Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: I'll Come Back Alive. (5)
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After washing up thoroughly, we spread blankets in the living room and got ready to lie down. She had insisted on sleeping together tonight, but the bed was too narrow for two people, so this was the compromise I'd come up with.
"You should dry your hair properly."
"Too bothersome."
"Come here. I'll dry it for you."
Seo Ji-hyun, who had been rolling around on top of the blanket, heard me and instantly grabbed the hairdryer before plopping down in front of me. It felt like I was looking at a puppy. I sat straddling the sofa while she sat on the blanket spread out on the floor. I turned on the hairdryer and checked the temperature first.
-Whirrr.
"Not too hot?"
"Just right."
Even after toweling off most of the moisture, her brown hair was still damp. I gently shook it from side to side while blow-drying it. But she kept leaning back against me, so I had to push her away each time.
"Stay still. Stop leaning back."
"Feels good."
"You still need to dry your hair."
"Tch..."
"And quit rubbing your head against my lap."
For some reason, it was like a switch had flipped in her—she kept pressing the top of her head firmly against my crotch, making it really hard to hold back.
"You're enjoying it too, oppa. It's already half-hard."
"That's why you need to stop. We should get to sleep soon. I have work tomorrow."
Only then did she finally quit messing around and obediently return to her original position. As I was gradually drying her hair almost completely, a thought suddenly struck me. Come to think of it, at some point she had stopped using formal speech. I'd let it slide earlier when she was crying, but maybe I should ask about it.
"Oh, right, Ji-hyun. So you're done with formal speech now?"
"Ah...!"
Her body went rigid at my words. She slowly turned her head and started babbling excuses in a fluster.
"W-Well, you know, we've known each other for a long time anyway, right? Calling you Vice Guild Master-nim feels kind of formal and businesslike. So I thought, what if I used something closer? Yeah, rather than something stiff like that. Just that—no special meaning or anything. And I kinda wanted to try calling you oppa for once? No, wait—that's not it! I mean, we're not just in a guild member and vice guild master relationship anymore. So I was trying to find a better way to address you and..."
"No, calm down first."
"......"
"It's fine, I don't mind. Just calm down."
Her hair was almost fully dry by then anyway, so I turned off the hairdryer, set it aside, got down from the sofa, and hugged her from behind to soothe her. Her words were coming out so fast. Even as I held her from behind, she kept twitching, so I stayed like that for a while longer until she finally quieted down.
"You calmed down a bit?"
"Yeah..."
"Whether you use formal speech or not doesn't matter, so do whatever's comfortable."
"You're not upset?"
"I'm not old enough to nitpick stuff like that."
"Still."
"I told you. I'm already grateful just for you being here. I'm not gonna worry about that kind of thing."
"...Got it. I'll keep calling you comfortably then, oppa."
"Yeah. Your hair's all dry now. Ready to get to sleep?"
"Yeah. Let's."
I got up to turn off the lights while ruffling her hair. She pressed it down to fix it and shot me a glare.
"Ah, don't."
"Can't help it—you're cute. Lights out now."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Darkness settled over the living room as we each slipped into our blankets. Only then did a wave of thoughts hit me.
'The hypnosis broke in the bathroom earlier, so why'd I forget that, you idiot!'
Honestly, it was unavoidable. The hypnosis had broken three times completely out of nowhere, leaving me way too flustered. With that, the sadness I'd felt earlier started to creep back up just a little. How much must she hate doing it with me that she resisted even under hypnosis...
When I thought about whether I really lacked that much appeal, the scene from the bathroom told me otherwise. She had been plenty erect, clearly thinking it might actually hurt. And she was so cute twitching when I touched her.
No, that's not the point.
When our eyes met and I cast hypnosis with total sincerity, only for it to break—it felt like something inside my chest crumbled. I had been ready to give her everything. Without even knowing her feelings. Am I really that worthless? I even thought maybe I should've just kept the hypnosis on and done whatever I wanted. Of course, if I'd done that, we never could've gone back to how things were.
But after that, everything melted away once I heard what she had to say. I could feel his kindness in the quiet hug, in how he accepted everything I asked for. Even now, thinking about how our cheeks touched while we talked makes my face heat up with embarrassment.
At first, I was just curious why he wasn't making a move and thought I'd toy with him by making him do this and that. But before I knew it, I felt Lee Seo-woo's presence taking up a huge part of my new life. That's probably why I could say things casually that I never would've before.
All I did was hang around the house all day, make dinner, and wait by the front door around the time he got home. I never imagined such trivial things could earn someone's gratitude.
And he definitely said he felt lonely.
Half of it was just a whim. I was curious what he'd do if I didn't greet him when he came home. So I waited near the door without showing myself, making it seem like I wasn't home. Deep down, I wondered if it'd actually work, but it did. I even managed to slip past one of his specialties—detection. When I got to his bedroom door, I worried what if he opened it, but whether it was his manners or he just didn't care, he didn't. Part of me was relieved, part regretful.
It was a strange experience. We usually sat face-to-face eating and chatting, but today only he sat there quietly eating. If I'd pulled out a chair and sat, it would've been too obvious, so I just rested my arms on the backrest and watched him eat. He kept glancing over, so at first I thought I'd been caught. But then he let out a small sigh and went back to his food, which put me at ease. He must've been looking for me even though I wasn't there.
After he finished eating and doing the dishes, the way he glanced toward where I'd usually be and smacked his lips told me everything. He was missing me right then. That's why I'd asked him in the bathroom how it felt. Of course, since he was awake and I kept staring, he stuttered while trying to lie.
When he went in to shower, I deliberately sat on the opposite side from his usual spot. Sure enough, he came out exhausted and lay down right away, so I rested his head on my thigh. I figured even if he couldn't sense me, the difference from his usual pillow would tip him off. But he must've been that worn out—he fell asleep in no time.
Watching him sleep brought back that quiet evening alone from yesterday, but the feeling was completely different. Even though I didn't do a thing so I wouldn't wake the tired guy.
Just spending time together like this could make me this happy.
One hour, two hours. I lost track of time just like that, but I worried he'd wake up with back pain if he slept here, so in the end I woke him. I teased him a little in the process, but he said it felt good, so that worked out. We'd overdone it today in all sorts of ways, so I should do it occasionally from now on. Wonder if he'd like it if I sucked him off? It felt nice when it was still soft before getting hard. And suggesting we shower together afterward was on purpose too.
The shower brings it all back...
But now, I'm really okay. I heard how he feels about me. I learned that I can be a big source of strength for someone.
Above all, he said I was precious to him.
That word "precious" was still lingering in my mind. Had anyone ever said something like that to me in my whole life? When I thought back, nothing came up except grim, blood-soaked memories. That's probably why I'm falling for him even harder. Looking back, maybe he didn't want to go all the way not because he hated the idea, but because he sees me as precious. It made perfect sense.
"Oppa, you asleep?"
"No... just dozing..."
I whispered softly, thinking maybe he'd already drifted off. Sure enough, he replied in a voice thick with sleep, all drowsy and drawn out.
"Lemme use your arm as a pillow."
"Yeeah..."
I was so grateful he didn't complain about me waking him and just offered his arm without hesitation. I pillowed my head on it and burrowed into his chest. I could hear his heartbeat. That steady rhythm brought a sense of calm to my heart.
Had he fallen asleep after just giving me his arm? He wasn't moving at all. Maybe my eyes were puffy from crying earlier—they kept drooping shut. I wanted to stay like this a little longer... but after everything that happened today, the sleepiness crashing over me was getting harder to fight.
Before long, the only sound in the living room was the quiet breathing of two people fast asleep.