Chapter 77
Chapter 77
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Right Now, This Moment (1) (Illustration Spoiler Warning)
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It was a story I brought up with great resolve.
Even when I'd been planning today's date with Kang Hye-eun, I hadn't intended to confess this much to her.
I had planned to reveal my Hunter awakening to some extent, but I thought it was still too soon to tell her that it involved sexual relations with female Hunters.
Part of me worried that the moment I said it, our relationship might shatter completely, so I'd figured I'd keep it hidden as long as possible. But now that I'd finally blurted it out somehow, I felt relieved that I'd done it.
Right now, this moment.
If I hadn't confessed my awakening ability and the sins I'd committed to Kang Hye-eun right here, even if I came clean with the full truth later, she'd never trust me again.
That would only hurt her even more, so I held nothing back.
Not just the fact that I'd awakened, but that using the ability required sex with female Hunters—and that to make it happen, I'd already slept with other women besides her.
"......"
It was a confession I'd made ready to lose everything over.
I'd braced myself for her to get utterly fed up with my sleazy behavior and walk away, or to slap me in genuine fury over what I'd done. Even something worse than that.
...But.
"Th-that method for raising your swordsmanship proficiency... Wh-what exactly are the conditions?"
Kang Hye-eun's trembling voice and the words that came after a few questions and answers were a reaction I hadn't even imagined.
"Does... doing it with me right now... make you stronger too?"
At the end of it all, those words from Hye-eun's lips made me instinctively ask what she meant.
"What?"
"T-Tae-kyung, if you have sex with me now... does it help your awakening ability...?"
To me, who'd been prepared for blame, scolding, or even some rough violence, her question felt almost like she was saying she wanted to help my awakening ability.
I was so caught off guard that I had to ask her to repeat it several times just to grasp it.
"You're serious, Kang Hye-eun?"
"Yeah, I'm serious."
"You'd sacrifice your feelings for a sleazy piece of trash like me awakening?"
"Wh-what do you mean sleazy trash...! I don't think that at all!! You slept with other women just to achieve your dream, right? That's all there was to it!"
"Well, yeah, but..."
"What's wrong with working hard for your dream? The reason I liked you from the start was because I loved how you never stopped trying!"
"......"
"So don't feel guilty about it."
With that, Kang Hye-eun took my hand and pressed it to her left breast, and I could feel her heart pounding wildly even through that thick mound.
Her eyes, fixed on my face, brimmed with tears ready to spill over at any moment, but she smiled brightly as if trying to hide them.
"I want to do this too."
That sad smile made my heart race.
⁎ ⁎ ⁎
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Maybe I'd been a lot happier than I realized.
From losing my parents at a young age before even finishing elementary school and being left alone, to struggling to fit in as the only guy at Hunter training high school. Even up until over a decade of effort went unrewarded without awakening, I'd unconsciously seen myself as the tragic protagonist of some novel.
But Hye-eun's mom had raised me in place of my lost parents, my friends had stuck by me through those awkward school years, I'd ended up as the one and only male awakener after all the twists and turns, and now even my childhood friend who supported that awakening ability was still by my side.
I'd just never noticed it, but I'd somehow checked every box for being happy in this world.
Of course, happiness is subjective, varying from person to person—what one sees as loss, another might call fortune.
But with Kang Hye-eun still wanting to help me even after fully understanding my awakening ability, I could say with certainty that right now, I was happy.
So to honor her promise to share her body for my awakening ability, we soon found ourselves sitting naked on the huge bed, facing each other.
...Like newlyweds confirming each other's feelings before their wedding night.
"Hye-eun."
I met the eyes of Kang Hye-eun, who'd already wiped away her overflowing tears, and called her name as if she were someone new.
Not like a simple childhood friend, or a sex friend for my awakening ability—but like the lover she'd basically been for ages.
Even my voice came out softer, sultrier than usual; it couldn't be helped.
"Yeah."
