Chapter 25
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Glad It Was You
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Hearing a completely unexpected answer, my mind went blank for a moment.
Unlike my flustered reaction, Jeong Se-hee spoke in a calm tone.
[A verbal contract is still a contract. It's also a way of saying let's get along well from now on, and at the very least, a sign of basic trust.]
"......Honestly, I have no idea what you're talking about."
That was what I said, but the phrase "sign of trust" rubbed me the wrong way for some reason. Did she think I didn't trust her or something?
[Seong-han. What I'm about to say might come off as unpleasant or even some old-fogey nagging. But will you hear me out anyway?]
"Go ahead."
[Even with what happened yesterday, we've only known each other for a day.]
"That's true."
[So at this point, are we really all that different from people who locked eyes at a club, had a one-night stand, and went their separate ways?]
"......Do people in that kind of situation usually call each other first thing in the morning?"
[If they swapped numbers, sure. Something like 'last night was great' or 'let's have sex again sometime.']
......I'd have to experience it myself to know for sure. Of course, I'd read plenty of internet stories.
'Hang on. Hasn't she done it herself either?'
It was ridiculous when I thought about it. But since I'd decided to hear her out, I swallowed hard and pressed my ear to the speaker.
[But I got your semen in exchange for allowing sex. More precisely, it's like I sold my body to buy your semen. And that's where a really interesting problem comes up.]
"What's that?"
[What do you think would have happened if I'd learned the value of your semen and just wiped my mouth clean?]
"......Huh? What do you mean?"
[Without all the fuss about contracts or whatever, if I'd just seduced you into having sex—would it have worked? Or failed?]
Her voice tossed the question at me like a teacher, and I couldn't open my mouth right away.
The answer was obvious. Of course it would have worked.
Even without the Copy skill, even if there'd been no need for sex, refusing in that situation wouldn't make me a man. I'd be impotent or gay.
"But you didn't do that, Noona."
[That's from my perspective. A sex partner relationship doesn't guarantee that you'll always have sex with me...... Or rather, that I can always have sex with you.]
"Why not?"
[Because there are plenty of younger, prettier women than me.]
"......Hey, Noona."
She really had low self-esteem in the weirdest places. Her words made my head spin a little.
Of course, she wasn't wrong, but who could really compare? Even judging purely by looks, most celebrities couldn't hold a candle to her.
[So all I can do is something like this.]
"So the conclusion is you'll buy my semen with money?"
Irritation was starting to bubble up. If it came to that, we wouldn't even need to have sex. I could just extract it and hand it over.
[No. It means I value you and treasure you that much.]
"Huh?"
[It doesn't matter if you see me as just a fuck buddy or less. But I don't want you misunderstanding that I'm looking down on you or taking you lightly.]
"......Misunderstanding?"
[More precisely, I want you to understand. How incredibly valuable you are, and that I recognize and respect that.]
Her words were firm with conviction, leaving me speechless for a moment.
This woman's way of thinking was definitely unique. Her way of expressing it, too.
But that didn't mean I had to twist her sincerity into something negative.
"To be honest, I wasn't in a great mood at dawn."
[I know. That's why I deliberately turned off my phone. Sorry.]
Her straightforward apology without any pretense melted my irritation away.
From her side, it was her way of expressing maximum gratitude.
[I almost added another zero but held back. I figured you'd really storm my house if I did.]
She had a weirdly sharp intuition. Was it thanks to her perfect memory, or just innate?
A woman who quantified even her feelings with money drew lines surprisingly well. It made her seem a bit more human.
"Jeez, are all chaebols like this?"
[Don't you know the ones who have it are even harsher?]
"What about you, Noona?"
[You're the key that might fulfill my long-cherished wish. A mage's long-cherished wish is like that.]
Fair enough. Everyone has different priorities. I didn't need to understand every little thing about Jeong Se-hee.
[One last bit of nagging: take good care of your health. It'd be a problem if something happened to your semen. I can't tell you not to meet other women, though.]
"......What about you, Noona?"
Awkward from remembering how many times I'd creampied her yesterday, I asked in a sheepish tone. A low laugh came back.
[Don't worry about that. Oh, one more thing.]
"What?"
[Yesterday was good. I'm glad my first experience was with you.]
"I figured you wouldn't think much of something like that."
[It's just lower priority, not meaningless. Where else am I going to find a young guy like you with such an amazing cock? It was a fantastic experience.]
"Glad you were satisfied."
[I'll handle the tax issues on my end, so don't worry about it.]
"Thanks. I'll use it well."
[Have a good weekend then. If you need anything, feel free to tell me anytime. I'll contact you again.]
After hanging up, a strange sense of emptiness hit me even though I hadn't ejaculated.
