Earth
"Wh… what?..."
Anzelli's voice trembled as she heard my words. I gently pulled her away from my embrace. As expected, her eyes shook like there was an earthquake raging inside them. She couldn't believe what had just come out of my mouth.
"What do you mean… Chanyoung doesn't have a lover…"
"I told you the people in the novel dimensions are all real, living people, right?"
"…"
Anzelli's face hardened at my words. She understood the implication perfectly. My lover isn't on Earth—she's in one of the novel worlds. Of course, this was a lie. The angels don't know what happens inside the novel dimensions they created. I could infer that from the time Baby Angel tried to check my quest history. If they could see everything in their dimensions, there'd be no need to verify my quest completions—they could just glance at the past.
That's why this lie works. Even if an angel did peek into the past, it wouldn't be a big deal. Sure, Chris was just a one-night stand, but sleeping with her is a fact. With the right words, I can package our fling as a full-blown romance and pass her off as my lover easily.
But why tell such a lie? It's not for some grand cause or massive reward. Just… my ugly selfishness. So repulsive I couldn't confess it to anyone.
"…So… I'm… haha… in the end… yeah…"
"…"
"Sorry… um… truth is… I was kinda hoping… sniff! Chanyoung must feel… the same as me… sob…!"
Tears welled up in her beautiful blue eyes. She couldn't stop sniffling, her words trailing off unfinished. Anzelli tried to hold them back by widening her eyes, but the tears fell anyway, tracing glistening paths down her pale cheeks…
…Damn it, I can't watch this anymore. Even if I'm being a bastard, I need to wrap it up fast.
"Anzelli. Be my lover."
"Hic?..."
"I like you too. As a man likes a woman."
She looked utterly confused, unable to process my words. The conversation had been flowing toward me rejecting her.
"But you… have a lover…"
I nodded, affirming her words.
"Then how? Ah! Don't tell me… things are rocky between you two right now? You're about to break up?"
Hope flickered in Anzelli's eyes. But I denied it.
"No. I don't think we'll break up."
"Huh?… Then how can I be your lover? You already have… one…"
"Anzelli."
"Yeah?"
"I'm going to kiss you right now."
"…Huh?"
I didn't surprise her. I approached slowly, leisurely, gently. Our foreheads touched soon after.
Drip…
My reflection appeared in her pupils. Her eyes were soaked in confusion. We held each other's gaze for a moment.
Smoothly.
"Ah…!"
I raised my left hand to her cheek. Her warm, soft skin pressed against my palm. Her face flushed red again. I could feel just how much affection she held for me. My right hand went to the back of her head, supporting her for a comfortable kiss. But I didn't grip too hard—leaving room for her to pull away if she wanted.
Very slowly, the distance between us shrank. Bit by bit, until finally.
"Mm…"
Smack.
It was a brief kiss, barely five seconds. A simple peck—no tongue, lips hardly moving. Even so, kissing Anzelli felt good.
"Haa… we… kissed…"
"Yeah. Even though I have a lover, I kissed you."
"Ah… your lover…"
"By the way, that was my first kiss."
"R-really?..."
Any kisses before the body swap didn't count. And I hadn't kissed Chris, so yeah, it was my first. Anzelli looked strangely pleased. She was so cute, I leaned in for another quick peck.
"Mm…"
This one was shorter—just over a second of lip contact.
"Hua…"
Anzelli's expression had melted. She clearly loved the kiss. She tilted her head up a little, pretending nonchalance but practically begging for more.
"You… like me, Chanyoung?..."
"I do."
"Eek… then… one more time…"
Smack…
"Hnn… a little longer…"
"I have a lover—is that okay?"
"…Just for today… only today… starting tomorrow, I'll act like a proper rejected girl, no more whining…"
Smooch…
"What if tomorrow I ask you for a kiss? You can say no."
"…I can't…"
"Then reject me tomorrow."
"…Don't make me… please… even this… isn't right… normally…"
"This?"
Smack.
"This?"
"…Yeah."
Anzelli never dodged my lips once. She could've turned her head slightly, but every time I leaned in, she accepted me. After a few kisses, she even tilted her head up to make it easier when she saw me coming.
"Get what I meant earlier now?"
"…"
"Be my lover."
"…"
"Of course, I have no plans to break up with my current one."
"…No… this can't… I don't think… mmmph."
I proposed to Anzelli. That we cheat together—and she turn a blind eye to it. Asking an angel for an affair, no less.
