That Uneasy Feeling
I wanted to shake off that uneasy feeling, but the next class was Awakened Law. The way I’d have to deal with it felt awkward anyway, and I was short on time. The material was so vast and complicated that the lecture had a reputation for being impossible to follow unless you stayed laser-focused. Enduring the professor’s sleep-inducing aura by viciously pinching my own thighs for three straight hours was pure torture.
It wasn’t just me. Nearly every student in the room looked like a zombie, slumped over their desks. I was no exception. After three hours of abuse, my thighs had gone completely numb.
I was packing up my things and about to stand when my smartphone buzzed.
I set the messages aside for a moment and checked the results, but there was no announcement yet. Her tone made it sound like checking was pointless. Did she already know the outcome? Maybe the professors who supposedly “drop dead” had some kind of connection with her. Was she sitting on insider information that normal students like me wouldn’t know?
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t come up with an answer. Lee Ji-ah’s strange behavior wasn’t limited to one or two incidents. It started with her knowing the password to my studio apartment, extended to her understanding my sexual tastes in excruciating detail, and even included knowledge of erogenous zones I hadn’t even discovered myself. It was hard to dismiss it as simple stalking.
Then was it a special ability? Psychometry-type powers were rare, but not unheard of. If she possessed that kind of ability, her odd actions made sense. The only problem was whether psychometry could really read something as specific as erogenous zones I didn’t even know about.
So far, all documented psychometry abilities were limited to inanimate objects. No matter how much you read an object’s memories, it shouldn’t reveal something like that. How the hell did you find out?
If her ability worked on living beings too, it would cause an academic uproar. If it was just stalking or a crime, I should report it to the police. Or maybe there was something I simply couldn’t guess.
Tsk… It’s not like she’s actually hurt me.
If I really forced the issue, I could probably find something. Like suddenly popping out of my apartment and scaring me, or stealing my protein powder. At least the latter was mutual consent, so it couldn’t be considered a problem.
After thinking it over for a long time, I eventually gave up. Trying to understand things I couldn’t understand would only give me a headache. Who knows—maybe she was just the type to prepare everything in advance.
I packed my bag, stood up, and noticed how empty the lecture hall had become. They recover fast. Afternoon classes were over; I supposed their physical condition didn’t matter anymore.
Lee Ji-ah was waiting in front of the building in casual clothes. Black skinny jeans, a plain white t-shirt, and an oversized apricot-colored jumper worn over it. Her hair was tied in a loose half-up style, exposing her pale nape that glowed beautifully in the evening sunset.
She’d been looking at her phone, but when she saw me she raised her hand high and waved.
“Hi! Hyun-do!”
The way she lifted her hand so high and waved like a little kid made me chuckle. She was so perverted in bed, yet completely different outside. It was cute.
“Did you wait long?”
“No, I just got here.”
Lee Ji-ah smiled brightly. Facing that sunny smile felt strangely awkward, so I unconsciously looked away.
“So how exactly do we prepare for this?”
“Hmm, I’m not entirely sure either. Should we start with consumables? What about recovery potions?”
“Recovery potions? We’re just observing, so we probably won’t need them, right?”
“You never know. It’s better to bring a few just in case, don’t you think?”
“I guess…”
It was true that recovery potions were useful to have on hand. They’d be perfect for soothing my body after getting beaten up by Professor Baek Seol-hee. The only downside was the price.
“Let me think about it. Shall we get moving? It’ll take a while if we’re going to look around properly.”
I started walking ahead, and soon I heard light footsteps following behind me.
── Lee Ji-ah’s shopping style was quite different from most women. She moved with purpose, as if she already knew exactly where to find the cheapest, highest-quality items. If every woman in the world shopped like this, men would never complain about tagging along. The women around me usually took at least four hours per shopping trip. My little sister, Yoon Seo-yeon, Mom, even the aunties—once I got dragged along as a pack mule, I was stuck for the entire day.
The memory of being used as simple labor nearly triggered some light PTSD.
“Let’s see… We got the recovery potions, lanterns, emergency rations…”
Lee Ji-ah rummaged through the basket while glancing at her memo pad, then finally tossed the note inside with a satisfied expression. The basket was already bulging, practically screaming that it couldn’t take any more.
“You bought a lot. You’re going to carry all that?”
“No? While I was at it, I picked up some personal items too.”
“I’ve never seen anyone buy an entire box of gum before.”
“Hehe. Everything has its use.”
With a little “hmph,” Lee Ji-ah wiggled her fingers and lifted the basket. Given her small frame, the sight of her carrying that massive basket looked incredibly precarious.
