episode_0011

“…” Morning broke. Kim Jiwoo was the first to flow like liquid, collapsing onto the floor under the bed. Her expression was blank. Simply blank. Her complexion was so pale that no particular emotion or hint of feeling could be discerned.

It happened in an instant. Thud! She straightened her posture and sat politely, placing both hands tightly clasped on her knees. Lee Hyunjin, who belatedly blinked awake in a disheveled state, witnessed the scene.

He paused, his expression subtle for a moment, and then broke the quiet silence with his first words. “…Noona?”

“Hmph…!” And Kim Jiwoo quickly covered her face with the hands she had placed on her knees. The only parts visible were the tips of her reddened ears.

Before a bewildered Lee Hyunjin could say anything, Kim Jiwoo first dropped her head low. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Hyunjin! I, well, I had too many desires pent up recently…! And I ended up seducing a child and doing something I shouldn’t have…! Can you forgive me?!”

“…Huh? No, uh. Just a moment, please calm down first.”

“No, no. Asking for forgiveness would be shameless. D-don’t worry! I have no intention of clinging to you just because we slept together once! Rest assured, I’ll never interfere with you and, uh, Soyul…!”

Whatever Lee Hyunjin tried to say, Kim Jiwoo didn’t listen. Perhaps she didn’t want to hear it, or perhaps she couldn’t even find the composure to listen. Lee Hyunjin pressed a hand to his forehead, thinking it was probably the latter. Why was this Noona suddenly panicking the moment morning arrived?

And how did she know Cheon Soyul’s name? He hadn’t explicitly mentioned her name. Lee Hyunjin frowned for a moment. ‘Ah.’

…Then he suddenly realized. Come to think of it, that was true. It was incredibly rude, but while he was with Kim Jiwoo the night before, he had thought of his experiences with Cheon Soyul a few times.

Don’t misunderstand. He wasn’t comparing them. He had merely thought, for a moment, that they were different kinds of sexual pleasure. Somehow, he felt fortunate that he hadn’t been stabbed. Of course, one can’t always control their thoughts, but still, this was a bit much, wasn’t it?

“Ahem, ahem.” What nerve, thinking of another woman in front of a mind-reader. What kind of etiquette was it to be intimate with someone while thinking of another woman? Lee Hyunjin chastised himself.

Meanwhile, Kim Jiwoo continued to mumble to herself, her head deeply buried. Listening roughly, Lee Hyunjin caught keywords like “twenty years old,” “minor until last year,” and “deemed rape(?).” Lee Hyunjin’s expression turned absurd.

He wondered if it was a joke, but Kim Jiwoo’s expression as she mumbled was truly that of someone in a complete panic. This was genuinely awkward.

‘What do I do, what do I do? What on earth have I done…!’ Kim Jiwoo was genuinely serious. Of course, she wasn’t actually deluded into thinking she’d be arrested, but the guilt stemming from her personal conscience and morality was a separate matter.

She was distraught. Even if she admitted that her sexual desires had been too pent up, that wasn’t a free pass. She certainly remembered that it had been consensual. However, apart from that, Kim Jiwoo was now purely tormented by a sense of sin.

With a deathly pale complexion, she squeezed her eyes shut. She was a pathetic adult, dominated by her desires. She couldn’t bear to look the young man in the face.

‘…If someone asks why I’m feeling guilty now after enjoying myself so much, I have no argument against it, but ugh…!’

It was like that, so to speak. When dominated by desire, she could overpower reason with force, but now that she had let herself go, it was a different story. To put it another way, it could even be considered a very rude notion: regretting it belatedly after already having been intimate…

‘I’m trash! Ugh!’ At least in this moment, Kim Jiwoo, in a state that was not quite panic but close to it, couldn’t even think of such things. Only the fact that she had taken a twenty-year-old boy as she pleased filled her mind.

Eventually, she decided to admit her “sin,” and slumped down. She then put on a sad expression that naturally elicited sympathy.

She lifted her head. Sniffling continuously, she met Lee Hyunjin’s gaze. It was the most pitiful eye contact in the world.

Lee Hyunjin instinctively flinched.

“Hyunjin…” “…Yes.” “Last night’s incident, well, um. You see…”

Kim Jiwoo stammered, trailing off her words. From her constantly fidgeting hands, Lee Hyunjin instantly knew what she was about to say.