That's why I lied. I don't have a lover now, but I will someday. More than one. With this system, why not meet all those captivating heroines and supporting ladies from the novels?
But accepting her confession outright would've killed that possibility. An angel like her wouldn't stand by while I cheated. So I thought: make her an imperfect angel. One who errs. Pull her one step from purity by making her commit the sin of adultery herself. That way, even if I bring in new girls later, a guilty Anzelli won't complain… I'd have her in chains.
"Pha… no… Chanyoung… please… just…"
"Just?"
"Dump me cleanly… then I'll give up… I'll try… it'll hurt, but… I'm an angel, after all…"
"No."
Her resistance was fading. The game's outcome was decided. She'd have to follow my lead. Fresh tears welled in her dried eyes. She looked lost, unsure what to choose. Reason and emotion tugged at her in a fierce standoff. Her mind knew it was wrong, but her heart yearned for any connection with me.
"…Then… …I'll… hnnk! Say something… super selfish… sniff! Just once, only once… if you like me more… gulp! Can't you break up with her and be with me? Please… hnnk!..."
Anzelli wiped her streaming tears with her sleeve, desperate now. She bared the deepest secrets she'd kept hidden until then.
…I can't go soft. Sure, I could dress this up as being for her sake too. But no. At least, not me. This shitty choice for a shitty reason was mine. Anzelli was already hurt by it. Backing out now would make it all for nothing—turning me into ambiguously recyclable trash. Disgusting.
"My lover loves me. Just like you do."
"As much as… I love you… then I won't give up…"
"Yeah. You won't."
"Hic-sob… then, like I thought… I'm…"
"Anzelli, you and my lover are in different dimensions anyway—we'll never meet. This is Earth."
"…"
"…Your face says I might bring novel characters to Earth someday. But even then, it doesn't matter. You're an angel."
"That's…"
"Angels can hide from mortal eyes, right?"
"…Still…"
"Time flows separately there and on Earth. Loving two won't shorten time with either."
"What if your lover finds out…"
"She won't… but if she does, I'll apologize first. Accept the consequences. That's how much I want you."
"Hnnk… please… don't say that… don't shake me… I'm… getting more and…"
Forcing her to decide might be wrong. Maybe blunt declaration would've been kinder. But ridiculously, I wanted her happy—so I took the burden.
"One last kiss. Not a light one like before, but a lovers' kiss. Dodge it, and I won't bother you anymore. I'll give up. But if you don't…"
"…"
"You're my lover."
I leaned in. Anzelli didn't dodge. I cupped her cheek. She closed her eyes. I brought my lips to hers. She parted them, welcoming me.
Smooch—
My tongue slipped into her mouth, brushing her neat gums before finding her stiff, uncertain one and entwining. Saliva mingled freely now.
"Ehk… sniff!"
She seemed to miss her cue to breathe, so I pulled back slightly in consideration. The moment I did, she gulped air like she'd been waiting.
I smiled at her opened eyes, then kissed her again. Still not enough.
"Mmph… haum!"
Smack!
Smooch—
Our hot breaths mixed until our tongues matched in warmth. I pulled away and looked at her. Tears glistened in her eyes for some reason.
Whoosh!
She threw herself into my arms. Unlike before, I could hug her back properly. Anzelli nestled into my chest.
"I love you."
"Yeah."
"I love you."
"Me too."
"I love you, Chanyoung. I love you."
Words poured from her like a dam breaking—emotions she'd barely held back. My chest grew wet. I stroked her hair, waiting for her to calm.
"Hic…"
Once her sobs eased, I shifted my weight, laying her back. She'd been sitting on the bed's edge—now she was fully on it.
"Ah?..."
Thud.
I flopped down beside her, pulling her into another embrace.
"Anzelli."
"Uh… Cha…Chanyoung?..."
Her voice held slight panic. She'd caught the room's shifting mood. I asked her:
"Can only pure angels become Valkyries?"
"…No. Valkyries and purity have nothing to do with each other… but… why ask…"
"Why?"
"…"
"Don't want to?"
"…"
She realized what I meant by "don't want to." But she didn't know how to answer.
"I-it's… even if… this is way too fast, isn't it…? We could take it slower…"
"Your junior's coming to our place soon, right? No skinship for a while then… that okay?"
"Th-that's…! And this… has nothing…!"
Smack.
"Hya?!"
I kissed her flushed nape, repeating it several times. Normally just ticklish, but lying in bed embraced like this? Plenty of mood.
"Nyaa… no… not there…"
Her voice grew softer and softer.