“Give it here. I’ll carry it.”
“Huh?”
I snatched the basket before she could answer. Lee Ji-ah let out a dazed sound. Was it really that surprising that I’d offer to carry it? It was just a habit I’d picked up from being dragged around by my sister and Yoon Seo-yeon in the past.
Between my own bag and hers, both my hands were full, but the weight wasn’t bad. I’d lifted far heavier things before, so it wasn’t much of a strain.
All that weight training finally paid off!
As I reminisced about my relationship with iron plates for a moment, I realized Lee Ji-ah had gone quiet. She’d been briefly stunned after I took her basket, but now she was looking up at me.
“What? Why are you staring?”
“Ah, no reason. Thank you.”
I didn’t miss the way her gaze had swept over my body. Her eyes had traced my frame from shoulders to thighs, lingering on my pumped biceps before dropping away. I could have sworn I heard her gulp.
Wait, seriously? She actually swallowed?
It looked like Lee Ji-ah planned to devour me tonight. That was perfectly fine with me. I’d been stimulated all day in various ways. The elastic feel of Professor Baek Seol-hee’s firm ass against my lower back, Yoon Seo-yeon’s breasts that perfectly matched my tastes even if her personality didn’t. Maybe it was because I’d been too busy the past few days to take care of myself, but I could feel something boiling in my balls.
This was real.
“Oh, then let’s drop the stuff at my place before heading to yours. We should eat dinner too.”
“What do you want to eat then? Doesn’t seem like you want to go out.”
“Hmm… Should I cook? I’m pretty good at it.”
“You cook too?”
Was there anything this suspicious sex friend couldn’t do?
“Of course. I’ve lived alone for quite a while.”
I didn’t think living alone automatically made someone a good cook, but I looked down at Lee Ji-ah, who was already full of enthusiasm and muttering about dinner options. After a few minutes of chatting with her about what she felt like eating, we dropped the bags off at her house and headed toward my studio.
Suddenly, as if she’d just remembered something, Lee Ji-ah spoke up.
“Oh right. Let’s stop by the convenience store.”
“Convenience store? Didn’t you buy everything earlier?”
“I thought I did too, but I forgot one thing.”
What could it be? I gave her a questioning look. She glanced around, saw that there were still many people nearby, and motioned for me to lean in.
“Just say it normally.”
“Aish, come on, put your ear here. It’s embarrassing.”
“Ugh.”
I sighed and bent down, offering my ear. Lee Ji-ah’s face flushed bright red as she whispered.
“Condoms.”
“What?”
“It’s a dangerous day for me.”
“It’s a dangerous day today.”
“Or… do you want to do it raw? Fill me up and get me pregnant?”
I reflexively turned my head and met her eyes. Her face was flushed, but she made no effort to hide the lewd gleam in her eyes.
She whispered again, saying she’d be fine with that too. I’d heard that women’s sex drive peaked during their fertile window. Lee Ji-ah’s neck was already red, and she smiled seductively as if the excitement had already taken hold.
I unconsciously looked around before turning back to her expectant expression.
“…No, we’re buying condoms. Pregnancy isn’t something to joke about.”
“Alright. I like having sex for pleasure, not for making babies, too.”
Despite her words, Lee Ji-ah looked slightly disappointed. It seemed I needed to prepare myself to be thoroughly drained by her tonight. That was fine—I had a few things I wanted to try anyway.
We dropped our bags at my place and headed straight to the convenience store. Lee Ji-ah tossed a few snacks into the basket, then grabbed my hand and led me to the condom display.
“These are regular… these are for Awakened… Ah, here they are.”
The box Lee Ji-ah picked up had a pitch-black background with bold red lines for accent. Since it was my first time buying condoms, I picked one up to examine it myself.
Breaks through the existing 0.01mm barrier with 0.0001mm thickness! (Pack of 5)
Won’t tear even if an elephant pulls on it!
Just how far could the applications of Gate materials go? As a prospective Hunter who would soon be sticking his head into Gates, the whole thing felt strangely off.
Lee Ji-ah and I exchanged a glance, then tossed the box into the basket.
“I’ll pay for this.”
Lee Ji-ah carried the basket to the register. The part-timer looked up from the snacks and the blatantly displayed condom box, first at Lee Ji-ah’s face, then at mine standing behind her.
“That’ll be all~”
What? Why are you looking at us like that?
Have you never seen a couple buying condoms before? The part-timer’s eyes carried a hint of envy. Sorry about that, man.