that? He’s just using unpaid labor while extorting both his workforce and income!”
When Yeon-ha exploded, Thunderbird narrowed her eyes and gave a subtle smile.
“You slept with him, didn’t you?”