Temptation (7)
“….”
I unconsciously stroked the phone tucked inside my pocket, replaying the strange look that had crossed Mom’s face. The pity in her eyes as she stared at Yu Jihwan. The way her lips had twisted, seductive and knowing. It felt like something I had seen before… a strangely familiar feeling.
While I was lost in that inexplicable sense of déjà vu—
Clap clap clap clap clap—!!!!!
“Phew…”
Yu Jihwan returned to his seat amid the applause, and Gong Haeseon immediately began fawning over him.
“…C-congrats, Jihwan…! You were seriously so cool…!”
“Thanks. Congrats on your award too.”
My nerves were already razor-sharp. Having Gong Haeseon act like that on top of everything else only made irritation flare inside me.
…How annoying.
“Soyeon.”
Yu Jihwan leaned toward me from the adjacent seat and whispered softly. When I glanced over, he was watching me with a strangely proud look on his face.
“…Congratulations on the award. For real. Let’s keep doing well together from now on.”
His eyes were warm. It wasn’t the kind of gaze I wanted from him, but his praise still felt good.
“…We’ll see.”
Despite what I felt inside, a slightly curt reply slipped out anyway.
Once the award ceremony ended and Mom vanished behind the stage, a broadcast rang through the auditorium.
In a moment, the lecture by the Sword Empress Ju Yeonhee will continue, so all students please remain seated…
Students immediately poured out and began setting up the stage.
The auditorium buzzed with murmurs.
“….”
Suddenly deflated, I let out a heavy sigh and slumped back in my chair.
…I must have seen it wrong. Mom’s hair and the woman’s hair on that USB looked similar, so it was probably just a mistake.
[ …When you enter a Gate as a hunter, the first thing… ]
I watched my wife stride across the stage delivering her lecture and unconsciously let out a sigh of admiration.
“…Wow…”
She had prepared incredibly hard for this.
All the meals I had carefully fed her and the elixirs I made sure she took while we lived in Seoul seemed to have paid off—her condition looked excellent. I had wondered what she was doing glued to her tablet all day, but it looked like she had been preparing this lecture the entire time.
While I quietly observed her, my wife suddenly directed a question toward us.
She walked to the edge of the stage, looked straight at me, and spoke.
…Huh? Me?
While I sat there dazed from the sudden call, someone approached and handed me a small microphone.
“…F-fight…!”
With Gong Haeseon’s tiny cheer, I stood up without thinking. Receiving the countless stares from the students, I met my wife’s eyes where she stood on stage.
I didn’t know why she had singled me out, but she must have had a reason. I answered her question briefly into the microphone.
“It’s thinking.”
My voice echoed throughout the auditorium. My wife gave a satisfied look and lowered the mic as if telling me to continue.
…This woman really…
I shot her a quick glare, then continued speaking into the microphone.
“…From the moment you step into the Gate until the moment you leave, you must constantly think—about your comrades’ condition, your own condition, and always stay alert for sudden situations.”
It was something my wife had once taught me. Of course, I had ended up dying inside a Gate…
I hoped such a tragedy would never happen again.
When I finished and lowered the mic, admiration rose from the students around me.
Ooh—
At that moment my wife lightly clapped her hands to guide them, and the students followed with loud applause.
Clap clap clap clap clap—
It felt like I had just received a standing ovation.
I handed the mic back to the broadcasting club student who had approached and quickly returned to my seat.
“J-Jihwan…! That was amazing…! The Sword Empress herself acknowledged you…!”
Gong Haeseon immediately showered me with praise. I gave her a small smile, then glanced at Min Soyeon sitting on the opposite side with faint anticipation.
“…You did well.”
It was a short compliment, but the thought that Soyeon had praised me made the corners of my mouth lift without me realizing it.
The lecture continued. My wife picked out several students for questions and answers—a flashy-looking girl and a similarly flashy-looking boy.
“That’s her, right? The one who took first place in the last competition…”
“Huh? He’s here? I heard he got scouted and stopped coming to school. Guess he still wanted to hear the Sword Empress lecture?”
From the students’ reactions, the ones my wife had chosen seemed to be quite promising. I wasn’t particularly interested, though.
After the lecture ended successfully—
Whoa—! Clap clap clap clap—!!
My wife disappeared beyond the stage amid enthusiastic applause and cheers. All her hard preparation had clearly been worth it. When we got home, I would have to praise her plenty.
Students began filing out. Since we were in the front row, we waited a moment for the crowd to thin.
Then a broadcasting club student approached me and spoke quietly.
“Um… Are you Student Yu Jihwan?”
…Yes?
“The Sword Empress is looking for you… She asked you to come to her office.”
“Me?”
“Yes. She said to come right away…”
…What is this about?
While I felt a slight question at the news that my wife was calling for me, Gong Haeseon beside me began urging me on.
“…J-Jihwan…! Hurry and go…! The Sword Empress called for you…!”