So, he decided to preempt her. “If you say we should pretend it didn’t happen, or forget about each other, I might feel a bit disappointed. I trust that Jiwoo Noona wouldn’t say such a thing.”

“…” And Kim Jiwoo flinched significantly.

Lee Hyunjin’s eyes grew cold. Her reaction was simply too blatant.

“…Noona.” “N-no, Hyunjin. I-I wasn’t thinking that, really! It’s true! Believe me!”

She desperately tried to assert her trustworthiness. Of course, her trembling expression and pupils that couldn’t quite meet Lee Hyunjin’s gaze did not lie.

Lee Hyunjin sighed as if he understood, and Kim Jiwoo’s complexion turned deathly pale.

Lee Hyunjin reached out a hand towards Kim Jiwoo, who was clinging to the floor under the bed, kneeling.

Before she could even flinch, the hand movement was simple. Just, a gentle pat.

“…?” Kim Jiwoo’s expression was a question mark. She looked up, bewildered, but Lee Hyunjin didn’t show any particular discomfort.

He merely looked down at this pitiable person, who was pathetic in many ways, with a sympathetic gaze, stroking her hair.

“Hyunjin, uh, Hyunjin?” “Yes.” “…B-but I’m still older…! Shouldn’t I be doing this for you…?”

Unable to control the twitching at the corners of her mouth, Kim Jiwoo ended up mispronouncing a word and strangely raising the end of her voice.

With a flushed face, she rolled her eyes, and Lee Hyunjin openly chuckled. A small laugh escaped him.

The more he looked at her, the more she seemed like a younger sibling rather than an older one. It was like looking at a younger brother with a big head. Of course, the age difference was immutable.

Lee Hyunjin sat on the edge of the bed and spoke.

“We’re both adults, and although we drank, we weren’t that drunk, were we? You came to the motel sober in the first place, so why are you blaming yourself so much? I wanted to come too, you know.”

“…Heh.”

“Aside from all that, I’m an adult too. Even if it was a mistake made while drunk, I wouldn’t unilaterally blame you, Noona.”

Lee Hyunjin, who had taken his hand off her, briefly thought about how soft her hair was, then quickly erased the thought lest she read his mind. He then cleared his throat.

Anyway, it was time to tell her not to worry about unnecessary things anymore and to get up soon.

They had to check out before 11 AM.

“…You’re right.” Suddenly, Kim Jiwoo gulped and opened her mouth.

Lee Hyunjin blinked.

“Noona?” “An adult, indeed. Hyunjin.” “…Huh?”

Only then did Lee Hyunjin notice. Kim Jiwoo’s gaze was not on his face. Instead, it was lower. Her eyes, filled with agitation, were fixed directly in front of her, given her posture and position. Ah. Lee Hyunjin swallowed a groan. Why now, of all times?

“…” “…” A brief silence fell. It was an incredibly awkward silence for Lee Hyunjin, but Kim Jiwoo wore a slightly flushed expression, deep in thought.

Just like that, a sudden action followed.

“…?! Noona?” She reached out a hand, and Lee Hyunjin instinctively flinched his waist. The slight frown on his face was probably due to the unexpected stimulus.

Of course, Kim Jiwoo ignored Lee Hyunjin’s reaction and simply moved her wrist. She subtly looked up at Lee Hyunjin, who was bewildered and didn’t know what to do.

And then, she confirmed that the other person wasn’t actively refusing. She licked her upper lip once.

“I’ll, uh, give you one more for a morning greeting.” “…No, wait…!”

Lee Hyunjin’s instinctive protest couldn’t continue. His outstretched hand merely twitched briefly, failing to reach the top of Kim Jiwoo’s head.

And so, an hour passed.

“Huu…” Lee Hyunjin stood at the door of the room, letting out a truly complex sigh, laden with various meanings.

Kim Jiwoo had gone into the bathroom to wash her face and follow him out, due to some “circumstance.” He felt he wouldn’t be able to control himself if he stayed in the room any longer, listening to the sound of water from the bathroom. Lee Hyunjin made a quick decision and left the room.

Click. After confirming the lock of the heavily closed door one more time, Lee Hyunjin turned around.

