Chapter 189: Return (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 189: Return (4)
“Wh… What is all… this…”
Cheon Yeo-wool was momentarily speechless at the surreal sight unfolding before her.
On the bed before her, the phantoms of herself and Jung Hae-in from last night were tangled together, naked, their hips moving furiously.
Cheon Yeo-wool usually presented a rather provocative and sensual side.
But.
Only in front of Jung Hae-in.
It was a conscious ‘effort’ she made to appeal to him as a woman as much as possible.
In other words.
The scene playing out before her now.
It was her own true self, a side that even Cheon Yeo-wool had never seen before.
Cheon Yeo-wool couldn't watch herself having sex with Jung Hae-in. That was only natural.
It wasn't like there was a full-length mirror, and she was always consumed by pleasure, focused only on taking him in.
This was a given.
But now, seeing it all from a third-person perspective…
Cheon Yeo-wool's face flushed crimson.
“Ani… mals…”
A heated sigh escaped her lips.
Who was she talking about?
Both Jung Hae-in and Cheon Yeo-wool.
Frankly, they both looked the part.
Cheon Yeo-wool managed to tear her eyes away from the obscene scene and looked down.
There sat Yoon Chae-ha, the culprit behind this whole spectacle.
But she didn't seem to care in the slightest who had entered the room.
Her amber eyes were simply blazing as she stared at the figures before her.
“Heyyyy…”
Finally grasping the situation, Cheon Yeo-wool scrambled over and covered Yoon Chae-ha's eyes with her palms.
It was just too mortifying.
“What are you doooing…”
Cheon Yeo-wool said, her voice on the verge of tears.
She knew perfectly well what was happening, but saying it out loud was another matter.
This was all she could do.
Fwoosh…
The moment Cheon Yeo-wool's hands blocked Yoon Chae-ha's view, the red light filling the room vanished like a mirage.
It was because Yoon Chae-ha, the caster of the spell, had broken her concentration.
“……”
“……”
Silence fell upon the room once more.
Only the thick scent, a remnant of the previous night, lingered in the air.
As the silence between them stretched on, Yoon Chae-ha, who was sitting on the floor, looked up at Cheon Yeo-wool and spoke first.
“It looked good…”
“Agh! Aaaagh!”
Cheon Yeo-wool practically screamed, waving her hands frantically.
She desperately tried to stop Yoon Chae-ha from finishing her sentence.
What was with this girl? How could she be so bold?
Did she have no shame?
Cheon Yeo-wool was the one who'd had sex.
She was the one who'd done the deed last night.
Yet it was Yoon Chae-ha who was acting completely unfazed.
“Mmmph oook oood.”
‘It did look good.’
It was a muffled mumble from behind a covered mouth, but Cheon Yeo-wool knew exactly what she was saying.
How on earth was she supposed to react to this?
She knew that Yoon Chae-ha also liked Jung Hae-in.
But still.
She had no idea how it even worked—projecting the events of last night into reality like a video.
And how could she remain so composed while watching the man she liked…
with the woman who was her rival…
on the bed?
Not only that, but how could she watch it with the intense focus of someone studying an online lecture?
Cheon Yeo-wool began to feel a little scared of the girl in front of her.
Cheon Yeo-wool slowly lowered her hand.
“…Tell me what it feels like…”
Smack.
She slapped her hand back over Chae-ha's mouth.
It seemed best to just get out of there.
*
Click.
With Yu Serin sleeping soundly on my back, I entered her apartment after the passcode unlocked the door.
She is asleep, right?
The apartment, unsurprisingly, was huge.
Even bigger than the Gaon penthouse. High ceilings and a massive floor-to-ceiling window revealed the Seoul nightscape.
Considering she was one of the top heroes in South Korea, and indeed the world, it was perhaps to be expected.
But while the home was large, it didn't feel empty.
Charming trinkets and warm-toned paintings scattered about filled the space with Yu Serin's personal touch.
It felt less like the home of the professional leader of the Shadow Division and more like that of an ordinary woman in her mid-twenties.
I hesitated for a moment, unsure where to put her down.
There were several rooms, but…
I carried her to the one deepest inside, which at least looked like the master bedroom.