She pushed me from behind, saying I shouldn’t miss a good opportunity. Min Soyeon, who had been quietly watching, seemed to agree and added a few words.
“…Go quickly.”
In the end I told the two of them to head to the classroom first, then followed the broadcasting club student toward the back of the stage. There was a dedicated passage behind the stage, so we got out quickly. After hearing the location of my wife’s office, I headed straight there.
The main building, third floor.
Since it was class time, the hallway was empty. I wandered alone and quickly found the office my wife was using.
Ju Yeonhee
A luxurious nameplate engraved with my wife’s name. She alone occupied one of the largest rooms in the center of the third floor of the main building. Jeon Nando must have arranged it for her.
Knock knock—
When I lightly knocked, my wife’s voice came from inside telling me to enter.
Click—
I carefully opened the door. The office had clearly been decorated by my wife herself; her taste was evident everywhere.
…Oh…
I let out a low sound of admiration at the sophisticated atmosphere. My wife, who had been sitting at the desk, rose slightly and spoke.
“…Come in?”
She seemed to have taken off the outer layer she had been wearing earlier. In a white shirt and a slightly slit skirt, with her hair let down, the outfit emphasized her figure and somehow looked incredibly seductive.
I quietly closed the door, slowly scanned the office once more, and walked toward her.
“…How is it? Nice, right?”
“It’s really cool.”
I used polite speech just in case. My wife let out a small laugh and sat me down on the sofa.
But then.
“…U-uh, s-stop! This is school!”
She was naturally trying to sit on my lap. I flinched and refused. As if to tell me not to worry, she picked up the remote on the table, pointed it at the door, and pressed it.
Then—
Beep— Click—!
The door locked automatically.
…She even prepared something like this?
While I was clicking my tongue at my wife’s thoroughness, she sat lightly on top of me as if to ask whether it was okay now and whispered.
“…All right now?”
She really was a bewitching woman.
Leaning against my husband’s body, I kneaded the hand that had slipped between my arms and gently wiggled my hips.
“…K-khm…”
My husband cleared his throat as if telling me to stop, then pulled me into a tight embrace.
“So, why did you call me?”
Caught in his arms, I obediently rested my head against his chest and asked sneakily, as if testing him.
“…To move around comfortably, isn’t it better to make your name known?”
“…W-what?”
“…I heard everything. That you asked to be allowed into a Gate.”
My husband looked extremely flustered. I gently stroked the hand he had placed on my stomach as if to reassure him and continued softly.
“…Finding your former skill level will take quite a long time…. It’s a little disappointing that you didn’t tell me.”
“Uh, uhh… Sorry… I didn’t say anything because I thought you’d worry…”
“…Then why are you taking Soyeon with you?”
I pressed my ear to my husband’s chest.
“…S-Soyeon? …She’s my partner anyway, so I thought it would be good to go together.”
His heartbeat grew even faster. A faint dampness seeped into my hand. He was lying right now.
…So that’s how it is…
Convinced that the purpose of the System attached to my husband was to raise Min Soyeon, I gently tapped his hand and spoke softly.
“…From now on, if you need anything, you must tell me.”
“…Thank you so much. As expected, there’s no one but my wife.”
My husband wore an expression of relief, yet his heart was still racing. I sensed he was hiding something else from me, but that wasn’t important right now.
I pulled away slightly, turned my body, and draped my legs over the sofa’s armrest.
“Ugh…”
Perhaps because his lower body was being pressed, my husband let out a faint groan. I wiggled my waist seductively and pouted my lips.
“…I have class.”
But my husband pretended not to notice my seduction and lightly pushed me away. Finding the sight a little cute, I tugged open the shirt that had been buttoned all the way up and whispered.
“…You can just learn from me, can’t you?”
“…Ah, it really shouldn’t… Just once.”
…
“…Listen to the class well?”
“…Yes, see you later.”
After my husband left, I remained alone in the office with a heavy thud. I pressed the remote with a beep, turned on the ventilation fan, sat down at the desk chair, and whispered in a low voice.
“…I know you’re watching. Come out right now.”
The office remained silent with no response.
“…One.”
I quietly counted, raising my mana with the intent to destroy the building. Suddenly the air flashed—and something appeared.
It was the System I hadn’t seen in a long time.
Yu Jihwan, who had met with Mom, appeared in the middle of class.
“Student Jihwan! Did your meeting with the Sword Empress go well?”
“…Yes. I received some good advice and came back.”
“Krr… That’s wonderful! Now, hurry and take your seat.”
“…Yes.”
Receiving the students’ gazes, he quickly came to the back of the classroom and naturally took the seat beside me.
“…Phew…”
Yu Jihwan let out a tired-sounding sigh. I quietly set down my pen, rested my chin on my hand, and looked at him.
He was sweating slightly as if he had run over, and he looked strangely haggard, as if his vitality had been drained.
And…
“…Hey.”
“Yeah?”
“…Why is your tie like that?”
The tie he always wore neatly was crooked.