Chapter 158: Skewer (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 158: Skewer (2)
That night, after finishing my shower, I lay in bed, trying to fall asleep.
That’s when it happened.
Knock, knock.
A very cautious knock sounded at my door.
I got up and opened it.
Yoon Chae-ha was standing there.
She looked like she had just gotten out of the shower; her cheeks were flushed red, and the sweet scent of shampoo wafted from her slightly damp, orange hair. She was even wearing pink pajamas with a cute duck pattern on them.
Yoon Chae-ha stood there, watching me uncertainly.
“You’re here?”
At my words, she gave a small nod.
“Yeah…”
Yoon Chae-ha cautiously stepped into the room. I closed the door and looked at her.
“Um, maybe I should just go back to my room? You need to sleep comfortably, too…”
She faltered, unable to finish her sentence. All her earlier confidence was gone.
I recalled what had happened during the day—the reason Yoon Chae-ha had come to this room.
Earlier, she had used the wish ticket she’d won in our bet to ask to sleep together.
Not in any strange way, of course. She just said she wanted to sleep in the same room.
Though, to be honest, I wasn't sure what the difference was.
“Let’s go to bed.”
It was already 11 p.m.
At my words, Yoon Chae-ha’s face turned impossibly red. Instead of answering, she gave another small nod.
We headed to my room.
And as soon as the bedroom door closed…
I gave her what she wanted.
Smooch.
“Hah… Heh…”
After a long kiss, I finally let her go.
Yoon Chae-ha leaned against my chest, gasping for breath as if she’d run out of air.
Her flushed cheeks, her slightly unfocused vermilion eyes, and the hot breaths escaping her parted, moist lips.
I simply held her in my arms.
‘Sleeeep with meeeee.’
Well, it was Yoon Chae-ha’s wish ticket, so I had no choice but to grant her wish.
I gently soothed her.
“Hahh… Hngh…”
Her body trembled faintly in my arms.
“It’s okay, it’s okay. Just breathe slowly.”
I stroked her hair and back, whispering softly in her ear.
“Hahh…”
As if reassured by my voice, Yoon Chae-ha buried her face deeper into my chest and nodded.
The sensation of her soft hair tickling my chin wasn’t unpleasant.
After holding her like that for a while, her ragged breathing slowly steadied. The trembling in her body gradually subsided.
I gently lifted her into my arms and carefully laid her down on the bed.
She wasn’t startled in the slightest, simply entrusting her entire being to my touch.
Her soft body sank into the plush sheets.
“Let’s sleep now.”
I said softly, lying down beside her.
The king-sized bed was so spacious that even with two adults lying in it, there was enough room for one more person.
So this is where Gaon's consideration comes in handy.
Yoon Chae-ha rested her head on my arm, looked at me, and then closed her eyes.
The faint moonlight seeping through the window cast a gentle glow on her cheek.
The lingering flush, her lips slightly swollen from my touch, and the heat that still hadn’t faded created a strange atmosphere.
“……”
Yoon Chae-ha said nothing, only snuggling closer to me with her eyes still closed.
I watched her for a moment before asking quietly.
“Have you… been having a hard time lately?”
It was something I had been genuinely curious about for a while.
She was originally a character far removed from the center of this main story.
A girl who should have walked a smooth path as a genius mage at Carlos Academy, not Gaon, envied by all.
But I was the one who dragged her into the very heart of this current.
Seong Si-woo was dead, and I… desperately needed someone like Yoon Chae-ha.
And Yoon Chae-ha filled his empty spot admirably. No, far more perfectly than I ever could have imagined.
Thanks to me, she gained greater power, but at the same time, she had to endure more training because of me.
And in the future, she will have to face even more dangerous enemies.
She was silent for a moment after my question.
Then, she slowly opened her eyes.
The afterglow of pleasure having faded, her vermilion eyes were clearer and sharper than ever.
She looked up at me and answered with complete honesty.
“It is hard.”
I knew it.
A pang of guilt shot through my heart.
“But…”
Yoon Chae-ha immediately continued. She pressed her face against my chest.
“Living my whole life without you… at Carlos… at the Magic Tower… just researching magic…”
She took a deep breath against my chest.
Then she lifted her head with a confident smile.
Her orange eyes shone with a powerful light.
“That would be harder.”
“……”
“So, I’m okay right now. I’m happy.”
The dazed look she’d had recently was completely gone from her face.