Kang Hye-eun met my gaze too, exchanging looks brimming with love and affection. Her clear pale purple eyes sparkled like they had hearts etched in them.
They were so beautiful, I almost wanted to lick that pure gaze with my tongue.
"Thank you, Hye-eun."
"......"
"For saying you'd make love with me even after knowing all the stupid things I've done."
She silently shook her head in response to my endless apologies and thanks today.
"I want to do this too."
"......"
"I like doing it with you, Tae-kyung—the guy who never stops trying. That's why I'm doing it."
"Hye-eun..."
"So don't worry about it. It makes me feel weird when you keep bringing it up."
"...Got it."
Yeah, she's right.
Even knowing my awakening ability doesn't let me be with just one woman, she's still saying she'll be my girlfriend. Bringing this up over and over would just make me feel pathetic and insult her choice.
So right now, the best way to show my gratitude for her forgiveness was to embrace it fully.
"......"
"......"
After our last exchange, we stared into each other's eyes for a long while on the bed. Then, without a word about who went first, we slowly drew our heads closer.
Our faces came so close it felt like our eyes were touching, until our noses bumped lightly.
"Heh."
"Kkh..."
This time, we both let out little laughs almost simultaneously.
I remembered our first kiss being way smoother than this, but here we were, noses blocking our lips like it was kiss zero.
We couldn't help giggling at how ridiculous we looked. To hide my embarrassment, I grabbed the back of her head with my left hand and pulled her face to mine.
And our lips finally met in a deep, devouring kiss that lasted a good while.
"Hah."
"Hng."
"Hmph, mmph..."
It was like we were competing over who could devour the other's lips more—we nibbled and sucked at each other repeatedly, as if whoever claimed more proved greater love.
After that long lip-only kiss, I slipped my tongue out and licked her upper lip.
-Lick
"Ah, hnng..."
She let out a cute little moan of surprise, her mouth slowly parting top to bottom.
I pressed my open mouth fully to hers, and our tongues met in a deeper, wetter kiss.
Eye to eye, nose to nose, lips to lips.
Tongue to tongue, saliva to saliva, breath to breath.
In less than ten minutes, we shared a dozen different kisses that felt eternal. Finally, as our long kiss broke and our faces parted enough to see each other...
"Pfft!"
"Pahah!"
We burst out laughing at the same time, unable to hold it in anymore.
"Ah, seriously! What the hell, Tae-kyung?!"
"You're one to talk—you didn't dodge until our noses crashed."
"Pfft, duh, you're supposed to turn your head first, Tae-kyung! That's how it worked the first time!"
"You've kissed plenty before; you know it's not all on me."
"Hehe, whatever. You ruined the mood."
With our noses bumping like that right at the start flashing in our minds, the laughter was inevitable—even in this steamy setup of us naked on a king-sized bed.
"What now? Wanna call it quits for tonight?"
"What? Says the guy with a raging hard-on."
"Nah, I mean... what if you're not in the mood anymore."
"Since when do you care about that? Last time, you fucked me all over the house whether I said stop or not."
"...True enough."
I nodded quietly at her irrefutable comeback.
Thanks to that, the mood we'd broken shifted back to serious.
"Hye-eun."
"Yeah."
"Not sure if it's an apology or what, but tonight, you can do whatever you want."
"Huh?"
"Missionary, you on top, cunnilingus—whatever. Tell me what you want, Hye-eun; I'll let you have your way."
I didn't love woman-on-top personally, so it was a thoughtful offer. But Kang Hye-eun just met my eyes softly and shook her head side to side.
"Tae-kyung."
"Yeah."
"What I want most when we make love is for you to do what you want."
"...Huh?"
"When you're happy, I'm happy. So handle me however you like, Tae-kyung."
"......"
"Right now, this moment. I'm yours."
The moment I heard her shy voice, I knew it for sure.
Right now, this moment. I was the most loved man in the world.