So, what should he do now? Would it be better to go to Songnisan first?

It was while Lee Hyunjin was standing at the elevator, pondering such thoughts.

“Excuse me.” The voice that suddenly spoke came from behind him. He had sensed someone’s presence earlier, but he hadn’t expected them to speak, so Lee Hyunjin turned his head in surprise.

The first thing that caught his eye was a rare shade of red hair. Even when dyed, such a deep color was usually avoided, and besides, it felt too natural to have been artificially colored.

Similarly, her fiery red eyes didn’t seem to be mere colored contact lenses.

Sometimes, there were people like that—no, Awakened ones. Should he call it a case where physical conditions and characteristics are acquired and transformed depending on the manifested trait, or the ability or magic they wield?

After all, Lee Hyunjin’s own master, the Ice Empress Seol Hayeon, had silver hair, which was not seen in Korea.

In conclusion, the girl in front of him was an Awakened, and most likely one who wielded abilities related to the fire attribute.

Her age seemed to be around Lee Hyunjin’s, but…

The key point was that she had used the room next to his and Kim Jiwoo’s last night.

Furthermore, her purpose seemed to be the same as Lee Hyunjin’s, who had just come out to check out.

Not knowing why she had stopped him, Lee Hyunjin was about to ask her purpose.

“Couldn’t you have been a little quieter?” The girl frowned in annoyance and spoke her first words.

Lee Hyunjin froze for a moment.

“…Huh?” “The soundproofing here is really bad. I could hear everything from your side, all the sounds of you two making passionate love, and it was quite troublesome for me.”

“…” “Well, we won’t be seeing each other again anyway. But since we ran into each other, I felt I had to say something. Because of you, I couldn’t sleep.”

Lee Hyunjin instinctively closed his mouth. He couldn’t find anything to say.

It wasn’t easy to respond to a sudden complaint.

“…Right.” Still, it was true that they had inconvenienced the next room all night, so he thought it would be best to apologize, regardless of the motel’s actual “purpose.”

Lee Hyunjin didn’t hesitate and bowed his head. “I apologize. We caused you trouble all night.”

“…” And at such a polite and clear apology, the red-haired girl also flinched for a moment.

Perhaps she hadn’t expected such an immediate apology, as she looked a bit flustered.

“…Well, well. No, it’s fine. Come to think of it, I might have been a bit harsh with my words. Motels are usually for, you know, ‘that kind of thing.’ I guess I was just a little sensitive because I couldn’t sleep.”

“Ah, yes.” Seeing her somehow embarrassed, Lee Hyunjin felt a mischievous urge. He wanted to ask what “that kind of thing” meant, but she wasn’t Cheon Soyul, with whom he had a close relationship.

If he messed up, he might end up at the police station.

So he quickly cut off the conversation and tried to end it. Lee Hyunjin, subtly checking that the elevator was about to arrive, was about to turn away.

“…But.” The girl spoke to him again. Lee Hyunjin reluctantly stopped his movement, let out an awkward laugh, and turned his head back.

The girl twisted her hair around her finger and casually dropped a remark.

“…Does it feel good? That.” “?” “S-sex, I mean.” “??”

For a moment, Lee Hyunjin felt his mind go blank.

Unexpected questions often create unexpected shocks.

“…Ah.” While he blinked in dumbfounded silence, the elevator arrived. Soon, the girl, seemingly feeling embarrassed as well, moved first.

Ding!

She repeatedly pressed the close button, and as the elevator doors began to move. The girl subtly glanced at Lee Hyunjin’s lower body and quietly mumbled.

“…Does it really go that deep?”

It was the last remark that instantly erased the thought still lingering in Lee Hyunjin’s mind: that if he didn’t want to wait, he should follow her into the elevator.

Through the closing door gap, the last sight Lee Hyunjin saw was the girl touching her stomach with a gesture that seemed to be measuring something.

“…What.” And then, her outfit.

It was the emblem etched on her shoulder.

Clank.

The elevator doors closed.

Lee Hyunjin was silent.

…If Cheongsong Academy’s uniform jacket bore an emblem of a pine tree, then Busan’s Jeokho Academy had an emblem of a ghost-like tiger.

The jacket of the Awakened girl who had just disappeared clearly depicted a fierce tiger.