This was the gaze of a genius mage who clearly understood her own feelings and had made her own choice.
These were the eyes of the Yoon Chae-ha I knew.
“……”
I watched her in silence.
Her confidence from moments ago vanished, and as if suddenly embarrassed, Yoon Chae-ha ducked her head.
“I mean… it’s just, you asked, so…”
“Chae-ha.”
At my soft call, she lifted her head.
“Yeah?”
Smooch.
Just like that, I pressed my lips to hers.
Because I was proud of her.
So very proud, and so lovely.
“Heuk…”
Yoon Chae-ha’s body froze in surprise.
I gently sucked on her lower lip and cupped the nape of her neck.
This was a reward for a good girl.
*
11 p.m.
Maengju Guild Headquarters, Kang A-rin's private office on the top floor.
The room was completely sealed off from the outside, filled with a cool silence.
The massive floor-to-ceiling window was blocked by a thick steel barricade, and the only light came from the blue glow of the hologram table in the center of the room, illuminating their faces.
Around the table, three women were already in their positions.
Kang A-rin sat before the table, staring at the hologram with a blank expression.
Yu Hana, now the Sword Empress, leaned against the wall, gently stroking the Dongbaek Sword that Jung Hae-in had given her.
Ha Sion leaned back in the shadows, her eyes closed.
It was about time… for the last person to arrive.
Swoosh.
The office door opened without a sound, and the final person, Cheon Yeo-wool, entered the room.
Her usual playful or seductive smile was nowhere to be seen on her face.
As soon as she entered, she asked Kang A-rin, who was seated at the table.
“Is it true?”
Instead of answering, Kang A-rin swiped her hand across the hologram.
A satellite map of China's Hunan Province appeared, along with Yu Serin's report.
“It’s Team Leader Yu Serin’s report.”
“Hmph…”
Cheon Yeo-wool sighed and walked further into the room.
“So… the Evil God has found out about the Fragment and has started to make a move. Is that it?”
Chirp.
As she finished speaking, a handful of light gathered on her shoulder, materializing into a small, pure-white bird.
It was her Divine Bird, Gani.
“Gani!”
Ha Sion, who had been standing in the shadows, brightened as she approached and gently petted Gani’s head.
The tense atmosphere in the room softened ever so slightly at Gani's appearance.
Kang A-rin nodded at Cheon Yeo-wool’s analysis.
“Yes… for now, that’s the most rational assumption, isn’t it?”
She manipulated the hologram, displaying the mana eruption data sent by Yu Serin.
“According to Team Leader Yu Serin’s report, they’re cleverly concealing the demonic energy they’re emitting. The actual location is Hunan, but they’re making it look like Guangdong. The scary part is that we almost missed it entirely.”
A slight shiver ran down Cheon Yeo-wool’s spine at those words.
If Kang A-rin hadn’t deployed the detectors, or even if she had, if Yu Serin hadn’t been there, they would have remained oblivious to the threat against the Fragment.
“And the forces involved… is there no way to know?”
Yu Hana, who had been leaning against the wall with her eyes closed, spoke up.
Kang A-rin nodded.
“There’s no way. We can only vaguely distinguish that it’s the energy of a Mine.”
Cheon Yeo-wool spoke with a grave expression.
“I may have a Fragment, but… it’s impossible for us to handle this on our own.”
She was right. Since Cheon Yeo-wool had now obtained a Fragment, it might not have been strictly impossible, but for ‘them’ to act alone would only create another Suppression Force.
The conclusion was simple.
As always, they needed Jung Hae-in.
“…Then there’s only one answer.”
It was Kang A-rin who broke the silence.
A bewitching smile played on her lips.
“We’ll have to start a rumor.”
The data on the mana eruption was discovered solely by the Maengju Guild. Therefore, it needed to be refined before it could be released to the media.
She manipulated the hologram table.
At Kang A-rin’s gesture, countless data points and images began to float in the air.
She gathered them and, in an instant, crafted them into a plausible press release.
“‘Stronger Mana Eruption Than the Shanghai Incident Detected in the Guangdong Area… A Mine Attack?’ Something like that for the headline…”
To make sure Jung Hae-in would see the news and take an interest.
Until now, they had always moved on a stage directed by Jung Hae-in.
But this time was different.
It was time to make Jung Hae-in walk onto this stage of his own accord.
“Everyone, get your passports ready.”
Because he would never overlook anything, no matter how small, if it was related to a Fragment.