People really are something you have to experience to understand. Same with Yu-ra Noona, and Jeong Se-hee. Awakening had brought all sorts of craziness.
"......Time to take the money."
Might as well enjoy it guilt-free now. I accepted the 100 million won and immediately converted it to coins.
"Pretty solid, anyway."
Combining the 5,000 reward coins with the new 10,000 made 15,000. Copying that gave me 22,500 coins.
Including what I had before, that was 26,500 total. I bought Golden Eye first, which I'd added to my cart.
<Golden Eye (on/off)>
- Links with Scan to reveal the target's weak points and erogenous zones.
- When activated, weak points and erogenous zones are displayed on the target's body.
- When activated, increases the power of Golden Finger.
I'd thought it just revealed weak points and erogenous zones, but it was way more useful than expected. No mana cost, and the toggle made it easy to use situationally.
'Why is Golden Finger passive, though?'
It was nice not having to worry about it since it was always on, but I still had no idea how effective it was.
For now, let's test Golden Eye. If I activate it and look at myself, I should see my own weak points and erogenous zones.
"Let's see......"
In front of the full-length mirror in my room, I activated Golden Eye. Blue and red dots popped up all over my body.
The blue ones were in the usual vital spots: especially overwhelming on my chest, head, and neck. The others were fingernail-sized at most, but these were fist-sized?
'One hit there and I'm done.'
The red ones were predictably largest between my legs, with others on my nipples, neck, and thighs. Curious, I turned around—yep, even my anus.
'This is kinda embarrassing.'
Seeing my own unknown erogenous zones was kinda funny. Anyway, in this state, Golden Finger's power increases.
"......Morning wood test?"
Long story short, it was useless.
My bad for forgetting Golden Finger only works on the opposite sex, fuck.
Around 5 p.m., I headed out to meet Yu-ra Noona as planned.
She insisted on celebrating my first dungeon clear with Korean beef, and even when I offered to pay, she wouldn't hear of it, so I quietly enjoyed the free meal.
"So, were your party members good people?"
"Three B-Ranks and one C-Rank, but a big shot was in the mix."
"Big shot?"
I was sitting on the sofa in Noona's house, sipping coffee. Yu-ra Noona was pressed right up against me like a lover, leaning on my shoulder.
"Know anyone named Jeong Se-hee?"
"Jeong Se-hee? The Princess of Sesung?"
"......Princess?"
What kind of outdated nickname was that? Where did she act like a princess?
"She's the granddaughter her grandfather, the Sesung Group chairman, dotes on most. She was pretty famous even before awakening as a hunter."
"Really?"
Yu-ra Noona gave a quick rundown of Jeong Se-hee's background that I hadn't known.
She'd awakened as a hunter about eight years ago, during grad school.
From childhood, she'd declared she wanted to be a biotech researcher, not interested in company management, so she grew up loved without rivalry from relatives. That's why her grandfather adored her.
"Other kids or grandkids get internal evaluations swayed by a single compliment or insult, but she's free of that. And then she awakens as a hunter on top of it, so the chairman pushes her without holding back."
She was getting massive backing. Even for a B-Rank chaebol heiress, that much money was suspicious.
......And I'd fucked that girl's virginity like a dog yesterday. Hmm.
"But how do you know all that so well, Noona?"
"I have my sources. The scale's different, but our situations are kinda similar."
"......Similar?"
"Ahahaha."
Sensing my dubious look, Yu-ra Noona let out an awkward laugh and glossed it over.
I hadn't meant to pry.
Her house screamed money at a glance, but that wasn't my concern. She'd tell me if she wanted to.
"Did you get close to her?"
"She invited me over and fed me. Said she liked how I did things or whatever."
"Hee, just food?"
Yu-ra Noona's eyes curved into pretty half-moons. But I couldn't exactly admit to fucking Jeong Se-hee.
"Just loosened up the acquaintance a bit. She said to contact her if I need help."
"Nice. Connections like that aren't easy to get."
"And...... I think I have to quit the library."
"Huh? Why?"
Party Practice was half sightseeing anyway—just follow the vets, no danger. Solo play was a whole different beast.
"I need to learn basic combat. Supporters don't just hang back and support."
Thanks to copying Jeong Se-hee's status window, my strength plus agility totaled 157. Online research said that was top-tier for a D-Rank dealer.
But what good was it if I didn't know how to use it? I needed to smash an E-Rank monster solo at least.
"Yeah, solo means fighting yourself."
"So I'm gonna get some training before that."
"Like an academy?"
There were plenty of private hunter training spots—run by retired hunters or big guilds.
But I had no intention of going there.
"Since I got a great connection like you said, Noona, time to use it."