I opened the door carefully.
A faint, gentle scent of roses greeted me as soon as I did.
Her room, unlike the charming living room, had a clean and tidy atmosphere.
A minimalist space, with little more than a huge bed.
I gently laid her down on the plush-looking bed.
Hooo… hooo…
She seemed to be sleeping quite soundly.
I pulled the soft blanket over her.
Then, I prepared to leave quietly.
My job here was done…
“Hae-in-ssi.”
That startled me.
Startled, I turned my head and answered.
“You weren't asleep…?”
“Hae-in… ssi… don't go…”
Sensing a shift in the atmosphere, I turned my head to look down at her. Her eyes were closed.
But tears were streaming from them.
Drip.
Hot-looking tears rolled down Yu Serin's pale cheeks, soaking the pillow.
It seemed she was having a nightmare and talking in her sleep.
“……”
It felt wrong to just leave. I couldn't bring myself to walk away.
Seeing the continuous tears, it seemed like a particularly nasty nightmare…
“…Hoo.”
I closed my eyes and lightly gathered the mana of the Fragment of Harmony in my hand.
Then, I gently placed that hand on her hot forehead.
At that, the furrow in Yu Serin's brow slowly began to smooth out.
Her breathing returned to normal, and the color started to return to her face.
I sat there by the bedside for a while, my hand on Yu Serin's forehead.
At least, until she had completely calmed down.
That was the best I could do.
And…
That's the last thing I remember.
I opened my eyes.
“What the.”
The faint scent of roses from last night tickled my nose.
Behind me, a soft, plush sensation.
For a moment, I couldn't understand why I was lying so properly in Yu Serin's bed, tucked under the covers.
I was sure I had been sitting by the bed with my hand on her forehead.
I stiffly turned my neck to look behind me.
Hooo… hooo…
Behind me, Yu Serin was sleeping peacefully, her breathing as even as a baby's.
Ah.
What is this?
It must be a dream.
Yes, this is a dream.
I denied the surreal sight before me and closed my eyes again.
Just then.
“Mmm…”
Yu Serin stirred behind me, seemingly waking up.
“Hah…!”
Her gasp came from right behind me.
Yu Serin seemed to have realized someone was lying next to her and was startled.
“……”
Silence fell.
She said nothing, as if trying to grasp the situation.
She's probably trying to remember.
Just as I was thinking I should get up naturally when she did…
Swoosh.
Yu Serin's arm slipped around my body.
Then, after shifting for a moment to find the most comfortable position…
“……”
Hooo… hooo…
She went back to sleep.
Back to sleep?
But why?
This time, I just decided to get up first.
“Serin-ssi.”
“……”
She's pretending to be asleep. Breathing evenly.
“Are you awake?”
“Mmm…”
Only then did she put on an act, pretending to wake up groggily.
Watching her, I let out a silent sigh of relief.
Thankfully.
Very thankfully, both Yu Serin and I were fully clothed.
In the same outfits as yesterday.
“Do you remember what happened yesterday?”
“Did… did something happen between us…?”
Yu Serin asked hesitantly, as if she truly remembered nothing.
“No. Nothing happened, but…”
If you could call me passing out and falling asleep while my hand was on her forehead a major incident, then I guess it was.
Come to think of it, isn't this a little dangerous? A scandal with one of the world's top heroes.
Yu Serin could have easily misunderstood…
“So nothing happened…”
But she shook her head as if disappointed and got out of bed.
I stared blankly at her back.
“Do you like pollack soup?”
She asked without turning around as she headed for the kitchen.
I do. I do like it, but.
She had asked me a question, but I couldn't answer.
Because.
She was still wearing the dress shirt she'd had on last night.
But with one thing missing.
Yu Serin seemed to notice my gaze and looked down at herself, puzzled.
“Oh, my.”
She was missing her pants.
Just the dress shirt and, peeking out from under its hem, a single pair of black underwear clinging precariously to her hips.
But Yu Serin made no attempt to hide it.
“I tend to get hot, so I must have taken them off in my sleep.”
Yu Serin gave me a captivating smile.
And with a light, swaying walk, she headed out to the kitchen.
It seemed passing out had indeed been a major incident.